Is bowhunting beter than rifle hunting?

They both have their own fun factors.


I like to be able to make long shots and have multiple firearms for different species.


But I like how close you have to be for bowhunting, hearing the animals feeding, smelling the animals, watching the arrow in flight. Most times you will be able to hunt an assortment of game with your one bow.


If you have patience and want to add some difficulty into your future hunts, definately try out bowhunting. It is something that most who try will keep doing and will never forget

Don't ever pick up a bow!! They are terrible for hunting.

Since I've been bowhunting my excitement level while rifle hunting has really dropped. Now I want to get as close as possible, and even learn the habits of the animals I hunt. I've learned all about the rut and even started preseason scouting. I can't pass a scrape or rub without getting excited. To top it off it's too easy to walk into the back yard and fling arrows just for the fun of it-my back hurts and I've got a callus from the bowstring. Another thing is the ease with wich you can get permission for bowhunting rather than rifle hunting-it's just terrible.

No siree I wouldn't recomend bowhunting at all.

the chef

As they say to each their own. I still rifle hunt on occasion but pretty much bowhunt. I find it more exciting and rewarding needing to "get up close and personal" with the game you are hunting. It is filled with frustration but those times of pure adrenalin rush when a buck is working in for a potential shot or that bull elk is screaming at you from 40 yards is incomparable. For me rifle hunting is far too vanilla and business lik-- See the animal - shoot the animal - done.

Depends on who you pose that question to?
Each hunter has his weapon of choice whether a spear, bow, handgun, rifle, shotgun etc. Each hunter also has his favourite species to hunt.

I personally believe that the bow is better due to the silent nature of the weapon and the fact that you can integrate bowhunting into a game farm where game viewing and other social activities take place a lot easier than you can accomodate a rifle.

If I had to take on a charging leopard - I would absolutely want that double in my hand!

I saw this as the headline post and was wondering what the deal was.

I normally don't post in here, as I haven't been a bowhunter since the late 1990's. I am not a bowhunter anymore, and I doubt I will ever be again. I am a full on rifle affectionado, to me my rifle collection and using it against game is a huge part of my thrill in hunting.

I have a lot of respect for traditional archers that take game with the distance measured in feet.

I am not such a fan of all the modern paraphanalia that has gone into the sport.

I think if a person has sufficient time and dedication to practice at lest 3 or 4 times a week every week all year long, they will kill game just as effectivly but at closer range than a rifle hunter.

If they choose not to practice then wound numbers go up. Same as rifle, but not as exponentionlly. The learning curve is much quicker for a rifle, and a properly sighted rifle is a fairly tough and battle ready weapon.

I think that bowhunters should understand their limitations. If your on a guided hunt after a big ram, bear, goat, what have you and it gets to be a situation where the animal is going to get away, then the PH or Guide should make every effort to kill it with his rifle. On dangerous game this risk goes up.

I have seen Ted Nugent carry a Glock 10mm with him while bowhunting on television. I also saw Ted use the glock on a buffalo that he wounded with a bow. This I think is great. He recognized his problems and was a big enough of a man to accept that a "archery only" record book was out the window. So great for ted.

I had heard from a friend of mine who guides in the Brooks range of a doctor from Wyoming who was a bowhunter and wounded a big ram and wouldn't take the guides rifle to shoot it as he wanted it for Pope and Young. So the guide shot it, and the outfitter backed the guide up, so did the state troopers.

To me it's a limitation that I choose not to accept, for some it's heaven for others it's not. You really have to decide for you how you feel about it.

No, it is more difficult and challenging. Even frustrating to some (life's too short for that IMO).

Choose what you like, like what you choose, enjoy your choice. Become competent with your choice and represent the hunting fraternity in a positive manner.

I plan on hunting my WY moose this fall with a longbow and carefully handcrafted arrows. I hope I can get within spitting distance and slip a razor sharp broadhead through both lungs.

But I really want to kill one with my longbow. Been a long time dream.

On the flip side, I have no desire to ever hunt Africa with a bow. If I ever make it, my rifles will accompany me.

Completely depends on what your definition of better is... You are very unlikely to take more game for each hour spent in the field, and you will see plenty of animals that are out of ethical range. BUT, you will hone your skills, and become much more in tune with the normal activities of animals in an unpressured setting. You'll extend your hunting season considerably, and that's never a bad thing. And you will most likely become addicted to bowhunting to the point where you'll wonder why you didn't get into archery sooner. I was a diehard gun hunter until I took up archery, and since then, I've taken most of my whitetails that way (in my home state). If I had to pick one way to hunt deer for the rest of my life, I'd have a bow in my hand.

gd

There is no "better". It all depends on each hunters personal passion. My bowhunting has sharpened my gun hunting skills, tracking, stalking, patience for the right shot, practice and enjoyment of shooting. I can shoot my bow in my back yard everyday. I am probably just opposite from SDHunter, when I go back to Africa, it will be with my bows again,,,,same country different dream or passion. Neither wrong in my opinion just what we are internally driven by. I do not hunt with a longbow or muzzle loader but will use a pistol, compound bow or numerous rifles, as before personal preference. My weapon of choice is always first my bow, then whatever the situation dictates. Just hunt and represent us well.

dosen't look like you got the war you were trying to start

Ya, we bowhunters are slow to do battle.

quote:

Is bowhunting beter than rifle hunting?

THE SHORT ANSWER IS: Yes and No

It offers expanded hunting opportunities, earlier hunting season and the challenge to get closer before taking game.

Does it replace gun season? No......only adds to the time spent in the wild.

Been bow hunting and muzzle loader hunting all my life. I tried a rifle a few times and even deer running full out at 220 yd's were too easy. Sold all but my own customized Swede but don't hunt deer with it anymore. I went to revolvers after archery and it gives the same kind of up close hunting.
So, bow hunting is dangerous, it will make you sell a lot of those rifles. However, you will never miss any of them.

Used to be a hard core rifle hunter until I was "shot at" by some road hunters in a motor home. I was about 400 yds away. Lucky for me they missed with all 5 shots. After that I took up bowhunting with a passion. That was back in 1986. I have harvested numerous game with it and there is no bigger rush than having a screaming bull elk or grunting bull moose within 40 yds. My closest shot was at a 4 pt elk at 5 ft. Picked up the rifle again two years ago and now have a passion for re-loading and striving for top notch accuracy. I will still be out every fall with the bow chasing those rut enraged moose, elk, and deer.

I haven't rifle hunted in many years. I'm down to my last rifle- a 30.06 that I still like to take to the range.
I also haven't hunted with a compound since the mid-80s. All I hunt with now are my take-down recurves. But I have shot archery all my life. I started competing in 1960.
I also shoot about 30-70 arrows every day. It's what I do in the evening with a cold beer around dusk in my backyard.
Here in Texas we can hunt feral hogs 24/7/365 and they are more fun to hunt at night with a switched light on your bow. Usually around 11pm they'll come into a feeder. We just wait and when they get close to the feeder you just draw, switch on your light and let the mahem begin
Basically all I hunt with my bows are hogs, deer and varmints (some squirrels).
Also here in Texas we still take our dove & duck hunting very serious.

Bowhunting is more about passion of the sport. Picking the perfect tree, practicing all summer, carefull camoflaging, ect, ect. Usually if I'm lucky I'll make a shot and fill the freezer.

Rifle hunting is more like a derby where every shot nearby lessons your chance of killing a deer. Once you get the knack of escape routes, used by deer fleeing the multitude of hunters it actually gets pretty easy. I count on rifle hunting to fill my freezer. I count on bowhunting as a source of yearlong fun, with the chance to kill a deer.

No. They both are equally fun IMO.

I like both equally well and get just as excited with either.

I only got into bow hunting simply because the chances to hunt earlier and hunt unspooked game.

After many years of bow hunting I've taken quite a few animals and it is a great style of hunting but, I'm usually ready to lay the bow down when rifle season nears.

It is more difficult to be a successful bow hunter. I focus more on scent control when bow hunting, I'm very anal about scent control. I still practice scent control when rifle hunting but, sometimes I just hunt the wind and slack up alittle on scent control when I'm rifle hunting.

I will say there has been several times when a good buck showed that was just out of range that I would have dearly loved to have a 7RM in my hands. Where I hunt encounters with large bucks are very few and far between. It's so thick here when you find good buck sign you will be extremely lucky if you see him just once in a season. If that one time you see him he steps out at 100 yards, a rifle is definitely a great thing to have in hand.

Good Luck

Reloader

I get more woods time with my Bow and am more picky what I shoot,I think you have a better chance for a Trophy with a Bow,but I like Rifle or Revolver or Muzzleloader equally as well.I just like to Hunt.Whatever you use is just a means to an end!!!!!