Backup for Archery hunting

bluemike807

bluemike807

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Eastern Ontario
In the off season I've been keeping up practice with my compound and recurves - don't want to loose the muscle tone and memory. As far as I know once January arrives Im the only guy at my range out with a bow - its fun to get weird, admiring looks from all the guys firing their 10/22s and SKS's as I practice for twice as long as they do with none of the cost :)

That said, I had an interesting thing happen. I was the only guy at the range, and its surrounded on three sides by scrubland, the archery range being right up against the treeline. I was about a half an hour in, trying to sight in a new pin when I heard rustling beside me. I'd just loosed my last arrow otherwise with what happened next, I'd have probably come to full draw.

Out of the bush comes a snowshoe at a dead run, and right on its ass, a coyote. It didn't look to be in great shape, probably why it had run the risk of pursuing Bugs with me standing there. The rabbit tore out halfway between me and the trees, hung a 90 degree right turn and dove into a hole I hadn't noticed in a berm. Coyote hit the hole a second later and tried digging its way in after it. This with me standing maybe 12 feet away. I wasn't scared as it wasn't the biggest dog, but I was very much aware that my closest arrow was 30 yards away in the opposite direction. So I yelled at it, got ready to bean it with my bow if need be and made out all threatening.

It gave me the crustiest look I've ever seen from a dog then ran off into the woods.

After that I kept an arrow in the quiver just in case. It got me to thinking though; what do people tend to bring -if anything - when they're archery hunting. Maybe its not a coyote, maybe its something else when you're in your stand/blind. What about when its bow only season - Im guessing you dont want to get caught by the fishcop with a firearm. What are some peoples' experiences and thoughts?
 
I wouldn't want to have to but I'm pretty sure I could fight off a coyote by hand and foot if required. You have belt knife or similar when you're out hunting too generally.

Otherwise about all you can do is what you were doing after your little cartoon. Keep a couple arrows in reserve. Not often you're going to have an empty quiver when hunting.
 
I keep a knife/axe somewhere I can access it quickly. I'm usually more concerned about bears though. Aswell I usually keep an arrow nocked while walking to/from stands/blinds.
 
Ok but Im curious as to more potent backups. Having an arrow nocked might make me feel better about something coming up that's polite enough to let me come to full draw, and small enough that a single arrow will dissuade it - facing forward I'd have little confidence against a bear.

This is a little off topic but I've read that in the past when bears were hunted largely by spearmen on foot, that they would 'challenge' the bear, provoking it by making themselves appear larger, etc into standing up, making it easier to spear it in the heart. Would that sort of tactic have any benefit to the archer in a pinch?
 
"...you dont want to get caught by the fishcop with a firearm..." Nope. No firearms allowed. At least, not in Ontario.
"...little confidence against a bear..." Yogi won't bother you unless you bother him. Neither will Cindy unless you get between her and the kids.
 
I was archery hunting in a place i no longer have, and was out scouting 1:00 after lunch and was walking on a path ( atv wide) about 50 yds from the property line and stepped around a bend and was looking at 2 large farm dogs (collars) (from ajoing farm never saw them before) they were not expecting me and only about 5-6 feet away !!! can you say lots of Growling and snarling for a few min, I had no arrow in bow, never saw dogs before, and they acted like i was trespassing not them, gave me a big scare, not the type of dogs you would take home to the kids either
 
You can carry a rifle on you at any time in the bush. Shotgun or scoped rifle. Doesn't matter. It's for personal protection. End of story. Now, if you get caught hauling a deer out in bow season with a rifle on your back. That's a different story altogether.
 
It really would be useful if people would enter their locations!

Agreed with sunray, also my knowledge of the regs is for Ontario. I suppose in Ontario that you could have a .22 or a shotgun and legal shot with you. But to have that in the stand loaded would be unsafe if you were not holding on to it because of having your bow ready.

I suppose bear (gun) season overlaps with much of the deer (archery) season in much of Ontario, so I wonder if in principle having a rifle handy might be ok?

There is also a rule about not having more than one firearm in service - I suppose similarly motivated by safety. Not sure how that relates to having one gun and one bow on the go...

knockturnal - (not sure where you are either) But at least in Ontario, I think the general regs are pretty specific about specific cases where a person can only have a .22, at least when big game season are on that they have no license for.

RG

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I'm out in bc. I've had to many close encounters with bears not to carry a gun. And as for bear spray, well, the last thing I would do is season myself for a sow and her cubs. Me and grizzleys seem to have run-INS that neither of us want.
 
Plus. Yotes are open here 10 months out of the year. Even though July and august are the months they are closed, they also happen to be the 2 months where I vacation in Bella coola to fish in the rivers. And anyone who knows anything about bc, knows that there's a ton of griz there.
 
S&W model 66.

Honestly though, why do we really need a back up weapon in Ontario?

This is getting to be like the other thread going about preparation or paranoia. If you feel the need to be armed to the max on a bowhunt, why hunt?

I've been charged by a bear in bow season but I'm not packing heat now because I was. Filled my drawers but not enough to make the hair stand up on the back of my neck everytime I go into the bush now.
 
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