For those who love to bowhunt, this will be no surprise to you. You are ready feel the pureness of hunting like our semi-ancient ancestors. I have read a lot of articles that try to explain the difference in hunting methods, Gun vs. Bow.
I have heard the ethical arguments as well. How gun shooting an animal is more humane and quicker to the kill. There may be something to it, but I am more of a traditionalist, especially bowhunting deer. To me it takes a lot more skill to kill game with a bow.
Whether it be with a compound bow or a long bow, getting close enough for the prey to hear you, to smell you, to see you, to even just sense you are there is a challenge unlike any other. We become the predator stalking our prey, waiting on the precise moment to take the shot.
Now with a gun you can pick game off from a several hundred yards if you are good, probably from a blind, without them ever knowing you are there. Sometimes you miss on your first shot, reload and crack another round without having to wait.
Sometimes you wound an animal and then never see it again, just the same as with a bowhunt. Sometimes it just happens, the moon and stars just don’t align.
So from an ethical standpoint I think you actually level the playing field for the prey when you bowhunt, and if you are hunting big game the odds are to the prey. Especially if its something like a bear or big wild boar. Wound one with a gun and you may be far enough away they wont find you. Wound a bear or a boar with a bow from 20 yards and you might want to know how to run really quick!
As with many other hunters my opinion is just that, my opinion. I just think the difference is hunting deer with a bow becomes more of an experience. There is just something about knowing you have to place the shot just right to miss the ribs and having to wait for the perfect moment. Letting your skill handling the bow, sighting the target, trying to position yourself for the best shot without spooking or exposing yourself to the prey. Pretty challenging stuff.
My gun friends scoff saying they think it takes more skill to kill an animal from 200 yards with a gun. I disagree, especially with the guns we have today. Put a Leupold 14X50 on a powerful enough rifle that has been sighted properly and my 90 year old grandma could kill a buck from 200 yards. Put a 80 to 100 lb long bow in a man’s hands and see how long he can hold it without flinching, waiting for that moment for the perfect shot; it is a big, big difference, in my opinion.
There is definitely one way to find out though for yourself. Hook up with someone who bow hunts, bum their gear or go out with them. Try for yourself and get a real feel for the difference. As for me, I think that I will go with the bow…
Good luck and perfect aim to you on your next hunt.
~ Bowhunter Joel
