Ideas for a guy who doesn't like bow hunting?

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

BBQLS1

Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
978
I started bow hunting last year and will be doing so this year. I like the challenge, I like having to get closer to the animals..... I just don't like toting around a clunky compound bow. You could give me a lightweigh rifle with the same ballistics as a bow and I would probably dig it.

Maybe I should go recurve?
 
I messed around with bows, back when my shoulders still functioned. :) Both recurve and compound. Yeah, the recurve is less clunky, IMO. But for deer hunting, I've read that a sixty-pound draw is somewhere near a preferred minimum. A friend of mine hunted with an eighty-pounder, but it was too much for me.
 
You could go recurve on one end of the spectrum or go crossbow on the other end. After smashing my shoulder I have enjoyed my Excaliber crossbow very much. It has let me get afield when it was not possible with other archery tackle due to my injuries.
 
a 16" lever-action carbine in .357 (or .45 colt or .44 mag, if you must) will do anything you need/ could have done with a bow at any range you would've done with a bow and well beyond, especially if all you're hunting is deer.
 
When I started bow hunting compound's were not legal during archery only seasons so I started with a 45 lb Ben Pearson recurve. 45 lbs is plenty for whitetail at recurve ranges. We are talking about 25 yards as a max, 15 is much better.

When compounds were legalized I bought one in 1980. Used it for many years until I found a good deal on a more modern single cam on the used market. In the meantime I picked up an older 50 lb Browning recurve in a gun trade and fell in love with it. The bow is over 50 years old. Most guys today who choose recurves or longbows shoot instinctively with no sights, but back in the day before compounds most serious recurve shooters had their bows set up with sight pins and peeps on the string. I had them installed on the old Browning and it has become my preferred bow. Mainly because it is so light and simple. Modern compound bows just seem like more complex contraptions than even the most modern high-tech firearms.

If you practice regularly you can do surprisingly well with a recurve, especially with sight pins. But you have to practice. I can leave my compound bow setting for more than a year and put the first arrow in the kill zone at 35-40 yards. With a recurve, I can make the same shot, but only if I practice at least once a week, year round. Take any time off and it takes me a few weeks of regular shooting to get the skill level back.

I keep the more modern bow just in case I have the opportunity to hunt in a archery only area with real trophy potential. An archery elk hunt in Colorado in a good area is far easier to make happen than a rifle hunt for example. But for a casual hunt here for whitetails I much prefer the simplicity of the older recurve.

At least during our archery only season. I don't know how your seasons work. Archery season here runs from mid Sept.- mid Oct., when rifle season starts and that runs to mid Jan. With a 12 deer limit there are lots of chances to hunt and an extra month on the season makes owning a bow worth the expense.

During rifle season, I'm carrying a rifle. There are lots of good lightweight choices. Nothing wrong with a lever gun, but you will find more options for lighter weight, more compact bolt actions than levers.

Ever consider hunting with a handgun?
 
Compound bows usually weigh less than any hunting rifles, even .22s.
I'll give ya the "clunky" though.
Recurves are lighter than compounds, but even "clunkier" yet, if "clunky" means longer and harder to maneuver.
 
Funny I always feel awkward when I have a rifle in the stand. I don't rifle hunt much anymore.

Most of todays bows are so darn lightweight and fast. With a good SHARP broadhead there is no reason to be pulling tons of draw weight. I went through the trap of thinking a 80# bow was minimum for rabbits.

However after 20 years of bowhunting I realize that it just isn't needed. My current hunting bow is a Mathews Reeze 7.0 30" draw at 52#. I use either G5 monotechs or G5 Striker mags for broadheads. My last 17 or 18 big game animals resulted in complete pass throughs. Furthest shot was a 5x6 mule deer at 52 yards. Arrow blew through no problems breaking one rib on the way through.
 
A pistol?

I went from bolt action, to lever, to pistol, to bow. Next will be knife (just a joke about the knife)
 
Next will be knife (just a joke about the knife)
Click to expand...
I knew a guy in Wyoming that hunted with a lance (an antique cavalry sword attached to a four foot pole) for mule deer and usually brought home at least a doe. He was a bit of a nut and insisted on going bare foot in a loin cloth.
 
You might give the pistol idea a try. I don't hunt with a pistol, but do walk in the woods looking for antler sheds and I carry a pistol with me. I love my walks in the woods and carry only a walking stick and a holstered .22. I'm looking for some bigger calibers, which I hope to have later this year. I do know a couple of people who hunt exclusively with a pistol and say they enjoy the freedom of not carrying a heavy rifle or a bulky bow.
 
If you're already at a bow the next step down is a spear. Check your local laws of course. As far as shotgun slugs. Even in a smoothbore I can shoot them accurately further than I can my crossbow. Buckshot is a different story but it's not allowed where I live.


Brought to you by TapaTalk.
 
I fell off into archery a few years ago. Since then I have acquired three different bows to play around with. Two of them I purchased new and the other a fiend gave me as he figured I simply had to have a Drenalin.

that said I picked out the shortest A-A I could reasonably shoot accurately. I tried out several of the super short PSE's but found them lacking in what I was looking for. I settled on the Bowtech Tomkat as my first as it was a package deal not overly expensive and I wasn't sure with having surgery on both elbows if I was even going to be able to do any prolonged shooting. It worked VERY well but simply was a bit to noisy as well a being a bit slow even cranked up to the full 70#. My next was purchased for me by my wife and it was the Admiral. IT is a clas act, very quiet and very fast with the arrows I use. The Drenalin is about in between them both as far as noise and speed. IT is very quiet, but not very fast.

As someone else mentioned speed isn't everything and I would MUCH rather it be quiet. I am only hunting hogs and deer, but I have had the deer either jump or duck my arrows several times. The hogs well they are usually simply to fat to get down and they don't jump much if any. LOL

The shorter A-A on these bows has allowed me to hunt in pop ups, tree stands, and from the ground, with comfort and ease. They don't to me seem to weigh much at all even when holding on to one for hours standing on top of a platform. Most of my hunting with them however has been spot and stalk or simply finding a nice area in the woods and standing along side a big tree or just inside some brush.

I had had some really GREAT hunts since doing the archery thing, and had a ton of fun simply shooting them while practicing. It gives me that much more time in the field, whether I decide to, or even have the opportunity to draw on game. This is time I wouldn't be spending in the woods I hunt with out them.
 
I'm not sure what sort of bow you have, but there are some extremely compact bows on the market compared to my old early 90s Hoyt. I don't shoot mine enough lately to justify a new bow, just looked at 'em.

I have a PSE "kingfisher" recurve, 50 lbs. Recurves are far harder to shoot even with sights. Stick with the compound unless you're a traditionalist. The PSE is lighter, but it's a bit longer than even my old Hoyt. I like shooting it, a challenge, and I prefer a recurve for bow fishing (quicker) which is one reason I bought it.

I also love black powder, shot my first with BP this past season. I wanna take one with my Hawken while I still have enough eyesight for irons. My eyesight ain't getting any better with age and it never has been that great, but I can still hit with irons. The BP stuff limits me about as much as handgun hunting, about 100 yards max. Well, I can shoot to 200 with my Contender if I have a solid enough rest. Black powder, though, is a HOOT at the range. I just love shooting 'em. The sulfur gets in your blood, I guess. When that 385 grain Hornady Great Plains Minie ball hits at 100 yards, it makes a THUMP! It kills as dead as my 7 mag and you can eat right up to the hole. :D
 
For over two decades I hunted with a 45 lb recurve bow by Wing Archery Co. I felled many deer using cedar arrows fletched with turkey feathers and plain Fred Bear 145 gr broadheads. A leather back quiver completed my outfit.

You can get by with less arrow speed if you hunt with a heavy arrow, for deep penetration. My shots were typically 15-25 yards.

50-55 lbs is a common weight for most recurve hunters. Anything above this weight requires much practise and muscle tone. I hunted with a 65 lb custom recurve by Owen Jeffrys for a time. I found the bow to be a bit too much for me. I traded for a 70 lb compound bow for a time. Now I hunt with a Ten Point crossbow which is most lethal of all due to high speed and amazing accurasy.

Suggest take a look at Parker Enforcer Outfitter as a lightweight yet accurate & powerful crossbow.

wing4.jpg

Good hunting to you.

TR
 
Last edited:
MCgunner said:
I'm not sure what sort of bow you have, but there are some extremely compact bows on the market compared to my old early 90s Hoyt. I don't shoot mine enough lately to justify a new bow, just looked at 'em.

I have a PSE "kingfisher" recurve, 50 lbs. Recurves are far harder to shoot even with sights. Stick with the compound unless you're a traditionalist. The PSE is lighter, but it's a bit longer than even my old Hoyt. I like shooting it, a challenge, and I prefer a recurve for bow fishing (quicker) which is one reason I bought it.

I also love black powder, shot my first with BP this past season. I wanna take one with my Hawken while I still have enough eyesight for irons. My eyesight ain't getting any better with age and it never has been that great, but I can still hit with irons. The BP stuff limits me about as much as handgun hunting, about 100 yards max. Well, I can shoot to 200 with my Contender if I have a solid enough rest. Black powder, though, is a HOOT at the range. I just love shooting 'em. The sulfur gets in your blood, I guess. When that 385 grain Hornady Great Plains Minie ball hits at 100 yards, it makes a THUMP! It kills as dead as my 7 mag and you can eat right up to the hole. :D
Click to expand...

Kinda funny you posted this. My bow is an older Hoyt and I am planning to use my BP Hawken this year. :)

Honestly though, the re-curve is appealing to me... we'll see though. I'll probably stick to the compound this season as it's coming soon.
 
The recurve takes muscle tone. :D It's harder to draw and hold, so you need to release it quick, makes hunting with one kinda tough. BUT, it is not impossible, it's just harder to do. I practiced a lot with my recurve and got pretty good to 30-35 yards with it, started getting iffy about 40. The compound gave me another 10 yards, about all, but I can draw it when the deer ain't lookin' and hold while the deer turns for a good shot.

I hope to be moving in the somewhat near future. Have the house up for sale. I don't plan to be near civilization or city limits and once we're moved, I'll get back into shooting my bows. Don't have any room to do it here and I don't know if the city ordinances would allow it, anyway.

That PSE Kingfisher was only a bit over 100 bucks and is a take down, aluminum riser and fiblerglass limbs.
 
Last edited:
Posted by tarosean:
"A pistol?
I went from bolt action, to lever, to pistol, to bow. Next will be knife (just a joke about the knife) '


I have taken 16 deer with a pistol, most of them from less than 50 yards. That's long for a bow but if you really want a challenge try a hogleg in .45 Colt and open sights. You can carry it in a holster no problem. I shot a mulie in Montana with my 4" barreled S&W Model 29. You can make it as easy or as difficult as you wish.

7-08Remington.jpg

30-30T-C2ajpg.jpg

IMG_0418web.jpg

If you really want close up, try a black powder pistol with cast minie balls.
 
Texan Scott said:
Patocazador, that's a good looking pig! nice pit-bbq sized... how'd you get him to lie still like that while you set the blackhawk on him?
Click to expand...
It was easy after that 250 grain XTP in the neck. Then he allowed me to take his picture.

The shot was taken from the other side = no exit at 45 yards.
 
and now i want pulled-pork bbq again... as a guy who's always eaten what he's hunted, i'm (oddly enough) more jealous of your pig than your ruger... but i need one of those, too.
 
I just got a S&W 25-13 Mountain Gun. I was thinking about using it this year.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

P
  • Locked
Getting Into Bow Hunting
Replies
21
Views
1K
Sunray
S
C
  • Locked
Compound Bow Question
Replies
9
Views
754
dfaugh
D
J
  • Locked
First bow hunt next year....gear list?
Replies
10
Views
489
Lennyjoe
Lennyjoe
3
  • Locked
Bow hunting question
Replies
9
Views
835
3pairs12
3
Y
  • Locked
Spring Gobbler with a bow
Replies
2
Views
1K
Watchman
W
Back
Top