The first time you have a deer real close and your heart starts racing and your palms start sweating and your legs get all rubbery you will be able to answer your own question!
I love bowhunting and I love gunhunting! Why do some automatically think that just because you hunt with a gun that you can't kill deer at close ranges?? Some guys shoot deer at 40 yards+ with their bows, I've killed plenty of deer UNDER 15 yards with a gun, and as close as 12 steps! I hunt the same way I hunt, no matter the weapon! I love it all! JMO!
Joe, It's not automatic. Give me ten successful gun hunters who have never hunted with a bow, hand them a bow, and I'll give you back 8 frustrated hunters for the next four years. I guarantee, I can take any person off the street and have them accurately shooting a gun out to 200 yards in a day's time. I can take that same person and place him/her in a feild with deer in sight. In only a matter of seconds, they will be a successful hunter. I doubt seriously I could do the same with a bow hunter. I agree, I hunt the same way with both pieces of equipment-now. However, I think it was the bow hunting and not the rifle hunter that made me the more dominate predator (my on the ground skill level, simply stated,evolved more with one than the other)...just my opinion for what it's worth.
Wahoo, The "thrill of the kill" is an individual thing/emotion. As such, each of us will define it for ourselves.
If you had one bow hunter and one rifle hunter, in Africa, with a cape buffalo charging them from 30 yards.............. Which one would experience a GREATER "thrill of the kill", provided the bow hunter survived??!! :huh:
Bowhunting is just more personal with your quarry. I get so pumped when a deer(buck or doe)closes 30 yards from my stand instead of watching something 200 yards away. The satisfaction of having a deer at close range that has no clue I even exist is what it's all about. That is why I am a bowhunter. If you can achieve the same level of excitement using a rifle shooting at something in another time zone, go for it.
This is coming from someone who switched from RH to LH early on because I was left eye dominant. I switched, and I'm glad I did so. However, I shot both eyes open for a while, and since getting into target archery, I've gotten back into one eye closed. Not sure why, it's just gradually went there. It's almost like my eyes are fighting for dominance now. Sounds crazy. So, lol, if shooting left handed isn't bad enough, it seems the switch was pointless. I know I'm in the minority here, but what else is new
TN, why do you feel it was pointless? Cause you are shooting one eye closed? or you are not shooting any better? One eye closed, still using your dominant eye should be better than the other way around.
For me, I can close my non dominant eye easier than the other way around. When I shot using my nondominant eye (15years) I was constantly fighting to keep the dominant one closed. Even if I didn't shoot with both eyes open, it is way easier to shoot with my dominant eye, being that it is more natural to close the non dominant eye. I see your point about vision and maybe that would hold true, but my vision would have to be dramatically different in my left eye in order to make me switch back, and in that case I still wouldn't as I would just fix that proplem via eyeglass or contact prescipt change.
For all of the reasons listed by everyone, I love to bowhunt. I especially enjoy more days afield, fewer people in the woods, the up close and personal encounters, and watching all of the other wildlife as they go about their daily business. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Welcome to the wonderful world of bowhunting!
Other than targets, yes, I've taken an Odocoileus virginianus I, as well as those with whom I hunt, just don't really say "kill" we tend to lean towards "take" or "harvest." I don't know, for me personally I just can't say I get a thrill out of the actual killing. But then again, for me, hunting is much more than just a pursuit. I think it may have been Rob (correct me if I'm wrong) who said on 'that other site' that the actual kill was his least favorite part of the hunt. I wouldn't say this is the case for me, but that same hunter whom I mentioned in the "Manner of Taking or End Result" thread has said he hunted for the "Thrill of the Kill" and I'm just extremely turned off by it. Just personal preference I guess
The main reason that I bow hunt is the longer season. Don't get me wrong, I like it, but I don't think its the magical experience that some do.
Wait, is there two threads in one here? Where did the left hand thing come in to play? I must have skimmed through the posts too quickly.
Killing's my favorite part of the hunt. Sure I like all the other things that go on during the hunt. But if I don't like the kill, then why don't I just take a camera out? To me, essentially making a good shot on an animal would be about the same as getting a good picture of one.
