jeffmiller

The undescribable rush that comes when you're so close to game. The bow has always held my fascination, and I love seeing the world in its natural wonder.

"Playing under the table and dreaming"

PABowhntr

The quiet...the calmness...the beauty of the woods...the individualness of the weapon...the feeling of being in all camo...20 feet up a tree...the sounds of the woods waking up in the morning...the feeling of confidence rippling through my body....

...that first crunch of the leaves as a deer comes down the hill....the smell....

...come on October...come on.....<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

akbowhunter

My first bowhunt in Alaska
I sit here in my special place. My mind wanders deeper into the woods that surround me. never have I heard the sound of leaves falling from the trees. The cool air seems to be killing the trees and I am sitting here watching them slowly die as the leaves struggle to stay on the tree. The golden yellow, and red leaves of the birch and aspen trees with splashes of green from the spruce that paint the hill side as I sit. silent, watching, waiting. Suddenly the wind would blow and rustle the leaves causing a few more to fall, blanketing the ground for the soon to come snow fall. Its already freezing at night so I know the snow is not far away, even the afternoons are chilly. The sun is just rising in the East with the first shafts of light intensifying the colors of fall. Everything seems to move in such unhurriedness that time stands still and nothing seems to change I know time is going by cause I can see my breath as I breathe slowly, calmly. The world Im in belongs to me no one will ever share this time in my special place. I know it will all change soon and the fight for survival will claim many of the lives of the forest animals. But what expense is there in so much as one may die so another can live. This is the cycle of life in the forest and we as humans are the top of the food chain... or are we? so many of the animals are bigger and stronger than us a bear could, given certain circumstances kill us with one swipe of its paw or one bite from its jaws. So many things come and go in my head my brain cant keep up. Its quiet here yet I can hear everything, the sound of one leaf falling as it hits each branch on its way down sounds like something walking but I know its just a leaf. Suddenly a twig snaps bringing me back to the present. My heart begins to race I can feel it trying to jump out of my chest and can hear the beating in my ears. Something scrapes a bush. where is it, what is it. My body is on full alert. There is no wind so I know what ever it is cant sent me. I haven't moved and the tree and bushes in front of me hide me quite well... There it is A MOOSE. He's not big but he's legal to shoot. He walks so slowly, cautiously looking every where for movement, ears twitching trying to hear any strange sound as he bends his head and feeds some 50 yds from me. He's moving just into range. Very quietly I remove one arrow from its place trying not to make any sound, as I set it on its rest and knock it onto the string. His head raises, sniffing the air, he looks all around and lowers his head continuing his feeding. The trail he's on would bring him in at 40 yds, I cant move, if I do now he will see me, so I wait. He feeds down the trail and at the moment his head is behind a tree im able to shift my weight. Wait he heard something. What was it? did I make some sound I didn't hear? Are there other moose following him? did a breeze carry my scent to him? So many questions go through my head. Now he's not moving, maybe he senses something's not right. Not finding anything wrong he goes back to feeding. Trying to control my breathing which I know is heavy, I glancing down with my eyes to see if everything is ready on my bow slowly I raise it. Wishing for a gentle breeze to move the trees so I wont be detected. He raises his head again looking away from me. &quot;Perfect&quot; i thought. going through everything in my mind... OK just like practice. I draw my bow back locking it into the same position I have thousands of times. breathe I have to breathe OK he's at 40 yds... Aim... second site pin is 35 so put it high on his back... perfect.. breathe damn it.. squeeze the trigger... don't forget to follow through, just like before..... thwap... the arrow leaves my bow and I watch every thing go into slow motion my arrow flies high clipping some hair but no skin. He looks back at me with ears pointed strait up and kinda snorts at me and trots off as if to say ha ha you missed. such is hunting I was grateful he wasn't wounded as I sat back down to think about all that went wrong... nothing, the only thing I failed to account for was the elevation. The downward shot caused the arrow to fly high. I would go over the shot many more times in my head reliving it over and over.. Next time.. there will always be a next time.
this is why Ron

hatracked

I'll tell you why I started bow hunting. After I gained some skill gun hunting it became less than thrilling to whack a doe at 150 yards.I started scouting harder and looking into deeper darker areas of the woods to find bigger deer and more of them. Well my style of hunting changed . All of the sudden I found myself hunting deer trails and sign at very confined ranges in the thickets.I killed sevral bucks with the rifle at 5-20 yards.

One day it dawned on me what I really enjoyed was being able to get that close undetected, and heck since i was that close I should up the excitement and go to bowhunting.So I did and now my excitement is ten fold better than what I feel when I am rifle hunting. Just getting a draw on a deer beats shooting one with a rifle for me.

Bowhunting has definately made me become a better hunter!I actually considered selling my rifle this year but them theres always that chance that I'll go somewhere exotic and want to take it.

AK NIMROD

THE CHALLENGE OF GETTING TO LESS THAN 20 YARDS. THE EXCITEMENT WHEN I DO, ESPECIALLY THE DANGER WHEN HUNTING BEARS. THE ENJOYMENT OF THE PHYSICAL RIGORS OF THE HUNT, SHEEP AND GOAT HUNTING AND PACKING OUT HEAVY LOADS OF MOOSE MEAT. THE MEMORIES AND SATISFACTION, WHETHER I MAKE A KILL OR NOT. ALSO THE ABILITY TO SHOOT MY BOW 12 MONTHS A YEAR AND NOT LOOSE ANY MORE HEARING. THE FUN OF DIPPING AND CREASTING ARROWS WITH MY UNIQUE DESIGN. AND THE OVERALL QUALITY OF PEOPLE I MEET IN THE SPORT.

kshunter

It's the thrill, the challenge, the rush and adrenaline, peace and quiet, and just getting away from everyday life and going to a place that is awesome. Bowhunting is great!
Visit My Hunting Page

Jerry/Pa

I started rifle hunting in the late 60's w/a short attempt at bow hunting in my mid twenty's with a bear recurve. I would deer hunt for two weeks a year for the next twenty years. At age 40, my priorities changed and I wanted to extent my time in the woods. I picked up a Martin compound from a k-mart on a whim. That's all it took. I realized that bow season what I had been missing all those years. Well that was 12 years ago. I learned more about hunting and the game I hunted in 10 years of bow hunting then in the 20 years of rifle hunting. I don't know why but at 40 I became instantly addicted to archery/bow hunting. I now shoot 12 months year. Do all my own work with a mini archery shop in my basement. I still have a half dozen or so rifles and guns that I shoot occasionally at a local gun club but most of the time; I’m carrying a bow. Smokepole pretty much summed it up with his list. I never had a parent or relative who hunted so I’m not sure where I got this passion for hunting but I’m giving my kids the opportunity to follow me in this sport. I can tell ya it has been one of the best things we share as father & sons. To be with your kids in the woods at dawn and share the gift of nature in priceless. Compulsive obsessive would probably be how I would describe my bow hunting/archery today. JERRY

Renz

I Love It. The piece and Quiet. The diffrent smells on diffrent days. The watching a bird land on a branch right in front of your face and he doesnt know your there. The sound of a bird flying right past your head and hearing how loud his wings sound. Watching a Squirrel playing right infront of you and not knowing you are there. The fact that you can be so at piece one second and as soon as you catch the glips of a deer your heart goes thru your throat. All of the practice buying bows choosing the accsesseries buying the arrows choosing the broadheads practicing all year long taking a million shots just to be sure when you get that one shot it will be on target. The fact that when you spot that monster buck you cant sleep for a week and all day everyday your thoughts are how you are going to get him. A million other great things that I forgot. The only way to realy explain it is bowhunting isnt something you do its a way of life.

PORK CHOP

I like to hunt earlier in the season.I like the challenge of finding the deer and letting them get close enough for a shot.

Unit5A

I started out bow hunting because the seasons were longer and I could work hunting in around work easier. I could also buy them over the counter and go anywhere as opposed to the rifle hunts here in Arizona that are done by lottery in a particuliar unit.
Now I rarely hunt with a rifle, except to go when my son is drawn.
I guess now I just like being alone and enjoy the thrill of getting as close to game as possible.

&quot;Hunt smart, know your target and beyond&quot;