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Bow during Rifle


BUCKANDAQUARTER
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I think it would depend on where you are hunting.  If there are a lot of gun hunters around you then your chance of seeing a deer come by that is not spooked would be less likely.  Probably 80% of the deer I've shot in PA have been on the run.  Things are totally different where I hunt in NY.  Nobody is really pushing them around me.

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I think I might this year. The spot I typically hunt during rifle is the least pressured area on the land. All of the bucks in rifle and muzzleloading I have gotten have been within 20 yards, although last year I missed a monster in a small opening at 60 yards. I somehow managed to hit a big spruce... still a sore subject as it was my first miss in the 14 years I have hunted deer and last time I saw a good buck all season.... and it was opening morning. Just seeing how many bow die hards are out there!

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An even more interesting question would be whether anyone here has ever gotten a deer with the bow during gun season. I have had some rare occurrences when I have had them close enough in gun season that if I had a bow, I could have gotten the shot. But that really is a rare situation. To purposely leave the gun at home, I seriously doubt that I would have all that much success or confidence. I suppose it all depends on where you hunt. If you had exclusive use of enough land, you might find some deer that didn't realize that there was a gun season going on .... lol.

 

But really, like others here, there is a time for everything. I am a two-season hunter and I do enjoy hauling out the gun when the time comes to do that. It's kind of my "revenge" weapon for all those deer that thumbed their noses at me during bow season by being just out of bow range ....lol.

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depends on the spot for me.. some of my stands serve no benefit to having a gun because of close quarters so i use the bow then.. but most of the time i'll take the gun out, especially on public land where the deer are super spooked after the first couple days...   this year im takin the 30-06 out opening day because i've already gotten a couple doe's and a nice buck with the bow this year, so I'm looking for a nice buck to come strollin by or get bumped towards me and make it a two buck year... been a little while since i've shot one with the gun... so much of my effort for the year is to get on em early in bow.... 

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Yeah, the spot and land is the deciding factor for me this year. The main spot I hunt is close quarters. 60 yards is a stretch for that area. I certainly wouldn't like to have a bruiser show up in one of those few spots that are out of bow range. 35-40 yards is a the max for me with a archery, definitely wouldn't feel comfortable taking a shot at anything above 40 yards.  Guess I'll decide when the time comes.

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Normally I would use the implement that would give me the best chance to harvest a deer on that particular day.  Beyond the personal challenge and wildlife/outdoor aspects of hunting, I like to fill the freezer, and the amount of time I get to hunt has gotten to be less and less as my little son is getting older.

 

However this year I leased and heavily posted a property to use mostly during gun season so I could avoid the orange army.  Couple that with the fact that I harvested 4 deer this archery season and that most of the deer I have harvested with my smoothbore shotgun are under 30 yds (never over 60), I am considering keeping the lease Archery Only.

 

There are also several state parks near where I hunt that are archery only throughout the hunting season, including Highland Forest near Tully, and Buttermilk Falls in Ithaca (Part of Tompkins DMFA).

Edited by 7J Everyday
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I shot a doe several years ago in PA with my bow during the week long muzzleloader

season that's held each year in mid October. The guys in the camp next to mine were

jealous because they hadn't even SEEN a deer and here I come dragging a doe out that I

had shot with my bow.

During the late muzzleloader season in NY I always carry a bow. I have never shot a buck during that season but have taken a doe with my bow two different years.

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