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And I'll be willing to wager it will kill just as effective in 2017 as it did in 2004. I know the 7mm Mag I got hen I was 13 (1976) still kills deer just as dead. If the marketing people depended on me they would all starve.

TN Lone Wolf

Glad to see I'm not the only one who feels this way. At some point in the future, I may get back into it and try traditional bowhunting, but until then I'm sticking with handgun hunting.

d80hunter

No wager needed it is just as effective as the new bows. I'm one of those guys who used a couple of bows in my lifetime and still feel I am getting my moneys worth out each bow I own. I compare that to my best friend from my childhood who owns a bow shop and has used a large number of bows. My old man taught us both about archery in the 80's and his proteges took two approaches about archery. Just an observation I noticed in life, the younger generations, and many in mine, are more like my old friend.

BOWHUNTERCOP

love bow hunting, and I love firearm hunting as well, but hunting with a bow is just something special to me

bearbow49

I shoot a bear kodiac bear razor heads with glove instinctive 50 yrs love it on my farm deer travel same area 25 yrs I go in one way and come out one way if I gun hunt they still there I have found there are certain spots in woods where deer travel for generations no matter what seasons when you find the honey hole be good hunting one of my stands is in a spot like this every yr 2 or 3 deer taken and a lot passed up last yr I saw deer every time in it

cr422

I thought I was tired of bowhunting a few years ago and sold my bow. But I regretted it right away so went out and bought another one.

My wife wanted to try bowhunting so I bought her a used bow at a yard sale for 20 bucks. She is still using it. Has taken a number of deer with it. The woods get a little crowded around here during gun season, so mostly we bowhunt when the weather gets colder and snowier. We never miss muzzleloader season.

I haven't shot anything since we got together. I let her do the shooting. She's actually a better shot than I am.

Whether hunting or just practicing, I really do enjoy shooting a bow.

rogerstv

A few years past, I had permission from several neighbors to hunt their ground. All total the block was approx 1000 acres of prime whitetail habitat in central IL. Really too much for one person. Could certainly be confusing when you have no idea which great spot to sit.

All was fine for years. I rarely saw another person while hunting. Well after 5 or so great years, one owner died. His widow slowly changed her mind about allowing hunters on her ground. Another landowner gave permission to a friend who started muzzleloader hunting. All was still somewhat fine until that friend started bringing friends for shotgun season. Soon turned into 6 - 8 hunters all on 4-wheelers who arrived the week before gun season, the prime rut in November, to scout and put up their stands. They littered and were very inconsiderate of the property and the quarry. They each carried multiple tags. The first year, they bagged over 20 deer. this continued until their harvest numbers declined. I believe they blamed bowhunting as they were jealous of me because I bowhunted and was out there for a month and half prior to their arrival. They couldn't comprehend how much I hunted without shooting anything. They had no idea how many small bucks I let walk. I would say I saw 10, but shot none. They probably thought I was lying. The friend was eventually granted more rights than me, and I was booted.

Due to this experience, I still call IL shotgun season "crazy season" as all the so-called hunters get amped up, dress head to toe in orange, and sling lead. All is great for six weeks then comes the one weekend where the woods are suddenly full of orange. IL breaks deer gun hunting into essentially three weekends with breaks in between. It screws up bow season in my opinion. I would be more happy to give gun hunters a full week to get it out of their system then go away.

Now, I don't feel they are all crazy. But, it certainly brings out those who have no real idea what it is like to hunt deer with archery equipment. One landowner asked me about the buck I took one evening. I said, "I didn't get one". Their answer "well, Judy saw one strapped to your 4-wheeler". I said, "it was a decoy!" You'd think the four stiff legs sticking horizontally off the back end would have been a dead give-away. Nope, they are clueless.

I still gun hunt. It is the season where I can exact revenge on those deer who come in, but stay out of bow range.

I prefer bowhunting. But, use whatever you enjoy and is legal. Most of us have the same common goal of conserving the natural resources as provided. The folks mentioned above didn't. Those 20 deer shot their first full season cost them over $1,000 in processing fees!

bearbow49

I lost some good hunting spots yrs ago to people I hunted with going back when they were my guest or other people that came in and made mess of land 25 yrs ago I purchased 40 acres in middle of a lot of deer woods only my son hunts with me I have never seen anybody on me I got thousands acres around me owned by 3 familys all got to know me gave permission to hunt but I stay on my own place they watch my place when not there I am luckek and thankfull I am in breck co ky we were top 5 co last yr for most deer taken and I think ky is top 6 or 7 states for b c deer

MaineRida

Bow hunting as well as all hunting is great. I bow, muzzle loader, rifle, and pistol hunt. All are rewarding. I do have a special affinity for rifle hunting since that is where I started. I will state there was an increase in knowledge base on deer hunting due to being in the woods with a bow. Having to watch deer, out of range, for extended periods of time was a huge benefit. Bow hunting increased my harvest, across the board, for all types of hunting. Powder hunting helped me learn the terrain, discover deer movement areas, and helped locate my stand site.

To answer the question, bow hunting is great and it is, as others have said, more time in the woods with less hunters. Bow hunting takes much more practice to be effective, a pistol causes me to need more practice, though muzzle loader and rifle once sighted not so much. I do shoot and do reload but there is a definite difference in the archery and pistol practicing.

I would not archery or pistol hunt without practice, rifle or muzzle loading takes one shot to check zero and I'm confident (95 % of my shots will be under 100 yards).