all WVHillbilly's fault

[Tamiam]

so it all started last year at the pig roast when he tricked me into eating deer jerky and I liked it.  He told me to go to Cabella's for a jerky shooter.  But I did not because I don't have venison.

so this year at the pig roast I win antler grow.  I have some mixed opinions about attracting the deer closer to my house having suffered Lyme disease for several months and 9 weeks of antibiotics.  So on the way home we stopped at Cabela's.  What a store!!!!!  The intention was to look at bows and take up bow hunting.  Kevin told me to wait on buying a bow.

We get home and check on the garden.  The deer have totally eaten my cukes and string beans.  Not to mention they have devastated two of the flower gardens.  Now I remember something WVHillbilly said to me that deer are just rodents and a nuisance. 

Well we open the paper to see what is happening in our area and they are going to begin building a Cabela's 15 minutes from my house.

I have come to the conclusion that someone is leading me to take up deer hunting.  Not sure if itwould be better with a gun or a bow.  Opinions?  Pro's/Con's?

[Ironwood]

Just go to "venice" and forget about the deer hunting, Italy is great this time of year.  Sorry couldn't resist!

  Congrats again on the "Stihl"

                  REID

[Tamiam]

what was I thinking?  but I got it right now.

Italy would  be nice  
Tammy

[Kirk_Allen]

BOW HUNTING is one of the most enjoyable outdoor sports in my opinion.  If your fortunate to take a deer all the better, but the skill of bowhunting will bring you into a whole nother world of wildlife.  I have had small birds land on my lap, squirals climb down the tree and look at me from a branch just a foot from me.  Quail and bobcat walking under my stand.  Rabbits being tracked by coyotes etc.  The amount of wildlife you will see while sitting still in a tree stand hunting deer is priceless.  I take my video camera now and have filmed some incredable stuff. 

Welcome to the world of Hunting! 

[crtreedude]

I used to hunt the varmints with bow - it was a lot of fun. The deer here are so rare they are protected.

I always liked the bow more than the shotgun. Also, during the early bow season, you don't have to deal usually with a bunch of people who have never had a finger on the trigger of a gun, or so it seems. No one is liable to mistake you for Bambi.

In around NJ / NYC Ron Kubie (a radio personality) used to call deer "Agent Orange on hoofs". I think he is right.

[beenthere]

More successful with a gun, more enjoyable with a bow, for me.
I second Kirk's vote for Bow Hunting, for the very same reasons. No other hunting that I have done ('cept maybe elk hunting in Idaho) gives the total satisfaction of being with nature. Sitting still, and quiet for a few hours will bring a serene feeling when the owls, turkeys, grouse, birds, otter, ermine, deer, rabbits, squirrels, coyote, or an eagle happen to invade the serene quietness of the forest. I like it and it starts legally in a month. Early in the season there can be some mosquitoes, but its been dry this year, and as long as the temp will stay down (less than 50), I'll be there.
Getting the venison into steaks, cubed for stew, or ground for landjaegers is a 'plus', as well as keeping the 'herd' manageable is another plus.

PS. site for landjaeger explanation 
http://www.wisconsinrivermeats.com/shopping.htm

[Rockn H]

Not knowing what part of the country your in, I would say to check your hunting regs for season lengths.  Bow hunting can cost more initially and takes a lot more practice and discipline than modern gun.  Most shots are going to be within 20 to 25 yards, but you need to  know your shooting limits and this yardage is the norm.  Don't shoot if you can't hit the bulls eye so to speak.  Mordern gun on the other hand doesn't require you to have to get the deer quite as close in.  More accurate shots can be made at longer ranges.  And a sinle shot rifle cost around $190, a single shot shot gun $90.I get the same enjoyment and relaxation of the woods from both.
 Here, our bow season runs from Oct 1 to Feb 15 and our Modern gun runs from Nov 12 to Dec 18 with a christmas hunt dec 26-28 and a Youth hunt Nov 5-6.  
So we start out in oct ,while the leaves are still on and concealment is better, with a bow.  We also use this time for scouting and getting geared up for gun.  In Nov everyone switches over to modern gun and usually finishes their deer season at Christmas with the last of the modern gun.  I find both to be rewarding and a great way to enjoy the outdoors that many people never experience.  If it helps, we start our kids with modern gun becuase their hunting skills don't have to be as sharp.   Hitting your target is one thing, learning proper stand placement and setup is another in itself.
With that said, if your state is one with a very short modern gun hunt, I would recommend a bow just so you have more time to enjoy the woods.  I would also recommend a gun so you get plenty jerky.

[Tamiam]

all this sounds great but my dad who hunts with a gun told me that once I hit the deer with my bow it will run until it bleeds to death that means I must track it down.  This does not sound like fun nor humane.  Is this true?

[beenthere]

Tamiam
If 'bleeding' was considered inhumane to me, I wouldn't hunt with either gun or bow. Usually, IMO and experience, bleeding to death has to happen first, some way or 'nother for you to get the deer. Once I knocked one unconcious with a bullet that hit the base of an antler and I managed to miss that fact until after the field dressing was done. The worst case is a shot to the guts, which drags out the hunt and finding the deer, with either gun or bow.
IMO, losing blood is a painless way to die. What makes the wound may not be. But the slice the arrow head makes is probably less painful than the bullet impacting the animal. Not that I want to discuss the merits of either.
It's something you will need to decide for yourself, however.
The hunt is the best part, and the taste of the venison the rewards. The intermediate 'killing' isn't the pleasant part, for me.

[Kevin]

Bleeding out isn't inhumane, the animal doesn't even know it.
The problem with bow hunting is being able to hit what you want where you need too.
What's inhumane is sticking a deer with an arrow on a bad shot and it gets away and dies over a two week period.
The same can be said about a bad shot with a gun however maybe not as critical, what ever you decide be proficient and enjoy the hunt along with a clean kill.

[crtreedude]

I will second or third the comment about using a bow being humane. I shot a deer with a bow once, it went straight through the deer in the heart / lung area. I stood still (very good idea, a lot of times the deer will run not because it is shot, but because it saw you) and all the deer did was flinch once and walk over and start grazing. If I hadn't known I had hit it solid, I would have thought I missed.

It continued eating for the next 2 to 3 minutes and then just fell over. 

I think I had to track that deer all over 20 feet!

[crtreedude]

Oh, and I hit a deer with a shotgun slug once and got the jugular vein, but because of the noise of the blast, it took off like a rocket and I had to track it for a half a mile. No problem finding it for sure though.

Often a deer will run because of the noise, not because it was hit.

[Kirk_Allen]

I have been gun and bow hunting for for 30 years.  I can say without question, I have tracked my deer less distance with an arrow to the vitals than a gun.  We can only use shotgun in Illinois but even with a rifle I have seen mature bucks cover 100 yards real quick.  With an arrow to the vitals you get bleeding quicker than a bullet.  A bullet couses some bleeding but more shock trauma.  That is an undisputable fact of physics.  

A sharp tip on a broadhead will provide a clean cut and rapid bleeding.  The animal will bleed out quickly to a point where there is not enough oxygen being provided with what blood is left and the animal FIRST simply passes out.  Death is shortly after he passes out.  

[Bro. Noble]

No reason you couldn't do both and see which you like the best.  As far as that goes,  you left out the best method------muzzle loader hunting.  It takes less skill than a bow and you avoid the crowd you have with regular gun season.  By hunting all three methods,  you can hunt all fall and winter and legally get all kinds of deer.

[Larry]

Years ago used to bow hunt quite a bit but was never very accurate with a bow.  To get a humane kill I felt like I needed to practice...a lot.  Starting in July I would shoot at least 3 times a week.  Different distances and even left a ladder leaning on the roof so I could simulate shooting out of a tree.  Started farming along the way and didn’t have enough time for the practice so hung up the bow.

In Missouri we now have a extended modern firearms season, muzzle loading season, and all kind of special hunts so I really don’t miss bow hunting much.

[gary]

Bow hunting takes a lot of practice. If you srart practicing this year you might be ready to hunt next year.  If you want to hunt this year you should hunt with a gun. You will have a much better chance of harvesting a deer.

[crtreedude]

Nothing to do at all with this thread except it includes my bow. When I first arrived here the guys in the finca would help unload a bunch of stuff. Cool. Now, these are farm boys and work hard just about every day of their life.

But, the average height is about 5'4" for the men here - and for example, Justinano only weighs 40 Kilos (say under 90 lbs) I almost 6'2" and used to rock climb, etc.

Anyway, my bow has a 70 lb pull. Only one of them could pull it. The decided perhaps I wasn't as old and out of shape as they thought when I pulled back on it like it was butter with two fingers.

A bunch of young whippersnappers....

[Don P]

We call deer long legged mice. 

Getting the venison into steaks, cubed for stew, or ground for landjaegers is a 'plus', as well as keeping the 'herd' manageable is another plus.

Landjaegers...Yummm
Nobody down here makes 'em. Now I feel a road trip coming on.

Ask for a clean shot or a clear miss  .

[CHARLIE]

Tamiam, I remember a thread back a year or two.....or three ago when Tom was talking about having problems keeping deer out of his garden.  An old timer gave him some good advice on a sure fire way to keep deer out of your garden.  He told Tom to hang a fresh deer skin on the garden fence each day. Pretty soon they'll quit coming around.

[LogRite]

We get home and check on the garden.  The deer have totally eaten my cukes and string beans.  Not to mention they have devastated two of the flower gardens. 

You didn't say if they got the tomato's. They wiped us out on top of the hill. I was counting on you guys for the tomatos. If they got those too, I might just take up hunting with you!

[Rockn H]

The key to making a humane kill with a bow or gun is knowing your shooting limits.  Or rather the distance you can consistantly put the arrow where it needs to go.  This means a lot of practice from the elevation you intend to be hunting.  That's why I mentioned the modern gun for people that are just starting to enjoy hunting.
If you just want to keep'em out of the garden....lots and lots of electric fence at different distances and heights.    Some of the old timers used to put hair from the barber shop in panty hose or net bags and hang them around the garden.  The scent was suppose to keep the deer out.  Them deer are smart though.

[Buzz-sawyer]

Bow hunting is like anything else.....some people pick it up quickly and shoot dead on the first time they shoot a bow, others never get it.
You need to go to a trarget rannge and use a loaner and see if it is your bag.
My daughter at 17 picked it up and was shooting in the kill zone in an hour or two...........

[Engineer]

I was just commenting to my wife this afternoon that it was high time I took up deer hunting again.  Last time I was hunting, I was in high school.    Anyway, those long-legged yard rats ate my tomatoes back so badly that they never came back.  I pulled four plants this afternoon that had no chance of survival.  Four out of twelve, but they gnawed on all twelve.   

I much prefer a gun, because I know I can hit what I aim at.  I am not so confident with a bow, maybe it's because I am only used to a recurve bow and not a compound bow.  No point in making the investment either.  I have the rifles and gear for hunting, now it's just a matter of camping out in the yard until the varmints come around to get shot.

[WV_hillbilly]

  Guilty as charged .   

 I hunt them with any means legally possible , pistol , rifle , shotgun , muzzleloader , and bow . The pistol and bow are my favorites cause you need to be in smelling distance of them so it is more of a challenge .  West Virginia has very a very liberal season on deer , I think you can legally get 12 deer a year and they are still a problem . 

  Maybe there is a local sporting club near you  that has seminars for women . A couple around here have women mentors to ask questions and talk shop  to.  Another place would be the local gun/sporting goods businesses they seem to have a more knowlegdable staff than the  big chain stores .I would try out all of them and then make an informed choice about which method you would like to pursue .

[Buzz-sawyer]

Dan.we missed you last weekend bud!

[WV_hillbilly]

  I missed you fine people too.  I won't  hijack this thread but , wasn't happy about not being able to attend due to the pesky job thing .

[Tamiam]

Thanks for all the advice.  I have a friend who hunts with both.  He will come over and we will practice before I purchase anything.

As for my gardens, it is too late this year but I will be ready for next year!

Yes Pete we still have an abundance of tomatoes but nothing else!