What do you prefer bow or firearm for hunting

Bow, simply because it makes hunting a complete experience. I'm hunting for the sake of hunting at that point.

With a firearm, if I can see it, it's dead, at least when talking about deer or something large. Much better if I'm hungry, but it's not really about the hunt like bow is.

Bow you have to wait until they are close and worry a lot more about your positioning, wind, doing pre-season stalking etc. It's a different experience entirely.

I feel like firearms hunting is actually harvesting vs hunting. You go look for game and kill it. When guys miss shots with rifles and shotguns...it just makes me scratch my head. Don't they go to the range first? How do you miss?

I could punch slugs through the same 3" hole all day long. To get that good with a bow took practicing three days a week for months and it's still immensely more variable.
 
I like them both....also muzzleloader. I do all the seasons in NY.

I think it depends where you hunt as far as the experience goes. If you hunt where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a deer then yes it's harvesting. In the Adirondack wilderness where I hunt it doesn't matter what weapon you have in your hands....it's still hard hunting....you're lucky to even see a deer most days.
 
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kingsqueak said:
Bow, simply because it makes hunting a complete experience. I'm hunting for the sake of hunting at that point.

With a firearm, if I can see it, it's dead, at least when talking about deer or something large. Much better if I'm hungry, but it's not really about the hunt like bow is.

Bow you have to wait until they are close and worry a lot more about your positioning, wind, doing pre-season stalking etc. It's a different experience entirely.

I feel like firearms hunting is actually harvesting vs hunting. You go look for game and kill it. When guys miss shots with rifles and shotguns...it just makes me scratch my head. Don't they go to the range first? How do you miss?

I could punch slugs through the same 3" hole all day long. To get that good with a bow took practicing three days a week for months and it's still immensely more variable.
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I would rather bowhunt and I agree with the statement "it's a different experience entirely". I like that different experience.

People miss for a lot of reasons, even if they spend a lot of time at the range. Too many people spend their practice time with their weapon locked in that nice vise on that sturdy bench and don't realize that as soon as you take it out, your POI just changed. That also means they don't have enough practice holding on target. Couple that with haste, misjudged ranges, bulky clothes, cold fingers, lack of an actual bullseye on the animal etc. it's no surprise to me people miss.
 
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rt014 said:
I think it depends where you hunt as far as the experience goes. If you hunt where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a deer then yes it's harvesting. In the Adirondack wilderness where I hunt it doesn't matter what weapon you have in your hands....it's still hard hunting....you're lucky to even see a deer most days.
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Yeah excellent point. NJ deer deer everywhere and not any land with access to hunt. It was easy hunting here, even bow, I tended to ground stalk, but I lost my land access after I quit a job and haven't bothered hunting since.

The public lands here are so few that you pull up at 5am and the lot is full and you can see six deer stands from anywhere you set up. The last time I went, was on public land, I set up my climbing stand, could see four other guys and the guy two stands over lit up a smoke.....I stopped going as I didn't have any tags open for morons.
 
Bow definitely. Not only is more of a challenge IMO, but I live a suburban area where there is not enough acreage to permit firearm hunting.
 
if it came down to bring home the meat, whatever gets it done. by choice, i like my bow. it takes alot more skill and effort and for me that makes a succesful hunt very rewarding. the ten days before gun season and ten days after gun seasons ends is a nice reward aswell.
 
Firearms are obviously more efficient and are the way to go if you are only interested in putting meat in the freezer but I'm pretty much exclusively a longbow hunter now. I've taken deer, rabbits, squirrel and groundhogs with it so far and it's always more fun for me to hunt with.

Longbows are your buddies!

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Beckerhead #42
 
Bow. I started hunting when I was 13, and my dad and grandad hunted with rifles.

I have many good memories from hunts I've had while using a rifle, but hunting with a bow brings more satisfaction for me.

People that hunt with guns, will rarely experience being extremely close to animals, in my case, deer and elk. I've been 20 feet from animals ( I only ground hunt, no tree stands), and they didn't have a clue I was there.
It is an incredible experience to watch and listen to these animals when they are in their element.

Two seasons ago, I had 6 Mule Deer at 20-25 feet from me. I had cover behind a small clump of brush, and watched them for a couple minutes.
There were two smaller bucks in the group, but I really didn't have a clean shot. To be quite honest, I got so wrapped up in watching and listening to them, I really wasn't thinking about shooting.

I've learned as I get older, you can have a very successful and rewarding hunt, even if you don't get anything. When I know I'm close to elk and can hear them bugle, and can smell them, you can't put a price on that kind of experience.
There aren't really that many people that will be able to experience something that amazing in the outdoors.
Its nothing like watching it on t.v...

Bow hunting isn't for everyone though. It takes commitment, and patience to be successful. I still like firearms, and collected them for years, but imho there really isn't a lot of sport to hunting with a gun
 
Rifle.

Never learned to use anything else. Besides, I've never met the animal dumb enough to walk into bow range and stand there long enough for me to get it together and get it.
 
WA Martin said:
Rifle.

Never learned to use anything else. Besides, I've never met the animal dumb enough to walk into bow range and stand there long enough for me to get it together and get it.
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I have but they are disgustingly rare. Even then, half the time I manage not to perforate one with my arrow. Dang them all! :D


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Beckerhead #42
 
I prefer firearms.Why?Because I've never taken the time to be a proficient hunter with a bow.The only thing that I have against bowhunting is that too many people that do it don't take the time to develop their skills and that includes learning to track an injured animal,I've come across a lot of deer in our area over the years that have been wounded with an arrow and either died as a result of it and not found or been taken later in firearms season,after a good percentage of the meat is ruined from infection and gangreen.:grumpy:
 
Blue Sky said:
I would rather bowhunt and I agree with the statement "it's a different experience entirely". I like that different experience.

People miss for a lot of reasons, even if they spend a lot of time at the range. Too many people spend their practice time with their weapon locked in that nice vise on that sturdy bench and don't realize that as soon as you take it out, your POI just changed. That also means they don't have enough practice holding on target. Couple that with haste, misjudged ranges, bulky clothes, cold fingers, lack of an actual bullseye on the animal etc. it's no surprise to me people miss.
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You forgot the big one, "Buck Fever." :D


I like Rifle hunting. Bow takes a lot of time/dedication, that I don't have. Someday I'll pick it up,,, :)
 
I like both, most of the places I hunt are thick creek bottoms and you cant shoot much beyond 50 yards any way. With the bow I try to keep my shots under 30 yards.
Hope every one has a Merry Christmas.
Paul
 
Hunting with archery equipment taught me to pay attention to the small details.
The scent trail I leave, the wind's direction, my ambush location.
Being so close to the quarry watching, listening before the shot, has made me a better modern weapon hunter.
 
The guys who taught me to hunt (I never grew up with it, didn't even learn until my 20's) were from the deep south. The most valuable thing they taught me was pre-season stalking. Taking the time to observe movement patterns, seek out scrapes and rubs, watch feeding habits. All of this takes time and patience and a love for it all.

When I took care to put all that together, it made the hunt so much easier. I almost knew the schedule for particular deer.

I will note that I worked security, mobile, roving around the woods where I hunted, so I was in many ways paid to do all my stalking. I really miss that time spent poking about the woods now for sure.
 
beau5278 said:
I prefer firearms.Why?Because I've never taken the time to be a proficient hunter with a bow.The only thing that I have against bowhunting is that too many people that do it don't take the time to develop their skills and that includes learning to track an injured animal,I've come across a lot of deer in our area over the years that have been wounded with an arrow and either died as a result of it and not found or been taken later in firearms season,after a good percentage of the meat is ruined from infection and gangreen.:grumpy:
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Anymore I think that there are probably just as many rifle hunters that don't take the time to hone their shooting skills, as there are with a bow.

I've talked to quite a few rifle hunters that say they took a shot at an animal, but didn't think they hit it, so they don't even bother to take the time to make sure. There are a lot of spray and pray shooters.
The ethics that hunters had in the past, are almost a thing of the past...

Two seasons ago, my best friend made a shot with his bow on a small buck, and it was a bad hit, but he knew for sure he hit it.
So we waited a while, and started down into the canyon where the buck had ran. It was a very steep and very deep canyon...
It took us almost two hours to finally find it. We didn't have the horses with us, and couldn't get he quads down in there either, so we ended up packing out the buck.

When we got back to camp, we both felt very good about it. We were willing to spend as much time as we needed, to find the buck.

Neither of us could stand the thought of the buck suffering a slow death, or not being able to locate the animal, and having all the meat go to waste.
 
Your probably right,and over the years I've come across a few that died of gunshot wounds also.:grumpy:
 
depends on what I am hunting


paying for a big dollar sheep hunt Rifle


hunting in the woods of my house for whitetail Bow
 
I prefer firearms. I hunt with a single shot muzzleloader most of the time. But am graduating to a single shot centerfire rifle (falling block action) next season. I do not agree with the consensus that it takes more skill to hunt with a bow... I feel it takes just as much skill to hunt with a firearm than with a bow. Be it rifle, pistol, or shotgun, a firearm only increases quick kill efficiency. It takes just as much dedication to learning your firing positions, breath & trigger control, range and wind estimation. Sadly these things are rarely taught anymore. If it were up to me, I'd outlaw any repeating firearm for hunting. (save for your CCW carry) a single well placed shot should be all thats needed. take away the quick follow up shot and you force the sloppy hunter to be more picky and more sure of his shot... much like the bow hunters. That's my .02

Jason
 
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