Longing for the bow.

[The Ursus]

Most of us on this site understand what it's like to "need to hunt" and know it's not one of those "I can take it or leave it" kind of things.   But in recent years, since the structure of my life has changed, so have my reasons for hunting.  Although I still get to hunt, what drives me to get out has switched from adventure to "grocery shopping".   My choice of weapon has been a rifle and I find myself so longing for my longbow.  Low deer numbers and limited time in the field has put me in a position to hunt more efficiently and set the bow aside for a while.  We don't buy beef in our house except for special occasions so it's our staple of sitka blacktail that feeds us through the year.  Although I appreciate the efficiency of my rifle and my pulse still quickens when game is near, I miss the anticipation and satisfaction that comes with bow hunting.   It's been nearly two deer seasons since I last carried my bow and find myself constantly day dreaming of a time when deer numbers will be back and I'll have just a little more time to commit to the bow.   Spring black bear is really not that far off so I plan to have my bow back out with a winter's worth of staying sharp at my disposal.  
Lord willing, my 2 year old son will someday crave hunting and I'll have another excuse to set matters aside and go hunting.

[fireball31]

small game, It gives me an excuse to pull out my bow and go after game.

[pronghorn23]

Stump shooting, small game and bowfishing may keep you satisfied. Or if you get your fill with the rifle maybe you can still get out with a longbow for one more.

[Kevin L.]

Heck, I'm so addicted to shooting at anything that I made a bag target and PVC stand to use in the basement over the winter. It really helped my form last year, since I'm not as winter-proof as some folks.

[The Whittler]

Kevin, especially to day, it's a bit nippy out lol.

[Kevin L.]

No doubt. I had a partridge commit suicide on my greatroom window and made the Lab go outside for it    

[BONE]

Good to see you back again,I always enjoyed your post.------ Bone

[The Ursus]

Funny thing about SE Alaska, I think there's more big game than small game around here!  We do have a hand full of snowshoe hares around when the cycle is good but generally you've got a better chance of finding a bear, deer, moose, or mountain goat.  What makes them so hard to hunt just seems to be the logistics of getting there.  Although much of our good hunting is a short boat ride away it's all dependant on the sea/wind conditions.  Not only can the weather foil your plans to go hunt but can also foil your plans of getting home!  We truely live and hunt in a unique part of the world that most can't understand without living here.  I mean, where else does a day hunt have to take into account tides, wind, waves, things that can eat you, hypothermia, no emergency response (not even from the Coast Guard or National Guard sometimes), will my boat drift off while in the woods, will I get through the night if it does, etc and so on.