If we could bow hunt who would own a bow

[Scully]

Considering how difficult some deer stalkers have keeping calm when taking a shot with a rifle that is comparatively easy, how do we feel about anyone with an UNLICENSED bow being allowed to hunt? Hmmmm???

Not sure I'm following this; are bows licensed? If not are we now suggesting they are? If they are licensed then in what way would aomeone with an 'unlicensed' bow be 'allowed' to hunt? Either way wouldn't it be poaching, unless they had permission to hunt on that land?Just as it would be with an unlicensed firearm?

[lksopener]

Yep absolutely I would have a go at bow hunting.

 

I've shot the very high end compounds in the states and they are superbly accurate and capable of taking pretty much any quarry in the uk.

[955i]

I would be in there.

 

Have always wanted to use a bow for fishing.

[955i]

I suppose my point is bows aren't currently licensed but if Bowhunting were to be allowed (very unlikely), would we demand licensing or a certificate of ability to hunt with one?

I would expect that as a minimum.

 

Given the margin of error I would think that bow hunters should show more experience than shotgun holders/fac holders

[Kes]

I shoot with shotguns and rifles but find bowhunting very unsavory. I dont understand whether its the killing with a bow or being able to but to see large animals shot and bleed to death with a bowshot turns me cold.

I would see it remain illegal.

I try my hardest to kill instantly because not to kill instantly is to cause suffering. If I regularly injured, I would give up shooting altogether. Every one but one fox I have shot has been dead before it hit the ground that one fox made me change the way I hunt foxes.

I'm not against any form of killing but there are ways that are more acceptable and those which are not - we have rifles and the historical aspects of bows can be satisfied by field and target shooting disciplines. Yes, I have tried target shooting and would love to have a longbow (not the helicopter).

Sorry chaps its just too much for me.

[Vipa]

Well I would have a crossbow to hunt so guess that makes me an idiot sirgoldalot.

I used to enjoy playing around with my Barnett with a couple of bolt in bolt shots...kept them as proof, lol.

I would certainly not use target tips although since broadheads are illegal to use in this country still it's probably why 'idiots' use the target points.

Broadheads are not illegal to use in the UK... you just can't use them on live quarry

 

There is a huge amount of miscinception about bowhunting in the UK, mainly because it's not something very many of us know anything about.. there is also a lot of ignorance about how an arrow actually kills a beast, how a bullet kills too for that matter..

 

most brits, when they think of bows and arrows think of cowboys and indians or what they watched during the Olympics... That kind of kit bears no relation whatsoever to modern compounds and broadhead technology.. at the right sort of range and with decent shot placement (and that is just the same for rifles) an arrow can kill far more painlessly, efficiently and humanely than a bullet, quite possibly faster too!

Edited November 3, 2013 by Vipa

[sitsinhedges]

I love watching Lee Johnson hunt whitetail deer from his treestand via youtube. He really does show what a competent bow hunter is capable of. I would love to have a try if it were legal over here and I was up to the required standard of bowmanship.

[Kes]

Careful Kes, by that rhetoric you could say we have farms, slaughterhouses and supermarkets so don't need to hunt!

I understand what you are saying but rabbits are where they are and growing in number, despite our efforts, foxes aren't farmed, geese and woodie and deer numbers need controlling to protect crops and you dont see many cows shot with arrows as a painless efficient means of dispatch before being sold.

[Vipa]

I understand what you are saying but rabbits are where they are and growing in number, despite our efforts, foxes aren't farmed, geese and woodie and deer numbers need controlling to protect crops and you dont see many cows shot with arrows as a painless efficient means of dispatch before being sold.

 

Apparently 70%+ of animals going through the abbatoir system are now killed following Halal rules so being boilerhoused with a decent broadhead would probably be kinder!

 

On a slightly more serious note.. you also don't see cattle being shot with a high power rifle either.... so where does that leave us!?

Edited November 3, 2013 by Vipa

[Kes]

Apparently 70%+ of animals going through the abbatoir system are now killed following Halal rules so being boilerhoused with a decent broadhead would probably be kinder!

 

On a slightly more serious note.. you also don't see cattle being shot with a high power rifle either.... so where does that leave us!?

I'm not trying to be sensationalist here and getting back to your last point I didnt see longbows and broadheads or swallow tails being handed out during the foot and mouth culls whereas rifles -

To me its an antiquated method and as offensive as some others we shall not name. This is just my feeling.

Edited November 3, 2013 by Kes

[ordnance]

 

There is a huge amount of miscinception about bowhunting in the UK, mainly because it's not something very many of us know anything about.. there is also a lot of ignorance about how an arrow actually kills a beast, how a bullet kills too for that matter..

 

most brits, when they think of bows and arrows think of cowboys and indians or what they watched during the Olympics...

I am sure that most shooters are well aware what compound bows are and how they kill. Its not rocket science most animals shot with a bow bleed to death.

 

 

 

Apparently 70%+ of animals going through the abbatoir system are now killed following Halal rules so being boilerhoused with a decent broadhead would probably be kinder!

I didn't know that have you a link that shows the statistics. ? Just because some inhumane slaughtering takes place for superstitious reasons is not a good reason to excuse other inhumane ways of killing animals.

Edited November 3, 2013 by ordnance

[linny]

Broadheads are not illegal to use in the UK... you just can't use them on live quarry

 

There is a huge amount of miscinception about bowhunting in the UK, mainly because it's not something very many of us know anything about.. there is also a lot of ignorance about how an arrow actually kills a beast, how a bullet kills too for that matter..

 

most brits, when they think of bows and arrows think of cowboys and indians or what they watched during the Olympics... That kind of kit bears no relation whatsoever to modern compounds and broadhead technology.. at the right sort of range and with decent shot placement (and that is just the same for rifles) an arrow can kill far more painlessly, efficiently and humanely than a bullet, quite possibly faster too!

its a shame we cant bow hunt but its decent shot placement for the masses that will spoil it deers running around with a arrow sticking out of its arise wont go down well

[Kes]

its a shame we cant bow hunt but its decent shot placement for the masses that will spoil it deers running around with a arrow sticking out of its arise wont go down well

Talking shot placement and being apparently able to contemplate deer wandering about with arrows sticking out of them seems to me to be the end point.

I'm out.

[ordnance]

 

its a shame we cant bow hunt but its decent shot placement for the masses that will spoil it deers running around with a arrow sticking out of its arise wont go down well

I would have thought that most on this forum and most shooters would not want to see animals running around with arrows sticking out of them. And not just the general public.

[Fatcatsplat]

Yep absolutely I would have a go at bow hunting.

 

I've shot the very high end compounds in the states and they are superbly accurate and capable of taking pretty much any quarry in the uk.

Ditto to the above. The aiming and release systems they have over there are excellent and light years ahead of what i'm used to. I shoot a bow left handed and managed a 3 inch grouping with 6 arrows using a right handed bow at 40 yards from a tree blind. Once the string is drawn there is very little pressure which gives you ample time to steady your aim.

[ordnance]

 

3 inch grouping with 6 arrows using a right handed bow at 40 yards from a tree blind. Once the string is drawn there is very little pressure which gives you ample time to steady your aim.

If you can do that consistently you should be on the Olympic team. A lot of people would have trouble doing that standing unsupported with a rifle.

Edited November 3, 2013 by ordnance

[Kes]

If you can do that consistently you should be on the Olympic team. A lot of people would have trouble doing that standing unsupported with a rifle.

Most people can group any rifle in 3" at 100 yds.

(I know cos I'm an average rifle shot and did that with a .308 standing unsupported.)

[ordnance]

 

I know cos I'm an average rifle shot and did that with a .308 standing unsupported.)

You should be on the Olympic team as well if you can do that consistently.

[njc110381]

I'd bow hunt given the chance. From watching videos from the US the reaction to the shot by the deer suggests that it doesn't hurt them too much. I'd liken it to cutting yourself with a sharp knife - you only feel the pain when you see the blood!

 

Of course ranges would be shorter and skill needs to be higher, but that's no bad thing. we limit our rifle ranges to a distance we're comfortable with so what's the difference? In a woodland setting I often see deer sub 25 yards. I've stumbled across a few that I could have slapped on the **** and a couple of times we were both as surprised as each other!

[GingerCat]

Woukdnt mind a go bow fishing

[ordnance]

 

I'd bow hunt given the chance. From watching videos from the US the reaction to the shot by the deer suggests that it doesn't hurt them too much.

So you think an arrow through some part of your body wouldn't hurt that much are you serious. The thing shooters should be thinking about most when they hunt is killing as humanely as possible and using the equipment to do this as consistently as possible. There are laws regarding minimum muzzle energy when hunting deer for a reason. Someone wanting to hunt with a bow because it looks like fun shouldn't be hunting.

 

Accuracy is also about the animal moving between you letting the arrow go and it reaching the target. A good compound bow will give you around 300 fps and 70 ft/lbs of energy. Less than some air rifles.

Comparison.

Round Type Weight Muzzle Energy 2832 ft/lbs. Muzzle Velocity 2900 ft/sec. 308 Winchester BBA JHP 175.

Edited November 3, 2013 by ordnance

[Ukdeer]

I shoot with shotguns and rifles but find bowhunting very unsavory. I dont understand whether its the killing with a bow or being able to but to see large animals shot and bleed to death with a bowshot turns me cold.

I would see it remain illegal.

I try my hardest to kill instantly because not to kill instantly is to cause suffering. If I regularly injured, I would give up shooting altogether. Every one but one fox I have shot has been dead before it hit the ground that one fox made me change the way I hunt foxes.

I'm not against any form of killing but there are ways that are more acceptable and those which are not - we have rifles and the historical aspects of bows can be satisfied by field and target shooting disciplines. Yes, I have tried target shooting and would love to have a longbow (not the helicopter).

Sorry chaps its just too much for me.

 

Could you tell me how your bullet kills, as you seem to know how a broadhead kills ?

 

ukdeer

[Scully]

Oh dear,here we go.........

 

Can it be any worse than dragging a fish by its mouth just for the 'challenge' only to throw it back for another go another time?

Took longer than I thought it would to be honest, but anyhow.......cue the photo' of the deer with its lower jaw shot off.

[Vipa]

I am sure that most shooters are well aware what compound bows are and how they kill. Its not rocket science most animals shot with a bow bleed to death.

 

 

I didn't know that have you a link that shows the statistics. ? Just because some inhumane slaughtering takes place for superstitious reasons is not a good reason to excuse other inhumane ways of killing animals.

 

And how, pray tell, do most animals shot with a rifle die?

 

You are trying to create a wound channel which will cause a catastraughic drop in blood pressure and therefore unconciousness, followed as quickly as possible by bleed out...

 

If you want to conduct a little experiment, take a VERY, VERY sharp knife and a blunt steel rod of some description approx 7mm accross... now.. put the end of the rod against the palm of your hand and push.. really, really hard... bet you can't get it to break the skin.. you might be a bit sore later, possibly bruised but unless you either put your hand on a table and get someone to take a hammer to the rod or somehow propell the rod at your hand at say.. 2000fps, you ain't gonna get it through there...

 

Now... try the same expriment with the knife and see how easy the blade goes straight through! just think how much easier still that would be if you had a needle point to start the cut off proceeded by 3 razor blades...

 

Bullets use bruite force to do the same job as a broadhead does by efficiently cutting... you wouldn't argue that a hammer was better than a knife at cutting a tomato... the hammer will still break the skin and mess up the insides but it will take a llot more energy behind it than would a sharp knife, the knife will also create a much, much larger surface area of clean cut than the hammer.

 

The same is true of a broadhead.. the idea is it penetrates, cutting efficiently as it goes to create a MASSIVE clean wound channel that brings on unconciousness rapidly and bleed out quickly.. in most cases it will pass straight through, in some it meets with bone that is just too tough but as long as it has penetrated at least one lung, it will do an efficient job.

 

Someone used the analogy of a papercut.. quite true.. slice yourself with a razor while shaving and you will feel an odd sensation prhaps buy pain??? probably not, but boy will it bleed.. now.. try hitting yourself in the face with a ball pein hammer to the point that you draw blood and come back and tell us which is the more painful!

 

For every photo you find of a cocked up bow shot I bet there are a hundred of ****ed up rifle shots!

Edited November 3, 2013 by Vipa

[Ukdeer]

So you think an arrow through some part of your body wouldn't hurt that much are you serious. Looks painful to me, the thing shooters should be thinking about most when they hunt is killing as humanely as possible and using the equipment to do this as consistently as possible. There are laws regarding minimum muzzle energy when hunting deer for a reason. Someone wanting to hunt with a bow because it looks like fun shouldn't be hunting.

 

Accuracy is also about the animal moving between you letting the arrow go and it reaching the target. A good compound bow will give you around 300 fps and 70 ft/lbs of energy. Less than some air rifles.

Comparison.

Round Type Weight Muzzle Energy 2832 ft/lbs. Muzzle Velocity 2900 ft/sec. 308 Winchester BBA JHP 175.

 

Well you seem to know all about the modern compound hunting bow.

 

Have you ever used a properly tuned hunting bow set up for you, so you know from experience what your talking about. ?

 

That nice picture you posted, i would like to have seen one that had been hit with a rifle in the same place.So i would say the jaw would probably be missing and the wound contaminated with lead, copper bone fragments ,should i go on.

How many deer are found dead and because nobody finds a bullet its suddenly died of disease a collision with a car e.t.c

It seems when the topic of bowhunting pops up there are suddenly lots of experts giving out wrong information about something they know very little about.

And as for accuracy what ever weapon you use , you only shoot at the distance you are confident of a clean kill at.

 

ukdeer