Why do you bow hunt?

[BigThicketBoy]

For me setting off a 100 yards or better with a rifle just didn't do it for me after the first bow kill.
It's that thrill the being so close you can hear me crunching on the corn in the dark.
It's here in the impact of the arrow and seeing the blood pour out of them as they run off. Knowing you play the game of chess with a chess master and checkmated them.

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[lovemylegacy]

Yeah, the thrill of the chase and the fulfillment of the catch are good reasons. Just being out there in the woods, being in spitting distance of the animal you are chasing are exhilirating. But the one and only reason that really answers your question is, I have always been a hunter. I cannot remember, not hunting, its always been a part of my life. I have always been intrigued with archery and bowhunting. So when I was able to start bowhunting, it suited me and I enjoyed it to its fullest. It was something that just fit me, kinda like peas and carrots.

[fbchunter]

Being in the woods early. I like the thrill of being close and all that. But it would be a lie if I said it isn’t so I can hunt during/closer to the rut since it’s over before rifle season is here

[IowaHunter]

Challenge, solitude and necessary proximity to prey for a successful kill.

[Outlaw_6]

The challenge of getting up close and personal and still being able to execute the shot.

[Pullersboy]

For me setting off a 100 yards or better with a rifle just didn't do it for me after the first bow kill.
It's that thrill the being so close you can hear me crunching on the corn in the dark.
It's here in the impact of the arrow and seeing the blood pour out of them as they run off. Knowing you play the game of chess with a chess master and checkmated them.

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I'd say you described it pretty well.

[Gixxer]

Finding more places to hunt as it is more easier to get landowner permission with a bow.

[Tony Pic]

Hunting the hard way. I started out gun hunting, was successful. Wanted a bigger challenge, then I picked up a compound bow, That was fun! Zipping those arrows along with carbon arrows and expandibles. Now I'm using a 50/28" recurve with wood arrows and feather fletch. I like getting as close as possible. My ground blinds are at 10-15 yards. Much more exciting than the point and pull trigger hunt IMO. You see so much more activity in the woods during bow season.

[Snowflake Killa]

I guess climbing up 25 to 30 foot watching the world below with a 10 to 15 mph north wind in October nothing like it.

[dphillips62]

The silence of the kill and nothing or no one knowing I'm around

[PBUCKSHOT]

Making that conscious decision to make the hunt harder is what drives me to still pick up my bow these days. I'll be honest, all the HFs and breeding stuff killed the rifle hunting for me. I'm sure it was always there but not as much. I liked it better when I didn't know as much about it. It just seems to easy these days to get that 140'' deer I used to sit in the stand with a rifle waiting for all year. I will definitely still do it but it doesn't excite me like it used to. I get just as much out of trying to close the distance with a doe now. Public hunting with a bow is where its at for me now. Absolutely love it. More DIY bow hunts in the future is the plan.

[gatt40]

I killed my first deer with a rifle when I was 8. What a rush, exciting. I am now 67 and killed my first bow buck 2 years ago after 5 years of bow hunting. That same excitement returned. Pure essence of hunting. Hope to continue with the challenges of bow hunting for a few more years if the man upstairs will let me.

[N.DaWoods]

Your description is spot on. I like having to figure out wind, cover, shot distance, etc. There is also something cool about doing something other people are not able to do, or are not patient enough to do. That is also why I only bow hunt. I like to be different.

[TENRMORE]

A friend told me once...When you see a deer with a rifle the hunt is over, when you see a deer with a bow the hunt has just begun.

It's just to easy to shoot one with a gun, haven't shot one since 1992 with a gun...

[Lee230]

All great responses. Taking in all the greatness Mother Nature has to offer. Fresh air, quiet solitude, birds perched on my arrow, squirrels running around the tree with me, and on and on. Having animals within 20 yards or closer feel comfortable does it for me, a successful harvest is just a bonus. Good luck this season to all!!