Considering the fact that this was posted on a bowhunting forum I, sort of, had a feeling that most folks were going to vote for " a" .....

1. Yes and still do.

2. A toss up actually..and for one simple reason. If all else was equal then I would definitely say that bowhunting is more difficult/challenging. However, the land that I hunt receives massive, and I do mean massive, amounts of hunting pressure during rifle season. The deer are so skiddish that if a hunter walks into the woods 400 yards away then the deer know it and high-tail it into the next county. Bow season is much more of a natural atmosphere....at least until the overlap with the early muzzleloader/early youth-senior rifle hunt/small game season.

You try finding a deer not to mention shooting one in a rifle hunting environment like that...

Yes
A

pabowhunter makes a great point!

Ive done both for a long time and I must say that B is definatley more challenging than A. No doubt about it. Just how hard is it to sling an aluminum stick at an unsuspecting animal? With B you have to think more, strategize, and be more proficient with a weapon[:-]-................................................[]....Ok, ya' ll can calm down now. Actually I trully believe A) Bowhunting is alot more challenging than making a drive with guns.

Neither is outrageously tough. Driving deer is a highly effective way to take them if you' re a good wing shot, have good drivers, know the area well and have it set up well. It can also be strenous, frustrating, unproductive and damned dangerous if it' s not set up well.

Bowhunting, on the other hand, can be highly effective in thick brush where drives don' t work well and also in urban areas with very high concentrations of deer but off limits to firearms. It' s also extremely effective during the rut when gun season isn' t in for many hunters. Oh yeah... it can also be damned dangerous if it' s not set up well.

With bowhunting, the trick is getting the deer inside an easy point-blank range. With gun season the range is vastly extended but the season vastly shortened (for most), and the hunting pressure - and danger of getting shot by some weekend warrior nitwit who saw a bush move as you brushed it aside - are tremendously increased which evens things out considerably.

What' s a gun???????????[>:]

Maybe we should have been a little more specific about what kind of gun we are using.

I live and hunt in NY........Rifles are not legal where I live. My Rem 870 is what I get to use come late Nov.

I also hunt in pretty thick areas where if you are on the ground....you can' t see more then 30-40 yards at best. All drives do in these woods is get the deer up and moving........which is very effective don' t get me wrong. We just get way more opportunities if you know where to be when the deer want to get outta dodge. We like having people walking around but first of all we don' t like drives because they can be very dangerous if someone isn' t thinking........also unless you are in the PERFECT spot you really will have no shot worth taking.

We have much better success hanging out by escape routes where the deer you see are moving..........but definately not running.


I still think on average most would agree that A is harder.................bagging a deer in thick cover with a 12 pump is not exactly simple either though.

BTW

It took me 6 years to take my first deer with a gun......and 8 for a buck.


I took a buck first year out with a bow........I am 1 for 1


I guess bow is easier


I am a firm believer that stand hunting is much easier then ground hunting where I come from. 2 out of the 3 deer I took last year I would not have even seen if I had been on the ground............Nothing beats seeing them before they see you.

My Summit Goliath RULES!!!!!!

I would disagree with most of you, about bowhunting being harder. My statistics show that I killed more deer with the bow than with the rifle. Bowseason time the deer are more predictable. Do your scouting during the off seasons and sure enough bam a 20 yd shot or less at your buck or doe. The shot may be harder to make with the bow. But at 20 yds I have a better chance of succsess than a 100yd buck running through the thickets or an open field during rifle season. If you play your cards right bow hunting can work out very smoooooth. Time pays off, and so does offseason scouting. Definetly easier bowhunting for me. Probably because I spend alot more time doing it than rifle hunting.

1. I do both

2. both are not hard to kill a deer. Depending on your area such as terrain, how the deer use it, limits you place on yourself, ethics, length of hunting season, how pressured the deer are, what you put it to the hunt and what you expect to get out of a hunt all depends on the hunter and where he lives. Which is more challenging?? Safe to say for me it is both as I enjoy both and also like other methods of hunting as each require a different approach to get the most out of it.

Tim