Bow hunt or boom stick?

[QELKhunter]

I'm much like the rest of these guys and have never really had a "need" to take a long range shot. The first elk I killed I shot him first rifle season at 70 yards.
This last year I guided my wife to her first elk. She shot that bull at 50 feet! That's right I said 50 FEET not 50 yards. During many rifle seasons I've been within 50 yards of both mule deer and elk.
My personal preference would fall to which ever hunt will present the most opportunity. A longer season "archery" may lead to you being more selective even on an either sex tag as you feel you have more time to find a bigger animal. Where as on a rifle hunt with a shorter window and defined to a buck only you're more likely to take the first legal animal you find. If you are strictly hunting for meat a rifle season may be better for you since the tracking is usually shorter if any is needed.
And that's my two cents.

Happy hunting/deciding how to hunt

 

[DouglasR]

Me to.

I’m starting to think someone’s using some Dominion software on this poll.

 

[shumhow]

I've always enjoyed bowhunting more in my early years, but prefer rifle now, as I'm more about the meat, than the satisfaction of how I killed it (still enjoy any trip whether successful or not). If I could go only once a year to hunt the west, I would time it on the rut, so it would be either bow for elk or rifle for deer. If hunting your home state, do both.

 

[silasd]

Alright so most of you ladies and guys know me as an ultra sendy oyoaer most notably remembered for riding out the ides of March in a tent professionally staked out atop 3’ of snow in Colorado’s rugged Nuchu range and riding some of the biggest black bowls in summit county, but despite all of my mountain athlete accolades the truth is, I’m a rookie hunter at best.

Did I harvest my first deer via shotgun as an 11 year old?
Duh.
Have I had a bow since then?
yep.
Am I from a hunting family?
Nope.
Did I take a hunting hiatus from like 14-27?
Yes.
Have I killed deer and elk with my bow in the past 3 years?
you know it.
was it luck?
Depends on who’s listening and what kind of mood I’m in when I’m telling the story
have I lost more deer than I’m proud of?
yes and it sucks

Now that you ladies and guys know a little about me, here’s my question.

Should I bow hunt a unit I’m familiar with next year or rifle hunt a unit I’ve never been in?

The obvious advantage of the bow hunt is that I’ve been in this unit multiple times over the past 3 years and at least somewhat know my way around and know spots where I’ve seen deer.
It’s also an either sex tag and I’d be perfectly fine with taking a doe.
The obvious disadvantage is that I’d be using a well engineered sling shot as a harvesting tool and need to be able to sneak within 40 yards of my target.
And then there’s blood trailing...
I’ve feel like I’ve gotten better at it over the past few years, but it’s still just kinda nerve wracking to me and I don’t necessarily enjoy it.

The obvious advantage of the rifle hunt would be that I’m using a freaking rifle.
the disadvantage would be that I’ve never really shot a fancy western hunting rifle and I’ve only got like 60 practice rounds and 80 hunting rounds to get it sighted in this summer.
I ran a lot of bb’s through my daisy as a kid. I’ve smoked 20-30 squirrels over the past couple years with my shotgun.
I guess I could get proficient enough with the rifle over the next 6 months to pull this off?

If I draw the rifle tag I plan on taking a 1 to 2 week scouting trip this July to try to get familiar with the area and hopefully spot some deer.

I’m leaning towards the rifle tag, but as an EBHA I just can’t help but feel like maybe the gun’s just an excuse.

Is rifle hunting basketball and bow hunting’s wrestling?

Lmk what you ladies and guys think.

Hope everyone’s having a fabulous day!
Happy April!

I'd say challenge yourself with the rifle this year. If it doesn't work out, you go back to the one-year-later-new-to-you bowhunt area and work that.

 

[MarvB]

Neither... just go punch them in the face!! Ooops... wrong thread

 

[Pucky Freak]

Kill 20-30 squirrels with a .22 then try big game hunting with a rifle.

Archery this year. Attempt to solve the meat crisis with WT does at home. Or, stop by and help alleviate my “freezer crisis” I’m about to experience come September. I don’t live too far away.

 

[DouglasR]

Kill 20-30 squirrels with a .22 then try big game hunting with a rifle.

Archery this year. Attempt to solve the meat crisis with WT does at home. Or, stop by and help alleviate my “freezer crisis” I’m about to experience come September. I don’t live too far away.

You’re the only person on the forum who has ever definitively served @wllm1313 an L and you’re prob the only one who knows the story of my elk hunt as told by both @douglasrhayduke and my more sensitive side @bitchmadehunter.
Your opinion is not one I take lightly and has perhaps led to me feeling more confused about which tag to put in for than when I started ththread.

Seriously, this poll might be the biggest conspiracy of 2020/21.
If there was ever proof of election fraud.

Anyways,
I got out and ran 24 rounds through the new rifle this evening.
1. Rifles are badass.
2. this is my final 4 shots at 100yds before I ran out of daylight.
Doesn’t look very tight compared to most of your guys groups, but I definitely can’t shoot groups like that at 100yds with my bow so

Prob gonna try to get my app in tomorrow. Still not sure what I’m gonna do.

@Greenhorn what do you think?
does this look like a “tight group”?
Is the third week in September close to “the rut”?
Will this kill a deer?

 

[DouglasR]

I think these were all at 100 taking individual shots then walking up to the target because I don’t have one of those spotter scopes and my eyesight’s not that good.
Is this a “tight group”?
will this kill a deer?

 

[MTLabrador]

That will certainly kill a deer. If you don’t have a .22 to practice with I’d do a lot of dry fire practice with your rifle. It’s all about trigger control.

 

[LaSportsman]

*** But don't dry fire a semi-auto. ***

You can dry fire a bolt, of course verifying there is no round in rifle.

Break: There is a saying Minute of Deer or Minute of Elk. For elk, can you hit a pie plate? But, that's not a great group for 100 yards.

what was your rest? Bench should definitely be sub 2" group. Once scope is sighted, better to shoot off your pack, off tripod (if you have one), etc.

If that was off-hand, that isn't bad but you should be able to find some rest in the field and want to practice accordingly on the range.

 

[DouglasR]

*** But don't dry fire a semi-auto. ***

You can dry fire a bolt, of course verifying there is no round in rifle.

Break: There is a saying Minute of Deer or Minute of Elk. For elk, can you hit a pie plate? But, that's not a great group for 100 yards.

what was your rest? Bench should definitely be sub 2" group. Once scope is sighted, better to shoot off your pack, off tripod (if you have one), etc.

If that was off-hand, that isn't bad but you should be able to find some rest in the field and want to practice accordingly on the range.

Psh bro, I feel like it’s not a bad group.
I mean, I’m not Chris Kyle, but that was literally the last 4 rounds of the 1st 24 rounds that I’ve ever shot through a high powered rig in my life so I’ll take it. Lol

Rest was 1 north face wasatch 35 rolled up inside of a SG sky archer and it was a pos.
Jeep gladiator bed’s also a bit short for shooting prone IMO ymmv
Anyways... excuses...

@mtmuley Man, that 6.5 sure kicks.
I hear you run high powered rigs too?
Do you have any recommendations for a lightweight, packable shoulder pad?

 

[Pucky Freak]

You can kill a deer, although I’d keep it 100 yards and in. I wouldn’t recommend further solo practice, as it can cement bad habits.

I learned to shoot a rifle as a kid with a seasoned pro looking over my shoulder and coaching me over many, many sessions. I couldn’t imagine trying to learn on my own. If you’re determined to try, however, there’s an abundant number of quality videos on YouTube to teach you everything you need to know.

I’d suggest the following topics:
-dry fire practice / flinch elimination
-natural zero, locking your bones, and relaxing your muscles
-cheekweld and shoulder pocket mechanics
-breathing

Also, you’re more than welcome to join me at the outdoor range in SE Iowa. I can’t hold a candle to many of the riflemen on this forum, but I can teach you everything I know.

 

[geetar]

Bare hands only for me.

 

[noharleyyet]

 

[MarvB]

will this kill a deer?
View attachment 179477

Yup!....not sub MOA but def sub MOD (minute of dead!)

@mtmuley Man, that 6.5 sure kicks.
I hear you run high powered rigs too?
Do you have any recommendations for a lightweight, packable shoulder pad?

@DouglasR my youngest daughter’s got you covered bro!

 

[Jeronimo 56]

It's generally been bowhunting for me but this year I've got an elk tag (NM Gila unit 16B) for rifle and a second for deer (NM Gila unit 16) with a muzzleloader. I got busy this past couple years and lost a couple hunting buddies along the way. Archery demands a ton of shooting time and I'm not one who cares for hunting entirely solo... so an invitation to put in for rifle hunts with an old friend on these hunts was an easy choice for me.

Archery is awesome because of the feelings of solitude, low noise level, and how much it teaches you about patience and stealth. I always thought that the early archery season was just a bit too much like summer but the elk breeding season still made it seem like the right time of year.

Applying my bowhunting skills to the rifle and smokepole hunts hopefully means I'm at an advantage... but during those hunts the game is a bit wiser and their behavior is going to be different from the time I am used to hunting them. I definitely like autumn better than any other time of year as far as being outdoors.

I've never really enjoyed being so far away form the animal I'm shooting at to need a spotting scope or binoculars to know if I want to shoot them... so long range is definitely not my thing. After all the years of bowhunting I spose if I can't get within a couple hundred yards I feel like I gotta try harder before I take the shot.

so I'd say it's whatever tag you can get and enjoy yourself outdoors in the fall.

 

[Flatbrimmer]

Spear

You seen Tim Wells smoke that bear with a Blow Dart!???

 

[Flatbrimmer]

Psh bro, I feel like it’s not a bad group.
I mean, I’m not Chris Kyle, but that was literally the last 4 rounds of the 1st 24 rounds that I’ve ever shot through a high powered rig in my life so I’ll take it. Lol

Rest was 1 north face wasatch 35 rolled up inside of a SG sky archer and it was a pos.
Jeep gladiator bed’s also a bit short for shooting prone IMO ymmv
Anyways... excuses...

@mtmuley Man, that 6.5 sure kicks.
I hear you run high powered rigs too?
Do you have any recommendations for a lightweight, packable shoulder pad?

Not laughing at, but with. Totally agree with you… for the first 30 rounds you’ve ever shot??? Killing it! Keep practicing, all these dudes are giving great advice. Breathe, squeeze don’t yank. Like was said, trigger control.. I remember early on saying I wasn’t flinching to my old man- til the clip was empty and I dry fired and found that I did, in fact flinch…. Go to 200 and though it already isn’t perfect, I’ll bet your group isn’t too far different. Does your scope have ticks under the main reticle? Even a $200 vortex scope can make a world of difference.. comes with instructions like Mac N Cheese… if you’re not trying to spend, just practice learning your scope your rifle your cartridge. Don’t go shoot all 120 rounds you got and buy different rounds for hunting…..

 

[Ebstein]

Rifle. Although archery is a lot more relaxing for me. Getting a deer as close as possible to me is rewarding and exciting

 

[Bowhunter999]

Bow or rifle ??

That is totally contingent on your reason for hunting !

Is it for ‘meat’ or challenge, or simply your own ego of success ! If your main purpose is ‘the kill’, then the rifle. But if it is the challenge, then it has to be the bow.

Being a bowhunter, i am totally biased in this issue and most likely a poor information or advice giver. BWT that being said, I think that deep in your heart, you will make your own decision in this matter, it can not be determined by others. We all have our own reasons as to what pushes us into the attempt of taking the life of a living creature, and our means of doing so !

I wish you good luck in your hunt and in your decision. Maybe you can keep us informed either way.