Lubricious

This whole thread is going no where, too many variables.

davidmil

BuckMagnet... you're over analyzing the hunt. LOL It's easier to kill a buck with a gun anyday.

aldo88

If bows were easier for kills then they wouldnt be using guns in wars.......

mcagney014

Well it is obviously harder to literally kill a deer with a bow.... but i definitely agree that it is more difficult to get a nice buck during a weekend of gun season when compared to bow season.

Buck Magnet

Alot of you are entirely missing the point. Yes, the actual shot is more difficult with a bow, to an extent, and that can even be argued due to the relative distance of the deer with the weapon. Whats easier, a 15 yard shot with a bow or a 300 yard shot with a rifle? Either way, that isn't what I am discussing. Take into effect the added pressure ofrifle hunting season and see how things change. We as bow hunters typically get up on our high horses and get and elitist attitude like what we do is the hardest form of hunting and that simply isn't true. For most states, archery hunters are giving such a better opportunity at harvesting a deer that to claim it is the most "difficult" form of hunting is stretching it. We are giving longer seasons at relatively un-pressured deer that are either on summer feeding patterns or loved crazed bucks that only have one thing on their mind so they let their guards down. Rifle hunting in most states is a whole different ball game, sure, you are given a weapon with a longer effective range but that means nothing if you aren't seeing any deer. The deer pick up the increase in hunting pressure very quickly and change what little pattern they are on. They simply will stop moving during daylight hours. They because very warry and will pick up on any little differance in their surroundings where as in archery season they probablly wouldn't have paid any attention to it. How can the overall effort of archery hunting be "harder" when you are given more opportunites at hunting patternable/un-pressured deer as opposed to rifle hunting for mostly noc-turnal/pressured deer?

jackflap

If I can use Rage broadheads, I'm taking the bow hands down. I've heard all you have to do is point them the direction of deer and they are as good as dead.

NEW61375

In my area the way the seasons fall(6 weeks of bow before gun season in most counties) I am confidentI can kill almost as many deer as my time in the woodsallows with my bow. I simpy set up bow stands in areas to give me ideal wind and shot ranges, not too hard. I also see a ton more deer during the first month of bow than during the entire gun season. So in that sense I would say bow season has specific advantages that far outweigh (IMO) the fact that I need to get closer to deer and draw my bow. So I think killing deerwith a bow during bow season is as easy as you make it, I don't know about easier but it does have a lot of advantages.

With that said I would agree that bowhunting during gun season is harder than gun huntingduing gun season for obvious reasons, many of which have already been touched on but I would agree the main two gunadvantages are increased range & less movement required to shoot. But I also feel if you have good stands you can eilminate the range issue a lot of times. I shot two deer Tuesday with my rifle one was at 10 yards the other about 20. Now can I sit here and say that I could have definitely killed them with my bow as well? No, not definitely but I would say more than likely and it honestly made me wish that I had my bow that day and is why I chose to bowhunt yesterday morning in the midst of gun season.

I also don't put too much stock into harvest data because just because bowhunters score less I think it can be argued that many that buy licensescouldn't hunt there way out of a lunchbox (some of my friends included).

We have a late bow season that comes in next week on Dec. 2 intwo of the counties I hunt and even though they have been gun hunted pretty hard I really look forward to having the woods to myself again next week especially after a few days of no guns and the deer calm down a little.

il coyote

Based on what you just said, with PRESSURE being the focus of your opinions, the difficulty of one method over another comes down to the area you're hunting. And not just to say 'Illinois' or 'Pennsylvania', but the specific area, to the 1/2 mile.

One guy can be in a highly pressured bow area and have another hunter bump him a booner on the firearm opener, while maybe 1 mile away another hunter is in a totallyopposite situation,and doesn't even see one deer during firearm season. Who's to say what's easier?

TJF

All things are not equal. Step out side your bow hunting only paradise and youmight see that.

Tim

aldo88

Ok lets say this then, bowhunting takes more skill. You have to be more quiet,scent free, be invisible. SO you can get a deer in range. However in rifle season, you are wearing blaze orange, with alot more hunters in the woods and seeing a deer over a hundred yards away is basically still a kill. Now I dont go to the rifle forum, but how many topics are in there saying hit one with my 30.06 but cant find it? I know there are alot in here. So with that being said, wouldnt a gun kill be easier?