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Archery Only?

CarolinaDog said:
These are facts...

Archery only for about the last 4 years. Bought a compact rifle and carried both for awhile but decided I could let the largest deer Ive seen walk out of my life at 40 yards and live it, Hasn't happened yet
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That being said... not a chance I would sell any of my deer rifles
 
I prefer to hunt with a bow and get my most enjoyment out of my bow harvests. However, I also enjoy shooting them with other implements. I think the ultimate would be spear hunting for deer. Can you imagine the rush of that?????
 
I have the hopes every year to do so but I like venison A LOT. If it hasn’t happened enough with the bow come rifle season it’s time to fill the freezer.
 
Brought out the 30-30 lever action this deer season on some new land during the rut (hasn't made a difference). This is the first season since i started deer hunting that I gun hunted. I hunted some thick brush on a logging road this past weekend and was set up maybe 12 ft in a small pine. Had a buck come in perpendicular to the road and come into 7 yards. I wish I woulda brought my recurve becuase I woulda shot him with it.
 
gcr0003 said:
Who here exclusively hunts with a bow? What reasons do you have for staying bow only? Have you ever regretted taking your bow instead of a rifle?

I am bow only by both preference and necessity. I enjoy archery as much if not more than hunting alone. I love shooting and tweaking my bows. Archery is almost a daily routine for me. Also, the public land I spend all my time on is restricted to bow except for a short muzzle-loader season and small game. Even when I have chances to hunt my buddy's lease I always bring my bow.
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I rifle hunt 3 days a year only in order to spend time with family. I only rifle hunt in a vast area of national forest. I won't rifle hunt on the smaller pieces of public land around here. I know one person who had his leg blown off (300 weatherby to the knee cap), and another person that lost his Mom and Dad both at the same time to a hunting "accident". (I put accident in quotes because I have no idea how someone mistakes 2 people in orange for deer and fires 2 shots, killing them both. LEO deemed it an accident after investigation though.) (EDIT: the last incident was in southwestern PA like an hour away, but that is close enough to my kind of hunting that it counts as a cautionary tale for my area of WV)

EDIT: Was talking to another guy I met that had a hole in his chest. He shot a guy turkey hunting, the guy crawled up to him and shot him in the chest with a shotgun to return the "favor". The guy was mad because "what I did was an accident, but that guy shot me on purpose!"
 
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Anybody that hunts with a rifle just does it cause they ain't good enough to kill a buck with a bow! JUST KIDDING!!!!! I have been bow hunting with archery gear for 43 seasons now and it is my passion but if by chance my bow season is going bust then I will break out the old 7 mm mag to try to put one of my favorite meals in the freezer. I also don't care if your passion is using rocks to try to fill tags. No skin off my nose.
 
I did, but am changing for next year. It's just 1 more way that my wife and 3 kids can enjoy it together. I will acquire a muzzle-loader and a box blind in the next few months.
 
Tracking one like they do in Maine, Vermont, NH.....not enough challenge for you (it’s too easy folks).

Personally I got into bow hunting because it was easier to see more deer and ultimately for my situation to get big bucks. I grew to love archery and that unique aspect of sport, and think about trying out traditionalist gear because of the appreciation I have for craftsmanship and the unique shooting skill.

However, depending on how and where and what you hunt, hunting with guns can be a blast.

Flintlock hunting in the mountains of PA was so much fun for me growing up. Add to the challenge of trying to aim a round ball of lead with a primitive weapon precisely onto target...the bonus of...will my gun fire?

If the deer aren’t challenging enough...by all means take a more challenging approach or find more challenging deer. Some deer seem to be able to evade a nuclear missile...so the poo pooing of gun hunters is a bit much.

But the love of archery is totally legitimate too, although I doubt many would’t enjoy certain gun hunts for deer.

All that said, if I had available archery only lands near me I’d probably hunt exclusively with a bow for deer, because of the combination of buck potential and my enjoyment of shooting archery.

If I was hunting public land in Maine for big bucks, I’d probably enjoy tracking deep into the wilds and often finding new areas to hunt with gun in hand...and maybe would never tote a bow while hunting again.
 
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