What is your favorite part of it?

[CoachBGriff]

If we're talking conditions, here's my favorite:

I love an early November day with a slight north wind when the clouds hang gray in the sky.  Leaves are crunchy on the ground, and there's a chill in the air that keeps you tucked into your coat.  It's that time of year in the whitetail woods that you know you can catch an old deer cruising at any time of day.  These are the days I live for!

[overbo]

The kill! once you get a few under your belt, you salivate for the next one.

I like stump shooting with my wife for first part of the hike to the back end of our hunting area in the afternoon or the last part of the hike back in the mornings.

[Longtoke]

I love the sound of "swoosh---thwak"

[Ulysseys]

For me nothing beats the sounds of crunching leaves and the anticipation of something walking in.....until I realize it's another squirrel.

[VA Elite]

a men to that!^^

[Hoyt]

Since I been doing this as long as I can remember (which doesn't necessarily mean a long time anymore, but in this case it means around 60 yrs. and a lot more than a couple months of a season) and I can't remember the last time I wasn't already awake before daylight. Plus I no longer can hear birds chirp and very little of anything else, either high frequency or subtle. So the dawning of days kinda run together and may have lost a little edge.

One thing that hasn't however, is the rush that goes through my body and soul at the first up close sight of a mature whitetail buck.

There's just something mystique and surreal about those antlers and that face that keeps bringing me back.

[Msturm]

I am a big fan of the stalk!  the adrenaline rush that comes from getting really close to an animal without it knowing is my favorite part of bow hunting.

[yeager]

Just getting away from the hustle bustle of everyday life....no boob tube, telephone, etc. Out west, love the sunrises and sunsets, the smell of sage and pines. Solitude is invigorating.

[Thumper Dunker]

Originally posted by Msturm:
I am a big fan of the stalk!  the adrenaline rush that comes from getting really close to an animal without it knowing is my favorite part of bow hunting.

Or having a coyote almost in your lap hunting for the wounded animal.

[CRS]

There are lots of things that I love about bowhunting.

But I absolutely love to watch the fletching disappear into then ribs.

[joe ashton]

For me it is the anticipation of what might happen.
and
The sound of an animal coming in the dry Autumn leaves.

[ChuckC]

There was a time when killing a deer meant everything to me, and doing it first was even better.

As I got older I tended to reflect on the entirety of the hunt more, and found joy in other things that I saw and heard.  Yeah, I still hunt to kill something, but very often, when the chance comes, I choose to wait a bit more and smile at what I saw.

Many find that it is tough to quantify because what makes you tick today, is generally not really what did it ten years ago, and probably won't be the same in another ten.  

We change, with age and experiences.
ChuckC.

[wood carver 2]

So many of you echo exactly how I feel... A cool October day with those dark clouds scudding by, that awesome morning on a hill top when the rising sun touched the aspens and leaves began to fall like rain, birds landing on me or my bow and shrews and ermine running over my boots. And just a few days ago, that majestic bull moose coming out of the forest to the lakeshore.
I haven't even made a kill with a trad bow yet, but just being there fills my soul.
Dave.

[Charlie3]

Preparation and anticipation. I get excited sitting during early twilight knowing it is magic time in the Deer woods. I like cooking my kills too...food I killed and cooked tastes the best.

[Tom]

At this point in life I am content to just be able to go out int the woods and get away from all the craziness life hands us. Yes, I will kill a deer if the right opportunity presents itself but I can still enjoy being surrounded by the sounds and sights nature provides. Been at it awhile and the anticipation still gets me pumped up. Going out tomorrow morning-love to see the sun rise and hear the world wake up. Best of luck to all.

[Nantahala Nut]

I just love watching all the critters.  I get a kick out of watching the squirrels hop around when the deer movement is slow. Just watching and listening to the woods does wonders for me. I have a stressful job and I have always had trouble turning the switch off and unwinding.  The slower and more natural pace of the woods does that for me.

[MnFn]

The smell of the woods in October

The vision of sunrise and sunset

The flight of a well shot arrow, on its way to the spot

After tracking, the instant you find the animal

[fnshtr]

I agree with everything mentioned so far. However, one of the best aspects of the hunt that I didn't see anyone mention yet is the blood trailing.

the anticipation of how it will end.

[Gdpolk]

For me it's how getting out recharges my soul so to speak. I just need some woods time. While I do gun hunt for meat I prefer bow hunting for the challenge.