........so with archery equipment you need to get closer and probably overall a better hunter......
WHOA there!!! Thems fightin words!!! If 99% of todays archery hunters didnt have 1. Private land 2. Game cameras 3. Scents/Lures 4. Prime dates(rut) along with all the other tech they use, they couldnt kill a deer let alone find one. I see so many archers on facebook losing deer or requiring dogs to retrieve downed game. So many bad shots.....todays archers for the most part suck at hunting. That said, theyre very effective due to the sheer number of archers, the amount of posted property, the lack of pressure during prime season and abundance of feed.
The majority of deer killed in rifle are shot at ranges well under 100 and more close to archery range than most will admit. We all hear of jerk offs who shouldnt be hunting, both archers and rifleman. But the rifleman I know can rival the best archers in general woodsmanship and knowing their quarry, where long range hunting isnt the norm.
Take your best archer from say Iowa and your average rifleman from the northeast and put them in the mountains, public land, in west virginia for a week and see who comes out on top. Sure as hell wont be the archer.
Now how about we continue with your scenario of taking the best archer from Iowa and a average rifleman from the northeast. Only lets even the odds, by giving both the same rifle & ammo. Ill argue that an experienced Archer will more frequently put themselves in the right place at the right time. I hunt with both Archery equipment & rifle. While I have over time become quite proficient in archery hunting whitetails. I generally have seen a rifle hunt as a meat hunt. That is I generally know if I see a deer & choose to shoot from 5 yards to 300 yards Ill be hauling meat out of the field in short order.
On the other hand while archery hunting I can't count the number of times I have been within 30 yards of a deer Id like to take, yet had no viable shot. Give me a rifle & even if we increase the range to 100 yards & the level of certainty of connecting with lethal shot-placement improves massivly.
To put this differently I am a much better hunter, rifle or Bow today due to my Archery experience. With my level of proficiency with a bow Ill need to close the distance on a deer to inside of 30 yards to make a kill shot with any certainty. Put my rifle in my hands & If I am able to develop a good rest my comfort zone may stretch as far as 300 yards.
I enjoy hunting with Bow & rifle. As I get older & my feet are giving out on me (plantar fasciitis) If I wish to be assured of putting meat on the table, Ill apply for a rifle tag & get her done in a day or two.
If I wish to spend time in the field I'll apply for an archery tag. Then if the deer of a lifetime provides the shot of a lifetime on opening day, I stand to be disappointed if I fill that tag on my first day out of the season. I am often disappointed when tagged out with an archery tag early in the season.
Tracking distance for both Archery & Rifle shot deer seldom exceed 60 yards anymore for me & surprisingly often have resulted DRT with bow & rifle. BTW my favorite deer rifle today happens to be chambered in 6mm ARC
