The other day, i had someone tell me that about the only that I could shoot a nice deer would be with a rifle/muzzleloader. I've had this statement said to me many times throughout my hunting career, especially from my grandfather. But after I shot my last deer with a rifle in 2014, I decided that as long as I am able bodied that I would only bowhunt for large game. I came to the conclusion that I would rather shoot no deer in a season than to shoot a nice buck with a gun. So i just wanted to hear why other people decide to exclusively bowhunt when you could put yourself at a much greater advantage of being a 100 yards away with a rifle.
I bowhunt 3 months out of the year and rifle hunt 4 days out of the year. Nothing wrong with either one of them. Bowhunting I get to really focus on my hunting abilities and when rifle hunting I'm always with family and it's more of a tradition than actually hunting hard.
I love hunting deer in general. My favorite is bowhunting, but I also hunt with a rifle or muzzleloader when I draw tags for them. In my home state rifle season is only 2 weeks long, but bow season runs Sept through Dec. Gives me lots of extra time in the woods.
I bow hunt because the season is 3 months long and I just enjoy hunting with archery equipment. Also doing late muzzleloader this year because I have almost the entire season completely off from work. I've also been on one rifle hunt for bear so I'm not closed off to other methods
I still Shotgun/Muzzle-loader hunt, but the reason bow-hunting is my #1 is pretty simple. Family. I got into Archery shortly after college, not really even thinking about the bow-hunting aspect of it. I think my dad took it as a chance to bond with me and literally gave me his Mathews Legacy while going and buying himself a new-ish Switchback XT. I fell in love with that bow and he convinced me to take a week off work to hunt with him and my uncle. I never had as much fun with my old man and uncle as I did that week, and the rest is history.
To me its more personal! We have to be within 40 yards, the most for me anyway, and there is nothing like harvesting a beautiful whitetail deer with a bow and arrow! Just find it 100 times more challenging than gun hunting, just my opinion. Love it, every second of it.
Since I picked up a bow about 20 years ago, I been just bow hunting for about 18 of them. I love the up closeness, being able to hear them breath, count their whiskers or eyelashes...just feels right. That and bustin' on my boss (gun hunter) when he's telling me about some 100-150 yard or more shot.
One is I have a longer season in bow. Biggest reason is I enjoy the challenge of figuring out the deer , movement, bedding, patterns blah blah. It’s more rewarding for me to get within a close range of an animal in his domain and he has a chance to escape. No fun shooting an animal over a hundred yards away that has no chance of knowing I’m there. I also love archery and grew up doing it. Killing an animal with a bow is challenging as it is. The time of year is also another, I like to watch the woods transition and come alive. That’s my 2 cents Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I started bow hunting so I could have more opportunities to be in the woods. I was obsessed with deer (still am). I have no problem taking the rifle out either. A couple years ago I would have said 100% bow and no gun. I even had this notion that people who strictly were bow hunters were somehow better. I went on one rifle mule deer hunt and I was completely humbled. I never worked so hard to kill an animal. I definitely have gone full circle though and just enjoy any time I get to spend in the woods with whatever weapon I want.
Shot a lot of stuff in the Army, doesn't interest me to shoot an animal with a rifle. Being close and giving the animal the best chance to evade the kill is sport for me. Personally, I believe there is more gamesmanship trying to beat their natural senses; plus it's fun to be sneaky. It doesn't seem like hunting when you're 100yards from the game and they cant use their natural sense to detect danger. Disclaimer: I've only hunted deer, this view could change depending on future hunts out west. And quite frankly, I don't care what others use, but I'll stick with the bow. Now turkey, I'll take a bird or two with the bow if I can, but I really enjoy shotguning a turkey.
I started hunting later in life (37) and I had every intention of using a bow in bow season then switching off to a slug gun for the General Firearms season (no rifles where I was hunting)...then I took my first deer with the bow and any thought of picking up a gun exited my thought process. I just prefer having to be up close and personal to harvest a deer, making the right decisions to ensure that I will be close enough for an ethical shot. While I don't fault anyone for hunting with a gun it just isn't for me.
Both in my eyes are a viable option, I enjoy having gun season open for my kids to hunt but that's not to say I wouldn't gun hunt again. Shoot what makes you happy, hunt how it makes you happy. (Legally.)
I have never shot a large game animal with a rifle, but I have taken a hog and a deer with my .357 mag within 40yrds. The feeling is nowhere near the way a bow makes me feel. The challenge with a bow is fantastic I just wouldn't want to give that up. But I would definitely take a deer with a rifle solely for meat.
Hunting with a gun, you pretty much just need woodsmanship. Hunting with a bow, you need woodsmanship and about a thousand other details to keep things from going wrong to allow for an ethical shot. It's more challenging. I wanted that challenge.
I enjoy being able to hunt a buck through the many phases and transitions that occur from summer through winter. It's a lot of fun to predict the transitions and try to stay just ahead of the shifts.
