What makes you tick?

[iamyourhuckleberry]

My life as an archer started back in 1985. I was 24 and attending graduate school for a career in architecture. Up until this point, killing Mule deer and Elk with a rifle was child's play. In Colorado, one deer and one elk was a season's limit. This meant I was out of the woods in a matter of a few days. Hunting was fulfilling and yet very unfulfilling. As a poor college student, I was thankful for the bountiful supply of venison. But, I felt empty and unchallenged. While in the woods/mountains and pursuing, everything seemed so right and natural. That's truly where I wanted to be! I turned to the bow to provide myself with more "in" time. I haven't looked back! Some 27 years later, I have come to realize the "trophy" is in the journey-the experience (a part of that journey is sharing with family and friends). I was asked one time, "Do you hunt for the meat or the horn?" I replied quickly, "Neither. Both are merely a bonus for being out there." Would I survive if hunting, more particularly bow hunting, was taken away? The answer is yes. However, there would be an enormous void in my being.

So, what makes you tick? Why are you an archer?

 

[35bore]

I like this post, first and foremost, well put together and sincere.

First off I am a rifle hunter, I love it and I will never give it up.

I started using a bow for the extra time in the woods, and pre-season scouting for rifle season. I have seen more animals than I ever have by just rifle hunting, plus, i believe I have become a better hunter because I picked up the bow (i.e. scent control, walking lightly, spotting game and getting them in close with scents and sounds).

I am not one of those guys, that know how fast my bow shoots or how much my arrow weighs, what twist rate I have on my veins. I know I enjoy hunting and this helped get more time doing it. I cannot talk shop very well with other bowhunters, I just know what works for me.

I know several guys who GAVE UP the rifle and went strickly to bow hunting, I never could, I love the smell of gunpowder first thing in the morning.:cloud9:

 

[Norwegianwoods]

I am a hunter.
I was born a hunter and it runs very strongly in my blood.
I feel the need to go out and hunt 365 days a year no matter how the weather and hunting conditions are.
Sadly I live in a country where I can't hunt all year and I am thinking about it all the time if I should move and live somewhere else in the world.

Here in Norway it is not legal to hunt with a bow yet, but it looks like they will make it legal soon.
I bought my first compound bow about 26-27 years ago. But I was only shooting at targets with it and dreaming about hunting with it.
So I have been hunting with rifles and shotguns and it is about 37-38 years ago I shot my first animal.

I like hunting to be challenging, but at the same time is it important to me to shoot something.
Trophies and meat are just nice bonuses. It is the hunting and shooting something when on a hunt that drives me.
Hunting with a bow gives me another method of hunting to enjoy and the fact that it is more challenging to get close enough for a shot and that you need to be more careful about your shots adds a lot to it.

I have booked a 12 days PG hunt this year where I mainly will stalk with my bow and I am very much looking forward to that.
I just wish I could go there tomorrow and have the money to stay there and hunt for 2 months instead of 2 weeks.

Would I survive without hunting?
In body I guess I will survive, but not in mind.

 

[iamyourhuckleberry]

I am not one of those guys, that know how fast my bow shoots or how much my arrow weighs, what twist rate I have on my veins. I know I enjoy hunting and this helped get more time doing it. I cannot talk shop very well with other bowhunters, I just know what works for me.

Me too, I'm a "in the ball park" guy. I knew where I happy and much of that comes from experience. For me, this game we play is a process of connect the dots. The details often become subliminal.

I know several guys who GAVE UP the rifle and went strickly to bow hunting, I never could, I love the smell of gunpowder first thing in the morning.

I, honestly, cannot say I'm there either (completely giving up the rifle). There are still things I enjoy pursuing with a gun, and there have been hunts where time and resources were limited. Thus, I picked the rifle because it was the right tool for the task at hand. I am still, first and foremost, a hunter. I wouldn't be opposed to picking up a club, if nothing else was available.

 

[iamyourhuckleberry]

Norwegian,

If you care, you are more than welcome to join my group of national and international bowhunters for an elk and mule deer hunt this year in Colorado. We will be hitting it hard at 12000 feet above sea level- September 15th-23rd. PM me for details. This is a "do-it-yourself" hunt among brothers of the bow. The cost is extremely low since no guiding/guides will be involved. Sometimes, as hunters, A finger point int he right direction is all we need. I will give you that! It would be nice to have some Africans there as well!

 

[35bore]

Norwegian,

If you care, you are more than welcome to join my group of national and international bowhunters for an elk and mule deer hunt this year in Colorado. We will be hitting it hard at 12000 feet above sea level- September 15th-23rd. PM me for details. This is a "do-it-yourself" hunt among brothers of the bow. The cost is extremely low since no guiding/guides will be involved. Sometimes, as hunters, A finger point int he right direction is all we need. I will give you that! It would be nice to have some Africans there as well!

Sounds like an open invitation Norwegianwoods

 

[mudslinger]

I started shooting a bow in 1971 and basically all i have ever known as far as hunting has been with a bow. I have killed a few animals with a rifle, but very few. If I cannot hunt it with a bow, then i am not really all that interested in hunting it. i love to shoot animals, but I still love to be out in the woods even if i do not see anything or shoot anything. I still feel excited when I see almost any game animal and i still feel a little remorse when i kill one. If both those feelings ever leave, then I will retire from the hunting aspect of my life, but I highly doubt that will happen. My Dad only hunted birds, so the main hunting part of my life I acquired in college, especially game animals with a bow. Took me 7 years of hunting off and on with a bow to finally kill a whitetail. I have basically done it all with a bow, recurve, Olympic style shooting, compound w/fingers & no sights to a compound with all the bells and whistles. Never did shoot a longbow though. Nothing like sitting in the open or in a blind enjoying the sunrise or sunset that God has given us almost every day of our lives

 

[Norwegianwoods]

Norwegian,

If you care, you are more than welcome to join my group of national and international bowhunters for an elk and mule deer hunt this year in Colorado. We will be hitting it hard at 12000 feet above sea level- September 15th-23rd. PM me for details. This is a "do-it-yourself" hunt among brothers of the bow. The cost is extremely low since no guiding/guides will be involved. Sometimes, as hunters, A finger point int he right direction is all we need. I will give you that! It would be nice to have some Africans there as well!

Thank you very much for your generous offer.
And I would jump at it at once if I had not already planned and booked a PG hunt with my bow this year.
And a Fallow deer hunt in Sweden with a gun.
Unless I win in a lottery, I very much doubt if I can afford it and also not get killed by my wife if I go to Colorado as well this year.

One of my dreams is in fact DIY hunting Elk and Mule deer with a bow

If you plan to do it in 2013 as well and your invitation is still valid then, then I will start planning it already

 

[iamyourhuckleberry]

Yes my friend, whenever you are ready. I usually host this hunt every other year (not to deny myself the "me time" I require with elk). If you wish to come in 2013, I ask that you apply for a preference point this year. It will give you a better chance, as a non-resident, to hunt with me in 2013. Visit the Colorado Division of Wildlife website for information on how to apply:

Hunting

if you need help, just ask or send a PM

This year's hunt will include 4 hunters from England, 3 from New Zealand, 4 From Australia. I would love to get a few from Africa...

 

[Azuplander]

I started shooting a bow as a young kid in summer recreation and we had archery in our school where I grew up. My grandfather and dad were both rifle hunters and passed down thier love for the outdoors. My hunting was with rifles until I was about 17 and I have never looked back. I love every aspect of archery and bowhunting. I don't have anything against rifle hunters not everyone has the time to become a proficeint hunter or archer. I just love the adreline rush I get from the stalks and pitting my skills against thier keen senses. It never gets old and I still get that same rush as when I was 1st starting out nothing like bowhunting to get the heart pumping!