Gun or Crossbow

[Grizzly Adam]

I'm with Sax ... I love to hunt, all seasons, all weapons.

If they had a spear season, I'd be out there chuckin' one at 'em.

I refuse to be defined by the weapon of the day. It's always me out there, whatever season, and whatever I'm totin'.

[TNXBow]

I hunted with rifles and muzzleloader for 20 years before picking up a crossbow. I never took up archery with 3 daughters playing soccer in the early fall. As soon as the youngest went to college and stopped playing soccer, I bought an Excalibur. Now I use a rifle only when I take juveniles hunting, since that is what they use. Occasionally I now use handguns, 44 mag revolver or 40 cal semi-auto. I like getting up close and personal, the fun is in the challenge.

[carvedtip]

I like hunting with all kinds of things and now that Texas has opened up crossbows I have new toys to play with.

[lscha]

I used to await gun season with a passion. This year I had one of rifles cut down and the trigger worked so it fit me better. Although I was anxious to use it, my heart hurt a little to put the crossbow down.

[huntone]

Hard to pick between a crossbow and muzzleloader. I haven't used a rifle on a deer in seven years. Seems I always love the weather and the fall colors in bowseason and muzzleloading. We go hunting during decent weather during rifle, but there wasn't much of it this year. Just don't hunt as hard as I use to. Just hunt smarter....

[Phoenix_Tom]

I agree with The Elf: I choose "Redhead" as my official answer.

I love 'em all. I love being in the woods hunting and therefore I love the extended season that the archery season gives me. My rifle / shotgun season is two weeks long and I might use 3 or more different rifles and shotguns throughout that season. It's about what I feel like doing that day and grabbing the right tool for the job. And sometimes that tool might even be an xbow or vbow during the rifle season all dressed in orange. Sometimes you just gotta have a bow - even during the rifle season.

Archery season is 3 months long and although I've used my Phoenix exclusively for the last couple of years, I've been working my shoulder and practising with my compound so I'll have the choice between them next year. And who knows, maybe I'll get to carry my son's Vixen II as well. I bet that'd be the perfect dogging / bushwacking xbow set up when we're done. But the Phoenix is being streamlined back to a lean and mean machine too.

[TPM]

I enjoy all types of hunting but I'm really a gun guy at heart. I've been shooting guns of one type or another since I was seven, shot competitive air rifle when I was young, still shoot in a recreational .22 league when I make the time, spent years dealing guns, collecting guns and studying their histories. Having said that I do love my crossbow (and my vertical) and I'm totally bitten by the 3D bug. First shoot, May 2nd.

[phil]

..definitly bow hunting!...weather is usually warmer...deer are less spooked and pressured....and the rut falls at the end of it here in NJ...Deer get so pressured here during gun season and go nocturnal very quicky!

[rt2bowhunter]

For Deer and Turkeys Its a crossbow hands down. If i could still shoot them it would be trad bows. Why, for me how is more important what