I find myself with only archery equipment now. I was wondering if anyone out there only uses archery equipment also.
I still hunt dove, duck & goose with shotguns, but all of my deer hunting is archery.
I hunt upland game birds with a shotgun...everything else is with a bow. I have been thinking about buying a .204 for coyotes though!
I just sold my last gun a week ago(22-250)and was wondering if anyone elso came to a point of selling there last gun. I have a pheasant hunt on sunday and will be using my long bow.
I still use a shotgun and/or rifle every once and awhile for some small game, upland birds, and coyotes.
Most of the time, it is the bow and the bow only for me.
I have never owned a rifle tag for big game.
jake
For deer hunting i only use bows .
I haven't hunted for deer with a modern weapon since 1964 when I killed my first deer. Since then its been recurves, longbows, flatbows and muzzleloaders. When I say muzzleloader, I don't mean stainless barrels, telescopic sights,pyrodex pellets,maxi balls, shotgun primer ignition,inlines etc, I mean MUZZLELOADING!! :) :)
I will only gun hunt(T/C Encore) for deer maybe a week to 10 days per season (mostly with my Dad) but I love to dove hunt with shotguns and I still Turkey hunt with a shotgun. All other deer hunting is bow only.
I will gun-hunt for deer if invited to do so on someone else's property though.
Mark
Still use shotguns for birds...still carry a rifle for part of the season, because my son, daughter, and dad gun hunt.
I am archery only..for the most part, like arraflinger I do use the ole timey muzzleloader. My last rifle deer was in 1986.
I have a Pistol for "HOME SECURITY" :saywhat: but I have Nothing But Bows, Arrows, :archer: and Hopefully More Luck Come Spring Turkey Hunt Time!! :archer:
I hunt primarily with a bow, but still use guns when the mood hits me.
I love hitting the deer woods using the old rifle my grandfather gave me. It's not a bow but there are a lot of good memories tied to it.
archery only for about the last 14 years.
I haven't regretted it.
All hunting archery only since 1978. Carried guns in military/police work for two legged critters though.
I hunt a lot. Archery for all out-of-state hunts, turkeys and almost all in-state deer hunting, though do gun hunt a few days during our one-week gun deer season. Mostly a time to get together with my brother. Still use a shotgun for grouse, woodcock and ducks, though have taken pretty many grouse with the bow, not on the wing.
Archery only for 4 years.
I gave up hunting with fire arms or anything else except for my longbow and whatever arrow I end up with, back in 1968! I've taken a lot of game with the recurve and longbow and find no reason to change back!
Guess I'll be in the minority. I love to hunt. Period. Be it with a bow, rifle, smoke pole or shotgun. I have trouble sitting still for more than a couple minutes so I rarely have deer close enough to me to shoot with a bow. But I'm in the woods every chance I get anyway I keep hoping one day I'll settle down and learn to be still.
Only use longbow, back quiver and cedar arrows!
I started in 1966 and after the '69 season I went bow only for the next 31 yrs. Then, in 2000 I bought a rifle and a handgun because I was beginning to think there could come a day when I won't be able to. I truly enjoy shooting my guns but unless I'm grouse hunting I just can't leave my bow at home!
Deer-bow&arrow/lyman greatplians muzzy
COYOTES-New AR-15!
All my bowhunting is with a bow. Trying to wean myself away from hunting firearms though. I'll always have my guns! Until they pry my cold, dead fingers from around them. I never plan to take a bow to a gun fight if me or mine is threatened!
I love bowhunting, but come rifle season, I love rifle hunting. Come turkey season, only shotgun and so on....
Never ever hunted with a gun. Only longbows and recurves. IMO guns are for protecting life and liberty not for making meat.
I have lots of guns because I like them. But I only deer hunt with a gun because I want to hunt with my dad and he doesnt archery hunt, also it gives me another month to hunt. :)
I used to but then I hurt my shoulder patting myself on the back.
I have a fishing rod-just in case!
I would use anything available but anything I hunt coincides with archery deer season so the first love rules.
Imo guns are a vital tool for harvesting meat. i use my rifle for all of my tags, then go bowhunting for all my proxy tags. have to put as much meat away as quick as possible. with the price of diesel, every trip to the islands, we go to drag out as many as possible. the rifle to me is a harvesting tool, my bow is for pure outside hunting persuit joy.
Nothing but recurves and longbows. Forgot to mention we have a small freezer!
Getting ready to give my muzzleloader to a friend for Christmasm will only hunt bunnies w/shotgun unless theres snow on the ground then will use a bow, squrrel hunt w/scoped .22, all Ive used since I was about 14 other then scoped high end air rifles...all my deer hunting from here on out will be with a recurve/longbow, hate toting a heavy a#! gun around and dont like the noise in the deer woods anymore. Will more then likely get another .223 to thin out our ever growing yote poulation though.
QuoteOriginally posted by Apex Predator:
All my bowhunting is with a bow.
I would hope so, don't want to get caught bowhunting with a gun. :biglaugh: Sorry, I couldn't resist.
I have completely lost interest in my firearms. I do, however, keep a .45 around the house for varmints.
I like my woods quiet.
dj
Bow only.
QuoteI used to but then I hurt my shoulder patting myself on the back.
Know what you mean John - that hurts!
It's all good - and enjoyable to more then a few.
Steve - love my White inlines too.
I just cant only hunt with a bow, I love guns and bows equally!, I love my little ruger markII 22 pistol, I sometimes carry it for plinking after my morning hunt or if a squirrel is out of bow range
Archery only for me . I gave up gun hunting and sold my guns 3 or 4 years ago.
Archery only for my deer hunting but I do have an assortment of other equipment for other hunts if they arise.
Dennis
Bow for squirrel, rabbit, deer. Only hunt the opening weekend with rifle for deer. Coyotes with bow and rifle, shotgun.
I was going to post a similar question this year. I call it the evolution of the trad. hunter. First you dabble, then its all out.
Archery for everything but waterfowl for me. And the waterfowl is starting to fall out of my hunting schedule more every year.
I own a 308 and a 22 mag and a shotgun. All of which I use for coyotes and birds. I am going to start trying for deer next year with my longbow. I will never get rid of my guns. I like the noise they make.
Cool everyone. Any type of hunting is a great experience. Just take in the beauty and the time you have out in the wild. If it wasn't for the noise, I would love fire arms much more. It's all about the peace for me.
Bow only. Squirrel, whitetail,rabbits, spring turkey. My own cedar arrows. I have been struggling in my mind with carbons. Just cant seem to make the jump from wood.
i can proudly say i have never hunted with a gun ( except once for tree rats back in 1979.) Coming from a non hunting family, i picked up a recurve at a rummage sale back in 1974 and taught myself to hunt. It was a long slow process with the first deer taking four years. I have never hunted big game with any thing other then stick and string. I plan on never trying either.
Deer with longbow only. Coyotes with 22/250
QuoteOriginally posted by chesapeakeblend:
I was going to post a similar question this year. I call it the evolution of the trad. hunter. First you dabble, then its all out.
Archery for everything but waterfowl for me. And the waterfowl is starting to fall out of my hunting schedule more every year.
Exactly the same here
F-Manny
I only hunt with a Longbow. I dont even own a bangstick.
Brother Lewis. Good to see you here. Nice bow in your avatar!
Rifles for varmits and some deer hunting with my dad and brother, shotguns for birds and ducks. Most of my travels and time off for hunting is now for long bow hunting. Like many others have mentioned, I seem to have less interest in gun hunting over time.
Im 50 years old and have never hunted with a fire arm in my life. Nothing wrong with it just not for me.
I got a shotgun a rifle a bow and a 4 wheel drive.....you know the rest.
I love guns, but not for hunting, bow only here.
I prefer archery hunting to gun, but still love to gun hunt various species as well. I just love to be out there chasing after them.
I haven't shot a gun in a long time, but I might one of these days.
Fiream hunting has its place and time. Bowhunting has my heart and soul.
I am proud to say that I hunt with a bow 99 percent of the time.
Good to see you too Kenny!!
That bow was the first Custom bow I ever had built for me. Dont have it anymore......sigh!LOL
Gun hunting is fun but I think I only used my scattergun once last year. So far this year, it's recurve only for me.
Bowhunt everything! But do agree with Biggie Hoffman when he said turkey hunting was a shotgun sport!
I'm a gun collector but my bow is my weapon of choice. I hunt with my muzzleloaders on and off
I love my longbow and use it 90% of the time I am hunting or shooting at anything but I still enjoy shooting my shotguns, slug guns, muzzleloaders, varmint rifles and even my wheely bow from time to time. I just cant help myself, I enjoy all types of hunting!
Just a bow for me!
98% is all trad archery. All my out of state or USA trips are only archery.
During muzzleloading season (10 days)in November I will hunt deer with a "real" muzzleloading side lock with perc. cap only. No inline or scope, or even true glow sights..
I will hunt spring turkeys using both a 12ga. and bows. Pheasant hunting with my O/U shotgun. Way too much fun.
bow only for myself,the wife will gun hunt once in a great while but mostly bow for her also.
Can't hit the ground with a gun, so I stick to the bow.
Except for doves,bow only since 1971.
I made the final commitment to the Bow 23 years ago. I hunt exclusively with nothing but Traditional equipment. I even hunted with my Longbow for a 4th season elk rifle tag a couple seasons back. Can't help it, its Traditional or nothing with me. T
All I use anymore is my bows. I have a bunch of guns, but I will not sell them. They are neat and to costly to replace. I always pack a little .22 for rattlers. I am not wasting a $10.00 arrow on a rattle snake when a 10 cent .22 shell does the trick. Plus some of the guns are hand-me-downs from Dad and they could never be replaced. He never bowhunted but was a crack shot with a pistol or rifle. I have seen him hit several swimming cotton mouths with a .22 revolver S&W with one hand and fixed sight. Now that is instinctive if I have ever seen it
I shoot grouse and rabbits with my bow; but when it comes to chuckars and Grey partridge and quail... its a boom stick.
I do carry a pistol while working in the woods; as rattlesnakes are a reality here. I think I killed more with my bow than my pistol though. I can't always carry my bow when working.
But for big game its been a bow for over a quarter of a century :)
I own birds dogs; 15 of them right now. I can hardly hit chuckars and huns with my gun; let alone my bow; but I have taken a few with my bow while they were still on the ground. I have taken grouse on the wing with my bow...but chuckars?
nope.
Archery only for last six years.
My dad got me and my brothers all a new rifles before he retired. He has been a rifle hunter for about 60 years now. Out of respect for Dad me and my brothers all go rifle hunting with dad still. However we love our bows the most.
The more seasons i get under my belt the more i enjoy archery. I find myself hunting less with a gun and more with a bow, I hunt small game with my long bow only now. I can see the direction I'm heading in it wont be long before I'm longbow only, no guns.
The only weapons Laura and I own are our bows and arrows.
I've been bow hunting for years. Before that i hunted only pheasants and the like with shotguns. I've been kinda missing hunting small game with the shotgun for a couple years now. I'm thinking that next year after I kill a couple deer, I'm gonna take the ol shot gun out and go rabbit huntin or somethin.
It's been about 10 years since I hunted with a gun (for birds). It's a shame that my Charles Daly O/U is just sitting there. It's one of the good B.C. Miroku guns too! (and NO, I won't sell it)
My second passion has always been wingshooting, so I still find myself with a shotgun in hand frequently. Other than that, I almost always bowhunt...
trad archery equipment only for 20 years or so.. everyonce in a while I will take a .22 squirrell huntin..
Longbows and recurves only for me now. Ate Tag soup this year, but rather that and hunt for it than any animal and just shooting it with the rifle.
I guess I have come to the realization the hunt is more rewarding than the kill. I could hunt the same way with the rifle, but I know that animal at 100/200 yards would get shot, and I just would not try a stalk when I knew I could make a clean kill where he is.
The result would be just shooting, and not to much hunting. For me now ,that is not what I like.
When rifle season opens I move to Bow only zones.
Pete
I hunt during gun season here in Ohio......with my recurve and an big orange vest and hat! It feels wierd holdin my bow with orange on
All I own as weapons is Longbows....
Oh and I have a Zulu Spear that stays next to the bed....
I still own an 870 12-gauge which I'll pull out for pheasant now and again, and my 54 Cal Sidelock Carbine but neither have been out of their cases except for an occasional oil rub down in a long time... Also have a 4" Stainless 44 Mag that rides on the side of my leg when its legal in bear country. Probably more of a deterent for the two legged "problems" that may arise, but you just never know... Would like to get a 4" Stainless Model 500 in 500 S&W to replace the 44 Mag, but haven't pulled the trigger. ;)
Trad gear only. I stink with a gun. :biglaugh:
Trad gear only for the past 52 years.
I did the archery only thing for a few seasons a while back. It was a good experienced. I learned a lot about myself and why I hunt. I picked the muzzleloader back up a few seasons ago. My hunting time has probably been split 50/50 since then.
I hunted deer with a gun one day 20 years ago, it was a real eye opener and I have not trusted the vision of gun hunters since. I use a bow for everything, except fish.
I'm a bow hunter for sure, but my firearms have a special place in my heart. I may hunt once or twice with a rifle with my son, because he is still a novice with wind direction and movement while bow huntin. My firearms are mostly sentimental and past from generation to generation. I just hope that it stays that way...
I picked up the bow and started to make them because I've always wanted to be an archer the using my own equiptment is a plus. But if that means I have to be proud of myself only if I own or hunt with a bow alone then something is wrong. This is a sport, fellas, not an identity. Unless a person is making their livelyhood with the stick and string the rest of us are only playing Hero. Robin Hood has long since died.
If I want an exciting hunt I take the bow.
If I want an exciting hunt and expect meat or fur then I take the gun. Because I want to hunt. And I am an American citizen who can.
well put ChristopherO
bravo
Bow,pistol,rifle,shotgun I use them all.Love hunting with them all!Hell I'd hunt with a slingshot if it was legal and ethical[sp].
Going trad for me was personal challenge and while I love it,I also like the taste of deer.I'm going to put the gun up and go back to bow hunting the rest of the season.Which will be a first for me.
i do not carry modern rifle anymore however i still love my traditional muzzleloaders. its longbows and smokepoles for me!
QuoteOriginally posted by ChristopherO:
This is a sport, fellas, not an identity.
Thats funny - that's pretty much how I see my actual job. I have to do computer stuff for money but I'm a hunter. :-)
all big game with a bow!! But I'll never!!!!!!!!!!!sell my guns. Too many coyotes to shoot!!
Only gun I own is a 20 ga. shotgun for dove and an occasional pheasant
QuoteOriginally posted by ChristopherO:
I picked up the bow and started to make them because I've always wanted to be an archer the using my own equiptment is a plus. But if that means I have to be proud of myself only if I own or hunt with a bow alone then something is wrong. This is a sport, fellas, not an identity. Unless a person is making their livelyhood with the stick and string the rest of us are only playing Hero. Robin Hood has long since died.
If I want an exciting hunt I take the bow.
If I want an exciting hunt and expect meat or fur then I take the gun. Because I want to hunt. And I am an American citizen who can.
I don't know how you interpeted this topic but I really don't think there was any sense of prejudice or bias towards firearms,,,, I used to hunt with rifles mainly but now I'll only be using my bows,,,, till some other urge pops up.
QuoteOriginally posted by BEETLE GUY:
I find myself with only archery equipment now. I was wondering if anyone out there only uses archery equipment also.
Before this takes a turn for the bad and requires some intervention. I would like to point out the fact that in the "ORIGIONAL" post there was NEVER any mention of FIREARMS only how many of us hunt "TRADITIONAL ARCHERY ONLY"
Let's PLEASE try and keep it to the "ORIGIONAL QUESTION"
TRADITONAL ARCHERY
I made a progression in archery, recurve, dark side, recurve, longbow, making selfbows and bow hunting only with an osage bow and wood arrows I made.
Same for guns for deer hunting, lever action, bolt action, TC percussion, in line, percussion, TC flintlock, custom flint longrifle and now half way through my first scratch flintlock build for deer hunting with in the future. My flintlock assures I have deer meat in the freezer every year.
I love crafting my hunting equipment then hunting with it. I have the bow making mastered and have found flintlock building is a parallel art form. Hope to be very good at it some day.
My modern guns will stay put in my gun cabinet. I live in a rural setting and home invasions are becoming more common. I may need the firepower some day.
I love hunting,no matter.