What is your favorite part of it?

[VA Elite]

What is it that makes you tick? I mean what is the one thing about bowhunting that you cherish the most? For me, at the ripe old age of 40 (lol) after 25 years of bowhunting, it has to be that sunrise in the crisp morning...I just crave it, in fact i always have. But it wasn't until a few years ago that I realized it was the very thing that brought me to the woods. I always thought it was the rush of the kill, or sight of a big buck or even that shot, but it wasn't. No matter how bad the hunt went, I for some reason always remembered that first 10-15 minutes as the sun creeps above the trees.

[Bowwild]

I too cherish the minutes before dawn. They are filled with such promise, except on the rare occasion when a Doe starts blowing before I've settled in!

This is why at least 80% of my hunts are in the AM rather than the late afternoon.

[Sam McMichael]

Yes, watching the world come alive in the morning is a beautiful and relaxing time for me. Just enjoying the time in the woods is special. However, when old big boy comes along and interrupts the morning's serenity, that's O.K., too.

[VA Elite]

oh yeh, the ol 10 year old mama doe in the dark will ruin the sunrise every time! with her blowing and stomping and carrying on...

[bear bowman]

I love the sounds of the morning. Hearing all the night time creatures heading home before dawn and then listening to all the day time creatures as they wake up. I wish I could express it better but that's all I got.

[VA Elite]

good enough my man!

[fujimo]

mornings are truly awesome-and i am an early riser- so its easy,  but most of all i just really love the quiet time in the bush, and relish those awesome encounters.
had a duiker within 4' of where i was sitting in africa,he never knew i was there. had a red tailed hawk land on my head and set a while, a skunk fussed around outside my blind for a long while once-
oh yea, a black rhino pushed my girlfriend and i up a thorn tree once -kept us there for an hour- was a nervous climb down and walk back!! they sometimes can hang around some!
just a quick few that stand out amoungst many that i have been privileged to be part of.
anybody spending time in the bush will have amazing encounters- and great stories for the grandchildren!!

just being able to go into the bush is a huge blessing- many can not afford that privilege.

[VA Elite]

AMEN!!  

Seeing the woods wake up!

Although, this is a close second:

 

Bisch

[John3]

All the preperation and practice..: then the sight and smell of late October leaves.. The sound of acorns falling like a light rain....

[KSshrewman]

the early walk to the stand...
the smell of damp fall mornings...
the anticipation of what could be...
campfires with good friends...

[ron w]

Originally posted by John3:
All the preperation and practice..: then the sight and smell of late October leaves.. The sound of acorns falling like a light rain....

That's me.......also the slow stroll down a woods road, wind in your face, not knowing what you see at any moment. Could be a grouse or a deer, maybe a fox or just a pretty maple tree all red and orange. Cool in the morning and mild at mid day.........That makes it all worth while!

[VA Elite]

Bisch, man that looks ridiculously good!

[longbowman]

I've been doing this for a very long time.  I was thinking about this very thing as I sat in my stand Tuesday morning.  I started out with my brother when neither of us even knew a person who had killed a deer with a bow.  The anticipation of "maybe" seeing a deer made it all worth while.  As the decades went by that anticipation never waivered but now I'm much more appreciative of everything that goes in to it.  The practicing and scouting, teaching grandkids all about it now, the woods, smells and feel.  If the thrill of seeing a deer ever goes away, or the awe of knowing I actually killed one with a stick and string leaves me I'll quit.  I guess that's why I've never jumped on the trail camera wagon.  Not because I think it's bad but because I want the thrill of seeing the deer I'm after when I'm actually hunting it and the fact that there are no deer in the woods that I feel are below me to take since each one is a gift from God.

[VA Elite]

"I've been doing this for a very long time. I was thinking about this very thing as I sat in my stand Tuesday morning. I started out with my brother when neither of us even knew a person who had killed a deer with a bow. The anticipation of "maybe" seeing a deer made it all worth while. As the decades went by that anticipation never waivered but now I'm much more appreciative of everything that goes in to it. The practicing and scouting, teaching grandkids all about it now, the woods, smells and feel. If the thrill of seeing a deer ever goes away, or the awe of knowing I actually killed one with a stick and string leaves me I'll quit. I guess that's why I've never jumped on the trail camera wagon. Not because I think it's bad but because I want the thrill of seeing the deer I'm after when I'm actually hunting it and the fact that there are no deer in the woods that I feel are below me to take since each one is a gift from God."

that right there is pure my friend.

[paradocs]

Me, I like evenings best...and have had my best luck then. Maybe why my bow is named "Twilight and Mist". That and the close encounters, like the little forky last year at 3 yards on the ground...let him walk, and would do it again.

[tomsm44]

You guys are really making me wish I wasn't traveling today.  Getting on a plane to head home now and should have Friday and Saturday to hunt.  All of you pretty much nailed it.  The shorter answer would be what do I not love about bow hunting.

[awbowman]

Being in the woods, the smell of a camp fire in the cool morning.......  but most of all the camaraderie at deer camp.

[MCNSC]

I too like evenings better. Ithe Evenings I like best are not the best for deer. I like windy, misty, cold evenings , even a little stormy is nice. Don't know why, but just being in the woods  on  these type evenings give me a great feeling.

[bunyan]

The sunrises, the sunsets. The woods awakening. The chance to watch animals up close and personal. The possibility and uncertainty that each hunt brings. And doing it on my terms with a stick and string.