# What is your archery hunting to gun hunting ratio.



## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

Just curious to see how often you guys that bow hunt mix in rifle/muzz hunting. I just started bow hunting a couple years ago and I love it. For a minute there I thought I might become one of those purists that won't hunt with anything other than a bow, but then I remembered how much I love my guns and hunting with them. In the future I can see myself doing the majority of my hunting with a bow but still doing a fair amount of gun hunting. If I were to put it in percentages maybe like 70% archery 30% gun. 

What does your current mix of archery and gun hunting look like?


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## Christine (Mar 13, 2013)

Currently, about 10% bow. But I just moved to Utah in 2013. Before that I lived in IL and it was about 98% bow hunting. This being able to hunt/shoot a rifle is a shiny new thing to me so I'm all over it. Same for my husband. He went out and bought a .338 lapua right away. LOL 

I'm going to start putting a little more focus on the bow again this year. A little.


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## twinkielk15 (Jan 17, 2011)

Depending on what I draw it's about 50/50. Elk is really the only big game I hunt. I do the archery elk and then I try to draw for rifle cow on a late season hunt.


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## bow_dude (Aug 20, 2009)

98% archery


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## nateysmith (May 13, 2013)

I would say that I am about 98% archery unless I draw the late season cow tag.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

It all depends on how I draw out. I am a rifle hunter with a bow backup plan. If I don't draw a rifle tag or if I am just going for points and know that I won't draw a rifle tag I'll put in for a archery tag as my second choice and usually draw the archery. But then this is in Colorado. The last 20 years I would say on deer it has been 90% archery and 10% rifle. For elk it has been around 50/50. 

In Utah I just hunt with a rifle since that is what my hunting partner wants to hunt with.


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## Old Fudd (Nov 24, 2007)

I stopped the Rifle hunt in Utah 35 years ago after some crazy stuff in Southern Utah . came to the realization that it was a ZOO. Have been hunting with a Bow since 1964 although I haven't had a Deer tag in 2 years . humped the hills with a spike tag.O. My passion is Mule Deer with a Bow.


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## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Remember the days when you went bow hunting and were lucky if you seen 2 or 3 other hunters all day? Ah memories. My percent now is 0-0 .Quit the hunts ,to much pressure and the fun just was not there anymore-O,-


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Dunkem said:


> Remember the days when you went bow hunting and were lucky if you seen 2 or 3 other hunters all day? Ah memories. My percent now is 0-0 .Quit the hunts ,to much pressure and the fun just was not there anymore-O,-


I never saw it like that in Utah and I started bow hunting in 1971. Now if you were out in the middle of the week you may not see very many others but I was in school or working and the only time that I had to hunt was the weekends with all the rest of the hunters.


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## bow_dude (Aug 20, 2009)

I remember those days. I started bow hunting in 1975. I remember when there were fewer than 3000 archery elk hunters state wide and about 5000 or less deer hunters state wide for a long time. I used to see a few deer hunters, but seldom out wandering around, only found their camp sites. Things have certainly changed over the years. You can still find isolated areas to deer hunt if you know where to look.


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## torowy (Jun 19, 2008)

I hunt any and all seasons lol.


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## HeberHunter (Nov 13, 2014)

I have hunted sporadically the past 12 years mostly due to work, school, and religious obligations. From age 14 to 24 I hunted solely with the rifle. All of those years were spent hunting deer except one year when a neighbor graciously introduced me to elk hunting near fish lake and I got my first elk which was a spike. The past 2 years I picked up bow hunting. I just loved the timing due to being in school and it was a lot more fun being within 40 yards of some majestic animals. I still have yet to seal the deal with the bow on either deer or elk. Also due to school I chose to do dedicated hunter to give me more chances out in the field. This year I hunted the archery, muzzleloader, and rifle. I came home with my first cow elk. Hopefully the next two years are good for me with dedicated hunter as I have 2 tags I can now fill as I ate tag soup the first year. So, I love archery but do dedicated hunter to give me more chances at getting an animal. So far I have a 3 point buck, spike elk, and cow elk under my belt. Hoping to get the first archery kill under my belt.


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## derekp1999 (Nov 17, 2011)

At the family cabin the landowner's association has a restriction on rifle hunting so from 2002 to 2008 I think I got 4 or 5 archery tags. Winter 2008 I bought my muzzleloader & I've hunted that every year since. I did make one foray into the rifle elk in 2013 but switched back to muzzleloader for this past season.
I see my bows hanging on the rack in the storage room & consider cashing in my points every year on a LE archery elk tag but I understand the time and effort required to be successful with the stick & string and I just can't carve out that amount of time to feel like I'd be doing it justice.


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## rsb_924 (May 30, 2014)

99.99% archery. wouldn't have it any other way.


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## Huntin8 (Jul 15, 2013)

Last few years 100% rifle, but I plan on getting back into it this year and unless a miracle happens and I draw a LE elk tag, I will be 100% bow this year.


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## Bowdacious (Sep 16, 2007)

98% archery. The 2% being the rare times I get a cow tag or doe antelope tag. I probably wouldn't be as into hunting as I am if I had to do it with a rifle...rifle hunting has lost it's allure a long time ago.


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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

Mostly archery for deer and elk (unless I come across a Dec cow tag or something). Now sheep, goats, Ibex - that's a different story. Rifle for them.


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## middlefork (Nov 2, 2008)

98% for me. A doe antelope tag was the last rifle tag I used a couple of years ago, which is ironic as it was a buck antelope tag that got back into archery about 10-12 years ago.

Still pick up the gun for varmits and a little upland game.


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## RobK (Jul 3, 2008)

0% bow to 100% gun . I hope to change that . putting my guns away for big game . fought Target panic for over 20 years with a bow and gave it up . but starting using a compound , a release and sights , so far no more target panic . But due to heath issues and I cant climb mountains anymore . so will see what happens . going to have fun not matter what I kill


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

I only hunt cow elk tags with a rifle in Utah. 

I haven't hunted deer with a rifle in Utah since 1989. I don't want to wait for a tag and I always get a bow tag. The long 4 month season is to good to pass up.

However if I go out of state it will be with a rifle.


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

I havn't shot a deer , elk , or antelope with a rifle since 1993 .....

Shot a ML deer in 97 that on my wall, other than that, 100% archery.


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

100% archery for many years, (since 1967), but now that I'm older and have some interested underage grandkids*, I'll take a rifle for does and cows. 

*None of my older grandkids are interested.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Less than 20% of my big game hunting is with a bow. More of a work schedule thing than anything. 

I started bow hunting in 1964 when I was 13. After I retire I plan on spending more time bow hunting and going back to traditional archery.


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## IHuntNUtah (Dec 25, 2013)

Hadnt bow hunted til 2012. Last 2 years I've killed my bucks with the bow, bulls with the rifle. Look to do more with the bow and less with the boomstick here on out.


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## TopofUtahArcher (Sep 9, 2009)

90 bow/10 rifle


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