Strickly Bowhunting
 

How many here are strickly bowhunters...and why?

For me it's the challenge of getting close, used to go deer hunting long ago when I was 12 or so with my dad and uncle...shots at 200yrds were ok, and great for the moment...but I needed something more from hunting...and found it in bowhunting when I was 20...and from then have never stopped...not been gun hunting since...

Kinda the same deal here, happened about 15 years ago. Not to say there haven't been a few occasions where I ended up with a gun in hand by the end of the season (not in recent years). However thats typically due to folks running dogs near by and the season is at it's end. If you really want to kick it up a knotch (if you haven't already?) pick up traditional bow hunting.

While doing our annual week to the mts trip several years a long time friend turned me on to trad gear. Haven't hunted my compound since. Really takes you back to the excitment of those first days years ago... Try it I promise you will feel what I am talking about.

I love bow hunting but to me there is something romantic about hunting with a gun. Opening day of bow season doesn't have the same magic that opening day of rifle season has. I think part of it comes from the difference between bows and guns. To me guns have so much more personality and mystique, where I view bows as more like tools - I value them, but only until the next new cool bow comes out. My deer rifle on the other hand is practically part of my family. Its my father's old rifle and i remember sitting in awe listening to my dad's hunting stories. So now that I'm the one who hunts with it is something special, and I know that if/when my father passes away it will be even more cherished. So even if i got to the point where gun hunting didn't excite me anymore, I would still go purely for nostalgia sake

I grew up with guns, in the 60’s my dad was the best shooter in the world winning the gold medal in the Olympics. I grew up working at our rifle and pistol range, and shot skeet on a professional level. In 1966 we added an archery range, and life hasn’t been the same since.
I’ve never gun hunted except an occasional varmint hunt. I do every other year or so go on a wing hunt with my shotgun, but there is nothing like getting close and personal with a bow. I’m thinking of duck hunting this year with a bow.

I enjoy both, and was raised gun hunting..However, bowhunting has taken over and there is nothing else I'd rather do. I do still gun hunt during shotgun season.

Bow hunting is great, but I figure that when the season's over I'm switching to my rifle like most people.By that time I've given it my best effort for the last 4 or 5 weeks and I'm ready to put the odds more in my favor. Down here in Florida where I hunt your lucky to even see a deer during archery season, let alone get a shot. Once firearm season starts it's bucks only with 5" antlers on private land, and at least one antler with 3 points on public land. I'm still waiting to harvest my first Florida deer so why handicap myself. Maybe I'd feel different if I lived in a place were I could at least put some venison in the freezer every year. In the mean time I drew a permit this year for a wma that I've been trying to get into for years, I'm using my new 336ss in 30-30. :fighting0007:

i also love bow hunting.been doing it 20 years now.but also like black powder and handgun hunting.never shot a slug gun.

I love bowhunting but i tell ya what there is just something about rifle hunting. The rest of my family hunts with guns only so i guess it the only way i can relate to them hunting wise. I guess for me in a way its more relaxing than bowhunting. And i just cant ever see myself not rifle hunting.

I love my bow, but in all honesty I love my guns just as much. To me, gun hunting is something that just comes natural - something that happens without discussion. It is just that engrained into my family's traditions. It is a chance for my father and me to get out and do something together ( besides keep the house from falling apart :throw:)


He did pick up bowhunting again after a long hiatus, but gun season is really the only part of the year where we get a chance to spend a lot of time together. And as my father gets older, every year is just that more special.

With the exception of turkeys and it's either or with them, I am strictly bow. I haven't fired a rifle since the 90's. I have NO desire to ever kill another big game animal with anything other than my bow and arrow.

I'm a hunter, I love it all!

+1

Both have their spot in my season and I love the challenge each brings!

Always been a Bowhunter only.

Dan

Bow only even during the gun seasons. I would however take up a ML if I had a place to hunt with it.

In Illinois, I'm strictly bow hunting. No real reason I guess, I just really enjoy the bowhunting here and permission to bowhunt is a hell of a lot easier to get with a bow than a gun.
With that said, nothing can replace the excitement of gun season back home (U.P.) The comaraderie can't be matched during bow season. I was brought up gun hunting, looking forward to that opening day with my brother and dad. I wouldn't trade that feeling for all the bows in the world.

The bow is put away at the end of the bow-only season. It's hard to kill a deer being ran by hounds with a bow....

i would not rule out gun hunting i just simply do not find myself with time nor the place to use them. my hunting passion is bowhunting if given the choice to use one or the other it is always going to be the bow. i am slowly selling all my guns to buy more archery gear.

its started the morning i killed my buck within 30 min of being in the stand opening morning of rifle season. it just wasnt that much of a chllenge anymore. havent touched my gun since.

Bowhunter
 

2009 is the start of my 53rd year of Bowhunting. My 2nd year of Bowhunting I bagged my 1st Deer (1958). Since then, I just never considered hunting any Biggame with a Gun.
I have been blessed with a great Bowhunting Journy & many, many Bowhunts. Some Bowhunts I've made are ones many may just dream of.
Black Bears, Whitetails, Elk, Caribou, Mule Deer, Sheep, Buffalo, wild Hogs, Sheep & more.
I managed 38 Biggame Animals (Barebow-no sights & fingers) with recurve Bows B/4 the Compound Change. My Compounds have accounted for many more. Best Bowhunts have been those shared with Family & friendskill or not.
Good Luck in your journey...

I used to hunt with my shotgun only for a long time, but then I started archery hunting, and gave up the gun. It just didnt seem like a challange any more. But last yeaar, I decided to give a Muzzle Loader a try, and now I am hooked on htat too. But I will never give up the bow.

Bowhunting is my passion and what I love to do most. It started when I was six years old and my dad took me out too grandpa's land. I sat between his feet on a 10 foot ladder stand. Before we left my father made me practice acting like a branch. I would sit there with my arms up and not move for minutes. I laugh about it now because its funny what a kid will do. He shot a doe that night and after that I was hooked. I wanted to go with him every chance I could. I was addicted to the outdoors. If he went trapping, cutting wood, trout fishing, I would try to be by his side as much as I could. For that "I thank you dad"!!!

Never gun hunted a day in my life, besides shooting squirrels with an air gun as a child. After bow hunting for so long, gun hunting would seem too easy to me and not provide me with a sense of accomplishment.

I hunt the same way with my Longbow as I do with my shotgun. Just because I have a rifle in my hands doesn't mean I have to shoot a deer at 300 yards. Hell, the closest deer I have ever killed was at about 8 feet with my shotgun. I watched this deer come in for 45 minutes, it was awesome and a big sense of accomplishment in my book! I love hunting!

I used to watch a uncle of mine that had to be the one to take that long shot or the hunt was no good to him...everything had to revolve around him...when I was a kid deer hunting with a gun it was just like a camping trip...in the years he didn't go it was alot better...just a day or so into the hunt he would attempt 200/250 yrd shots sometimes 350yrds...(very inpatient) some were hits and some were misses...even with a rifle when I was a kid I still like to get within 50/100 yrds...that is why I was so attracted to bow hunting by the time I was 20, just due to the fact I have to get in close ..and with Muleys that can be a trick in itself bowhunting.

I used to use guns to hunt deer, Now I am a Bow hunter on the deer.
The reason why is a combination of things. 1 was that I could just go sit an watch a field an pick what ever deer I wanted, then I could always get that exact deer with my 6.5 Swedish mouser. It just takes some of the sport out of it and eventually when deer season rolled around and people were getting excited I was like *yawn what ever im sleepin in*
And then there was the ear damage. I allways thought that ear plugs stoped every thing so I didn't use them in hunting then I found out that damage was permanent. So I stopped gun hunting entirely.
Now I found out about some Cheap foam ear plugs the Mil. had invented. These things are amazing, you can carry on a casual conversation *with out yelling* *with them in* *right next to some noisy farm equipment* and can STILL HEAR WHATS GOING ON!!! They are freakin great.
That is why I started bow hunting deer. I am still not gud enough with the bow to keel them gobble heads *what my pro shop owner calls them, he has nicnames for every thing* so I shoot the guns at every thing else but I am workin on getting gud enough with the bow to keel other things than deer. :rock:

I'm a bowhunter only. I just really enjoy and there are tons less dumbass's out there bowhunting. Anybody can shot a gun, but not everybody has the patience to bowhunt.

Bowhunting
 

Though I have never Biggame hunted with a gun I admire those who are successful in this sport-it's just another part of our heritage.