tealboy

10 members on my lease with four who bow hunt. One member pretty hard and the other three, light to moderate. However, the other members say they want to take a vote on whether to prohibit bow hunting or allow it. They don' t want it b/c they say:

The probability of wounding deer vs. cleanly killing is too high.

They don' t want us in the woods pressuring the deer and stinking up the area prior to the opening of muzzleloader, which is when they start hunting. Funny part about this is, the Sat before opening ML, they all run around with atv' s and trailers with their deer stands, looking for rubs and then popping a stand up. They don' t walk around looking for sign, they ride until they find it.

HuntingNut13

They just want first crack at the deer without having to bowhunt.

Who

If you paid your money to hunt I dont see that they can say you cant.
Rick

HuntingNut13

Who has a good point. Boy that sounds funny saying. Anyway, like he said you paid to hunt. If they would not let me bow hunt, then I would say oh well you can' t hunt with a muzzle loader. If they didn' t like that I would say give me my money back.

PABowhntr

I would think that it depends on how your lease/hunting club " by laws" are set up. If you do not have anything on paper regarding having a majority vote or a unanimous vote then I think you are in a difficult situation. It is a " lease" and you paid to hunt it so the other folks on the lease really cannot tell you what to do provided your actions are within the game laws for your state. I would try to reach some compromise if they are not too unreasonable.

davidmil

Well, you' re going to have to put on your best Colin Powell smile and become a diplomat. You don' t want to be threatening to leave unless you mean it. Sounds like the 3 that bowhunt some aren' t really going to go along with that. They probably have other places to hunt anyway. I agree, they aren' t worried about deer wounding as much as they' re worried about not getting the first crack. Just a little greed going on. The first day of muzzleloader season puts more deer into hiding than a month of bowhunting will. The weekend before of 4 wheelers all over the place puts more deer into hiding than a month of bow hunting will. The old smart bucks don' t take much to put them in a hole somewhere. They won' t be out until the rut. The club/lease should really allow any hunting that is LEGAL by state laws. I' ve seen clubs set their own bag limit restrictions which seems fine, but to keep you from hunting all together is absurd. First try to diplomatically kill such a vote to begin with. Do your home work. Call members at home. Find out who the real pain in the butt people are. Then get to all the others you can. Explain your love of bow hunting and that their fears are unfounded. Bowhunters tend to create less stink and fuss in a season than gun hunters will in a week. We HAVE to do it that way. It' s a close up sport. We can' t make mistakes or we fail. You' re not going to kill all their deer. You' re looking to shoot a deer... maybe 2 if it' s legal. Do they allow turkey hunting? What about the guy who doesn' t have a muzzleloader. The guy who just gun hunts could make the same arguement about muzzleloaders. They don' t kill as well and they' re in the woods messing up his future hunts. It' s just plain stupid. OK, I' ve lost my diplomatic face. What jerks. Screw ' em... your arguement is " IT' S LEGAL BY STATE LAW" . Unless they can come up with some more valid reason than their own greed you' re BOWHUNTING. It' s legal, you love it, END OF ARGUEMENT. You' re not an army marching on bambis world. You' re an army of ONE slinkin' and hindin' .[:@][:@] Damn I feel better.

Probably somewhere in between those extremes is a diplomatic solution. ME, I' m a bowhunter. I bowhunt during muzzleloader season. I' d be looking for some new friends who understood me.[:@]

Dusty Britches

That dog won' t hunt.

It seems to me that I remember a study about recovery rates of bow hunters and firearms hunters. Bow hunters recovery rate was much higher than that of rifle or shotgun hunters. I guess we are more careful about shot placement and more diligent in tracking. I think the study was in Pennsylvania.

I wouldn' t buy their BS unless they come up with some good, verifiable facts.

Hyawatha

Ya, this sounds like they are mad because the bowhunters have first shot at Mui Grande.

Hunting is hunting. I don' t care if you jump out of the tree onto the deers back with a pocket knife, it' s hunting.

BuckAlley

I' m in a hunting lease myself. It started with 6 members. 3 Friends, and co-workers left after the 2nd yr. when we decided wanted to build a camp on it. Didn' t want to put in any more $. But one said keep me in mind later on down the road, maybe I' ll rejoin! YEAH RIGHT, like after the camp is built. 3 of us remaining are brothers, and we have added my Dad this yr. So found it best just being family. Were all bowhunters. But if I was in your situation I' d get together with the other 3 bowhunters, see how they feel. Get some actual stats together then call a meeting. Tell them how you 4 feel, and show them even though archery is more risk wounded animals can recover easier from blade cuts over bullet damage. Has anyone of the gun members ever wounded a deer? How many have you bowhunters wounded that' d be a concern to them. Do you guys use ATV' s for scouting, and placing stands? How hard is it for them to add members if you 4 dropped out, and wanted a refund!! Be firm, but fair at the same time.

BOWFANATIC

Just another example of the selfish hooray for me and f*** everyone else wannabe hunter![:@]