Here in Oregon there are now some area' s and seasons that are traditional only.

That being said I myself shoot both and I enjoy them both equally well. But the technology aspect does concern me some.

I grew up shooting a bow to the point that pheasants didnt escape me much. Then you could hunt both seasons, we always started out hunting the archery season and if you didnt get your deer then the tag was valid for the rifle season. Soon things changed and we had to choose one or the other, figureing it was easier to put meat on the table with a rifle, the bows turned into just a hobby.

The last ten years i have been hunting strictly with a bow, until this year I drew an antelope rifle tag, I pulled one of the rifles from the gun safe sighted it in and had a sucessful antelope hunt, or so i thought.

This being my first attempt at an antelope i put in for the rifle tag hoping to insure sucess, and i did shoot an antelope (a beautiful 14 1/2 inch buck that had close to an inch of ivory on each horn) but thats exactly what i did was shoot him i dont feel as though i truley hunted an antelope.

We as hunters have our own set of ethics and our own limitations. I dont begrudge anyone who wishes to hunt in their own way its just not for me.

The main reason I went back to bow hunting is to get closer to the animals, Firearms manufactures are constantly harping on how effective their weapons can be at greater and greater distances, That to me takes away from the hunting experience. With the technology in bows today I see them heading in the same direction.

We all choose how to hunt in a way that we get the most from the experience and since i shoot both i guess that i can sway one way or the other.