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Vicente Moret: “Bowhunting is a proximity hunt, very exciting and with shots from about 40 meters”

One of the most hard-to-master hunting sets is bowhunting.

We spoke with one of them to find out what archer hunters are like and what kind of bows and arrows they usually use: the Valencian Vicente Moret Gil.

One of the most hard-to-master hunting sets is bowhunting.

Those who are drawn to this native discipline face a challenge that is as demanding as it is hard to accomplish in each cast: to get as close as possible to their prey to get an accurate shot.

The archer hunter must learn to blend in with nature to accomplish this so that he can see without being seen, listen without being heard, and stalk his prey without risking detection.

Although it is an ancient tradition (primitive hunters already used the bow to get food more than 30,000 years ago), bow hunting is today presented as a minority activity compared to firearms hunting.

Even so, those who practice this type of hunting activity are truly passionate about this art that seeks perfection in hunting: shooting down the piece with a single arrow shot.

We have spoken with one of them for more detail on how the archers hunters are, what they feel when they practice this discipline, or what kind of arches and arrow points they use regularly: the Valencian Vicente Moret Gil, who details some of the basic premises related to this exciting activity in this interview.

– When did your bow-hunting hobby start? Have you hunted with guns before?

My interest in all aspects of hunting stems from when I was very young.

I began to like hunting with firearms at first, like almost everyone else, but after spending many years hunting that way, I decided to abandon it.

I think the reason was that it didn’t fill me as much as it did at the beginning.

Later, I became fond of hunting again after a period of inactivity as a hunter, but this time with a bow, as it was a greater challenge for me.

– In this adventure, who would you say was your godfather?

Actually, I didn’t have a sponsor as such, I was self-taught because I didn’t know anyone from the world of archery when I started and I had to learn by correcting my mistakes.

I have already met colleagues who have been around for more years than me and who have had much more experience after delving further into this modality, who have given me advice and guidance.

– Bowhunting has a large group of followers in the United States. What would you say is the situation in Spain at present?

Bowhunting had a very small group of followers years ago, but at present, since every day more hunters decide to try the bow and many of them even become archers, this type of hunting has begun to take off.

In this way, in Spain, more and more goalkeeper associations and clubs are being formed, uniting to share a common interest that is increasing in our country more and more.

– Does the archer’s hunter hunt alone or in a group? Are there specific areas where this activity should be practiced?

Depending on the modality they practice, whether it be on standby or stalking, archers can hunt both alone and in groups.

About the second question, exclusive hunting grounds for bow hunting are now beginning to appear.

Besides, they prefer to shoot with a bow in some preserves where they normally hunt with firearms, because this causes less stress on the animals.

– At what distance are your abates usually performed? To get as close as possible to the pieces, what tricks do you use?

Shooting distances are very brief in archery hunting.

It must be taken into account that it is a type of hunting in the vicinity of the prey, in the area of its sensory capacities; this makes it more exciting since the prey discovers you at the slightest error or error in the approach.

While it can be fired at 70, 80 or 100 meters, most archers believe that shooting at these distances is unethical because the chances of missing the shot and leaving the prey injured are multiplied, causing unnecessary suffering.

The distances that I usually shoot do not exceed 40 meters for this reason.

I usually use a ghillie suit to camouflage myself and get as close as possible to the pieces, which allows me to fully blend in with the environment and prevent the prey from identifying me.

Also, I try to make the approach against the wind as much as possible, to be able to position myself as close to the dam as possible and not to smell me.

– Some more skeptical hunters believe that the bow is less powerful than a conventional firearm. What would you tell them, from your experience, to make them change their minds?

A hunting arrow placed in the right place is as accurate as a bullet fired from the best rifle, I would tell you. In archery hunting, as in shooting with firearms, the important thing is to get a good shooting location.

– What area of the dam do you normally aim for with your bow in that case?

Well, it depends on the animal. 

For example, the wild boar, which is the animal that I hunt the most, has a very low heart. 

For this reason, I usually aim for the knuckle area, where all the vital organs are located.

– In a firearm, when shooting down a piece, ammunition is a fundamental part. Therefore, even the smallest detail is taken care of: the type of point, the grain load, the speed of the projectile … Does it happen the same with arrows? What kind of arrows are usually used by you?

Indeed, the exact same thing occurs with arrows as with firearms but increased, since factors such as ‘spin,’ which is the rigidity or flexibility of the arrow tube, must be taken into account.

Apart from the various types of hunting tips, depending on the animal you want to kill, you also have to take into account the type, size and shape of the feathers.

In my particular case, depending on the type of hunting that I practice, I usually use both aluminum and carbon arrows. I use the Easton XX78 Super Slam Digital in aluminum, weighing 655 grains, mainly for waiting time.

I use Eastone’s Nano Epic Realtre carbon arrows with 425 grains for stalking.

– There are several types of bows to practice this hunting activity for the weapon (straight, pulley, recurved…) Which of them are you using and why?

For example, while waiting, I use a pulley bow because it allows me to stay open and aim much longer with the bow than with a recurve bow, in which I would have to release the arrow in just a few seconds.

The pulley arch allows you to keep the arch open almost effortlessly, with the “lent-off”.

This way, when you enter the piece, you have the weapon ready for it.

– What position are you usually hunting most often from? Standing on top of a tree (tree-stand), kneeling, perched…?

“I usually resort to hunting in a “tree-stand” when waiting for wild boars, that is, perched on top of a tree.

Whereas, I almost always resort to a kneeling position when I stalk.

–  What targeting components do you normally use in your bow? What other accessories are necessary for your activity to be carried out?

which allows me to aim with two open garlic, because it doesn’t need to be parallel to the string, which increases the field of vision. The self-timer is another element that helps the archer hunter the most, as it is insane to release a 70 or 80 pound pulley bow with your fingers, as it might hurt your fingers.

Moreover, I usually also carry a rangefinder to calculate the distance between the dam and the arch.

When it comes to placing the arrow in the desired place, all these accessories assist us a lot.

– What is the animal that is hunted the most with bow in Spain? And outside of it?

Here in Spain, without a doubt, the star is the wild boar.

For example, outside of Spain, in the USA, which is the place in the world where most archery is hunted, the white-tailed deer is the most popular game.

– Finally, to what extent do you believe that the long-standing reform of the current Arms Regulations could have an impact on your activities?

Well, in the end, it seems they’re not going to force us to guide the arches.

In any event, there are many complaints from all fellow hunters, both bow and firearms, that the reform of the Regulation, where it exists, is extremely restrictive, and I believe that politicians should, at least, ask us and inform themselves better before such reform is undertaken.

Searching for archers to manage game species in Murcia

For the Wild Species Bow Control Service, as a management tool for public and private entities, the Murcia Hunting Federation will create a group of archer hunters.

The Murcia Hunting Federation will establish a group of archer hunters to join the SCAES, who will receive special training ( Wild Species Bow Control Service ).

In those areas where, for security reasons, firearms cannot be used, this will be configured as a selective population management and control tool using the bow.

This method is based on the selection conditions that already exist to effectively screen those who wish to be part of groups of archery specialists who collaborate on projects relating to environmental needs that are fully supported and justified by the administration at an international level.

That demands your cooperation.

In this case, our colleagues from the SCAES-FMC Group (Madrid) and SCAES-FAC GROUP will follow the selection processes already officially implemented in the USA, Denmark and France and follow them for 7 years (Andalusia).

The SCAES group will function as a team of archers serving public administrations and private entities to achieve these ten goals:

• Habitat improvement, reducing the damage caused by the species to be controlled, in particular preventing traffic accidents with dire consequences.
• Naturalize the locations where these species need to live.
• Eradicate potentially harmful and harmful species from the environment.
• Inform the public of the consequences of the anthropophilic disease.
• Health status study for the specimens.
• A study of the efficacy of the method used.
• The specimen census.
• The transfer for educational purposes of sick bodies.
• Assignment of specimens to other species of animals or soup kitchens for feeding.
• Document the project according to existing legislation.

The FCRM will ensure compliance with the group’s components to achieve these objectives and will require (from the beginning and after passing a training process and selective tests) appropriate rigor of conduct at both the personal, environmental, population and genetic control levels.

Hunt a wild boar with a stalking bow and to reach it, they have to clear the bush

Chema is a hunter who found the perfect weapon for his passion in the bow: the wild boar stalking in summer.

Very close to the Asturian coast, the beautiful surroundings of Villaviciosa have become the scene of unforgettable stalkings with unforgettable catches and sets.

Chema Nipple is an experienced hunter who decided to try the bow four years ago as a weapon to go after Villaviciosa’s wild boars.

He is also passionate about hunting, increasingly, with trail dogs. And as he confesses to us, he takes the rifle less and less:

“There comes a time when you feel like something more, and the bow is offered by you to you with the animal, a more intimate, primitive hunt. “

STALKING MALE WILD BOAR AGAINST DAMAGE TO AGRICULTURE

The hunter tells us that “nobody here hunts with a bow.”

Four years ago, I started.

Once a year, when the roe deer campaign ends, I can stalk wild boars.

Above all, in agriculture, and always with adult males as the target, to reduce the damage they cause.

Chema was fortunate enough this year to be able to kill two wild boars on the same day.

The archer tells us about the area where he is hunting:

“We are near the coast here in Asturias, in Villaviciosa.”

We’ve got plenty of wild boars.

I can tell you that 608 wild boars were killed in that season last year.

And this despite having reduced the quotas, depending on the area, by four, five or six wild boars.

Recehos at dawn and dusk

Chema had to hunt on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

The archer describes the way to go after the wild boar: “Here, the stalking of the wild boar consists of going out to hunt at dawn, for two hours or so, because you can surprise someone who goes back to the entrance.”

Being able to live a set before a good wild boar is a good choice.

We go another three hours in the afternoon, until nightfall.

Because with the bow, when it gets dark, you lose all the vision that you can get longer with a good scope of a firearm.

We don’t fatten, but the animals go a lot to apples, which are still very green, as well as to fruits, to plums, which this year were many, to strawberries, because of the dates on which we hunt wild boars like this.

That way, I shot two wild boars the first day, but I missed them. I was luckier the second day and I hit the first one with the arrow I could shoot in the morning. He left wounded and we had to enter the place where he lay with a brush cutter because he got three meters high into a thicket.

We came to a meadow on the last day of hunting where there was a javelin with four small stripes.

I took the phone out to record it, and I realized that another five were coming from the top side at that moment.

There were four medium boars and one larger one.

He began to eat apples, and then I waited for him.

I managed to strike him in the late afternoon lights and saw that he had left a trail of blood. We’ll come up with a huge thicket after him.

Given this, we decided to return to pick it up the next day. We released a dog that verified that there was still a wild boar.

He was dead, but we weren’t able to get to him.

To get in and collect it, we had to use the brush cutter.

Shots up to 60 meters

Chema tells us that the maximum distance at which he shoots wild boars is 60 meters: “We can say it is an acceptable distance from 60 meters down.”

We also ask the archer what is most important at that distance to approach a wild boar.

He replied that, since we are talking about getting very close to a wild animal, the important thing is to consider the air and be very, very quiet and camouflaged.

You’ve got to be stealthy and have a great deal of patience.

They will be put away in the morning when they go to the camp, making it easier for them to find you.

But they go out to eat in the afternoon. So they entertain themselves by eating if you let them, at which point they let their guard down.

It is when with more guarantees you can enter them,

Why the bow? Why the arrow?

This is why the Asturian hunter chose the bow in his wild boar stalks:

“I spend a lot of time in the mountains helping the nursery stalk the roe deer,

the wild boar, because I am the president of the Villaviciosa Hunters’ Association.”

To this, it is added that I was introduced to the world of the bow by a Sevillian friend who came to hunt here for many years, of American origin.

He let me try, and I have not been able to quit since then.

And every time, I take on new challenges: I’m going to try hunting a chamois with a bow in Asturias this year.

It’s going to be November’.