Thread: Hello, and any tips to gain bush confidence?

Welcome aboard, @cally woo
You are at the start of a lifelong journey. The renowned South African bowhunter Dr Adriaan de Villiers was a pioneer in the bowhunting field. In his early days, after switching from rifle to bow, I recall an article that told of how he had not even had a shot at an animal in the first year, while he basically re-learned stalking and bushcraft.

Bowhunting is a huge challenge. In fact, it is several huge challenges. You need to be able to read the sign around you to find an animal, move yourself towards it, get into position to take a shot, and then you need to have the strength and skill to execute perfectly. Get any one wrong and you will have a pleasant outing in the bush. It takes perseverance to do. with a rifle, you can shoot an animal that can't see, hear or smell you, and you have all the time in the world to line up perfectly. As you close the distance, you lose these advantages, and the tables are turned. Your movements need to be slow - like snails will overtake you slow - and your reactions need to be lightning fast when the opportunity to release an arrow presents itself.

I would seriously suggest getting a couple of arrows with blunt tips, so you can take shots at random objects without destroying the arrows. That way, if you are having a really slow day hunting wise, you can hone the shooting skill part by taking an aimed shot at something, after practicing holding the bow at full draw for as long as you can. This is invaluable when you have drawn on an animal and it gets a whiff of you, or hears something and turns in your direction before you can loose. I had a bow in South Africa, and never got the opportunity to shoot an animal, but that was also because of my personal choice to forego hunting from a blind. African antelope are super, super skittish, and known to jump the string. Your arrow will only find air where the animal was if they have even a hint that there is something out of the ordinary. Unless they are completely relaxed, it is best to not take a shot. I haven't taken a bow hunting in NZ, so can't speak for the local game species.

The PLB advice is fundamental for a solo hunter - have one on your person at all times, and not merely in your pack. And always let someone know where you are and when you will be back if you are going alone.