.. if you only hunted with a firearm? I would definitely not be. Shooting a doe in early muzzle loader season would not be an issue but a legal buck in rifle season would be a different story. I hunt mostly public land and it seems that no matter how far i walk i cant get away from other hunters. Most years while trying to shoot a doe with the rifle i see very few deer let alone bucks. If it wasn't for archery, my freezer would have a lot more room in it.
I'd have to install a walk-in freezer if I rifle hunted AK... it would border on slaughter rather than hunting.
I'd still kill a lot of deer, but most likely I would not have killed any decent bucks. I'd probably have killed significantly less bucks of any size for that matter. Our gun season is nearly random.
Like Rybo, I'd kill as many deer, but purposely targeting a nicer quality buck would be near impossible on State Lands. This is primarily why I started bowhunting.. Little did I know what I was missing! There are so many more advantages to hunting less pressured deer! Not to mention the utter enjoment.
I've seen exactly six 100+" bucks, since I started hunting (my woods). I've got 3 of them on the wall, downstairs. If I hunted with a firearm, I'd have 6.
I have access to private land to bow hunt, but I don't for gun hunting, so I hunt public during firearm season. I have the same issue as fatsbucknut. You can't get away from the hunters during gun season on public land no matter how deep you go into the woods or marshes. Another reason why I'm real close to giving up gun hunting.
Most folks are going to say that yes, I would be a more successful hunter if I hunted with a rifle, and I would be one. But, I'm interested to see what others say, because there is a lot more to this question than meets the eye.
I thought about this, too. For my purposes, all but one of the bucks I mentioned were seen during firearms season. If you wanna get technical, I suppose you could amend my answer to "I would have 5 of them on the wall". But, I'd also hunt field edges, if I were a firearms hunter. I may have more than 6, doing that.
The big difference is going to come from gun seasons that are a zoo, vs ones where you can still somewhat hunt deer on thier natural patterns.
I definetly would be less successful... the act of shooting a bow is definetly more difficult but when you factor in season length, other hunters, pressure, and the ridiculous amounts of deer drives that start at daylight on the 1st morning of season... hunting with a rifle during rifle season is harder than archery hunting during archery season.
Not even close for me here in NY. Bowhunting is exponentially easier in NY then gun hunting. This season was the first time in 8 years that I haven't tagged a buck in NY with my bow and I let numerous bucks walk and saw a bunch more out of range. The last time I have even laid eyes on a buck of any kind with a gun in my hands was opening day 2008. I hunt every season in NY equally (time wise)........probably getting out anywhere from 70-80% of season time. This year was the first time in 4 years I believe that I actually saw a deer during muzzleloader season...........doe and two fawns in a field.
I'd kill more deer but I've seen exactly 1 shootable buck while hunting in rifle season in all of my years. I saw ten times that inside 100 yards last bowseason. IF the question was using a rifle during the bowseason, hell ya. But as it stands now, I'd just as soon do away with the two week rifle season.
I don't honestly know as I have Never hunted Big Game with a gun ;-) I've killed xxx animals with a bow, but anybody that has Bowhunted for 40 plus years and put as much time and effort as I have into I am sure has done as good or better. :-) Dan
Don't you mean you'd have had 3 more shot oppurtunities. Just because you're holding a gun in your hand still won't GUARANTEE youi a kill. Back to the question at hand....yes I feel I would have many more shot oppurtunities at decent bucks. If I gun hunted this past year, I could have possibly killed 3-4 very decent bucks. That extra 20-30 yards would make a world of difference.
No. I meant exactly what I said. If there was a question of whether I could have killed them (or not....with a gun), I wouldn't have had them on the wall.
for me it would be easier. i feel that if i can see it when i have my rifle, it's dead. it is a little cocky, but to me it is alot easier to harvest deer with a rifle. but i am very thankful i have the right to hunt with my bow and my rifle each year.
Its easier to rifle hunt here. The terrain, liberal rifle seasons etc play into the gun hunters hand. Bowhunting here on the other hand imo has definately forced and taught me to hunt completely different than I do in order to be successful with a rifle. When I rifle hunt these days I do it to put meat in the freezer with elk. I also like to bear hunt with my rifle because I am so far in the back country and alone, I like the security of it over just a bow. If I ever got in a bind where I bear hunt I might not ever get found. Before I had kids I didnt worry about my bear hunting one bit, now I definately take the weapon of choice into consideration.
One of those "what", Donnie. I'll tell ya.....If I couldn't hit a mature buck at 40 yds, I damn sure wouldn't be totin' the F-in gun into the woods with me. Next?
