Bow is nice because it does not make noise when you practice and you don't have to worry about the kids getting into it since there is no way they can pull it back.

On the other hand it takes a lot more practice then a rifle and you have to get much much closer to whatever you are hunting.

I use a bow with the kids but we rarely catch anything. If you really need the meat better use a gun.

My biological grandfather live in deep West Virginia. They do have rifles (shotguns rather i think) but they "hunt" with traps. There is a lot of deer there, and from what i heard their group were never great hunters, way better riders than hunters at least, and it was always easier for them to kill a trapped deer than shoot at it (and also the risk of shooting on someone you know, it was a small back-to-lander community). Nowadays they don't need the meat anymore (and they don't ride horses either, old age catching up), but they still use traps sometime.

I think the rationnal was also to be a lot less subject to snake attacks. You had to got hunt with a dog to avoid those, and even then it wasn't foolproof. And there was no road access until the late 90s, making moving without horses (who didn't fare that well with dogs) inconvenient at best.

Bow and arrow is more environmentally friendly but is typically deemed inhumane/abuse by animal welfare activists.