Five years ago I shoot my last whitetail Deer (With a Rifle). After the hunt my wife asked me if I had a good time, I thought about it and the answer was no. I woke up, went to the stand and a shooter came within 200 yards.... Dead Deer. I actually felt like it was not fair to the animal. What chance did the Deer have over the technology of a Remington 7MM and how much skill did it take for me to pull the trigger. I had not Hunted it, I just Killed it.

So for the past 4 years I've been taking Deer with a compound bow with all the latest gadgets on it. This has brought the satisfaction back into my hunts but it still seems something is missing. It is still just too mechanical for me. I draw the bow, let the 60% letoff kickin, put the kisser button on lip, center the proper distance fiber lighted sight pin in peep, back tension on the no-punch release and Dead Deer... Much more skill involved but the technical aids still take away from it.

Next season I'm going to hunt with a Traditional bow. I have a good feeling that this will be the answer to a primal need to be truly Hunting and not just Killing.

Anyone one else have this need or has Deer Hunting just deep fried my brains?


Be Good,

TxBowman

Yes and YES[8D]

You'll even find that hunting small game with a traditional bow is challenging and a good bit of fun as well. Honestly, when I see a rabbit, my deer hunting is DONE for the day. I'm on the bunnies.

I did pretty much the same thing 7 years ago, I do hunt with black powder but mostley open sights, and archery hunt, I went traditional in archery 5 years ago and shot a nice 3X2 mulie that first year. the bow was a 55#@28" Martin Vision, Cedar arrow and Magnus 125 grain vented head.

I've been fighting this yearning, caused by the same reasons you stated, for a few years. I'm now gearing up to start shooting a recurve, and depending on how things go, make hunt with it yet this year. I've got two tags left to fill with my bow, would love for one of them to be with the 'curve, but ony if I'm up to the task.

But already I think I've found my answer to the true call of the wild...

I don't have a problem with anyone using a rifle or compound, and I can't say for sure that I won't have to go to one or the other one of these days, but for now I just hunt with a longbow. I enjoy the hunt and the challenge more than the kill. Just this past weekend I could have easily killed 2 or 3 deer with a rifle, and it was rifle season, but I was using my bow--no shots.

A lot of people never seen to learn the difference between hunting and killing. I hope I don't step on any toes here, but I am sure you will understand what I'm getting at since you live in TX--in your state, and several others it seems, killing animals in a fence or pen is making some people lots of money, and they call it "hunting". I've talked with folks that have been to some of these places and it seems some of the animals belonged in a petting zoo, but were turned out to be used as living targets. It's legal, but in my opinion it's disgusting and does a lot of damage to the reputations of hunters in general.

I know some places are big, and it can be tough getting a shot, but where is the line drawn? At what point does an enclosure become large enough to be considered fair chase? How many animals can be placed in a certain acerage? Is it fair to buy and/or trap animals and relocate them to a pen to be shot? Way too many questions for me to be comfortable with any of these so-called "ranches". I guess "ranch" is a good word to use, as to me that's always been used to describe a place where animals were raised for human use, including slaughter.

I've never understood why people use a bow on these places either, especially trad gear. Why handicap yourself with your choice of weapons just to cheat in another way? To me it's like using a bamboo fly rod and hand-tied flies, then fishing in a stocked pool.

I don't mean to get off-topic here, but I think what you are feeling with the bow ties in to what I'm saying here.

Anyhow, to get back to what you were saying, the absolute best hunt I've ever been on was a few years ago in Canada. That's where I met Kip--I think he will agree that we had a ball. We hunted hard, played hard, and none of us got our moose, but man what a trip! I'd do it all over, even if I knew up-front I wouldn't get to shoot. 'Course I would have loved to have shot a moose, but not getting one sure didn't spoil the trip.

Chad

Your point is right on about the difference between hunting and killing. Good luck with traditional - it is quite a challenge as you will find out to group your arrows at 20 or 30 yards. I started out traditional but bought a compound bow this year. I feel almost like I am shooting a gun with my compound it is that much easier and more accurate. Enjoy!

Good comments LBR and I agree. I just bought a Muzzle loader this year and carried that quite a bit and still had a great hunt. The ML i bought was a Hawkens 50 and I had more fun carrying that and my chekmate even in rifle season.

I have no problem with people slaughtering an animal in a fenced encloser but don't call it hunting call it what it is slaughtering. I do it with beef every other year but I don't call it hunting. The problem arises that most people hunt these fences for " horns" and not meat and that is not only unethical but I can not understand how that can be satisfying.

Enough of the soap box

have a great Christmas season everyone

Eric

Tx, Your on the right track but it sounds like you take all of your methods of hunting very serious so I imagine you will do the same with traditional equipment. I hate to be the one to break it to you but it's not the equipment that changes the thinking but it's the thinking that has to change. I can kill a deer with a longbow or recurve with no more difficulty than I can with a compound or rifle. It's the way you approach the kill that will make the difference. I love the year 'round scouting, watching the deer, stump shooting, giving seminars to church & school groups. By the time I'm pulling down on a deer I "know" that deer and the kill is very personal and signifies the end of my season. I hunt to "kill" a deer but it means much more to me than just meat and horns. Good luck with the trad. gear and in your personal philosophy concerning the kill.