RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

It is more of a challenge thanactive hunting with a long range high powered rifle to be exact. I've gun hunted for 15 yearsand pretty much every yearI go out, I get at least one deer. Yes, even when I'm carelessly parading up and down the hills.

Here's a generic typical scenario: I'm happily parading along not really giving due attention to all of the horizon when 200 yards away I see a herd of deer that some other gun hunterflushed in my direction. Those deer that are scared out of their wits from some3006 blasting at them 2 minutes ago are now confronted with another upright creature carrying a similar weapon. They all freeze at firstthen scurry about looking for an escape route. They don't want to turn back in the direction of the 3006 but also don't want to press forward because of my 270. In the 3 seconds that have transpired since, I've already steadiedthe crosshairs of my 12 power scopeon the big mama doe, when all of a sudden BOOOOOM. Game Over! In fact, there have been several occasions where I've downed more than one deer and once even where I took out 4 in a matter of seconds.

Whereas with bowhunting... I have to prescout and haul my arse as well as myequipment up and down the hills (mountains in other people's cases)locating where the deer are. Imust thenfind several trees in which to hunt from becauseI cannot just hop in the same tree time after time. I have to trim numerous shooting lanes.Before the day of the hunt I must be certain my entire attire, my bow, my stand,my calls, etc.,are as scent free as possible. Getting tomy tree, I must beexceptionally quiet. Upon arrival, I have to anticipate the direction of deer movement and properly match it to the current wind at the same time gauging that with whatthe weatherman says will happen in X number of hours just so I can pick the best tree. If I leave the slightest scent trail thathappens to later cross a deer's path, it's game over, not for the deer but for me. If I sit inwhat I think is the right tree and a deer happens to come in from an unsuspected direction and catches my scent, game over. Ifthe deer do not come within my 30 yard range, game over. If they come in and I happen to break a tiny bit of the tree'sbark that clung onto mysuit as I leaned forward to get up, game over. If I move or draw at a less than perfect time, wellknow what I'm gonna say next.And all of this preparation could and most timeswill befor nothing because the deer either took another route that day or some other hunter or hiker snowmobiler or dog walkerscared them off before they got to me.

And that, is a two way street.Active hunting with a long range rifle is much easier than passive bowhunting as by my example above. Active huntingwith ashotgun islikelyharder than passive bowhunting but only in the sense of the actualstalking or shotitself, not in the sense of preparation. This of course is only the case when the forest is quiet and not overrun with gun touting hunters who are are just kicking up deer everywhere for people to shoot at. In that situation,active shotgun huntingbecomes easier than passive bowhunting.

Somewhere on the forums there is aguy who stalks down big bucks and shoots them in their bedsthat's thinking... man you guys don't know the meaning of difficult. LOL

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

I don't think I could live in a place like that ArthurP.

Why don't you move?

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

Just so you know, I don't feel I've given it my all unless I do all the things you mentioned above as far as prep, except for the stands, since I use permanent ones, no matter what I'm carrying. Sure, you are a 100% correct, that is, if you read a different post.

If you go back and read, you'll recognize that I acknowledged bow hunting being more difficult whether it be used in passive or in active hunting. So next time untwist you panties and read it again, then post.

The problem I have is with the "passive" bow hunter only type, talking about how gun hunting is too easy, just not a challenge, no, not anymore, that is the question, to passive bow hunt only, or to, well, passive bow hunt only, since we all know it is the only way that requires any skill! NOT!

And you mention scent control as something you have to do when bow hunting - try staying on the ground with a stinky gun. Now we're talking playing the wind. Click on my name above and read some of my post on similar subjects and read how I hunt. Most of the time I stalk hunt with a young child, up close in the thick stuff. By the way, don't forget I do both too... I've taken some nice deer with a bow.

And the best or most ridiculous thing you said was "I have to be quiet getting to my stand"! Wow! You have to be quiet ten min. a day? You don't understand at all, it is pretty obvious to me. How about trying to be quiet while walking all day.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

I did.:)

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

Then maybe now it's time to treat yourself to a fine new weapon.

One that will probably not get stolen!

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

Same same. I do OCCASIONALLY take my smokepole, but not very often.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

I shotgun hunt, just because we can't use our bows during the shotgun season and it's better than sitting around the house.

Also alot more people shotgun hunt, so for a few days out of the year it's not to bad sharing the camp with some good friends.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

but then you go and talk about twisted panties and how people (I in specific) obviously don't understand at all? Sure sounds like friendly fire to me.;) Hey butall is good, I'm not mad atcha or "twisted" up'cause in the end we're all brothers in arms for the same basic passion.

[/quote]ORIGINAL: Killer_Primate

See, but I didn't read a different post because you wrote

I did upon first read but then you had to go and write what I quoted in the large print above which is NOT true unless in the single situation of active shotgun hunting while in the woods all by yourself. Tell me this... If gun touters are running rampant about the forest kicking up deer and one happens to run by you and you shoot it at 40 yards with a 12 gauge, is that really harder than passive bowhunting? I think not.

tell you the truth, I've never even thought about playing the wind when I can reach 250-300 yards reliably with my 270 and there are those other hundred hunters in the woods kicking up deer for me to shoot at.

Themain thing I'm debating here is what's in large print above. There's no grey area, its all black and white, and I don't agree with it.(pay attention to the actives and passives here)... I believe that active long range gun hunting ismuch easier than passive bowhunting for reasons beaten to death.

happy hunting to all,

20ft

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

I like challenges. I hunt with bow and muzzleloader and won't hunt with rifle or shotgun.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

Please correct me if I am wrong, as I have no hands on experience with muzzleloaders, but 2 of the guys that hunt with us use muzzleloaders.

They both can pick a deer off farther with great accuracythan any of us with our 12 gauges. Again I have never used one before so I could be completly wrong.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

"They both can pick a deer off farther with great accuracythan any of us with our 12 gauges. Again I have never used one before so I could be completly wrong."

I have fired a friend's on the range and found it very accurate. He claims the same thing, that it's much more accurate than his slug gun and at longer distances. In fact, he uses it during shotgun season with a scope, which is legal here. No scope during the ML season, though.

The supposed challenge comes from only being able to have "one shot." Or the assumption that you'll pretty much only get one shot off as waiting for the smoke to clear and reloading the gun will take much too long for you to get a second shot off if you miss the first time. Whereas with the shotgun you can blast away shot after shot without reloading. Truth be told, most of the ML hunters would drop the deer with the first shot anyway considering the improved accuracy. This is the case with my friend at least. Otherwise he'd leave it at home during shotgun season.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

I really think a lot of you guys would like handgun hunting. You still have something that goes bang, but you need to be very proficient, and patiently pick your shots very similar to archery hunting.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

I take my bow with me anytime I go (muzzleload, rifle). Tomorrow muzzleloader opens in Mississippi and I will be carrying both but don't plan to use the firearm unless it's huge(deer) and is a last resort. I will hold out until the last minute with a bow.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

I do them all. Muzzleloading is my favorite.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

Ive hunted for several years and finally got my first bow kill ( pics are posted here somewhere) I don't think Ill ever use a fire arm again. The kill ment so much more to me. (spiritual level type stuff, sounds weird but it ment a lot to me, just doesn't feel the same with a rifle)

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

This is my first season with my new Flintlocker, its a Lyman GPR! I love it! Bowhunting is my true passion!!!!!!!

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

Oh yea, The Thurdy Point Buck. One of my favorite songs.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

20 FT up 20 yrds out,
You didn’t read it, and you went back and didn't read it again, so I'll post my own words back into this post so that you are able to read what I wrote instead of what you wanted to read and misquote. Be sure to read the last sentence that you must have forgotten to include in your quote;

Quote from page 6 from me (Killer Primate).
Since that time I've killed a number of deer this way, and Passive hunting (which is what most of you are doing) is "easy" by nature, when compared to "active" hunting. Sure passive hunting would be easier to succeed with a gun than with a bow, but from my experience, active hunting with a gun, is much more challenging. In all aspects, whether it be mentally, physically or both. That said, active hunting would also be much more challenging with a bow, but in most cases, it would be impossible.
Unquote

What is so hard for you to understand that?

Here is my point - I'm not suggesting that bow hunting is easier than gun hunting, if you want to leave it at that, and no more details added. I think what I wrote is pretty clear about that. What bothers me is that alarge number of "bow only's" make comments like "guns just don't challenge me any more", or "it's just killing", "too easy"with out thinking about thedifferent ways to hunt. I used the words "easier" and "challenging" because those are the words that these same people are using.

Let's look at easier for a moment - Once you've done all your prep work and scent control, and you've parked you butt inyour stand for a long day of sitting on your rear, would it be easier to pick up your shotgun, get down off the stand and go find the buck that you were hopingwas going to walk past your stand? No!It isn't easier, in fact it isa much moredifficult and challenging. That is why it is called"the lost art of running down deer". It isn't my fault that you haven't learned about it.

You want to justify passive hunting as the most challenging just because youchose a short range weapon, but it isn't. You also want to create the scenerio of a bunch of hunters jumping deerall over the place for you to just shoot at. That isn'tpart of the equation. It is about you, and you alone, hunting. We could"what if" this subject to death. Sitting on you butt all day with a bow, isn't easier than stalking a buck to his bed and killing him with a shotgun. I know, I've done it both ways, more than once. And when I was on the ground, where other hunters might be, and where all these jumped deer were, wasn't part ofwhy Ichose my path. I knew where the particular animal liked to bed, and thought I may try tocatch him there and get him. And I've done it, and it isn't easy. And the people who are suggesting that it is easy haven't. Because if they had, they wouldn't be making stupid statements. It isn't my fault that you are stupid,and if you're going to say stupid things in a public place, be readyfor part of the publicto notice and speak up about it.

There are so many posts in this forum about "what camo is best", "scent control", "scent-loc suit", "being still". Try getting out of the tree. Test out your camo, scent control and see how quiet you are. When you're on the ground walking you'd better be a lot better at all of this stuff, especially playing the wind. But tomorrow morning when you think about what I've said, and you decide to keep your butt in the tree, be honest with your self at least, and agree that your chances are best by staying put, and there is good reason for that.

I sit in stands too, even when gun hunting. But there is a big difference for why. I get in the stand during firearms season when I'm tired from all the stalking and real hard work. I'm then ready to take it "easy"!

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

I agree Killer Primate, however if you were using a bow with those same scenarios it would be more challenging. Not to take anything away from your post its only my opinion.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

If you must ask, then Ishall tell. Follow along now while I examine your words sentence by sentence so it's not so hard for you yourself to understand ok? Following? Alright...

First you said "passive hunting is easy by nature when compared to active hunting"... and I agree.

Next you said "passive hunting would be easier to achieve with a gun than a bow but active hunting with a gun is more challenging" ... and that's where you entered into that great biggrey area. What you think in your head and what little you put into words can greatly differ. You don't mention what type of gun, you don't mention what type of condition, heck for all we know you could be saying that does are harder to kill with a high powered rifle while active hunting than a 200" buck is to kill with a recurve while passive bowhunting. And that, simply is not true. You (operative word here being MIGHT) live in an area where deer comeprancing and frolic about under your stand while you passive bowhunt but that's not the world most of the rest of us here live in.

Finally you said "In all aspects, whether it be mentally, physically or both." ... and once again, we don't know what you've got going on in your head. It's a little redundant but for all we know, you could still be saying that walking around shootin' at does with your 7mm magis more physically and mentally demanding than locating and harvesting a P&Y buck passively with a recurve. Know what killer primate, I can sneak around slowly and cap 4 does from 300 yards away with my 270 before I can take a 130" buck with my hoyt.

And nope, it's not your fault that some people aren't schooled in "the art of running down deer". But by the same token, it's also not my fault that you cannot convey what you feel into simple understandable English.If apicture is worth a thousand words, how do you expect us to see with a few poorly constructed sentences what you picture in your head?

Let me tell you something I overheard in the past that probably applies to you here... "With anything debatable, people are not listening but rather are just waiting their turn to speak."

I make mention of this saying because if you had been listening you'd've seen this that I wrote

and that's all I'm saying because you left your statement so open to interpretation. Simplify, clarify, exemplify or don't get all petrified when people read your statements as you hastily and recklessly typed them.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

I usually slug/rifle hunt with my dad and his friends second weekend but didn't this year. He went pheasant hunting in SDand I went bow hunting here in Minny.

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

i definitely still hunt with guns. i don't look down on gun hunting at all! It's a chance to take those deer that you don't havea prayer at w/ your bow. i bought a remington 700 .270 this year (although it still has 0 roundsthrough [:@]) I'm spending this weekend muzzleloader hunting. i still haven't filled my buck tag!!!!!

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

sure do. this is how i spend some time with family. Istill love bowhunting the most and there is no bigger thril whenthe moment of truth finnalyhappens.
Dan

RE: Do you still hunt with guns
 

yes, I don't feel safe with a bow and 900 lbs bull moose.