Bow Hunting Vs. Gun Hunting
 

I don't know about other states but here in Wisconsin I personally feel the bowhunters get a huge advantage over the gun hunters such as...

A three month season vs. a one week season.

Season is open during the rut for bowhunters

Don't get me wrong. I don't hate bowhunting. I bowhunted one year and fell out of a tree and wrecked my ankle. Also, I don't have the patience to sit there for hours being eaten by mosquitos. (You don't have those in the cold gun season). I ended up shooting target archery for 20+ years (two state championships) but these seasons were set many years ago when people hunted with recurve bows and the odds against getting a deer were much higher. With compound bows, release aides, magnifying sights etc. the odds are much better. So....

Why do bowhunters need these long seasons anymore? I just wished the gun hunters were considered more. The biggest bucks taken in Wisconsin these years are usually with the bow during the rut. What do you guys think about this? Am I full of crap? :confused2:

It boils down to a numbers game.. Simply put there are 10x as many gun hunters than there are bow hunters. Remember seasons are based on ratios of deer taken. So in the calculation of healthy deer culling, it takes a longer time for bOw hunters to meet the quota than gun hunters overall.

I feel the reason that the bow season is so long is to control the amount of deer taken. If we allowed longer gun season the deer population would suffer or be lowered greatly(may not be a bad thing around my area). This my theory. They had a big fight last year to shorten the archery season here by a week and give two weeks to BP. It did pass but a big argument was that it would hurt the deer population(BS). If your really want to hurt a deer population start with a week of gun then let the archers have it for there 8 wks.

enjoy your week:wink:

i love to bow hunt and it would not bother me if thats all there was, but i realize its not for everyone. i am against changing regulations to put them more in favor of bow hunters...but we know that the odds are in the deers favor when you have to close the distance down for a reasonable shot (around 25-35 yrds for most experienced archers)...with your warbird, if you can see him and you can do your part its over...rut or not:wink:

Also, bow hunters get to pursue unspooked deer on their summer feeding patterns while the leaves are still on the trees. And they can wear full camo. :D

I hunt both so I don't take sides. But rifle hunting isn't as easy as it seems.

Sounds like you need to move down here to NC... :)

I bow, gun and muzzle load hunt, love them all...

Traditionally the limit has been 6 deer a year, now we have unlimited doe tags @ $10 for 2 additional anterless deer...

Life is good...

Sounds like you need to move down here to NC... :)

I bow, gun and muzzleload hunt, love them all...

Traditionally the limit has been 6 deer a year, now we have unlimited doe tags @ $10 for 2 additional anterless deer...

Life is good...

I do both. I guess I'd have to see some really good statistics before I concluded either gun or bow hunters had a significant advantage. What percent of tags of either are filled, for example. I wouldn't change anything.

I hunt both but prefer bow. I'm in Illinois and we have over 3 months for bow season. But after the first day of gun season its pretty much over. Alot less deer and those left are freaked into nocturnal activity only, for the most part. Hunting deer on a summer pattern can be great, it can also suck, and just about the time the deer really start rutting gun season starts.Try to look at it like this, when gun season starts there have been relatively few bow hunters in the woods (compared to the numbers of gun hunters) and it doesn't sound like WWIII when they are hunting. Try bow hunting after a gun season and good luck.

I hunt bow, crossbow, black powder, and rifle. Love it all definatley love the challenge of bow. If gun season was longer it be even more of a slaughter than it already is. I love taking a deer with my rifle but you definately get a ten times harder challenge with a bow thats why bow is a lot of fun. I wold hunt with a slingshot if there was a season for that. From september to january im in the woods with whatever weapon is in season!