Quote:
Originally Posted by hunted
Bow hunters could also be called loop hole hunters. They all got into it because it gives them special treatment. Why do they get to hunt first every single year when bucks can be patterned, why are they the only ones that get to shoot a velvet buck, why do they get months to hunt in nice weather, why can they get a general tag. I think every other year the seasons should be reversed or just mix everyone together.
No I don't bow hunt but the only reason I ever will is for this special VIP treatment. And yes I stand hunt, blind hunt and stalk and all my last few deer have been taken at way less than 100 yards.
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Many of us started bow hunting (and continue to bow hunt) because it provides a challenge. Once you have stalked to within 35 yards of a big mule deer, you will realize that rifle hunting most Muley bucks is just not that difficult (my opinion only). As others have said, it can be more of a shopping trip then a hunt.
If I had to choose whether to bow or rifle hunt for each species I would choose to bow hunt Mule Deer, Elk, an Black Bear, and rifle hunt everything else. Why? Because bow hunting them is a challenge, rifle hunting them is mostly meat for the freezer. Yes, I could hold out for only 190" muleys or only 350" elk, but that becomes more about just finding that class of animal; once found the odds are pretty good the hunt is almost over.
Bow hunting is about challenge; challenging the animals eyes, ears and nose, and challenging your own abilities, like the ability to move quiet, to move faster - or slower, to remain motionless for hours, to crawl through a cactus patch without a trip to the emergency room. It isn't just about longer seasons.
You ask why archers get a long season, why they hunt earlier, why they get a chance when deer can be patterned (by the way, not many big mule deer bucks can be patterned), etc., etc. The only reason is simple, because bow hunting is very much more difficult then rifle hunting, even if you can shoot all your deer at close range with a rifle. Try it and you will understand; heck I have a couple older compound bows here that I will loan, to any rifle hunters who think bow hunting is easy, for as many years as it takes for them to take a big mule deer buck.
This is a serious offer.