Is it worth getting a BOW to have more hunting options?

[GVOllie]

I bought my bow for the purpose of extended hunting seasons and to be able to shoot with my daughter who loves shooting her bow (she's 7). Since then, I have been granted access to some local private land that is too small for guns, met new people to shoot and hunt with, and practice at a weekly after-work shoot with some new friends met on a popular archery site. I bought my P.S.E used from that same site for $160 and included the bow (with rest, sight, stabilizer, and quiver), arrows with field points and broadheads, and release. I've put a couple hundred more into it in improvements, but it has been a great bow for the money.

I may not feel good enough about my skills with it to hunt with it this year, but in the meantime, the practice alone is fun. I spent the last two weekends at the local club with my daughter shooting, and in addition to having a great time, we've also spotted several deer. in the woods where the ranges are.

 

[myfriendis410]

I too took up bowhunting to extend my deer season and to hunt in areas not authorized for a gun. Stalking up close to a big hog and making a clean shot is certainly a rush. It will make a better hunter out of you as it forces you to get in close to your target. That said though; a rifle will do a better job of killing an animal with a less than perfect shot placement. Using your bowhunting skills to get close THEN shooting one with a rifle or muzzleloader can be almost as exciting. I know I'll hear complaints, but there it is. A bow requires a lot of discipline and a tremendous amount of practice. I shoot a compound, recurve and longbow and enjoy hunting with the compound. As someone else said: practice practice and more practice!

 

[THE ROMAN ARCHER]

oh yeh i almost forgot another great point that i like the most about being strickly a bowhunter and archer, you can get an A/O (ARCHERY ONLY LICENSE) and get ALOT MORE ZONE"S to HUNT then a general li. will for gunner's. the only thing is you cant posses a firearm with you during the bow only seson's while hunting with a bow...............tra

 

[sancho]

ya i will say i have never gotten buck fever till i had my first archery experience with a 4x4 at 20 yards wow the excitement and for the bow you cant beat a mathews bow it also has a lifetime warranty

this is exactly right!!! i have shot an elk with a rifle. looking thru a scope takes "something" out of the deal..i get way less buck fever. with a bow..all bets are off..buck fever, turkey fever, pig fever..crap. i just have fever.

answering you original que..YES! rifles are loud..bows, quiet. that and the short range gives people comfort, and will grant more hunting access.

 

[ighunt]

Swine Flu

this is exactly right!!! i have shot an elk with a rifle. looking thru a scope takes "something" out of the deal..i get way less buck fever. with a bow..all bets are off..buck fever, turkey fever, pig fever..crap. i just have fever.

.

Is pig fever anything like Swine Flu?

Get a bow dude, AO tags, uncontrollable fevers, close encounters of the third kind...did I mention it'll make women want you? Whats there not to like about bowhunting?

 

[sancho]

...did I mention it'll make women want you?

FUNNY! this is true, btw.

 

[biseger]

Bowhunting has the highest highs and the lowest lows of hunting. Once you commit to the bow go to a good shop that will be around a long time and that you trust to work on your stuff, then shoot every bow they have befor you make your mind up as to what you want. Buy once and be happy. I would not waste money on a set up you wont be happy with after you go the range and see what the real archers are shooting. Practice, practice, practice. Many guys that have success here shoot every day. I love to shoot and can shoot day or night in the backyard without a sound to disturb the nabiorhood something you just can't do with a rifle. I would prefer if you left all those archery tags for me though. Go get'em.

 

[RoosterKiller]

If you like hunting and have the time to do it. I would recomend you getting into bowhunting.If you are limited on the times you can get into the field then I would not do it unless you just enjoy being outdoors.

 

[old bowhunter]

My emphatic answer, of course (read my "name"), is YES... BUT... As nearly everyone has said, you need to PRACTICE. Admittedly, it's FUN - waaaay more fun than shooting a rifle at metal at 300+ yds. But you actually have to have the time to do it. I've been bowhunting for over 22 years, and have killed everything from deer to squirrels with a bow. I even regularly shoot rabbits from my in-law's back yard in the Thousand Oaks area of Los Angeles. The neighbors have no idea! Good stuff... but I have also made the mistake of hunting after a long delay in practicing, only to find after hitting a buck wrong that either/both the bow and/or the archer were out of tune.

IF you get into bowhunting, you must commit to a different level of intensity as a hunter, from all angles. It's well worth the effort, but it is more effort than most can/will dedicate to hunting (or most anything for that matter.). I've owned a half a dozen bows in my day, and all served the purpose. Today you can get a phenominal "economy" bow that is better than the top of the line bow available just 10 years ago. So go to a local pro shop and shoot everything he has within your budget. Your hands and ears will tell you what to buy. The last bows I bought were Mathews and Hoyts, but my favorite will always be my first (it's broken thanks to my wife running it over in her car): a Jennings Forked Lightening XL.
Look at a Fred Bear bow for value and perfomance. Other hunters won't admire your spending habits, but they are the best value in archery today.