Every successful hunter has certain items or gear that are crucial to his success, and Bruce Roberts is no exception. After years of bowhunting with primitive gear, and killing average bucks, Roberts upgraded his gear, expectations and hunting areas.
Bowhunting is a very precise sport, and being off a fraction likely means a miss, and failure of harvesting a buck.
“I started hunting when I was 16 years old with a Browning recurve, and harvested my first deer a couple years later,” said Roberts. “I believe it is imperative to have quality hunting gear, and that starts with the bow when you’re bowhunting, and I’ve upgraded to a Matthews Switchback XL with a 70-pound pull.”
Next to the bow, proper arrow choice is critical, according to Roberts.
“I prefer heavy arrows and big fixed broadheads,” Roberts said. “I’ll use a 10-gram carbon arrow tipped with a 140-grain three-blade SST Wasp broadhead.”
Roberts says penetration is the key to hunter success after seeing too many hunters wound deer with light arrows and broadheads that stick the deer but don’t get good penetration. The results oftentimes are disastrous with wounded and lost deer.
“While hunting elk in Colorado and deer in Mississippi, I’ve trailed several deer that were shot by hunters with expandable broadheads, and we never found them,” he said.
Roberts prefers using a Summit Portable deer stand for the ease of use and transfer from one location to another in a short period of time. If the deer are not coming to him, he’ll move toward their travel routes.
After placing his tree stand in the proper location, Roberts turns his attention to the small but highly important details, such as smell.
“Knee-high rubber boots are a must when bowhunting trophy deer in thickets and in close quarters,” Roberts said.
After donning quality camouflage, the emphasis becomes scent control. While there is a plethora of scents on the market today, Roberts prefers mixing his own.
“We use a homemade mixture of water and vanilla extract, and really spray ourselves down real good with a heavy coat,” he said. “The wind won’t always be in your favor, so you need to do everything you can to minimize the human scent, which really repels trophy bucks.”
Editor’s note: This article is part of the Move, move, move feature in the September issue of Mississippi Sportsman. Digital editions can be downloaded right to your computer or smartphone.
Be sure to subscribe to ensure you don’t miss a single information-packed issue of Mississippi Sportsman.
Be the first to comment