Weather messing up my plans...
Mule Deer
Well I really wanted to get a good buck with my bow. I killed a really nice buck in WY with my rifle after 18 days of archery hunting. I really felt I could have killed with the bow, but was spending all my time working to get my wife a shot.
Now I have a 3rd season Colorado tag and all but 1 day of the 9 that I can hunt. I have dreams and visions of snow in the high country lots of migration and some rut activity.
As of right now there is no real migration, no rut and the heat is unreal. I sure hope the weather changes. I had seriously considered using my bow, but with the absolute worst condition in late fall I have seen, I am not sure I can stomach tag soup...
I know this is an archery site, but man I am not sure archery will get it done on a more crowded rifle hunt with out some weather or migration....
Anyone in the same boat? By the way I have already spent 34 days in the field for deer between scouting and hunting.
Tonight I am stuck at PT Conferences, and my wife of course took the kids and was really close to shooting her best buck yet... Then my 6 year old threw a fit.
I hear ya. I got permission the hunt a farm 2 weeks before the WI bow season began. I worked 1 week & the wife & I were out of state on vacation most of the other week. Stand got put up 2 days before opening day & I've sat in it once. Wind is perfect when I'm at work, blowing the wrong way on my days off. Sat home yesterday watching an inch of rain fall then strong winds from the south. 2 or 3 days look good next week while I use 5 days of vacation time....
To each his own, gun one down if that's what you want to do. No shame it that's for sure.
Me, I eat tag soup all the time but I'm never in the field without a longbow or recurve. All about the hunt for me.
Go and do what makes YOU happy.
I faced a similar dilemma last year during 4th rifle season. I hadn't rifle hunted for anything since 2000 and seriously considered using my bow but the season was only 5 days, and I hadn't killed an elk after passing a couple shots.
So I took the gun, and wouldn't you know it, had a buck walk up and start feeding at 15 yards.
Do whatever you want and don't worry about what anybody else might think. Life is too short. Heck, on another thread we have a self-righteous moralizer complaining about other people using BOWS he doesn't approve of...
Yeah. I was not so much looking for approval, but motivation. Your little story of a buck at 15 yards helps. I have been shooting and am good to 40 yards. I will have my bow with me in camp and might pack it if it feels like I have any chance at all. Right now we have been rifle hunting for my wife and it is not looking good at all...
Don't overthink it. As other guys said pick the weapon you want to hunt with. If it was me...without a doubt I'm taking my gun. You have nothing working for you. If you don't want to eat your tag, I consider this a no brainer. Hunting with a gun doesn't make you any less of a hunter.
Get out there and hunt man!
Keep the faith
Good luck, Robb
Just go hunting and kill yourself a great buck...then come back here and show us! I don't care if you kill it with a rifle or a rock. Just enjoy yourself and be safe!
I agree and understand! In AZ it can take 10-12 years to draw a good archery elk tag, if not longer... So I decided to put in for rifle bull, late season and I got drawn after 4 years! It's a good area with a high elk population but not big bulls 300-350 is a great bull for this area! I haven't hunted with a rifle in over 20 years, but I am doing it in November! Good luck and go get er done!
Scar.
To each his own. I prefer the bow but in the end It's about putting meat in the freezer for me
I saw a couple small bucks following does around yesterday, maybe they're starting to move a bit...
You play the hand you're dealt. Hot weather, sit water.
I took 16 year old ruger out and Despite the heat we got it done on a nice buck.
This past archery season I had about the opposite. Crazy fog and snow and amounts of rain. So much it was making the deer move down out of the high country. And this was the first part of the archery season. Wish I would have had this dryness!
Temps, amount of time and pressure can all change our perspective of what we want during a season or hunt. As many others have said - ask yourself what your objective is, and then do what gives you the greatest chance for achieving that objective.
I face similar questions as the season wears on and I'm using a longbow while seeing deer in range if only I had my compound. Sure as the world when I leave the longbow at home and hunt with the compound, I get a 10 yard broadside shot :-)
Do you want to kill a deer, or is the weapon you do it with more important? That's a question only you can answer.
--Mitch
