I grew up gun hunting and did not pick up bow hunting until college. I am the only one in my family who bow hunts and I am addicted. It has become my favorite way to hunt.
I started bow hunting around 1999-2000 and have only taken one deer with the gun since. I find bow hunting to be far more enjoyable and fulfilling. I still love my guns, but would prefer to use a bow to hunt any day.
From the first time I layed my eyes on a bowhunter magazine, instantly hooked!! That just fueled my fire to buy my first bow, a Browning Cobra back in 1986!! Love it, always will!!
When I was younger shooting my bow in the backyard with my dad wasnt very uncommon. When I got older and started other activities like Hockey, Scouts, Tae Kwon Do it faded away. When I turned 16 I started hunting on my own since my father was always gone for work, and thats when I got back into bow hunting.
I didn't even start hunting until after the Army, at about 22-23. Like most hunters I suspect, I started off gun hunting and it was ok at first. I fell asleep more than I was awake, I was frozen solid for lack of enough closes and I jumped everytime I thought I heard a twig break. I knew almost nothing about hunting or deer sign, or basic deer behavior.. or much of anything to do with hunting. I didn't get the hunting fever until I picked up my first bow. At about 25-26 years old, my buddy bought a bow and I was watching his shoot and it seemed like a fun time. I went to my local ****'s and got a Fred Bear bow with some of the cheapest equipment that I could get for a small budget. We spend the entire summer tinkering.. shoot, adjusting the sight, shoot, adjust the sight.. over and over. By end of summer we could finally hit a pie plate at 30 yards (again.. I was self taught all the way) I run back to ****'s and get a super cheap, no name climbing stand and cheapest camo I can find. A few days later, it is opening day of archery. I climb maybe 10' up the tree with the front of my stand angling downwards (I had no clue about angling the stand so that it leveled out as I got higher) Being I was teaching myself, I spent all day flipping my head at every little noise in the woods.. a bird chirped, I looked that way.. a acorn fell, I would spin my head and look that way. Looking back, I would probably fall on my butt laughing at how little I knew and how silly I probably looked. Maybe an hour before dusk, a button buck walked right under my stand. My first archery hunt ever, first deer with in rifle range, let alone bow range of me.. I was shaking so bad I thought I would fall out of my stand.. my heart pounding so bad, I was positive I was going to scare every deer with 10 miles away. Somehow, I had fell on some luck and I got that button buck. I put an arrow down thru his spine and into the vitals. Once I finally calmed down enough, I dressed the deer and it looked like the scene of a mass murder from me field dressing and puking my lunch up from the stench of guts.. but I was hooked on archery! Earlier seasons, later seasons, more time to get in the woods and the excitment of having to be with in bow range, having a clear shot.. nothing like it. I do occasionally gun hunt, but 99% of my hunts are archery gear.. even in gun season.
I have always liked shooting a bow from the age of about 10 when I got an old hand me down fiberglass bow & wooden arrows. The funny thing, at 10 years old could shoot it better than my older brother that gave me the bow, I was a natural from the time I picked a bow for the first time. It wasn't until I turned 17 that I bought my first recurve. Still shooting targets until about 5 years ago when I tried to hunt with a bow, then I was hooked. It felt so natural I don't know why I didn't start earlier. I now shoot a PSE compound & may go to a crossbow if I feel the need to shoot farther distance.
Got a browning micro midas 3 for my 12th birthday and me and my dad were out about every day during season and hadn't had much luck besides a couple of does. Then he got busy at work and we didn't go that often but I liked the fast pace party hunting that shotgun season presents. 2 years ago I got back into it and this last year or so its all I can think about. Now I'm not much of a shotgun hunter anymore unless its waterfowl or pheasants. Wouldn't say I ever stopped liking it, I just never took it seriously or put time into it until the last 2 seasons.
I loved bowhunting before I even was old enough to go. I was a small kid so I had to work my *** off to get strong enough to pull a bow back. Could finally do so around 13-14 years old and never looked back. I hunt with all sorts of weapons, but archery is easily my favorite.
At first it was frustrating when I was learning. During bow season I was always wishing I had a gun. Now its opposite, I would rather hunt with a bow and rarely hunt with a gun even if I can. Bowhunting is my obsession now.
Thanks for the responses guys. I guess what prompted this is that I'm new to it, but at the same time I'm not sure I feel passionate like I do a couple of my guns. I have the go ahead to upgrade the sight, rest, buy a dozen arrows, and whatever else, but I'm debating if I should spend the money or not. I guess I'm just trying to figure out if archery is something that will grow on me or if I should stick to what I've been doing.
No, I didn't start hunting until I was 19. I wasn't too fond of it, but only time I got to spend with my now husband. I mentioned I wanted to try bow. Got my first three years ago. Love it. If I had done this first I'd never gun hunt! Never killed a deer (shot an opossum), but soon, hopefully.
I killed my first couple of deer with a shotty as a kid and found it to be boring and too easy. I decided to try my hand at taking one with a bow. I used one of my dads old recurves and got a button buck with it the first year I bow hunted. I found the challenge I was looking for. I can see myself going to a long bow one day for the same reason I went to a bow over a gun. I Have almost no desire to take a deer with a gun anymore. Maybe a long range rifle shot (in another state) or I have been thinking about trying with a hand gun in my state.
Started in rifle and really enjoyed it, but really fun in love with the bow. Don't hunt rifle except for hogs now Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If I am going to be honest ..............NO! started bow hunting at 13 with a recurve and hated it. I was just trying to extend my season There was also a brief time in my late twenties I hated it, partly due to poor equipment at the time and partly due to fact I needed to evolve as a hunter.. since about 30 till now 53 a bow is pretty much all I hunt with anymore..
