Do you consider any animal "more" of a trophy when you kill it with a bow instead of a gun? I have heard it said lots of times "That's a trophy, especiall with a bow!" lots of times. But for me, they are the same. My bow is my weapon of choice 98% of the time. I have NEVER killed a big deer with a gun, I have probably only killed 7 or 8 deer in my life with a gun and most of those have been does.
Now as far as turkey hunting goes, I have killed way more with a gun than my bow, but I still feel that it is the hunt that determines the trophy quality for me.
How the hunt unfolds usually determines how big of a trophy each animal is to me more than what weapon I choose to use.
I believe anytime any ethical hunter pulls the trigger on a gun or bow, it should be considered a trophy. It should not matter if the kill is going on the wall or on the table. But in reference to your question, it would be, as you well know, much more difficult to take a mature, seasoned animal with a bow than with a gun. Those who can do it on a regular basis are in the top of the hunting class. IMO I also totally agree that it is the quality of the hunt that makes it a trophy for the hunter.
Yes, I do feel that a kill with the bow has greater relevance then one taken with a rifle. You can give a very inexperenced hunter a rifle and put them on good ground and they will have some sucess. With a bow they might take up golf. I've been on many "unsucessful" hunts with a bow that would have gone very differently if I was packing my rifle. That's the reason we bow hunt.
I think a deer taken with traditional achery tackle is even a greater trophy, though I have never chased game with that type of equipment. My respect goes out to all that have. It is truly a commitment.
Also, imho any deer with some age to it is a trophy.
For the past 3 seasons I've been hunting with my young son for most of deer season. He took is first deer at 5 years old and has since taken 8 more. I can say with no degree of doubt it's way more rewarding watching him shoot the deer with a rifle then killing them myself with a bow.
I did not lower standards when I started carrying bow in gun season. I don't get nearly as excited about shooting one with a gun so I don't gun hunt any more. Trophy is whatever makes heart thump, but shooting with a bow doesn't make it bigger. Would you enter bow kills in B&C rather than P&Y?
Quote from: drenalinld on October 07, 2011, 02:09:55 PM
I did not lower standards when I started carrying bow in gun season. I don't get nearly as excited about shooting one with a gun so I don't gun hunt any more. Trophy is whatever makes heart thump, but shooting with a bow doesn't make it bigger. Would you enter bow kills in B&C rather than P&Y?
Drenalinld, the part about lowering standards due to using a bow vs a rifle, I don't I have the same standards when I have a bow in my hands as if I had a gun.
I can see that I didn't really communicate what I was thinking very well in my original post.
I do agree that bow hunting adds another level of difficulty, but that doesn't mean I will lower my standards for bucks though.
"How the hunt unfolds usually determines how big of a trophy each animal is to me more than what weapon I choose to use."
i feel about the same way but i must admit that i cherish the animal a tad more if a bow was the weapon that took it. just something special about taking the animal with a bow
i killed a doe last tuesday with my bow and every 1 i kill i still have the same adrenaline rush as if it had a mountable rack.never gets old.hope it never does neither.
For me something taken w/a bow or trad blackpowder far outranks that I have killed w/the modern firearm. No comparison to me, on my own kills.
Good luck
Wess
I enjoy both. My best deer was with a muzzle loader and I was stoked! As far as turkeys, I absolutely love my shotguns and I get excited every time I get into the woods.
I decided to try bowhunting for turkeys last spring and was lucky enough to take a jake in Kansas and I must say I was plain giddy! I re-discovered the pure adrenalin of turkey hunting from when I was a kid. So, in a nutshell, that jake is one of the best trophies I have taken. I set a goal, had a great hunt, and was able to share the experience with a good friend. Yeah, it was a trophy because it was with a bow.
Like stated above, it depends more on the hunt than the animal. For turkeys I prefer using the shotgun. Using bow just isn't as much fun and doesn't really fit my style/way of hunting them. I have shot bird with bow( which is considerably harder), but consider several birds I've taken with the gun more trophies than the bow-birds. For whitetails I prefer the bow. I have actually only shot 4 deer(2 does & 2 button bucks) with a gun and they have been with the muzzleloader. I will admit is it fun to "reach out & touch them", but it is much harder to determine if that doe is a button buck or not. I have a 195 +" buck I shot with the bow that takes about 4th-5th place to the doe & 123" buck double that I took last year and several other does in other years that I've taken during late muzzleloader season using the bow(here it is legal to use archery equip. during the late muzzleloader season). That's after they have been chased by the orange army for 3 weeks and the temps are usually around or below zero. They are trophies not because I used the bow, but because of the circumstances under which they were taken.
I believe that it makes people feel like they have achieved a greater hunt when they have harvested a animal with a bow and arrow, i also believe that the hunt feels like a trophy hunt when game is pursued with archery gear because of the degree of difficulty involved, i currently have the largest eastern turkey with a bow in Maine with archery 70.07 scored and i feel like i have achieved a level greater than i would of if i would of used a firearm, people look at you differently when you harvest animals with archery gear when they never have (IMO)
To me, the term "trophy" has more to do with beard and spur length and weight of the bird itself. I've experienced what I would call exciting, "trophy" hunts using both gun and bow. Launching an arrow 10 or 15 yards out of a tent blind can be pretty easy sometimes. Trying to get a bow drawn when running and gunning can be a lot more difficult most of the time. I think the particular situation/experience dictates how difficult or how easy the shot; a "trophy" as opposed to a "not a trophy" hunt. I do agree with your statement that most people perceive a bow kill a greater feat than a gun kill.
I don't know about you, but every hunt I've been on that resulted in carrying a gobbler out was a fantastic experience. But, I can seriously say that some of my best experiences in the turkey woods didn't involve carrying one back.
OK first off I am not going to read the other answers until I post my message....I dont want to be influenced :funnyturkey:
My personal opinion - the hunt has much to do with it - however, the difficulty of the weapon of your choice is a factor.
Now can you have a easy hunt with a bow - yup..and the opposite hard hunt with a gun - yup...
so it is very very personal and changes by the hunt.