Bocajnala

I bow hunt for the extra time and opportunity it gives me to be in the woods. The last few years I've been given up my bow hunting time to spend more time chasing rabbits, pheasants and squirrels. I enjoy bow hunting, I've been succesful at it, but I honestly prefer guns. I've been an archery fanatic, and I've had seasons where I've barely been out with the bow. Just goes in phases depending on how I feel. But I'm always out every chance I can be in gun season.
-Jake

rockport

I reckon its the length of the season for me. More than probably 90% of my hunting is really just sitting in the woods so it really doesn't matter what weapon I have most of the time. When I decide to take a shot I guess it really doesn't matter which weapon I'm shooting that much although shooting mature buck at 10 yards with a bow is pretty hard to beat.

Western MA Hunter

I would rather bowhunt deer than gun hunt any day... I spend 90% of my time deer hunting with the bow nowadays.

d80hunter

I enjoy archery season as much as firearm season. Less hunters and milder weather make it very enjoyable. Apart from being in the woods, when it comes to the amount of thought and effort I put into hunting I do prefer firearms. I have alot more money and time in my guns. I buy what I want yet with archery equipment I don't do that. The way I see it is a good firearm will outlast me. After 30 years of bowhunting I've seen many generations of the new tech. Many bowhunters feel the need to buy a new bow every so often. It is great to have new and better equipment available but the older I get I am over craving the new and greatest things.

I setup in different spots for firearm and archery season. Part of it is the ability to shoot farther with a gun but not overhunting a certain area is another reason. Deer are already spooked after opening morning of firearm season where I'm from. I do have better success setting up somewhere I haven't been all year.

younggun308

Why is it that all the hunting shows essentially became bow-only 10-15 years ago? Is it because the game being closer made for better camera footage, or because the eminent bow companies like Matthews saw buying up 90% of Team Realtree's airtime as the best strategy to establishing a reputation?
I know I resented that trend; I seriously wish hunting videos were more like this:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p1AGx0drC-A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Talstar1234

I agree about the hunting shows going to bow hunts.
Boring to me, usually never watch them.

d80hunter

I am acquainted with a fellow who films hunts and works as an electrician during the off season. I will have to ask him about this next time I run into him. It is likely about advertising and selling new products. The archery business is reliant on new innovations to sell new bows. My 2004 bow was really something in 2004. I probably couldn't give it away in 2017.

younggun308

Better perhaps to buy a used bow that used to command $700 7 years ago, than to buy a new bow that costs $300 today.

mrbb

a BIG reason is simply, MORE time able to HUNT, longer seasons and easier to get tags, and also warmer weather, a LOT of them TV hunters are a little SOFT on hunting in bad weather,cold weather?

plus, 99% of a hunting show is a Marketing plow to sucker you into THINKING you need the latest Junk out there.

everyone says BOWS came a LONG way
I dis agree, many bows from long ago, shot as fast, and weighted in the same range as NEW bows.
Its marketing

look at Bow scores at major matches today and then look back, there is NOT leaps and bounds in HIGHER scores.

Nor is there huge increases in speeds on bows, OR quality, for that matter,
NO way to justify the costs of new bows IF you ask me, other than, MARKETING< and people being willing to PAY it, which then drive prices up more every yr
as SO many think everything Should just cost more ever yr, so they JUST pay it!
its a BIG change in mind set, from generations a go!, and all company's know marketing better now than ever to capitalize on it!

a little FYI< on archery equipment
back when I had a gun shop, I was able to BUY Bows, at about 50% less than what most stores sold it for on SALE!
there was HUGE amounts of mark up on archery bows rover firearms.
it was crazy, I never sold archery stuff, as a local guy had a bow shop and we worked together, he didn;t sell gun stuff and refer customers to me, and I refer bow guys to him
but I did BUY things for myself, and MAN I used to laugh at why NO shop would just under sell everyone else and take huge amounts of business away from chain stores?
that was and I gather IS why, trade in bows are worth so Little, due to such HUGE mark up on bows, once used there not worth anything due to the mark up on new!

an example of things, from MY days, a bow would be like$ 600.00 bucks in a archery store and MY price to buy it was about $375.00, to buy the same exact bow from the SAME distributors they would buy them from!
where on say a rifle in the $400-$ 600 range,
I was marking a NEW one up about 25-30 bucks,
BIG difference in making 25-30 bucks on a gun, as to 200+ on a bow??
SO< why did archery take off??
Money!!!! and again, Marketing, that makes you BUY new things at work!

Bocajnala

I enjoyed that mule deer hunt. Pretty country!
-Jake