Archery high buck

[bobcat]

Bobcat couldn’t disagree more. August 15-25 early high ARCHERY ONLY hunt

Good luck. Not gonna happen.

[Troutpounder]

Evan with the longer season rifle success rates are still significantly better than archery gear. So that should tell us all two things. 1. Rifle hunting is easy. And 2. Archery season should be expanded.

[Ridgerunner]

The state has an aversion to general hunts starting for deer and elk before September 1st.  Won't ever happen imo. 

[Troutpounder]

I’m talking about expanding opportunity. All hunters should be for that and not instantly say “good luck” and “that will never happen”. Really a united front for hunting is the ONLY way us hunters will have any seasons. We live in communist Washington where dumb people rule the state. It would not take much for ALL hunting to go away. That’s why all sportsman should be all for an early mid aug high archery hunt. 

[KP-Skagit]

I’ve got no problem with sharing with bear hunters as I will be looking for bears also...

So we will share the mountain with bear hunters packing rifles but not with deer hunters packing rifles. I can follow the logic... ?

Every rifle hunter I know who has picked up a bow has done so for more opportunity. I am considering doing the same but my dad is too old to bow hunt and hunting with him is 95% the point of being out there.

[Troutpounder]

KP why don’t you try out the solo lifestyle than?? It really is nice

[mburrows]

We have very liberal archery seasons already which is why your not getting the response you want.  I have only ever hunted archery in WA and honestly we have a lot better seasons than the rifle and muzzleloader guys.  So your asking to fix a problem that doesnt exist.

I actually wish WA would trim back all mule deer general season hunting make it all draw only the same way Colorado does it.

[Troutpounder]

Burrows you must be smoking crack on both accounts.

[mburrows]

Lol ya got me

[Bushcraft]

Evan with the longer season rifle success rates are still significantly better than archery gear. So that should tell us all two things. 1. Rifle hunting is easy. And 2. Archery season should be expanded.

But that's not at all accurate.

Making a clean kill with a rifle is certainly easier at longer ranges than with a bow, but it's not necessarily easier to notch a tag for reasons that have already been mentioned. Namely, bucks tend to be in bachelor herds up in the open alpine environments earlier in the season, particularly when they are still in velvet.  Rifle season? Not so much, if at all.  If someone with a little time on their hands can't figure out how to find, pattern and harvest one during early September with a bow, then I'd submit they aren't very proficient hunters regardless of the weapon they are using.  Then too, archers also get a crack at them during the rut when any school kid can practically walk up to them when they are out of their minds chasing does around.

Furthermore, I'll readily submit that success rates during rifle season are due to rifles being inherently more accurate and an order of magnitude more lethal than archery gear.  I would LOVE to know how many animals are shot at every year by archers, muzzle loaders and modern rifles, and then the percentages that were hit,  then the percentages that were drilled in the vitals, then the percentage(s) that were recovered or not. I could be opening up yet another can of worms on this thread, but I suspect archers wound or kill a shockingly higher percentage of animals that aren't recovered. 


For those reasons, I wouldn't be supportive of "more opportunity" for the archery crowd.  I'd be supportive of those that choose to take up the bow and arrow to become better hunters. [edit to add] And for that matter, all hunters should strive to become better hunters.

[Troutpounder]

Bush that would be interesting data for sure. Any slob can shoot a rifle... it’s that easy. I hate to break that to you. My 6 year old can literally shoot a rifle and hit the target...  you actually have to practice and have some skill shooting a bow to be accurate. Also I’ll mention that it is unethical to shoot anything past 500, and even at 500 it is pure laziness that you can’t sneak into less than 100.... it’s called spot and stalk, not spot and bang...

[Troutpounder]

Bush I’ll also add I’d be more supportive of rifle hunters if they actually identified the target first and had a distance limit on shooting. Say nothing over 400 yards because it is not sporting

[jackelope]

Bush that would be interesting data for sure. Any slob can shoot a rifle... it’s that easy. I hate to break that to you. My 6 year old can literally shoot a rifle and hit the target...  you actually have to practice and have some skill shooting a bow to be accurate. Also I’ll mention that it is unethical to shoot anything past 500, and even at 500 it is pure laziness that you can’t sneak into less than 100.... it’s called spot and stalk, not spot and bang...

If you're here to troll and insult people who hunt with rifles, you'll find your time here will be severely limited. Have some respect for other fellow hunters, leave the "any slob" comments out of the discussion and feel free to continue your civil discussion. Keep dropping the slob type comments and this conversation will end in a hurry.

[Troutpounder]

You really censored my comments over the word slob.... gezzzz I’d hate to see how bad you flip over an actual insult

[Troutpounder]

Again all it is friendly banter back and forth...