just curious what people hunt with most of the time. i prefer the bow just because it ties in to how they hunting back in the day, just the bows today are way more advanced than they were back when the indians where using them.

bow vs rifle single choice
	bow only
	rifle only
	bow then rifle
	rifle then bow
	both about the same
Votes accepted starting: 04/19/11 11:29 AM
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If you want to "tie" yourself to the "old ways", hunt with a long bow.

I dont understand why anyone would want to hunt with a bow, but then again i dont understand why anyone would hunt texas whitetails with a 300win mag either. Different strokes for different folks i guess.

Shotgun for me.

With a rifle or bow I can sit in a tree blind or other hide and take the animal at 20 yards, but with the rifle I can also take the nervous pig that won't come closer than 150 yards. Any weapon is great if you mainly want to play with the weapon. Rifles are better if getting meat is the primary purpose.

I believe benig a bow hunter will make you a better hunter than rifle hunting only. The reason I believe this is with a rifle you see the one you want to shoot inside say 300 yards, bang it is over. With a bow you have to figure out how to get within the much shorter range. You spend a lot more time "usually" watching game and figuring out how to get close. Of course for most that entails setting up a stand close to a feeder. I grewup hunting in Mississippi where feeders are not legal so tou hunted the trails or perhaps a white oak tree that was dropping acorns or such hot food source.

I'll be bow hunting this year for the first time but I'll hunt with the rifle after that

I started out hunting with a rifle as most do. I then got into black powder just to do something different. Then went to bow for more of a challenge and to watch more than kill. I am not saying that rifle hunting is not a challenge so please don't bash me. I have had my share of missed shots. But due to the short kill range of a bow, I really enjoy hunting more now than ever since I get to watch a lot more. To me the planning, scouting, looking, watching and waiting, thinking, dreaming, preparing is 90 percent of my enjoyment of hunting or being in the great out doors. If I get a shot at a nice deer, GREAT! If not, that is ok too, I am also meat eater.

Assuming that we are talking about deer hunting, I primarily hunt with a bow.

Bows are money pits, stick with the bang bang

I took a good friend and avid gun hunter with me to the bow blind last year. The funniest thing I have every seen in the woods happened..... We were in a popup blind and a doe circled around behind us. She was probably 5 feet behind the blind when she blew as loud as she could. My friend jumped and looked at me like we were about to get eaten and said in a trembling voice, "what was that". I laughed and said that's what a doe sounds like when she smells you. I guess if you gun hunt you don't run into that too often!

I bought a new bow arrows and broadheads a couple of years ago all for under $350. It isnt a paralel limb design and isnt the fastest, and it isnt a Matthew's... its a plain jain parker with a peep and 3 pin sight, but it kills deer and pigs all the same. Just like you dont need a custom rifle to kill deer either, some have one though because it is their choice.

I have hunted with a bow, rifle, and muzzle loader and love them all.

bow or rifle...for me, both require more watching than shooting and one doesn't do more for me than the other in terms of excitement.

I hunted on a bow only lease for over 16 years and it was the most rewarding and fun lease I ever hunted on.

In recent years I've had to give up the bow because of shoulder and back problems and now it's gun only.

I tried the crossbow but it just isn't the same, and don't believe anyone who says bowhunting doesn't make you a better hunter because they haven't done both and been consistently successful.

The sounds, the smells, the wind direction, and even the thermals come into play when bowhunting, and the slightest mistake or something you have totally no control over can and will cost you a deer.

Example is a tiny creak made by the bow as you draw, and a sound that you had not heard after thousands of practice shots, so yes, when you bowhunt you are truly hunting and it doesn't matter how good you think you are, you have to depend on a lot of luck as well.

Bow and muzzle loader.....We cannot use rifles in our state. My best deer to date is a bow 170 1/8. A very satisfying hunt to say the least.

hunting with a bow is awesome... much more of a challege. Nothing like being just a few yards away from a deer and smoking them with a bow. I hunt with a rifle too, but really.... how hard is it? I shot a doe last year at 400 yards, she never had a clue.

I shot 4 or 5 deer with my bow last year, but drew on 9 or 10 of them... getting busted is no fun at the time, but it certainly is a rush.

hopefully I'll get a nice buck next year with my bow...still waiting for that trophy. It probably won't be as good as my best rifle buck, but it will be a great trophy if I can pull it off.

A rifle is way more powerful and has a much longer range.

Use to use it all now just rifle.

Im new to hunting in general.So for me,a rifle seems to be the best option.Heck I got busted by a buck last year while rattling on the ground.Couldnt get a shot off with the rifle let alone a bow!

i love my rytera alien x... it's a lot of fun to stick a pig with...

of course, i wouldn't trade it for my rifle (katie)

i would like to thank everyone for their responses

i see alot of the bow hunters share the same thoughts as i do. not sure that i'd call myself a real bowhunter yet, only been in the stand few times, haven't even seen anything, but that will all change this up coming season, at least i hope so.

there's just somthing about firing the bow that send a rush through me, just love it. now to i know it doesn't need it to be upgrade cause it the bow i got fires just fine, but after i return home i think i am going to upgrade to something a little newer and retire the one i have.