would you stalk with a bow if it was legal?

[conibear]

for the past 5 years, ive lived in canada where bowhunting is legal and very popular,Ive bowhunted since i moved here!
its a up close and personal way to stalk!
with shots normally at around 15-30 yards,modern bows are very powerful and accurate and kill very quickly!
what are your views,opinions on shooting deer and other game with a bow/crossbow if it were to be legalised!

 

[devilishdave]

Not botherd to se it legalised to many idiots about would be leaving animals wounded. If it was legal here I would probably give it a go max range would be the max range I could get all arrows in to the DSC1 target kill zone.

Dave

 

[conibear]

Not botherd to se it legalised to many idiots about would be leaving animals wounded. If it was legal here I would probably give it a go max range would be the max range I could get all arrows in to the DSC1 target kill zone.

Dave

yeah that could be a problem ! idiots wounding deer! i agree!

but what if it was regulated(licensed)like a firearms cert! ,and only compitant archers could get the license after passing a test!
Ive shot game with archery equipment, and all have died as quickly as game ive killed with my rifles!
agree 100% on your max range ! thats my philosophy!
cheers dan

 

[Harry mac]

Personally I'd not do it. The bow has no place in the killing of large animals. Why the fascination with using "primitive" weapons to kill with? Surely all these things fell by the wayside because the firearm as it has come to be (and has been for about 100 years) is so much more efficient than all that has gone before.
Using things like bows and muzzle loaders is just massaging the hunter's ego.
Killing an animal should not be about testing your prowess, it should solely be about ending that animal's life as quickly as possible with the least possibility of error.

 

[Muir]

I have bow hunted with compound bows and recurves and consider my self fairly competent with a recurve bow still. I have several of them, as well as a long bow. I don't think there will be any favorable responses to the question here because any rifle shot that lets a deer run 20 paces is considered either ill placed or bad performance by the bullet. Deer hit with arrows bleed to death: that is how they die and they seldom die close to where they were hit. I have trailed well hit deer a quarter mile before finding them. Also, the "hit zone" on a deer with archery is different. A shot with a wide broad-headed arrow into the femoral artery is quickly fatal but I can't see folks on this site shooting deer in the hind quarters. I love archery and keep my skills up but i no longer hunt big game with a bow... especially the be-pulleyed, sighted, trigger released things that pass a a bow these days. I have a huge amount of respect for traditional archers and their hunting skills -and I don't believe it to be an inhumane way to hunt- but I just don't do it anymore.~Muir

 

[stone]

I think i would hav to give it a go first of all, before i could give an honest opinion
from all the clips i hav seen of bow hunting there are just as many misses and feck up's , as there are with scoped rifles.....

 

[KevinF]

A bow? Too technical. What's wrong with stoning them to death?

 

[MJ75]

I appreciate the sKill required to get close enough to use a bow. But every bow hunting trip I've seen on TV (In the US, as we have no decent hunting programmes on TV in the UK) seems to result in a slow death, so no, I'd not use a bow to hunt large game.

 

[Schwarzwild]

I have several clients who hunt with a bow and I must say that they do so very efficiently and seem to get a lot of satisfaction from it. The satisfaction appears to be the ability to stalk in really close to the target animal. I am too old a dog to learn these new tricks and most likely never will. Had I had the opportunity when younger, maybe I would. Don't know. I have no problem with anyone who chooses to bow hunt. As our French hunting colleagues might say, " à chacun sa merde".

 

[Paul at Fechan]

While I agree the skill level to stalk and hunt with a bow is much higher than with a rifle and those capable hunters have my respect, I have just a simple opinion. How many so called stalkers struggle with a rifle to drop deer cleanly and then offer them the chance to hunt with a bow...... Not a good idea since if a .308 delivering 2600 ft/lb just a few inches off often leads to reds or sika running for in excess of 100m, how far would they go if that was a hunting arrow? Fooking miles me thinks

Check this out and although there's many really good shots there's a lot of really bad ones too...

 

[Mannlicher_Stu]

No way would I hunt with a bow legal or not , I know in the past man had to hunt with one as there was nothing else besides spears and sharp pointed objects , and I accept that they did and do work and kill animals, However I am not convinced by a long chalk its as humane as a rifle bullet and fear it can only lead to horrendus injuries, I know it has a large following in U.S.A but personally I would not use one . But each to there own opinion

 

[barry thom]

Hi Guys, The big part of bow hunting is getting close enough to get a good killing shot. So If you want the thrill of stalking in close to ensure what would be a clean kill with a bow, why not stalk in close with your rifle before taking the shot, That will test your field craft and ensure a clean kill, would it not??.

Dry Powder.

Barry

 

[Number8]

I quite like the idea of having the level of field-craft required to take a deer with a bow. However, I bought a book on training dogs to track wounded deer and felt quite disturbed by the descriptions of very long tracks, some over a couple of days. Most of these seemed to result from bow-hunting and I was left feeling that it was a quite irresponsible way to kill deer.I'm new to stalking, and so I wouldn't want to be too critical of people who are much more experienced than I am. I wouldn't stalk with a bow though - that would reduce the chance of a humane kill. No amount of crafty dog training would make me feel happy about that.
Cheers
Derek

 

[enfieldspares]

It was Mrs Thactcher "wot banned it" with the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act". I don't like to see things banned but personally I would not do it as I think it has too many risks of wounding.

I did used to have a pistol on my FAC - a fine Smith & Wesson 357 Magnum - for shooting feral goats however!

What I would like to see banned is the use of ANY air weapon for shooting rabbits and hares under any circumstances except those "to hand" having been caught in snares or cage traps.

IMHO if you've a need to shoot rabbits and hares you've absolutely a need at a minimum for a s1 22 Rimfire or a s2 shot gun. But ANY air rifle - FAC "rated" or not - should be illegal.

 

[zaitsev]

What I would like to see banned is the use of ANY air weapon for shooting rabbits and hares under any circumstances except those "to hand" having been caught in snares or cage traps.

Yes, I suppose you could do that. It would immediately remove a traditional introduction to the shooting sports for many youngsters in addition to immediately criminalising a very effective means of control. If you have issues with the method then don't use it yourself. However to suggest banning airweapons for this use is tantamount to siding with both the antis and the gun control organisations.

We have enough restrictions as it is without another ban on spurious welfare grounds.

Thanks

Gareth

 

[MJ75]

What I would like to see banned is the use of ANY air weapon for shooting rabbits and hares under any circumstances except those "to hand" having been caught in snares or cage traps.

Yes, I suppose you could do that. It would immediately remove a traditional introduction to the shooting sports for many youngsters in addition to immediately criminalising a very effective means of control. If you have issues with the method then don't use it yourself. However to suggest banning airweapons for this use is tantamount to siding with both the antis and the gun control organisations.

We have enough restrictions as it is without another ban on spurious welfare grounds.

Thanks

Gareth

Would you shoot a hare with an air gun delivering just 10 or 11 ft lbs of energy? Is this a good introduction for kids into the world of shooting? No. I don't think so either.

 

[matt458]

I definately would. More skill in fieldcraft needed, great! Bring back the sport in hunting, not just deer management.
Matt

 

[finnbear270]

I think you are confusing an FAC rated air rifle with those of a lower power rating, I can personally vouch for the stopping power of a Theoben Rapid Seven (a pre charged pneumatic), this rifle was tuned to deliver 29 foot pounds at the muzzle, & would systematically kill all it was discharged at, out to 70 yards........... no recoil , & no runners, it was dispensed with as being rather a heavy tool, but nevertheless deadly. ............... I think banning stuff out of hand without the requisite knowledge in the subject matter shows a lack of intelligence.

 

[MJ75]

I think you are confusing an FAC rated air rifle with those of a lower power rating, I can personally vouch for the stopping power of a Theoben Rapid Seven (a pre charged pneumatic), this rifle was tuned to deliver 29 foot pounds at the muzzle, & would systematically kill all it was discharged at, out to 70 yards........... no recoil , & no runners, it was dispensed with as being rather a heavy tool, but nevertheless deadly. ............... I think banning stuff out of hand without the requisite knowledge in the subject matter shows a lack of intelligence.

I'm not sure f this is aimed at me. But I'm not confusing the FAC rated / under 12ft lbs air gun at all. Enfield Sares mentionedd rabbits and hares. Zaitsev pointedd out that many beginners start with these weapons (Non FAC rated). Shooting a hare with a non FAC rated weapon which will typically deliver 10 or 11 ft lbs of energy is inhumane. It will not kill a hare. And quite possibly fail to kill a rabbit. I agree with Enfiel Spares that rabbits are better hnted with a .22 LR.

I await all the "I can kill a bunnie at 187 yards with my Webley Tempest 'cos I'm a really good shot I am!" comments....

 

[zaitsev]

If you shoot a hare with a legal limit air rifle (at sensible range) in the brain or heart then it will kill it. However, there aren't many people out there after hares with airguns and those that are often move up to FAC rated air rifles or .22s when they cannot get within range. What they are after is rabbits and it would be utter nonsense to ban legal limit air rifles for either species on some-and I say it again-spurious welfare grounds.

There are perhaps air gunners who don't think it's right to shoot muntjac with .223s for example. However to propose a ban of a legitimate class of 'weapon' for a legitimate purpose in another branch of the sport is bad form at the very least.

Leave it alone before some smart alec anti picks up on it!