Archer, Bowhunter, Or Both?

[paulie]

I love to shoot all year long including a video league during the winter and summer.

 
What exactly is a "video league"? 

[Woods Walker]

ORIGINAL: paulie

I love to shoot all year long including a video league during the winter and summer.

What exactly is a "video league"? 

 
I believe that's where they show video images of a game animal on what could be best described as a "target screen". You shoot at the animal, and then after the shootings done, they let you see where you hit on the target and you score it that way.

[Goose]

Techno Hunt
 
20 yard shots at a big video screen that plays different scenes. i love it! its the closest thing to hunting, you gotta pick the right shots and it scores you on where you hit the animal. You put rounded tips on your arrows and shoot right at the screen thats made out of Kevlar.
Just picture standing 20 yards away from a big screen TV and watching a hunting show then you chose when and where to shoot. It senses where your arrow hits and then scores it in relation to the vitals.
In the league you shoot 30 arrows once a week for so many weeks and the guy with the highest score at the end is the winner.

[Highlander Archery]

Archer

[vipermann7]

I'd have to go with both.

I eat, sleep, breath bow hunting deer. I say "bow hunting" and not just "hunting" because the gun season in my area is nothing like bow hunting, and I don't really enjoy the gun season, but that's another discussion. All season I sit in my stand, hunting, waiting, and planning for next year. Figuring out what limbs to trim, where else I might put my stand, where to plant what food plots, it's a year-round thing that consumes my mind. I thoroughly enjoy the present, but "the next move" is forever reeling in my brain.

As for the archer, that's there too. It's been pretty rough weather here, but I've been out every day freezing my hands and my face shooting my bow. My basement is pretty small, so I don't shoot there. I do shoot in my garage, it is long enough to get 15 yards, but it is just a metal-sided pole shed, so there is no environment control aside from getting out of the wind. In any case, I've been out there, freezing, and shooting, and it's great, I don't mind. I only shoot 20 yards, mainly because this time of year I work on the spot shooting targets. I'm not in a league or tournament shoot, but as soon as I can afford the time I will be. I have little kids at home, work full time, and go to college full time, so for now, something has to take the back burner. But soon, I hope to be punching those papers indoors somewhere.

[Highlander Archery]

ORIGINAL: vipermann7

I'd have to go with both.

I eat, sleep, breath bow hunting deer. I say "bow hunting" and not just "hunting" because the gun season in my area is nothing like bow hunting, and I don't really enjoy the gun season, but that's another discussion. All season I sit in my stand, hunting, waiting, and planning for next year. Figuring out what limbs to trim, where else I might put my stand, where to plant what food plots, it's a year-round thing that consumes my mind. I thoroughly enjoy the present, but "the next move" is forever reeling in my brain.

As for the archer, that's there too. It's been pretty rough weather here, but I've been out every day freezing my hands and my face shooting my bow. My basement is pretty small, so I don't shoot there. I do shoot in my garage, it is long enough to get 15 yards, but it is just a metal-sided pole shed, so there is no environment control aside from getting out of the wind. In any case, I've been out there, freezing, and shooting, and it's great, I don't mind. I only shoot 20 yards, mainly because this time of year I work on the spot shooting targets. I'm not in a league or tournament shoot, but as soon as I can afford the time I will be. I have little kids at home, work full time, and go to college full time, so for now, something has to take the back burner. But soon, I hope to be punching those papers indoors somewhere.

You anywhere near Sheboygan?

[Woods Walker]

I agree that you can be both, but how many of you that answered yes to being an archer would still be one if you couldn't bowhunt?
 
In the real sense of the word, ALL bowhunters are archers, in that in order to become even menially proficient with a bow enough to hunt with one you also have to learn the basics of archery first. But I'm looking for a more detailed definition.
 
For example, all firearm hunters know (or I hope to God SHOULD know) the basics of handling a firearm, and how to shoot one well enough to come reasonably close to the target they are trying to hit. But how many of those same firearm hunters are true MARKSMEN? Or a term that I hold in high regard, a RIFLEMAN. Not too many are, and I include myself in that. I am reasonably accurate at my personal range limitations, but my firearms are FAR more capable of increased range and accuracy than I am able to handle them with.
 
A true rifleman shoots his rifle all year long, and may shoot woodchucks and other varmints in the off season as well as experiment with custom loads to tweak his accuracy and range even more. That's not me, or at least not with a firearm. With a BOW, yes.
 
I shoot a dozen or so rounds in the fall to make sure that I'm zero'ed and to practice a bit in different positions with, and I do practice my trigger squeeze with a snap cap whenever I open my gun cabinet for whatever reason, but I only do it for the purpose of hunting.

[Highlander Archery]

Actually Woods, Bowhunters progress towards being archers. On average, starting out, bowhunters are happy with vital sized groupings at 20 yards( between 6 and 8 inches) some remain happy with that result throughout their hunting careers. Most bowhunters, to varying degrees, progress to MOA groupings as they learn more and practice more (1 inch at 20yds, 2 inches at 30 and 3 inches at 40).

As the bowhunter grows toward archer, those dedicated to bow hunting alone either maintain their proficiency to certain ranges or move to different challenges such as going from Compound to Traditional equipment. Archers tend to focus more on the mechanics of archery and perfecting both form and tuning.

The largest indicator of Archer or Bowhunter is the ability to do their own work on their equipment and near constant practice on form.

[buckhunter21]

I'm going to have to say a little bit of both.  I truly not only enjoy the hunting aspect, but the shooting at target aspect as well.  A few years before I was even legal to hunt I was out at the range in leagues once or twice a week pretty much all year long.  I haven't shot in a league in a while though due to time restrictions, but would love to get back in one!  Anyone around here from the Hudson, WI area?

[Highlander Archery]

If you are in WI, I recommend making contact with Shawn Clark through the Sheboygan Press. He may be able to help you find leagues and other shooting opportunities

http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/2 ... 40520/1088