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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,180
10 point
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10 point
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,180 |
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.
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Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 9,465
Fancy
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Fancy
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 9,465 |
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.
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 9,442
14 point
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14 point
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 9,442 |
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
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,029
Booner
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Booner
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,029 |
It's hard to kiss the lips at night that chews your a$$ all day long.
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Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 109
3 point
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3 point
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 109 |
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!
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,759
8 point
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8 point
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,759 |
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.
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,832
12 point
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12 point
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,832 |
I did it for several years when I was shooting tourneys but now I never carry a bow
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,258
8 point
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8 point
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,258 |
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.
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 9,228
14 point
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14 point
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 9,228 |
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.
I can't stand a thief.
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Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,187
6 point
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6 point
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,187 |
Used to be but this year I’ve taken an interest in ballistics so I’ve rifle hunted twice
"We'll the first man comes along that can read Latin is welcome to rob us,...I'd like the chance to shoot at an educated man once in my life" Gus McCrae
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 17,304
Old Mossy Horns
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Old Mossy Horns
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 17,304 |
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.
Nathan Carl Goff 19 Sept 2016 - 14 Jan 2017.
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Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 2,017
8 point
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8 point
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 2,017 |
Knew a guy that was forced to due to a felony.
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,713
8 point
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8 point
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,713 |
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.
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,759
8 point
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8 point
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,759 |
Knew a guy that was forced to due to a felony. 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.
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 3,279
10 point
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10 point
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 3,279 |
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.
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 3,651
10 point
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10 point
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 3,651 |
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.
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 1,912
8 point
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8 point
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 1,912 |
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.
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 5,661
12 point
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12 point
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 5,661 |
Knew a guy that was forced to due to a felony. 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. Felons can use muzzleloaders, they aren’t considered “firearms”. You can order one and have it delivered to your house.
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 148
3 point
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3 point
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 148 |
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.
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,759
8 point
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8 point
Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 1,759 |
Knew a guy that was forced to due to a felony. 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. Felons can use muzzleloaders, they aren’t considered “firearms”. You can order one and have it delivered to your house. 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)
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