I used to gun hunt only.. Nobody in my family hunts, and this guy that worked for my dad (pat) years ago took me along when I was 13 and I've been hooked since. Pat hunted the TNF next to oakamulgee and it got to the point that when he went, so did I. Guess you could say he was my mentor. Anyways, through a lot of trial and error (and miles of walking) I got to the point that I started seeing deer pretty regular... And that turned into killing deer! The more time I spent in the woods, the closer I was getting to these deer.

Fast forward to 2 seasons ago.. My dad bought some property on pine mt in remlap. I went scouted, found a hot acorn tree and kicked out a spot against a tree so I could hunt it. I Slipped in the next morning, and killed a fat nanny at about 15-20 yards. There was 5 sets of eyes that morning and they were clueless to me sitting against that tree. I bought a stand and put out and watched deer all year long, but didn't squeeze the trigger again. I was proud of the deer as that was the first deer off of dirt I can call my own but something was missing, like it was almost too easy. Me and my ole 30-30 have spilled alot of blood over the years but I wanted to add more challenge to it.

Last season I decided to try bow hunting... I was seeing deer regularly and had several close encounters. I had my first "wall hanger" come in on me at last shooting light one evening, only to have 2 does bust me at under 10 yards (had no clue they had slipped in on me) but the patience and long days finally paid off. I had a good doe come in and to her misfortune, she came home with me! My adrenaline was pumping so hard that I about fell outta the stand.. The thrill was back!! now I can't wait to get back in the woods this season. Every trip out is a lesson learned and I'm confident going into this year that me and my bow are gonna paint a lot dirt red

Cool back story for you.

For me, to be completely honest, was the fact that my neighbor had a crossbow for me to borrow. I had never hunted, I joined a forum with a bunch of crazy people, I asked a lot of questions, and I picked up the crossbow and started sitting in the woods. My wife ended up buying me a bow (it was before we were married, also I don't think she was comfortable buying a gun) so it was all I had! I actually still don't have a rifle. I have a slug gun, but haven't shot a deer with it yet.

I'm hoping to get a rifle soon, but still love bow hunting more than anything. I also basically only hunt Wheeler, which is bow only.

I'm probably like a lot of guys. I started because I could get in the woods early. I've fell away from it, come back, fell away and now I'm back and looking forward to it. I think I've only killed 5 or 6 with a bow. All were a thrill. I've never killed a rack buck with a bow. Maybe that will change.

My dad was a big bowhunter til I was born. Then he went strictly rifle so I could hunt with him. As soon as I got big enough to draw back 35 pounds, we both started back bow hunting. By highschool I was mostly bow hunting only. I don't think I've killed but maybe 5 or 6 deer with a rifle in the last 10 years. I did pretty much quit deer hunting all together for a while, because of duck hunting.

Got bored with gun hunting. Wanted to try a bow. Practiced all year and killed 3 in 1992 and never used a gun again for over 20 years until I used a ML 2-3 years ago.

The stillness of the daybreak and the peace of the sun starting to break over the forest .the sun starting to set through the trees.waiting for the deer to show himself, then you hear a twig breaks. Youroundingo heart picks The beat.seemlike you can hear your heart pounding. Just a squirrel.

It was an excuse for me to get in the woods early. None of my friends or family bowhunted and I had to learn it all on my own. I started the season I got married, so this will be my 25th bow season. It took me 3 seasons before I killed my first. Then it was two more seasons before I got my second one and I've been lucky enough to get at least one every season since. I went through a 7 or 8 year stretch and never picked up a gun. There's nothing like sitting in a tree the first week of November. That's my favorite week of the year.

I'm kind of a loner anyway so I love having the opportunity to be in the woods a month before the orange army. Bow hunting is really difficult, especially to harvest a mature buck( still trying.) I've taken 11 deer with my bow now and there's nothing that compares to the cat and mouse game you play when trying to draw without being detected. I love it and don't care to pick up a rifle again. I even hate to watch rifle hunting on tv.

I too looked at it as an opportunity to get on the woods early. I did it for a few years with no luck. Someone introduced me to duck hunting and I did that exclusively for 13yrs before I decided to go back to deer hunting. I bought a nicer bow. I love shooting it. I think the challenge itself is what draws me to bow hunting. I'm 38 and still haven't killed anything with a bow. I have 1 miss, and several blown opportunities but no blood on the ground yet. That keeps me going.

same here, I record all episodes of 8-10 shows I enjoy. I scroll through the descriptions and delete all the ones not bow hunting, and not whitetails.

When I started hunting at age 17, I quickly became jealous of the two friends I had that bowhunted. They got to hunt a full month before I did, so I asked my parents for a bow for Christmas. While I enjoyed getting to hunt earlier, I almost felt it was an exercise in futility. I thought it would take an incredible stroke of luck to actually kill one with a bow. Nowadays I actually enjoy the increased challenge of using a bow.

^^^ this drew me to bow hunting; even a freakin' doe is a rush to shoot (& get away with) with a bow... Like you, I'd been a gun hunter for decades, and I was ready for a new challenge w/deer hunting...

BGD

My Dad, he hunted with a bow for a long time and I was fascinated with Archery. He passed away when I was 10 but my love of Archery and Bowhunting did not fade. It is one of the best gifts he ever gave me.

You in 2 years.....

How easier it is to kill a good buck is what has kept me bowhunting.

I was given a recurve when I was a kid. That thing was a blast. I've bow hunted off and on for years. I didn't bow hunt in Alaska because I typically hunted solo and there's things there that will eat you so, I gun hunted there. Here in Oregon, it's a month long elk bow season, hiking and biking only, and it's a blast. The gun seasons are 4 to 6 days and there are literally 1000 idots running the roads with guns outta around 1500 tag holders for our area. No way I'm doing that.

I'd killed several deer with a rifle (all does, as I'd not yet killed my first buck, even with a gun, when I started bow hunting), and just shooting a doe with a rifle at 150yds would have me shaking like a leaf. I could only imagine how I'd react if I was 20ft up a tree and the deer was only 20-30yds away, so I figured I'd give it a try.

My 2nd season of bowhunting was the first time I ever let an arrow fly at a deer, I was shaking so hard I just knew I was going to fall our of the tree (I did have a harness on at least). She was perfectly broadside, about 8 yds from the base of the ladder stand I was in.

I fired. I missed (shot under her). She ran off.

I sat there in the stand for the next half hour shaking so hard I thought I was going to piss myself. I knew if MISSING a deer could give me that much of an adrenaline rush, I was hooked forever.

I've gotten 1 shot since, a little 1-horn spike quartering away at 25ish yds. Put the arrow in right behind his rib cage and exited through his far-side front shoulder. He ran maybe 40-50yds if I recall, and piled up. So right now I'm batting .500 with my bow.

To date, the only thing that has given me that much of a rush was having a big turkey start gobbling on the ground right behind me when I didn't even know he was there.

Everyone in my family bowhunted.

Same here, I never knew what not bow hunting was like, I've been shooting one as long as I can remember. My 5 year old and I shoot just about everyday. I put some lighted knocks on his arras and he thinks he is the coolest thing this side of the Mississippi, he tried to carry his bow and arra's to school for show and tell.

I grew up gun hunting in Alabama and Georgia. In my early twenties I made a good friend, local guy, out in Alamogordo, New Mexico while stationed there on active duty. He was a bow hunting junkie, stalking elk, pronghorn and mulies, all over the state. He taught me to shoot and taught me how to hunt western big game with a bow. It totally changed the way I thought about hunting. I was hooked and when I moved back to Alabama in the late 80's I adapted my methods to my favorite quarry the Whitetail deer. Shot my first Whitetail with a bow from a treestand in 1988. I rarely deer hunt with a gun. It just doesn't provide the same challenge or thrill as the bow.