Bow Season all-but Gone

[brotherjack]

Well, bow season is all but gone for me, and no dead critters yet. I had plenty of opportunities at whitetails, but none that I was ready to take. Every solid shot opportunity I had was either a fawn, a doe with fawns in tow, or one of several little bucks that weren't much more than fawns themselves. The only one I was tempted to harvest was a year and a half old that just tried his dead level best to get me to shoot him. If he lives through a couple of seasons, he's going to have neat antlers when he grows up. At a year and a half old, he's got two spikes, each about twice as long as his ears - but he's got kicker points everywhere already, the little spikes look like cactus plants almost. Going to be a nice non-typical, I'd think. Anyway, I saw him three nights running down at my favorite water hole. He did everything right half a dozen times - came in from the upwind side, paused behind the tree long enough to let me come to full draw (on three separate occasions!), walked in to about 5 yards broadside and had a drink, turned around broadside the other way for a while and munched some green stuff at about 12 yards, then came closer and gave me a quartering away shot at about 10 yards, and on, and on. It was getting tempting, just because it was as perfect a chance as I could ask for to try out my new compound bow, but I kept looking at his hindquarters and estimating how little space they'd take up in my freezer (my dog has bigger hindquarters than this guy did!) and finally talked myself out of it.

So, rifle season starts tomorrow. I think I'm going to see if I can't track down that nice 4x4 whitetail that's out past his ears that The Wife(tm) passed up, and see if the new Tikka is enough gun to kill him with (I really suspect it is). That, and I'm planning to take a hike way back up into the high country for mulies sometime over the weekend. I've never hunted early season mulies up high like that, but it should be fun. The longer I hunt, the more I'm convinced that hunting mule deer is the finest thing there is, so I thought that this year I'd lay off the elk a bit and chase mulies earlier and see if I can't get a honker rather than wait around till the rut and whacking the first little 4 point that's a bit slow getting out of sight in the morning.

Anyhoo... best of luck to all in the season to come, and make sure you take lots of pics to post here!!!

[BCrams]

Who says bow season is over? You can still choose to hunt with a bow right through until November / December!

[brotherjack]

Good point, but as much as I really do enjoy bow hunting (actually more than rifle hunting), I got to get some meat in the freezer, and a 300 yard reach just gets that job done better. :)

[hunter1947]

Good point, but as much as I really do enjoy bow hunting (actually more than rifle hunting), I got to get some meat in the freezer, and a 300 yard reach just gets that job done better. :)

Very true words of wisdom BJ ,and who knows maybe you might come across a bull elk that has 6 on the one side.

This idea you have chasing mule and whitetail just might back fire in your face and you just might have to drop a bull elk other then the others ,time will tell ,You never know brother ??? http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon12.gif.

[eastkoot]

Theoretically, bow season is not gone, you've just got some competition and antler restrictions.I find it amusing that the "bow people" are so pure until they are able to pack a rifle on the 10th. It's a jump ahead of the rifle hunters but wait, I didn't kill anything with the bow so now I'll do it with the big stick..Are you a true bowhunter or an opportunist ??? I would like to see a system where the bowhunters remain with a bow for the entire season, your choice, bows for the entire season including first 10 days or wait like most of us for traditional rifle season..

[BCrams]

I am an opportunist!

I will bow hunt the bow seasons and pack a bow in my vehicle 'in case' I see a nice buck along the highway.

Otherwise, I will still hunt with my rifle.

[brotherjack]

If I hunted purely for the fun of it, I wouldn't hunt nothing but whitetails, and I would only hunt with a bow, and I probably wouldn't hunt them in the East Koots; I'd go somewhere where they grow em elk-sized (AB, SK, etc).

However, the "fun of it" is not number one on the list of reasons I hunt (not even sure it's number two). I hunt to put meat in the freezer, and I will (happily) use the most efficient tool(s) that are legal to get that job done. If that makes me an opportunist, so be it - it's legal, moral, and ethical, and I certainly won't apologize for it. :)

[tufferthandug]

I am an opportunist!

I will bow hunt the bow seasons and pack a bow in my vehicle 'in case' I see a nice buck along the highway.

Otherwise, I will still hunt with my rifle.

What are the rules about shooting a bow off the highway?

[hunter1947]

What are the rules about shooting a bow off the highway?
Im sure it is 100 meters .

[brotherjack]

15 meters most places (same as a rifle) I would presume.

[Jetboater]

the day the season opens till the end, a bow will be in the back seat, I dont know how many times I have had to call in late to work for a special reason.....

[eastkoot]

I am an opportunist!

I will bow hunt the bow seasons and pack a bow in my vehicle 'in case' I see a nice buck along the highway.

Otherwise, I will still hunt with my rifle.



That's what I thought!!

[BCrams]

That's what I thought!!

I really enjoy bow hunting. One day I may progressivly switch over to hunting with archery gear more and more during the rifle season, but I am not ready to do that yet.

[Ddog]

eastkoot,,,,, I am a bowhunter and will continue to be all through the gun season, why do you find it amusing that some people enjoy doing both?
you always have something negative to say about bowhunting,, you sound like a self-centered egotistical better than thou S.O.B..
there are those of us who are opportunists that wouldnt mind getting a small bull or a cow or calf to put in the freezer, and it is for the good of the animal that these seasons are implemented in the regulations. In other words the populations can withstand a certain harvest whether it be bull cow or calf or for that matter WT does.
why dont you keep your snide comments to yourself, stick with your rifle and quit knocking the other peoples who decide to do both. or decide they want to take a doe or smaller animal.
dont even start knocking bowhunting or bowhunters when the fact of the matter is there are way more gunhunters out there and if you want to start an argument perhaps back up your theories with pictures not just what you presume to be. I have seen alot more wrongdoings by GH's than by BH's.

[eastkoot]

To each his own!! Enjoy your stick shooting and good luck to you..

[J_T]

To many, a bow is just another weapon in the tool kit. For some, rifle is the only way, for others bow only. Does it matter what a hunter uses? Or when? No. What matters is that they are doing it.

[Avalanche123]

Good luck to your BrotherJack! Do what you have to do.

[Wild one]

For the last 7 years I have hunted with a bow 99% of the time(have been handed a rifle a few times) after this season I will be getting my pal. I did this tue improve my stalking skills.Eastkoot if you have problem with bowhunters getting an early start you don't understand what it takes to harvest game with a bow. I bet 90% of the game harvested is with a rifle so why would you care about short seasons for bowhunting(most are shared with youth rifle hunters) wich has little affect to you.

[aggiehunter]

Eastkoot, If you had to pick a bow licence or a gun licence(not both)it would help guys like you to understand. Pick one and stick with it. I know what I would pick.

[The Hermit]

I want to put some meat in the freezer. So I think I am going to stick with a tree-stand in a local bow - shotgun only area that is open for any black-tail and holds lots of game. After I take the first one then I will enjoy both gun and bow hunting as the mood suits me! I even have a cross-bow winging its way to me that I will take into the field this season.... mostly just to piss off my buddy Onesock! LOL

[hunter1947]

In lots of area where I live its open for only bow or shotgun .

I have been hunting 50% with the bow and 50% with the rifle so fare.

[Bow Walker]

Bow season (here in region 1) goes from Aug 23 to Dec 10............for me anyway. :wink:

Although, I'm eying the long guns (again). Something in 270, 7mm-08, or 7mm. The Marlin XL7 is looking mighty pretty at this point. :roll:.......here I go again.......