I have bow hunted during firearm opener down here forever. This is the first year I'm actually going to get to use a firearm as we are going the 3A season and not 3B. I can tell you this. After the first day, the deer are skittish down here and I hang up the bow until December.

I agree with most comments but with a rifle in hand I kind of feel like a little redemption is needed especially after the way this season has been unfolding for me. Lastnight I wish I had a rifle but it does take the fun out of it. The camp, family, stories told and made is hard to let go or to make new ones will always be a tradition.

mr

Love to bowhunt - its my ME time.

Love to rifle hunt - its my WE time.

Usually the rifle puts most of the meat in the freezer for the year so I kind of count on it.

I can and do go back to the bow after the gun season.

Pretty much agree with all of the later posters. I love both. I always shoot a deer or two with the bow, sometimes I do with the gun, sometimes I pass depending on what & when they are. The gun (shotgun & rifle) is still fun, but I'd rather shoot a big buck with my bow than a gun. Like hunting the naturally moving deer, when they're easier, not easy, to predict.

I love them both, But I would prefer to shoot one with a bow. Here is what happens to me tho.

A few yrs ago like 7-9 yrs the area I hunt had two seperate hunts.
A) the first week sat and sun
B) Then next sat sun mon and tues

the group I hunt with decided that we would all hunt the first week. So sat morn comes around and I have a nice 11 pter come 25 yrs broadside. So I shoot it. The thing is I could have easly shot it with my bow. Oh well. ( Not that big for a 11 pter)

The next weekend my dad And I decide to go out bow hunting and hope that someone pushes something to us. By 815 sat morn I had to watch 3 Nice bucks. a nice big 10, a Hug 10 And not sure on the other trot by at about 40 yrds. all three of them bigger than the one I shot the week before.
Oh well I am just happy I got one Just would have prefered to A shot the one with my bow or B shoot the Biggest of the 4

I used to hunt with rifle for about 12 years, then needed a bit more of a challenge, so took up bow hunting and never looked back. Rifle hunting, to me, isn't that fun anymore. I still hunt with the rest of the family that rifle, but I still use my bow. Blaze Orange, but still get the job done. To me, bow kills are more rewarding than with a rifle. The deer camp thing still works for the bow hunters.

I went out the night before rifle season and saw two nice big bucks, one who I grunted near me 4 times. I was in the thick stuff so I never got a shot. I went out the next day with a rifle and saw nothing, but my buddy who has never shot a deer was thrilled to get a spike. That was pretty nice.