I’ll stick with the rifle

[basshappy]

@johnpoulan83 and @DynamicDennis my boy and I also are cartridge hunters for the time being. I picked up a compound bow for my boy early this year, but after much discussion and weighing our real/perceived pros against cons, we decided to stick with modern firearms again this whitetail season. For us, it ultimately comes down to 1) we hunt for sustenance and not trophies, and 2) our goal is to end the life of our quarry as quickly as possible. For us, the modern firearm holds the greatest potential to achieve goal #2.

 

[Long Cut]

In my opinion, there’s a 10x multiplier for yardage & challenge when you compare Archery equipment to Firearms in hunting scenarios.

I.E. a 10 yard Archery shot is comparable to a 100 yard Rifle shot.

50 yards may not seem like a lot, but with Archery equipment on a live animal, there’s so much that can go wrong.

Keep the shots on live animals out to 30-35 yards.
I don’t care if you practice out to 100 with confidence. Blocks don’t move.

I’m not trying to be rude, but I saw a picture of a buck with a crossbow bolt sticking out of his back hip. The wrong crowd gets a hold of that image and it will be used against all Hunters.

I hope you get another chance at him!

 

[TarponStalker]

In my opinion, there’s a 10x multiplier for yardage & challenge when you compare Archery equipment to Firearms in hunting scenarios.

I.E. a 10 yard Archery shot is comparable to a 100 yard Rifle shot.

50 yards may not seem like a lot, but with Archery equipment on a live animal, there’s so much that can go wrong.

Keep the shots on live animals out to 30-35 yards.
I don’t care if you practice out to 100 with confidence. Blocks don’t move.

I’m not trying to be rude, but I saw a picture of a buck with a crossbow bolt sticking out of his back hip. The wrong crowd gets a hold of that image and it will be used against all Hunters.

I hope you get another chance at him!

I agree. When I started bow hunting in 1974 archery was waaay different than it is today.
Bowhunting was once intended to be a challenge and a close range hunt. It teaches you to be a better hunter.
I hear more and more these days about hunters trying to get within 50 yards to make a bow shot. That's not bowhunting range. Especially for whitetails. Too much can happen between the release and the time the arrow arrives. Not even the fastest bow comes close to out running sound.
For over 20 years I never hunted with a gun. I decided just to bow hunt only even during the gun season. It taught me more about deer hunting then I had learned any time before.
So many that I talk to are so worried that they're going to see a big buck out of range and won't be able to get a shot. It took a while but eventually I learned that if I do not get a shot at that buck I will just have to learn to be a better hunter next time. I try to set up my stands where my shots are less than 15 yards. TV and other marketing tries to take a challenging sport and remove the challenge to make it easier.
I'm not bashing anyone about the way they hunt but just giving my opinion. Maybe it will help new bowhunters.

 

[basshappy]

@TarponStalker similarily I chose to hunt with an iron sight revolver for my first whitetail. I wanted to challenge myself to get up close and personal to a buck. I spent many days failing and through every one of those failures I learned and cumulatively my hunting skills improved. I still want to be under 30 yards for a shot. It is critical to me the shot is dead on. It would bother me fiercely to stick a deer with an arrow and have it slowly die over hours or worse a day. I hunt for sustenance, not bragging nor trophy.

 

[Liberty]

I have a 44 revolver wearing an optic that about 9 of 10 times I can shoot into a 6 inch circle at 35 yards, every time from 50 with a rest, and every time from 20 freehand. That means unless I have a rest, my maximum hunting range is 20 yards. Deer can’t duck the bullet either. Unless you can do it every time, you are outshooting your ethical hunting range. I don’t currently hunt with archery tackle, but when I do, it is a very short range affair.

 

[BBQOutdoors77]

Sorry for the tough luck.

I have been bow hunting 40+ years and never taken a deer outside of 30 yards.

Distance multiplies problems on a very non-linear scale.

^^^this^^^

 

[Lilly001]

I’ve lost deer with a rifle too.
There is little that is more sickening than finding a rotten carcass a couple weeks after you spent hours or even days trying to recover one.
There are no guarantees regardless of the weapon.
All we can do is our best and do our due diligence in preparation and the recovery attempt.

 

[specialk]

I’ve lost deer with a rifle too.
There is little that is more sickening than finding a rotten carcass a couple weeks after you spent hours or even days trying to recover one.
There are no guarantees regardless of the weapon.
All we can do is our best and do our due diligence in preparation and the recovery attempt.

Same here, ive knocked bone and cartlidge out of them and never found them.....

 

[johnpoulan83]

I have a 44 revolver wearing an optic that about 9 of 10 times I can shoot into a 6 inch circle at 35 yards, every time from 50 with a rest, and every time from 20 freehand. That means unless I have a rest, my maximum hunting range is 20 yards. Deer can’t duck the bullet either. Unless you can do it every time, you are outshooting your ethical hunting range. I don’t currently hunt with archery tackle, but when I do, it is a very short range affair.

To each there own

 

[BBQOutdoors77]

This is a good video….

 

[earlthegoat2]

A few years back I had a shot on a medium sized doe at 25 yds. I put my 25 yd sight on it and let fly. Deer went right down but was still very much alive. I saw a large gash in her upper back behind the shoulder. It was a spine shot.

Well the deer died after I dispatched her and she also dropped right there. So, success, right? Well I put venison in the freezer and the deer likely didn’t suffer from the 100% fully severed and separated spinal column but it was ugly and anything but a clean kill.

I can’t figure it out. I had a good hold and a good trigger squeeze. The distance was known and verified after the shot. That is the distance I practice from most as well so it felt like it should have been a slam dunk.

Stuff happens. My takeaway was I got the deer and it didn’t go to waste. The he performance of my bolt and broadhead was fantastic. Full and complete severing of the spinal column with a complete pass through. I went home and put a few shots on m target from 25 yds and it was dead on.

All I can say is to keep practicing and try again.

 

[ditchdoc24]

I enjoy bowhunting but I don't think I'll ever give up my rifles. Bow season for me is about getting back outside, getting my gear prepped and ready and getting back into my hunting routines. I'm just not patient enough to be willing to sit and watch a hammer buck walk by at 50 yards. I piddle with hunting during bow season but I get serious once the rifles come out.