How many, if any, recurve/longbow Only outfitters exist that you're aware of? Thanks for your time.
7Th age bowhunting is one.
I believe Michael Schneider is booking all traditional bow hunters now.
http://www.going-hunting.com/hunts.htm
I don't know of any outfitters that can make a living with just Trad Hunters including 7th age.
Curtis books all bowhunting but does not exclude mechanical bows.
It would be a poor business decision to exclude over 80% of the bowhunters.
Mike
Tom Phillips right here on tradgang,books only traditional bow bear hunts (recurve or long bow)....but no,none,notta,zero pounders are aload.....Recurve or Long bow only....he's booked solid every year....bowdoc
T Bar M Outfitters in Durango, CO do not cater to ONLY traditional hunters but they shoot traditional themselves and certainly guide with trad hunters in mind.
Mike Murphy would much rather have an all traditional hunt. I believe this year we will have either 3 or 4 out of the six hunters shooting traditional.
My operation is Traditional ONLY.
I am not sure why someone would want to limit there business by excluding bowhunters? I can see looking an operation that knows how to cater to bowhunters verses gun hunters but can see no need in looking one that caters to only traditional bows? Don't care but I have to wonder at the thinking behind it. :confused:
I know a LOT of outfitters around the world and any of them that are doing it for more than a hobby, can't restrict themselves to trad only or even bowhunters only, the fact is bowhunters are more work and trad guys even more so, so I am very happy when they welcome trad guys.
I can because I dont do it for a living, James, and I enjoy hunting with people who are of one mind with ME.
I do not ever want to hunt in a rifle camp again, as I have done in the past....and have no problem hunting with compounders when its a part of the deal....but I don't NEED to include them to fill my camp up....so WHY should I????
Do you also wonder about fly fishing outfitters who don't take bait casters?
I am not a trad "snob"- I began the urban deer hunting operation in Atlanta GA many years ago..and 98% of the members are compounders. Its kind of like friends, though...I have a wide circle of friends...but my 'buds', my 'amigos' as our south of the border breathren say, are all trad hunters because we share a bond that is so strong.
Why do you come to this site, and not Archery Talk or The Bowsite? Its a different feeling..and hunting in a trad only camp adds a bit more flavor to savor.
Thanks Ray.No I don't fly fish. :) The reason I wondered is I am sure many people myself included might have a hunting buddy that does not shoot trad bows.When your buddy is excluded from a place that excludes you as well a lot of times.As I said it don't matter to me I just had never thought about it untill this thread came up.Have fun and I wish you the best with your hunts for whatever reasons you have.
A link to a past post by Michael Schneider.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=045369;p=1
Ditto what Ray said. There are plenty of opportunities for bowhunters, but not too many that are trad only. Everyone's a teacher and everyone's a student which just adds tons to the whole experience.
I have been in the hunting/fishing business as a booking agent and consultant for many years. Unless you're a small operation with limited time, you have to cater to everyone in order to compete. A trad only operation will not survive on a large scale in an area where your neighbors are hunting gunners and compounders. It's just not good business sense. However, it's does make good business sense for those bigger operations to offer trad only hunts. Maybe have a couple trad only dates set aside each season. I know I'd rather be in a trad only camp but, I wouldn't let me sharing a camp with a wheel guy alter me having fun. It's my choice to hunt trad, it's his to hunt with wheels. Who knows, maybe before the hunt was over there'd be a wheel bow for sale and a trad newbie looking for a stickbow. :thumbsup:
jus my 2cents
You have to remember that if you exclude everyone except trad hunters, you also end up excluding a lot of trad hunters, because many of them want to bring a buddy or family member that dosn't want to or can't hunt with trad bows.
I hunt and guide trad.
I have had two folks already. I allow them for kids who don't pull enough weight to hunt without it,and I allow the ladies who accompany husbands/friends who are trad. We aren't trying to make a living off of it,we are trying to pay a littlle of ourcorn bill and have somefun with friends- new and old
I think the question was....
How many, if any, recurve/longbow Only outfitters exist that you're aware of?
The Powwow would be a much better place if we just answered the questions instead of getting defensive about our opinions, myself included.
Yeah but what fun would that be?
I ALWAYS look for Trad only outfitters or at least book hunts that only have trad guys booked for that particular timeslot. Why?
Cause all the BS about "standing together" doesn't fly with me. Other types of hunters have every right we do to hunt and hunt with whomever they choose. So do we and it doesn't make us elitist to say so.
I don't have much in common with the compound guys when it all comes down to it. What are we gonna talk about in camp? His 45 yard shot and his super diablo trigger release and how it compares to the whoopededoo spring loaded one?
That being said, I'm ISO a trad outfitter now for elk or maybe moose so I'm here looking. Just checked out Moosemans UNited Guide and OUtfitters.
Intriguing!
Like I have said before I am going back to TBarM Outfitters next month. I believe we will have 3 or 4 trad guys in camp. Mike Murphy said he had 2 more openings for September 22-29.
Well, Waldo
I re-read the whole thread and the only person defending his position is me, I believe, so...
I think I personally got defensive, if explaining why is defensive, when another ganger said he couldn't understand why anyone would BE a traditional only outfitter.
I'm a traditional only outfitter..and I tried to explain it.
So now I guess I'm getting defensive about being defensive. Sorry :scared: :saywhat: :goldtooth:
Amen Ray!!
Is everyone still following? I'm lost.... :help:
Am I defensive or was it you? Who started this anyway? No, who is on third, but what is on second! Huh?
Seriously, this would be a good thread to book mark. In the future I would like to put together trad only pig, elk and moose hunts. I will need to find a trad outfitter for each because they will understand my limitations better. Please keep listing more trad outfitters.
-Charlie
Thanks,
Charlie
After reading this thread, it dosn't sound like the big time guiding business is anything I'd be interested in. If they have to "fill spots" with just anybody that has the coin, it sounds like they're prostituting the business.
Or just trying to make a living.If they are doing it full time to pay the bills and provide for a family I am sure they would take any ethical hunter no matter what weapon they choose. Just like a Paint Contractor wouldn't paint houses only if they were color he really liked to paint with.
Now if you are doing it part time or just for fun then I can understand how you could narrow the field way down to just trad bow hunters and thats great but I don't think all the guides could do that.
I know if I paid for a hunt I would try and find one were at least the hunt I was on was all trad but the reality is that we as a group are a very small percentage of the hunting world.
SO....we have Ray, Michael Schneider, Elk Whisperer...anybody else?
David
Tom Phillips bear hunts in Que'bec are traditional only...and speaking for myself,I like it that way....bowdoc
I guess I must be a prostitute then, because in every job I've ever had I've done things I didn't want to do, but then thats why they call it work. Every outfitter I know is in it to make a profit, even if it is doing something they enjoy, because I don't know of any of them that are independently wealthy and can afford to spend months out of the year losing money. When I guide for months at a time, they pay me for everyweek, whether they have hunters in camp or not, how many businesses stay in busness long if they have employees on full pay and not producing any income?
Not traditional only, BUT Gary Haight of Weitas Creek Outfitters guides a lot of traditional bowhunters for bear, elk, and cougar and is a heck of a shot with his recurve.
Just an observation Ray, not trying to start a stink. Not trying to point a finger either. If you read my post I also included myself in the mix. It just seems there is alot of tangents to subjects, this being one of them. And as I said I am just as guilty as anyone.
Shiloh Ranch in OK is NOT trad only, BUT, they are trad hunters themselves the last I knew. They book hog hunts. I wouldn't have to go to a trad only outfitter as long as the outfitter is a trad hunter or at least very knowledgable about us. Shiloh Ranch has been a dream hunt for me since reading some of Cheryls (sp) in TBM a few years ago.
I prefer trad only but sometimes that will cause us to miss opportunities. Usually when "X" bow shooters change over to traditional it's because they have been around trad guys and see how much more fun we have.
Right now I know about as many who switched over to trad then grew up trad only. My regular shooting buddy owned a very successful compound equipment manufacturing company. Now he's beating me in my own building with a recurve bow that he made. I believe that he is also having a lot more fun then before.
I don't want to ever have to stand around waiting for "X" shooters to figure out the yardage, set their sights, get the umberella positioned for best lighting, etc., but I'll always have time to help those who want to try a longbow or recurve.
James, have you ever tried flyfishing? I just came back from flyfishing on the New River for smallmouth. I had forgotten how much fun that was. Flyfishing is like shooting a longbow or recurve, it's addictive.
Naw...fly fishing is for girls. Wading around in ankle deep water to catch a 5" trout?
You need 70 lb test and 300 feet of water so's you can manhandle a grown up fish to the cooler!
:-)
:bigsmyl:
Don I did some when I was younger for pan fish.Don't like those slimy trout so would not fish for them unless I needed bait. :D My favorite fishing is sill watching that bobber go down when you slip a minnow in beside an old deadfall or stump.To me that is real fishing. ;)
Thanks!