All of the debates posed by many that only Gun hunt gets me to thinking about how much they could learn from Bow Hunting.

IMO you really don't learn the true instincts of the animal at hand nor do you learn a real definite meaning to "shot placement" until you've hunted these animals w/ the Ole' Stick-n-string.

I guess the main reason I get so tickled when folks start talking about "You MUST Have this Bullet or That Caliber to kill that animal." After you've hunted them w/ a Bow you begin to realize how simple it is to kill them w/ a rifle. It's actually very easy to take game animals w/ a rifle but, w/ a bow it's a whole nother' realm of skill and shot placement really comes into play.

I love each style of hunting equally well but, I will say IMO it's takes far more skill and preparation to be effective at Bow Hunting. It's a shame that some die hard rifle hunters look down on Bow Hunters as a whole.

How do you fellas feel?

Reloader

I still hunt with a rifle to fill the freezer. For the biggest thrill in the world I use the bow. I'm not being judgemental but I sometimes wonder why it takes some guys so many shots to down an animal--when all they had to do was pick their shot better. Even with the gun I go for a broadside shot, it works!! When bowhunting I've seen some nice animals that I could easily get with a gun but the bow brings it to the next level. I use a recurve and that brings it to the next level above the compound users (no offense to wheel bows). I'm actually thinking about dropping the 7mm and going to a 30-30 or a flintlock, it seems the better the gun and the further you can reach out with it the less excitement there is.

the chef

I'll let you know if I tag out during archery season this October !!!!!!!!!!!

chef,

I am the opposite here in Ohio. Gun season is 5-7 days and the woods sounds like a free-fire zone.

Archery season starts early Oct and runs into Jan and I can get up to 5 deer here in the urban zone.

So I have to fill my freezer with the bow.

Life's tough!

quote:

Originally posted by Reloader:

IMO you really don't learn the true instincts of the animal at hand nor do you learn a real definite meaning to "shot placement" until you've hunted these animals w/ the Ole' Stick-n-string.

Reloader

I think you are right up to a point. I haven't learned a whole lot more about deer since I started bow hunting (after mostly rifle hunting for 25 years), but what I have learned is the importance of patience and self-control in the face of deer that won't quite present the necessary shot.

I have learned a lot more about deer sounds and watched more deer social behavior up close, but most of it is not materially useful in hunting.

I think a man is either a hunter, or not. Being a bow hunter does not change a man's ethics. There are a lot of bow hunters out there who shouldn't be.

The wound ratio for archery deer hunting here in the USA is over 50%. Somebody out there isn't doing it right!

Don,

I agree w/ ya on some points.

If Bow season didn't open a month earlier and stay open a few weeks later than gun season, I probably wouldn't have become a Bow hunter. Since it does, I get the ole' bow out quite often. I usually get 2 or 3 w/ the bow and sometimes more every year. I do feel that it has sharpened my skills as being a hunter.

Being a Bow hunter, I've learned more about the animals behavior, reactions, and senses. I've also learned how to pattern them more effectively, Sharpened my tracking skills, and learned how to deal w/ my emotions better (Buck fever) to steady for the shot.

I love to gun hunt but, it's just plain easy compared to bow hunting. Most of the Places I gun hunt, I still scout just as if bow hunting but, stand placement, scent elimination, camoflauge, cover, etc., etc. are not near as important as they are during Bow Hunting. I'm not saying those things are not important in Gun Hunting as well, I do much of the same regardless of how I hunt but, I've learned over the years that the more anal I am in preparation for Bow Hunting, the more succesful the outcome.

Heck, My Grand Father killed 100s of deer w/ a rifle in his lifetime while sitting in his car, smoking cigarrettes, listening to the radio down real low, and wearing the same clothes for days.

Those that just grab a bow and shoot a few times and go hunting and wound a deer because they didn't have the skill to make the shot or they made a very poor decision of when to shoot make us Bow Hunters look bad. Then again those same guys are the ones that go out and wound and miss deer w/ a rifle as well.

There's lots more animals lost w/ rifles than Bows but, that's due to the much larger percentages of gun hunters.

Reloader

On the Buckfever note, Bowhunting is the only time when I can actually hear my heart pounding in my ears. Before and after shooting a deer w/ my bow I get so dang shaky, I just Love it!

When I'm rifle hunting I get alittle fever too but, usually things happen too fast to get excited until after the fact. It's usually "there he is," shoulder rifle, glance at horns and make a split second decision of size, and BANG! Then I get excited. WHen Bow hunting I get Pumped from the time I spot them and it just Builds and Builds until right before I release that arrow then, it comes right back.

When I quit getting so excited, I'm going to hang it up.

Reloader

Gun can be hard, but thats only until you spend a lot of time bowhunting. I guide equal numbers of gun and bowhunters. I generally enjoy the bowhunters more since they mostly come with a different attitude, they come to HUNT, not to kill, otherwise they wouldn't be bowhunters. I had an outfitters wife tell me once that bowhunters were much more interesting, I asked why? She said, "well you just had 45 minutes of stories about one day in a treestand, gun hunters have no stories, its just "I saw the animal and BOOM!""

I agree with you 100 %.
Besides being a PH, I have been managing hunting ranches for many years and shooting for the 'pot' made me forget how many game I had to shoot through the years. I call it shooting, because there is a huge difference between shooting and hunting.You also get shooters who calls themselves hunters.
Taking my clients out hunting has always been fun and always will be, but I am a hunter myself and I needed that 'first kill' feeling again.
It happened when I started bow hunting. My reaction was that of a little boy when I killed my first kudu with a bow and I am so proud of it that I had it mounted. It is a old bull with one broken off horn. Everyone that comes into my house for the first time, whants to know the significance of that unimpressive old kudu, until they learn that it was killed with a bow.

Bow hunting allow me to see things that I would not have seen if I had a rifle with me.
While sitting at a waterhole hoping to get a oppertunity on a monster warthog, a Leopard made its appearance. I am not short on Leopard and it was on the other side of the water, so I could only sit and enjoy watching it.
I have learned even more about our game behaviour while bow hunting than I knew before and as a PH you like to think you know everything.
I agree, You have not hunted yet, until you hunt with a bow.

" Fine men are remembered for their reaction after a kill "

When Came back from my plains game hunt and showed the pictures to my buddys at our archery clubs. The 1st comment was don't shows horns, show us were you arrow went.

The follow-up question is always how close did you get?

I agree with you on bow hunting. I used to bow hunt and loved it, but due to a back injury I can no longer draw a bow back. I tried when I was young and able with the bow but never had the opportunity to shoot one. It took me years with a rifle to learn enough to get a good clean shot. After I got a few with a rifle I started using a Muzzleloader and the first year got one. I have taken 2 with a handgun between the Muzzleloader and the hand gun I started to learn what getting close to your game was all about. The next best thing to using a bow in my opinion is a pistol with open sights. Sure you can shoot farther but it is still one hell of a challenge. My friends thought I was nuts when I only hunted with a hand gun a couple of years, and after harvesting a couple of deer with a pistol they have decided maybe they can get one also. I still get the adrenaline rush and the shakes so bad some times after the shot that I can't get out of the tree stand, but what a rush.

BTW the first Deer I harvested (killed) with a rifle had been shot in the front leg and had gangrene and I was glad to have put it out of its misery. Some pi*s poor rifle shot had crippled it and probably didn’t even know or care.

Good luck bow hunters I wish I could join in the sport

Hey Swede, Have you thought about trying w/ a Cross Bow?

They've got em' now w/ a cocking aid that doesn't require much effort.

Here in La. all you have to do is get a Dr. to write you a release and you are legal to use Xbow in the regular acrchery season.

Back when my Grandfather was still alive he used to poke one every now and again w/ an Xbow and guess who got to trail em' and drag em' out . I remeber having to cock it for him before he left for the woods to set in his ground blind. Man, I'd do it all over again in a heart beat, he loved that sport.

Reloader

On the topic of crossbows, I have one but I've never used it for hunting. I'd be so damned nervous to have it cocked and carrying it or even having it sitting there, there's so much stored energy there it just plain scares me. I might give it a try this year though, just to see how it works.

the chef

"Reload" Good to hear you went hunting with your grandfather all of my grandparents were gone before I was 9 yrs old.

I take my father deer hunting every year. He often complains about my gun addiction I look at him and say who got me started hunting as a kid and said never buy cheap/junk guns alyways buy the best you can afford.

I don't believe in the I wish I would have done this or that with my Dad/Mom or Grandfather/Grandmother the time to do it is now.