About The Course

As some of us are both hunter and bowbunter education instructors, we know that many hunters are only vaguely aware of what bowhunter education is. Although there is a bit of subject overlap in the two courses, they are sufficiently different in their focus that a hunter who wants to be successful harvesting game should seriously consider completing both courses.

 

In Virginia as in most states, hunter education is required and not required for Bowhunters. We annually graduate several thousand students compared to the number of students from bowhunter education. Hunter education teaches hunter safety while bowhunter education teaches hunting skills. Although both classes are 10-12 hours long, our courses begins with the “History of Bowhunting”, describing the roots of our 25,000 year old sport. The fundamental difference between bowhunting and hunting with a modern firearm, we stress that Bowhunters must get so close as to penetrate a game animal’s zone of defences, smell, hearing and sight, before releasing an ethical arrow. Any mistake on the part of the bowhunter and the animal can sense it and it done. Bowhunting puts the hunter and the animal together on a much more intimate filed, matching wits and skill more closely than with any other hunting method.

 

Both courses covers conservation, but bowhunting also introduces the potential for game damage control within the urban communities. The National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) has developed a booklet called “Guide to Urban Bowhunting”. This guide describes the rationales and information for Bowhunters and the community leaders to develop an urban bowhunting program if deer or other dame are too numerous and causing damage within the boundaries of an urban community.

 

Other topic that is discussed is big game anatomy using a silhouette of a deer pointing out the liver, lungs, heart and front legs. We ask students to place one of the organs into the correct position on the deer. This exercise reveals the students’ knowledge of the orientation of major organs. Another topic is ‘knowing your distances’ and how far can I shoot safely for the arrow will pass cleanly through the vital organs.

 

Bowhunting is a waiting game. Waiting for the game to appear, waiting for the right shot and waiting after the shot before tracking the game. How shots go wrong, which may be due to poor shot angles, shooting when the animal is alert and aware of you presence, shooting beyond your effective range, muscle fatigue, not focusing upon a spot or poor light conditions, missing the twigs, tree limbs and even other game between the hunter and the game that can actually deflect an arrow or even result in wounding the game.

 

We discuss preparing for the hunt such as selecting the proper clothing, scouting, preparing a hunting plan, learning how to use a map and compass, what to put in your survival and first aid kits and studying the game that you intend to hunt.

 

Ethics is an important aspect of the bowhunter education course. Who we are as a responsible? What if, an arrow passes completely through the animal and kills a second animal behind it? We emphasize the role Bowhunters play in game management and avoiding moral arguments.

 

Our field exercises include blood trailing. Students learn how to spot blood droplets, to look under leaves and to identify blood on different surfaces like rocks, logs and leaves to recover their game. We conduct scouting exercises that includes elk or deer droppings (chocolate-covered raisings) and tracks made with preserved deer and elk feet. We set up treestands just two feet off the ground, to emphasize treestand safety and other hunting methods like driving, spot-and-stalk, still-hunting and ground blinds. We demonstrate the use of everyone wearing the four point safety harness to avoid treestand fatalities.

 

Bowhunting is different, but the skills are often as important to modern firearm hunters as they are to the Bowhunters.

 

So, the question is? How many archers and Bowhunters have taken the IBEP course?