[andy]

much less slingshot range of critters, while all you have to do with a scoped rifle is keep your eyes and ears "peeled", and fire carefully. While still QUITE inferior to having lots of snares, traps, nets, and trotlines set,the scoped, canned .22 unit and CAR-15 is WAY ahead of even a FACTORY bow and arrows as a foraging tool. At the ranges you can chest hit a deer reliably with an arrow. I can easily BRAIN him with a .22 CAR. Even if you use POISON, and talk about ANY hit, on a COW, at 100m, I can easily just use the 223 to brain the cow,too, from OFFHAND. If I brace the rifle solidly, I can brain the cow at TWICE the range at which you can reliably get ANY hit with the arrow.

Wasting lots of time "educating" crittes (about what a twit you are with a bow) is NOT a good shtf tactic, at ALL. You are exposing yourself to enemies, who have SCOPED rifles and the ability to hit you RELIABLY at 1/4 mile, and MAYBE hit you at 1/2 a mile, and who WILL devote entire DAYS to seeking you out and ambushing you. DUH, not a good move at all.

 

[Magnum88C]

Really, no one's thinking of using a bow for SHTF unless they are down to that.

Know what the purpose of bowhunting is? Or hunting with frontstuffers? You become a better hunter if you hunt with something difficult.

How many morons do we see every year, with their shiny new rifles and optics that they just bought from Wal Mart, go out "hunting", trying to take 400 yard shots on animals because that's the BS they read about in hunting rags (what do you mean boresighting the scope isn't enough). These are the guys that buy the latest and greatest whiz-bang rifle, but are too cheap to buy extra ammo to sight it in. Or too lazy to spend time int eh woods getting skills.

Bow hunters, frontstuffer hunters, etc tend to actually get the skill sbecause they HAVE to have them. Then when they hunt in gun season, know what? They tend to get just as close as when bowhunting, and they get their animal.

Plus, it's FUN.

 

[Teufelhund]

Good points Mag

God knows, we have enough hardware around here, but my boys seem to gravitate towards bowhunting. To the point they are now making thier own archery gear.

Something else to consider about bowhunting. Bowhunting for survival was mostly done from blinds and with drives. We have ancient hunting blinds on our property that indian had used for who knows how long. They are still good spots today to kill game. Just wandering about and stalking game is a pretty poor way to consistently provide meat.

So using archery gear could bring home the bacon, but so could a .22 rifle for that matter. I certainly don't discourage my boys from archery. It could be a valuable skill knowing how to make a bow and arrows under primative conditions and it certainly keeps them out of trouble.

Teuf,

 

[andy]

they'd be WAY ahead to learn karate

and judo, but WHO could teach them THAT, hmm?

 

[Dorobuta]

much less slingshot range of critters, while all you have to do with a scoped rifle is keep your eyes and ears "peeled", and fire carefully. While still QUITE inferior to having lots of snares, traps, nets, and trotlines set,the scoped, canned .22 unit and CAR-15 is WAY ahead of even a FACTORY bow and arrows as a foraging tool. At the ranges you can chest hit a deer reliably with an arrow. I can easily BRAIN him with a .22 CAR. Even if you use POISON, and talk about ANY hit, on a COW, at 100m, I can easily just use the 223 to brain the cow,too, from OFFHAND. If I brace the rifle solidly, I can brain the cow at TWICE the range at which you can reliably get ANY hit with the arrow.

Wasting lots of time "educating" crittes (about what a twit you are with a bow) is NOT a good shtf tactic, at ALL. You are exposing yourself to enemies, who have SCOPED rifles and the ability to hit you RELIABLY at 1/4 mile, and MAYBE hit you at 1/2 a mile, and who WILL devote entire DAYS to seeking you out and ambushing you. DUH, not a good move at all.

let's start with your favorite premise that shots will call in the enemy (whomever that is) - a bow is silent. More quiet than your suppressed 22.

Yes, it can take hours to stalk, but it can also take minutes - same applies to a rifle.

(My bow can kill an elk sized animal at 100 yards, my personal ethical limit is around 60 - though I'd consider an 85 yard shot in certain conditions).

I'd pay money to see you brain a cow at 200 yards with your shorty AR. I also call BS on your ability to do so offhand with your shorty at 100m.

We could easily set up a simple test using a paper target with the appropriate size drawing of a cow head on it. (then you'd have to know where the brain was inside the skull too) that way we aren't killing cattle.

Arrows are re-useable. Not always, but with a good pass through, the arrow is perfectly fine to re-use. This saves on ammunition. You can carry a rifle, a bow, and a pistol. I know because I've done it. if I had to ditch the bow to survive, I could do so easily.

This an 85 yard shot from a 3-D shoot I was at. The arrow is in the 12 ring, i.e.: considered a bulls eye. One shot.

so, yes, I do know my way around a bow.

 

[Garand]

So you would poison an animal, then eat it? That is a novel approach!