My dilemma....
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Re: My dilemma....
Lots of great thoughts here. Thank you all. I'll likely go with the bow.
Dan, I saw in another thread that you recommended forge bows. I went to their website, but didn't see a dealer search. Do you know offhand if they have a dealer network?
I really like the shotgun idea too. I'm planning on getting my wife a 20ga to shoot some trap with anyway. With the rifles slugs, I could always use that. My 12 ga is an over under. I'm not sure if that wod be ideal for shooting slugs, but I bet that could work as well.
Thanks again for all of the input.
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Dan, I saw in another thread that you recommended forge bows. I went to their website, but didn't see a dealer search. Do you know offhand if they have a dealer network?
I really like the shotgun idea too. I'm planning on getting my wife a 20ga to shoot some trap with anyway. With the rifles slugs, I could always use that. My 12 ga is an over under. I'm not sure if that wod be ideal for shooting slugs, but I bet that could work as well.
Thanks again for all of the input.
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- john1984
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Re: My dilemma....
Hey mnnewb, what region of MN do you live in? I like the shotgun idea because you can hunt any type of game with it. But if you just wanna hunt deer and want a long season, the bow is the way to go.
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Re: My dilemma....
Hi John. Twin cities north east metro. So SOuth Minnesota is a likely option. But I was also looking at the public lands just north of here too.
I want to get the DVDs from on here. I'm hoping they will help me learn to do some cyber scouting, and identify some good candidates.
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I want to get the DVDs from on here. I'm hoping they will help me learn to do some cyber scouting, and identify some good candidates.
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- seazofcheeze
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Re: My dilemma....
Unsurprisingly, here is another vote for a bow. Especially since you say yourself you don't necessarily want it to be easy. I killed my first deer with a 20 year old hand me down bow, no clue, and in area with average or below average deer numbers (translation, you will get a deer with any sort of reasonable effort, so enjoy the learning process). If you want to shoot mature bucks, that's a different ball game, but you're already in the right place (hunting beast) to accelerate the learning curve. Regardless or your equipment choice, good luck this coming season.
- hunter_mike
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Re: My dilemma....
I would say go with the bow. Longer season = more opportunity to hunt and more importantly learn.
Plus the gun season seems to be one of the toughest times of year to see game. And the easiest time of year to have your hunt wrecked by other people.
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Plus the gun season seems to be one of the toughest times of year to see game. And the easiest time of year to have your hunt wrecked by other people.
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“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
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Re: My dilemma....
welcome to a life long love and addiction!!!
i will preface this by saying i didnt read all the other replies...
i dont know how your seasons run...i dont know how public land is out there....
for me...id recommend getting into it with a gun...
a couple reasons...all related back to the range of a gun...
bow hunting is a game of YARDS..even FEET...a few yards too far and you dont get your shot...a few yards with a gun is typically nothing to think about..
stand placement is HUGE with a bow...stand placement with a gun can be "farther off location" and still allow for good hunting...
also things like scent and movement etc...you can get away with a little more often times when they are farther away...and in gun season they are typically running from other hunters already...so they arent in their "natural" element..they will still pick up scent and movement etc...but snap a twig in early october when a buck is munching on acorns and snap the same twig in december in gun season when the same buck is trotting from another hunter...in bow season he will likely take off...in gun season he will probably stop and look around lol...seems silly..but it happens..they can be different animals...
bow hunting "can make you a better hunter" when it comes to understanding your quarry...but you can still apply the fundamentals and still learn them with a gun in your hand...learn them..work on them...fine tune them...then get a bow down the road!
also...learning to accurately shoot a gun isnt a big deal....learning to accurately shoot a bow and executing a perfect shot on a deer can be VERY challenging...learning to shoot deer with a bow is a feat on its own...i never understood why guys would say "any deer with a bow is a trophy" till i started bow hunting...its a totally different hunt...DRAWING a bow when there is a deer yards away is not easy...learning when to draw is HUGE...learning how to send that PERFECT arrow through their chest isnt easy...we are often in a tree shooting down at them...that opens up more of a hornets nest on learning how to properly get that arrow through them...with a gun it doesnt matter..the bullet will do its job..
ive shot a small pile of deer...mostly all with guns and flintlocks...the vast majority were within bow range...thats just how i learned to hunt...dad taught me early on to setup in places that i end up right IN the action...now that im STILL learning as i grow as a hunter ive learned to find places in gun season that allow me to see and shoot several travel routes instead of sitting smack dab in the middle of ONE....now im back to trying to find a happy medium...2 years ago i saw well over 100 deer opening day...last year i saw a good 30 or so....but my issue became seeing them and identifying them and killing them...id see TONS of deer but couldnt get good looks at most of them....its fun to see 100 deer in a day...but doesnt do a lot of good never knowing if they were bucks or big bucks...the majority i saw i never could tell...
my point...ive been hunting 15 years now...i am STILL learning...and it doesnt matter what weapon is in my hand...
buy whatever you feel you wanna start with....the important thing is get out there and start learning!! youve found a GREAT forum with a lot of great guys willing to help!
either way has its pros and cons...youve already identified a bunch of them...short season vs long season...etc...
i will preface this by saying i didnt read all the other replies...
i dont know how your seasons run...i dont know how public land is out there....
for me...id recommend getting into it with a gun...
a couple reasons...all related back to the range of a gun...
bow hunting is a game of YARDS..even FEET...a few yards too far and you dont get your shot...a few yards with a gun is typically nothing to think about..
stand placement is HUGE with a bow...stand placement with a gun can be "farther off location" and still allow for good hunting...
also things like scent and movement etc...you can get away with a little more often times when they are farther away...and in gun season they are typically running from other hunters already...so they arent in their "natural" element..they will still pick up scent and movement etc...but snap a twig in early october when a buck is munching on acorns and snap the same twig in december in gun season when the same buck is trotting from another hunter...in bow season he will likely take off...in gun season he will probably stop and look around lol...seems silly..but it happens..they can be different animals...
bow hunting "can make you a better hunter" when it comes to understanding your quarry...but you can still apply the fundamentals and still learn them with a gun in your hand...learn them..work on them...fine tune them...then get a bow down the road!
also...learning to accurately shoot a gun isnt a big deal....learning to accurately shoot a bow and executing a perfect shot on a deer can be VERY challenging...learning to shoot deer with a bow is a feat on its own...i never understood why guys would say "any deer with a bow is a trophy" till i started bow hunting...its a totally different hunt...DRAWING a bow when there is a deer yards away is not easy...learning when to draw is HUGE...learning how to send that PERFECT arrow through their chest isnt easy...we are often in a tree shooting down at them...that opens up more of a hornets nest on learning how to properly get that arrow through them...with a gun it doesnt matter..the bullet will do its job..
ive shot a small pile of deer...mostly all with guns and flintlocks...the vast majority were within bow range...thats just how i learned to hunt...dad taught me early on to setup in places that i end up right IN the action...now that im STILL learning as i grow as a hunter ive learned to find places in gun season that allow me to see and shoot several travel routes instead of sitting smack dab in the middle of ONE....now im back to trying to find a happy medium...2 years ago i saw well over 100 deer opening day...last year i saw a good 30 or so....but my issue became seeing them and identifying them and killing them...id see TONS of deer but couldnt get good looks at most of them....its fun to see 100 deer in a day...but doesnt do a lot of good never knowing if they were bucks or big bucks...the majority i saw i never could tell...
my point...ive been hunting 15 years now...i am STILL learning...and it doesnt matter what weapon is in my hand...
buy whatever you feel you wanna start with....the important thing is get out there and start learning!! youve found a GREAT forum with a lot of great guys willing to help!
either way has its pros and cons...youve already identified a bunch of them...short season vs long season...etc...
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Re: My dilemma....
Well folks, I made my choice. I'm now the owner of a shiny new hoyt charger!
Thanks for all of your help.
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Thanks for all of your help.
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Re: My dilemma....
Congratulations...you will not be sorry you made that choice. With bow in hand, remember, the simpler the better. This is the first year I havent gone crazy with gear. Find something simple, and get good with it. Also, if you are gonna hunt from a stand practice shooting from a stand. Its very different than shooting on a flat grass backyard.
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Re: My dilemma....
To me there is nothing like bow hunting. I know your just getting started but I have completely lost my desire to rifle hunt. I still do but the excitement doesn't come close to comparing. Practice as much as possible and good luck to you this year. Hope to see you in the kill zone
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- Ghost Hunter
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Re: My dilemma....
I too have done my share of rifle hunting. Now if they are not in range then they just walk. But it hurts when he is one that you want! But that just makes the pursuit that much sweeter. Nothing like bow hunting .
I'm reason they call it hunting and not shooting.
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Re: My dilemma....
I thought I'd update this now that I've had a few weeks with my bow.
Week 1, I was able to shoot every day for 7 days in a row. I quickley realized there were a few muscles I'd not used extensively in the past. Basically I was able to keep the arrows on my 22x22 target at 20 yds but lacked anything close to consistency or meaningful groups.
Week 2 I had to travel out of state for work, so I only was able to shoot the weekend. I think giving my muscles a rest helped, as I started becoming more consistent. I also had the chance to shoot at some 3d targets up to 45yds. Not where I need to be yet, but seeing improvement. On Sunday I went back to my bow shop, and purchased my stabilizer. When I bought my bow, they recommended to start shooting without one, so that I could just get a feel for my bow, and realize how a stab makes or doesn't make a difference. For me it definately did. They let me try all of them that I wanted, and ended up with an 8" bee stinger. I noticed an immediate improvement on my 20yd groups.
Week 3, travel again, but have shot a lot this weekend so far. Groups are continuing to improve. In fact I just shot two 6 arrow - 4" groups from 20yds. That felt really really good. I feel like my form and pre shot routine are become more and more solid. Needless to say I'm excited to go to my friends house again and shoot some more 3d.
Next step is to start shooting in my camo, and in different positions, including elevated.
I also just got my DVDs in this week but have only watched about 20 min of swamp.
Thanks again to everyone for thier support and encouragement. This is the only website I look at every single day. The only reason that's the case is the great community that is here.
You guys are awesome.
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Week 1, I was able to shoot every day for 7 days in a row. I quickley realized there were a few muscles I'd not used extensively in the past. Basically I was able to keep the arrows on my 22x22 target at 20 yds but lacked anything close to consistency or meaningful groups.
Week 2 I had to travel out of state for work, so I only was able to shoot the weekend. I think giving my muscles a rest helped, as I started becoming more consistent. I also had the chance to shoot at some 3d targets up to 45yds. Not where I need to be yet, but seeing improvement. On Sunday I went back to my bow shop, and purchased my stabilizer. When I bought my bow, they recommended to start shooting without one, so that I could just get a feel for my bow, and realize how a stab makes or doesn't make a difference. For me it definately did. They let me try all of them that I wanted, and ended up with an 8" bee stinger. I noticed an immediate improvement on my 20yd groups.
Week 3, travel again, but have shot a lot this weekend so far. Groups are continuing to improve. In fact I just shot two 6 arrow - 4" groups from 20yds. That felt really really good. I feel like my form and pre shot routine are become more and more solid. Needless to say I'm excited to go to my friends house again and shoot some more 3d.
Next step is to start shooting in my camo, and in different positions, including elevated.
I also just got my DVDs in this week but have only watched about 20 min of swamp.
Thanks again to everyone for thier support and encouragement. This is the only website I look at every single day. The only reason that's the case is the great community that is here.
You guys are awesome.
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- PK_
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Re: My dilemma....
Congrats man.
I was going to vote Bow, you will have the woods mostly to yourself, compared to gun season...
I was going to vote Bow, you will have the woods mostly to yourself, compared to gun season...
No Shortcuts. No Excuses. No Regrets.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Everybody's selling dreams. I'm too cheap to buy one.
Rich M wrote:Typically, hunting FL has been like getting a root canal
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Re: My dilemma....
HoosierG5 wrote: Plus- the woods is about 99% one arrow chances so thats a good plan. Get a bow...
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Not if you are Dan... Don't stop running!
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