What is you motivation to get up at 5:00 am and sit in below freezing temperatures in a tree in seek of a buck? Why do you favor bowhunting over gun hunting? What is your favorite experience in the woods, and what made it you're favorite? Can you explain the rush you get when a shooter walks past you? I guess the question we are digging for here is simply why do you bowhunt? Is a trophy for you about inches of bone, or the memory that goes with a deer? To some people getting up at 5:00 to sit in a tree in the cold, sounds like a punishment, but for us its a reward, to be able to spend time in the outdoors. Yes, the bragging rights of killing a big one is great, but to me thats not what it's all about. How do your gun hunting experiences compare to your bowhunting? People always ask me, what is fun about hunting, and I never really know how to answer them. The other question I never know how to answer is " what is your favorite deer"? Those are the two most common things I get asked by non-hunters. What are YOUR answers to all of these questions? I am pretty sure no two will be the same.
Bow Hunting to me is the ultimate experience. I live in Central NY and because bow season starts earlier than gun season, it gives me a chance to get out and enjoy the experience before the shotguns start going off. It is also a more intimate hunting experience for me. When I see a deer at 65 or 70 yards and I have to keep my patience and my emotions in check, it makes the experience of actually harvesting that animal much more gratifying...it feels like you actually accomplished something. I also feel that bow hunting has made me a much better gun hunter in the sense that I'm more patient and more selective than I ever was before. I did not harvest a nice buck with my bow this season but because I bow hunted I was able to position myself in a great spot to take one with my shotgun. The difference in taking one with a bow as opposed to a gun is that with a gun its over just that quick, there isn't as much strategy and failure....you see one you shoot it. With a bow it's more of a battle or a game of stealth with the buck you want to take and thats what makes it completely different. In no way do I disparage gun hunting as I took a nice buck with my shotgun this season however it wasn't the heart pounding experience of a kill with a bow. In my opinion nothing compares to havesting an animal with a bow.
Here in Wisconsin we have a long season September to January. I find its my time to relax and watch nature. If I see deer , I usually do, its a good day. If one comes in close enough that's great. But if I get to Shoot and recover a deer that is just the icing on the cake. Its been a few years since I have shot one with a bow but I still look forward to every hunt like it was my first day in the woods. To me its not just about the kill as it is the whole experience, getting meat in the freezer is just that added bonus. Beefie
I don't do morning hunts, I love to hunt but I have used experience and timing to minimize my days hunted. This year I sat 3 times for a total of 8.5 hours, then tagged out. I love to shoot mature bucks that is my goal every year. I get a little pissy when I go sit and see nothing but does.
Guns are too easy. I don't have to get anywhere near the deer with my shotgun, so I don't even need to worry about scent control or camo. I just walk out to my blind, sit down for a couple hours, then drop a deer at ~200 yards. No challenge at all. I know how to shoot, I want to learn to HUNT.
Bowhunting is part of me, well hunting in general is. I love the outdoors and enjoying what nature has to offer. That's the easy answer.
Since I could walk I've been hunting (or at least pretending I was). There are pictures of me sneaking up on my parents ornamental concrete deer with a baseball bat and "killing" it. When I first started actually getting to go, it was all about the kill. I wanted to stack up as many deer as I could. 15 years later after my first season, my priorities and focus have changed. I'm paying it back to my dad as I continue to make sure he is able to hunt, and has quality spots that he can easily access. I have a buddy that hasn't killed a deer with a bow before, I try to get him out to hunt with me a few times, maybe he'll eventually lower his standards and actually shoot one! For me, it's the chase. Knowing all my hard work and time has resulted in the outcome I wanted. I want to be challenged and learn from each season. I know the quality of deer on our farm and set my goals accordingly. I have a few nice deer on the wall, but I am far from a notorious big buck slayer. Hopefully soon, I broaden my horizons to other game out west, and I eventually want to switch to a recurve.
Asking me why I hunt is a little like asking me why I breathe. It is coded into my makeup. That urge grows until September each year and makes me crazy when I can't get out in the stand. Then as December winds down I feel sad that I didn't spend more time on stand. I do lots of practice in the off season just to satisfy the need to shoot my bow and to get better. I bow hunt because one week of rifle season is not enough to fill the need to be in the woods in pursuit of my quarry. I also get a greater sense of satisfaction out of shooting one with the bow than I do with the rifle or the muzzle loader. The worst winter I ever had was when I couldn't afford a non resident license in Idaho, and I hadn't lived there long enough to qualify as a resident hunter. Not being able to hunt was torture.
