Bowhunters - not a big impact?

We can’t forget to ridicule the muzzleloader guys, which is going the same direction as archery. Look at this “open sight muzzleloader”. My .270 is more of a primitive weapon than this. This rifle would do some serious damage on the Norris Rd elk in December.

IMG_9795.jpeg
 
We can’t forget to ridicule the muzzleloader guys, which is going the same direction as archery. Look at this “open sight muzzleloader”. My .270 is more of a primitive weapon than this. This rifle would do some serious damage on the Norris Rd elk in December.

View attachment 338405
A spiral fluted muzzleloader barrel!? And why does it have a bolt handle? What is this madness?
 
We can’t forget to ridicule the muzzleloader guys, which is going the same direction as archery. Look at this “open sight muzzleloader”. My .270 is more of a primitive weapon than this. This rifle would do some serious damage on the Norris Rd elk in December.

View attachment 338405
Is it any wonder that western states keep making more restrictions on muzzleloaders?
 
We can’t forget to ridicule the muzzleloader guys, which is going the same direction as archery. Look at this “open sight muzzleloader”. My .270 is more of a primitive weapon than this. This rifle would do some serious damage on the Norris Rd elk in December.

View attachment 338405
Gunwerks “ML” is about 15k. The choice gun of that Idaho poaching turd
 
I saw a bull run by me that looked like Rudolph sat morning. Guy frontal shot him at 35 yards and hit him high. He was 650 yards from where he shot him when he ran by me. Beautiful 6 point we were sneaking in on. No way the guy finds him.

Called in a heard 6 point to 30 yards Sunday night for a friend. He’s new to archery hunting. He unloaded his quiver and hit the bull with one of 3 shots. Basically blacked out and had no idea where he hit him. Looked for a day and a half, never found the bull. Way back in thick grizzly country.

I’m back to hunting by myself. People freak out when they have an elk under 50 yards. He could have literally ranged and pulled back. Bull was so fixated on me calling he came in 3 times after having arrows fly past him. It’s not a whitetail deer. Take your time and hit them right or don’t shoot.
 
The hurting public turds just ticked their annual lost elk quota.
 
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Less than a week into bow season for elk and deer in Montana, I have seen no less than 7 different facebook posts with folks asking if anyone has any blood tracking dogs....

Don't see near that in entire 6 week rifle season. Just an observation.
I have seen a few rifle hunters not even look for blood after they saw that the animal didn't fall where it stood or they didn't think it was worth going across the canyon to look for blood after their 700 yard shots without a rangefinder. I'd say wounding loss is as strong with rifles as it is with bows. Studies have proven this.
 
I have seen a few rifle hunters not even look for blood after they saw that the animal didn't fall where it stood or they didn't think it was worth going across the canyon to look for blood after their 700 yard shots without a rangefinder. I'd say wounding loss is as strong with rifles as it is with bows. Studies have proven this.
Please quote the "studies". I love archery hunting, but 40+ years of being around gobs of archery and rifle hunters, every year, leads me to believe otherwise.
 
I saw a bull run by me that looked like Rudolph sat morning. Guy frontal shot him at 35 yards and hit him high. He was 650 yards from where he shot him when he ran by me. Beautiful 6 point we were sneaking in on. No way the guy finds him.

Called in a heard 6 point to 30 yards Sunday night for a friend. He’s new to archery hunting. He unloaded his quiver and hit the bull with one of 3 shots. Basically blacked out and had no idea where he hit him. Looked for a day and a half, never found the bull. Way back in thick grizzly country.

I’m back to hunting by myself. People freak out when they have an elk under 50 yards. He could have literally ranged and pulled back. Bull was so fixated on me calling he came in 3 times after having arrows fly past him. It’s not a whitetail deer. Take your time and hit them right or don’t shoot.
Lots of bugling action?
 
Lots of bugling action?
Yeah, if it wasn’t for the 14 other trucks and two horse trailers in the first spot I hunted I’d probably be tagged out. Elk bugling like I’ve never experienced and I’ve hunted a lot. We’re well into the rut with the later start. Looked like tent city though. Used to only be 3-4 trucks in the parking lot 4 years ago and I thought that was a lot for the effort to get to the elk. On to the next spot.
 
Please quote the "studies". I love archery hunting, but 40+ years of being around gobs of archery and rifle hunters, every year, leads me to believe otherwise.
I cannot find the paper currently, I'll have to pull it up when I have access to my laptop. There were 120 elk (60 cows and 60 bulls) throughout two different studies in the Bitterroot valley of Montana in 2016 and 2018, of these elk the wounding loss was equal for both bows and rifles. I'll find the report/paper when I'm back from the woods.

I can certainly see archery having a higher wounding loss in some areas depending on herd dynamics and elk accessibility. But I would also note that rifle hunters under report wounding due to them not knowing they hit the animal and/or inadequate effort in the search.

This also may be changing and getting worse in the archery side as more people feel they need to take farther shots and follow what is happening in the influencer realm of things. This past weekend I met a guy that was bragging about shooting and killing a bull at 115 yards. He hadn't killed a bull within 65 yards and he has wounded around a dozen in his life (3 successful harvests).
 
I have a friend who is really involved in several archery clubs and knows a ton of bowhunters. He said this year he hasn't heard of an antelope being killed at less than 60 yards with the farthest being 96 yards.
 
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