Another debateable question
First off, I will say that there is no better trophy than one you take with a bow, but when rifle and ML season comes around I normally leave the stick and string at the house. I agree, the reward is not as great if you kill a trophy animal with a gun, but I still get enjoyment and satisfaction out of it.
Anyway, the deal is, I have already shot my buck for the 2004 rifle season. I can't shoot another buck with my bow until rifle season is over. I am allowed to shoot a doe this weekend with a rifle. Instead of taking a rifle out, I decided that I am going to shoot my grandpa's S&W .44 mag revolver with open sights. My max distance that I feel comfortable at is 50 yards. I have shot it several times and I believe I can shoot better groups with my bow at 30 and 40 yards than I can with this pistol. Not saying I can't hit good with the pistol b/c I can, I just shoot better with my bow at that yardage.
Here's my question. Say I could shoot a buck. I go hunting with this pistol that limits me to nearly the same distances as my bow, giving about 15-25 yards depending on the archer, and a large 150" deer walks out at 25 yards and I take it. Is this less of a trophy if I had not shot it with a pistol and shot it with my bow? Although it was shot with a "rifle", it was still in the same situation as a bow hunter would be in. What's your opinion?
I believe more deer are taken with a bow every year than there are with an open sighted pistol. I still think the bow is the ultimate, but the pistol hunt would be a very close second.