I don't think there is any way to compare the two...bowhunting or rifle hunting. We don't allow rifle hunting in Iowa, but we do have to deal with "party hunting" during shotgun season where 25 guys surround a patch of timber and it sounds like WWIII...more like killing, than hunting.Every year we have monster bucks killed this way(some buy people who know zero about deer hunting) and there is no way I can admire the hunting skills of someone who does this when I know how much time and work I put in to take a buck of the same caliber. However,I do know how important our gun season is to keep the deer herd in check.

I guess I would have to say...bow,rifle,shotgun,etc...a person has the right to hunt the way they want to as long is it is 'in season' and legal.Posting this topic on this board...as a diehard bowhunter,I can't see getting many positive responses to rifle hunting...might be a different story on another board. Sorry to get off the subject a bit.

TB

Wow!!! I am beginning to like wolfen on Prozac.

I hunt bow, shotgun, and rifle. Is a rifle fair? You bet, I love to bow hunt because the deer are so laid back and you see tons of them, once gun season rolls in it seems like the same woods that were full of deer during bow have no deer. Hunting with a rifle is easier than bow, but it is far from being unfair, deer totally change their patterns during gun, the big bucks and older does rarely move once the sun is up and they use different trails. It is a lot easier to pattern deer for bow because the deer do not change their patterns during bow, gun is different, they have no pattern per say that compares to pre gun.

The Tazman

A scoped rifle is the most effective meat maker we got. I've never hunted with one, but wouldn't hesitate if survival counted on whether or not we had meat to eat.

[Deleted by Admins]

I Hunt 1 Bow
2 Black powder
3 Rifle
I don't think that any form is cheating. Each one offers different challenges and I enjoy them all. I enjoy hunting and will be out there with whatever is legal at the time.

Everyone should be allowed to hunt(except
poachers). Everyone has different skill
levels. Would you deprive someone who cant
sneak to within 25 yds of a deer the right
to partake of the bounty of the land? No
rifle hunting is not cheating at all. I
certainly would not want to go after a
brown bear, a lion, or cape buffalo without
one. I know they have all been taken with a
bow but more power to the guys that can do
that. I love to bowhunt but I have no qualms
whatsoever about picking up my .338, .270
or .54 MLS.

Rifle hunting is less challenging than bowhunting.

Rifle hunters who exclusively rifle hunt generally know much less about deer and deer behavior than bowhunters who exclusively bowhunt.

It is more difficult to harvest a BC buck with a bow than with a rifle.

Bowhunting generally requires a greater investment of time and energy to obtain success.

Rifle hunting is much more dangerous and many more hunters are injured or killed every year in comparison to bowhunting.

The majority of deer poached each year is done with rifles.

Rifle hunters are capable of harvesting deer ranging 10 times farther than bowhunters.

On the flip side...

Due to the effectiveness of the weapon, not necessarily the hunter, the majority of deer harvested is done with a rifle which keeps the population in check.

Rifle hunters contribute a large proportion of money to the various conservation and wildlife departments via license and tag purchases.

Rifle hunters are backed by a very strong political lobbying organization in the NRA which does help all outdoor enthusiasts.

But for me, it's bow only for deer and it always has been. I'll never understand the pleasure rifle hunters have about plunking a deer from 100-300 yards away or even 50 yards for that matter. But then I guess anti's must think it barbaric for me to shoot an arrow through the lungs of a deer so it suffocates to death and is drowned in it's own blood. I have high standards for hunting deer and it comes down to a difference of mindset. Rifle hunters are necessary in maintaining a healthy population of deer. I, personally, would like to see all states go to shotgun only for whitetail deer.

I beg to differ with you on this one Wolfen68!! I will not relinquish lightly to not being considered on the top of the list as Presidential candidate of the &quot;prestigous&quot;, &quot;&quot;***** against guns club&quot;&quot;!!! <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> But since I see that Frank has &quot;served&quot; warning I suggest that we keep opinions between us. Lets compromise,.....You can take west of the Mississippi and I'll take east of the Mississippi!! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Actually, I agree with Arthur P that if we relied on bow's,....it would be a true mess!! I PERSONALLY lost the challenge of gun hunting years ago and just plain enjoy the bow hunting. I always say &quot;that I'd rather take a doe with my bow,..than a trophy with a gun&quot;. I may change that to &quot;I'd rather take nothing with my bow than a trophy with a gun&quot;!.

I would like to see them make shotgun season legal with a single shot only! I'm sick of hearing Boom,......Boom, Boom, Boom Boom,.... 9+ outa 10 times I hear a shotgun hunter take a shot. After that second shot I have to really question how &quot;aware&quot; that hunter is with respect to the next 4 shots, and where the lead is going!!! And usually the first shot connects!

Edited by - PABowhntr on 01/30/2002 11:51:06

wolfen great post, I will only take issue with one statement, &quot;Rifle hunting is much more dangerous and many more hunters are injured or killed every year in
comparison to bowhunting.&quot;

In Va. there was a total of 5 hunting deaths this year, only one was due to a gun, another to a heary attack, the rest were people falling out of tree stands. I still can not get over the fact that people are either to lazy or to stupid to use a safety harness. I will concur that in a weapon accident a gun accident is far more likely to result in death than a bow accident.

The Tazman

I hunt and enjoy both. And for all the people who say it's too easy. Climb down out of your tree stand and come on a desert hunt. Not as easy as it seems when you are hunting low populated areas and end up hiking 10+ miles a day lugging a backpack and a rifle. I am not complaining. To have pretty much the whole desert to myself without many hunters in sight, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Just saying, don't say it's easy.