Success rate?

raab · #1 10-30-2017, 07:23 PM

How often are you guys successful with your bows? Also what is your success rate with different animals?

Hunted pretty hard the last two months for Mule deer and wasn't able to get it done. Had a few good chances, but deer spooked before I could get off a shot. Just want to know if I stick with it, will my success rate go up? Or should I just stick to rifle hunting where I know I'll be going home with something most of the time?

Morbius131 · #2 10-30-2017, 07:29 PM

Success is what you make it. When I was bowhunting, I wasn’t always successful and comparatively my success % compared to the number of times I went out while bowhunting was lower compared to when I go out with a rifle. With that said, some of my most memorable and enjoyable hunts was with a bow. Regardless what you use, enjoy the experience.

Morb

Andrew_Arsenault · #3 10-30-2017, 07:54 PM

As far as successful goes, I firmly believe that every time I go it's a success! As far as a kill rate, I usually average 3 or 4 big game animals with my bow each season. I've had better years, but I've also had WAY worse years! I also don't always target big bucks, so with that my harvest rate stays high. This year was my 19th bow season.

Lefty-Canuck · #4 10-30-2017, 07:58 PM

Only way to have success bow hunting is to stick with it. If the going gets tough and you switch back to the rifle you miss out on another opportunity to learn.

The average time for a Bowhunter to get his first animal is 4-5 years I have been told. Stick with it.

If I get an elk or a moose down early I become very choosy. I have been lucky to have a good streak on archery elk so I have passed on many moose and deer as a result.

LC

Slicktricker · #5 10-30-2017, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

Only way to have success bow hunting is to stick with it. If the going gets tough and you switch back to the rifle you miss out on another opportunity to learn.

The average time for a Bowhunter to get his first animal is 4-5 years I have been told. Stick with it.

If I get an elk or a moose down early I become very choosy. I have been lucky to have a good streak on archery elk so I have passed on many moose and deer as a result.

LC

I don’t agree I know many who harvested first year. Also helps scouting and that I arrowed more from 14-18 then I do now but more selective now as well

Lefty-Canuck · #6 10-30-2017, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slicktricker

I don’t agree I know many who harvested first year. Also helps scouting and that I arrowed more from 14-18 then I do now but more selective now as well

Think of how many archers there are out there...this is the figure I was told as a "global" average.

LC

Bassett · #7 11-03-2017, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

Only way to have success bow hunting is to stick with it. If the going gets tough and you switch back to the rifle you miss out on another opportunity to learn.

The average time for a Bowhunter to get his first animal is 4-5 years I have been told. Stick with it.

If I get an elk or a moose down early I become very choosy. I have been lucky to have a good streak on archery elk so I have passed on many moose and deer as a result.

LC

I agree it took me 6 years to finally get an archery kill. Had a very good opportunity at a bull elk the year before but my nerves got the best of me I shot for 30 and he was 20. My range finder was in my pocket....

Next year I sealed the deal on a cow at 18 yards, after the shot the bull strolled by at 25. 2 lessons learned which I consider a success. Use your range finder and when hunting elk always look around there's normally more than 1.

calgarychef · #8 10-30-2017, 07:59 PM

A day hunting when you don't get anything is just another step towards getting an animal. It won't happen in a day, be persistent, keep hunting and it'll happen.

bowhunter9841 · #9 10-30-2017, 08:22 PM

Every time I get close enough to an animal to be within bow range. I call it a good hunt. Firing a shot and harvesting an animal is ultimately our end game, but bowhunting is all about the challenge, and the adventure. You learn so much more about the game you hunt, when you have to get within close proximity to them. My success rates with the bow have come way down since I stopped hunting from a tree stand, but it is so much more exciting. I still hunt with my rifle, but I put in a solid effort to try and harvest something with my bow. Don't give up on the bow just yet! My biggest piece of advice is, if you are going to "still" hunt from the ground, take it super slow. I still spook animals as I'm walking sometimes. Always have to remind myself to slow down. Good luck!!

tbrown · #10 10-31-2017, 12:23 PM

If you're bow hunting strictly for the harvest, I think you are missing the point.

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MugEye · #11 10-31-2017, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbrown

If you're bow hunting strictly for the harvest, I think you are missing the point.

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I see what your trying to say . But IMO I don’t think I would hunt if there was no chance of bringing meat home . It’s like catch and release fishing .i don’t see the point . I’m to busy to not do anything productive.

pikergolf · #12 10-31-2017, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MugEye

I see what your trying to say . But IMO I don’t think I would hunt if there was no chance of bringing meat home . It’s like catch and release fishing .i don’t see the point . I’m to busy to not do anything productive.

I guess it all depends on your personal definition of productive.

zhunter11 · #13 10-31-2017, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pikergolf

I guess it all depends on your personal definition of productive.

Exactly.

Don_Parsons · #14 10-31-2017, 06:27 PM

Rifle to archery to rifle, I still do both.

Archery with in our budget is good.

Lots of rifle now days, but archery remains as it offers rewards like no other.

Self + archery = good times.

I never had the chance to meet Al personally, but it was his ideas that forced me to learn more about who I am.

http://www.archeryhalloffame.com/henderson%20al.html

Don

Sooner · #15 10-31-2017, 06:30 PM

Sons first moose draw, first time as an archer. I'm the guide. Boy we had fun this fall so far. Many bull moose on cam, many sightings, many games with grunting moose but just too far away. Now the bow goes away and rifle comes out and those 50 inchers we had at 200 yrds are a little less safe. But it is safe to say we both got the archery bug now.

Fun times with the bow and really fine tuned what I knew for hunting all these years. Kid learned a lot. So did I.

Best chance we had, very early, very hot. Close but lots of under brush. Let him walk as we had many bigger bulls on cam and the rut was just showing itself. Have now seen 3 of the big boys we were after but never close enough. 30 days to still find one of them

jpg.gif Mr Moose.jpg (91.5 KB)

Bulldog Edm · #16 10-31-2017, 08:19 PM

Last year was my first year bow hunting. There were times that i was frustrated and times where I debated giving up. Being hard headed i stuck it out. I ended up getting my buck on the second to last day of the season. This year so far I've come up empty handed. I've hunted hard since the beginning of bow season. Got busted on a few spot and stalks. I enjoy just being out in the wilderness. I'll keep trying till the end of hunting season. Fingers crossed that it comes together again. Good luck. I would keep at it.

clarky · #17 11-01-2017, 09:38 PM

Just put my bow away after my 3rd season. Put in 22 days this year with it. Drew on many WT does, and a couple spike bucks, never released the arrow. I have yet to harvest a big game animal with bow to this day. I have every year gained success in my opinion however as I get more and more opportunities year after year. Just havnt had the animals that I like to harvest within range. I in no way am a trophy hunter, but I do like to give animals the chance to grow past spiker stage, and my area has no supplemental tag for WT so I like to use the does as practice stalks and draws. Anyways, if you absolutely love and obsess about bow, stick with it. If you don’t, and you like the higher probability of harvesting I don’t think anyone here will judge you for putting it away.

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calgarychef · #18 11-01-2017, 11:03 PM

Success ....one deer a year for the last 15 years give or take. Some years aren more than one, a couple years, nothing, Most with traditional gear. I've only shot two with the compound and only because I couldn't shoot the longbow those times because of physical requirements. I gotta say a compound is much easier, but it doesn't tickle my soul like a longbow.

Tarmac · #19 11-02-2017, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clarky

Just put my bow away after my 3rd season. Put in 22 days this year with it. Drew on many WT does, and a couple spike bucks, never released the arrow. I have yet to harvest a big game animal with bow to this day. I have every year gained success in my opinion however as I get more and more opportunities year after year. Just havnt had the animals that I like to harvest within range. I in no way am a trophy hunter, but I do like to give animals the chance to grow past spiker stage, and my area has no supplemental tag for WT so I like to use the does as practice stalks and draws. Anyways, if you absolutely love and obsess about bow, stick with it. If you don’t, and you like the higher probability of harvesting I don’t think anyone here will judge you for putting it away.

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Well said and keep at it!

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