Future design of bows

[stabow]

Was reading Traditional Bowhunter and the editor’s note were talking about advancement in archery and how it might affect bow hunting seasons. So say you only had a hunting season what % of bow hunters would put down their bow. I would venture to say at least 60%......stabow

[Pon]

here in Mexico we only have one season and die hard bow hunters will never put the bow down, some would take the rifle only the last weeks of th season if they have not been lucky

[Ragnarok Forge]

Here in Washington it is pick a single season and there are a lot of bowhunters here.  You can pick rifle, archery, or muzzloader seasons.  You can hunt deer with a rifle and elk with a bow.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

I would prefer to only bow hunt but around here, as Im sure it is with most places, once the onslaught of gun season begins with all the other "hunters" literally flooding the woods and walking and whooping across every piece of land they can see whether they are allowed there or not, It's pretty much the only way you'll get a shot after the first bit of daylight on the first day.  The gun "hunters" around here "drive" every animal out of every parcell of woods around.  But the mad dash that is firearms season in Ohio is such a money machine that these problems will never even be adressed, much less dealt with.  Sorry to have gotten off point some what but I would rather that there was only a bow season.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Its not hard to figure out here - we can hunt with bows concurrent with gun season - look for the (few) guys still packing a bow and wearing orange during shotgun season - those are the (few) guys that would still bowhunt.

Did I mention it would only be a (few)?  

I think your estimate of 60% would lay down the bow is REAL low - I'd say closer to 90% would never bowhunt if not for the extra season.

Ryan

[John3]

I am a bowhunter...  If forced to pick one season and one weapon it would be my longbow. I would only hunt my private ground and hope for the best and time my hunts. Here in MO we can bowhunt during rifle season on a rifle tag. Even on private ground I don't hunt the first weekend and usually hunt weekday evenings only...  Remember what happened to Guru? (he was shot by a kid during rifle season)  I think about him every November rifle season esp. when walking in the early gray light to get set up...

John III

[carbonflyr]

i do not own a hunting firearm. for me it's bow or nothing at all.

[Sixby]

In Oregon we make a choice. Two seperate seasons and you can only choose one. When it passed a lot of bowhunters became rifle hunters.

[Canadabowyer]

We are lucky here, we have very generous bow only seasons and can hunt with our bows during the gun season and most places you can get away from the crowd even during gun season. That said even if we didn't have bow only seasons I would still hunt with my longbow.  Bob

[thunder1]

I hunt with my bow during gun season as it is.

[houseman]

Bow or nothing, for me.

[MikeM]

If forced to choose I would pic the bow over the gun.

[Eugene Slagle]

I'm a Bowhunter by heart & have pretty much gave up my modern firearms years ago & only once in a great while will I dust off my .50 PRB Hawken for a day in the woods, to me I like getting in close, I like to become part of the woods where I'm limited to my abilities to take game for the table, it makes me that much more sattisfied of the hunt.

In my hunt club I'm known as the Bow Man because 99% of the time when it's Shotgun season & everyone has a 12Ga & Blaze Orange I'm the one with a bow in my hand wearing the Orange too, so if I had to choose it'd be an easy responce.

I'll keep my Recurve & proudly go into the woods.

[DennyK]

I would choose the bow over the gun.

[jcar315]

Here is Maryland we don't have to choose but I decided to choose anyway.....trusty recurve every single time out last season.

As I write this there is no reason I can see why I would ever choose a gun over my recurve bow.

Hunted from September 15th through end of January through all the other gun seasons that opened and closed and bow only for me. Would not dream of doing it any other way!

[Whip]

If given a choice between good dates and less pressure during a bow only season versus crowded gun hunts I would guess a fair number would stick with the bow. Still probably fewer than 40% though.
But if it were simply one season and you can use whatever weapon you like I would think the vast majority would take the gun.  I'd be happy to be a member of the tiny minority.

[L. E. Carroll]

For years, we in Wash. St. have had to make a choice before purchashing tags... We can only buy 1 tag for deer and 1 for elk.. therefore, I always buy a "Archery Deer tag" and a West Side "Archery Elk" tag.  For elk, we must choose between West Side "Roosevelt Elk" and East Side  "Rocky Mountain/Yellowstone Elk".  

It is possible to mix these a bit.. say archery deer and modern rifle OR muzzle loader elk.  However, again East or West side must be stipulated  when buying the Elk tag ... Or, perhaps you canchoose Modern Rifle deer and Archery OR Muzzle loader Elk.. We have 3 distinct types of GENERAL HUNTING seasons ie: Archery, Modern Rifle, and Muzzle loader.. in all but very rare instances, do these season's and hunting groups ever overlap [ this being in the later seasons where only specific hunting units are open]  However during the statewide seasons for the 3 user groups this will not happen as the season dates do not overlap during the "Primary Season's.

Even with the choice having to be made "Up Front" we seem to have sufficient hunters in all groups.

Gene

[Mudd]

I haven't picked up a gun for a couple of years now for hunting period, whether its' deer,turkey, squirrel or rabbit.

I sold my modern deer rifle but I might still have a muzzleloader. I can't swear to that..lol my kid might have it.

I still own a muzzleloading shotgun because it looks cool over the fireplace(one we don't use).

I have too much fun with my bow to turn back!!

God bless,Mudd

[Red4arm]

Bow only for me here too. My buddys that gun hunt don't even mention it any more when I load up to go with them on a gun hunt with my bow in hand. I would rather watch one walk by out of bow range, than shoot it with a gun. The y still ask what I will do when I see a buck of a lifetime pass at 100 yards. I say, I will enjoy the sight and remember it forever.
They did give me funny looks when I  got to the duck blind last year with a dozen flu flus and no shotgun. Still 12 and 0 on ducks. Wonder what they will say at the dove field?

[Red4arm]

Bow only for me here too. My buddys that gun hunt don't even mention it any more when I load up to go with them on a gun hunt with my bow in hand. I would rather watch one walk by out of bow range, than shoot it with a gun. The y still ask what I will do when I see a buck of a lifetime pass at 100 yards. I say, I will enjoy the sight and remember it forever.
They did give me funny looks when I  got to the duck blind last year with a dozen flu flus and no shotgun. Still 12 and 0 on ducks. Wonder what they will say at the dove field?