New hunter, bow vs rifle.

[EJFS]

You can pick up a solid used bow set up for $500, and $1,000 can get you into a good rifle/scope. I'd get both. There's nothing like being in the woods in September. A rifle gives you a better chance to close the deal. You can shoot a bow in your back yard. Idaho tags give you opportunity to use either so don't limit yourself. Set reasonable expectations. 40 yards with the bow, 200 yards with the rifle (not very long ago these were typical ranges for most hunters). It seems you are approaching this with intention and humility. Good luck!

 

[5MilesBack]

It’s naturally going to be a long journey getting comfortable enough with either before actually pursuing game.

When I started archery with a compound bow, I thought the same thing. I even applied for an easy to get muzzleloader elk tag that year because I expected a long learning curve with the bow. The first time I shot my bow at the shop, it was at 10 yards and was still worried about missing the four foot target. Within a week I was comfortably shooting 60 yards at home, and kind of regretted putting in for the ML tag.

But to top it off, I didn't draw the easy to get ML tag so went OTC archery in the same unit that year, and shot my first archery bull. Bowhunting became a passion/addiction, as I jumped into it all head first.

Be it a .22, big game rifle, or a bow.......you've got to start somewhere. Just do it!

 

[Beendare]

Agreed^ just do it.
Go to the rifle range with a neighbor. Go to an archery shop and shoot a couple bows.

Shooting a Bow vs rifle is a different skillset sure...but the big difference is the animals in the field and how they are using the topography during those seasons.

 

[Ztm91]

Lots of great advice here that is really appreciated! I am kind of an obsessive person and would really love to dive into the archery side. With that being said, while working full time I will also be going back to school in a master’s program so my ability to tinker and play around learning bow and arrow tuning may be hindered at the current time.

A reliable rifle shooting factory ammo and short distances may be a more achievable and realistic expectation from a developmental perspective. Obviously caliber discussion would likely rapidly devolve this into a downward spiral, but discussing the cross-dominance, what is the opinion there? From my research it seems fairly split between all three methodologies there. Having never shot a bolt action rifle it seems like it may be a good time to just start left handed with my non dominant hand but with my much more dominant and better vision eye.

And in regards to starting out slow, my gf used to bird hunt with her father when she was young and still has a couple of shotguns, so that may be a way to test the waters.

 

[Jkr61]

Learn to shoot with the dominant eye side. I’m left eye dominant but right handed I bought my first bow in my late teens right handed. Never got good enough to be confident enough to hunt with it and gave it to my cousin. 15 years later wanted to try again this time bought a left handed bow. In four hunting seaseans I’ve taken a black bear, cow elk and my first bull elk. Rifle I learned to shoot left handed as a kid and was always good but when I tried it right handed I couldn’t hardly hit the broadside of a barn. It’ll take some practice but it’s worth it.

 

[EastHumboldt]

Millions of left eye dominant right handlers learned to shoot right handed. I am one of them.
https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/how-do-you-shoot.396621/page-5#post-4089422

See if you can find a shooting club in your neighborhood where you can try out some bolt guns before you commit to left handed shooting. See The only problem with lefty shooting is the dearth of options in LH firearms.

 

[rookieforever33]

My etes are such that left is dominant but the right takes over pretty quick. If I squint my left eye a little it still retains some of my peripheral vision but the right eye takes over aiming. That is not as ideal as both eyes wide open. However I cannot lead with my left hand for anything. It is there to hold things so my right hand does the work. Try different things and find what works for you.

 

[Jack321]

The above people who recommend finding a mentor or practice first are the best pieces of advice.

You certainly have the skills being into photography and also camping. So your probably more ahead of the curve than you think.

Don't forget to take your hunter safety course. Every state has them. They're excellent resources to connect with people, find ranges, talk to Game Wardens about advice starting out.

At the beginning, do more listening to people than talking. In your head you can decide what sounds right and what doesnt.

Join an Archery club or a local gun range and ask the managers or guys at the desk if there's beginner courses or mentors to help you out. My state even has a state sponsored mentorship program and even does state sponsored hunts in areas to get people who have never hunted the opportunity. It gets your feet wet.

A mentor can help navigate so many things that you might not even think of:

Game units (the area you can hunt)
Game seasons (when you can hunt)
Application Periods (when to apply for your tag)
Hunting License FAQs (what specific licenses you need to pursue whatever game you are after.)
State Requirements/Laws (How much or if you need blaze orange? Minimum caliber/gauge restrictions. Evidence of sex, where to tag an animal, Shot restrictions, ex. non-toxic for waterfowl, leak for upland game. )

It can be very confusing, even to experienced hunters, especially different states rules, regs and laws.

So there is a bit more to it than "gun or bow", lol!

But I 100% admire people like you, stepping outside the comfort zone, trying something new. I grew up this way, but if i had to jump into it as an adult, or with out a guiding hand, i probably wouldnt last long. I give you TONS of credit.

Your certainly on the right track.

 

[Splitear]

Just another suggestion here, maybe try some small game hunting as a new hunter. I encourage all of the new hunters that I work with, youth and adults to start with squirrel hunting. You'll get a good crack at working on marksmanship and learn a lot about all of the elements that it takes to be successful on large game (visual and audible awareness, reading sign, stalking, etc). Plus you can start with a shotgun or .22 which can be a lesser investment.

I started hunting small game in Illinois and did so for years as a kid before hunting deer as a teenager. I started during the shotgun seasons until I got my first deer and then added archery. I enjoy archery more, but still enjoy gun season as well.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Just another suggestion here, maybe try some small game hunting as a new hunter. I encourage all of the new hunters that I work with, youth and adults to start with squirrel hunting. You'll get a good crack at working on marksmanship and learn a lot about all of the elements that it takes to be successful on large game (visual and audible awareness, reading sign, stalking, etc). Plus you can start with a shotgun or .22 which can be a lesser investment.

I started hunting small game in Illinois and did so for years as a kid before hunting deer as a teenager. I started during the shotgun seasons until I got my first deer and then added archery. I enjoy archery more, but still enjoy gun season as well.

Totally agree.

Small game hunting is also just a great way to get out into the woods. I do all my scouting for deer while squirrel hunting.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[displacedtexan]

I’d buy a .22 and go out and kill a few things first.
Maybe you’ll find out killing stuff ain’t your style

Or a shotgun and kill a few birds.

Nothing wrong with not wanting to kill things.

Between the two options I'd say rifle, I steer new guys that way because the extra range will soften the learning curve. Even if you don't shoot long range.

 

[timekiller13]

Whatever weapon you choose, you also need to become a proficient woodsman.

I hunted with a guy for a while who was a world class archer. But he couldn’t kill anything because he was clueless in the woods. Shooting an animal is way different than shooting a stationary target.

 

[LongWayAround]

Those are great pictures.

I will also say that you should start out with small game and birds. It's how most of us started. You will get the basics of field dressing and decision making.

I would also suggest buying a bow and starting shooting. Even if you don't hunt with it, archery is very accessible.

Bow versus rifle comes down to whether you want to kill things or spend more time getting to "almost."

 

[flyfisher117]

I vote both! Archery has been significantly harder for me and I haven’t to have success but I enjoy it 10x more.

Archery seasons here in Idaho are also longer so more potential time in the field. You can spend August-September chasing pronghorn,deer and elk with the bow. Then a couple weeks in October-Nov chasing deer and elk with rifles.

If you’re careful you could easily set up a rifle and scope to get started and still have a lot of your budget left over for a bow.

 

[highcountrymuley]

I say buy a used bow at a pawn or local sporting goods shop and a rifle. I use a Ruger American .30 06 for elk (most deer hunting done w mz these days) as my upgrade from an ancient Remington 742... decent rifle at a low cost.
Try a .22 rifle for small game first and see if killing animals and butchering them is ok with you. If not stick w photography - great pics you shared- and u don't have to worry about tags!
I used to archery hunt when that meant sitting in a treestand but since moving out west I have no desire to start over. It is very tough to kill an elk with a bullet and I know guys that have lost more elk with an arrow than I would be comfortable with.
Good luck, it is tough to learn on your own but if you have the desire jump in now and learn along the way.

 

[signing off]

Time in the woods will favor archery. Experience in different seasons and stages within those seasons really builds your understanding of the game and equipment.
Your pursuit of photography will carry over like you said. Looks great!

 

[Turkeytider]

Go rifle first. You’ll have more success early on than you would with a bow (took me four years to kill an elk with a bow) Don’t overgun yourself though. Since you’ve never shot a bolt gun before I’d suggest a 243 or 6.5 creed. Lots of good factory ammo out there and they’ll knock over everything you’re looking at hunting. Awesome pictures by the way!

Agree. Also, just the mechanics of accurately shooting a bow is only a part of bow hunting. Have to learn to track. Need that for gun hunting too, but the chances of longer distances is with a bow.

 

[Macintosh]

bit of a different take.

Rather than pick bow/rifle based on anything else, I would first look at WHERE you are going to hunt, and use that to help guide your decision. The reason I say that is that on much of the east coast there is a huge discrepancy in how game-rich and difficult the hunting is between public versus private land. The private land is often ag land or actively managed and holds high concentrations of game, but tends to be extremely difficult or impossible for most people to access. Conversely, the public land tends to often be higher-elevation , much less fertile, with very little active forest management that would create game abundance or concentration. With spotting animals before putting a stalk on all but impossible given vegetation, archery is a lot easier to learn in a game-rich environment. While finding widely dispersed game in an eastern forest is often difficult without covering some ground, which makes getting into archery range extremely difficult, hence a lot of people gravitate to firearms of some sort. If you are going to end up really only having access to one sort of land to hunt, you might base your decision on what will work most easily there.

Also, look into season dates and duration for various implements. Often rifle seasons are very short 9a week or two or shorter), while archery seasons are quite long (several months). In many places only being a rifle hunter reduces your opportunity to hunt by a factor of ten or more. When trying to learn and simply fit hunting into a busy schedule that can be the difference between making it happen and not being able to make it happen, since it isnt already "built into" your lifestyle.

I'll also add that it's worth checking regs on crossbows. A ton of first-time hunters learn on a crossbow, becasue it it much easier to shoot accurately than any vertical bow, while not having the stigma of a firearm for many people. Doesnt sound like that's your issue and it wont change the eye-dominance, but it's an option.

The small game thing is also a great entry. If you have no access to a place to hunt deer, but you have greeat access to a marsh, well...you might be a lot better off aspiring to be a duck hunter.

 

[Mudpuddle]

It seems like you're concerned for the welfare of the animal, which is a good thing btw. For that reason I would strongly encourage you to hunt with a rifle. They're much more forgiving of poor form and the animal is likely to go down sooner than with a bow.

Buy a used rifle and if you decide it's not for you, sell it and recover your money.

 

[OKHunter84]

I would echo sentiments from others. Buy a used rifle and a used bow. Start hunting as much as you can. The more time you spend hunting, the faster you'll learn. I'd even try to find a used muzzy. Muzzleloaders and bows don't hold their value as well as rifles and the technology has changed a lot over the last fifteen years. You could grab a decent rifle and a bow for 2k. Buy a caliber rifle that you can easily find cheap ammo available (223, 308, etc) and practice a lot. Start slinging dozen arrows at least, a few times a week.

You're going to screw up and wished you'd done things different. There's no easy button with DIY hunting. It's a lot of fun though and very rewarding if you're successful. Good luck to you.