# Honestly, why do you bowhunt...?



## INGOZI

Why is it that you bowhunt? What made you pick up a bow for the first time? Is it because it's too much trouble these days to obtain a gun licence? Is it because it seems intruiging? Is it because a friend or family member does it?

Or is there more to it? Is it really a passion, something that you constantly think, dream, eat, write, breath....? Or am I the only crazy one.....?


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## Gerhard

Hey Buddy,

Join the club. I am addicted to bow hunting.

A couple of friends of mine are bow hunters and they told me a lot about what and how they hunted with the bow.

I took up bow hunting as a challenge. I have done Service shooting still with the old R1 or FN rifles. I have done IPSC or Combat shooting. Also the 3 Gun version. Assault Rifle, Shotgun and Pistol. Every time you start to get into the top 10 of a discipline the internal politics starts having more influence than the scorebord. This was one of the main reasons why I stopped the above mentioned disciplines.

When I bought the bow I promised my self that I will hunt and not shoot competitions. Except for 3D broad head shoots that's what I did. Sitting in a hide, tree stand or walk and stalk.

Now I only use the rifle when I have to guide clients or hunt jackal.

You do not hunt with a rifle you shoot animals. 

You do really hunt with a bow.

my 2 c


Gerhard


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## Gerhard

I forgot to say that.

Guys like Engee and my other pals here on AT makes it all the more worth it to bow hunt.

Gerhard


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## rcmjr

It's the anticipation, the closeness to the quarry that is required. It's also a great time spent alone.


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## OutaAfrica

It is a love a passion,to get out there in nature smell ,look and feel Africa around you and to come to the realisation you are only a creation and you are walking under your Creator's mercy. You are only as much part of nature as the Impala ,Buffalo or the duiker,at the end we are all part of the food chain and will be mauled by worms.


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## ASG

Originally started because of hearing loss and I wanted to keep hunting.
I couldn't care if I hunt on foot, from a blind or a tree stand. As long as I do it with archery gear, it's a great experience.
Another serious consideration for me was the fact that there is far less impact on the herds and other critters in the area.
Being a man of modest means, meat damage is also minimal.


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## Bushkey

I have always loved hunting, exploring, the great outdoors and also our lovely wildlife and birds. Some of my earliest memories as a child was time spent in the veldt on my own ether with a stick bow or "kettie". Always stalking, crawling and missing. Never killed nothing. 

I don't have to kill anything to enjoy bowhunting. The outings is already great for me. I love spending time on my own in the bush the most.


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## Matatazela

Nature is my passion. Archery is also a passion. Combine the two, and Bingo!


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## INGOZI

Long time no see James, it's good to have you back!


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## Philip Moolman

*Why do I bowhunt*

I grew up on a farm.I clearly remember the gun oil smell on my Grandfather's rifles and soon fell in love with his BRNO .22,although I was only allowed to carry it.When I turned seven my father bought me a Cecado 25 with which I have shot many many birds.As I got older I started hunting with my father's .22 Krico(only pheasant,rock pigeons and guinea fowl),.303,30-06 etc.

Basically I grew up with rifles.I still own a few rifles 2x pneumatic air rifles(Air Arms and FX Cyclone)(defenitely my favorites by far!!!),.22,.22 Hornetx2,.223 REM,.243 WIN,7x57 Mauser,30-06 Mauser,.300 WIN,.300H&H,6,5x57 Mauser,8x57 Mauser,9,3x62 Mauserx2,12 gauge Sauer&Sohn and Eugene Combrink from Magnum Archery is currently building me a .308 WIN on a BRNO ZG47 action.We have done a lot of trophy hunting from the early 1980's,till I got introduced to bowhunting during 1990.

From there on it was only bowhunting.The first animal I have witnessed that was shot with a bow was an Impala which was shot by my brother with a 68lb PSE POLARIS EXPRESS bow.I could not believe the damage that was caused by the Muzzy 125gr broadhead.Me and my two brothers were totally hooked.

I have nothing against a rifle,but prefer to hunt with a bow.You can shoot basically everywhere with your bow,it is quiet,makes no noise,makes you a much better shot with a rifle,bowhunting improves your hunting skills(stalking etc.),you meet lots of excellent people and a few *******s as well,and lots more.All of you know the pro's and con's of each.

I try not to get involved in arguments over different calibers or different bow makes,but always try to convert a rifle hunter.

OVERALL IT IS A GREAT GREAT ETHICAL SPORT MARTHINUS !!So I can go on and on and on..


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## spatan

*spatan*

I believe that when man (all those thousands of years ago)made a bow and arrow he perfected the way to hunt and survive. When he developed the crossbow the later gun powder he graduated to a "serial killer"(whole herds of certain spp were lost to trigger happy gun totting morons)for some the whole mind set of being outdoors shifted to a place I never want to be found.

I mean no affence to the ethical rife hunters out there,(and there are many) variety definatly is the spice of life. 

Being out doors in the wild with a bow in my hand is a deeply religous experience for me each and every time, however "the need for the game ranches to make money"(no complaints here just an observation) has started to effect the purity of the whole idea.(The hunters of old were and needed to be out in the wilderness almost their entire lives taking only what they needed.) The need for me to Kill something each outing or else be labled a "useless bowhunter" because I don't have a biltong factory in the woodshed at the bottom of the garden or a garage full of venison ladend deep freezes, for these reasons I find my self limiting my hunts to a couple of days a year.Thus i must bare the labled "desk jokkie" an the like, so I really can,t win can I?

These are my thoughts for the Day, So do what you love and stay safe......


Spatan:cocktail:


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## Karoojager

The bow hunt is approximately 20% of the whole, the rest of 80% is enjoying the nature and study the animals around for my. Also the bow hunt is not so anonym like a rifle shoot at 150 or 200 meter for my.


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## btchamp

My Lord, are you going to get a long thread on this one INGOZI! I'm a life long hunter, always rifles and shotgun, since that's what my Dad taught me. I can count plenty of nice animals that I missed, so it's just as easy to let the nerves take you with a rifle as it is with a bow.

A very close friend (and also an excellent rifle/shotgun hunter) harassed me for years to get me to move over to archery. I had fooled around with it for a few years back in college when the only options were longbow and recurve. I enjoyed it much, but was always spooked about wounding game. As all good hunters do, a lost wounded animal, haunts them for a long time.

I finally got the bug when I shot another friend's bow 4 years ago. A 30 year rifle hunter was converted. Just the challenge of getting "breathing" close to your game is an incredible step up in the excitement of the hunt. Even getting to the game without taking a shot, is worth the sport of archery.

Can't go back now. I'm corrupted (and blessed) for life.


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## splayed

I am new to bows and bowhunting, but have been hunting with rifles since I was a nipper. I am attracted to bowhunting because it will give me the oppurtunity to really get close to nature and feel like I am one with it. I will keep my rifles for the control of problem animals, but plan to start hunting exclusively with a bow. 

My introduction to bowhunting has been through a couple of friends that bowhunt only and I have had the opportunity to shoot some of their bows. My brother (roughly the same size as me) then got a 2nd hand bow and let me really get some shooting in. The bug bit and I am now getting my own bow and starting the process of learning how to shoot it properly. I will also have to learn how to hunt from scratch, as bowhunting and rifle hunting do not compare.

I want to bowhunt because I think it is one of the most ethical ways to hunt and because it is more in tune with nature.


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## Bushkey

splayed said:


> I am new to bows and bowhunting, but have been hunting with rifles since I was a nipper. I am attracted to bowhunting because it will give me the oppurtunity to really get close to nature and feel like I am one with it. I will keep my rifles for the control of problem animals, but plan to start hunting exclusively with a bow.
> 
> My introduction to bowhunting has been through a couple of friends that bowhunt only and I have had the opportunity to shoot some of their bows. My brother (roughly the same size as me) then got a 2nd hand bow and let me really get some shooting in. The bug bit and I am now getting my own bow and starting the process of learning how to shoot it properly. I will also have to learn how to hunt from scratch, as bowhunting and rifle hunting do not compare.
> 
> I want to bowhunt because I think it is one of the most ethical ways to hunt and because it is more in tune with nature.


Welcome splayed. Nice seeing you on the forum. You are going to enjoy it here and in the veldt.


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## Matatazela

Welcome Splayed! 

Good to have fellow Natalians here on the site!

What do you do in the sleepy hollow? Hope to see more of you here!!!


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## splayed

Hi Matatazela

I am an environmental planner in PMB. But trained as a zoologist (MSc.) with special emphasis on conservation and the effects of global warming on animal communities.

This forum seems to be full of really like-minded people who have a real passion for the outdoors and nature. As they say, "hunters make the best conservationists". Bowhunting seems to be the epitome of this, most bowhunters on this site, and most bowhunters that I know, are really passionate conservationists. 

Bowhunting doesn't appear to be a sport for the weekend warrior who just wants to kill animals for biltong. Bowhunting seems to be for those who value ethical and fair chase and feel the need to interact intimately with nature. Maybe it's the hard work involved that discourages unethical people from using bows for hunting, but all the better for the rest of us who can think of nothing better than working up a sweat while hunting in the field or practising on the range.


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## Karoojager

splayed said:


> I am new to bows and bowhunting, but have been hunting with rifles since I was a nipper. I am attracted to bowhunting because it will give me the oppurtunity to really get close to nature and feel like I am one with it. I will keep my rifles for the control of problem animals, but plan to start hunting exclusively with a bow.
> 
> My introduction to bowhunting has been through a couple of friends that bowhunt only and I have had the opportunity to shoot some of their bows. My brother (roughly the same size as me) then got a 2nd hand bow and let me really get some shooting in. The bug bit and I am now getting my own bow and starting the process of learning how to shoot it properly. I will also have to learn how to hunt from scratch, as bowhunting and rifle hunting do not compare.
> 
> I want to bowhunt because I think it is one of the most ethical ways to hunt and because it is more in tune with nature.


Also from the S.A. settlement in Germany a innig welkom.
You decided right to hunt with a bow and I hope you have lots of good experiences.


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## Matatazela

Splayed - yes - I am an environmental consultant with a conservation background. These days, it is good to get an excuse to get into the field with a bow and a camera, because that is the only thing that really clears the cobwebs!


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## ghoster808

when using a rifle, at the moment of truth when you pull the trigger...well your vision of your target goes out from the recoil, you can pick up real quick but for that most impotant micro second the video to your brain was jarred enough so there is no mental picture recorded. Its like watching a boxing match and just at the knock out the camera points at the roof lol. well with archery you get the full experience recorded....hunting is about the memories of experiences...this is what makes bow hunting a super rush and seperates it from gun hunting. thats why I bowhunt


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## Bushcat

*Its not the kill*

I was an extremely fortunate youngster as I grew up with acess to the family game farm where I was free to roam. In hunting I made choices for my self and was held accountable for them. I enjoyed the art of tracking and stalking, I loved to be in the bush alone. When the game farm was sold I had to endure what the normal hunters of the country had as their hunting experience. The farmers almost seemed to want me to get my hunt over with as soon as possible as the next group of hunters was due that afternoon, I was given a certian part of the farm to hunt on as annother party of hunters was on a seperate part of the farm. It became difficult to enjoy my bush experience with what sounded as if a firefight was happening in the next valley. lastly and what I could tollerate least was the Tractor driver/ fence repairer/ farm handyman who was dressed in blue overalls was sent to accompany me on my hunts, usualy armed with a 2 way radio with its volume fill on. I realise that farmers are under pressure to make their decided ventures profitable but I was alienated by the commercialism. Enter bow hunting. The people who partake in this sport are likeminded in their approach to the outdoors, I dont believe that the kill is as important as the experience, I am happy to just be alone in the bush again and free of the stick stomping, rock rolling nemisis that was always forced on me as a rifle hunter. Also no one looks at me sideways if I dress in cammo and want to get within 25 m with my bow. I was treated with dissain for the same behaviour as a rifle hunter yet amoungst archers I feel a kinship.


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## jpm_mq2

INGOZI said:


> Or is there more to it? Is it really a passion, something that you constantly think, dream, eat, write, breath....? Or am I the only crazy one.....?



That's me.


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## Zen Archery

my dad
the challenge
the fun
escapism... when you gotta focus on a spot you can't think of anything else


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## tclow

You're not crazy and not alone.I think about bow hunting year round.If I could make a living doing it I would.I love being able to out smart a whitetail and bring it home to process with my kids.


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