Archery in a rifle dominated hunting world

[Deleted member 28227]

I find the purity of hunting with a stick and string to what pleases my soul the most

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Thats why I prefer traditional. I enjoy most of all the DIY traditional hunter videos most with the guys that are ecstatic about the little whitetail doe they just smoked at 15 yards.

I enjoy @ElkFever2 doe tales as much or more than most of the elk stories.

 

[JimQ]

I've never been to a princess play date before so cannot speak to its purity

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I've never been to a princess play date before so cannot speak to its purity

What are your thoughts on worms, fishing, and red hill bros coffee cans?

 

[geetar]

As entertaining as this story is, stuff like this probably is the reason archery is on the rise and rifle hunting going down in numbers as @wllm mentioned.

 

[DouglasR]

Exact opposite for me... archery in a lot of CO units is up as much as 800%, some units are now 70% NR. Meanwhile rifle hunting is down.

Every bro from Utah to Florida wants to fling arrows at elk from 80 yards and then talk about how hard their dry/warm September hunt was, and post cute little photos of their hot tent.

I have a longbow, it's a blast to shoot, have zero desire to be in the woods with Chad and Dylan bugling off of every ridge.

MA same thing... dudes everywhere in tree saddles during archery, not a person in the woods during muzzy season.

Seems like a lot of us want to go against the grain, so net net it's the same thing method IMHO doesn't matter, but I think for millennials it's 80/20 bow to rifle.

You should otc archery next year.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

You should otc archery next year.

 

[DouglasR]

Have you ever gotten it done on an elk with a bow before?

 

[MTLabrador]

You should otc archery next year.

You should try looking for a bull with a rifle in November if you want a suffer fest…

 

[DouglasR]

You should try looking for a bull with a rifle in November if you want a suffer fest…

I just feel like Colorado otc archery is an iconic hunt and it surprises me that he wouldn’t want that test.

 

[TOGIE]

I just feel like Colorado otc archery is an ̶i̶c̶o̶n̶i̶c̶ ironic hunt and it surprises me that he wouldn’t want that ̶t̶e̶s̶t̶ guff.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Bow, Rifle, Muzzleloader - don't really care which as long as they are in a season that fits my schedule and you can use them on a tag that interests me.

If'n i had to choose between the 'gram archery all stars in sept and rubes flock shooting elk with rifles in firearm season - well that's a tough choice but the flock shooters are probably easier to avoid than the Eric Chessers and Doug Fluties.

 

[DouglasR]

There’s the sheep slam, there’s the grand slam, there’s the Colorado otc archery elk.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I just feel like Colorado otc archery is an iconic hunt and it surprises me that he wouldn’t want that test.

I've hunted elk in every season in CO. Didn't get one that trip (first pic), called one in for a buddy the next year. 15 yards from the shooter in the aspens, did the whole cow party thing bull came close enough that I could have smacked it on the ass, buddy took the shot when the bull was about 3 yards in front of me... pretty cool watching the arrow hit, and then seeing the animal pile up 100 feet away. Definitely one I will remember forever.




Went back to the same unit during rifle season and got a bull, totally different experience. All spot and stalk bulls wouldn't budge or talk, shot this one through brush and didn't find him that night. Next morning tracked him down to the river and saw him wounded walking down to private.


Did the muzzy thing the next year...



then did some late season hunting...


But no I haven't killed an elk in archery season, though only season I haven't been able to fill my tag or help someone fill theirs was second season.

I'm method of take agnostic it's all interesting... but archery has gotten to be a chit show.

 

[RyGuy]

i have at least 7-8 close friends that hunt in colorado, i'd say the majority of them think bow hunting is the way to go. they also almost all have emptry freezers year over year. "but dude i had such rad encounters, it was so cool" that's just the consolation phrase for going on like 8 years of not shooting an elk with your bow. to each their own tho.

anybody want to buy an unshot left handed bear cruzer g2? i'll inflation adjust too so i can even profit

with some archery bros it seems like they genuinely don’t want to deal with the meat. Packing it, processing it, freezing it, EATING it! Too much work.
They’d rather get close and have lots of “cool experiences”.
Don’t get me wrong, I love hunting and getting close and all of the “experiential” things. But I’m also trying to fill my freezer at the end of the day

 

[rjthehunter]

I find myself straying further from gun hunting every day. Our rifle season for deer starts next weekend. I'm going to take most of the week off next week to try and find a buck with my bow. I realized after I shot my buck a couple years ago with a rifle; that it's too easy. If I can see the deer, I can kill it around here. Anyone can kill a deer with a rifle. If you can hit a target with a rifle, you can get lucky and shoot a trophy. It's so much more of a challenge to harvest a mature buck with a bow and arrow.

With a rifle, I can shoot through brush, branches, long range, across ridges, through swamps it's just easy.

To be successful with a bow, there has to be a clear path to the animal. Within 40-50 yards, no brush or any obstacles can be in the way. Maybe it's because it gives me more of an up close personal interaction with the deer before the shot. There's a lot more to hunting than killing the animal. The challenge and story is what makes the trophy.

Years ago, I had always felt like you couldn't be that serious about hunting if you didn't bow hunt also. I think the whole thing is linked to the urge to hunt dangerous animals like cape buffalo or brown bears. Something about knowing your success isn't guaranteed with a bow relates in a sense to knowing your life isn't guaranteed when chasing dangerous game.

I just enjoy bowhunting so much more than rifle.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

with some archery bros it seems like they genuinely don’t want to deal with the meat. Packing it, processing it, freezing it, EATING it! Too much work.
They’d rather get close and have lots of “cool experiences”.

Honestly how I feel about MN whitetails most of the time unless its a pretty damn good buck (which I never see). There is always elk in our freezer and I'd just as soon do something else than process a deer even though they are almost always retrievable with an ATV!

 

[TOGIE]

with some archery bros it seems like they genuinely don’t want to deal with the meat. Packing it, processing it, freezing it, EATING it! Too much work.
They’d rather get close and have lots of “cool experiences”.
Don’t get me wrong, I love hunting and getting close and all of the “experiential” things. But I’m also trying to fill my freezer at the end of the day

it's astounding. i actually don't know anyone personally that is actually all that interested in the meat much beyond having to take it. i mean they say they are, and the eat the backstraps wrapped in bacon. ultimately just sits in the freezer, or they make jerky out all of it to "get rid of the gaminess." when you really think about it, hunting is kinda of an abominable sport when you think about how few people actually eat the stuff through and through.

i'm not fully supportive of most my hunting friends being hunters frankly.

 

[DouglasR]

I find myself straying further from gun hunting every day. Our rifle season for deer starts next weekend. I'm going to take most of the week off next week to try and find a buck with my bow. I realized after I shot my buck a couple years ago with a rifle; that it's too easy. If I can see the deer, I can kill it around here. Anyone can kill a deer with a rifle. If you can hit a target with a rifle, you can get lucky and shoot a trophy. It's so much more of a challenge to harvest a mature buck with a bow and arrow.

With a rifle, I can shoot through brush, branches, long range, across ridges, through swamps it's just easy.

To be successful with a bow, there has to be a clear path to the animal. Within 40-50 yards, no brush or any obstacles can be in the way. Maybe it's because it gives me more of an up close personal interaction with the deer before the shot. There's a lot more to hunting than killing the animal. The challenge and story is what makes the trophy.

Years ago, I had always felt like you couldn't be that serious about hunting if you didn't bow hunt also. I think the whole thing is linked to the urge to hunt dangerous animals like cape buffalo or brown bears. Something about knowing your success isn't guaranteed with a bow relates in a sense to knowing your life isn't guaranteed when chasing dangerous game.

I just enjoy bowhunting so much more than rifle.

Exactly.

Another thing I like about archery hunting is that as a soloist who doesn’t carry a sidearm it really opens me up to a sense of vulnerability to the wild that most have not felt.
Truly what it must have been like to be a primal man with no modern technology to protect you.
In a rifle hunt you’re always armed and it’s just not the same.

 

[TOGIE]

I find myself straying further from gun hunting every day. Our rifle season for deer starts next weekend. I'm going to take most of the week off next week to try and find a buck with my bow. I realized after I shot my buck a couple years ago with a rifle; that it's too easy. If I can see the deer, I can kill it around here. Anyone can kill a deer with a rifle. If you can hit a target with a rifle, you can get lucky and shoot a trophy. It's so much more of a challenge to harvest a mature buck with a bow and arrow.

With a rifle, I can shoot through brush, branches, long range, across ridges, through swamps it's just easy.

To be successful with a bow, there has to be a clear path to the animal. Within 40-50 yards, no brush or any obstacles can be in the way. Maybe it's because it gives me more of an up close personal interaction with the deer before the shot. There's a lot more to hunting than killing the animal. The challenge and story is what makes the trophy.

Years ago, I had always felt like you couldn't be that serious about hunting if you didn't bow hunt also. I think the whole thing is linked to the urge to hunt dangerous animals like cape buffalo or brown bears. Something about knowing your success isn't guaranteed with a bow relates in a sense to knowing your life isn't guaranteed when chasing dangerous game.

I just enjoy bowhunting so much more than rifle.

sounds like midwest archery is still easier than western rifle then?