Hunter orange and a bow in hand

[aim small...release]

Well are just over a week away from the firearms opener here in michigan. The tradition runs deep here, but unlike other years theres a mixed feeling this year. At 29 this will be opening day number 15 yielding only 2 small bucks in that span. Back to the mixed feeling...im wanting nothing more to have my longbow in hand on the morning of nov 15th but part of me says ull regret it as well. Im just lookin for a little support of those who may have been confronted with this issue. Im 2 years in to trad and first with my long bow. Thanks for any advice to come

[kevsuperg]

I don't restrict myself to trad only,  but use what makes you happy.
 I depend on my deer meat to feed my family. I gun hunt and use a compound when the situation calls for it.
 I am a hunter first and foremost.
 You just have to do what's right for you and don't let anyone give you grief over it.
 I love my longbow but I'm not going meatless because of it.

[DanielB89]

Here on our public land there are very few days you can hunt with a rifle.  If I hunted just for the "fun" of it, i would have no problem carrying on my bow all the time.  

But for me, its all about the meat, so I always try to get 1 before the rifle hunt and then be sure i get one(hopefully 2) on the rifle hunt.

If you enjoy rifle hunting, do it when you're able.  

i typically use mine 2 weekends a year.

[KentuckyTJ]

You are the only one to answer that question. Its a very personal decision and so it should be in my opinion. Read my signature line below. For me I finally made the choice to put down the compound and go trad only when I realized that killing a deer with a compound no matter what size it was, was no longer any fun for me. Sold it that week.

[quikfire]

Take both bow and gun out with you, if its close enough for the bow use it and if outside of bow range use your gun.

[Bud B.]

Originally posted by quikfire:
Take both bow and gun out with you, if its close enough for the bow use it and if outside of bow range use your gun.

A good sling is a good friend.

[threeunder]

Struggle with this myself often.

In the end, you are the only person who has to be satisfied with which you carry.

Should be no shame in hunting legally.

[ChuckC]

Its your life and your hunt.  Do it as you need to today.  Tomorrow your needs may be different.  Nothing says you need to put aside all other weapons except you.

Do the right thing for you for today..  follow your own needs.
ChuckC

[woodchucker]

Back in the 1970's... Fred Bear instituted an advertising campaign, Designed to promote Bowhunting, called "Be a 2 Season Hunter".

I have always considered myself such,and have never been ashamed to admit it!!! In fact, sometimes even promoted it myself. As we hunters become more "specialized", I think we loose some of our "Hunting" tradition. Check out my thread, "Teaching Our Youth... A Wodchucker's Ramblings" in the Hunting Legislation & Policies Forum.

In all, A legaly & respectfully killed deer is something to be proud of!!! Regardless of what it's killed with.  

[Jerry Jeffer]

Practice every day from now till then and sit with the longbow. You will never regret it.

[aim small...release]

Thanks guys. The urge to sight in my gun is very little and the pure thought of takein a deer with the longbow nov 15th simply pumps up the adrenaline

[Crittergetter]

As others have stated above, it's a personal decision. I didn't start hunting trad till last fall and have not picked up a gun or compound since. I told myself that I would hunt 100 percent trad only this year so I'm sticking to it. My buddies give me crap and have taken deer at distances beyond my range but I haven't regretted my decision at all! For me It's all about challenging myself and I love it! Good luck and good hunting!!

[MnFn]

Your choice of course.  I have the same conflict each year.  I have been perfectly content to just use my bow during rifle season in MN the last few years, partially because I have to pay $160 per license to hunt on my own land(non-resident). And some years I get drawn for a rifle license in ND. But not this year.

My conflict comes because I have a special needs foster son who really looks forward to accompanying me deer hunting.  With his handicap, it is virtually impossible to take a deer with bow. And he truly desires to be in on the taking of a deer, field dressing, skinning - pretty much the whole process.  We have tried bow hunting together but it is very difficult. I have one more day to decide.

[mangonboat]

Just go with what feels right. I go out with my recurve while others in my family are toting compounds, crossbows or black powder, and their deer meat eats just a good as mine. 20 years ago I went on a pig hunt with this same group of hunters and they were planning to hunt with compound bows, black powder rifles and magnum handguns, so I decided to carry my 7MM Mag with scope removed, as the "back-up". As it turned out, a hunter from another property pushed a boar past me with dogs  that he had shot 4 times with a bow and 5 times with a .38 special and the boar was still on his feet, moving slow. The 7 Mag. brought that fiasco to a merciful ending. That same afternoon, I was charged by a boar that I surprised on a narrow ledge with a sheer wall behind him - he had nowhere to go except straight at me. The 7 Mag dropped him 5 feet in front of me. That's unlikely to happen hunting whitetails in the Michigan woods and you don't need me to tell you that the deer are likely to be on the move due to the level of human activity November 15, but the point is to hunt with what feels right to you under the circumstances. Plus, the second bow season is a Christmas gift for every archer .

[Stump73]

Yeah take both.

[Bladepeek]

Just a FWIW comment. A few years ago I was sitting in a woods with my back against a large tree so my outline did not show at all from the front. Blaze orange knit cap and vest on. An older doe came into the woods, leading a younger doe and 2 fawns. She saw me immediately, but couldn't figure out what I was. She came slowly directly toward me, stopped about 20 - 30 feet out and then turned to my left and started walking again. The other 3 mimicked her exactly. Then, the lead doe cut my scent where I walked in and the game was all over.

There is no way I could have raised a gun or bow as she was looking right straight at me, but it didn't seem like the color bothered her in the least. Had I been up in a tree, she'd have probably never seen me.

[Fletcher]

Originally posted by quikfire:
Take both bow and gun out with you, if its close enough for the bow use it and if outside of bow range use your gun.

Check the legalities on that.  In some states it is not legal to bowhunt with a gun in posession, no matter what tags you may have.

[Bowwild]

I've hunted deer with a firearm (single shot .308) about half my 45 years of bowhunting. Usually, if I haven't filled my buck tag with a bow I don't hunt with a firearm. I fear seeing a huge buck in bow range without my bow. In the early 80's north of Elkhart, IN I had this exact thing happen. I had a MZZL and a Booner walked to within 15 yards of my stand on the edge of a picked bean field. I still remember that deer simply walking away as I refused to kill "the largest deer of my life" that way.

I'm in this predicament this year. Hopefully, I'll solve the issue tomorrow with my last bowhunt before firearm's season starts here. If not, I'll either take my  bow or, as was suggested above I might take both the bow and the rifle.

Of course some states don't allow one to have a bow and a firearm on the hunt. In Indiana for example one must have a license for both if both are in your possession during the hunt.

I'm an avid squirrel hunter (rim fire and air rifle). Several years ago I packed a SW 41 and a rifle on a couple of squirrel hunts. My goal was to shoot close squirrels with the pistol and longer shots with the rifle. More often as not the squirrel escaped as I attempted to ready the right equipment. I could surely see this happening in a deer stand!

Bottom line, as almost everyone has said. It is your hunt. IF you will feel satisfied with the rifle kill then by all means do it. If you will feel satisfied with a deer that wasn't quite in bow range that "got away" because you took your bow, then take the bow.

No matter what I've killed deer with I have never regretted killing one. Neither have I failed to be excited about getting and taking the shot. However, I will readily admit the sense of accomplishment and truth to self is always higher with the bow, and these days more specifically with the recurve.

[KyStickbow]

It all boils down to personal opinion like others have said. If a gun kill is gonna mean as much to u as a bow kill then by all means use it. I always think that as soon as I tote a rifle into the woods a big one is gonna walk 10 yards in front of me and I am gonna hate myself for not having my bow.

[STICKBENDER98]

I would have to double check the regs, but I don't recall seeing that you couldn't have both bow and gun with you during gun season.  It only stipulates that you must wear hunter orange.  Use what makes you happiest, if you're in a good spot for bow hunting and hunting the same spot for gun you should be ok.  There's always a chance that you'll see "Mr. Big" or "Mrs. Big" and not get a shot no matter what you're carrying, that's what make this such a great sport, and keeps us alll coming back for more.  Good luck with your decision, no matter what you choose, it wont be wrong if you're happy with it.