Trad Gang

Wich species do you guys think would make the hardest animal to harvest with a traditional bow in North America?
I applied for Ibex in the florida mountains in New mexico, I think that's up there in the top 10!

David

A record book mule deer.

I would think the wolf and a cougar without dogs would place in there somewhere.  Also all the sheep and the Eastern Wild Turkey without a blind.

I've only ever hunted one of those though.  Its at the top of my list right now.

The toughest I've personally been on was a mountain goat hunt in Southeast Alaska. The terrain and the weather were truly treacherous. Incidentally, the name of that area was Ford's Terror. Quite fitting.

I'm not a fearful person, by nature, but the top 3 moments on my "Scared $#!&less" list, came on that hunt.

I do think there is a distinction between a tough, as in physically demanding, hunt and hunting an animal that is difficult to get a shot on.

For the most elusive animals, I'd have to say a Coues Whitetail would rank at the top. Any sheep or goat is a true trophy with traditional archery. Like Threeunder said, a wolf and cougar without dogs is nigh on impossible. For the common fellow, a coyote can provide as tough of a target as anything.

A rocky mountain goat may be of significant consideration. Dealing with the elements and terrain which may be encountered can be most treacherous and extremely physically challenging.

Various articles I have read has definitely served to keep any thoughts of this pursuit far from my bucket list.

Yeah, someday I'll post about one of my mountain goat hunts. It involves a 5000 pound boulder crashing down the mountain, in the middle of night, and nearly smashing my tent; having to spend the night stuck on a ledge; a sunken boat; and a ride in a Coastguard helicopter. Quite the adventure.

I would also say a record book mule deer. They didn't get that way by accident. Gary

Wolverine

Dale sheep. Mountain goat. Wolverine.

Defiantly the Ruby throated hummingbird.  :bigsmyl:

100+ coures whitetail

What is a coures whitetail?

Biggie, it's a Coues Whitetail Deer. A subspecies whitetail. Mostly souther Arizona  higher elevations smaller than whitetail and love using cover.

spooky wired texas whitetail deer.   :D

I've also thought the Mt. Goat would be the toughest if getting a tag isn't part of the formula.

Florida Eastern and Osceola Turkeys.  These turkeys are tough to get them to come to a call, but to be able to move on one to get a shot is very difficult and almost impossible.        :archer:

Having personaly hunted them I would say wolf would be near the top. They are without a doubt the smartest predator Ive ever come in contact with. The first two days of my hunt it was -42 and I cant even explain this kind of cold you have to experience it before you would appreciate it. I would also put sheep and Goats right near the top,although Ive not hunted them the terrain, elevation,open country, and unpredictable weather I have read about makes it sound like very low odds hunt. I think wolverine is a toughy also because of the rareity of them.

Yup Rob's is a good definition.

The toughest part of any trophy is being able to pay for the hunt. A sheep/goat hunt is hard, but, paying for it is worse.

Although not as exciting and glamorous as those animals living in remote and dangerous habitat, an urban whitetail who lives constantly surrounded by people and their dogs can be truly difficult to put a shot on.

I would have to say sasquatch!!!   :laughing:    :deadhorse:   It seems the guys on Finding Bigfoot have trouble getting proof one even exist let alone hunt one down.

A tough question, hope to be able to chase goats seriously some day if I ever draw... I have been plenty close to them in MT and CO on occasion minus the license, bow and snow...    

Cougar w/out dogs, tried, got close but no cigar, maybe some day, hopefully before I get too old and fat to run one down...

Southern AZ Coues, been once, saw several, huge fun, didn't bring one home but sure plan to go back for another try on those wary critters one day.

For sure the toughest critter I've personally chased has to be the "educated" wolf. Prior to MT allowing hunting of them they were pretty easy to call and get reasonably close too. Now after a few years of education they have learned well. Unpredictable, naturally wary and the ability to travel unbelievable distances in a short time make them one tremendous challenge for the stickbow shooter. Spent countless behind the binos and spotting scope looking and planning the stalk. Been close several times, even within touching distance once but only had two shots. One a complete miss the other a nine yard gimme, he just wasn't there when the arrow got there. Truly frustrating but true fun at the same time. Can't wait till next fall!!

In my neck of the woods i would have to say a place to hunt that hasn't been leased up by a big outfitter would be at the top of my list.   :bigsmyl:

I'll vote for Long Island NY, we basically are hunting in backyards with deer that are super sensitive to hunting pressure while having anti hunters do everything possible to disrupt your hunt by honking their horns when they see your car parked in known hunting spots as well as the neighbors dogs that bark all day long because they winded you from 500 yards away. If you can get under the radar of a Whitetail here with traditional gear, you earned it.

hunted Ibex for 10-12 yrs in NM the toughest

dont know of any other animal that will post a look out while the others are feeding

Biggie LOL   :biglaugh:   (nut)

Biggie LOL   :biglaugh:  (nut)

If you want a tough hunt that you see lots of animals but it's tough to get a shot just try hunting whitetails anywhere the is a lot of hunting pressure like parts of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, etc. For a physically tough hunt as well as not seeing to many animals but if you do get a shot it is likely to be a good one go for something like any of the sheep species on mountainous terrain.

The toughest hunt.......on all fronts I would think goats and sheep would rank near the top, tough landscape, tough critters and the weather can change in a heart beat and shut everything down. Heck I can't even close the deal on a whitetail, in fact kind'a tough hunting them in the Adirondacks.

Anything in Idaho!

Public land pope and young whitetail in michigan

Too many variables to just name one. Coues deer are ghosts, and live in inhospitable terrain. Mt. goats/sheep live in big country that taxes you to the max. Some folks can kill elk every year, but I hunt my butt off for them and hardly ever kill one. From what I have heard and read, mountain lions with dogs can be very physically punishing, and spot and stalk for them is dang near impossible with a stick bow (although I know a guy who has killed two with that method). A really big mulie buck is something seldom seen if you are hunting public land. And then there is the big mature whitetail that is hunted hard and, like his smaller Coues cousin, becomes invisible when hunting season comes around.
So, I guess most of them can be very challenging, although in somewhat different ways.

I agree with the mountain goats and the sheep, but that said a giant whitetail, meaning something over 150"s is one of the toughest to kill! Maybe not to hunt but to kill! Shawn

An old, wise nanny whitetail doe. Sometime during the fall the big bucks will have a "stupid" streak. Them old does are on high alert all the time.

Wolf without a freshkill would have to be next to impossible with a trad bow

Mt. goat for me.  I beleive nothing test you mentally / physical / emotionally than the game and its habitat.

Montana unlimited bighorn sheep! I haven't been but that is what I'm told. Trying to get it set up for next year. Still a P&Y whitetail at home in TN on public land is pretty dang tough!

A Pope and Young record Whitetail in upstate NY.

Elephant in Kansas! I have been hunting them since I was a lad.    :archer2:      Timing is critical! I had a chance a few years ago but, I was late. An elephant got away from the circus in Walkeeney and before I could get there with my Pronghorn, (I keep a heavy arrow in my quiver for such emergencys!) the sheriff shot it! And shot it and shot it some more! Darn rifle hunters!

Public land Eastern gobbler without a blind.

I've had the opportunity to hunt a number of North American species and I would need to put the sheep and Mt. goat hunts at the top as far as toughest and most dangerous hunts.

It seems like we're all talkign whitetail here so lemme throw in my 2 cents.

I grew up on Long Island, Spent almost 10 years upstate, moved to VA and have hunted VA and MD as well.

My takes: LI can be tough. I was fortunate to live within a mile of 10,000 acres of state land so I knew it well and you could get it done, but iut was much harder at the popoular spots. Some places hacve a ton of deer thoguh like montauk and the hamptons.

Upstate NY: Adirondacks - stupidly hard, rough terrain in alot of places, unpredictable weather, remote, low deer density. This place is hard to hunt. I'm talking wilderness areas not farms. I'm talking High Peaks region. This is by far the hardest hunting I;ve done.

VA - I'm in northern VA and I had a 20yd shot my first day out on public land, and a 4yd shot in the same spot the next weekend which I took successfully. The deer are everywhere, I've snuck up on them in parks and such while carrying my Pug (read 'small wheezing land whalrus with wagging tail"). It's silly sometimes.

MD - I'm embarassed to have so many shooting opportunities in one day. I hunt a suburban private property surrounded by million dollar houses and I see 15-20 deer a day, probably 5 or more in bow range. It's ridiculous, unlimited doe tags, 3 bucks a year.

Anyway, Adirondack big buck, especially late season when the weather is rough, in a wilderness area .... Man if you can get that done, you're next challenge should be flapping your arms to fly.

I have a friend who has killed a couple mountain lions without dogs with his compound.  He was hunting Coues deer when he killed both of them.

Personally I would have to say anything with a 10 year old figiting next to you and asking questions:)

Coues deer, spot and stalk.

A buck with 5" antlers(or more) in the Big Cypress Preserve in the Everglades. I've killed one in 9 years of hunting there.

Mtn sheep/Mtn goats.

QuoteOriginally posted by RC:
Public land Eastern gobbler without a blind.

X 100

Coues white tail, I think is by far the hardest deer to hunt with a bow.

My vote is a mature Adirondack whitetail for difficulty of locating and patterning,  although Im gonna kill one this year  :readit:At times they are harder to find than bigfoot.

       For sheer physical exertion, lions without horses or sleds. I came near to freezing to death on my lion hunt. Theres no way to avoid sweating when sprinting up vertical slopes and than scratching and clawing up the next one that I can figure and when your waaaaay out from the truck in high winds and low temps soaked through and through things can get rather interesting. But yeah, Adirondack bucks are humbling if not demoralizing.

QuoteOriginally posted by RC:
Public land Eastern gobbler without a blind.

X-2 only no decoys either. It's pretty much a naked feeling out there.

I have to agree with most, Mt.Goat & Mt.Sheep.

I've been fortunate enough to have killed one of each, and was there when "HUMMER3T" killed his but I have had many momments Goat/sheep hunting were it's one wrong step and it's game over!!   Many momments where I've thought "what the *^!#* am I doing up here"  Wet, loose , beyond steep terrain, hunting animals that don't seem to follw the laws of gravity.

But it sure makes for great adventures!!!

Here's one nobody would ever think of: purposely hunting and killing a long-tailed weasel with trad gear! Now that would be a challenge, not just getting in range, but hitting such a small, always moving, target.

A 170+ inch whitetail buck on public land gets my vote. Heck, harvesting a 170+ inch buck with a trad bow on any land is tough!

The "turkey without a blind" gets my vote, too.

Not familiar with mt. goat/sheep hunting but I would say it's safe to assume that it ranks right up there.

The question originally posted concerned the hardest animal to harvest with a traditional bow. I don't think it was about steep and difficult country. Concerning whitetails, look in the B&C record book, there are a number of traditional bow-killed Whitetails at least one of which is in the top 10 if not still in the top 5. Then look there for Mule Deer. A big Mule Deer buck is every bit as intent on survival as a Whitetail. He has as good a nose, better eyes and usually is found in a miserable spot in rough country. He is not bedding or feeding in the same spot for days or even weeks at a time like a Whitetail so "patterning" him is more than difficult. Go back and look at that record book again.

Spot and stalk coyote

I'm with Jim In my neck of the woods it is a monster mule deer buck hands down

Can't believe it's not the polar bear!

Neve hunted sheep or goats but big muley  bucks on public land are very tough.

I would think coues deer. Sheep and goats. Chucker . Out here lions come in to a call And I know you can call in wolfs almost like coyotes. Spot and stalk coyote done that.
Any deer for me is hard to get.

Tim, Anything should be easy for you to kill as good as you are on yotes. IMHO a yote is one of the smartest animals on the planet and has the most acute senses. sight , sound, smell and a 6th sense when something is not right. I attribute most of my successs at hunting big game to my ability to coyote successfully;

God bless, Steve

Free range Aoudad in west Texas mountains

Bois De Arc Bottom Sasquach, Been on a big buck for three years, always hangs up at about 40 yds. Then gets nocturnal as the weather warms up. By the way what do you guys think about using a "game tracker" for sasquach?
Chuck

The hardest thing to get with a bow is pass shooting doves in Iowa.

the question has alot of parameters....difficult can mean alot...some animals are hard to hunt due to the expense,,,....I would vote Grizzly Bear
(assuming its not a problem bear habituating human activity )

...dangerous...smart...can't pattern...can't bait..... hard to locate..and you need nerves of steel and the courage of a wolverine.... to even think about taking the shot at 25 yards or so.....

An Idaho Public land Elk being 60 lbs overweight....almost killed me.

my buddies in AZ routinely bow kill Couse deer over waterholes......

A four year old whitetail doe on public land in the northern lower of MI.   :)

I just started hunting turkeys 5-6 years ago and I've often thought that if a turkey had a deer's nose, they'd be awfully tough to kill with a bow.  

Toughest? I would think a wolf or coyote - I'm amazed at the guys who pull it off fairly routinely. My hat is off to them.

Any Whitetail in Deep East Texas

QuoteI've also thought the Mt. Goat would be the toughest if getting a tag isn't part of the formula.

Actually, IMO, getting the tag is the toughest part!  Yes, they live in difficult country, but they are not that wary of man and in fact can get kinda obnoxious.  Never hunted them, but been around them a whole lot.  Right off, I can't think of a single hunter that I know who has drawn a goat tag in CO and not killed their goat.