Getting anxious for gun season...with my longbow!

[Mike Bolin]

Terry's thread about when did you kill your biggest buck got me thinking about what dates I've killed most of my deer. I don't keep records like I used to, but it seems most of my deer were killed during gun season, with a bow. Property that I hunt is land locked on all 4 sides. To the north is some houses, to the east is a big horse barn/indoor riding area and pasture, so no hunting there. To the west and south there a is crop field surrounded by woods that get hammered during our gun season. I put on my orange and go to my usual bow stands and try to stay on stand all day. My back won't let me do that very often anymore, but I stay as long as my back will allow.

The creek bottom runs more or less north to south with a couple of drainages dropping down from the west side. As the shooting picks up the deer start to funnel into the creek bottom and work their way up the drainages to the east. I have stands set for the different wind directions and always get to see a lot of deer and usually see some bucks that I've never seen before. I hung a stand today for the predicted east wind on next Saturday's gun opener.

So even though I hunt with my longbow, I still get pretty excited for our gun season opening day. I count the gunshots on the neighboring properties. The record for the first 4 hours is 137! Run 'em to me boys! Hunt hard, hunt safe!

[dnovo]

I hunt rifle season here with my longbow too. I don't usually get anything but it's nice to be out there. And this year I have my eyes open for a certain big 8 point who is the biggest buck around.  Little extra incentive for me.

[Captain*Kirk]

Best of luck to you! Is this where the term 'gun-runners' originated?

[achigan]

Nice to hear I'm not the only one that counts gun shots on opening day! 150+\-, is what I average over here around Riley. The "never saw 'em before" deer are always nice to see. G'luck Mike.

[BAK]

Interesting, here gun season opens and archery seasons closes.  Can't mix them.

[Mike Bolin]

BAK-we have a very generous bow season here in Indiana. Bow season starts on October 1st and lasts thru the first Sunday in January. We get to bowhunt right on thru the gun season, just have to wear hunter orange.

[9 Shocks]

I too love bowhunting during gun season.  Next Saturday is our opener as well and Ill be out sunday and Monday with the stick in hand trying to knock down buck number 2!  Got 2 spots that are relatively suburban that although legally I could gun hunt, I strictly bowhunt.  I will be hitting those spots hard through gun season!

[SlowBowKing]

Kentucky's modern gun season opened this past Saturday and I killed my first trad buck on opening day at 10:40. They are already really active because of rut, and the gun shots all around hopefully make my property seem like a safe choice! 

Our archery season is open this year Sep 7-Jan 20. I feel weird putting blaze orange on top of my ghillie suit when ground hunting, but not gonna let it keep me out of the woods!

I know the feeling about your back limiting your time on stand. Gotta save some back for dealing with the deer once it's down!

[dnovo]

Missouri is great too with our archery season running from Sept 15 - Jan 15. Archery season closes during gun season but we are allowed to hunt with our bows if we choose. I'm looking forward to this one as I have confidence in a couple of stand locations especially the new one I put up Sunday.

[BAK]

So for those of you who say you can use your bow in gun season, what tag do you have use, an archery tag, or  a separate gun tag?   

[Ken Babicky]

Same here Mike. Since it was made legal in WI to use a bow during gun season that's all I've used. By the way... got my new BW about a month ago, didn't realized how much I missed them! Good luck this season!

[mnbwhtr]

I usually hunt during the gun season and this year the CWD rules state you may kill 3 bucks here in SE Mn with appropriate tags (archery,firearms,muzzleloader) so I bought a firearms license and filled it Sat. morning. Over the years I've killed several during firearms season by getting in the thickest cover I can find and sitting all day. I got this one when neighboring hunters were going to lunch at 11am.

[arrow30]

So for those of you who say you can use your bow in gun season, what tag do you have use, an archery tag, or  a separate gun tag?   

in Missouri we just have to purchase a firearms tag to bowhunt through firearms season.

[Bisch]

The opening day of rifle season here is just another Saturday in the middle of bow season to me!!!!!

Bisch


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[achigan]

So for those of you who say you can use your bow in gun season, what tag do you have use, an archery tag, or  a separate gun tag?   

Here in IN we have the option to buy a "deer bundle" tag that allows for one antlered and two skinheads with any legal weapon. Pretty good deal for me.

[GCook]

In Missouri it's a gun season tag but you can use a bow.  Just have to drop coin on separate tags.

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[Friend]

It is ironic that Mike and I share the same maximum number of shots heard in 4 hours of opening day of gun season, That, for me, was in the late 80's. Those hi count numbers have dwindled drastically in more recent years. This year I heard ten.

Other than complying with the color scheme, the hunt goes on as usual. This year the rut at my location has just started to break loose as compared to most years as having turned loose towards the latter part of last week.

My optimism is running hi and am digging in harder now.

[Sam McMichael]

I have always hunted more in rifle season than bow season, because the weather is cooler. Gun shots don't seem to bother deer most of the time unless they are very close.

[dnovo]

Sam, come on up to Missouri if you want cooler. It's supposed to be 20 degrees by me on Saturday opening morning of gun season. Guys up north have it much cooler.

[Sam McMichael]

dnvo, it has gotten pretty cold here this week. I don't know if it is the diabetes, or what, but I don't handle cold any better than I do heat. Consequently, I haven't hunted very much. I wish Georgia would go back to the old days when bow season opened in October and rifle season started in November. Then, there would be more mild days available. I have always seen more deer as the weather cooled off, perhaps largely because I have always been more active when it is cooler. I have no idea how many gunshots (LOTS) I have heard while bowhunting, but the deer didn't seemed too concerned.