New hunter, bow vs rifle.

[Ztm91]

I have never hunted before and while considering stepping into that pursuit, I am also considering bow vs rifle.

To start with background, I began going on backcountry fly fishing trips and started listening to hunting podcasts to learn about gear and back country survival. After some time listening, I’m like I love everything about backcountry hunting except the harvesting an animal myself. So I bought a bunch of camera gear and would go out “hunting” for animals to photograph in the backcountry.

With that being said, I have spent up to two weeks solo in the backcountry in grizzly country. Carrying around a spotter, Binos, 500mm lens and camera body, tripod, monopod and more. So I am used to being in the backcountry, used to carrying around some weight, and currently have all of the gear necessary for backcountry trips of alls seasons. With one exception, a weapon.

I recently was able to move to Idaho from North Carolina, and years of listening to hunting podcasts and navigating the hypocrisy of buying tons of chicken, steak, sausage, etc every week but not being willing to harvest an animal has got me potentially interested in giving hunting a shot.

The main problem is that while I carry handguns daily and in the backcountry and am proficient, I have never shot a bow or a bolt action rifle before.

I love listening to Trail Kreitzer talk about archery, it is so intriguing and interesting. It also seems like a fairy overwhelming place to start. With that being said, I think that would be my preference. If I did go rifle, I would look for something applicable for deer, elk, and maybe caribou.

Either way, I could invest $2k or so to get a weapon running. It’s naturally going to be a long journey getting comfortable enough with either before actually pursuing game. Another factor that seems like it may be complicating things is I am very left eye dominant, while being right handed.

Apologies for the very long post, I appreciate your time if you made it this far. (A couple of wildlife photos included just because)

 

[survivalistd]

Personal preference for sure. I started rifle hunting while being young. Now I bow hunt. Both very enjoyable indeed.

 

[butcherboy]

If I was in your shoes I would start with a rifle first. It’s a long learning curve if you start bow hunting first but once you start bow hunting it gets addicting. Rifle seasons you will have to deal with bad weather more than early season bowhunting. It’s getting very hard to draw tags no matter the weapon. You can get setup with a good rifle and scope for far less than 2k. A Ruger American will be just fine and a $300 scope. Caliber wise you can choose 270, 7mm-08, 308, 30-06, 7mm, 7prc, 6.5prc just don’t over gun yourself and don’t fall into the idea that you need a suppressor right away but if you want one then that’s fine as well. Same thing with archery. You don’t need a 2k carbon bow or a $600 sight. Keep it simple.

 

[Maverick1]

I have never hunted before and while considering stepping into that pursuit, I am also considering bow vs rifle.

To start with background, I began going on backcountry fly fishing trips and started listening to hunting podcasts to learn about gear and back country survival. After some time listening, I’m like I love everything about backcountry hunting except the harvesting an animal myself. So I bought a bunch of camera gear and would go out “hunting” for animals to photograph in the backcountry.

With that being said, I have spent up to two weeks solo in the backcountry in grizzly country. Carrying around a spotter, Binos, 500mm lens and camera body, tripod, monopod and more. So I am used to being in the backcountry, used to carrying around some weight, and currently have all of the gear necessary for backcountry trips of alls seasons. With one exception, a weapon.

I recently was able to move to Idaho from North Carolina, and years of listening to hunting podcasts and navigating the hypocrisy of buying tons of chicken, steak, sausage, etc every week but not being willing to harvest an animal has got me potentially interested in giving hunting a shot.

The main problem is that while I carry handguns daily and in the backcountry and am proficient, I have never shot a bow or a bolt action rifle before.

I love listening to Trail Kreitzer talk about archery, it is so intriguing and interesting. It also seems like a fairy overwhelming place to start. With that being said, I think that would be my preference. If I did go rifle, I would look for something applicable for deer, elk, and maybe caribou.

Either way, I could invest $2k or so to get a weapon running. It’s naturally going to be a long journey getting comfortable enough with either before actually pursuing game. Another factor that seems like it may be complicating things is I am very left eye dominant, while being right handed.

Apologies for the very long post, I appreciate your time if you made it this far. (A couple of wildlife photos included just because)

Welcome!

Firearm or archery mostly comes down to personal preference. Some prefer one or the other, some like both!

Archery seasons tend to be longer in duration, happen to overlap most frequently with the rut (mating season), with the tradeoff being maximum effective range. Firearm seasons tend to be shorter in duration and greater maximum effective range.

As a newer hunter, firearm will have a shorter learning curve; you can really go down the rabbit hole on either one, for sure.

In regard to eye dominance: you should shoot with your dominant eye. Especially for archery.

Enjoy the journey! Good luck!

 

[BasicUtahrd95]

More than anything it depends on what you want out of the experience. Are you the type of person that feels rewarded by doing something in part just because it is hard? If so, archery might be for you. Though it could be years before you take your first animal. If you are more interested in hunting as a means of providing food for yourself, then a rifle is the better option. As stated above, it does not have to be an either/or situation. Many of us simply like to hunt, and pick up whatever weapon is legal for the tag we drew.

 

[The Harbor Master]

Cool pics and welcome to Rokslide

 

[Skerhunter]

I would suggest trying rifle first and see how you like it. Archery has a steep learning curve especially hunting western big game.

 

[Jebel]

If you’re leaning towards archery, start there. Down the road you’ll pick up a rifle as well. Then a muzzleloader. They’re all enjoyable.

Life is long.

 

[Deadspace]

Go rifle first. You’ll have more success early on than you would with a bow (took me four years to kill an elk with a bow) Don’t overgun yourself though. Since you’ve never shot a bolt gun before I’d suggest a 243 or 6.5 creed. Lots of good factory ammo out there and they’ll knock over everything you’re looking at hunting. Awesome pictures by the way!

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I refuse to archery hunt, but I respect those who put in the work to become truly proficient. I prefer to put my time and money into honing my skills with firearms. They are just more all-around useful.

If I was you, start with a good rifle. Get proficient. If you think you need more of a challenge, start practicing with a bow.


____________________
“Keep on keepin’ on…”

 

[cnelk]

I’d buy a .22 and go out and kill a few things first.
Maybe you’ll find out killing stuff ain’t your style

 

[Bobrobheimer]

I started hunting as an adult, and I think you will find harvesting your own meat to be a rewarding experience that puts you in touch with your food, the circle of life and your own mortality is some ways. Since you are reluctant to kill an animal, starting with a rifle might make the most sense since you are probably less likely to wound one and they are it is more likely to die quickly. Wounding an animal the first time might put you off hunting. Pick a reliable scope (see the drop tests on here) practice enough to be proficient and to know your limits. Killing elk on public land even with a rifle is hard and took me quite a few years to figure out so you are likely to still get a challenge and the sense of fair chase.

 

[Seth]

Another option to explore is small game hunting. Grouse, rabbits, squirrels, etc are a great place to try your hand at hunting. You can hone your skills in the woods, get fine table fare, and many of the lessons will apply should you choose to take on larger game. Each state is different on seasons, weapons, etc but the regulations are generally simple to follow and a a 22 or 410 is a cheap starting point.

 

[johnw3474]

To piggy back on @cnelk 's and @Seth 's post:
Spread that $2k out between a bow, a 22lr and/or a pump shotgun. Learn to to hunt small game/upland with the 22 and shotgun. Develop your archery skills in the off seasons. The 22 will teach you how to shoot and hunt (although you probably have more hunting skills that you realize from photography). You can get a lot of bow from some of the lower prices brands like bear, or buy used. A lot of guys have to get a new bow every few years and you can pick up some great used bows. At the end of the day if you don't become a hunter, shooting sporting clays or 3d archery is way cooler than playing golf. If you love hunting you will have better idea of what you want in a larger caliber rifle if bowhunting turns out not to be your thing too.

 

[def90]

Start with a rifle if you actually want to bag anything. I started with a bow and I'm going on seven years hunting public land in Colorado with a bow and zero success though I've had a few close calls. Would have tagged out many times if I had a rifle on me.

 

[rookieforever33]

As suggested above I would go for a little small game first wirh a 22 or shotgun. Maybe then work up to the big stuff with a rifle. Bow hunting is very satisfying, and very hard. The percentage of archery wounded non-recovered animals is twice that of gun hunting. That is not because there are a bunch of unethical bow hunters, it is hard.

 

[19025mph]

Echoing the above sentiments, rifle is the way to go initially. If dead set on archery, I'd also consider crossbow first. It would be more forgiving than a compound bow

 

[Billy Goat]

You can overcome eye dominance, just takes training.

I don't know if hunting will really be your thing, and there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, leaves tags for the rest of us and all....



Does one peak your interest over the other? Archery, long range shooting, or possibly just skeet/sporting clays?

 

[il_cop]

As said, killing stuff is serious business especially if it hasn't been normalized for you from an early age. Start with rabbits and birds.

If you want more after that, I recommend starting with a rifle. Learn to hunt, learn your animals and your area. Rifle and archery seasons present their own unique problems to solve. If you find yourself bored of the rifle season challenges at some point, you can pick up a bow.

 

[inyago]

Recurve and Longbow are a journey and one needs to be really competent before you start killing animals because the truth is they are capable of injuring more than killing. I say this because i see you like photographing them and the end result with Bows may not be what you think or envisage happening. Learn the Firearm first if you haven't killed things before, its more tidy.