gun vs. bow

[elkantler75]

any of you out there who have hunted elk with both bow and gun? i would like to know your successes with each and which you prefer. i personally feel that archery elk season is easier than rifle season unless it is a rifle rut hunt which is very rare. that ignoramous who assumes rifle hunters are all fat lazy slobs has obviously never packed in with horses and mules in the middle of november. that is pure punishment and takes some tough hombres. that is why i go in sept. now. please respond in any way.

 

[Explosives]

Been hunting for years our succes rate is pretty good. We hardly ever draw so I guess that could be one of the reasons!! IMO New mexico's bow ad muzzy season is better then the rifle season just because of the dates and the way g&f has it set up. The 1st and 2nd rifle hunts in some areas are decent hunts also because of dates. I dont really think there is one "better" then the other it's up to the individual. As far as the hunt itself I think the dates for the bow season are better. The rifle hunt is physically alot harder due to the non-rut hunting, locating, glassing and stalking. What it comes down to is scout, learn your area, have a plan, and scout some more! I guess all in all i agree with you elk!!! Last just be happy that we get to be out there and enjoying what we have no matter what weapon!!

rye whiskey rye whiskey............

 

[elkantler75]

amen!! if it was not for hunting, i would be seriously depressed!

 

[Bambistew]

In MT where I spend most of my time chasing elk you can hunt with both weapons each season with the same tag. I used to spend a lot more time hunting back when I was in school and didn't have to work for a living. Now I'm lucky to get in one hunt and usually alternate between rifle and archery seasons each year.

I spent probalby equal time with bow in hand as rifle each season, I'm guessing 8-10 each year? Probably more in rifle season. Hunted out of my backpack in bow season most times but sometimes with horses and usually packed in with horses, or hiked in dayly during rifle season. As far as 'dificulty'... I think during the rut you'll see 3-4 times as many elk, and see many more nice bulls, but the odds of getting one in range is pretty low. I figue on getting maybe 2-3 chances at killing an elk in a bow season where all the stars where lined up for a kill. The weather is generally nice and more of a picnic than a hunt. You can cover lots of ground with no snow, but it makes for tough stalking conditions at times when its crispy. I'm more intersted in the 'hunt' than the kill and much more perfer to chase elk in bow season even though odds of sucess are generally much lower.

Rifle hunting can also be just as dificult for difrent reasons, There are far more hunters in the woods, the elk have shut up, and have split into small bunches. Azz deep snow makes for tough going, but also makes the animals more visible and makes them feed longer during shooting light. Success seems to hinge heavily on weather or has in my experience. I have however killed 75% of my elk within the first couple hours of opening day of rifle season... so I'm not sure if it makes it hard or easy? The other 25% were very tough to bag however...

IMO I'd say that killing an elk in bow season is more of a challenge, but the hunting is much 'easier'. I really enjoy both types of hunts and am glad that we have the option. I've recently become addicted to muzzle loader hunting, kind of the best of both worlds. Have to get in close but still get to put the 'smack down'.

 

[marley]

I hunted for 5 years with a rifle during my teenage years and never pulled the trigger. At the age of 21 I picked up a bow for the first time. I shot 3 elk in the first three years of archery hunting. Definitely easier in my case. One was shot at 8 yards and the other 2 at 30 yards. I just killed my first elk with a rifle this past fall.

Definitely easier to hunt elk with a bow than rifle in my opinion. I put about 5 times the miles on my boots when hunting with a rifle. Rifle hunting for elk is not for the lazy. Put a bow in my hand and a diaphram call in my mouth and watch me sit on my a$$ all day long and end up with an elk in the back of the truck.