Just curious. What percentage of big game animals that you've killed with trad equipment you wouldn't have been able to kill with a compound. Either because of shot angle, quick shooting, etc. I haven't killed a staggering amount of big game with trad eqiupment about 40 big game animals and I would have to say about 40% I couldn't have taken with wheels. What has been your experience?
Yep, I have shot two or three that I couldn't have shot with a compound.
However, if I was a compound bowhunter, I would've killed ten times as much game as I have with my beloved traditional bows.
We choose to limit ourselves with classy, elegant tools.
The compound is a tool that will get you more kills, at least in Australia; there is no question about it.
what Ben said x2 :thumbsup:
Yea I agree with Ben..... when I was a wheel shooter I would say my harvests were double... Just bc I could shoot game with precision out to 60yds...
But i will say w/o a doubt, If I am up close and have to re adjust shot angle or aquire quickly, nothing beats Instinctve shooting with a LB or recurve.....
When I was first getting into the hunting world more than 20+ years ago, that is what it was about.... Putting the racks on the wall.... Now it is more enjoying the outdoors and slowing down.....
QuoteWe choose to limit ourselves with classy, elegant tools.
Ben:
PLEASE don't take offense. But, I'd use the word (personally) "challenge", in lieu of "limit". Semantics!
Last year was my 1st all-trad season. I was blessed with 5 animals at the end (4 whitetail does and 1 whitetail buck....my avatar).
Shooting the wheelie bow, I took 21 whietails and 1 turkey in the three seasons (my only bowhunting experience) leading up to last season. I won't say it was "easy". But, I needed to challenge myself, more. I've found my passion.
Using ONLY last year.....I would have taken my largest buck of my life, if I'd had the wheelie bow in hand. As it panned out, I never drew on him with my recurve. I'll also say that the 7-pointer in my avatar is a MUCH more prized trophy (to ME) than the larger buck would have been (taken with a compound).
I also had these deer inside 20yds, on 3 separate occasions (and inside 30 on 2 others). With the compound, I'd have a full-body mount being done right now. As it happened (or didn't!....lol), I never got a shot off at these gals. I am JUST FINE with that. They both made it through the season, unscathed. And, they're my main targets for 2010!
(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m314/SBGobblers/tradgang%20photos/ICAM0055-1-1.jpg)
I can say that there has been a few time that I have taken animals with a trad bow that would have been difficult with a compound based on the time to draw.
There is also the other side of that. Many a big buck and bull stood just a little to far away.
That is our challenge taken on by each person who picks up a traditional bow and pursues game with there own skills and ethics leading the way.
Ben said exactly how I feel about it.... :thumbsup:
Most of them.
One of the many reasons I gave shooting a compound away all togeather was that I was a crap hunter with them.
I was good on paper,but more often than not I would estimate the range wrong or something would go wrong either with the bow or the way I handled it.
I'm simply a better all round shot with a stringbow and don't consider it a challange or limiting to just use my own hand eye coordination.
Also in 40 odd years of bowhunting I've never needed to shoot beyond 40 yards,,just the nature of the country I hunt.
For me,any animal to far away to take with my recurve,I couldn't get it with a compound anyway.I've turned two guys from compounds to stringbows for exactly the same reasons,after they've finished bleating yet again about how they missed,or the bow was too slow to get into action,or their peep or pin had moved,I just said "again" you don't get that with a real bow,and now both shoot recurves "and are a lot happier for it.
GMMAT
Nice pic
I'd like to chime in here but I'm still at 0 big game animals with the recurve. However, the turkey I shot was a quick instinctive "now or never" shot that I doubt a compounder would have been able to pull off.
what ben said
I think that most people will think they can kill more game with a compound. That's not the point I was getting at. Aren't there times when u guys get shots that you u could never have gotten with a compound? Its just my opinion and I've always felt this way that in a hunting situation a recurve or longbow is hard to beat for a lot of the same reason earthdog said. I hunt with guys that shoot them and when the pressures on there like 10 different things to think of but when u have a trad bow u just pick a spot.
i have hunted 3 times with recurves and longbows in the past 3 years. I practiced all summer the first year and thought i was pretty good. Opening afternoon i shot out of arrows. I did not pick up my longbow until the next season. this time i shot it about 2 weeks before. Again i thought well it wont matter how much i practice, the ending will be the same. Again opening afternoon, shot twice hit 0. Put it down and did same thing next year. I had given up. This is the year. I feel good, have different form, dont have a bow but am borrowing one from friend. Got 2 anchor point and am learning stuff every day from this site about it. I did pick up a recurve on the last day of the season this year and had a small brush rack buck come by and took a shot and thought i hit him but no dice.
anyway, i am in it deep now and am waiting for next season.
Howitzer I personally do think of a turkey as a big game animal.
I would like to answer this question with an unbiased opinion. However since I have NEVER even shot a compound, I have to say that none of the shots I've taken could have been pulled off by a wheelie shooter. Mainly because I can't think of one kill that was done in a situation where I could have held the bow vertically and had time to aim with all that sighting garbage.
Don't think there's very many i couldn't have also shot with a compound, a few very close running shots perhaps. On the other hand, there's a whole bunch I could have shot with a compound that I considered too far for my trad equipment.
I can think of a million and one times small game hunting. Those little critters just dont sit still long enough. But then there are a million and one times that I would have love that compound accuracy out past 30 yards. But with big game, it has not happened yet, but I am sure it will!!!
None that I know of.I could have killed everything with any kind of bow I might have been hunting with at the time.
Not many even when shooting a compound I shot with fingurs and instinctive. I know of two for certin a turkey and hog that where both shot lying on my stomach. Both of these was shot with a longbow. When it comes right down to it I'm a longbow shooter.
I have had a couple of experiences that come to mind. Once where a hawg came out right at dark. I had cut a single shooting lane/hole in the brush. I was sitting in a tall tripod and the pig was never going to make it to my shooting lane before pitch dark. I noticed a very small opening to shoot through the brush and had to cant my bow almost horizontal to make it work. I took the 12 yard shot and hit him right behind the shoulder. With a compound I could not have seen through the peep much less canted the bow for that shot. A couple of seasons ago in Colorado I had an elk come by me at 5 yards and I had to make a snap shot because there was not way he was not going to bust me. I drew and shot him in one motion, he saw me but it was too late-for him. I NEVER could have done that with a compound.
I have killed 19 different big game species, 12 of them (with many duplications) have been with traditional gear. I hunted with compounds for 13 years, this is my 7th with trad gear. I think I'm more deadly now than I ever was with wheels. My traditional gear may just give me a mind set of feeling more in tune with my surroundings and equipment or maybe now having more of a preditor mentality. Who knows...I can tell you one thing, I'll NEVER go back to high tech archery!
Its hard to say but I would guess 20-30%. Many times had to cant the bow for a shot that just couldnt be done with wheels. I truly believe that I am more deadly at this point with a recurve rather than a compound. Im sure alot of that has to do with patience on shot selection and distance.
One that comes to mind was where I was helping a friend decoy Antelope. A nice buck came in real fast and he hit it high in the shoulder. We figured dead Buck as he was stumbling as he went over the ridge. When we went over he was no where in sight. 4 hours later we had covered the whole pasture except one corner where cattle were congregated by the stock tank. We located the Buck eventually, bedded near the cattle, from the air with the Rancher's plane. After landing we walked out and I spotted the Buck laying up against some sage brush. Thru my binocs I could see he was still breathing. Gary couldn't see him from his angle and was moving over to me. He stepped on something that made some noise and the Buck jumped up and started running. I put an arrow thru his heart while Gary was saying he couldn't find him in his peep sight.
I too have instances where a compound would have made the diffference in collecting a big Buck. But it wouldn't have meant anything. I set the ways and means.
I killed 2 P & Y antelope with my Black Widow in Montana and could have killed both with a conpound...easily. I just don't use a wheelie!
To me, they are in the same category as a Rif..Rifl...Rifl...oh I just can't say it!!!
Have a great day!!!
QuoteOriginally posted by Ben Kleinig:
Yep, I have shot two or three that I couldn't have shot with a compound.
However, if I was a compound bowhunter, I would've killed ten times as much game as I have with my beloved traditional bows.
We choose to limit ourselves with classy, elegant tools.
The compound is a tool that will get you more kills, at least in Australia; there is no question about it.
Yep, what he said. But not nearly as much fun!
Longspur77,
It can take a while to build the confidence with a string bow,I went through it myself,3 years to shoot a deer an I was out there every 3rd weekend.
I lot of wild goats got themselves shot before I finaly got that first deer,,,but from there on it was plain sailing most of the way.
The lack of confidence that you may be feeling with the string bow is exactly how I feel about the compound,,,just can't get it togeather,but the stringbow is just so easy to shoot over or under something.
When I started I was taught I had to shoot for a full year before I'd be ready to hunt,,,,I didn't like that then an I don't like it now,,but they were right,,shooting has to be secound nature before you face your demons,,once it is,you can take em' on standing on your head,,,well almost ;)