the thing that bothers me about tradbow hunting is the separation that trad bowhunters put between themselves and archery. it is amazing to me the number of target archers tht don't hunt and the number of bowhunters that are not target shooters.
I think this site is a great metaphor for the state of archery today in the USA. Frankly I don't get it. Well the fact is you can live very well in both worlds. Ya have different sets of freinds. ya have much higher goals for your shooting.
Now in my world the two worlds meet. The fact is they can not be seperated. Infact the equipment changes very liitle really. Here is the start of my next season (at least one of the bows). This set of limbs came today. (i was a good boy all yr long). A set of Border Hex V H 45#@28 70" limbs. they will live happily all summer long in another world.....world of field archery and some 3D. then as bow season approachs the riser will change to a 21" DAS Elite and go bowhunting.
From my experience in the indoor leagues, from the practice on the field range, and the experience on the 3D range I will take a 18 yd femoral artory shot and it will be be a high percentage shot. I will expect to shoot a 25 to 30 yd kill zone shot and it be a 12. I will expect to never have an I missed thread.
http://sites.google.com/site/stringwalkerbowhunter/hex5h
can someone please explain to me why there are two different worlds. I just don't get it? :)
rusty
It is simple. To me, target archery is a competitive past time. I shoot a bow for enjoyment, not competition. Some people enjoy the competition side side of shooting a bow, others do not.
Sure, some bowhunters view that side of archery as a competition. The quest for "record book" deer will be the downfall of this sport IMO. Just look at how commercial modern archery has become. You cant open a magazine or watch an outdoor show without being overcome by advertisements. I dont get it myself.
I shoot 3D all summer long, but I only attend trad only shoots as a general rule. I dont keep score or really care how I shoot. I am there to enjoy time with friends, and shoot arrows. I can practice in the back yard without distraction to improve my form.
To each his own. I plan to continue being a bowhunter, and leave the target side to those that prefer competition.
BP
the 92 on the radar gun is short hand for 192 fps. that is the fastest speed I have ever shoot with a 45# draw. the arrows was a 362gr lightspeed. this is the arrow I use hunting most of the time.
rusty
Brain - thanks for your response. yes that does make sense. I just could not shoot 3D and not keep score and want to improve. Now I have no idea why that is true but it is.
In my mind I guess way in the back where thoughts are not actually evident, i think it will result in a surer kills.
rusty
thats a mighty fast 45'er! outta blow right through a 'ol buck or pig awful quick. i know thats not the topic of the post, but very worthy of mention, none the less.
now, for the topic. i dont shoot any official target archery, because in the summer i am working 6 days a week, 3:30 am-2:00pm trying to save for college. in the winter i have classes and am hunting. i do practice every day and shoot informal indoors, but nothing official.
deermaster1 - been there done that....and it is worth the few years it takes. took me 7 yeats to get thru pharamcy school but the last 40 yrs has made the 7 yrs payback 1000's of times :)
good luck with your studies.
when i am bowhunting I am not after the biggest antlers or the largest pigs.... i am after the perfect shot resulting in a quick end.
when I am shoot competetions I an not after the first place. I am trying to do better than I did last time. if that would result in place in the top ten that would be ok. if i got a place in the top 10 and was 20 points off my top score that would not be good.
Yes the limbs ae the quickest limbs I have shot personally. I think when I move then to the 21: riser they will be somewhere near 50# and that will be 200fps or very close. never shot 200fps at my draw
rusty
btw - I think among other things the speed of the border limbs and the effectiveness of blow thru shots is exactly what the thread is about in the end :)
shot placement and effective equipment :)
rusty
I hear ya Rusty, I shoot for fun although a I keep score. My biggest competition is myself, although I really do have some good competition. And I lose to it at times, but foam 10's and 12's are still different in the field. Some of the guys I shoot with have been much more succesful than I have been. Least it seems.
My wish for 09 is to be as good in the field as I am on the score board. :eek: Did'nt sound real well did it? :D
I will shoot for a couple weeks at least this winter with the SW MI twig flingers. Before heading back to Arizona, What a great time at is :campfire:
a 50# at 200 fps is exactly what a sore shouldered speed freak dreams of. they are some super limbs, really really quick...
Rusty, I believe the two worlds are perfectly compatible just as you do. However, some folks may not have the time or the interest in doing one or the other, and that's okay. What seems odd to me also is how rarely you find folks who target shoot all year long and also hunt.
Personally I look forward to the various league shoots we have at my archery club all year long. I can never be fully satisfied with my shooting because I always feel I can do better. I also agree with your approach to keeping score when target shooting. It's sort of like the way I play golf. When I shoot a bow at a target or when I play golf (infrequently lately) I always feel as though I'm competing against myself and no one else. Improving my game, be it archery or golf, is where I find improvement.
You set the standard pretty high when it comes to copetitive shooting. Didn't you get crowned world champion or something like that a few months ago? Or was that a male modeling competition you were in that I heard about?
I don't know either.
I never shoot with someone else without trying to shoot better than them, or better than I can. We have our monthly trad shoots here, and when I compete against someone else, I always shoot better. We have some good shooters, and we seldom shoot for a "score", but I know when I'm doing well and so does everyone else. When we shoot the Muzzy style targets and format, everyone has a good time, win or loose.
While I use my BBO's most of the time, I've also started shooting FITA rounds with OLY Recurve in prep for trying to qualify for the Empire State Games. I know it's helped my bowhunting accuracy, even thought the equipment is quite different. 90 meters is a big challenge, even with sights.
I wouldn't ever be hunting with my FITA bow though, that's for sure. But I would shoot my BBO out on the field course out to 80 yds and expect to be able to score on that target.
Learning to shoot well is just that. It doesn't matter if it's on game or on targets. You still need to hit your mark.
no-sage there is just no doubt, 90m seperates the pack.
If you love to shoot your bows, there is just not another feeling like watching a arrow fly for a couple of seconds and drop from about 40 feet high into the gold. Boy that makes ya smile.
90 meters will make a better shoot out of all of us, competitor or not. you will learn what your draw is and where your anchor point is or you will go broke buying arrows :)
rusty -just think about a 8" group on the buffalo- Craine
I just don't care to compete with my bow. I get more enjoyment from informal shoots by myself or with a friend.
I started with my recurve because compounds lost their interest with me. The recurve brought the fun back. I don't want to ruin a good thing by putting pressure on myself. Been there done that.
QuoteOriginally posted by Brian P.:
It is simple. To me, target archery is a competitive past time. I shoot a bow for enjoyment, not competition. Some people enjoy the competition side side of shooting a bow, others do not.
Sure, some bowhunters view that side of archery as a competition. The quest for "record book" deer will be the downfall of this sport IMO. Just look at how commercial modern archery has become. You cant open a magazine or watch an outdoor show without being overcome by advertisements. I dont get it myself.
I shoot 3D all summer long, but I only attend trad only shoots as a general rule. I dont keep score or really care how I shoot. I am there to enjoy time with friends, and shoot arrows. I can practice in the back yard without distraction to improve my form.
To each his own. I plan to continue being a bowhunter, and leave the target side to those that prefer competition.
BP
X2
I think I understand the no competition idea. It is not that I want competition per sa, I just cant help it.
The pressure thing kinda interests me though. when I am competeing i feel little pressure. nothing and no living thing is really affected by the out come of competiton. when I feel the pressure is when my shot will have an affect on a creature. I want to do my part as perfectly as I possible can. this shot really counts :) all the rest are just leading up to this monent.
rusty
I love shooting my recurve, I used to love shooting my compound. However I shot 3-d competition's for about 12 year's, I took it too seriously. Shooting became more like work and the enjoyment was gone, to the point I actually gave up shooting the bow for a couple years.
Now I have picked the recurve back up and the enjoyment is back. I still shoot a few
3-d's every year, but just to improve my shooting. I also shoot year round, stump shooting, roving whatever you want to call it.
Some people thrive on the competition, I used to be one of them. Just don't feel the need anymore.
Daren
Stck n string said just about what I was thinking but failed to convey.
For me,it's a matter of choice,never been interested in 3D or competition shooting.I stump shoot a lot alone and with friends,target shooting in the back yard and enjoy it all the way.Shoot both longbow and recurve and I'm having fun also.I do respect other peoples choices,how does that sound :rolleyes: :rolleyes: ?
Serge
longhorn - I am for ya :) . i really wasn't trying to change anyones mind, i just wanted to understand what the thoughts and ideas regarding bowhunting, target shoot, and archery are. I wanted to understand why we have sites dedicated to target archery, sites dicicated to tradbowhunting and mostly why so few of the really good shoots I have hunted with don't particapate in target archery. In the large shoots like IFAA nationals ya may have 6 or 7 tradbow shooters attend.
what is the membership of TG like 20K and not a handfull of target shooters??? hmmmm???
when you reflect this against the 1000's of bowhunters on this forum alone ya can not help but wonder.
Do you know what your would have had to do to win second in the IFAA 08 nationals in Senior Barbow Class. Just show up and shoot. :) ya'd have won second place at worst. this is likely cause I don't think anyh of us would have beat skip trafford who won first
rusty
Rusty,
I've always enjoyed your posts and child like enthusiasm for all aspects of testing equipment. I shot an indoor winter league for a few years and I think it really helps you to fine tune your equipment-no matter what type it is. It also helps you to develope a consistant shooting form. I think some may take your post wrong, however I think that we are all target archers who love to bowhunt. We all want to be the best bow shots that we can.
Formal score keeping is the best way to track your shooting and know how you're doing over time. I did that while shooting the 3D course I was a member of last summer and it makes you a better shot in the long run. Thanks for your continued insight. :thumbsup:
Trashwood: I really hear you. Back when I was cutting my teeth in this sport and then after college it seemed everyone shot field archery. Four arrows at 19 target from 10 feet to 80 yards. Everyone seemed to know how to tune their equipment. If a shot was missed most of us could tell by where the arrow hit what we did wrong. Not only was my shooting more consistent I was a much better judge of yardage. I think that if more trad bowhunters were more serious about their scores and competed more, then a lot of the questions that are often raised here would be second nature to many. I also think that when the 3D shooting started it was fun to shoot at a life like target and there is definitely a place for it. But for many it is the only competition they do and they do not get the opportunity to correct a shooting problem by shooting more arrows before they are off to shoot another target. I really miss field archery...it made me a much better shot.
I shoot all year, in my basement in the winter, and outside in the back yard, and at various traditional shoots throught the summer. Usually shooting with friends, or the brothers. We always have some friendly competition, either individually, or in teams. We do it as fun, it is not a serious competition. More just for braggin rights. I think it does help during hunting time, because your use to having the excitement, or pressure if you will, to make a good shot when you need to. I have never kept scores based on a score card, and do not think I ever will. It is more about having fun, spending time with good friends, and hopefully improving your shooting at the same time.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser.
Vince Lombardi
Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.
Vince Lombardi
Trashwood, I believe they can and do coexist, Oh! by the way, I always use my hunting rig, 63lb 60" Habu shooting a 650grain arrow
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/kingwouldbe/DSCN3360-1-1.jpg)
State record since 1999
(http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w27/kingwouldbe/DSCN2538-1.jpg)