vamaz, I know exactly what you are talking about when you describe the 1st week of bow vs. later on in the season. Here in Indiana, our hunting season (for all equipment) starts Oct 1 and usually goes until the first weekend in January. We are allowed only one buck per year unless we are also hunting in an urban zone, then we can take one buck in an urban zone and one out of an urban zone. So, for me, I'll wait until the end of December to shoot a buck, if I shoot one at all. I have a couple of trail cameras running continually from late September until the end of January to see what is in the area, and who makes it thru the hunting seasons. Every year there is usually one or two bucks that are on the "hit" list, either because of their large rack, or because of their small rack. The small ones? They have shown no growth in antler size for at least 2 years.
The big ones? Well, in the past 8-10 years I've only had them close enough to shoot twice. Once I passed on the biggest one because I didn't want to shoot him in the butt and waited for him to turn broadside. He did, but a tree was in the way for a clear shot, so I waited for him to walk past it. He never did, instead he turned and walked directly away, never to be seen again. The other one? It was #2 antler size wise and I knew #1 was around so I passed. The next year I heard a shot on the next property, with a bunch of whooping and hollering. A week later I see #2 laying dead in the woods from 50-60 Yds away. The back end was eaten out by coyotes, and I could not find a bullet entrance/exit in the rest of the carcass. Why they couldn't find the deer is a mystery to me, as it was in plain sight. I have the horns. I’ve never heard of #1 being shot, nor have I seen him again.
I’ll hunt with a variety of equipment, from archery to center fire rifles. I still get a bit shaky when I’m close enough to a deer that I can see their eyelashes, and any little noise on my part will send them running away, even the noise that two pieces of clothing rubbing on one another make. That’s part of the hunt too – being able to outwit a deer in their own home.
But, I also hunt with a rifle that is capable of shooting a critter that’s well over ¾ of a mile away, so I “get” the different perspectives on why people hunt with different equipment. To me, hunting is much more than just going out and shooting an animal, it’s the experience that you get while you are out hunting.
