Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

In most states, archery season is followed by a gun season holocaust. It can be argued that there's a bit of a "conflict of interest" between a tagged-out bowhunter, and the guys hunting in his areas in the gun season only weeks later.

Obviously, to a bowhunter,the less "success" enjoyed during gun season directly translates into more deer surviving to reproduce, and more racks making it into the following year.

This conflict of interest is obviously one of the biggest driving forces behind the wedge between "bowhunters" and "gun hunters."

So, bowhunters: Do you root against the guys in gun season?

I normally don't root against the gunners, but this year - PA experienced horrible weather throughout gun season - and I find myself being pretty excited for what 2008 might hold. Especially with all the holdover bucks that survived the onslaught of rifle season.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

For the love of GOD I give up.

I support hunters period[:@]

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

A rather silly post...WE are all HUNTERS...nuff said

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

WE "all" might be hunters, but some arepretty piss poor specimen's as far as being ethical sportsman go.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

Concur

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I stopped yesterday to drop off a xmasgift basketat my favorite farmer's house. As usual, I asked if the gunners did any damage. He said "Nope. A couple does, and that's it. You were the only one who got a buck out here all year, as far as I know. Hardly any hunting pressure at all this year during gun season. Lots of people here on opening day, but they were gone by noon. Must have been the bad weather."

I was smiling like a butcher's dog on the way home, and the pitter patter of rain on my windshield never sounded so good. :D

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I hope that they enjoy a sucessful season. I have always hunted all of the seasons archery, shotgun, and muzzleloader. I enjoy archery the most and I am going to forgo muzzleloader this year in favor of hunting the late archery season in Connecticut. I feel that the hunting community really needs to stick together, regardless of the weapon the hunter chooses. Every year I see the population of the hunting community get smaller and the smaller it gets the more rights hunters loose.

Bob

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I for one don't want any of the gunners in my area to be shooting all the little bucks i've been letting go. I've alsogot some good buddies of mine that slug hunt thati root for every year and congratulate them on there success!

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

Same here, it's like a kick in the pants when they do!

But it's legal, so I can't do anything about it, besides inform them, which I do.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

As long as they shoot and take dumps on their own property.....I don't care what they do.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

Honestly ??

I root against everyone who hunts in my woods be it bow,gun, knife! Why would I wish them success?

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

Exactly, if I had to hunt public land or hard pressured land I might be singing a different tune. ButI have gotten lucky and don't have to put up with gun hunters. Everyone bow hunts on our place.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I once took a real long leak, true story, on a "gunners" stand here in Illinois on a lease I once hunted on..

But that was for different reasons.. and I was a much younger man..

I normally got no beef with them.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

AMEN BROTHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I wish they wouldnt Shoot out their windows and do all sorts of illegal things when their out there and some of the other run of the mill Stupid crap youve seen happen... Ohh and they tend to Shoot each other too... I wish they would make the test a LOT harder... so that way not ever tom rick and harry can get their liscense.

Ryan.

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

Glad to know you are sooooo suportive when it comes to others hunting provelages. [:@]:eek:
We usually call those people poachers and not hunters. Regardless of what hunting tool they have in their hand or what season it may be they will still be piss poor sportsmen. Believe me whenI tell you thatslob hunters arepretty equally divided between "bow hunters" and "gun hunters".

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I hope that whoever hunts hard and deserves game gets one I don't give a shi-t if they hunt with rifle bow knife gun.... If they sit in a truck till they find a deer off the road I hope they never get one

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

Bad time for me to answer that question.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

im like you quik....i have nothing against gun hunters...heck, i went home 5 days this season to push for my buddies and even took my buddies 16yo daughter into my "honey hole" to try and get her a crack at a buck..(yes im 20 and have a buddy that has daughers OLDER than i...16 is his youngest lol..wierd but hes a great friend)

but, like you, monday morning brought a smile to my face...i just knew it was going to be a miserable day...cold, rain and fog...man was it uggggggly. i didnt wish for it...but, nature gave it to us...i actually went home and did some pushing for the crew from noon till dark and got soaked that day...it takes dedication and will to hunt in that kinda weather...something i know too many PA "hunters" just dont have..

i too am already thinking about fall of 2008...i know alot of deer still died...but not nearly the same no matter what the pgc "estimates" say...i know mondays pressure was also enough to send most any buck with a brain hiding into the nasty stuff pretty quick...and enough guys kept the pressure on to keep the bucks holed up pretty good all season...

should be good..heck, the group only took one buck that was over 2.5...a spindly 19" wide 7pt..heck it coulde been a big 2.5yo..it was THIN and 1 side REAL weak..got atleast 2 10pts that should be 2.5 or 3.5 now that we didnt hear of anyone killing..and we had a crop of 2.5yo 8s running around and didnt hear of anyone killing any of them...plus all the 1.5yos that made it...now its just about finding them before now and next fall...

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

x10

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

Germ(nothing personal buddy - just in the order of debate): I just don't get it... In this thread, you're tellingus thatwe're out of line for suggesting thatwe hope the gunners inour area eat tag soup... But, in another thread, you'refired upbecause somebody on a boat floats through your little private hunting paradise and tries to pick off a couple deer out of your little sanctuary.

So if I'm smellin' what the Germ is cookin' - you expect everybody else to welcome gun hunters with open arms, but when they are invading your turf, you're calling the Warden and conducting CSI video investigations.

Not being critical orargumentative - just seeing a little bit of a double standard. :eek: You know... "I hope you guys all get something... But I just hope you don't get it anywhere near where I'm hunting."

In fairness: I don't exactly live in a glass house either. I'd put any of my buddies in any ofmy best stands on any day that they wanted (gun or bow)... And if the situation was right - I'd even walk the bedding areas to bump up some deer and put abuck in their lap. That's how I roll.BUT, if I saw some random guy in there, I'dinconspicuously and systemmaticallymove every deer in the place back to its bed and anchor down the whole herd. LOL

There is a level of greed to this whole hunting thing. At least around here... The competition is pretty tough, so there is some gamesmanship and self-preservation involved. It's all part of the game. There's no shortage of other people trying to eat your lunch.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

What they were doing is illegal in MI.

You can float the river, but you can not float hunt the river on private property. They were squirrel hunting;) When you come within 30 yds of .22 shells sailing through the air, you may get a little fired up.

There is a difference between Legal hunting and poaching. If they would have flung an arrow across my land I would have called. Does not matter to me.

So I was fired up because what they were doing was illegal;)

Direct from MI hunting guide

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

Greed and hypocrosy! I remember years ago, asking a landowner for permission to hunt. He turned me down and said that he found his prize angus bull dead one morning with an arrow stuck in his side. Bowhunters have their slobs too! We are all in this hunting thing together. Attitudes that I've seen on this site does not make me feel to positive about the future of hunting.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

My bad Germ. I thought they were deer hunting. Well... Either way,if you were REALLY rooting for them to get a deer this fall... You could've just invited them back to your stand sitefor gun season, maybe told them what a great area it is for trophy deer and all... :eek:


Funny. Lots of you guys come down on me for being "greedy," but I'd bet a lot of the same folks giving me a hard time - will take their best stand sites to the grave. LOL Maybe I'm just more up-front about it than the next guy.

I read the newspaper everyday, and I've still never found an ad that says:"WHITE HOT DEER STAND SITE LOCATED! NEED HUNTER TO HELP SHOOT BIG BUCKS THIS WEEKEND. CALL 555-5555 and ask for Billy Bob. Private, Posted Property. FREE!!"

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I wouldn't say I root against the gunners.

But I have thought to myself "I hope that buck makes it through gun season".

I get really happy and excited when I see bucks after gun season that have survived. We don't have many bucks around here, so it's always a great feeling to know that a few survived the gun season.

I don't root against the gun hunters, I just root FOR the deer :D.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I am rooting for the 3 gun hunters already hunting are property. Yes I have help them score in the past. Uncle ED shot his buck out of one of my stands. I gave him a ride in my boat. I have also help on deer drives for them.

I felt like you doin the pastQuick, but something happen to me in my 30's. I realized how I enjoy hunting is how I look at it. I go out to just have fun, and not worry about what others are doing, it is way more enjoyable. Sitting around during gun season getting all work up about what a gun hunter may or may not be doing is pointless IMO. I just hunt and control the things I can control. The fact we can control who hunts are land is a big plus;)

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

You can't just label bowhunters or gunhunters. We are all hunters. It's the different type of hunters that are out there. If a hunter was ethical, legal, curtious, etc... I could care less if he kills a deer with a gun,bow,ML, spear or knife. I'm happy for a fellow hunter that kills a deer. The fine line is who is a "fellow hunter".

I don't consider slob hunters or poachers fellow hunters. In answer to your poll I hope they never kill or even see a deer in their entire lifetime. I have zero tolerance for people that go to the woods practicing everything that I am against. That includes things such as trespassing, unethical shots, illegal shots, not tagging, lack of effort in recovery etc....... The people out there that are doing what constitutes IMO being a "hunter", I am happy for them with whatever they kill with whatever weapon they kill it with.

It just so happens that the "gunhunters" or gunseason seems to expose the type of hunter I don't consider a fellow hunter more than bowseason does. Maybe it's the increase in numbers of people in the woods. Maybe there is a less percentage of slob bowhunter than there is gunhunters. Not saying that there arent' bad apples in the bowhunting world either, cause we all know there are. It just seems more prevelant during gun season. However you can't stereotype them as gunhunters. You have to look at the individual as to what type of hunter he is.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

Do I support all hunters? Yes. Do I oppose poachers? Yes. Do I favor my friends and hunting partners? Yes.

That is mostly because I know that my friends and hunting partners are hunters and not poachers. Here in PA what is considered hunting by some is most definitely poaching to others, so it's really hard to be supportive of the other guys if you try to hunt ethically because shady activity is so prevelant. It really is a different world here and I can understand why PA "hunters" have a bad reputation throughout the country.

The bottom line is we can't root too hard against the other hunters because if the average joe who isn't a die hard like most of us goes too many seasons without bagging a deer he'll quit. Too many average joes quit the game commissions won't have money to support us. No money and the politicians will turn a blind eye. Then hunting of all kinds will be illegal, and I WILL be a poacher at that point, because I ain't gonna quit hunting. So, yeah I want the other guys to get their deer. Even if it is a short term loss, it turns out to be a long term gain.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I see Quik's point......and the only thing I'd say is......As long as they are hunting on land they have permission to be on.....and are observing the game laws.....

Yep....I hope they're all successful.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

So I'm presuming that you selected option #2 then? You really don't want "everyone" being successful in "your" woods, just those who you hand-pick?

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

Frequently having my window panes rattled, a car with a bullet hole in it, and a wounded horse...I hope they all trip n' fall in mud-and never make it into the woods with the frickin things until they make IQ tests mandatory to get a hunting license.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

Well it would only make sence for one to root for the bucks not the hunters. The land i hunt it 120 acres privatebordered by about 500 acres public, since i do let bucks go during bow it would seem that my intention is for them to live to next year when they are bigger, so i can shoot them then. The whole idea is for these smaller bucks to live for next year which in turn, means i dont want anyone to shoot them with anything, gun, bow, spear i dont care i just want them to live. Once shotgun opens up its just me praying for those little guys to make it so that they can make a name for themselves next year, or the year after. Well that about sums it up!


Disclaimer: I have NOTHING against gun hunters, heck i hunt with gun myself sometime, if i see a big rack hanging out of the back of a pickup i will no doubt go up and congratulate him, just dont shoot my babies!!![:-]

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

No I want all hunters to do well. What does it matter where they hunt? In college I was for my buddies scoring, just not with my girl;)

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

In Illinois, the first gun season (3-4 days) is preceeded by six weeks of archery season.Then, after the first gun season there aretwo weeks of archery hunting, then 3-4 days of gun season, then another month or so or archery. So, there are lots of opportunities to hunt deer either or both ways. Lots of guys hunt both ways. Because of the number oftags allocated for bowhunting for residents, my father takes a lot more deer with his bow than gun every year. I have found as many (or more) dead deer in the woods after hunting season with arrows in them as gunshot wounds.

Here's your sign......

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I root for hunters everywhere that practice quality management. I don't root for the gunners that misrepresent our sport by trespassing and using illegal means to harvest their kills. (happened to me this year)

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I'll be out there with the orange army:D. I prefer bowhunting, however. Nothing makes deer disappear faster than that first gunshot. In Ohio, many deer have already gone nocturnal due to the pressure and intrusion of rabbit/pheasant hunters. The DNR plants pheasants on certain public lands and you could just imagine the mayhem. I guess we just need to be big boys and girls and share the outdoors with other types of hunters, despite the headaches it causes.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

When I first read this my post, my initial reaction was "oh great, another archery elitist thread". However, I do agree with what I believe was Quick's intention, somewhat. I'm a gun hunter myself, as well as archery. I started out with firearms and grew up with the two week PA season being a family holiday as much as Thanksgiving and Christmas. I will always consider myself a gun hunter, because of the enjoyment I find in spending the two weeks with my dad, the members of my cabin, and simply being in the woods at that time of year. It's a pastime that's engraved into my being...it's simply a part of life for me, and the hunt iitself is such a small (if insignificant) part of it. I do enjoy bowhunting much more for various reasons (which I won't dwelve into as they've been discussed on here many times), however, like many of the posters on here I support all ETHICAL and MORAL hunters. I find myself often stereotyping many of the PA gun hunters (hey I'm one as well:eek:) as "weekend warrirors", a bit "sloppy", and even "reckless." Is this a fair stereotype? Of course not, and I don't truly feel that way about the MAJORITY of gun hunters. However, their are the "slobs" and unethical sorts in ALL aspects of hunting, not just gun hunting. Those are the people for whom I root against. This idea that many people seem to hint at (although many don't openly express it) that bowhunters are the upmost ethical and moral elite of all hunting "classes" is foolish. Do I believe more bowhunters as a whole are more serious about the sport than the same given number of gun hunters? Sure. More ethical...ehhh...that's a fine line. I know of MANY bowhunters in my area that have made very unethical shots, stuck deer often, hit deer and lost them, etc.

I agree with many of the people here that we as hunters are the "group" not different groups according to our choice of weapon. If anything we should have two groups "ethical" and "unethical", because EVERY "group" of hunters be it gun, bow, muzzleloader, etc, have their fair share of each.

Now as far as quick is concerned, I found myself initially wanting to "attack" your comments when I realized I often find myself thinking along those lines, but under certain circumstances. During gun season, my neighbors pack the woods (all private land) and just murder does left and right (one season they took 9 in one day off a ~100 acre tract). They also have shot numerous deer that then run onto our property only for us to find them days later because they never bothered to track them. These our the "sloppy" hunters, and I do find myself rooting for them not to get any deer. I even go as far as to "count" shots from their property during the season to make guestimates on how many deer they may have downed.

Just my opinion on the subject.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I used to get all worried and fired up about who shot what in gun season. A lot of that was because people broke laws and/or were slobs. They shot illegal bucks, and if the deer didn't drop in sight they didn't bother to follow up on it.

But now a days, those things may or may not still happen, I just prefer not to know about it. I'll just go out the next season and work hard to find what did survive from the past season.

If you are a decent person and follow the rules, I hope you have a great time and get what you are after. If you are a scumbag and even if technically you don't break laws, but you act in a manner that gives good(properly behaving)hunters a bad name, I hope your gun jams and your shells misfire.

Now, to say that I'm not a little excited that few bucks were taken in my area this season, I would be lying.

RE: Bowhunters - do you root against the gunners?
 

I do not care, just wish that the guns were not any louder than a bow when you shoot.