[kurtty52]

well i was just curious to see what the average is on the sight, i know myself once i started bowhunting i never went back to a gun, now i tried rifle hunting last year and didnt enjoy it nearly as much as with my bow.

so just wondering what your reason is for bowhunting.

1) because i love the challenge. i only bowhunt

2) because it increases the length of my season(hunt with bow and rifle)

3) cant get holidays in rifle season.

 

[bamarammin87]

I''m starting to bowhunt so I can have access to WMA's and the wildlife refuge, cuz they are packed full of deer and bowhunting only, and because I only had one or two places to gun hunt, and I get to hunt longer. I'm also doing it for the challenge. :darkbeer: Still LOVE guns, but will probably only use a bow now for deer hunting, maybe yote hunting too.

 

[Bowhuntr64]

I like the challenge and the length of the season!

 

[NirvanaFan]

I like the challenge of a bow. I've used it during gun season numerous times once I get one in the freezer. I enjoy having to get close to the game.

 

[NH/Pete]

I love the challenge, longer season and the quiet of the fall woods.

 

[bludb4butr]

"i want to hunt longer so i hunt with a bow and a gun"

I like to gun hunt too but first I have to get my fix of bowhunting. = if gun season ran during bow, id still hunt with my bow until I bagged a few deer.

 

[Elk in CO]

I hunted Deer with a rifle in 1983, my first year of hunting. 1984 was Deer with a rifle and Elk with a bow.

Hadn't hunted with anything but a bow until I moved here to Colorado in 2005. Now I can hunt with both if I choose. About every other year my cousin comes down from Washington and we rifle hunt for Deer and Elk.

I just find better seasons, less people, and the people you do meet are typically friendly and responsible hunters. You don't usually end up with the camp full of guys who would rather see how much they can drink for the week instead of killing an animal.

 

[mathews1]

Bow Hunt only

I only go bow hunting Because I love the challenge, I don't enjoy gun hunting as much as i do with my bow.

 

[freeslinger]

Why I bowhunt

I love to hunt. Period. If there was a season for hatchet throwing, I'd probably do it. I love gun hunting, and it seemed natural to bowhunt, too. I've yet to kill anything but time and stray cats with the archery tackle, but I love it more and more every year. I got my wife into bowhunting this year, too. Which means I need to get my arse in gear and get some brown down before she does. I can't be having the wifey getting a bow kill before me!

 

[SEWIBuckHunter]

I only gun hunt to be with my buddies who I get to see a couple of times a year. Personally I don't really hunt just to kill something. My experience with gun hunting (in Wisconsin) has been that the deer are all stirred up and you never get to see them in their natrual state, and you never get to see very many because of that reason. I would rather go out bow hunting and see a bunch of deer that are out of range and not be able to shoot than to hunt with my rifle, see one deer at 100+ yards and shoot it. There is nothing like shooting them when their close. Less preasure is an added bonus too.

 

[MTNHunt]

I like to hunt with a bow and gun. I don't use a muzzleloader anymore, got a couple, but reserve both seasons for just the bow. Sometime, since I have 70acres of land at my house with two great spots, I will use the bow during gun season. Heck, It all depends if I have meat or not, I love bowhunting first, and second I love to eat deer, so I just let the season play out to what I might use.

Oh, and I forgot, its is hard as hell to hit a deer during gun season at the hunting club, because they are running 30 miles an hour with a pack of hounds behind them! Shotgun time for that. Ah, thats another story and yes I hunt with dogs.:wink: LOL

 

[cgreenhead]

I like gettin close!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bludb4butr]

Oh, and I forgot, its is hard as hell to hit a deer during gun season at the hunting club, because they are running 30 miles an hour with a pack of hounds behind them! Shotgun time for that. Ah, thats another story and yes I hunt with dogs.:wink: LOL

Im with you on that. Ive gotta get my fix of shotgun hunting too. After bowhunting the best part of the season for 6-8 weeks, its nice to get out there with the shattergun and bust deer running full throttle. I think we're blessed to live in a state with so many deer and so many options on how to harvest them. And we're also lucky to have small bodied bucks with great genetics.:wink:

 

[whack&stack]

i just love bowhunting the season length doesnt matter since i just take my bow during gun season but i may take a gun 1-4 days usually during muzzleloader season

 

[slickstalker]

I've been hunting with a bow 30yrs now and find this sport the most rewarding of all by far. I experienced success the first 2 or 3 days of hunting with a bow and have been blessed with fruitful efforts throughout the years. Once about 10 or 12yrs ago I went out with a riffle and harvested a nice buck, but instead of feeling rewarded, I felt like a murderer. He was about 150yrds away and didn't even know I was there, he didn't have a chance, and was dead before he hit the ground. I live in the Pacific NW and I have never hunted from a tree stand like most of you do, so all of my encounters are on the ground 1 on 1. This gives the animals the advantage in most cases. So when I win I feel very rewarded. Just so there are no misunderstandings; I am not implying that it is easier from a tree stand (how would I know). It's always more challenging with a bow no matter what your tactics are.

 

[PAstringking]

i just like to hunt....no matter the weapon.

dont get me wrong...i love shooting animals with a bow and it is always my first choice...but when its time for guns....its time for guns :wink:

 

[MTNHunt]

Im with you on that. Ive gotta get my fix of shotgun hunting too. After bowhunting the best part of the season for 6-8 weeks, its nice to get out there with the shattergun and bust deer running full throttle. I think we're blessed to live in a state with so many deer and so many options on how to harvest them. And we're also lucky to have small bodied bucks with great genetics.:wink:

+1 ON THAT....For anybody that hasn't been to Virginia we are truely blessed to have such a healthy herd, and the options to hunt the mountains (no dogs), the piedmont and the eastern shore. And, throw in the urban deer season and an unlimited amount of doe tags (extra $18 each) on private land and three buck tags east of the Blue ridge....no slim pickings here. And, some very nice bucks to boot.

We just need to stop all of that fighting nonsense:sad:, I hope know you know what I mean. But that's in another post some where on here.

Good Hunting to you.

 

[jerseycast]

first year

this is my first year bowhunting. ive only been out about 4 times but am already addicted. its gonna be hard for me to put it down and pick up the gun again

 

[TREESTANDSNYPER]

I love everything about bowhunting. I took my first steps in the deer woods with a bow in hand and not a gun. I killed my first deer with a bow. I've killed more deer with a bow than with a gun. These days I also go out a few days each gun season with a muzzleloader in hand. Many seasons I've only bowhunted, but now my 13 year old son is interested in gun hunting and I will continue to hunt with my muzzleloader when he wishes to go gun hunting with me. Hopefully he will someday regain the interest in archery that he had growing up(he started shooting a bow at 4).

 

[Rothhar1]

I am not pretentous and dishonest enought to say yhaa I Bowhunt for the challange and personal nature of it and high degree of skill it takes to shoot a bow accuratly and kill game!!

Quite honestly I bowhunt to extend my hunting season and take a few more animals and I enjoy it. Shooting a modern compond accuratly is not all that difficult I know there are dozens of hunters in my area who pick up thier bow a monthy befor season and shoot about 2 or 3 times a week till season comes in and kill their deer every year and do it with thier first shot and do it well.

I do not practice just befor season because I will shoot once or twice a week all year because I like too.I doo shoot a few shot daliy the month befor season .But I laugh out loud at guys who act like bowhunting and shooting a bow is some macho he man indevor that requires super human ability .I mean I have boy and a wife that has shot low poundage stuff and slung thier arrow right on through a deer with little effort.Lets face it most hunters are not shooting an 80# stick bow with fingers and no sites now are they !!