Which is harder: public land archery or public land rifle?

[Elky Welky]

I love both and am starting this poll all in good fun and just to get some opinions!

I'll start: in my 25ish years of elk hunting experience (Montana only, I expect different answers for different states!), rifle elk hunting on public ground has been far more difficult than archery. My reasons: elk go low (private) when the weather gets bad, there are more hunters on the landscape pushing them around and herding them onto private, the weather is a crapshoot, and the elk aren't talking anymore. The window to find them is limited to very early and very late unless you cut tracks or they are on the run, and then sneaking in on them in the cold and the wind is its own thing.

On the other hand, I've found (so long as I am in shape), archery to lead to many more close encounters and more than twice the success because the elk are so kind as to tell me where they are.

What do you all think? What are you going for this fall?

 

[Schaaf]

In OTC MT? Public Land Archery

Every other state OTC? Public land rifle

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

To quote BuzzH... "Elk hunting isn't hard, just stop sucking so hard"

Each has it's challenges, but the bro train prefers when it's warm so they can wear their muscle tees so I tend to gravitate towards rifle where there are less folks in the woods.

 

[mdhunter]

I like archery more but I tell my east coast friends "a lot of chit needs to go right".

 

[seeth07]

I think the poll needs to be greatly reduced in specifics to really provide an answer. There is a huge difference if we are talking about Antelope or elk or moose or deer.

 

[Mallardsx2]

^^^ Its in the elk forum.....


Personally, I have never hunted them with a gun. So, I wouldn't be able to compare the two. I do ok archery hunting them.

 

[seeth07]

^^^ Its in the elk forum.....


Personally, I have never hunted them with a gun. So, I wouldn't be able to compare the two. I do ok archery hunting them.

 

[geewhiz]

My experience would say rifle is a walk in the park compared to archery in general otc public land units in Montana.

 

[RyGuy]

I’m a terrible archery hunter, but slightly less terrible at rifle hunting so I’d say archery is harder

 

[WildWill]

I can't speak to Montana but for Colorado I much prefer OTC rifle seasons to archery. Besides the tons of Cam Hanes Bros way more atv riders, bikers, hikers and just general outdoor recreation going on making the woods feel crowded.

 

[Irrelevant]

Easier to find elk in archery season
Easier to kill an elk once found in rifle season

Comes out to about a draw in my eyes.

 

[2rocky]

I think I can speak to this. I've hunted elk in 6 states on public land, over 17 years from my first kill to my latest. I'm not going to count the 5 years I was in college before that where I had 1 close range elk encounter and I really didn't know what I didn't know.

The people you surround yourself with are going to be the biggest determining factor in your success as an elk hunter.



My first elk kill was an archery bull on public land with a friend calling for me. It was his honeyhole. That set the precedent for every encounter since then. Surround yourself with driven, successful hunters and you will have success rates over the unit average.

 

[Wildabeest]

Depends on whether you’re talking MT or WY. Crossbows. There, I said it!

 

[rogerthat]

What we trying to smoke? Brown it’s down? Bull? Big bull? What state?

 

[nrpate05]

I'm pretty bad with a rifle, so I'm gonna try archery this year. From what youtube shows, you just walk a couple ridges and blast on your bugle a bunch of times. A little bit later a bull walks into 20 yards and you shoot him. Looks easy enough to me.

 

[Hunter4Life78]

In OTC MT? Public Land Archery

Every other state OTC? Public land rifle

Right there with that one Schaaf

 

[mtnkid85]

Late season when there is snow, they leave these wonderful little things called tracks on the ground. If you follow those they will take you to an elk.

I grew up rifle hunting and will always have a warm place in my soul for it. Bugling in September is exciting, but nothing gets me fired up like a frigid cold November morning after a fresh snow out on one of my favorite glassing knobs.

 

[Hunter4Life78]

If you keep hammerin 'em and make sure to stick to your liver diet both are equally easy IMO

 

[FREAK]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, nothing brings me more anxiety then carrying a rifle tag into Montana’s general season. Archery is easier IMO. I think killing a mature bull is pretty hard with either but shooting a raghorn with a bow is pretty doable.

 

[TheTone]

Depends on the area. Where I spend most of my time I think I would have better luck with a bow. If you added private land here some of the rifle hunting is ridiculously easy