Bow during gun season

[Taiga Recurve]

Bow only here. In fact heading out this afternoon with a buddy, he's rifle hunting and I will be bow hunting.

[Curveman]

Bow through gun season although I do mix it up hunting pheasant, ducks and geese with friends. We have a ball!

[Mudd]

I am this year. I figure I'll have more fun and maybe not as much work...lol In the past about the time the echo of my shot was gone, the work started. I also have an advantage over the guys I hunt with, if I miss, they don't ever have to know it..lol I did miss a spike or what I thought was a spike as it turns out he was a tiny forky.The gun hunter showed him to me.
One of my friends put a dirty thirty in my blind and that's fine with me but it never entered my mind to pick it up with either deer I had in range. I hope I'm not tested with a super huge buck out of my comfort zone...lol
God bless,Mudd

[ishiwannabe]

Im probably going to use both. My brothers dont bow hunt, and its a tradition that we hunt together.


Then I will most likely zero in on my "pressure stands" and go with the bow.

Of course there is always Westchester...LOL.

[Wapiti Chaser]

Got my first trad deer on Thankgiving day. I showed up to hunt and everybody with there shotguns thought I had gone off the deep end. I took it all in stride. When we met for lunch there was only one deer taken.     Guys with the firesticks had shot and missed. They have never questioned me again.

[Tdog]

Hunting all the way through with the Bow...

[DEERDOG]

Yep it works. My son got his first trad deer yesterday. Opening day for muzzle loader season.
I know alot of hunters went home empty handed, but he got his with his recurve. Talk about a happy dad! That was me.

[Sam McMichael]

I haven't used a firearm in about 12 years. I hunt on my own propery, but am surrounded by gun hunters. It does not seem to be a problem. I have had many deer in sight when guns were fired in the distance. The deer don't seem to react at all. But if I make even a slight squeek of a noise in the stand, they bolt immediately!

[pharcher]

I am a bow only guy myself and often get the same strange looks followed by the "are you a fellon" or "cant afford a rifle" questions. Sometimes I get the smerk and stupid "ya don't like to kill deer do ya" statement. no bother to me, and usually there is some one arount to get my back with the " you obviously havent seen his wall" statement. Anyway, sorry for you guys that cant bowhunt during the gun season, thats is odd and questionable but some laws are that way. Have you actually confirmed it with the DNR? In Va its not written well, and actually the way the law works is you can bowhunt during the firearms season with the added bonus of not actually needing an archery liscense. My deer encounters dont change much as I prefer to hunt away from the crowd anyway.

[larry]

I'll hunt with the bow during late muzzle loader/bow season, but during gun season I really enjoy hunting with my handgun.

[waknstak IL]

I'll be out shopping for a doe this Friday morning with a muzzleloader. I would rather have my longbow, but its not allowed in Illinois.  I'm not sure why. Maybe they think that bowhunters would be tempted to take off their orange if they allowed it??

[Hooper]

This is my second Trad year and the first year I have scored. My shooting confidence level is sky high and the way I feel right now I never want bow season to end. I too have decided all ready that I will use the bow and stick with it. I know I might miss out on a opportunity at a nice buck running by that I know I could down with the gun but I would rather trade that easley for another Trad harvest.

[dnovo]

Firearms season started yesterday here in Missouri. I was in the woods as usual with the longbow. Could have killed 4 bucks with a rifle but no shots with the bow. 2 more bucks sighted this morning. I had a blast watching and seeing those deer. Worth it to not get a shot. (I could have shot 2 of them but passed as they were young 6 pt)

[BCWV]

We are lucky enough here in WV to be able to substitute a bow during modern rifle and muzzleloading seasons but we must wear orange and all laws apply as if you were using rifle or muzzleloader.

 I'll be using my bow, wearing orange and smiling when everyone shake their heads and laugh when they see me!

[lilbobby]

I hunt the entire deer season strickly with a bow, but just got a little worried what RonD wrote. So I sent the MS: DW&F an email and received an answer that it's legal where I hunt in MS. Good service from the state of MS, especially on a Sunday.

[GingivitisKahn]

I should be out for a couple of days towards the end of the week and if so - yep... I'll have my bow.

[RonD]

Conny, when using the WMA system it is always a good idea to check with the WMA manager to ensure that you are legal. Wildlife and game management programs whether state or federal look at productivity as a factor in the regulating of hunting. That means setting seasons, bag limits, and method of harvest, etc. The NWR where I have hunted is not in the best of shape as far as biodiversity goes and is currently overrun with feral hogs and other predators that decimate the deer habitat, destroy turkey populations, and effect the overall ecological system making up that NWR. That is one of the reasons from a management perspective that they are so strict on the seasons and method of harvest. This particular NWR is primarily a bird and waterfowl sanctuary.  Besides being overrun with feral hogs it is also overrun with cottonmouths. Most state WMAs follow the principles of wildlife management rather than game management and attempt to sustain a carrying capacity as supported by the protection of the natural habitat, natural gene pools and the minimization of disease within and among the various species constituting that ecological system. There are times when I think all of this is nonsense because it keeps me from doing what I want to do with regard to hunting. But then I think that maybe what I want to do is not in the best interest of the wildlife or refuge and see the purpose in supporting and enforcing the rules governing the use of these areas. Not trying to lecture anyone, just stating my position as I understand it.

[wollelybugger]

There is a advantage to using a bow in Pa. in urban areas. The safety zone for bows is only 50 yards from a building and with a gun it is 150 yards. There are some places in the cities where you can't use a gun but a bow is perfect. Guess where all the deer run to when the first shot is fired.

[Stone Knife]

I readied a spot tonight for the gun opener, it's on my neighbors land that I have permission to hunt. I'm going to set up my ground blind, with bow in hand and some coffee and a good lunch, I'm sure to see some action if I stick it out    There is still a lot of fresh buck sign in there and over on mine I know this deer and he works his way back and forth.

[Rick P]

Very few "archery only" hunts in Alaska, yup I hunt trad in firearms seasons on a regular basis.