What defines a true bowhunter?.......It aint just camo

[Shakes.602]

A Love of Archery, the Love of the Hunt not just the  "KILL".  The Love of the Outdoor Wonders We seem to see and be aware of more than other Hunters, and not throw a  Hissy   Fit  if we come home empty handed. The "Promise and The Truth of Ethical Shots" as well as tracking the Animal until it is Found should we get a Bad Shot. No Excuses!
   True Story from a Neighborhood Compound Hunter that made a  60 Yard  shot at a Decent Buck, Hitting it in the Front Shoulder. "We followed the  Good  Blood Trail for about 3 Hours, Jumped the Wounded animal that took off toward the thicker woods, I said "P_ss on it!! Let it die!" And he and his Buds chaulked it off and  Came Home! ..  BRAGGING  about the Awsome Shot he made.  Makes Me SICK!!  Title of Tale should be, "How  Not  to be a BowHunter, and Stay Home and Play Computer Games." Ugh....  :mad:  
    This is the Type of "Hunter" that will ruin Our Sport for  ALL  of Us.  :(

[Biggamefish]

I think a true bowhunter is someone who can sit back let deer walk when the opportunity isn't right But can connect when it is right.  They are someone who accepts anybody wether they use the wheels or just a simple stick and string.  Someone wo is willing to teach another bowhunter what they know not only how but why they do the stuff they do.  Most importantly I think it is someone who is dedicated to the sport for the fun of being out in the wildernes to experience the things you don't see in every day life.
  JMHO

[Earl E. Nov...mber]

What makes a "True" bow-hunter?? Respect.
Respect for the game. Respect for the property and the owners. Respect for themselves to know the rules and abide by them.

[RC]

Someone that Loves doing what they do and it happens to be with a bow.RC

[Butternutz]

Wetfeathers and Bill Carlsen pretty much summed it up for me. But would like to add I know alot of bow hunters who respect the outdoors from picking up someone else's trash they left behind to stopping their vehicle to move a turtle out of the road.  Don

[southernarcher]

The bowhunter seeks to test "himself" against his quarry.


MBS

[Bill Carlsen]

I met a compound bowhunter last week.  He was hunting on Posted land so I waited for him to come out. The land was not posted well and he was unaware. He turned out to be a really nice guy....family man with 3 teenagers that he spends time with when they have things they need him for. We spent an hour or more in the dark talking and sharing stories. I also suggested areas to hunt he might like to look in to. My big mistake was not getting contact info...he's the kind of guy I could hunt with. His weapon of choice was of no concern to me but he was intensely curious about my trad bow and success with it as well as Laura's. The weapon does not tell you about a person's character or ethics. You need to get to know and observe.

[JL]

I think it's knowing and fully understanding the limitations of your bow, one's own abilities and staying within those bounds, regardless of the outcome.

Those guys you work with need to take up putt-putt golf. Sounds more their speed...

JL

[KOOK68]

Sadly, common sense isn't as common as it once was.

[ChuckC]

Unfortunately,  except in our minds, there is no definition, and what is in our minds is pretty time dependant.

The word "Hunter" doesn't always bring up the best of personages, historically, and bowhunters had their day.  A bunch of us take it seriously but equally as many just see it as a thing to do.  A cool thing, for some.

At one tme, long shots , shots at running game, and inadequate equipment was almost the norm, not
the exception.  I hope those days have gone by.  

We have gotten better,  we have developed a sort of code amongst a large group of the more hardcore bowhunters, and I dare say the Trad group leads in this respect.  We try really hard to be both a killer of game and an ethical human being.

Right now, being a bowhunter is a lot of things, some of which, I hope I fit into.
ChuckC

While intentionally avoiding any arguments over what is bowhunting "sins".  A real bowhunter is the person that thinks bow and arrow when anything hunting is involved. Right now we are being plagued by two 'bowhunters' with inline muzzle loaders. when they bow hunt they stay in one of their numerous tree stands. They want everyone to treat them like they are neon no trespassing signs. Now that the early season muzzle loader season is on, they are running around like crazy men thinking that they can out run deer. A real bowhunter would never disrespect the game or the fellow bowhunters the way they do when they are running  around with their guns.

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

" The weapon does not tell you about a person's character or ethics. You need to get to know and observe."

Well said.

[superkodiak]

missing defines a bowhunter.... =) at least that's what I keep telling myself.

[blktail]

Bill and wetfeathers defenition .

[Jeff Strubberg]

Anytime I start drawing lines and excluding folks, I assume I'm the one in the wrong.

Bad behavior is bad behavior and has nothing to do with what group you do or don't belong to.  Folks who can't conduct themselves properly should be reminded that their actions aren't appropriate and have an impact on others.

[bornagainbowhunter]

A bowhunter is someone that hunts with a bow.  I am a bowhunter...

I don't want to cause a stir, but it has been mentioned over and over about unfilled tags meaning that your a "true" sportsman or bowhunter.  I don't buy that nonsense at all.

I don't take crap shots.  
I don't take long shots.  
I don't take shots at bad angles.

I am a bowhunter that DOES take time to do the necessary work to set up a perfect situation.  I hardly ever end season with unfilled tags.  4 deer and 2 turkeys are not at all out of the question.

Don't hint that just because a man fills his tags he is doing something wrong or that just because a man has leftover tags that he is doing something right.  

God Bless,
Nathan

[mb bowman]

Originally posted by jsweka:
Sorry guys, I like the literal definition...A bowhunter is one who hunts with a bow (both traditional and compound).

The rest of the stuff defines a hunter's ethics and could be characteristic any sort of hunter.

Agreed    

[mb bowman]

Originally posted by Bill Carlsen:
I met a compound bowhunter last week.  He was hunting on Posted land so I waited for him to come out. The land was not posted well and he was unaware. He turned out to be a really nice guy....family man with 3 teenagers that he spends time with when they have things they need him for. We spent an hour or more in the dark talking and sharing stories. I also suggested areas to hunt he might like to look in to. My big mistake was not getting contact info...he's the kind of guy I could hunt with. His weapon of choice was of no concern to me but he was intensely curious about my trad bow and success with it as well as Laura's. The weapon does not tell you about a person's character or ethics. You need to get to know and observe.

Worth repeating.  

[southernarcher]

I know plenty of folks who hunt with a bow that aren't bowhunters. They hunt with a bow just so they can get the couple of extra weeks to hunt in the early season.They  put the bow down as soon as the season is over and pick up the guns. They don't pick up the bow again words to it until a week before the season. I don't believe these guys are bowhunters  though they hunt with a bow.

[T-Mac]

Good stuff! The real issue you had to deal with was ethics. Bow hunting was just a happen stance. They had bad ethics bow or gun hunting.