How many people feel like bowhunting once gun season is underway is a waste of time?
Not a waste of time.
Anytime I can be in the woods with my bow in hand is not a waste of time. Besides if there isnt any deer theres always squirrels or bunnies!
That's the way to be! I was thinking about how pressure effects white-tail movement, and how adaptation is required to still see them consistently during gun season.
The deer are always there! Even though we'd like otherwise.
Still enjoy it. i don't go out so much once those temps stay in the teens, but I'll still go out now and a gain. Last year I was out 3-4 times a week in the mornings mostly all teh way untill last day of January. I still had a tag taht never did get filled. :knothead:
Ben
I hunt nearly every day of archery season, nearly ebery day durung rifle season and nearly every day of late archery season...all with my Black Widows.
The only problem is that it makes me sad when I hear the boys with the simple sticks blazing away. It ruins the atmosphere in the woods and provides a less that noble death for many deer. Just my 2 cents. Desperado.
I've killed my biggest bucks during gun season. Of course gun season usually coincides with the rut :-)
I seek out private land and lease that are bow only for saftey reasons more than anything so interference is minimal.
I love hunting with the bang bang army. Most of the time they push deer right to You. Their work is my play.
I love hunting during the gun season with my bow. I find good travel routes and squeeze points and usually see lots of deer.
Well you have to be in it to win it! Can't wack a deer sitting home is what I'm trying to say. Yesterday was the last day of 6 day firearm in Jersey. Bucky and I were in our stands at 6:00 settled in stayed in until around 11:00 when 5 gun hunters drove the woodlot and nothing came out.We had lunch and checked out another piece we went in around 1:30 and actually kicked up two deer going in. Was it a waste? I don't think so. The deer are tuff this time of year. They're smart , pressured for months. They key on any unnatural noise; truck doors, tree stand noise. Your probably better off on the ground or in a permanent stand. Drives help if you have a bunch of guys. That's why I like winter bow so much. We get a bunch of Trad Gangrs together and put drives on. You have to find the thickest, nastiest, areas OR find a food source. This time of year they won't venture far from a food source. Cold weather they don't like to burn unneccesary calories. Find something for them to feed on and you'll find deer. Cut corn fields are a no brainer. Hunting this time of year isn't a waste as far as I'm concerned. Beats staying home.
I agree with bentpole, that you have to change your tactics abit. One argument I have, though, is that you have to be extremely picky in your shots, and only shoot at completely calm deer, i.e. not ones that are pushed. My reasoning is that with slower traditional bows, and high strung deer, you get alot of jump shots and bad hits. This is just my experience.
I have property in an area of Pittsburgh where you are not aloud to discharge a firearm. So, during the two weeks of gun season I am there. After gun season, however, I go to my wife's cousins' property. It a very large section of open land with plenty of woods and thickets.
From this Monday to the 23rd of Dec is doe only and from Dec 26th to Jan 10th buck is back in. I'll spend every moment of spare time I have still hunting that property. It's a blast and I look forward to it every year.
Once the gun season begins it's all about location...but it's never a waste of time if you've done a bit of homework.
I shot a big doe with one of my recurves during the second weekend of the ND gun season this year. She had slipped into a small tract of security cover to avoid the "crowds". The only thing she hadn't counted on was me :) .
So put on your orange and your woolies and get out there!
Claudia
I'm using a rifle right now because I want some meat in the freezer, but once I get one, I'll use a bow for the rest of gun season, then I have nearly 30 days of bow season afterwards
It is harder, less deer, more leary, main rut is over! But, I still love being out there, still turkey's to chase, squirrel hunting is acutally the best this time of year out of a stand. Will concede that when it is 5 degrees and/or rainy takes alot more to get me out of bed at O'dark-thirty.
Deer sometimes go noctural at some point during gun season here. Hunt bedding areas and find them in thier beds is what I do. Its amazing how close whitetails will let you get to them.
In Quebec there are no special bow seasons for black bears or caribou so in essence every bear or caribou I or others have killed here with a bow technically have been harvested during a general gun season.
As far as moose and deer goes, since I am guiding for caribou during moose bow season and hunting moose during the deer bow season, I rarely have the luxury of hunting during a bow only season, even though I hunt exclusively with a bow.
I have adapted quite well, although I realize that luckily most of the places I hunt are wilderness areas.
The regulation dress codes get on my nerves though.
I normally hunt the "gun" season with stick in hand.
One of the comments I hear alot is I can wait for the late season to bowhunt or I can't wait for the smokepole season. Why wait?-for fewer deer?
I still get out after the gunners are done. We can't bow hunt during the regular firearms season, but can legally hunt during the special antlerless seasons. I wear it, but am not a big fan of the blaze oramge requirement. It just doesn't feel right...
One of my Trad Bows will always make the trip upstate with me, no matter what the season. If conditions are right I'll hunt with my bow. It's just fun to be able to stump shoot or try to take small game while deer hunting. Try that with a 30-06. :rolleyes:
... mike ... :archer: ...
I have had great success. Try and find the safe haven. Escape route funnels also work good. Use the wind to your favor, for they are in alert mode. I have a post of a buck I harvested this year on the Gun season opener. Hope this hopes and persistance prevails,
Big Ed
In my area it is but i can see some places it could good. But after gun season on are lease late season say, last week in January is one of my favorite times to hunt.
I used to hang it up after gun season. MAN I WASTED SOME GOOD HUNTING TIME. Within 10days to 2 weeks you can hammer'em on food sources. When it gets cold mid-day hunts are good too.