Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

Well guys, GMMAT's post about people posting photos of deer killed with guns got me thinking as some people mentioned that they believe in theory that killing a deer with a gun is easier (and not as much of an accomplishment) as killing a deer with a bow. I started thinking back over the past 12 seasons that I have hunted and I honest to God feel that it is much easier to kill a buck with a bow than with a rifle. Now I am sure that I am going to hear it about the range that a rifle will shoot compared to a bow, but the increased amount of hunting pressure negates that. I started thinking about last archery season, and how I passed up dozens of bucks on multiple occasions that would have been "slam dunk" shots. I started thinking of how it was almost easy to get set-up in an area that would allow me to have deer within shooting range every single hunt. Then I started thinking of the past rifle seasons that I have hunted, and how the "orange army" hits the woods and deer instantly go onto alert and because mostly nocturnal. The constant pressure from ten times as many hunters mixed with the lack of scent control and stealth contribute to this, not to mention the endless deer drives. Unless you have a large property that is off limits to other hunters and you have a great winter food source to attract the deer, I don't honestly see how (at least in my area) rifle hunting is easier than archery hunting. Now, add into that the fact that rut is usually in between archery season and rifle season, and the peak of pre-rut is during the latter part of archery season and things really get interesting. Just and observation of mine and I was wondering what others who have hunted both with guns and bows thought about it. Sure, the bow will limit your shooting range, but I would like to hear you opinions based more upon the effects of rifle hunters and the decreased deer movement associated with that.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

Buck, but your talking PA hunting and I'd agree with you that we get 6 weeks to do it with a bow, that's because of the difficulty level. Imagine 6 weeks of rifle season..OMG.

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It is definately easier to track using a bow. And yes, there is a LOT less hunting pressure during archery season.

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Less hunting pressure yes, but a possible shot every time out? No way, not in my neck of the woods. Take the average amount of time most put into bowhunting in order to shoot an animal and it would be monumental in comparison to firearm hunting. Why do you think many past firearm deer hunters take up bowhunting and give up gun deer season? Because of the challenge.

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Rob, I was thinking of that after the post, but I also wonder just how much would the deer adapt to the hunting pressure if our rifle season was extended to that length. Hunting where we do definetly plays into it and I am sure it is different throughout the country, but here in PA, it seems as though it is easier to get your opportunity at filling a tag with your bow than with your rifle. I know rifle hunters here in PA that go 5-10 years without shooting a buck where as I also know of guys hunting the same property that fill their tags pretty much every year with their bows.

One thing for sure, I would be scared to see our rifle season extended [:-]

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Cougar, I agree, the actual shooting of the deer may be more challenging with a bow when compared to a rifle, but around here, it is more difficult to get that shot opportunity with your rifle than it is with your bow.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

I hunt public land and by the time gun season comes around there have been so many other seasons that the mature buck are so far back in the boondocks it would take days to drag them out....lol Usually the deer arent spooked in archery either. So it is alot easier to shoot a deer at 20 yards standing still than it is shooting a running deer at 100 yards. But with that being said, I think archery is more of a challenge because you actually have to "hunt" for your trophy. In gun season alot of times it is luck. Deer are running frantic, they dont follow trails and just go anywhere. I have almost gotten to the point where, I just wanna archery hunt and not gun hunt...........I said almost.

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I have never purchased a gun tag in my 51 years of Bowhunting Deer but take my hat off to those that are successful in their sport-no matter what. I "KNOW" 4 very close friends that Gun & Bow hunt Deer. "ALL" of them have at least a couple very respectable BUCKs with their guns. They "ALL" have Bucks with their bows also-JUST NOT AS BIG as the gun ones.
Many things enter into this-what state you hunt in, public or private land & the pressure each receive.
I have several respectable animals with my bow BUT feel, if I had ever gun hunted would have a few more that would possibly be bigger than any I have. Good Luck in what ever weapon you choose.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

Hmmm....

A friend of mine has a few hundered acres of very good hunting land and has been able to shoota respectable buck (usually in the 115-130 inch range) every year with rifle for as long as I can remember.

He started bowhunting five years ago and has NOT been able to connect on his first buck yet going with the same standards that he uses for rifle and he puts in more time bowhunting than he does rifle hunting.

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I've shot bigger bucks with bow then most of rifle ( only )hunters I know and havehunted with. I've shotbigger bucks with rifle then they have also though.

Killing any buck with bow orrifle is easy if you are not picky. You have a 4 month Bow Season and a 2.5 week General Season. Drive hunting is still the main method for the General Season. It is tough to see a big buck during that2.5 week season with all the chaos. Try and find a spot that hasn't been pressured hard by drive hunters is a lost cause. You will see a lot a bucks butrarely the big boys during that 2.5 weeks.

My top 3 bucks find the 1st and 3rd biggest as bow kills.

Tyler's top buck is a bow buck.

We've been bowhunting with the General Deer Season going on now. It sucks !! Deer aren't moving and I am getting tired of being pin down by slob road hunters or illegal hunters who drive off the roads. Off course they wait till 45 minutes right before dark when the deer should be starting to move to drive up on a big hill a half mile from the nearest road. Tomorrow is the last day thank GOD!!!!

Bowhunting is easier by a long shot. The deer aren't pressured from it. Not near the number of slobs although there are a few also who bow hunt.

Tim

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I have also harvested my biggest bucks with my bow. I think it definetly depends on the region. I know out west it is much easier to get shots at mature bucks with a rifle. I haven't gun hunted in Ohio just because I have been lucky enough to tag out before hand. I have a TC Encore collecting dust:(I really think it depends on where your at in regards to ease of harvesting deer. Either way, I don't think it's easy with anything to kill big bucks.

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They both obviously have their challenges. Bow, deer must be much closer. You can't snipe them from 300 yards. But I also agree that the hunting pressure makes it much more difficult.

In my hunting "career" I've killed but 2 antlered bucks. One w/ a rifle, 1 w/ a bow. The one I shot w/ my rifle was even in bow range....

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Try Minnesota out once! I hunt during the gun season with my bow, if i would of been gun hunting i can think of at least 10 to 15differentbucks in the 160" range i could of shot gun hunting the last 20 years, they were all in that 40 to70 yard range, some even closer then that but to far out for the bow. I person would be crazy to say that bow hunting is easier then gun hunting in Minnesota!!! But I guess I can't speak for theother states, all i can speak for is where i live and hunt.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

Area dependent for sure...decoys, bait, feeders, the rut or all of the above.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

Consider yourself lucky. I've been hunting 30 years in NDand haven't seen 15 different bucks in the 160 range scouting, bowhunting or rifle hunting combined !!!10 160 class bucks would be stretching it. We don't have trees either to hunt out of in my area. Whydrive hunting and road hunting are the two " major " ways of hunting deer here during the General Season. [:'(]

I might just have to hop the line and bow huntMinnesota. Sounds likebowhunting the big boys would be a piece of cake with all those big bucksightings. (joking ) ;) :D

Tim

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I suppose when you factor in the "orange army" you throw an element that exists.....but could or couldn't be part of the original "assessment". I'd buy "Killing a deer in gun season is as toughas killing a deer in bow season", but let's be honest......

It is NOT easier to kill a deer with a bow than it is with a rifle.....if all things else are equal.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

LoL. You guys come to South Carolina. In some parts of our state our GUN season runs Aug. 15h--Jan. 1st.

We have a two week archery season in some places. Thats it.

So, the other 4+ months our woods are open to gun hunting. Just think, from Aug. 15th to Jan. 1st our deer are chased with guns, dogs, and bows. Now do you think YOUR deer are pressured? :eek:

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

Very good points BM.You have some good points in a way. Let's see.... gun season opened up here 1 week ago. In that week I've had one spike in bowrange and saw 3 other does [:-] That's it in one week!![:@] First week of bowseason I didnt' count, but like you said almost every time out I'd have deer within bowrange. As far as sightings? Lost count of that too but at least 10 times more than first week of gun.

The combination of the orange army, hunting post rut deer, lack of scent control by other hunters, deer drives (biggest IMO), etc..... sends these deer to the underground tunnels to never be seen until complete security of darkness.

So, strictly based on numbers of deer roaming in daylight hours the odds of harvesting one with the bow start out in your favor. The challenge lies within scent control, becoming a ghost in the woods, setting up to get close enough, entry/exit routes, playing the wind, being able to draw at the right moment, etc... That's where the difficulty in bowhunting is. Anyone can draw back and shoot a broadside deer @ 20 yards (at least I hope), it's getting to that point that is the challenge. So... I would agree thatbased onnumbersalone you have a better chance of killing a deer while there are a lot more deer roaming the woods during the day. I wouldn't label it "easier" though, because there is 10 times more work and thought to put yourself in the position to do so. Did that make sense or did I just contradict myself [8D]?

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

Smooth bore slug barrell that I sight in at 50 yards.........the vast majority 95+% of my gun kills the last 20 years have been in bow range. Many off the ground with open sights. This all under REDICULOUS pressure.

Many of my bow kills have been a piece of cake in comparrison.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

Good points by all.

I've had some easykills with both bow and gun. I've had some hard ones with each as well.

In my experience it's easier to find the deer during bow season when they are relaxed and moving about in an orderly fashion. I may not get a shot at the deer I want during bow season, but if I put in my time, a shot will eventually present itself. Whether I shoot or not doesn't matter. I was presented with an opportunity. I just may not have taken advantage of that opportunity by drawing and releasing an arrow.

Now that I think about it. I can't remember any year over the last 15 or so where I wasn't presented with at least one good opportunity. Usually that number is much higher than one to be honest about it.

Gun season...all bets are off.

As a side bar...Sometimes I think "us" bowhunters tend to make this whole bowhunting thing appear to be harder than it really is. Sure...we have limitations on our range and the potential to get busted at critical moments of the hunt, but other than that it really is pretty straightforward since the deer are not too difficult to find.

All you have to do is look at how many of us here have scored on deer this year, or any year for that matter. There are pictures and stories everywhere. Our success rate is quite good I'd say. So really, how hard is it?

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

OK....Apples to Apples:

When gun season comes in.....MANY of us never put down the bow. We hunt with our weapon of choice all through the entire deer season. So.....Apples to Apples.....I'll give you a 30-06or a bow on closing day and offer you $500 if you can take adeer with one of them.

Which one do you leave the house with?;)

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

That's obvious. It's the gun. However, you'll likey get to keep your $500 as the success rate on the last day of deer season is practically zero. I have way better odds on the last day of archery season here hunting with my bow.;)

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

I think it probably depends on the area you hunt and what is around you. Now if you are hunting a field edge a gun would give you definite advantage due to range. If you are hunting thick cover in the woods, ranges will be close to the same, you may get an extra 10 or 20 yards with the gun, if a shot presents itself.

The thing is just because a weapon offers more range doesn't mean you have to use it. Who says you can't wait until a deer gets close with a gun? I have shot them at 20 yards with a shotgun before. It all boils down to what you want to do.

What I know in my area is during the early season (pre rut) it is much easier to get close to deer and pattern them. Once the rut starts they get a little unpredictable and you have to change your tactics. And during gun season unless you hunt an area with very little pressure it just becomes a crap shoot sometimes.

Another thing I have noticed if the deer are close they are no easier to kill with a gun than a bow. I hate that argument, you see it mostly with crossbow arguments though. For me that fact that you have to draw the bow means nothing. Regardless of what weapon you choose you have to bring it up, aim it and hold until you are ready to shoot. All of which will get you busted if the deer sees you, doesn't matter what weapon you are shooting. I actually think a crossbow is the hardest because they are so cumbersome to use. I have never hunted with one though, just played with them in the back yard. But I handled them enough to know I wouldn't want one in a tree.

If you can't lift your bow, aim and draw in a fluid motion you have too much bow and this is no ones fault but your own. And I can actually hold steady longer with a modern compound than I can a rifle (especially my heavy ass H&R ultra;)).

I will concede though that I am not half the hunter some of you are, I'm just not that passionate about it sometimes. I am a decent marksman and love weapons of all sorts, but my hunting skills could use some work. However as long as I'm not too picky and have a decent spot to hunt I don't have much trouble taking deer every year. I don't seem to have the buck fever problem either. I have anxiety issues anyway, so I am fairly calm when I see deer. I fall apart after I shoot them. The absolute hardest thing about hunting for me is not jumping out of the stand right after I shoot a deer. That wait kills me (not as much the deer though I guess;)).

I don't rifle hunt either, shotgun an muzzle loader only where I live.

I will say that if you hunt an area that offers more range a gun is an advantage. With an inline and a scope if I can see it with the naked eye I can pretty much kill it ( I don't see too far anymore, I'm talking with in a 100 yards or so).

But in the thick cover of the woods I think I would rather have my bow, or at the most a smooth bore shotgun that was easy to handle.

Something else to consider is that here in MI bow season lasts twice as long as gun season.

My opinions and nothing more.

Paul

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

My first post of the morning, I hope it makes more sense to you than it does to me after reading it:D.

Paul

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

I think what GMATT is saying is that it is harder to actually hit a deer with the bow than it is with the rifle Also, a rifle can give you way more range. I say it is about equal or maybe even easier to take a deer with the rifle at 100 yds than it is to take one 10 yds with the bow. There is no room for error with a bow, you flintch just a hair and may never find him. Do it with a rifle and it will still do lots of damage.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

The title of the thread is "Bowhunting is easier".

OK.....ALL seasons open in SC on the same day (gun and bow). If someone offered you $500 to kill a deer on opening day....and gave you your choice of weapon....which weapon would you choose?

Which is "easier" to kill a deer with?

Let's be honest, here. I take nothing away from gun hunting. I'm sure it involves it's own unique set of challenges. But bowhunting = "easier"? Please.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

That's obvious as well. It is far easier to actually perform the act of killing with a gun, but there is more to it than that.

Like I said previously, for me the deer are much easier to find during bow season and I always get presented with shot opportunities. I can't say the same thing for gun season.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

Im with you GMATT, it is going to be a gun for if I get the 500$ offer. Think about it a deer at 25-30 yds with a bow or with a .270 Rem. ?? No brainer!!!

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

Back in good ol' Illinois we have a 3 1/2 months bow season, interspersed with two shotgun/muzzleloader seasons, now a muzzleloader only season and if I remember right a handgun season. The gun seasons don't really amount to much, being only 3-4 days in length, so if you like to hunt you become a bow hunter. The first two gun seasons are strategically placed right at the peak of both rut cycles, because DOW figures this will maximize ablility of hunters to have high yeilding harvests.

Hey, no question that gun hunting as a general skill or type of hunting is easier than bow hunting. As a bow hunter from the get-go, I can tell you it has made me a far superior all around hunter whatever weapon I choose to pick up.

I always felt that opening week of bow season and the first few days leading up to the first rut were the best to bow hunt in Illinois. In the first week deer were still following summering patterns on the fields, since most harvesting hasn't taken place yet. If you patterned a buck group or two in the summer, this is the time to take advantage of that. After the first gun season though, well... I guess you gotta pick up a gun to help mitigate hunting preasure, or you stick it out with your bow in hopes of something happening.

When DOW extended the season until Jan. 15th it gave Illinoisians' a new big buck opportunity, because from the end of Dec. or so until the end of the season it is possible to catch them letting down their guard and hitting the food plots/food sources with the rest of the deer. However, you have to sit in some pretty fierce cold, and that means humid cold!

In Montana we get a 6 week bow season with no interference from rifle hunters. The rut, unfortunately, is included in our 5 week gun season, so if you want to bow hunt during the rut you must find some private property that doesn't get much hunting activity.

I have a buddy who hunts exclusively with a long bow. He has shot a deer a day with it for the last three days. This is the end of our rifle season, today in fact, and is probably the most difficult to hunt because everybody with a tag left is out looking to do the same (with a rifle).

Bow hunting -vs- gun hunting? If you are a bow hunter, and you have been doing it awhile - and are any good at it, you are keenly aware that it is vastly more difficult than gun hunting. Only a bow hunter with years of experience and knowledge would look at bow hunting as easier than gun hunting. Fledgling bow hunters and gun only hunters don't know where you are coming from with all of this die hard "I'm a big bad exclusive bow hunter" stuff, but I can see from this bow hunting forum that they get swept right up in it. If it was easier to kill stuff with a bow than a gun, they would have to give us bow hunters the BC book and let the gunners have PY.

Why can't you guys mellow out and quit peeing on fence posts. As far as I can see, the deer hunting forum is not off limits to weapon type, nor is the big game hunting forum. You see gun kills and bow kills there. I'm sure you see gun and bow kills on the turkey hunting forum as well as varmints, etc. If I killed a couple of prairie dogs with my bow I'd much rather share it with the dudes on "small game and varmint hunting", because they're gonna be like, "wow, you got those with a pointed stick?" I doubt too many folks on the bow hunting forum go varmint shooting with a bow. I'm not saying some don't, I'm just saying I bet there's a short list of dedicated ones. Hey, varmint shooting is just way funner with a .223.

If the occasional gun hunter, who is probably also a bow hunter, decides to share his/her pics on the bow forum (which by the way is the most exciting and popular place to be - obviously!), so be it. I'm good with it. I like it.

It probably wouldn't hurt many of you to post your pics of deer/big game on the appropriate sites for the speciesas well. I've done it, and they are just as happy to see it as you guys even if it has a bow in the kill shot.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

There shouldn't even be a discussion on whats easier, its plain as day! Here in Minnesota therewere 270,543 deer shot combined witharchery, rifle, slug, muzzleloader. The bow hunter's here shot 25,360 deer at asuccess rate was 24%. The rifle and slug people shot 231,676 deer at a success rate of 38%. The muzzleloader people shot 13,507 deer at a success rate of 40%. I am not a gun hunter, I choose to bow hunt because thats what ilike.If some one wants to gun hunt, more power to them, everyone chooses what fits them best. Not everybody is built to be a bow hunter, some don't have near the patience it takes. Alot ofgun huntersadmitto me that they could never bow hunt because they have no patience.Hats off to them for saying that because thats what it is is a challenge. I use to shoot compound. I quit doing that because the challenge wasn't what I wanted. Before I let that arrow go with the compound I knew that deer was dead to rights. Shooting my recurve opened a whole new book. What a challenge that is, wow! Like I said in my other post if I would of been gun hunting during the firearm season here in Minnesota, I would ofhad numerous oppertuntities to shoot 160" class deer the last 20 years. Everytime I would see a buck of this caliber during the gun seasonand it was to far out of bowrange, it would frustrate the hell out ofme but then the dinger would go off in my head and say thats why your bow hunting, its the challenge of getting them close. To each there own but there is no dought what the easier weapon isto hunt withhere in Minnesota!

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This whole thread is going no where, too many variables.

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BuckMagnet... you're over analyzing the hunt. LOL It's easier to kill a buck with a gun anyday.

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If bows were easier for kills then they wouldnt be using guns in wars.......

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Well it is obviously harder to literally kill a deer with a bow.... but i definitely agree that it is more difficult to get a nice buck during a weekend of gun season when compared to bow season.

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Alot of you are entirely missing the point. Yes, the actual shot is more difficult with a bow, to an extent, and that can even be argued due to the relative distance of the deer with the weapon. Whats easier, a 15 yard shot with a bow or a 300 yard shot with a rifle? Either way, that isn't what I am discussing. Take into effect the added pressure ofrifle hunting season and see how things change. We as bow hunters typically get up on our high horses and get and elitist attitude like what we do is the hardest form of hunting and that simply isn't true. For most states, archery hunters are giving such a better opportunity at harvesting a deer that to claim it is the most "difficult" form of hunting is stretching it. We are giving longer seasons at relatively un-pressured deer that are either on summer feeding patterns or loved crazed bucks that only have one thing on their mind so they let their guards down. Rifle hunting in most states is a whole different ball game, sure, you are given a weapon with a longer effective range but that means nothing if you aren't seeing any deer. The deer pick up the increase in hunting pressure very quickly and change what little pattern they are on. They simply will stop moving during daylight hours. They because very warry and will pick up on any little differance in their surroundings where as in archery season they probablly wouldn't have paid any attention to it. How can the overall effort of archery hunting be "harder" when you are given more opportunites at hunting patternable/un-pressured deer as opposed to rifle hunting for mostly noc-turnal/pressured deer?

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If I can use Rage broadheads, I'm taking the bow hands down. I've heard all you have to do is point them the direction of deer and they are as good as dead.:D

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In my area the way the seasons fall(6 weeks of bow before gun season in most counties) I am confidentI can kill almost as many deer as my time in the woodsallows with my bow. I simpy set up bow stands in areas to give me ideal wind and shot ranges, not too hard. I also see a ton more deer during the first month of bow than during the entire gun season. So in that sense I would say bow season has specific advantages that far outweigh (IMO) the fact that I need to get closer to deer and draw my bow. So I think killing deerwith a bow during bow season is as easy as you make it, I don't know about easier but it does have a lot of advantages.

With that said I would agree that bowhunting during gun season is harder than gun huntingduing gun season for obvious reasons, many of which have already been touched on but I would agree the main two gunadvantages are increased range & less movement required to shoot. But I also feel if you have good stands you can eilminate the range issue a lot of times. I shot two deer Tuesday with my rifle one was at 10 yards the other about 20. Now can I sit here and say that I could have definitely killed them with my bow as well? No, not definitely but I would say more than likely and it honestly made me wish that I had my bow that day and is why I chose to bowhunt yesterday morning in the midst of gun season.

I also don't put too much stock into harvest data because just because bowhunters score less I think it can be argued that many that buy licensescouldn't hunt there way out of a lunchbox (some of my friends included).

We have a late bow season that comes in next week on Dec. 2 intwo of the counties I hunt and even though they have been gun hunted pretty hard I really look forward to having the woods to myself again next week especially after a few days of no guns and the deer calm down a little.

RE: Bow Kills Are Easier....
 

Based on what you just said, with PRESSURE being the focus of your opinions, the difficulty of one method over another comes down to the area you're hunting. And not just to say 'Illinois' or 'Pennsylvania', but the specific area, to the 1/2 mile.

One guy can be in a highly pressured bow area and have another hunter bump him a booner on the firearm opener, while maybe 1 mile away another hunter is in a totallyopposite situation,and doesn't even see one deer during firearm season. Who's to say what's easier?

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All things are not equal. Step out side your bow hunting only paradise and youmight see that.;)

Tim

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Ok lets say this then, bowhunting takes more skill. You have to be more quiet,scent free, be invisible. SO you can get a deer in range. However in rifle season, you are wearing blaze orange, with alot more hunters in the woods and seeing a deer over a hundred yards away is basically still a kill. Now I dont go to the rifle forum, but how many topics are in there saying hit one with my 30.06 but cant find it? I know there are alot in here. So with that being said, wouldnt a gun kill be easier?