only post

[grit]

GG,
I only posted to prod you a little. Bowhunting and long range rifle hunting are vastly different, and very much the same. Honestly though, why cheat yourself out of another way to experience it?

As far as it not deserving its own season, I dissagree. It would be bloody impossible to bowhunt with all the rifle hunters afield too. One of the nicest aspects of bowhunting is the fewer people afield. However, there are definetly enough bowhunters out to make it difficult.

As for damage, arrows are absolutely devastating. No, they don't fall right there (unless you shoot one in the spine). But fifty yards is typical. A heart punctured by a broadhead is truly destroyed.

No noise, Yeah!

Let an elk go at sixty? Sixty is no problem!

About the hunters uniting, Amen!! I am often amazed at the ridiculous factions. Amazes me how a fellow can decide to do something one way based on his personal experience than look down his nose at anybody who chooses a different way.

Unbelievable! Divisions among divisions.... Ridiculous!

 

[goodgrouper]

[ QUOTE ]
I only posted to prod you a little.

[/ QUOTE ] Yes, it's all good. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[ QUOTE ]
Honestly though, why cheat yourself out of another way to experience it?


[/ QUOTE ]
I'm not cheating myself out of another experience. I can get as close as I want with a rifle in my hands. Had the same "breath blowing down my back" experience a few years ago and couldn't whirl around quick enough with the gun in my hands so I just let the elk breath down my neck.
And besides, if I got all equipped up for archery, then all my expensive guns would have to stay home! Then I'd be paying double to experience the same thing. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif


[ QUOTE ]
As far as it not deserving its own season, I dissagree. It would be bloody impossible to bowhunt with all the rifle hunters afield too

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, that would be the result of choosing an inferior weapon now wouldn't it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Seriously though, I would love to have a handgun only hunt too. But the easiest way would be just to throw us all into one hunt and we choose what we want to hunt with.


[ QUOTE ]
As for damage, arrows are absolutely devastating.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, but they won't break both shoulder blades of a bull elk at 1300 yards! Now that's what I call devestation!



[ QUOTE ]
Let an elk go at sixty? Sixty is no problem!



[/ QUOTE ]

What about 70? That is considered LRH for bows by most guys I think. You'd probably get an ethics debate going over it whether you could do it or not. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Wildcatter]

Funny thing about deer season here in NY is that I have more opportunity during bowseason than gun season because every idiot comes out of the workwork blasting away at anything with four legs and a white tail. I even try to buy blue toilet paper!

Kind of a catch 22. You see some great bucks during bow season that just hunker down when the guns start blazing. There are many times during bow season that I wish I had a rifle or even a shotgun! But overall, bowseason is the better opportunity for a wallhanger in my area.

Funny thing last year though, a lot of guys were hunting the property next to me the first couple of days of rifle season and drove deer right onto my property.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

We'll stay off the ethics thing since we said we would. The facts show that archers, with their own season are not very successfull. A much smaller % of archers harvest animals than any other group of hunters. Even w/ a "prefered season". I love the tuning of equipment, rifle of bow. It's all the same, I want to be as proficiant with anything I hunt w/ as possible. Let's all agree that no one gains anything when someone else loses an oportunity to hunt. The only way our grandchildren will enjoy what we enjoy is if we "all" work together to increase the oportunities to go afield. We are the true conservationist. Lets take care of the creation that God gave us, and keep each others backs.
Steve, Shoot straight.

 

[grit]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not cheating myself out of another experience. I can get as close as I want with a rifle in my hands. Had the same "breath blowing down my back" experience a few years ago and couldn't whirl around quick enough with the gun in my hands so I just let the elk breath down my neck.
And besides, if I got all equipped up for archery, then all my expensive guns would have to stay home! Then I'd be paying double to experience the same thing.



[/ QUOTE ]
Well... You can sure experience the same thing with other weapons in your hands. But, this is not a once in a while thing. This is every animal. Really, it's the whole experience. Nice weather, few people, undisturbed game... There are other advantages too. A huge extended season is a big one. I start hunting in August. I like to take the horses way in on the bowhunt. No people! I hunt with my handgun and blackpowder as well. I like bowhunting the best though. I find it more exciting. Thank god not everybody does.

I love my rifles, bows, handguns... You don't ever hunt with one without thinking about what you could do with another. From a time and money standpoint, one obsession is surely enough! You are certainly doing more with this one than I do with any one of mine. I enjoy the variety. The different skills necessary.

[ QUOTE ]
Well, that would be the result of choosing an inferior weapon now wouldn't it? Seriously though, I would love to have a handgun only hunt too. But the easiest way would be just to throw us all into one hunt and we choose what we want to hunt with.

[/ QUOTE ]

No. Imagine if we said everybody who wants to rock climb in A.F. canyon only has these nine days to do it. There are just too many people. And we'd have to make the bowhunters, black powder guys, and handgunners wear orange... I would love to see a handgun season too. Don't know when they'd fit that in the mess too though.

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Yeah, but they won't break both shoulder blades of a bull elk at 1300 yards! Now that's what I call devestation!

[/ QUOTE ]

No argument from me! Rifles, especially some of yours, are truly awesome!

[ QUOTE ]
What about 70? That is considered LRH for bows by most guys I think. You'd probably get an ethics debate going over it whether you could do it or not.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know. As far as a target, I am 100% confident at seventy and further. My furthest bow kill is 74.5 yards. It's just like the debates on here. Some say 500, some 600....

Some of us keep pushing. Soon we find yesterdays limits far behind. And, we do things others say are impossible, unethical, dangerous... Some say it can't / shouldn't be done. Some learn how, and do it. Not disregarding the limits, but with a greater understanding of them. Better skills, better equiptment, more judgement.

Back to factions among factions. I'm **** sure you have the experience, skills, and equiptment to do much more than I can with a rifle. But, I sure as hell don't question what you do because I can't do it (yet).

Now, there is a whole batch of folks running around trying things they heard about. Folks who don't invest in equiptment and skill. Folks who don't excercise the self discipline and judgement we all should with a weapon in our hands. Seems most the examples I hear about folks shouldn't do this because... offer nothing more than an example of an idiot doing something to let other folks know he's an idiot.

Anyway, this is the way it ought to be. Friendly exchange of ideas. Nice talkin' to ya. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[grit]

Steve,
Good points. Amen.

Wildcat,
While I don't want to begrudge anyone an opportunity to do what they love. I can't help but dislike the crowds. Bowhunting is an enormous step towards fewer people and a far more intimate experience with wildlife. You see a lot more game doing a lot more of thier natural thing. I love it.

 

[goodgrouper]

Thanks for the kind words grit. I see your points. Hunting in August would be great, but then I would have to cut the rockchuck season short by a whole month and I just don't think I could do that!

Believe it or not, I started shooting and enjoying archery long before guns came into the picture. Tried to get my archery merit badge first thing. But back in that era, a left handed bow was unheard of and if there was one, is sure wasn't going to be loaned to a boyscout. So I tried to learn right handed and it wasn't going to happen. I took more skin off my left elbow than I could handle. When someone finally let me shoot a left handed bow, I was pretty good, but by then guns had my attention and have kept it ever since.

 

[grit]

GG,
I'd love to hunt rockchucks. Sad to say I've only stopped to shoot a few on my way to somewhere else. We'll have to talk about it.

Oh yeah, scouts were great! Had a lot of great shooting / outdoor experiences too.

 

[Roll-Yur-Own]

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Bowhunting is an enormous step towards fewer people and a far more intimate experience with wildlife. You see a lot more game doing a lot more of thier natural thing. I love it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Right On!

Another thing I noticed is that I come across more wounded animals during gun season that bow season. Opening day of firearm season is full of those let' em' fly guys.

 

[Ol'Gator]

Target shooting, hunting and reloading is my passion. Bowhunting, target/3D shooting is my greater passion. I'd hate to have to choose if I could do only one. Taking a mature bull elk or whitetail at 30 yards with a bow has no comparison. But then that just me and how I see it. This, in no way diminishes the level of enjoyment the times I lay down the bow for a firearm.

 

[Roll-Yur-Own]

If I could only have one weapon to hunt with it would be my Turkey Shotgun.

Nothing is better than spring turkey.

 

[royinidaho]

Bowhunting? It's fun and I found one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Now whatdayado with it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[Ol'Gator]

Obviously a fenced-in hunt. You should be ashamed. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Cruizin]

This is the experience that hooked me for life. It was in September and the general archery season came to an end. The extended season was open in the Wasatch though so before work I would hike up Millcreek and pull out the spotting scope. One day I saw some bucks on the top of a mountain. They were about 2 miles away so I couldn't really determine how big they were. The next day was Saturday. I woke up about 3 or 4 in the morning and drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon. I hiked in about 4 miles in a little over an hour and was at the top of the mountain as it was starting to get light. This was my first bowhunting season by the way. I was walking up the ridge and peaking over it about every 50 yrds or so trying to find these bucks that were on the other side the morning before. Then I see antlers sticking above the sage brush. Nice velvet antlers at that. This was the closest I had been to a deer while hunting. I see more antlers and they are moving towards me. Then I see the bodies of multiple bucks and I then realize they are going to pass right in front of me. I get set up for a 35 yard shot uphill at a 35° angle. As the deer are getting closer I see what I thought was an elk behind them all. He was much bigger and his antlers were black with white tips. I was caught out in the open and the buck in front is now looking right at me and all the deer are pilling up behind him. I drew back as the buck in front jumped out and started running. I decided to shoot. I miss.... Then the big boy shows up and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. At this point I finally realized it wasn't an elk. It had droppers and 7 or 8 points on each side. It must have been 30" wide or wider since it stuck out way past its ears on both sides. While fumbling for an another arrow he jumps out and just looks at me while standing broad side. I drew back and he turns and starts walking up hill. He stops and turns slightly towared me and takes another look, and gave me a shot that I would take now but at the time I didn't dare. It was a shot through the paunch as he was quarting away at a steep angle. I watched him walk up the hill and when he got to the top he turned around and snorted at me then disappeared forever. I looked and looked for him but never found him. After that experience I told myself that if I ever had an oportunity like that again I wasn't going to screw it up. We will see though.