with so many people looking at stickbows as a new super challange and a way to be part of the past, do you think we scare away more people? dont get me wrong, the challange and history of the bow is a huge part but what if we look at the stickbow in a differant way. how about the things about it that makes it more effective than the compound? whatch a hunting show and see how many shot oppertunities are missed because the animal was was not perfectly still and they didnt have time to line up there peep site with the right pin. or the light was to low to see their pin yet they could clearly see the animal. dont get me wrong, the stickbow does not mean you can take unethical shots but it imo, its pros far outway its cons when compared to the compound. perhaps we should exploit its good things to get more people into it rather than scare them away by telling them they will have to settle for the spirit of the hunt rather than the kill. stickbows are killing machines and are the most efficiant archery weapon to have in your hands in the field. just some of my thoughts and like to hear yours!!
..."stickbows are killing machines and are the most efficiant archery weapon to have in your hands in the field."
I think you will have to do some serious arm-bending on that one.
The younger folks wanting to try bowhunting want instant success. That means they can buy a wheelbow, practice for a few hours, and start putting arrows into the kill zone from 40-50 yards.
It seems our best bet at increasing numbers is the offering of a new challenge to the wheel shooter and letting them see that it is FUN.
everyone has their own opinion and they dont have to agree with me. i want to hear everyones view on this.
I think Blackhawk is right on the money! I personaly went back to relax and challenge myself. I find tuning a new selfmade bow one of the best kicks I have ever had in archery.
Another thing I don't miss is the keeping up with the Jones',sights, releases exc.
I agree with Blackhawk the best way to atract more people is the fun aspect. I started shooting a stickbow this year because of the hisory and simpleness. I think in there simpleness lies their beauty. My huntin partners are all compunders as was I, they seemed to get a kick out of me constantly pickin out targets in the woods and letting arrows fly. my one friend said, "your like a little kid with that thing." They haven't done this in years because of lost and broken arrows. As far the most efficient weapon, I don't think that is right. That would be like comparing and old kentucky rifle to a new 7MM. You have to like this sport for the spirit and the intimacy of its closeness, and the bond you from with a piece of wood. Alot of us name our bows and keep them for years like a real hunting partner. The truth is wheelies shoot further,harder, an more accurately. just my 2 cents. Joe
they are the most simple bow to shoot as not much can go wrong with em. snap a string put a new one on carry on shooting. snap a string on a wheel bow and you are in the crap in more ways than one. and most of all they are fun to shoot. plus you can get off more shots than a guy using a wheel bow as he has to take time in thinking about what pin to use then get out his range finder. you know what i mean. they are more effective than wheel bows for sure. but that is also my opinion and i would not change it for the world. :archer:
It is definitely possible some people are unsure about trad hunting/archery because many call it "the hard way".
We have, and should continue to promote the fun aspects of traditional archery. Stump shooting, hunting small game and hunting various fowl species with traditiional gear is fun. I guess I should not leave out larger game, but you get the point.
Another thought, and this is an assumption on my part, is that "our way" requires more consistent practice to be effective. I think if that practice becomes more like work than fun it could be a turn-off. I have been to several expo's where inexperienced guys would not shoot trad bows because "they did not want to look stupid/inadequate while shooting in front of others."
Just 3 years ago I had never really even shot a bow of ANY sort, except boyscouts 20 yrs earlier. Personally, when I picked up a longbow 3 years ago, I did so becaue it seemed simpler than all the gadgets on compounds. Notice I did not say easier, just simpler. First time I shot was in front of 15 people at a show. I didn't care how bad I was, it was just fun. At first it really appealed to me. Now trad archery is something I could not give up.
My 2 cents,
Charlie
My first post on here. I have been lurking in the background reading for a while, but since I am new to trad archery and hunting, I will tell you why I went trad instead of compound.
Firstly, I love challenges....it seemed to me, while watching a compound shooter, he was basically just using a modified gun with a really really really long bullet. Then when his peep sight broke at the range, it was all she wrote, he had to leave. Also, something to be said about looking at a target, deer, turkey, etc...having no sights, aiming and hitting where you aim.
Secondly, I enjoy black powder hunting and I thought this would be a new avenue to my traditional liking.
Thirdly, in my opinion, and this is only my opinion, traditional people seem nicer. Not saying that compound guys aren't, but it seems like there is more of a will to help and befriend other trad guys.
That being said, I just started a few months ago and can't wait til next hunting season to see what I can accomplish.
Now, just waiting on my Classic English longbow that is Yew with a hicory backing I ordered from Jay St. Charles at Pacific Yew and my Pronghorn 3 pc takedown I ordered from Herb.
Dave
I agree with Blackhawk as I think a person just starting out will want instant success. But I also feel that in the hands of an experienced bowhunter the stickbow is way more versatile and effective. Granted most of us cant and dont shoot at deer 40 yards away like compoud shooters can, but setting your stands up within 20 yds or less of where the deer will appear, cosistintly, without being busted by them is harder than making the shot. I have alot of compound shooting friends who think the stickbow is just to hard to learn to shoot. But once they try it, they see how fun it is. I have converted two in the past year. I think the experienced compond hunter would make the switch faster than a novice. Just my 2 cents.
Yep. Sorry deermaster1, but I'm agreeing with Blackhawk, chucker and JoeM. Although I absolutely love both my recurve and longbow, I think it's a far stretch to say they are the "most efficiant archery weapon to have in your hands in the field". I would say that traditional archers have more "adaptability" when it comes to shots. That is one of the things I love most about my traditional bows. I can shoot sitting down, turned backwards, on my knees, canting my bow to shoot an arrow under an object, etc... You might see a compound shooter trying the first three, although not very easily, especially the "on my knees" trick, unless you have a short A2A length compound.... but you won't see any of them turning the bow sideways to shoot under an object like a tree limb. That just ain't normal. I'm sure other compound shooters have tried it, as I have also.
I believe in welcoming ALL archers to our sport - no matter what they shoot. I do not judge someone because they have a different type of bow than I do. I see archers, not "wheelie shooters" or "stickbow shooters". I believe that the sport as a whole, on both sides of the fence, do more hurt to ourselves than good by differentiating between the "types" of archery. The good natured ribbing between friends is all-good. I have a friend who shoots a compound, and he comes out stump shooting with us all the time. He messes with us when it's his turn to pick the target, because he always picks some small dandilion at 40 yards, or something like that. But we try to hit it anyway. Then when it is my turn to pick the target, I'll pick something that you have to get down on one knee and peer around a branch to see. :D Good natured, my compound shooting buddy will try it anyway, cursing me under his breath with a knowing grin on his face. But all through the couple mile walk through the woods, we are all (compound and trad shooters alike) smiling and having fun with each other. If I came off with the "traditional only" attitude, I don't think our little outtings would be nearly as fun, as we would be "pushing" something that doesn't need to be pushed.
... Just this year, after the last stump shoot... my "compound buddy" mentioned that he might be interested in trying out a recurve this year. :archer: Me and my other recurve shooting friend just smiled. If he picks one up, we will be happy to teach him. If not, we still will be shooting together... as archers, and as friends.
Welcome everyone. Teach whatever you can. Accept people for who they are... not what they shoot.
All the best,
Glenn
I agree with Deermaster.When all is compared, other than range you cant beat a stickbow.A deer can jump string on a 300fps c-bow so a 175fps stickbow aint so much of a handicap.And if your looking for a headache free good stime a stickbow beats wheels hands down.
Izzy
QuoteOriginally posted by chucker:
Another thing I don't miss is the keeping up with the Jones',sights, releases exc.
So you are one of the few still with only your first stick bow? :biglaugh:
Hi, not counting the string & stick bows as a kid, I started with wheels more or less. Took about 6 - 8 months before I realized I liked flinging quills more than I did tinkering with gadgets.
I've got nothing against wheels, it's just not for me. I'd rather promote bow hunting with any kinda bow over bang sticks.
We all find our own challenges & limitations & accept them. I'd much rather be hunting, fishing & camping than anything else, well, almost! Success is just a bonus, not required to enjoy myself.
Promoting safe, ethical hunting comes first in my mind. Everything else will just fall into place for each of us.
Cajuntec, you got it right!!! I've been around bows for 30 years, most of that time shooting a compound. Only last year came back to where I started, with a stick and string. The efficiency or deadliness of either a longbow, recurve, compound, selfbow, whatever, has more to do with the dude holdin it than anything else. For me, shootin' a stickbow is just more fun. It puts some of the ARCH back in archery.
:archer: :archer: :archer:
David
Shooting a stickbow has more to do with one's harmony/wellness than most will admit.
Have a bad day and shoot your compound, your groups went from 1.5 to 4" at 40 yards.
Have an off day and go shoot your stickbow, and your 2 to 4" groups at 20 yards just went to 8, 10, 12, 15" groups, or WAY beyond....
But that's just my opinion....your mileage may vary...
a golf analogy....
The average "duffer" uses perimeter-weighted clubs, which allows him to hit more consistent balls, no matter where on the club face he hits it. This, in fact, makes it easier for the average guy to go out and more quickly improve on the course (straighter, longer shots)
However, the pros often use traditional, blade irons, which allows them to "work" the ball right or left, high or low, adding more "arrows to the quiver" (had to slip that in....)
So, in the right hands, the versatility of our chosen weapons can in fact make them more efficient....PROVIDED we've taken the time to master them to the best of our abilites and know their limitattions. However, "duffers" will continue to have more success with compounds.
Call me a stick in the mud, but I'm not sure that increasing our numbers indisriminately is a goal I am in favor of...
Totally agree with Jeff on that one :thumbsup:
I'm a traditional shooter period and have been for 20 years. To shoot a traditional bow "well" with a high level of confidence is difficult. Very difficult and is not for everyone. It took me 15 years to gain complete confidence and hell that's on a day to day basis at times.
I've got a friend that shots a compound as seriously as we shoot our traditional bow and let me tell you I'd feel much safer walking under my stand than his. Compounds today in the right hands are deadly.
I've heard the same lines over and over.....We can shoot faster, from different positions and in lower light. Yep, we sure can but most eastern hunting where I'm from is sit and wait hunting and a compound in experienced hands is scarey accurate.
David Peterson sums it up, "We traditional folks choose Process over Product". That's how I sell folks on traditional equipment. If it's more important how they do it than just doing it....traditional archery is for them!
I always fail to see the issue or concern or reason that folks worry about wheelies, compounds, training wheels and all the other goofy euphamisms folks call compound bows and the folks that like to shoot them. I especially don't appreciate the negative stuff. Many folks here have, did, or still do own and shoot them too.
So I would agree, if you want someone to see your point of view, don't tick them off first. You are not gonna win a lot of arguements by saying your stuff is dumb, mine is smart now listen to me.
Matter of fact, I would suggest that every time someone feels the need to bring up compound bows in any sense on this site, they rewrite the sentence and substitute in something else for those bows like, rifle, black powder, rubber band guns - then reread it. When you do, you will realize that your comments do not matter here because this site is for trade stuff. That is my point.
Trade is fun. It is not about shooting better than rifles. It is not about killing better than black powder. Trade is fun. (Though you can pass a lot of time with rubber band guns.)
I went traditional from the start because I did not own a compound. Then I bought one and hunted with it for a couple years, killing deer out to 55 yards. I went back to traditional for about 12 years. I got lazy and did not shoot enough to justify going hunting with a traditional bow, so I bought a top of the line compound bow. I mastered shooting that in a few hours ( just to sight it in). Now I am back to traditional bows again. I found out that shooting a traditional bow is very relaxing ( almost like fly casting). You definitely will never be as accurate to longer ranges as a compound bow; but, you will definitely appreciate the gains and enjoyment. That is... until you get a big dose of target panic! It is not about hunting dynamics or accuracy with traditional. We shoot with it because we appreciate the fun and simplicity of the stick and string. Or do I lie?
Where would you get the idea that one would have "to settle for the spirit of the hunt rather than the kill" if they shoot real bows? I've been hunting with stickbows since before they were called traditional and have always felt that I get both the spirit of the hunt and the kill.
Regardless, given the penchant of most folks today toward laziness and instant gratification, which exhibits itself in hunting through the use of ATVs, baiting, shooting behind tall fences, adopting the latest technology, etc., I'm certainly not disposed to recruitment, which will only expand and disperse those behaviors.
OK, that's enough venting for one night. This thread seems to have hit one of my hot buttons. Sorry.
I think all the above statements are well meaning,and mostley spoken on a positive note. But I do not feel the need to compare my recurve and wood arrows to any other weapon.Hunting with it needs no explenation,or approval.I truly love the sport.I go on trips with people who bring compounds and or rifles,I just bring my old recuve. One thing is for sure you will have to learn how to really hunt,to effective with this weapon..
Trad bows are just flat out more effective bowhunting weapons from 35 yards on in in my opinon and always will be...to traditional bowhunters its about getting close . For the compound guys they shoot a longer ranges with lighter arrows and BH's ...I just look a one of the promote tapes for major bow company they were shooting elk at 75 yards...is that effective ...for most compound shooters probably not....because most dont practice it or practice with Broadheads...how do I know , I work in a bow shop!! :)
I don't really have the credentials to say yes or no because I haven't hunted with a stickbow yet. However, this season finally made me decide to make the switch. I have always been "drawn" to trad, but never had the time to put in the practice to be proficent enough to hunt.
I usually don't get to hunt very much, usually a couple times a month. I also hunt conservation areas. As such I don't have the time to scout and setup treestands. I like to hunt on the ground anyhow. This year I had 2 opportunities at a deer. Both were within 15 yards and both were very quick opportunities. I couldn't get my sights lined up in time for the first deer, and I hit a cornstock shooting at the second deer because I misjudged the trajectory(low anchor point).
The point is, I don't know for sure if I could have shot those deer with a stickbow or not, but just from the short amount of time I have spent practicing with my recurve, I honestly think I would have 2 deer this season instead of 0! I guess I'll find out for sure next season.
Amen Jeff.
Trying telling some newbie that a stickbow is better than a compound an your going to be lweft talking to yourself in very short order.
A person will either turn to the stickbow or they won't,,,all the "trad" talk in the world won't change that,,,but I might drive them away for good.
I've shot recurve for over 30 years an the one thing that turns me off "trad shooters" is the never ending put downs of compounds,an the negative self promoting that goes on.
This thread is the perfect example.
Way to go guys!
To me it ain't about better, it's about more fun! I've bowhunted for years. I'd dust off the compound about 1 week before season, take a few shots to make sure sights were still on, and I was ready to go. Pie plates at 40 yards was easy. I just wasn't having as much fun as when I was 10 years old chasing rabbits and squirrels with a homemade bow strung with some of my Dad's braided fishing line. Last night I was tickled pink telling the Misses how after a year I can keep all the arrows ON the target at 40 yds!!! :>)
Easier to maintain - yes.
Harder to be proficient - yes.
Deadly - yes.
Superior - only in the hands of a minority of hunters using them.
Steve
They are tools. If you have a 1/2" bolt to turn, you probably will not be satisfied with a 3/8" wrench in your hand. A stick bow can do some things, other sorts of weapons do other things. Each has their plusses and their minuses. Neither is better, or worse....unless of course you are holding that 3/8" wrench at the wrong time.
ChuckC
Dont kid yourselves boys, dont try to make people believe that a stick is a better killin weapon. or more efficient.In the hands of a good shooter a compound is also very quick to aim a shoot. Quicker than you might imagine. Those videos you see with the guy waiting for ever to shoot are only for the camera. I shoot both stick & compound. Most shots with both I take are under 20 yards. I see these threads all the time & it just aint so. Mike
Several of my fellow hunters shoot compounds very well and other hunting friends shoot rifles very well; there is no way the stick is superior; and the compund is inferior to a 30-06-so who really cares? Do what you want.
For me a stickbow is the choice and I really don't care what others choose to use-nor do I care what they think of my choice.
I like this forum and I like trad guys; but that does not mean that I think differently about other hunters-or non-hunters for that matter.
Well said Bjorn. I am just tired of the elitist attitude that divides sportsmen. I shoot what I shoot & like what I like. Who cares. I just dont see the point of some guys trying to say there way is better. Its elistist & its annoying. Done here, Mike
For me the challange of the stickbow is to become consistantly effeciant within huntin range.(20yds). Also the amount of time, patience
and practice it takes to keep that effecincy. For
someone who takes this time and makes the dedication to it, the stickbow is an extemely
effective weapon at close range. That being said
I don't believe it can compare with a compound.
These days compounds are EXTREMELY accurate. Even
at distances much further than 20yds. To me the sad part about it is that they require minimal practice to achieve this accuracy and like one of
thier adds say "They take the arch out of archery." They fit perfecly for people that love instant gratification.
Paul J.
If you think a longbow is an advantage; try drawing one back in a popup blind; or from a treestand.
Yes; we can make some shots that a compound shooter cannot; I remember a television 'star' that shot at a pig out of a permanent blind; and hit the edge of the blind window; because where your sight pins are is NOT where your arrow is.
But - I doubt I could have drawn back my longbow in that - and most blinds.
Treestands too can be impossible to shoot out of for angles that a compound shooter can take with no problems. Its just plain possible to draw back a compound in sitting and standing positions that are totally impossible with a longer bow.
I watched a darn good hunter the other night on the television with a compound draw back on an elk and hold for EVER until it turned and he could make the shot. We just cannot do that!
With a longbow or a recurve; you don't (IMHO) bleat at a deer and then draw back and shoot; you draw back and that ussually will stop the animal; but its like a whole different ball game.
I have seen a lot of people pick up a traditional bow for the first time; and make really good shots. Getting consistant is another matter of course; but we all love picking up a new bow or a buddies bow and shooting it and hitting dead on. It takes practice at every range you might shoot at to be able to do it consistantly though.
You can walk in a store and buy a compound sighted in for arrows provided; and just for giggles ask a compound shooter what range his pins are for! Its now normally 20 to 80 yards.
And you can be good in minutes. That is the attraction of the compound.
What attracts me to trad bows is the fact it is a simple tool; not a machine. When I see a deer or elk etc and hold up my bow - I want that bow to be as simple as I can shoot ethically; and have it be an extention of my thoughts. I want to concentrate on the animal; not on the bow.
I have shot compounds; and I remember missing and looking at the bow; wondering if something came loose; or slipped or whatever.
Now I know its the nut on the string.
I like the arrows flight being ME; not an extension of the world of technology.
I think stressing the relationship with nature is so precious; and that it is best enjoyed on a simple level. Most deer and elk think me and my bow are pretty simplistic.. maybe the word is simpletons... but I like deer seeing me and not turning inside out to get away.
I am really not all that scary a concept to animals; and I like that.
If I shoot a doe; I am happy; if I shoot a buck I am happy; if I shoot a trophy animal I am happy.
But if I take an animal and shake my head because I spent all that money and didn't take a trophy... I probably will not ever be happy with traditional bowhunting.
So- I say tell people that traditional bow hunting is getting into the woods; and enjoying being part of it. As opposed to stepping into to it just for the reward of a big trophy animal; or a guaranted shot accuracy when I hunt.
If you want guaranted accuracy- hunt with a gun.
If being in the woods; and becoming a part of it; and limit yourself to what bowhunters have for perhaps 8000 years- then shoot traditional bows.
I enjoy hunting; and traditional bowhunting is full of people that enjoy hunting; and enjoy being in the woods.
I think that is the best advertisment there is- to the audience I want to talk to.
:campfire: :archer:
Great Job Brian. You said it for me!
Paul J.
I almost hate to admit that part of the reason I went away from the compounds is some sort of rebellion against all I hate about the "bow carriers". There are very few (as a percentage of the whole) true bowhunters left. If it were not for the resurgence of traditionalists, bowhunters would be a truly a notion of the past. I actually don't care what kind of bow is shot. I shot compounds for years, but a bowhunter approaches the hunt, his equipment, the animal, the laws, and fellow hunters differently. The modern "bow carrier" (especially in the West), uses the bow as a means of drawing a tag and shooting distances are only limited to the line of sight. People are always saying we must not divide ourselves or we will be conquered. I'm afraid I may be conquered then, because I refuse to be lumped in with the arrow flinging "bow carriers".
I have not read all the ppost, but we must be honest here. This year I had 3 P+Y bucks within 30 yards of me. If I was hunting with a compound I know I could of killed anyone of those bucks. Why? Well because I would of took the shot, but at 27 yards a big ten point gave me a small hole and it was just a tad too far for me to be confident. I believe there is some advantages shooting a stick but if you are in this just to kill deer than shoot a compound cause most guys will kill more, not all guys because ya still have to be a good hunter but the accurate effective range with a compound is about double than it is for most, not all but most stick shooters. I know in the two years I have hunted stick only I have killed 6 deer, with a compound and stick I averaged that each year. Shawn
The only situations that I can think of that a stick bow would be more effective than a compound is low light and if you have to arch the arrow over an obstacle. Otherwise compound bows are superior weapons. But I'll never hunt with a compound bow - unless it is a survival situation.
I really want to make it clear; that I do not knock the hunting abilities of anyone- in any group. I have seen trad bow hunters that really were bad hunters; in interpretation of sign; and I am not an 'A+' person in that regard...yet.
I have been enlightened by rifle hunters that had strategies and enthusiasm and dedication to the hunt.
I got my hunting instinct from some remenant gene; my father and mother were not hunters at all.
My uncle though; he was; and a rifle hunter. He was an ardent conservationist; was deeply involved in conservation; including his involvement in the 'MUCC' (Michigan United Conservation Clubs) as president; and as well his involvement in the wild turkey movement in Michigan.
My fathers best friends were Frank Mainville; an outdoor photographer; and man whose name escapes me; but was the exectutive in the NRA at one time.
Frank was a photographer; and through his lens I saw many things in a way that inhanced my appreciation of the out-of-doors.
My fathers other friend hunted with English Setters for pheasants; and had a cider press and an apple orchard; and those memories are burned into my mind.. and I am also a bird hunter.
I hunted and took my first 'bow deer' with a compound.
Gun hunters influenced me into realizing the relationship I should have with nature; the honorable part of hunting; that being- centering on the experience.
It would be a huge lie to say that I have only learned to appreciate the wild through the eyes of a bowhunter; and then to narrow it down to the experiences that I have had with a traditional bow.
However; all the good I that learned; I can best express and best appreciate now: through traditional bowhunting.
I saw what I wanted out of hunting; out of the experience of being out of doors; through many eyes; but I saw all the best of it best expressed in the flight of an arrow by a big eared guy named Fred.
Meeting him did not diminish that impression at all; and meeting other traditional bowhunters has been good too.
But bad too. I have met traditional bowhunters that were conceited and arrogant.
Fame does something to some people; maybe to all. I know I turned into an instant a$$ when I started winning competitions; to the point I stopped competing.
I have sat down and consumed adult beverages with Fred Bear and Bob Munger; and they were both human beings. They had faults; did things that bothered others; but they were loving the same things as me; and experiencing in the same way.
I put a pope and young muledeer in the book with a shot that probably was close to 60 yards. I have killed a record book bear at 15 yards; and I am proud not only of those shots; but the really close shots I have taken; and the does and small bucks I have taken.
Ishi - whose family and entire tribe: was killed because of their skin color and heritage; their scalps sold for the price of a couple bottles of whiskey....
Ishi gave up being wild; and turned himself in. He had an opinion about what white men thought of him; and he turned himself in; not to a fort of soldiers; or a church..but instead he sat down naked in a slaughter house; waiting his turn.
It ended up that he expressed what a wonderful relationship his tribe had with family -and with nature.
I can express such good through bowhunting; through honoring those that I honor; that I cannot help but do so with a traditional bow; which is more an expression of how I feel about nature; about wildlife; about Ishi; and the guy with big ears.
I remember seeing Fred shooting at a thimble berry leaf when on 'the American sportsman'. I saw that shot as not an arrow hitting a leaf; but liken to an artists brush stroke.
And when he shot the grizzly bear that brush stroke connected him as a human to the bear; with nature in a pure honest way :with artistry.
I cannot draw a recognizable stick man. I cannot play the guitar; I cannot turn a pile of clay into a sculpture.
But I dang sure can make a brush stroke of an artist when I shoot my traditional bow. Not every shot- but enough to make some beautiful memories.
Ishi said when dying; 'we will meet again in the flight of the arrow'. Fred Bear said that after "compounds shoot arrows over 300 feet a second it will not be bowhunting anymore".
He had a point; its hard to see the flight of the arrow when its going 300 plus feet per second.
For me bowhunting is not about anything short of expressing the past and those that I respected and honored in the way I hunt.
Others - like the Eastmans: can do that with a rifle.
But me; I do it best with a traditional bow.
And I keep meeting some of the most appreciative people of nature- with traditional bows- in their hands.
I really intend on heading further down that path. And I will do it with a traditional bow in my hand.
Its not about the superiority of one weapon over another; its how we can express the best of ourselves in some way- and for me... its with a traditional bow.
:campfire: :archer:
I think a stickbow "can be' a more effective tool than a compound in the hands of a highly skilled shooter. Yet, that probably wouldn't apply to 99% of us. Does anyone think that Paul Schaffer would have been better with a compound? If you can make 70 yard shots with a recurve, just about every other aspect of the weapon is better.. (low light, physical weight, simplicity, etc) Howard Hill might be another good example...how much better can you be with a compound if you can consistently take passing ducks on the wing? Fred Bear never shot a compound because he didn't like to shoot them.
For the average bowhunter the compound is a superior killing machine...the rest of us hunt with stickbows because we merely want to.
I can tell ya why I love traditional archery so much more than modern compound archery in one word....... "humility".
When a shot comes together, a target hit or game animal taken cleanly, that is the time you come to see how wonderful and unique a human being really is.
... mike ...
I am pro archery period. If there was one aspect of the sport I would like to exclude it would be crossbows. As far as I am concerned they are the only weapon that does not belong in the category.
compounds are designed to be super accurate, quiet, fast, powerful, you can hold them at full draw for minutes, you have a sights, a triggered release ......... no, the vast majority of bowhunters use compounds because of one reason - they're by far the superior hunting bow
situations happen along that trad bows could be argued as a "better" weapon, but by and large, compounds are
I can pick up anybodys compound and with just a shot or two be deadly with it. Those compounders can't pick my TD longbow up and hit within 3 feet of where they want to. There's your difference in bows
Well, I love the simplicity as mentioned over and over by others. I also love the challenge. I have spent years filling my freezer with a flintlock rifle. After a while I had to start shooting a flint smooth bore to continue the challenge and feeling of "uniqueness" Now I have put away my wheel bow and shoot long bow. I am not very good. I really enjoy shooting however. Just like with black powder, you must find what the gun likes relative to powder and patch. My bow likes a certain brace height, arrow weight etc. If I shoot what the bow likes, I shoot ok. If I try to wtih faster arrows or shoot out of my hunting range, things start to go wrong. The fun for me is learning what the bow likes and learning to shot with out sights. It is a journey, but a pleseant one. I do not feel any of my traditional equiptment is ineffective. It is very effective if I live within their limitations. I also just love the history of this stuff.
Bob.
While I love longbows and don't have much problem hunting anything I want with them for most they will never be as effective as a compound bow.Stickbows are deadly weapons and very effective but ONLY in the hands of those that have put in a lot of decication to be able to use them that way.Most people just do not do that.Go to any 3d or other shooting event and it is easy to see.Take 10 kids with a compound and a week of practice and most all will out shoot 90% of the people that bring stickbows to a 3d.Like I say I love them but I am not blind to the real world eother. ;) jmo
Food for thought;
When did the weapon of choise automaticlly define a hunter's ability? There is a big difference between shooting a tight group on a backstop and hunting.
You give a really good hunter a swiss army knife and he will make meat...
Just the way I see it.
JL
Excellent point JL
heres a thought...just think of how good howard hill was...now imagine how much better he would have been with the a compound with release and all the aids...THATS SCARY!
Really ??
I started out shooting recurves and longbows, and I will probably die shooting them. I still don't think they are more effective weapons. I just shoot them because I don't like the feel of compound bows and all the gadgets on them. I don't have anything against compounds or anyone that shoots them. I think alot of people shoot them because it take less practice to get proficient. I have a buddy that shoots wheels and I can take his bow and shoot pretty good right off the bat, but when he tries my longbow he doesn't do quiet so well. He kills more deer every year than I do, so I would say his bow is more effective.