Just wondering what the archery success ratio is for big game in your state ; in Colorado I hear it is 7 to 10 percent...I believe it is less than that for people hunting on public ground without an outfitter....
I would not have a clue what the success rate is here in TX. I do know I hunt a LOT and get animals fairly often. I have lots of sits where I do not get anything either. I guess I cannot even tell you what my own success rate is?
I do have enough success that I am driven to keep on hunting!!
Bisch
I could be wrong about Colorado...but I think the 7-10% figures were according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife statistics...
Don't ever recall ever reading traditional archery success rate statistics in KY.
Would not be surprised that it would rival and/or exceed the success rate of conventional bowhunters.
No idea here. We have such a long gun season I'm guessing that our bowhunting numbers have fallen off in recent years. Used to be bow only for all of Jan., but now the rifle season extends into the second week of Jan., or real close. Don't know any reason why trad. hunters would do better than compound hunters, though. The equipment has absolutely nothing to do with how good the hunter is. More experienced hunters might be choosing to use trad equipment, perhaps, so maybe more inexperienced hunters are out there with compounds.
Those statistics are good for one thing: theorectically allowing the state to guage how much $ they make on license sales for every animal taken. The zone I hunt in has something like a 20% success rate for license buyers; however, this does not tell me if the buyer actually went hunting, and if so how often, did they miss, did they wound an animal, did they fail to report their kill (the most likely reason I think) ect. The only way someone hunting where I do could not kill a deer is if they are a very poor shot, because deer are everywhere and not that skittish...so the 20% number is misleading to me.
I believe Maine's archery success rate is something close to Colorado's, maybe a bit lower. Haven't checked the numbers lately, though. Not that many trad hunters here, mostly compound territory.
Maine is a big state and heavily forested but we don't have the forgiving climate that many other states do and so game populations are generally much smaller...thus a viable reason for comparatively lower harvest opportunities and lower harvests (if you get ONE good shot at ANY deer here, in any given season, you've done well). Lack of hunting access, especially in the state's southern half where land posting is quite popular, is becoming a serious threat. We have a good IF&W department (good workers but not well-supported at the legislative level) that tends to side with landowners when it comes to hunting access priorities...which means as a hunter you're basically on your own to find good places (public or private) to hunt. Lack of access more so than number of animals is likely the #1 reason why the future of 'good' hunting in Maine is in trouble, IMO. That, and lots of anti-hunter gibberish that seems to grow by the month.
Utah is in that same range. 7-10% on general units. Limited entry tends to run 30% or so. This is all "archers"
The Game and Fish in North Dakota is saying 30%. I don't believe its that high and now they are going to take away our right to hunt with the gun and the bow, only one tag, this is going to be a big fight .