Sorry, but I have to vent a bit about how much I'm not a fan of gun hunting. Yes, I do gun hunt. I put a lot of time into this past bow season. I sat hours and hours, and spend days and days of vacation time bowhunting. I seen about 12 different bucks, 3-4 shooters. However, I didn't fill my tag. I gun hunt the same area, so I was hoping to see one of the nice bucks during the rifle season. Well I only seen does and a spike opening weekend, and I did hear a lot of shooting on the neihbors land. I found out they shot 6 nice bucks this past weekend. The smallest had a 16" spread. I know that fair is fair, but what bothers me is that I spend hours and hours out hunting and scouting, and they spend one/two days. I know patience pays off blah blah blah, but it never fails. Sorry

haha...I hear you. I have almost totally given up gun hunting. Right now, my percentage is like 97% bowhunting and 3% gun. I have already shot two deer with my bow but I am thinking of taking off next monday for opening day gun in PA. Really want to take the bow but I am going to hunt a nice funnel that I bowhunted and saw 6 different bucks ( 1 shooter though). We'll see what happens.....I am kinda looking for excuses not to go....

Sounds like your looking for an excuse because you are yet to fill your tag. Quit worrying about things your neighbors are doing and get out there and kill the one your after.I doknow whereyou are coming fromthe mere thought of gunseason often makes me cringe. It seems like every yahoo in the nation is in the woods with a gun in their hand. Can't wait tillDec. 3 when gun season is all over with, here in IL. Trust me I'm counting the days. I'm not at all against gun season. I just choose to stay out of the woods and use the time for much needed rest.

Maybe you should hunt with them instead , then you could use all of that time you "wasted" scouting for something more constructive . I reccomend starting a new hobby like cheese making so you'll have some cheese to go with that whine ...

I was telling RobPA this past weekend.......whenever I see a deer mounted or see photos of someone's trophy.....I ask the same 2 questions.

No 1 - What state did you harvest the deer in?

No 2 - What weapon

I'm a fan of people that hunt their home state. My deer here aren't that large (due to many reasons).....but they're "mine".

On gun hunting........"I" (emphasis on 'I') just don't understand putting on camo to sit in a box blind. Why exercise scent control when you're at 250yds? In my opinion......gunhunting is "shooting". When you MUST be within +/- 30 yds of your prey......and your prey happens to be a whitetail deer......and you succeed. Now THAT is impressive (again, to me....). I've said it before.....the planets nearly have to line up for everything in a successful bow harvest to come together. It's a feeling that's indescribable to those who haven't done it.

Then.....I watch a fat guy in a box blind with a heater dress up in full Mossy Oak drab.......in his box blind with the heater and the padded seat shoot a buck from 250yds that saw him....but thought he was too far away to be a threat. Forgive me for not being impressed by said hunter's prowess.

My bow harvests, though few, have months of background stories leain up to the moment of truth. How I got access to the land.....how I figured out how to get to that tree, that day.....even if it's blind luck I got there....I had to be ready for the planet alignment.

When I rode Harley's.....we used to have a saying. "If I have to explain it.....you wouldn't understand".

Jeff

Kevin1 - I'm not whinning by any means. For God sakes, I take part in the gun hunt as well. There is a difference between frustrated and whinning. I re-read my posts (multiple times) and nowhere did I read I wasted my time. If I thought my time in the treestand was wasted time, I probably would have stopped going after the first time. So wisen up there fella, take your time when you read, read all the words, and please don't put words in my mouth. Thanks buddy!!

half heartedly agree with SB...i started bowhunting this year because gun hunting got boring...kinda bang splat. what did it for me was last year. my 10th deer. 11am first day, first drive of the day..here comes a group of 6 does on my lap. 50yds away piled up because they didnt wanna hit the fields and didnt wanna run a cross the road. i seen one that was a cow compared to the rest..i wanted her. dang shes stopped behind a tree. oh wait..theres her head looking away from me. no deer behind her..good back stop..bang..right in the back of the head..50yds away through kinda thick woods..i dont like guys taking head shots and neck shots etc...but i KNOW i can do it..and KNEW she would fall at the squeeze of the trigger. i know myself and my weapons. no doubt in my mind she was going to hit the dirt..and she did. meat in the freezer...heart beating a little faster..but it just wasnt as exciting as it used to be. and when you can place a bullet through the woods and into the back of a deers head its no longer a challenge..i wouldnt call it target practice or easy...we work long and hard to learn how to execute our deer drives and STILL every drive we have deer slip out and beat us. its not easy..and its alot of leg work..and i love the comradatity of it all. i rarely stand hunt in gun season just because if im going to sit stand i wont see much..with over 1 million hunters out there in rifle season in PA our deer know better then to move...they only move when kicked in the arse...that equals alert deer that are looking for a place to hide. thats why i wont bowhunt during gun season. even if im sitting stand my deer still come through hard and once stopped i got about 2 seconds to decide and send a bullet. still trying to figure out how to get a gun and bow in stand opening day. opening morning i MIGHT get lucky and catch them milling around..id like to get one with the bow...but i also like venison and antlers on the wall..my stand hunting isnt any easier then bowhunting. i will be gunhunting my bowhunting spot opening morning till the drives start at lunch time..only diffrence is after first light it turns into an ambush site, not a feeding site. and my shots will be close. 75yds MAX. im moving the stand to climb higher on the ridge so i can see the other side..but the close ones will be in decint cover i probably cant get an arrow through..bash me for gun hunting....i dont care. i still gotta check and watch the wind..still spraying down with DDW..still hunting close quarters..just thicker and moving alert deer i dont feel comfortable bowhunting. when i get private land where i wont have 100 guys all around spooking deer then ill bowhunt in gun season..and still might opening morning..but after that for me its useless to carry a bow..bowhunting gun season is diffrent in states seeing another guy is rare...come to PA and bowhunt rifle season on public land. it sounds like a war zone. the only reason im still going to gunhunt is because i didnt tag out with the bow...and i still get the rush from having deer upclose and personal. if i could use the bow successfully id do it...i love bow hunting..as i become more proficient with the bow the gun will collect more and more dust...but i need to work on stand placement and gaining private land permission. i had more hunters in bowrange this year then i did DEER!!!!!! i lovvvvvve PA.

Next time look at the winky face at the end of my post , it will remind you that I was only kidding . Here it is again ...

I enjoy both.

You better practice scent control when gun hunting around here or you will get skunked. You will never get a shot that is 250 yards, just too thick. Box blinds, ain't happening? I've shot quite a few and the longest shot was probably 50 yards. Not impressed, sorry. If you consistantly take nice bucks here in the northeast (as I do) you are a better hunter than some stanley in the midwest who plants a treestand above a crop field and sticks a 150 class deer.

OOOOOOOOOO ~ Mr. Opinion ~ Folks, Mr. Opinion has entered the forum!!