In the past when I don't fill my elk tag with my bow I would be done. I'm not much for rifle season. I usually start sitting in a tree and working on whitetails with my bow once gun season starts. Sometimes I'll keep hunting into gun season with my bow but it is a whole different ballgame then during archery and I've never had any luck with that endeavor. However, after a few years of having elk in freezer, the thought of not having that has got me thinking I may pull out the broomstick and keep going. Really will miss the meat. So the question is how many of you ONLY will hunt with your bow? How many of you make the change when given the opportunity? Most of my buddies think I'm crazy and just start hunting with a gun. Hope you guys have tags filled and don't have to worry about this!!!!
Fortunately, we're rarely out of meat. ;-)
If I were a resident and didn't punch a tag, I wouldn't feel guilty about grabbing a rifle and shooting the first elk I would see. As long as the regs say it is fine. It is your tag, do want you want with it.
And I'll be honest... if I'm watching what the hosts proclaim to be a "bowhunting show" on outdoor t.v. and see them switch to a gun because they can't get the job done, I turn it off. I'd rather see the episode end with the guy eating his tag.
I
I hear people say it is easy to kill with a rifle. It might be in open country. However, when you get in the timber and brush and try to kill a 140 lb whitetail that is moving, your conceived notions will take on new meanings. Sometimes quickly. It isn't bean field or western glassing. It is know your weapon, having the ability, and executing. If you foul up the slightest, your opportunity is GONE.
I've killed a lot of deer and a few other assorted big game. Probably more with a bow than with a gun. So, I have zero problems saying I'd look forward to it. But, I'm also a guy that hunts with a traditional bow but, finds himself drawn more and more back to the compound. I don't know why. I just want to kill stuff with a compound again for a while. I might be weird?
I do know this: Coming from a guy that shoots a lot of bullets from a lot of different guns: The average Joe doesn't shoot a rifle well enough to make the blanket statement that it is too easy. Bet on it because it is true. God Bless men
But we had rifles and still killed 2 of them.
But for filling a freezer I'm good with it. Freezer is still pretty full right now.... but wishing I had an issue with where to stack some elk steaks......
I took a .30-06 on my sheep hunt in the Brooks this August, and believe it or not... My skin didn't burn off midway through the hunt from my unforgivable sin.
I have said for many years the only tag I need is a Wyoming or Montana elk tag as you can hunt pretty much the whole fall with 1 of those tags.
I just came back from a Blizzard week of elk hunting in Wyoming-rifle/after spending 12 days in September-bow hunting. Plus I will be back up in Jackson Hole muzzy-hunting a Cow (2nd elk tag/Reduced Price Cow) in mid-December.
So Yes I use as much opportunity to hunt thru out the offered seasons.
Granted, I am only 3 1/2 hour drive--no doubt that plays a major factor for many others.
Good luck, Robb
It doesn't bother me if a guy switch-hits. I don't and most of my hunting partners don't. I've eaten many, many thousands of dollars in big game tags which I could have filled with a firearm. I simply am a bowhunter and switching to a firearm to keep hunting or to fill a tag doesn't enter my thoughts. That said, I'm not exclusive to the bow for ALL my hunting. I think turkeys and shotguns are like peas and carrots. I kill the occasional coyote with my very traditional walnut-stocked .223. I've got a custom .45/70 lever I simply LOVE to shoot, and some fine day I'm going to walk outside and (legally) kill a doe with it...retribution for chowing down on my expensive landscape.
I love to hunt, and to be out in the woods. This weekend will be my 10th weekend in a row that I will be hunting/scouting and my 4th state to chase big game.
If I am successful with a gun after archery, I like to give my friends that didnt get an animal some meat.
I consider it a win-win all the way around.
This will be a fine place to archery hunt in the future, and having been in there during rifle now gives us a leg up for archery elk season..
I think it's the same with anything if you consider yourself a purist and purposefully don't take part in other things you never know what you're missing. Enjoy life - you only get 1 go-round, and you never know when your time is up!
I was a rifle hunter for many years before I ever picked up a bow. I know what I'm missing, and I don't miss it a bit!
As noted a lot of western states issue tags specifically for archery, rifle, Or muzzleloader, in those cases you don't really have a choice. But if I drew an elk tag in WY that I had been waiting 10 years for and it wasn't an archery only tag I would bowhunt as much as I could and if not successful I would have no problem picking up a rifle and hunt rifle season because at my age I probably won't ever draw that unit again.
I once got to the stage where I thought I was bow only forever. I can't really remember why or how I got there, but I changed, and I'm not there anymore.
Now, I'm a guy that will pick up whatever weapon I want to, and it will depend on the day and the hunt. Some days I can feel good about bowhunting during rifle season and not having a shot at a big buck, and the next day I may take the rifle. . .
I haven't rifle hunted whitetails in a few years. I have done some late muzzleloader hunting though, and have enjoyed those hunts.
I used to think it cheapened my experience to use a rifle or muzzleloader. It doesn't, for me. I enjoy it. I still get a rush. I shot 7 animals this year in Africa with a rifle, and loved every single minute of it. Shot another 4 animals with a bow and loved every single minute of it. I'm just as proud of one as the other.
There are some posters on here that would say I'm not a true "bowhunter", as I will happily use a rifle at times. That used to bother me. It doesn't anymore. I don't really care what label someone wants to stick on me. A friend of mine labeled me a killer the other day, and it's probably the finest hunting-related complement anyone's ever given me.
Bake
I don't really understand that. First of all, you can bow hunt most rifle tags. You don't "have" to use a rifle. You choose to use a rifle. There are some ML hunts where you "have" to use a ML, but you also "have" to buy those tags to have them in your pocket. In most western states, those tags are in a draw so you didn't "have" to apply for it, you could have applied for an archery license. In most Western states, your seasons are one-and-done so if you have a ML tag in your pocket, yes, you "have" to use a ML, but you chose to hunt with a ML because you chose to pull that tag.
My last three bucks in California have been bow kills during rifle season. You don't hunt with a gun because you "have" to. You hunt with a gun because you want to.
I use a gun for the same reason a dog licks his nuts.
Because he can.
Where I live I can hunt with either, any day, 365 a year. Always rifle season, always bow season, no tags, no limits. Picking up the rifle never even enters my mind, I hunt with my bow.
Good to be out there, good to fill both tags and freezers. But shooting things with rifles.... they might as well be tin cans I'm tipping over..... no shaking legs, hyperventilating.... no rush..... that's what I'm out there for. I just happen to do it enough to get lucky, the freezer(s) are usually pretty full.
Right on! I want any excuse I can to be in the woods. In Wisconsin our long archery season gives me that but I also gun hunt deer and chase pheasant with my shotgun. I prefer my bow but also enjoy my gun because it gets me out with my boys and friends doing something I love. Love archery, but do not look down on those who use a gun also. Frankly, imo, anyone who spends $10K on an elk or moose hunt or $40K on a sheep or brown bear hunt is certifiable if they don't have a gun as a backup if they give it their all and it just won't happen with their bow. I enjoy your company and the fact that we all love bowhunting but I will still tip my cap at your success with a gun.
This year I only had a couple days to archery hunt elk here in Idaho, I did not fill the tag with my bow. I grabbed a rifle tag & filled it with a smaller 5 point OTC DIY, Solo. You do what you gotta do & so I did. I'm a happy camper! (grin) Good luck with your decision!
ElkNut1
With two weeks left in the season I switched to my rifle .....that I haven't used in a lot of years. I have no regrets and offer no apologies.
With possibly the only chance I'll ever have to hunt a big horn sheep I filled my tag with a beautiful ram. I can live with that decision to switch weapons and I guess that's the bottom-line.
Because he can."
I can, but I don't. Because I don't want to...hunt with a gun that is, not lick my own balls.
Perhaps when I said, "You don't hunt with a gun because you "have" to. You hunt with a gun because you want to," what I should have said was "...You hunt with a gun because you choose to." There was at least one poster who made it sound like it was a law or not an option to hunt with a bow, which is just not true in the majority of cases. I've done a lot of research on the game regs in all 50 states and apply/hunt in almost 1/2 of them. It's uncommon that you have to put down your bow for another weapon.
It may be much harder to fill your tag with a bow, but it's not only allowed, it's possible. Again, there are a few cases where you can't bow hunt during ML season, but there are very few cases where the only option was to ML hunt. If you have a ML tag in a one-and-done state and cannot use archery tackle during ML season, you chose to ML hunt instead of archery hunt by the tag you bought/applied for. If you have a deer tag in most states east of the Mississippi, you can bowhunt during ML and rifle.
I'm not trying to put down people who decide to pick up a rifle during rifle season. I'm just pointing out that it's a choice, not an imperative (usually). I get that people enjoy rifle hunting and that's great. But some on this thread and in the past on Bowsite make it sound like they were forced to put their bow down when that's just not the case.
I've killed a 6-8 deer with a bow during rifle season here in Oklahoma and several during other gun seasons as well but elk are another matter...grab your gun and have a fun and safe hunt my friend!
I don't believe bowhunting is the "holy way" to kill an animal.
I don't consider myself a purist....or an elitist.
I'm just a predator.
Limiting my big game hunting to archery equipment has forced me to become a better predator. I'm 55 years old and still learning. That's my drive.
I can't imagine laying down my bow in favor of a rifle. If I fail with the bow, I won't starve. Success with the bow yields great personal satisfaction. Each tag is another opportunity to experience that satisfaction. If I put in the effort, a tag in my pocket at season's end does not equal failure. It is the pursuit that matters most.
I have taken two decent deer during firearms season with a bow. However, I have lost many opportunities as they can definetly can see you better than with camo on. Have also hunted muzzle loader but haven't had success yet. Usually hunting with bow during that season too.. Again shots should be 45-50 yds with an old Hawken & muzzle ball. Nothing against the folks who gun hunt, they seem to have a lot of fun good camaradire too. They don't like me when I am at the local gas station heading home with one the night before their season opens ;)
My .50 cal T/C Encore is a Single Shot
My 7mag. T/C Pro Hunter is a Single Shot
No matter which I am using, I still have to make that 1 shot count., I like that aspect.
Good luck, Robb
I have a good friend who is a high powered rifle fanatic. His passion is hunting big game with those rifles and putting precise shots on animals. We celebrate his success afield with the same vigor as any bow kill so it really only comes down to whatever gives YOU the most satisfaction and enjoyment in the field.
I don't think you can associate wounding loss to weapon types - only to hunters. Generally speaking, wounding loss results from poor shot selection or unsuitable equipment (regardless of weapon). As such, it would be more appropriate to reframe the comment as wishing more guys who are prone to wounding animals with archery tackle would put down their bows and pick up rifles. That presupposes that hunter would make more sensible decisions using a rifle than a bow....
That's a good way to put it Matt. Unfortunately, I think an increasing number of bowhunters are seeing acceptable bullet placement as acceptable arrow placement which is far from true. A gut shot is bad regardless of weapon but some of the quartering to shots, which seem to have become increasingly popular, can be consistently very lethal with a rifle (with appropriate caliber) and very poor with a bow (regardless of equipment).
My only issue with this type of question (OP) is when guys are made to feel as though a kill with a rifle is somehow a less valuable experience or that a hunter should be apologetic about using a rifle.
Andy, I can only speak for myself, but my answer to that question is an emphatic "Yes". Like you, I used to love shooting my rifles. Reloaded my own handloads and shot over a thousand rounds a year. As I previously posted though, that all changed with the first shot I took with a bow. Up to that point, I'd killed a few elk, but they were all cows. My lifelong dream had been to kill a bull elk, and in my mind a bow provided two advantages...not only did I absolutely love to shoot it, I also felt it provided the best chance at fulfilling that lifelong dream.
The third morning of that first year, I called in a 5pt that was absolutely overloaded on hormones. Although my friend whiffed on the shot, it's an experience that will live with me till the day I die. I was hooked! What I saw and heard, up close and personal, is something 99.999% of rifle hunters will never experience. There's two things bowhunting elk provide for me that rifle hunting never did. One is the intimate in-your-face adrenalin rush that I get as that bull is screaming at me as he closes in on that other "bull" that dares challenge him. The other is the calling. I enjoy making elk think I'm one of them, to the point I get them within spitting distance. I love hearing the change of emotion in a bull's demeanor as he transitions from disinterest to raging anger. That right there gives me a deep sense of satisfaction more than anything else.
I love being in the elk woods as much, if not more so, than the next guy. I'm up there 6 weeks or so every year, both in season and out. As soon as I retire in a couple years, it'll be way more than that. I'll make up for that roughly 2 weeks I'm not there during rifle season. I don't know where this notion comes from that us "bow only" guys are somehow missing out on something. At least in my case, I'm not.
"Given what I have seen in terms of lost and wounded animals in the last few years, I wish more guys would put down their bows and pick up rifles."
Actually, what I wish is that more guys would be responsible enough to become proficient with their bows before they start flinging arrows at living, breathing animals. If they would learn their effective range, and limit their shots to within that range, the wounding losses you talk about would be reduced dramatically. In other words, the overwhelming number of wounding losses is a people problem, not a bow problem. A proficient bowhunter that limits their shots to their effective range, using adequate equipment, is just as lethal as any rifle hunter.
I know for me it's about how I earn the kill opportunity. I can only feel like I earned it by getting inside that range I consider very close...under 30 yards. This is me and not a judgment on anyone...so don't take it as one. I am not satisfied with a big game kill taken by bow or gun (at my hand) beyond very close range. Sure, I could do the same with a handgun or any gun but by that point it's not an issue...the bow gets the nod. If my bow broke on a hunt and someone handed me a gun I would use it but the kill would be just as close. 50 yards by rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader or modern bow...even recurve or longbow...would leave me personally unfulfilled. My bottom line is close range only, and that basically takes me out of a need or want for a gun. I like them and own several very good ones but they don't get a second glance or thought when I'm headed out on a hunt for big game.
And I don't spend time worrying about others or how they do things. I also reserve the right to change my mind tomorrow.... ;-)
I totally agree. Sometimes, I think an animal with a well placed arrow through the chest will go down faster than one shot similarly with a rifle.
I remember the video of Pat on his Mozambique Cape Buffalo hunt. I remember that his Buffalo was down in about 10 seconds and 70 yds. That same year, I watched a Montana rancher who decided to shoot a couple of old Texas Longhorns before the onset of winter. Two shooters, with a 300WSM and a 270WSM that were scoped and on tripods, shot these semi-wild Longhorns at ~100 yds. Because the rancher wanted the capes for mounting, they were not shooting for the heart, but farther back in the lung fields, and broadside. I watched each Longhorn suck-up a half dozen shots, and stand there for at least a couple of minutes before falling over. This was not the quick kill I saw Pat make with one arrow on a wild Cape Buffalo. All of my arrow shot, double lunged deer and elk have been down in about 10 seconds and 70-150 yds depending on whether they were running down hill or not.
Another question I have is if the maximum effective range of all forms of legal weapons was, oh, let's say 30 yards, so Rifle, ML, compound bow, trad bow, crossbow all could shoot only 30 yards, but accuracy and ease of use and proficiency was as they actually are, would a hunter still be thought of as a better hunter if he or she killed with a trad bow instead of a rifle?
Ethics have always played a huge part for me as to how I define a true hunter. Method of take is a little way down my list. A friend of mine, he is about 70 now, is truly one of the best hunters I have ever met. He is a phenomenal still hunter and he is just one of those guys that walks into a new area and within a day he knows where the animals are and what their patterns are. He just has great hunting sense. He also hunts exclusively with a rifle. In fact, he is one of the best shots I have ever seen with a rifle. I asked him one day why he doesn't bow hunt. He told me he always dreamed of bowhunting elk but no matter how much he practiced he just isn't good with a bow, so out of respect for the animal he was never going to launch an arrow at one. In his case, I would consider him a better hunter because he hunts with a rifle. Many would just lump him into the rifle hunter category. In other words, he isn't good enough to get close, but there is so much more to his story. I'm just saying to be careful about judging a hunter by the type of tool used.
Does anyone here flyfish? This feels like a familiar topic :)
"Actually, what I wish is that more guys would be responsible enough to become proficient with their bows before they start flinging arrows at living, breathing animals. If they would learn their effective range, and limit their shots to within that range, the wounding losses you talk about would be reduced dramatically. In other words, the overwhelming number of wounding losses is a people problem, not a bow problem. A proficient bowhunter that limits their shots to their effective range, using adequate equipment, is just as lethal as any rifle hunter."
Rob-You're speaking my language. I don't know what the answer to this is, but it seems to get worse every year. If I hear the phrase,"It was the only shot I had" used to justify taking a bad shot one more time, I don't know if I can be held responsible for my actions.
In the western game management plan we are sacrificing Opportunity for efficiency in a huge way
I think you are barking up the wrong tree. This conversation has been rehashed 100 times on this site and is a waste of bandwidth because many folks don't understand (or more likely won't admit) that the practical accuracy of a FITA recurve with sight, rest, and stab is greater than that of a barebow compound and obvious implication of that.
I keep repeating so nobody misinterprets me. I don't spend a minute worrying what you honorably do in the field. Your motivations are yours alone to understand. I stopped judging people. I don't think the guy who kills a huge deer at ten yards with a bow is somehow better than the guy who gives up and does it at 150 yards with a rifle. I don't because I would not enjoy the result. I need the maximum challenge of beating the animal at extremely close range.
AndyJ: I stopped subscribing to the stereotyped traditional bowhunting ideology a long time ago. I'm a bowhunter. My bow is a recurve or longbow. My arrows are wood or carbon. I kill very close or not at all. I could kill as close with any weapon. I like the weapon I shoot for its simplicity and fast handling. Most of my friends shoot similar gear and probably disagree with me when I say traditional guys are just using different weapons and think differently...but deserve no more credit for it than any other hunter.
Or perhaps archery seasons would cease to exist for lack of participation/support? Getting rid of compounds in archery season wouldn't get rid of muzzle loader and rifle seasons - nor would it alter the biological constraints that play into season timing/duration.
We are all hunters. Whether we switch to a gun, use only a bow, or strictly gun hunt. It is the hunting we share in common. Defied by the individual doing it. And, there are many reasons why we each do what we do.
God Bless
ElkNut1
Sorry I wholeheartedly disagree. Pounding crossbows down the throats of people who still use traditional equipment, compounds who draw, hold and release with their own strength and calling them archery equipment is a slap in the face to that long held tradition. When they can shoot full length shafts, 250-300 fps, 2 " groups at 100 yds just about right out of the box. Who are you kidding?? No one.
I have hunted with rifle, shotgun, muzzle loader and bow all in their respective seasons. There are damn good reasons why each have their own season. Don't throw cross bows universally into archery season just cause some lobbyist or salesmen tells you they are no different than any other archery equipment. That is BS as in BS.
The opportunity of an archer needing to get close to un-pressured game, so they can draw, hold and release an arrow is what defines bowhunter's for what they are. Folks who are willing to take on a challenge, (not firearms hunters turning into bowhunters). Nor should bowhunting be contaminated by such an easy "opportunity" to place a weapon in a season where it doesn't belong. If the bowhunting is better now than 40+ years ago when I started as youth, why is another "opportunity" weapon needed??
Maybe to eliminate arguments and hunter separation we should just go with a deer a day, 40-50 day season, any and all weapons allowed. Why not? Isn't that what fishing has become? No special seasons, no equipment restrictions, we can use a net, arrow, harpoon, snag, to take what we want and yet all band together as fishermen , right??? No wait , that would screw up a traditional fly fisherman's desires to stop the netting of the trout stream, wouldn't it?? Stupid purist or elitist... something traditional archers are also called.
You don't throw one group of hunters (e.g. archers) under the bus to provide some sense of hunter unity (x-guns, crossbows, airbows, etc. in archery seasons). I prefer to bowhunt, always have, and would prefer to bowhunt in an archery season with other bowhunters, not any weapon goes, so there is enough "opportunity" for everyone.
If game is managed correctly there will be enough "opportunity" for everyone in the respective weaponry season that relies on boundaries and rules. Yeah we all hunt but many of use realize why there are separations of seasons that make good sense from a game management , social and religious standpoint.
It's hunting. Its what you make of it. Do what you like and do it ethically, legally, and with respect for the animal, no matter what weapon you choose.
ElkNut1
Yes and no. How's that for taking a stand? LOL!
The bow is my weapon of choice for big game and has been for a quarter century. Prior to that, I was a multi-weapon deer hunter. I still use a shotgun from time to time for turkeys or rabbits and a .22 rifle if I want to put a couple squirrels in the skillet.
I don't allow my weapon of choice to limit time in the field. In my home state of Indiana, bowhunters can hunt both the firearms and ML seasons. Admittedly, I don't much care to participate in general firearms season....so I tend to seek out alternate opportunities. This year, for instance, I will be bowhunting Iowa during Indiana's general firearm season. I will bowhunt during our ML season in December.
This old saying may be cliche'....but it is 100% accurate: "Where there's a will, there's a way."
HUNT- Send my congrats to Roger, that is a cool bull!!
Jaq- I love hearing about when guys like yourself who have killed a lot of animals, still get excited at the shot and maybe even have a melt down. Not that I want you guys to miss! It's just good to know that it's possible that feeling won't go away even after some success. That moment is what it's all about.
I have been a "bowhunter" since about age 10, haven't gun hunted much at all, so I guess I don't have the religious attachment to the bow vs. the vilification of the gun like some others. To me, the bow is just a tool, whether longbow, recurve, or compound. I've been successful with all three. Some longbow guys feel the same about compound guys as some compound guys feel about rifle hunters. Many rifle hunters hate us all. This is idiotic.
As I've posted before, some of the most vehement bow-only guys I know are former gun hunters. Some of the most vehement anti-liquor zealots are former alcoholics.
I've admittedly shot deer with a rifle that I wished I would have had a bow in my hands the way it played out. I think bow hunting is most of our first passion but I'm also going to choose the appropriate weapon at the given time, place and given the amount of hunting I have left in order to fill my tag.
Elk herd biologists dont rely on bowhunters for herd management, its the rifle season that keeps the quotas and balances in check [sorry bowhunters].
If it wasnt for gun hunters [deer hunting included] the wildlife managers would find other ways to keep the quotas and balances in check, because the archery hunters arent much of an impact - a factor? Yes. But not like the gun seasons are.
For example, NOBODY hunts public land pronghorns with a bow during rifle season, even though extra tags are available. Virtually nobody hunts public land elk with a bow during rifle season, even though many of us can continue the hunt after archery season ends in one form or another )unfilled tag, extra antlerless tag, etc..)
But I can sure see sitting up in a tree with a bow during whitetail rifle season because the treestands are most likely set up for close shots anyway, and most hunt private land in the east and midwest. And some folks go bowhunting in different states for different things if they have the time and money rather than trying to bowhunt during rifle season closer to home.
Whatever floats your boat. Its small potatoes in big stew of life.
How is it that so many self-proclaimed "bow only" hunters will eagerly take the shotgun to the field for pheasants, ducks, etc., when archery is a perfectly legal method? (Don't talk about practicality, safety, whatever, because bow only is BOW ONLY..) When I ask the question to some of my archery elitist friends, they talk all around the question and make excuses without offering a lucid answer.
I really don't care about labels. It's your experience, make it what you want it to be.
I theoretically could spend more days afield carrying my bow. In all honesty, come November I'd much rather be carrying my 16 gauge behind my Wirehair Pointer.
I'm not going to judge you are put a label on you, so long as what you do is legal and adheres to the spirit of fair chase.
The only thing I've ever had to hunt with a firearm has been people (job).....and for the record, my fiend, I've arrowed ducks, geese, pheasants, and quail with a bow and I've also hunted several general seasons (rifle deer & bear) with my bow. Nothing against anyone that chooses additional weapons......I say, good for them and don't worry what others think. But that is NOT what the original question was. It seems that perhaps some folks have an inferiority complex, as it's beginning to show here.
The "elitists" I was referencing are guys who profess to be bow only but then justify hunting with a shotgun instead of a bow, while at the same time denigrating others for their weapon choice, as Kevin notes. I nearly lost a long time good friend, a longbow hunter who NEVER kills anything, when I bought a compound just to see what it was like to shoot one. It was a very ugly, protracted confrontation and there is still a little chill between us. Yet he is quick to grab a shotgun and go bird hunting. That sort of double standard strikes me as hypocritical.
The OP basically asked how many would settle for an empty freezer after unsuccessful elk bowhunting, vs. going meat hunting for elk with a gun during firearm season. I think that's an honest question, and he clarified that it applied to elk.
Personally, I'm a bowhunter first, always have been, but we also love elk. I don't get one every year with a bow, sometimes from my own greed in passing some up. We can buy a second cow tag in other units for rifle season. Trying to kill a cow on heavily-hunted public land during a 5 day hunt with a gun is a tough proposition, often more difficult than bowhunting them during the rut when there are way fewer hunters in the woods and we have bugles to locate them. Three times I've killed cow elk with a rifle after an unsuccessful bowhunt, and that meat was as sweet as any I've ever eaten. I was thrilled to walk up to that fat cow, irrespective of weapon.
So what the OP asked was basically, "Would you live with an empty freezer because of some moral high ground you've staked, or would you pick up a gun during gun season and hunt for elk meat that you and your family love, which is perfectly legal and ethical?"
That's a good question. I'll be curious what some answers are. I dislike assholes, regardless of their weapon choice.
You are going to see big shifts in all things "hunting" during your lifetime. These weapons arguments are going to seem pretty silly.
"With all due respect to the bow only guys, is the quality of your hunt based solely on the type of tool you use?"
Mutually exclusive? I don't like the question and don't really know how to answer it.
"...but with threads like this I am always curious if the bow only guys are bow only because they love bow hunting or dislike rifle hunting."
Does any hunter really "dislike" rifle hunting? It holds no draw to me and that's what I'm reading from the other guys on the thread that are bow-only. That's not "dislike."
FWIW, I've been along on a hand full of other's rifle hunts. It's not the same for me because "the chase" is paramount to me in my hunting and it (the chase) seems to end too quickly (besides being abnoxiously loud for such a quiet animal). Additionally, I really enjoy archery. And finally, I don't like the idea of using a weapon that negates the critter's senses (not absolutely, but to an extent). I just don't want the advantage to that far out or else it becomes something other than what hunting is to me.
I would encourage folks who assume that bow-only guys are a bunch of elitists to step back and reconsider. Everyone has their own reasons for doing what they do. I also don't assume that everyone who gives up on the bow and goes to a rifle does so because they 1) suck at bowhunting, 2) only care about the trophy/kill, 3) are quitters, or list any of the other things that people have said in the past. I honestly believe there are more people that are hypersensitive to elitists than there are actual elitists.
If you get your panties in a bundle over something someone else says, or much more so: thinks... perhaps you should ask yourself why you're offended or up in arms?
To the OPs question, we can presume you'd rather not eat elk meat for a season than to kill one with a gun if it came to that. Your choice and your business. Putting it another way, let's say your freezer is empty and you have five days to hunt on public land during an any weapon season. You choose the bow and accept the consequences of your choice. That's not elitist. (A Native American might say it's dumb, but that's a different topic..).
I'm a serious fly fisherman of 52 years now. I know guys who won't fish with a weighted nymph and openly insult nymph fishermen as being glorified bait fishermen. Those guys are "elitists" in my book.
The LW is crawling with elitists. That's part of the reason why I dislike many self-proclaimed "traditional bowhunters", even though I've killed a lot of big animals with traditional bows. I think elitism is a psychological disorder related to deep insecurity, rather than a specific behavior.
Buncha nymphomaniacs Lou!
I fly fish with 30 year old Orvis Bamboo fly rod using my hand tied flies. If your using a graphite rod your not really fly fishing.lol
"However, after a few years of having elk in freezer, the thought of not having that has got me thinking I may pull out the broomstick and keep going. Really will miss the meat. So the question is how many of you ONLY will hunt with your bow?"
This also illustrates one of many reasons a person might switch weapons. Wild game meat is superb and acquiring it is Goal 1 for a lot of hunters. When you want delicious fare on the table for friends and family...well...how you legally get it is less important than just getting it. The folks we think of as elitists tend to be very weapon/technique oriented and judgmental of others' weapons/techniques. There are elitists in every sporting endeavor...but that's really more their problem than anyone's.
A guy who is exclusively bow (or fly rod, or 28 gauge, etc) may be doing it simply because of the challenge and his preference...could even be a need...to be challenged. For some guys this is more essential than anything...even antlers or meat. That's why I personally haven't switched weapons to fill a tag ever. I'm not telling you it won't ever happen. I am telling you it would most likely be for practical reasons (meat) and have that for a reward, but my hunting satisfaction would be tempered (a lot) by killing a big game animal at longer range. So far I haven't wanted meat badly enough to switch weapons.
I grew up pretty well rounded. Rifles, shotguns, rimfires, bows, fly rods, spinners, bait casters, reloaders, clay birds, tents, pickup campers, steel traps, snares, canoes, bass boat, beagles and bird dogs...we did a lot of stuff. I experienced a huge variety of opportunities afield. I credit that with giving me a broad perspective on the outdoor sporting opportunities I enjoy today. Some people never got that much and I suppose it may figure into how they view things now.
First off where I live Elk hunting is not something we get to do very easily. I do know some guys who go out west every year. I have been once but I can't afford to do it every year like they can.
To be able to hunt in my home state a person has to get drawn. A bull tag is a once in a lifetime draw. Of those lucky enough to get drawn very few choose to hunt with a bow. I have yet to get drawn.
All that aside I continue to study where the Elk live. I've spent some time in the areas and I've actually made some plans should I ever get drawn. I know what season I want, where I want to go, and how I will get there.
Someday my number will be up. And when it happens, once in a lifetime or not, I WILL be hunting with my "compound" bow! Will I be disappointed if I don't get one? Sure I will. But either way, I will treasure the experience the rest of my life.
I'm also a Detroit Lions fan. I am used to disappointment :)
I know no matter what happens I'm going to enjoy the heck out of the experience. The experience will be the memory I carry with me the rest of my life regardless of whether I get to eat some backstraps or hang some antlers on my wall. And if I do get one with my bow it will just simply be the most awesome thing in the entire world! I wouldn't feel the same if I killed it with a gun. In fact I wouldn't even consider it.
BTW I thought hunting was supposed to be our wind-down time? A time we could get out and enjoy the woods and maybe harvest something?
The last time I checked there wasn't a weapons police who writes tickets if you break some imaginary code.
Do what makes you happy. You aren't better or worse if you only bow hunt. That's like saying someone who only eats vanilla ice cream is better than those who eat 31 flavors.
It may be different for those living in elk states but I want to use every opportunity to hunt them just to learn more about the animals and the country I hunt them in. If I lived closer and could scout more I might feel differently but I doubt it.
