Why do you bow hunt?

[bowuntr]

Personally, I don't bow hunt for the added challenge, I bow hunt because I am a hunter.
Just choose to not align myself with those bow hunters who dribble of elitist snobbery over their decision to limit themselves to archery only hunting.

Just rubs me wrong when the ego of a dedicated bow hunter takes over and the snobbery begins to percolate. The resultant air of perceived superiority can be nauseating...

This makes you sound insecure... Maybe it's just the guys you are associating with. My experience is just the opposite. They are some of the most humble people on the planet and a pleasure to be around. Filling the tag is not the ultimate goal. To each his own. Ed F

 

[justin davis]

This makes you sound insecure... Maybe it's just the guys you are associating with. My experience is just the opposite. They are some of the most humble people on the planet and a pleasure to be around. Filling the tag is not the ultimate goal. To each his own. Ed F

I agree. I hunt just to hunt. But bowhunting is so much different than gun hunting for me.
Majority of Bowhunters I know are very humble.

I've found one thing to be common with people. Wether it's the military guys or hunters. The guys who run their mouth and try to impress are the insecure guys who didn't see combat in war or don't have many successful hunts under their belts. Unlike the guys who are legit and have the real experience. Those are the guys you wouldn't even know were big time successful hunters or combat warriors in war times.

 

[Ross]

I bowhunt simply because it is more time afield and offers another elk tag.......

 

[Bonedalien]

"why do you bowhunt". I ask myself this a hundred times every season.

 

[Highcountry_Hellrazor]

Nothing like a an arrow in flight. I just love the challenge, and seeing no orange Texan pumpkins haha.

 

[colonel00]

"why do you bowhunt". I ask myself this a hundred times every season.

Heh, that is kinda like how I enjoy expanding my collection of unfilled, non-resident tags. Still enjoy the chase though.

 

[lintond]

I always said "I'll never bow hunt"! Then I picked up a friends bow and was bow shopping the next day. I'm officially an addict. Plus the challenge of getting in close and the flight of a well shot arrow is awesome!

 

[mattstanton]

Screaming bulls! Nuff said!

 

[MattB]

This makes you sound insecure... Maybe it's just the guys you are associating with. My experience is just the opposite. They are some of the most humble people on the planet and a pleasure to be around. Filling the tag is not the ultimate goal. To each his own. Ed F

There are people who hunt with a bow and there are bowhunters. I understand where the guy you quoted is coming from as there a lot of guys who want to tell you how deeply spiritual special what they do is, how they strive to outwit their prey in its own environment, etc. Those guys tend to kill most of their game with a rifle. ;-)

You don't hear a lot from the guys I know who fill their tags and freezers year in and year out with a bow - they do not have anything to prove.

 

[BSeals71]

I couldn't have said it better than this.

Finn Aagaard: "The kill is the satisfying, indeed essential, conclusion to a successful hunt. But, I take no pleasure in the act itself. One does not hunt in order to kill, but kills in order to have hunted. Then why do I hunt? I hunt for the same reason other predators hunt, because I must, because it is in the blood, because I am the decendent of thousands of generations of hunters. I hunt because I am a hunter."

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I couldn't have said it better than this.

Finn Aagaard: "The kill is the satisfying, indeed essential, conclusion to a successful hunt. But, I take no pleasure in the act itself. One does not hunt in order to kill, but kills in order to have hunted. Then why do I hunt? I hunt for the same reason other predators hunt, because I must, because it is in the blood, because I am the decendent of thousands of generations of hunters. I hunt because I am a hunter."

My favorite hunting quote

 

[Warren1726]

Much less eloquent than Aagaard, I bowhunt because it allows me to hunt more and that is where I feel as if time slows, my senses are engaged, my purpose is realized. That moment when I come to full draw and can feel the presence of the animal in front of me, can almost hear it's beating heart. Bow hunting connects me to the hunter who lives within me. I love my .270 but it doesn't evoke the passion on the same level.

 

[KMD]

I agree. I hunt just to hunt. But bowhunting is so much different than gun hunting for me.
Majority of Bowhunters I know are very humble.

I've found one thing to be common with people. Wether it's the military guys or hunters. The guys who run their mouth and try to impress are the insecure guys who didn't see combat in war or don't have many successful hunts under their belts. Unlike the guys who are legit and have the real experience. Those are the guys you wouldn't even know were big time successful hunters or combat warriors in war times.

Exactly my point, and I agree.

I was referring to the elitist type bowhunters who look down their nose at "gun hunters" to stroke their own ego for choosing a more difficult path toward the same goal. Thankfully, that attitude is the minority, but felt like making light of them. You guys know the type I'm talking about. Same attititude comes from certain fly fisherman, too. As if tossing a spoon with a spinning rod nets an instant "mouth breather" sentence. People like that need to get over themselves...

Pointing that out doesn't make me insecure, just callin' a spade a spade.

 

[KMD]

There are people who hunt with a bow and there are bowhunters. I understand where the guy you quoted is coming from as there a lot of guys who want to tell you how deeply spiritual special what they do is, how they strive to outwit their prey in its own environment, etc. Those guys tend to kill most of their game with a rifle. ;-)

You don't hear a lot from the guys I know who fill their tags and freezers year in and year out with a bow - they do not have anything to prove.

Thanks for taking it down a notch and understanding my point.

In the end, we're ALL hunters! Even though its a rarity to see that mentality on a site full of good dudes & ladies, I felt compelled to comment. That elitist mentality serves no purpose other than to stroke one's ego and could be twisted to pit hunter against hunter on topics we should all agree on. If sharing that opinion makes me look "insecure", then so be it...

 

[JoshTX]

Because it's a lot more difficult. You can do everything right and it still may not come together. There are a lot more variables that come into play and each and every one can wreck havoc on your scent, arrow flight, internal balistics, etc....

I grew up rifle hunting but I fail to see the challenge anymore.

 

[rhendrix]

I picked up a bow about a month after my Dad passed away in 2009. I found his old compound bear that he hunted with briefly in the 80's with tucked away on a shelf. There were some aluminum arrows in the corner that were cut to all different sizes. And then I borrowed a cheap release from a friend and started slinging arrows at about 10 yards. With every arrow that hit it's mark I could feel my Dad looking down on me and smiling. Archery to me isn't just a passion of mine, it's a communion between me and my father that I can take a part of every day. Every hunt I go on...I feel like he's still with me, and spend a lot of hunts having conversations with him. I've upgraded equipment and gear since then and have come along way since that old bear compound, but I still feel him with me every time I release an arrow.

 

[69ChrisCraft]

I guess I'd consider myself of the elitist crowd then.... I'm not sure if people act differently with a rifle in their hands or that it opens the door to a broader group of people but I've seen some horrendous ethical behavior from a few select rifle hunters that I've yet to get over. By the same accord, I'm not sure if Bowhunters are closer to their game (literally) or it tends to draw more purists but I believe there are more ethical Bowhunters than rifle hunters far and away..... Which is ironic being that if the same judgement were used in both cases the rifle would be the more ethical tool to kill game.

I also think bowhunting has a less deleterious effect on game. Many rifle hunters will drive or push game, Bowhunters generally do everything they can for their presence to remain unknown.

I know this is a generalization and there are certainly many exceptions....particularly with the Rokslide group of guys im sure.

 

[MuleyFever]

I grew up hunting and when I was in my 20's I was one of the people who looked down on gun hunters. I grew up in WI and in the woods hunting with a gun was just a joke to me, too easy. I bowhunted for the challenge and to enjoy rutting bucks.

Now in my 30's and living in Utah I have a new outlook. Now I bowhunt because I like to shoot my bow and bowhunting gets me out many more days and with less people out there. I also hunt with my M/L and rifle too and in this day and age any mature animal is a trophy to me no matter what weapon I take it with. Sure I would like the kill with my bow if I hade the chance but now I just want to hunt and will be happy filling the freezer. I also have realized that the kill is really only part of the challenge. Hunting in Utah with a gun from start to getting that animal out is way more of a challenge than bow hunting in WI ever was. As far as the up close and personal aspect of bow hunting goes, you dont have to shoot an animal at 200yds just because you can, get closer.

 

[tipsntails7]

I agree. I hunt just to hunt. But bowhunting is so much different than gun hunting for me.
Majority of Bowhunters I know are very humble.

I've found one thing to be common with people. Wether it's the military guys or hunters. The guys who run their mouth and try to impress are the insecure guys who didn't see combat in war or don't have many successful hunts under their belts. Unlike the guys who are legit and have the real experience. Those are the guys you wouldn't even know were big time successful hunters or combat warriors in war times.

I completely agree with this. My grandad has more war metals then he knows what to do with and if you walk I to the garage he has mounts and antlers EVERYWHERE. But you would never know it talking to him. Everytime I've watched him harvest an animal he is thrilled wether it's a 300 class bull or a little forky blacktail.
That's who I have patterned myself after. And I can only hope to be half the man he was. I bowhunt because that's what I grew up doing. That doesn't mean that I won't use a rifle (although I rarely do anymore).
I love everything about bowhunting, from making the arrows, tuning the bow. Practicing your shot. I love the close proximity you must get to your quarry. This is where I consider my self an archery snob. I wish people would take shorter shots. I dont think it's unethical or wrong to take long shots. I just think you miss the point of bowhunting. For me my bowtrophys are not measured by how big the animal is but how close I got to him.

 

[KMD]

I guess I'd consider myself of the elitist crowd then.... I'm not sure if people act differently with a rifle in their hands or that it opens the door to a broader group of people but I've seen some horrendous ethical behavior from a few select rifle hunters that I've yet to get over. By the same accord, I'm not sure if Bowhunters are closer to their game (literally) or it tends to draw more purists but I believe there are more ethical Bow hunters than rifle hunters far and away..... Which is ironic being that if the same judgement were used in both cases the rifle would be the more ethical tool to kill game.

I also think bow hunting has a less deleterious effect on game. Many rifle hunters will drive or push game, Bowhunters generally do everything they can for their presence to remain unknown.

I know this is a generalization and there are certainly many exceptions....particularly with the Rokslide group of guys im sure.

With respect, you are cherry picking and generalizing to suit your fancy.

Lumping gun hunters together into a "more unethical than bowhunters" category, is supposition. Slippery slope to stand on, when one puts one's self on a pedestal...

Fact is: a slob hunter is a slob hunter, regardless of what tool they're using. Carrying a bow does not magically makes a hunter more 'ethical', nor does the perceived self gratifying attitude.
Do you really believe unethical shots are not taken by archers?
Do you really think animals are not wounded/lost by arrows?
We all know there is an unfortunate side to hunting when things go afoul in the woods, is that really something you choose to base an ethics argument on?

Like I said, slippery slope when one chooses to play the 'ethical' card, and both sides wind up the worse for it.

We're all hunters.
Slobs are not limited to firearms, not by a long shot...