When it comes to hunting and archery... Are you first a Hunter, or first an Archer ? I was having a conversation with a friend who pretty much only bowhunts to kill time before gun season begins. I was telling him how I plan to keep hunting with bow, right through gun season (I do this every year to get a rise out of him )- it is the truth, though. I want to "get it done" as much as the next guy, but, I perfer to get it done with arcehry tackle, traditional or coumpund, as long as it shoots an arrow. I got to thinking, why do I not enjoy gun hunting as much as bow? The answer came to me- I am an archer before I am a hunter. P.S.- I am not anti-gun hunting. In fact, I do get out with the slug and muzzleloader firearms, from time to time. I'll even participate in a deer drive or 2 during the shotgun season, but, mostly to spend time with friends. My "predatorial senses" are not keyed in when gun hunting, like the are when bow-hunting.
Here during shotgun seasons, the bows are not allowed out. I do put the bow down for shotgun season and only hunt properties other than my own. Then when shotgun ends, the bow comes back out. It's nice how many deer go to where there is no pressure during gun seasons!
I love hunting...I love everything about it, from the pre-season prep to the feeling I get when I draw back on a deer, any deer ! But I also LOVE shooting my bows. I'll shoot anytime. At the farm-house, I can shoot 24/7 in the basement(big house). At my house, I use my outside spots to illuminate the backyard so that I can shoot at night. I'm addicted to archery. When I'm planning a hunt, hanging a stand, or, trying to maximize a spot- it's always- where/when will I be able to draw, how do I pull this deer to within bow range, where should my bow be hanging, will there be other deer around that will impede my ability to draw ?? All questions and prior planning are about getting it done with a bow. Honestly, when I'm looking at a spot or day-dreaming about hunting- NOTHING revolves around a firearm, and, a firearm would make life easier in my of my spots(most). I like your answer, Gri22......But if I had as much passion for hunting as I do archery- I think I would not care which weapon I had in my hand. ??!!?? Maybe the only word for it is- BOW-HUNTER.........
I enjoy all aspects of hunting. Archery is one of my favorites, being so close to an animal of that caliber. It's a great personal / self satisfying hunt when you have a special moment that you have achieved by yourself. However, deer/bird camp is where outstanding memories are created with good friends and family. I guess being one with nature in ANY way shape or form rocks my world!!!
I'm a archer by your definitions.... The choice was really not up to me though. I feel it was due to all the uneducated hunters, plus the guys who feel it is more of a "tradition" to gun hunt year after year but their tradition involves hunting after a night/morning of drinking, getting in the woods at 10 am and not seeing anything, walking out of the woods meeting up with other buddies to shoot their guns and do burnouts before they leave for the day. Am i a little bitter? LOL I enjoy being the only one in the woods, Its safer and i see more deer because of it. Bowhunting seems to be the only way of doing this.
An archer and a hunter are 2 different things If you ask me. I'm no archer. I have no Interest In the least to be an archer. My Interest Is being a good bowhunter being that's all I use for hunting. Can you be good at both, hell yes.
This is a great question. And one I wish more guys who think they've got to impress somebody by how far they can shoot a deer. (with archery tackle) I just heard a young man bragging this week about shooting a doe at 70 yards... I could not help but say "B.S." As an archer I want to be able to make the best shot I can to make a clean kill as a hunter. As a hunter I want to get the animal as close as possible to make the shot (no matter what weapon) as easy as possible. I have always had the same hunting "philosophy" whatever weapon I'm using. Using Droptine's definition though, I guess I'd be considered an archer. I too love to shoot. It's why I like Bowfishing so much. On a good night we can have litterally hundreds of shot opportunities.
Nicely put !! I love hunting, but I love doing it with the bow !! I want to bow-fish really badly !! One day......I first need a boat, spotlights, and a bow fishing rig !!
I enjoy shooting arrows very much. I enjoy everything that goes into building the arrows and setting the bow up to shoot them for maximum effect. I enjoy the fact that I need to be close to shoot to kill which is why I limit my maximum shooting distance to second pin, maybe 27-28 yds. I suppose I am an archer first because, even if I couldn't hunt, I would still be shooting arrows but I only bowhunt because that is what I prefer. The quietness and solitude up to, during and after the kill. I won't rule out gun hunting but I don't see myself using one anytime soon.
Easy question for me. I am a hunter, a Bone collector. lol Seriously though I am a hunter who prefers Archery only because of the greater challenge and I feel a bit more stealthy. But I love to hunt plain and simple. Bow, gun, slingshot, spear it all appeals to me to a extent. I will hunt anything and everything I can. I don't shoot any archery competitions and I don't shoot a ton all throughout the year. Everything in my bag and on my equipment is about optimal hunting. I don't care about 350 fps as most of my shots are 20 yards or under. Any modern day bow should be sufficient. I am a HUNTER!
An ARCHER!!! Its all about the challenge of bow hunting, not the killing. But I do hunting other animals with a gun, such as coyotes, pheasants and such, so I'm a hunter also.
I do not consider myself just an archer or a hunter... I only hunt with a bow and I only hunt whitetail ( for the most part only whitetail). I do not think my horizons are great enough to consider myself a "hunter"... I got into target archery to help pass time doing something I enjoy between bow seasons. I am a bowhunter first and foremost and an archer as an after thought. I guess I just consider myself a bowhunter.
I am a hunter first. I grouse hunt (gun), turkey hunt (gun), deer hunt (bow and gun). Bow hunting is just one piece of my hunting pie. I choose to come on here to a bow hunting forum for several reasons. A. The people on here are typically more knowledgeable about deer than other places. B. I enjoy the posts and people here more C. Bow hunting is the newest thing I have started so I need the most help.
I am a hunter that pretty much only bow hunts these days. I haven't even gone out during firearms season for the past two years. Even if I know there is a big buck that I didn't get during early archery (this year) I won't go out during firearms. I wait for late archery season, it just wouldn't mean as much to me if I took the animal with a firearm. I would be happy with a rifle kill, but I personally would rather just hunt with my bow. Maybe mostly because I started firearms hunting at 9 yo and somewhere, it didn't get old, but I wanted more of a challenge.....something more intense. I have been getting into 3-D a little more during the offseason. I plan on doing even more this coming year.
