Two to three years before I bought my first bow I studied who you were the most heard about people of the time: Howard Hill; Ben Person; Fred Bear,and other more recent names that are to numerous to mention; all who have in their own right won their place. One never hears unless you follow them of the compound shooters. That is what I started with as base of. Over the years of learning and some of it being the HARD WAY I have come to find that Traditional means a whole lot more then what I first thought. Too be brief this statement is true to me "Traditional archery is a mastery of one's self not of things"
You had better master those things with strings too.
I shot A long bow starting at age 10 thru age 19 and purchased my first Recurve bow. Early 70's the easy to shoot bow appeared on the seen and I fell for the hype that came with it. I shot that contraption until 1976. I soon realize that the bow was cheep compared to all the junk you had to add to the bow to compete in the shoot's. So I went Back to my long bow where all I needed was a bow and some arrows. I'm still shooting the long bow and loving it. I'm not a master of the bow are my self but I'm working on that.
At 66, I started this journey as a young boy shooting willow bows with crooked willow arrows (no fletching or points). I really don't know what the draw was for me but something within loved to watch the arrow in flight.
As I grew older I bought my first recurve bow at age 16; a Shakespeare Neceda 50# @ 28" with 3 fiberglass arrows. I shot that bow for many years but never hunted with it.
I went through the "wheelie" phase in the '80s and came back to Trad. in 1993 with a Black Widow MA takedown. It has been a love/hate relationship ever since. I can't begin to name all the bows I have bought and sold since '93 but there has been a lot. I truly love this sport and have never lost the passion to watch an arrow in flight, spinning toward it's intended target.
I started shooting trad after I saw a good friend kill two turkeys, in two consecutive years with his recurve. I thought I was hot stuff getting them with my compound. Got a couple trad bows, and practiced like crazy. This year I had three good shots on birds, that all ended in misses. Part of the draw for me is the discipline that trad archery takes. I need more discipline!!!
A lot of us started with trad, because that was the only archery in existence at that time. Some tried the new stuff while some of us stayed with the old way from the beginning. Many characteristics show up among trad shooters, which include a desire to do archery and bowhunting in a more challenging way, the desire to emulate those who have gone before, an appreciation for the simplicity of tackle combined with the complexities of mental challenge. Also, a lot of us saw the old Robin Hood movie and were just sucked right in. There are many additional reasons that we do it, but it boils down to one primary point. It is just plain fun!
I got the 1974 Bowhunter's Digest at a garage sale when I was about 10 in 1990, even though it had a section about compounds, the recurves and longbows got me hooked. A bit later, the neighbors were selling a green fiberglass Ben Pearson recurve and I snatched it up. Some years later I did buy a wheelie bow, several actually, but never had the same fulfillment that I experienced with a traditional bow. I went back to traditional bows about 8 years ago. I spent a couple frustrated years trying to learn things the wrong ways, bought a compound out of frustration and quickly remembered why I had switched back to traditional equipment. For whatever reason, the second time around as an adult it just clicked with me. I learned the things I was doing wrong, worked to change them, and started focusing on the stuff that actually makes the arrow fly where you want it to and I've never been happier.
Like all us old shooters, never heard of the word "trad" until I looked it up on the net. Decided to buy another recurve bow six to seven years ago. Three of the folks I worked with in agriculture research at OSU in Stillwater had old Bears for hunting and encouraged me to get one.
I started with both a hunting bow and a target recurve when I was 15 in 1962 so I came back "traditional" archery like so many here. It seems to be a common story. NFAA's Archery Magazine had a big influence on my interest in archery and I read every issue many times when I was young.
My best friend and hunting partner during the early sixties through seventies passed on just before I got back into it seven years ago which no doubt was a huge influence. Shared buried beans over coals and bad tasting greens in camp with him many times when we were young and poor.
Really like the 3-D's now with the busy young folks and their families who work so hard to put on the events and those older shooters (like me) who ask you to sit down in a lawn chair and talk.
Won't find better people, especially among such a diverse age group, and interesting folks as those who shoot recurves, longbows and selfbows that are posting and replying on here.
My neighbor gave me my first bow when I was about 10 years old. A old Bear Grizzly with a dozen cedar arrows. I learned to shoot all by my self and have never looked back. I fell in love immediately :) . Forty three years later I may have slowed down but I still love Traditional equipment.
I personally am the type of person who likes putting effort into what I do no matter what it is. I fell in love with bowhunting the day I watched my first bow buck fall within 40 yards of me. I'm coming from shooting a compound and I still own one but I honestly don't shoot no where near as much as my grizzly. It's fun yet very fulfilling to know that such a simple piece of equipment can be just as if not more rewarding as the more modern equipment. No turning back for me and that's why I love traditional archery it takes some dedication.
QuoteOriginally posted by OkieBowHunter11:
I personally am the type of person who likes putting effort into what I do no matter what it is. I fell in love with bowhunting the day I watched my first bow buck fall within 40 yards of me. I'm coming from shooting a compound and I still own one but I honestly don't shoot no where near as much as my grizzly. It's fun yet very fulfilling to know that such a simple piece of equipment can be just as if not more rewarding as the more modern equipment. No turning back for me and that's why I love traditional archery it takes some dedication.
Simplicity! I can honestly say that I have killed a lot of deer with a recurve that would have been difficult to kill with a compound arrow flinging device.
QuoteOriginally posted by nd chickenman:
Simplicity! I can honestly say that I have killed a lot of deer with a recurve that would have been difficult to kill with a compound arrow flinging device.
Just the opposite for me. I could have killed 6 - 7 deer for sure the last 2 years if I still used a wheel bow.
I'm an avid fly fisherman and as of the last 7 years traditional archer and bowhunter. I've been practicing archery for 40 years and fly fishing small streams in NY for 20 plus years but got into trad archery because of its simplicity.
There is also something about the intimate connection with nature and quarry that these two hobbies gives me that I love. I have become a much better hunter once I entered into traditional archery. I've gotten close to game in the last 7 years then I had in 33 years.
Oh yeah - I just started shooting a muzzleloader as well.