Has anyone here committed to exclusively bowhunting?

I want to commit to it, but can't imagine what it would feel like to have ole big boy sauntering around out there at 75 yards when I could legally be carrying a rifle.

What's yall's take on it?

I did it for about 4 years.

I’ve had enough disappointments during bow season…im taking a rifle when I can

I sometimes still take both

I did..not on purpose..just didnt have anywhere to carry a rifle…it made me a lot better woodsman..now i carry a gun whenever its practical..but id still rather kibosh stuff with a bow. If you learn enough about the woods..big boy might walk by one day at 75yds..but the next time i climb hell be in range..deer are creatures of habit..that alone will end them.

Not me. For the last 12 years I'm bow only for bull elk. I'll fill damage tags with gun and deer hunt with a gun. Early archery deer here is during elk season and I'm not killing a deer here on an elk hunt.
If I get my Idaho tags for next year, I'll hope to be carrying a deer and elk archery tag.

What's your take on it?

It’s challenging. You don’t realize, or I didn’t, how hard it is to hide in a stand in January. I only did it those years, cause I had access to good land. My odds of seeing shooter bucks was higher. Now, not so much. There’s more skill/luck in killing a rutting buck in Alabama(maybe the South in general) than a rifle by a long shot(no pun intended). 😂

Scouting for late season bow hunting made me a better hunter, I feel like. It ain’t for everybody.

After rolling the idea around in my head for a couple of years I made the switch to exclusively bowhunting around 20 years ago.

The exact day was when I grunted in a wide 9 point and shot him with a 7MM standing 5 yards from the base of the tree I was in. I was backed up to a big creek and he came across it and was under me before I knew it. I didn't get the shakes or fast heartbeat like I do when when I get one with a bow. That's when I knew it was time.

I haven't regretted the decision.

I’ve carried a gun about 3 times in 20 yrs and those were when one or the other of my sons were with me and they actually had the gun. So yeah I exclusively bow hunt.

I have been for 6 seasons now. Recurve or longbow only

I hunt exclusively with a longbow.

Since the early 90s.
I even buy gun tags for Illinois so that I can bow hunt with friends that gun hunt.

Not exclusive because I occasionally go to some private land with friends, but other than that I only hunt Wheeler and that's bow only. As mentioned, bow hunting in late season gets tricky.

I did it for about 8 years.

Not exclusive but close. Probably 80/20 bow to gun

Yep, don’t bother me a bit if a buck is hung up at 75 yards and no shot. I just try to get closer the next time.

I have missed out on a lot of great bucks cause of my recurve. Doesn’t bother me

Not exclusively, but if I'm hunting an area that's practical for a bow (max shots <50 yards) than I'll bring my bow, which is the majority of the time since I hunt pretty thick stuff. It's cost me a couple good deer, but I'm going to get it done this year for sure.

I’m not fully committed but I’m about 80/20. I enjoy bow hunting much more than rifle. With the baiting law now, it makes it a lot easier sitting 30 yards from the pile with a bow vs 100 with a rifle. Most of the people I hunt with think I’m crazy hunting with a bow during rifle season. As far as him being hung up out there out of range, that is just going to be part of bow hunting, but that’s what makes it so special to me.

I do. I just don’t enjoy killing one with a rifle anymore. Not much of a challenge to me anymore. I did miss a good one at 50 with a bow the other day. Still don’t care enough to take the rifle. My boy has pretty much taken my .270 from me anyway.

I’ve threatened it a few years. I still carry a rifle some but will continue to bow hunt a good bit. If I’m hunting woods or fields I usually carry a bow now. If cutovers or large areas I will likely carry a rifle. Like has already been mentioned, it’s a lot more challenging than you think trying to draw on deer undetected with no leaves on the trees. Cover becomes very important. It’s not much of a challenge for me anymore killing mature deer with a rifle. I’ll hunt specific deer but killing a mature deer is not really that difficult with a gun.

I did for a while, but after watching bucks chase does in the clearcut I started carrying again. I will still bow hunt some on the greenfields

Nope!!!

I haven't carried a rifle to the woods since 2009. Now I'm not what you would call a diehard dedicated deer hunter, never have been, but purchased the Mathews Drenalin in 2007 and never looked back. Then bought a Samick Sage and I've had fun shooting it. Just need to go more than I do, only have 2 bow kills, 1 miss, and 3 should of/would of/could of opportunities. Shot the bow yesterday actually. Just love being in the woods!

I was an 80% bow hunter the past few years but this year I’m closer to 25%.

a bow harvest is more rewarding but I’m only able to probably hunt 25% of what I have the past few years so I’m gonna take the rifle more to increase my chances.

I did it for several years when I was shooting tourneys but now I never carry a bow

I’ve toted a gun about 5 times over the last 3 years. If I tote a gun the weather is just too crappy to bow hunt and I don’t want to sit at home that day. I just don’t care anything about shooting one with a gun anymore. I used to tell myself, I’d never kill a P&Y deer if I didn’t have a bow with me.

I hunted with a bow only for about 15 years and I killed a ton of deer. I hunted WMAs and usually had them all to myself. I never wore orange as there was no requirement when it was bow only. I loved the challenge and it did not matter to me if was a doe or a buck-they were deer and I was mad at them. I always climbed pine trees for the cover once the leaves dropped and I managed to keep killing deer all the way to the season's end. I was working the midnight shift for most of these years and I would sleep until about 1:00. Head to the woods at about 2 and come back home and get a nap before work if I was not successful.

I loved being all to myself and I never had an encounter with another hunter during that period of time who wanted to hunt where I was. Most everyone quit bowhunting when the gun season started so I had it to myself. If I was in my 30's again I would do it all over, but being in my 60s doesn't have the same meaning as it did then. I only had a couple of deer that I did not get to kill because they were out of range. If I saw a good buck, he would usually be in the same area again so I hunted closer to where I had seen him as deer are creatures of habit. It never bothered me not killing one that was too far-that is why they call it hunting and not shooting.

My son is almost all bow now in Alabama and has killed some great deer with the bow. I think he remembers me bowhunting only when he was a child. He is a good one when it comes to killing deer.

Used to be but this year I’ve taken an interest in ballistics so I’ve rifle hunted twice

I bought my first bow for Christmas in 1991 and bowhunted in 1992 and killed 3. I never carried a gun again for deer for the next 20 years or so. I have since gone with what is in season, but sometimes will carry a bow in gun season.

Knew a guy that was forced to due to a felony.

I've only taken a rifle maybe 10 times in the past 4 years and most of those were because of one really big deer I had been chasing and would have been happy to kill with a gun. Bow hunting is so rewarding when it all comes together. I'm content watching a mature buck walk by out of bow range during gun season. I hunt some low pressure places and I've been fortunate to kill several mature bucks with a bow the past few years so that makes it a little easier to leave the gun at home. Nothing against killing with a gun but killing one with a bow is a little more special to me now.

I knew a guy that went muzzleloader only for the same reason.
However, 99% sure a muzzleloader is just as bad as a centerfire in the eyes of the law.

It’s not. A good friend of mine is a felon and hunted with a muzzle loader after making dang sure it was ok. However, if I remember he had to do some research to get the answer.

Mostly bow hunt unless weather is bad. Only thing I dont like about it is getting winded. Odds of educating deer go way up when you trying to get them within 30 yds vs watching a powerline with a rifle.

Nope, but I'm just a dirty x-bow hunter lol. I only use it to hunt public land close to home. I shot a deer at 15 yards from the ground with my rifle the other day, and it was pretty exciting. Getting close on the ground is how I get my thrills, and a black rifle is the perfect tool for the job.

Felons can use muzzleloaders, they aren’t considered “firearms”. You can order one and have it delivered to your house.

I’ve been bow only for roughly 10yrs. It’s the challenge that I love. It’s more of a sport so to speak for me. It’s not gonna matter to me if big boy is at 70yds. At least I saw him and can make a closer play on him next time. Hunting with a rifle is just to easy.

Well, did some research and it looks like it’s not federally prohibited but it depends on your actual state. Where I grew up in VA, it was still considered a firearm and prohibited by state law til about 2014. Looks like it’s still banned in TN for felons. No idea on alabama.
(For the record, I think any lifetime firearm ban not related to a crime Actually Involving a firearm is stupid)

I have not carried a gun when I hunt without my kids in 3 seasons. It's fine, they have usually killed everything I would shoot by the time I get to hunt alone so I never really think about shooting anything but it's fun to bow hunt

Dang lol