Afew day ago I was talking with my Dad about both Muzzle, and bow season, and how they have seem to turn into just another way for anyone to go out and get a deer. What I mean is I thought bow and muzzle season were set up so that people who wanted to put in that extra effort and calenge them selfs could get out when there was less compatition in the woods (compatition from center fire rifles). Now it seems like the tecnology has mad both these once chalenging sport easier. To me that defets the purpuse of having them in the first place. any person can go get set up with a modern compound with 80% let off shoot it for two weeks and be profishent at 20 yards, or get a muzzle loader, that once tock skill to load and shoot, and now be in the woods with in days of buying it.
MyDads argument was that shouldent you take the most afective killing divice in the woods that you can (In line vs.flintlock style and long/recurves vs compound). This makes alittle sence but then why not just take a center fire out in these seasons, that would be the most afective. Thats not why these seasons were made.
They were not mad for the average joe whowants to put minimul time in, they can do that durring the normal rifelseason. Tecnology has taken over good old hard work and it is not right. I know I am new to the Traditional way ofhunting but I have alwaysput lots of time and hard work into hunting and fishing. Its just more fun that way. That must be the reason I switched to the lond bow.
Guss, we lost this argument some 35 years ago when we failed in our efforts to keep compounds out of the woods.
But then, you have to consider what constitutes efficiency. When it comes down to efficiency/effectiveness in the hunting woods, I cannot use a compound with release and sights on close, quick shots on rabbits in the briar patch. I cannot use it to pop a quail busting out of cover. I can't use that compound with all the fooferaw in low light situations, or in situations where I'm in bright sunlight but the animal is in deep shade, because I can't see beyond the sights. My longbows and recurves are much more effective in those situations.
And that's also a big reason why my compounds don't wear sights.
I've always believed that bow season should be the time for archers. IMO, there are far too many people out there now who call themselves 'bowhunters' but are not archers. They don't even like shooting a bow. They act like bows are something to be religiously avoided at all costs until a few days before the season opener. Far too many of them don't have the slightest clue how to tune the bow they own, know nothing about using matched arrows and have a hard time hitting a barn with an arrow - from inside the barn. I think there is a special place reserved in the nether regions of Hell for those guys who won't put in the effort to improve their shooting during the course of the year, then go out and wound animals when the season opens.
Seems like the compound market is catering to those fellas - advertising that says 'faster, easier, less practice,' etc, etc, ad nauseum. I hate it, but there's nothing I can do but voice my opinion. Unfortunately, the almighty dollar has a much louder voice than I do.
One thing that really got me going a few years ago was this "Xtreme Bowhunting" B.S. Seems all you had to do to be an Xtreme Bowhunter was to buy everything on the shelf at the bow shop. Well, when I watch extreme sports on TV, there are guys doing all kinds of wild and crazy things, stuff that would be darn near impossible for the average guy to do... Or at least be able to do well. So, who among the archery community would fall into the exteme sports category? The traditionalist, of course.WE are the true Xtreme Bowhunters.
That's pretty much how I see it. Money has taken the "primitive" right out of primitive weapons seasons. I know of guys that seldom, if ever, even take their broadheads off their arrows--shoot a few before going hunting to make sure their sights are still "on", and that's it. Sure, it's harder to get within range with a compound vs. a rifle, but it still doesn't require a whole lot of skill or sense to shoot a compound (looks like it would take a degree in Chinese arithmetic to work on one though) or a scoped, in-line muzzleloader.
The argument for using the "most effective equipment" doesn't fly. I can shoot my longbow just as accurately, if not moreso, as the average compound shooter--within my effective range. I'm not going to be launching arrows at deer from 40-60 yds. The same goes for folks that like muzzleloaders--they will generally take a lot longer shot with a scoped, in-line muzzleloader, thus reducing it's effectiveness. A broadhead or bullet through the lungs is just as deadly from one weapon as it is from the other. The difference isn't in the equipment, it's in the hunter--I'll put my trust in the fellow that is familiar with his equipmentand practices with it on a regular basis over the one that takes his out a week or two before the season opens and puts it up as soon as the season closes. Practically everyone that chooses less modern equipment realizes they can't do this, and that we have to practice on a regular basis.
I'll leave it at that before I get on a rant.
Chad
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"We can have no '50-50' allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all."-- Theodore Roosevelt
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Ecclesiasties 10:2
The last four letters in American..........I Can
The last four letters in Republican........I Can
The last four letters in Democrats.........Rats
Legalize it all, or draw lines in the sand and stand firm against technology.
The modern compound bow revolutionized archery into the monster that it is today. The millions of bowhunters BECAUSE of compounds is a good thing. The drawbacks though are also apparent.
If I had God Power ....... I'd ban compounds and technology from archery season. I'd also ban anything other than flintlocks etc for muzzleloading. I'd ban ATV's on anything but public roads.
simple solution. not so simple to implement, don't know all states seasons but in virginia here is what we should do.
early bow season (oct) trad only (opps define trad). early blackpowder (first of nov sidelock only even though the first inline was made in the 1800's) then late black powder(after regular gun is over) knight and thompson rule the woods. and after that mathews and xi and parker and whoever get the woods then sometime in march or april or july the cross bows get the woods.......... Hey it all starts off with legitamate logic and opinions, but the end we all have the same goal, to enjoy the wilderness as God intended and support the rights of outdoorsmen no matter if they fish with worms,wet flies, dry flies. hunt with a weapon passed down for nine generations, made it themself or went to wally world and bought it.
WE ARE ALL IN IT TOGETHER!
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opening mouth......removing all doubt
Very well said Authur.
It is something that each one of us have to ask," to what level do you want to take it? " Lets say its legal to take game any way you want, so why not go out with grenade launchers? Some just want to fill their game tag or impress their friends on a filled tag and then their are some others when the "actual hunt" presents the challenge of taking it to the animal. It is something we all have to ask ourself, wheres the thrill at ? I myself have shot animals every year since I started hunting, gun, bow and muzzleand the thrill of shooting a critter with a bow isfar more rewarding to me than one I pop with a high powered rifle.
Bobby
Well one's ability with the weapon should be considered. It's far better for a hunter to use a compound bow with sites if they can't hit with trad gear, and run the risk of wounding an animal. I really wanted to hunt Turkey with my recurve this last season, but I was not confident in my ability yet, so I used a shotgun. Got my first one this year too, clean kill I it's better to allow compounds just out of respect for the animal, because if onlly trad was allowed people with no skill or respect for archery would be out there woudning animals and who knows what else. At least with a muzzleoader or compound, that risk may be reduced.
Talking of ethics though, I saw something with trad on tv yesterday that really turned me off. This fellow hunting with a recurve used dogs to corner a big cat in a tree, walked up to the tree, gathered his dogs and chained them up away from the tree to prevent injury, walked back to within 8 yards of the cat and shot the thing out of the tree. WTF kind of hunting is that? I know hunters hsould be tolerant of different kinds of hunting to ensure its survival, but that really did not seem like hunting to me.
What do you guys think?
