This year I killed one deer with my bow and I mmmissed one with my scoped rifle.

...go figure.

I guess it pays to get close.

 

When I was a hunter it was about getting close enough to hit my intended target. I thought, apparently mistakenly, that bowhunting was about "hitting the intended target". Things seem to have changed.

Two questions come to mind. If you're setting up in a tree, isn't it more about the deer getting close to you instead of the other way around? Second, if it's just about getting close, why not just count coup the way the American Indians did?

Just curious ...

Dave

 

This year I killed one deer with my bow and I mmmissed one with my scoped rifle.

...go figure.

I guess it pays to get close.

You got that right. If you don't get close enough to field dress them, no backstraps for you!

 

Dave, no matter how close deer come to your stand, they're not close enough for you to field dress them till you've killed them. Once you've got a dead deer, THEN you can get close enough. That's the whole point of hunting.

 

If you're setting up in a tree, isn't it more about the deer getting close to you instead of the other way around?
Just curious ...

Dave

Yup, setting a stand is all about getting the deer to come within my effective range. Sometimes my scouting and knowledge of deer movement helps me to set the stand right the first time. Often it takes a move or two, over a couple of seasons, to get it just right.

 

Robert, et al -

I Think Mr. Marx had it right when discussing African hunting ...

"I once killed an elephant in my pajamas; how he got into my pajamas, I'll never know."

Viper out.

 

I got close to a doe once. I still have a three inch scar on my right leg. But no back straps. Does that count?:sbrug:

 

DA, it's not so much hoping that deer will come close enough to the treestand.... but rather setting the treestand in a location where the deer frequently pass-by "close enough".

Everybody has their own "that's a shooter" distance. It's kind of like the three bears for some folks.... too close, too far, and just right.

 

Why would one bowHUNT if they didn't intend to field dress a deer, hog, pronghorn, etc? THAT's what close is. What you do leading up to that point determines whether or not you make it to that point...


...or something like that.

 

Why would one bowHUNT if they didn't intend to field dress a deer, hog, pronghorn, etc?

Maybe 'cause they like taking nature walks in the woods with their pretty bows and arrahs,
and don't care if they kill game because it's all about the outdoor experience??

 

I got close to a doe once. I still have a three inch scar on my right leg. But no back straps. Does that count?:sbrug:

those old does are a might picky about their romantic relationships, grin....

 

Maybe 'cause they like taking nature walks in the woods with their pretty bows and arrahs,
and don't care if they kill game because it's all about the outdoor experience??

Would you still call it bowhunting? Hunting, as we view it, is defined as the act of pursuing wildlife with the intent to kill said wildlife for personal use.

 

I like to hunt...or watch...to just "be there"...I count coup all the time, and am happiest if I can bag one doe or whatever for the freezer early, and then "play in the woods" for the rest of the season with the "pressure off".
I prefer to hunt from tree stands mostly for two reasons - I can see farther and see more animals, and I lose fewer arrows flinging at every squirrel that comes by
One of my favorite outings, however, is stalking on a huge beautiful plantation in South Carolina that borders the Savannah River. Nice soft dirt, lots of great roving opportunities out to as far as I can lob an arrow, and plenty of squirrels to harrass. It's a rifle camp, but I view it as a giant archery playground.
Sometimes late in the season I'll be making the weekend 4-5 hour drive down to WV for the 10th time out of 12 weekends, and will wonder "why am I doing this?". The answer is that I'm afraid I might miss seeing something!

 

To me hunting is a blood sport. It's about all the "other" experiences, as well, but at the end of the day field dressing a dead animal is the goal. In order to get that close one will, undoubtedly, have "other" experiences which will enrich the whole hunting experience.

 

To me hunting is a blood sport. It's about all the "other" experiences, as well, but at the end of the day field dressing a dead animal is the goal. In order to get that close one will, undoubtedly, have "other" experiences which will enrich the whole hunting experience.

Exactly.

The "other experiences" are enjoyable, but its the loading of the truck that gives the feeling of success.

Anyway, what's the wife, friend or other acquaintance's first question when they see you've returned from the woods hunting? (usually)

"Did ya get one?"

 

Would you still call it bowhunting? Hunting, as we view it, is defined as the act of pursuing wildlife with the intent to kill said wildlife for personal use.

Yea, you could still call it bowhunting (to what Piney was relating to) but i would view it more as "passive bowhunting".

As big as the thrill is on taking the shot at the animal is to me, it's not as great as walking up to it's lifeless body on the ground, after the broadhead has done it's job. At that time, it's irrelevant to what the distance was that i shot it at, but that's when i know it's close enough to field dress. LOL

 

Okay, I can respect that. On both your parts. Understand, my comments come from my perspective; my life experiences, and in no way are intended to instruct or direct you in your beliefs.

 

Maybe 'cause they like taking nature walks in the woods with their pretty bows and arrahs,
and don't care if they kill game because it's all about the outdoor experience??

Nothin wrong with that...it's just not hunting. One can get the same "outdoor experience" by bring a camera..AND...have the benefit of being able to re live it with the pics. For me, and I've hunted every year for 51yrs, it's about what Bill C and Tracy said.

Tom

 

I put a LOT of effort into making my bow and arrows perform in such a manner that when my fingers draw across my cheek, I'm not wondering IF I'll find the deer. I put a LOT of effort into conditioning my shot so that when I start my draw I don't have to think about back tension or follow-thru. I'd not put that much effort into it if I weren't intending to let blood.

 

Yes that's right Tom.... nothing wrong with that. Just making a distinction between different peoples' priorities when they're afield with bow in hand and tag in pocket. Some like to see neat things and don't neccessarily look forward to gutting a deer.... while others feel somewhat unfulfilled, even though they see neat things but don't get to do any field dressing. Others are happy as could be just killing any deer, while others don't feel totally complete until they take a trophy animal. There are different meanings and levels of success in bowhunting from one person to another.

 

The hunting/killing experience is a tremendously personal experience. My wife has been at it a few years and still has "trouble" with the killing part. However, she is almost always ready to go before I am, is more anxious, at times, to get to her stand, loves having them in close an is disappointed if she gets busted and delights in the wild things she observes from her perch above the forest floor. For her the killing is living on the edge of her personal comfort zone, which she thinks more of us should do in all aspects of our lives, but she is clear in her own mind that we all have a choice to make about our personal roles in the dance of life. She has come to experience harvesting and preparing her own meat and although the killing is a "problem" for her, it also enhances the thrill of the chase and the savoring of the spoils. For what it's worth, when we enjoy venison chops, hot sausage spaghetti sauce made with venison or moose sausage we harvested and made ourselves, the meal is much more significant and special because of the role we played in providing it. We don't take it for granted and are thankful and blessed because we have friends who have to travel all the way from Europe where such joys are out of reach in their own backyards.

Yep, hunting is about getting close but let's not take it for granted or forget that there is more to it than the killing, although, in the end, when I sit down for a meal, and the meat I eat is there because Laura and/or I killed it ourselves, and the veggies are there due to our toil and efforts to work the land, we feel so much more connected to our maker and the good earth that provides it all. And we are thankful that we live in a place where we can do it. So when we hunt, or when we actually just walk the woods in preparation for the hunt we are grateful and thankful to be able to have the opportunity.

Not sure where that all came from but it is heartfelt.

 

Bowhunting, or hunting itself has always been something special. I would'nt say taking an outing sporting .22's with my Dad walking beside me is any less special than setting up alone with my recurve waiting on a deer. Different, but in many ways the same. A God given honnor to be able to be a part of the great outdoors. We go to great efforts not to make bad shots with our rifles that might wound them squirels, just like we do with our bows on deer. All the creatures deserve as clean a kill as I can give em. And being close is only a part of the game. Making a horendously bad kill, (I'm pretty sure some of you know what I'm talking about) can leave you as empty and shaken as any empty freezer ever could. We hunt as perditors and that can get ugly. I like to think of my self as a perditor with ethics. When I get close, I want it to be a good expierence for the deer as well!

 

Each one of us is blessed by our Father in Heaven and by the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.Our gift may be that we are natural archers and every bow we pick up just shoots well.My son is eightteen,a freshmen at Applacian State Univ. and he is a natural at everything.I can shoot 100 arrows a day and he comes home from school having not shot at all,picks up my bow and boom shoots almost as well as me.My next warf that I''m building now will be his. Any way we all have gifts.The place we live,the job we have or the one we are retired from,the house we live in etc. No matter how we choose to honor God for these many blessings the point is to honor him.I love to hunt and take pictures, one of my favorites things to do is fielddressing the harvest.The "Bountyfull Harvest".My next favorite is preparing and cooking the harvest.And of course, the all time favorite is to eat and be nurished by the harvest.If one does not prepare him self and his equipment for this end result and is satisfied with just the "experience" then I don't feel that he or her is honoring God for the blessing of the opportunity to hunt,the physical ability to hunt,the finacial means to hunt and the fact that we live in the Great Nation of United States Of America where we can hunt.I once had a hat(I collect hats) that said " God Guns And Guts Made America".For the bowhunters "Bows,Blades and Blood" If you are going to hunt then prepare your self to get close enough to field dress.This means prepare your equipment,your body,your mind and your stand to effiecently and humanly dispatch your prey.If you choose to just enjoy the "experience" then enjoy the experience,but in all cases be as prepared as you can and "Give Thanks"

 

Some good replies. I think it has pretty well been summed up, for me at least. Bowhunting is about getting close, has always left me a little hollow. It never really rings completely true, to me. I understand the new twist about getting close enough to field dress, but I agree there is so much more. And, without that so much more, I wouldnt enjoy it so much.

For me, the culmination is when the deer is down. That seems to be when some of the intensity subsides. The peak so to speak. The hunt or bowhunting, never really ends. After the deer is down, bowhunting just takes on different facets. So I guess the saying doesnt apply to me, cause bowhunting is about so much more: the preperation, the outing, the culmination, the harvesting and life continuing nature of the whole event, the sharing of the event with family and friends, the maintenance of equipment, the honing of the skill, the shooting events and the friends who I shoot with all year and the friends and family I hunt with. And yes, the prayers and thanksgiving before, during and after the hunt and all year. Getting close is just one small part, not the whole thing, (for me).

 

For me, bowhunting is all about getting close.

When the deer are in range or closing in, the fear of being busted is magnified when I hear the footfalls coming close, especially when I can't see the animal, or when I see a nice animal I am looking to shoot coming within range. When I hear the animals crunching acorns or other browse, see the steam of their breath on a cold morning, see the shine on their coats in the sun. My heart pounds, my legs shake and my mind tries to tell my body to remain calm and pick a spot while my fingers curl around the bowstring.
But when the moment of truth approaches, and all goes well, the drama escalates and I then become so focused on the "spot" that my mind is nowhere else. The subsequent highpoint is when the string slips from the fingers, the arrow is flies true, and animal makes a dash through the forest and topples in sight.

To me that is bowhunting nirvana.

These feelings and reactions are rarely ever conjured up to the same degree when I have a gun in hand or peer through a rifle scope at long range. That is primarily why I don't hunt with a firearm outside of my Hawken blackpowder. I have found that the intensity of the feelings and emotions are truly magnified at close range

For me, few expereinces compare to traditional bowhunting.