NA10 Most Bow-Hunt-Able animals...?

[HuskyMusky]

Curious what others think are the "easier" more bow huntable animals to be successful hunting are...?

Feel free to expand the NA10 list further if you feel, ex., Brown bear impossible to bowhunt....black bear easier...

NA10 (in order from sentiment, will be updated)
Deer (Whitetail... )
Bear (Black... Brown/Grizz....Polar)
Pronghorn Antelope
Moose
Cougar
Caribou
Elk
Bison/Musk Ox
Sheep
Goat

 

[Hilltop]

The absolute easiest big game animal to bow hunt is a whitetail deer. Of course that changes if you are trophy hunting some but they are still very predictable animals that are very susceptible to a good tree stand setup. Antelope from a water hole has to be up there as well. The only challenge is beating the boredom while one waits. Depending on where you draw, I think moose would be in the top 5. Bad eyesight, and not overly nervous so they have been very easy to approach for me. Public land elk and mule deer in a high pressure setting would definitely be on the more challenging end of the spectrum for me. I'll never find out on the bear, cougar, bison, sheep or goat. I have no desire to pursue them.

 

[JimP]

I actually remember watching Fred Bear on American Sportsman way back in the 60's hunting Kodiak brown bears with is bow and arrows, and actually being quite successful at it. Along with a polar bear.

He claimed that with a bow in close that you really didn't have much to worry about if you were concealed properly. He claimed that when he shot a bear that the bear would have no idea of where the arrow came from and would not charge. He said that the bear would think that it was something other than a hunter who just inflected a lot of pain into his body and not knowing where the pain originated from he would turn and run without coming at the hunter. The shows verified what he was saying.

On your list I would say that the cougar would be the easiest. That is as long as ran by dogs and treed for the hunter to show up and stick a arrow into him.

Moose, would also be high on the list, they are just not scared of anything and along with poor eyesight a hunter can get in close. What other animal figures that a man who is waving a bow above his head is another moose?

Bison would be a toss up. I have been within 30 yards of a few with them just looking at me wondering what in the blazes is he doing. Muskox on the other hand are quite defensive and will form a defensive circle, that is if you can get close enough to them.

Caribou, sheep, and goats will be a long ways down on the list just for the country that they live in. Mule deer and elk are another couple of animals that are hard to pattern and get within bow range but elk are a little bit easier than mule deer just because they need water every day and will come into the same source until they are spooked out of the area.

 

[Yell Co AR Hunter]

I think that depends more on the location of the hunt than the animal.
This is in Arkansas
One of the toughest animals to hunt for me was hogs on public land. No bating allowed and you better have the wind in your favor.
Bear also on public land. Again no bating allowed.
I have a lot of respect for guys that hunt out West with a bow. I have often considered it, but paying more money to hunt with a bow. Just seems crazy to me.

 

[mallardsx2]

Whitetail Deer are by far the easiest animals to be successful with a bow.

I would put hogs down the list pretty far unless your hunting a different breed of hogs than I am. lol They are as wild as a crafty old big buck in GA....

A lot just has to do with logistics.

 

[mallardsx2]

I guess I should have mentioned that so far I would have to say that the hardest animal I have ever hunted with my bow is probably Elk in Colorado DIY public land. This is a tough hunt for a lot of reasons. Mostly because of the hunting pressure I have encountered in OTC areas.

Shooting a P&Y buck in GA with you bow on public land would be almost an impossibility. I am not saying it cant be done but your odds would be very crappy...You would need to be overly ambitious and obsessive to complete that task. I am willing to bet there is not a lot of people who have done it. Certainly nobody does it with any form of regularity.

 

[kidoggy]

I would say whiteails the easiest with elk a close second.

 

[Maxhunter]

Whitetail easiest. Elk the next one easy to obtain. Hardest for me is the bison still haven't drawn the tag yet. I've taken all the rest with my bow. Mostly all DIY except for a few.

 

[Rich M]

I'm deaf - bow hunting is the hardest thing for me to do. Hogs are easy to shoot, whitetails are easy to spook! LOL! I shot a turkey with a bow before while deer hunting. It is the noise thing - I can't hear noises like fabric on tree bark, a squeak from a seat, crinkly leaf, etc.

A crossbow does change things a bit (still not in a hurry to archery hunt). If I was ever gifted a "hunt of a lifetime" it would have to be rifle.

 

[Fink]

Brown bear is doable with a bow, I know a guy that stuck one a few years back. Watching the video of the bear standing up on two legs just before he gets shot is pretty hairy....
Logistically, it would be difficult... getting there, finding an outfitter, dealing with weather..
I think of any hunt, logistics is the most difficult part, followed by the terrain the animal lives in, some terrain isn’t conducive to getting within 50 yards of an animal.
On your list, I’d think sheep and goat would be most difficult

 

[Bonecollector]

Non Trophy specimens and generally doe;

Antelope are curious animals and you can generally walk up into a 60 yard range on a small herd in early season
Also, mule deer- curious by nature. Always stop to look back...

 

[idcwby]

Black bear over bait if your not picky about what you want to shoot. Almost anything ran by dogs would be easy. If bait or dogs aren’t an option, I’d say whitetail, antelope, elk, the first two would be real boring waiting on, elk would be more fun during the rut. Than after those three it would depend on location and time of year on how hard the rest are to get into bow range.

 

[AKaviator]

I have friends that hunt brown bears with a bow. It's not all that easy. They see as well as we do and their sense of smell is incredible!
Sitka deer are a very good bow hunt. I'm not much of a bowhunter but have taken a couple that way. They must be easy enough if even I could get it done!
Bears over bait or moose in the rut are probably easiest here.