Archery in a rifle dominated hunting world

[rjthehunter]

I think your brain’s got a thick candy shell

 

[JimQ]

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

I'm originally from Missouri and grew up fishing for catfish, crappie and bluegill. I have sent many worms to their watery grave, spent many an evening after a hard rain collecting nightcrawlers in a coffee can and enjoyed every second of it.

 

[JimQ]

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.

I have never thrown a single piece of venison or elk away because it went bad in the freezer. I personally would rather eat it then a steroid saturated beef.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

And now our discussion pertaining to method of take regresses to name calling.
This isn’t the hero we deserve.

 

[Irrelevant]

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.

What exactly are you afraid of in CO? Hippies? Thunderstorms? I mean other hunters are probably your legitimate biggest risk.

I mean there are SOO many things that place a person in a more vulnerable position than hunting the fourth most populous western state during an early season archery elk hunt, that I can't believe someone actually said it, even a midwesterner like yourself Doug.

I mean go for a hike across the Bob (@Straight Arrow), backpack the Winds (me), death march the Frank (@JLS), Sheep hunt the Beartooths (@MTGomer), summit something in the winter (@GrantK), hell try sleeping in a tent in grizz country while covered in elk blood (too numerous to list). I know I damn sure didn't have a gun when I solo-ed the Winds, I didn't have a bow or bear spray, I might have had a pocket knife... might.

 

[JimQ]

What exactly are you afraid of in CO? Hippies? Thunderstorms? I mean other hunters are probably you legitimate biggest risk.

I mean there are SOO many things that place a person in a more vulnerable position than hunting the fourth most populous western state during an early season archery elk hunt, that I can't believe someone actually said it, even a midwesterner like yourself Doug.

I mean go for a hike across the Bob (@Straight Arrow), backpack the Winds (me), death march the Frank (@JLS), Sheep hunt the Beartooths (@MTGomer), summit something in the winter (@GrantK), hell try sleeping in a tent in grizz country while covered in elk blood (too numerous to list). I know I damn sure didn't have a gun when I solo-ed the Winds, west north to south, I didn't have a bow or bear spray, I might have had a pocket knife... might.

I once hitchhiked from Kansas City to Ft. Lauderdale with nothing more then a lid of Acapulco gold and a book of zigzags...

 

[mtmuley]

Nope. I like the efficiency of firearms. To each their own though.

Modern bows in the hands of guys that know what they are doing, are extremely efficient. Today's bow hunters are not at a disadvantage because of equipment. mtmuley

 

[MTLabrador]

I've done both. It's a different kind of difficult. Western rifle has turned into a marathon. Just have to walk and walk and walk, then glass, then walk and walk and walk. Midwest archery is a technical difficult, not as much physical difficulty. Unless you shoot one deep in a swamp. Then it's Alaska moose pack out type difficulty lol

All that walking and glassing won’t do you any good if the elk aren’t there. There’s more than a little technical knowledge that goes into it.

 

[TheJason]

All that walking and glassing won’t do you any good if the elk aren’t there.

Keep hammering.

 

[np307]

The best day of the year is muzzleloader opener because I can finally put down my stupid bow

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I get a lot more excitement out of a hunt like my buck last year. It was 10 yards broadside, I could hear him chewing on leaves. Just more difficult and a more exciting experience.

You can always just wait till they get closer with a rifle...

My point is that method is just a preference, and that the handicaps beyond regulations that people put on themselves is totally arbitrary. Guys will hunt with a compound bow, because "it's more difficult than a rifle", but then use tree stands, game cameras, and/or hunt at more advantagous times of the year (rut).

I've never seen anyone hunting muleys with a stick bow in Colorado in October on public land in an OTC unit or hunting chuckar with flu flu arrows.

People pick and choose the ways they want to make hunts more/or less difficult, but it's arbitrary and to say otherwise is disingenuous. Sure Mr. Hammer time is using a bow... but also hunting on a giant private ranch you're so much better than those loser rifle hunters on public.

I get the OP principle. As the varied answers by some pretty good hunters show, it has a lot to do with regional and generational hunting culture, season structure, family history, landscapes you hunt etc.

 

[DouglasR]

 

[JimQ]

After all of this and my standing atop the archery mountain declaring my defiance of all things modern for hunting it seems that I have cursed myself. We have high wind warnings for the weekend in Montana which means between 40-75 mph gusts. I attempted last year to bowhunt in those conditions and missed a nice buck due to my arrow being carried to the next county east. If I go out this weekend I will have to shake off the dust of the ole Winchester and pull the trigger. It's my own fault. I should have kept my mouth shut, nocked an arrow and stealthily crept past the urge to declare my independence. Alas, poor Robin of Locksley for we knew him not...

 

[np307]

You can always just wait till they get closer with a rifle...

Admittedly, this statistic is heavily shaped by my home landscape (although my elk and antelope fall into this as well) but I've only ever killed 2 animals beyond 50 yards and none over 100.

 

[Stocker]

I’m with the OP. I’m a gun nut, love shooting, have several set up to shoot long range. But I like bow hunting. It’s not about punching tags anymore it’s about doing it the way I want to. I wanna have that adrenaline rush of a bull coming into your call bugling so close he’s blowing snot on you or grunting a stiff legged buck in. The all day fun of stalking antelope after antelope trying to get a shot. Those are the things that trip my trigger.



Shooting a running coyote at 700 yards out of a moving vehicle with a 7mm mag is also an adrenaline rush I like. (Allegedly)

 

[GrantK]

I think I've checked the box and got a bull during every season in CO at this point, including a bunch of archery bulls, some of them big... I'd argue that getting a mature bull with a rifle during the OTC hunts is actually harder than doing it with a bow, rutting elk just aren't that hard...
My preference varies year to year, honestly lately hunting post rut bulls with a rifle is what I look forward to most, it takes more thought and time invested to find the secret little holes big bulls like and figure out how to kill the cagiest elk around, there's a huge sense of reward to finally get the glass on a big guy after looking at elkless spots for a week...

 

[TOGIE]

I think I've checked the box and got a bull during every season in CO at this point, including a bunch of archery bulls, some of them big... I'd argue that getting a mature bull with a rifle during the OTC hunts is actually harder than doing it with a bow, rutting elk just aren't that hard...
My preference varies year to year, honestly lately hunting post rut bulls with a rifle is what I look forward to most, it takes more thought and time invested to find the secret little holes big bulls like and figure out how to kill the cagiest elk around, there's a huge sense of reward to finally get the glass on a big guy after looking at elkless spots for a week...

what's your primary preferred post rut season at this point?

 

[GrantK]

what's your primary preferred post rut season at this point?

Depends on the unit...probably second in most places because it's longer and I like hunting the high country, fourth for a couple units where there is really good cover down low...

 

[TOGIE]

Depends on the unit...probably second in most places because it's longer and I like hunting the high country, fourth for a couple units where there is really good cover down low...

i like hearing that, because i'm contemplating more and more to look at 2nd rifle over 1st rifle. never been out for 2nd rifle, for anything.

 

[DouglasR]

When I was in 5th grade I got the Il hunters digest and saw bow season was 4.5 months and I was like “damn, that’s gotta be better odds than 2 weekends”