Bow only hunters

What made you decide and why? I dont consider myself an accomplished hunter by any means but Ive got some deer on the wall and killed probably 50-75 does in my life but its strange This is the first year Im starting to turn (in a non gay way). This year so far Ive only gotten one with my bow, missed one and killed a yote but not looking forward to gun season. There are some places on our property that are going to be beautiful rifle spots for rut chasing and such but as far as shooting a doe for meat with a rifle Im not pumped like years past. I was actually wanting a couple more weeks of bow season before this weekend but of course taking my little girl trumps that. I may rifle hunt and mix it up a bit but still really looking forward to getting a couple more does with archery tackle.


Buying something new for bow hunting or my bow excites me more than a new gun...thats WEIRD.

I'm with you on that. In fact my wife and I leased our own land so we can keep it bow only. This will be our first year strictly bow hunting.

I got into bow hunting because it was all I was allowed to use on some land I was hunting. I must say I am a big fan.

TChunter,

It is a passion much like turkey hunting is to some hunters. I think it is the challenge of having to get so close. You have to pay attention to so much more. You have to scout harder. I guess it is simply the learning more about woodsmanship that really gets me going.

Enjoy!

Well said, I always find myself thinking about what to do next. How to get closer, be quieter, etc...Im much more attentive to my surroundings and really taking it all in.

Bow hunting for me and for the last 5-6 years. I just enjoy it more. Who can't shoot one with a gun?

The one thing I can take away from bow hunting as far as woodsmanship goes is that careful, attentive scouting is an absolute necessity.
Initially I had planned to bow only hunt this season. But I must admit I'm looking forward to gun season.

I use to bowhunt only. Hunters Orange and everything. Now not so much.

I enjoy bow hunting a lot more the gun hunting. I hate to see rifle season get here. Deer become more pressured with guns shots going off and more people out there hunting and riding around on 4 wheelers. They're more in their natural patterns during bow season. I've never done a bow only season but I've carried my bow several time during gun season. To me a doe with my bow is a trophy and it means more to me to harvest one that way.

My favorite part of bow hunting is how low impact it is to the area. By that I mean when you shoot (hit or miss) nothing knows any wiser with the exception of the animals within say a 50 yard circle. When a rifle pops off, everything for miles knows.

Watch the deer in a patch around 5pm 11/23. When the cracks of rifles start filling the air, they will all go on full alert. I’ll bet you haven’t had that happen thus far in the year.

I love bow hunting but had bad luck this year. I'm looking forward to being able to reach out and touch one.

There is nothing like bow hunting, Love it! Have not got one yet with bow but ive had a few chances so it aint the deers fault, Not really looking forward to gun season, I may bow hunt all year this year its such a rush. Although no deer in the freezer ive had a fantastic early season, seen around 40 altogether on stand, maybe a little more, Nothing like it

I have not killed many deer with my bow, but shooting one with a rifle now is just not the same. I still get a jumping heart if I see a deer 100 yds through the woods and know that I should be able to kill it. I now think about where I should move a stand to get within 30 yds to be able to get a bow shot.
My girls now get our doe quota with their guns on our property.

Bow hunting provides so much more of a challenge. It is a thinking mans game for sure. You can walk away from a gun hunt and never give it another thought, but on each and every bow sit, you garner another piece of the puzzle and then reflect on how you could improve your odds of getting closer, aiming lower, judging the demeanor of your quarry and understanding their tendencies, hunting smarter, applying all of those leasons observed and learned from your previous hunts. Plus, I see more deer due to the fact that bow hunting can be low impact and low pressure as others have mentioned. The more deer you observe the wiser you will become in their ways. Bang-plop just doesn't do it for me anymore. It used to bother me when I first began to leave the gun at home and would see good bucks 75 yds away. But after killing so dang many, I fianlly realized that I didn't have to kill every one to make the hunt enjoyable. I'd rather watch a booner all afternoon at 100 yds with a bow in my hand than shoot him with a gun at any range. But it took quite a few deer on the ground by gun before I got to this point, so it defineltly has an evolution process.

Well the hinting here is not so great, but I see more and have more fun with my bow in hand. I've told my little one when he comes with me well take the gun so he can shoot. But other than that I'm gonna bow hunt all year.

I went strictly bow only for 7 or 8 years, there's nothing like it. A few years ago I started carrying my rifle in late December and early January about the time the rut kicks in. Normally by then I've got all the meat I need for the freezer and I'm strictly hunting racks. I would rather kill one with a bow, but I ain't against dropping a big ol' rack with a rifle.

Yep they pattern way better this time of year.

What made me decide and why:

In 1991 I easily shot 3 deer for the freezer with a rifle. After years of that, it got boring. I wanted to try bowhunting, so santy clause got me a bow in 1991. Practiced all year on 3D's to get ready to take a deer with a bow. 10 days into the NC bowseason, I got my 1st shot on a little velvet spiked buck. Nailed him at 28 yards, he ran 30 and dived nose-first into the ground. The sheer fun, heart-raced excitement and challenge to get close won me over. Killed two more that year with a bow. Been bow-only since.

I like sausage and jerky like anyone. If I need to, I'll break some gun powder out. But until then.......

My sig use to say "you're not a bowhunter until it's gun season and you carry a bow. And you see a nice buck out of bow range and your 1st instinct is how to get closer, not wish I had my gun."

This^^^^………… I would love to bowhunt the entire year.... But once those guns start cracking.... the deer start hiding unless you are on some remote property......

Yeah, but when you show up at the shed with a deer taken by a bow and the gun hunters are "empty", it's a good feeling.

I love bow hunting especially the first 2 weeks before the deer get pressured. At our place after two weeks of bow season they are in alert mode. I have took my bow during gun season but not often.

I have been a bow only hunter for many years. It seemed to go in phases. Gun, compound/gun mix, just compound and now traditional archery only for the past 15 years. I enjoy the work I have to put into it. I enjoy killing with my bow but now I focus more on showing people how I hunt and putting them on deer.
My theory is this, when a gun hunter sees a deer at 100 yards the hunt is over. For a bowhunter it has just begun.

Well said.

I hunt 90% with a bow. I just get alot more enjoyment out of it.
I dont feel like ive acomplished much by just sitting on a gasline or a huge cutover & shooting a deer 150 yards away.
I like the hunt that goes with a bow.

Well I've never killed a deer with a gun or a bow and I so badly want my first deer kill to be a bow kill. People tell me that it isn't uncommon for a person to go 2-3 years bow hunting until they get their first kill and ... uh ... well I just like doing things the hard way. I've spent a great deal of time with my guns over the past 2 years just getting to the point that I felt I could kill a deer with my rifles. Now I've fallen in so deep with bow hunting that I am seriously considering waiting to gun hunt until after I've got a bow kill.

It just seems to me that it won't be that hard to kill a deer with a gun. I've seen plenty of deer within a hundred yards of me that I coulda popped with my 30-06 or 243 and dropped them in their tracks. On the other hand, I've seen only 2 within 25 yards ...

I would rather bow hunt for sure. Haven't shot a doe in years with a gun. I still carry a rifle in certain stands/situations but bow mostly.

And we get 10 days of bow only the first week of December.

I got the inkling to bowhunt only this year but I am gonna hold off till next year. I have a new desire to start a small bow hunting only club in the black belt somewhere next year

Let me know tfd. I might be interested

Sure thing breeze

I maybe as well depending on location.

I started bow hunting years ago because I realized I was missing bout 6 weeks extra hunting. I enjoy the quiet of the woods while hunting (no gun shots) and usually less hunters in the woods. I did however buy my 1st crossbow this year. But when gun season opens I grab the rifle.

I've been ready to throw my bow out of the treestand since the first week. When you see the deer 100yds away and it keeps going farther away; I wish I had my rifle then.

depending on location I would be interested.

I like that... I really, really like that. Can I use that saying?