ORIGINAL: Talondale
Face it, all of us aren't totally motivated by the obsession of big book deer or we wouldn't be using the weapon of choice we do. We have handicapped our chances at a book deer to various degrees by being bowhunters for a host of different reasons.
I think that this is wrong. Book archery deer have a minimum of 125 inches. Book any other weapon deer have a minimum of 160 - 170 inches. (modern day or all time B& C). There are way more 125+ deer than 160+ deer around. Therfore by hunting with a bow you have increased your chances at a book deer. Not to mention there are more archery hunting days than gun hunting days in most places. This again increases your chances at a trophy. I think that by being a bowhunter you will increase your chances at a book buck. I for example hunt with two weapons, gun and bow. That really increases my chances. However, I have taken 7 book bucks with a bow and none with a gun! I believe that if you look at the two record books, P & Y and B& C, you'll see that many more book bucks are taken with archery gear than any other weapons.