For me I am alot like davidmill, I hunt for the steaks. After having said that I find shooting a deer with a bow is alot harder to do. I can shoot a deer running with a rifle at 100 yards. Now you take a bow and there is no chance of me trying that even at 10 yards..All my hunting is from the ground,walk and stalk or just sitting there waiting for one to come by. Here in my area there is not alot of deer to be found. Coyotes and bears pretty much keep them a bay so hunting them my way is very hard to do. But all in all I have shot 4 deer that way and all of them made some great eating. I have never tried muzzle loading so I can not comment on that one. For as far as shotguns I have shot a few that way as well and can also hit them running. So shooting one with a bow to me can leave no greater feeling than to know you out foxed a deer in the deers own terf. That alone makes it some sort of a trophy that will serve me and my family just fine on the table for dinner..