Bow Only Hunters?

[Mike Spaulding]

Yep, bow only for a few years now.  Not opposed to folks hunting with guns, I just don't get the rush from it I do with a bow.

[wooddamon1]

Longbows and recurves for me for the last 10 years or so. That being said, I'll make sure my daughters can safely handle and shoot guns.

[BobCo 1965]

Personally I only hunt with a traditional bow. For some reason, I have a lot of patience when carrying one. I have no patience at all when hunting with any other weapon.

[J. Holden]

I'm bow only.  Got all my rifle shooting itch scratched by the Army.  Don't have to clean and lube my recurve!

-Jeremy  

[PaddyMac]

I've hunted deer with a rifle once in the last 20 years or so. It was OK. Kinda loud. I still shoot (or shoot at) any coyote that gets in range of the house and keep an AR next to the back door.

For most of my life I've been a bird hunting fanatic, but not so much since my setter (and psychoanalyst) died. My wife still likes to hunt grouse with shotguns and this year I tried doing it with her with a bow and killed a fair number. One blue grouse treed and would not fly for her, she just couldn't see it, I didn't have flu flus, so I shot it with 1911.      

But I'll probably not go bang for quite awhile.

[Tom Leemans]

Haven't touched my Charles Daly O/U in many years. I was recently thinking of refurbishing it though. Been bows only for at least 20 years.

[chopx2]

Yep, even have a special bird bow in production now! Even working on a prototype head for hunting geese and other flying birds over/with dogs.

[MikeW]

Pretty much bow only for 20 years or so, lost the thrill of whacking deer with a gun, just no challenge in it for me. Use to own a bunch of high dollar custom long range guns for coyotes and Prairie dogs but had to sell them all 10+ years ago.

I'll still pick up a shotgun every once in awhile for Quail & Dove but the last three times I went Quail hunting I did it with a bow..came home empty handed too. I swear missing them by inches is a thrill for me. My brother thinks am nuts.

I have not hunted with anything other than trad bows for many years. I don't like the noise of guns,I don't like the smell, I don't like how so many (myself included) are always trying to force a situation where they can shoot at game, I don't like the way some with guns immediately think they are a tough guys because they have a gun when there are mixed seasons going on, I don't like how people go out into the woods with guns and just shoot at anything and everything.  

However, everyone, and I mean everyone that is not intending on harming their fellow man or property, should have a gun and know how to use it.

[RM81]

I haven't been gun hunting in about 4 years.  Not saying that I would never use any other type of weapon ever again.  But for now, I'm enjoying hunting with my longbow.

[DeCurry]

Bow only for 2 years now when hunting 4-legged creatures.  I did use a shotgun earlier this year during dove season but have been strongly considering trying out hunting them with a bow for the frustration, er I mean fun, factor.

[joe skipp]

For big game it's been bow only since....1973. I did take 2 deer with my Flintlock back in '84 but haven't used it since. Since Bear hunting in Jersey is gun only, thinking about breaking it out again.

When my 2 buddies get together for our annual squirrel fest, we use .22's to fill the freezer in a hurry, then it's back to bowhunting them.

[soundman]

Bow only. Gun hunted once didn't enjoy the hunt. bow only for 15 years and trad only about 5 years

[joevan125]

I have been bow only since i was introduced to trad hunting 4 years ago.

I sold 11 guns except for the 2 my Dad bought me when i was 9 and another one when i was 12.

I wanted to sell them both but there's just way to many memories and to many deer deer to count that i shot with one of them.

[reddogge]

Originally posted by centaur:
I have a bunch of guns that reside in their cases, never seeing the light of day. I think the last animal I shot with a gun was a deer with a 30 30 in the early 90s. It's bows or nothing for me.

Better check em for rust and pitting. That's the best way to ruin one, storing in a closed case.

[elkhunter45]

For deer I did the bow only thing for 5 years, but went back to shooting a gun some when my son started to tag along when was around 5 years old. He is now big enough to hunt alone, so I am real close to going all bow on the hairy stuff. I am also an avid waterfowler, so I always have shot a shotgun in the flooded timber.

[bow loving man]

Bow only here also!

[Smithhammer]

Bows, and shotguns for upland. Don't even currently own a rifle.

[stik&string]

All bow for me too, very happy my state now allows bow use during the gun season!

[Chumster]

Sold my rifle three years ago, hadn't used it in 35 years.
The rancher I lease from keeps telling me I should use a rife if I want a deer. Still heading to my stand with my bow in hand and high expectations. Three years later no shots but there is always next time.