Bow hunting early or late season?

[nw_bowhunter]

What do you prefer to hunt as a bowhunter? I always like to hunt the early season until last year however Now I find that I'm more partial to the late season.

[Machias]

  Both, they each have their pluses and challenges.  If we're talking whitetails I love the late hunt with the rut.  If were talking elk, I like the early hunt for the rut

[PolarBear]

I start hunting deer in late November and elk during both.

[Ironhead]

It's all about the late season for me. I passed on a beautiful 3x4 blacky last year so I could hunt the late season for muleys.

[boneaddict]

I think I would enjoy the late season more as there would probably be more bucks to choose from, but all of my bes kills have been in the early season.  My biggest two whitetails came from September 5th and 1oth and my best Mule deer came from the third of September.  NONE in Velvet.  I very muh do not like to shoot deer in the velvet.

[PolarBear]

I'm with you Bone, I do not like deer or elk in velvet.  My first blacktail buck with a bow was in velvet so I stripped it off and stained em'.

[Muleyslyr]

Man....it's tough to beat hunting elk during the rut in Sept.  But....you gotta love huntin' Muleys in the rut in Nov. too.     Tough choice, I like em' both!

[Choclab]

I like hunting the early season. I don't ever hunt deer or elk in the late season because it cuts into the killin' green time (duck hunting).

[yajsab]

I've hunted both.  Like others, I've been most successful in the early season.  Late season, I didn't see any elk.  I like to score a good muley, blackie or whitetail but have not been successful yet.

[Michelle_Nelson]

Why don't you like killing a deer in velvet?  Their are people down south that would kill to have a velvet buck mounted of almost any size.  I have personaly never seen a Blacktail mount in velvet.  I saw a Blacktail mount in oregon with that fake velvet on it.  It just looked wrong.  I think it was the wrong color!

 

[boneaddict]

I like the feel of hard bone, more character, love those bumps, crisp sharp, etc..  I just enjoy hard headgear, also the "real size" of the rack.

[bowhuntin]

I personally like the early season because of the rutting elk and there seems to be less pressure at that time, maybe a lot of people go out of state or just don't hunt the early season because of warmer weather, but there is a ton of people come late season no matter where I go. Late season is always fun because of the snow but like I said has more people.

[GOcougsHunter]

Bowhuntin... Not sure where you are going on late season, but, I never see anyone, except one of the really popular areas like Swakane or permit Entiat.  The blues and NE Washington are crowd free. Also the areas around SE WA.

My biggest issue with early season Archery are the non hunters picking berries, camping (labor day weekend), or hiking off trail. Scared the scat out of a gal two years ago when she and her dog were hiking way off trail (outside Mt Rainier) The dog stopped and smelled my Racoon scent at about 10 yrds of my tree stand.  She then turned around and looked up.  She hightailed it out of there after I waved at her.  Needless to say, the rest of the day was shot but, I did have a chuckle.  I know this is unpopular, but, I wouldn't mind seeing opening day get pushed up a week to the weekend after labor day.  No one is in the woods after Labor Day.

[bowhuntin]

GocougsHunter.. I am talking about hunting elk in the late season around Yakima like the Little Naches, Nile, or Cowiche units get heavily pressured. The Nile unit looked like a small city sprung up over night.

[boneaddict]

There are a ton of folks up there.  I wasn't hunting but looking for a Christmas tree.  There were a thousand guys walking the road, doing what I don't know.