Well today on my way home from work, Im driving down the parkway(a major highway for those out west),and all of a sudden this vision of me gluing on one of my Howard Hill broadheads comes into my mind.I am immediately filled with a feeling of pleasure and a desire to go in the woods and hunt.Then I start to think of the reason's I took up trad.The determination to do what some won't,the attention to detail needed for the shot,the pride in making my own arrow,the feeling when I nock an arrow that all the archers before me are watching,the stealth ,the simplicity of my equipment,the harmony of the woods,the connection to the earth,the humbleness of the kill,and the natural feeling of keeping a tradition that has been around for hundreds of years alive.
I walked in the door and got my bow and let loose an arrow in the yard and smiled.That is how trad makes me feel. :campfire:
With seemingly never ending problems at work, the cost of my family`s health insurance nearly doubling in the last eighteen months, our school district is flat broke, ect. ect. ect.
All it took to forget the bad parts of today were a few minutes with my bow and a milk jug target. My twelve yr old son, switched his baseball glove for his bow and soon appeared behind me. We spoke about nothing in particular, and everything in general, as arrows searched for the target.
Soon the sun was gone. I don`t ever recall weather this warm in March. Life is good.
"O what a feeling trad is!"
Good point lpcjon2
What a feeling it is, indeed. I've been out sawing off some thick yew branches, to make the simplest of bows. The yew around here is not the best, but there's plenty of good branches here and there. Got two that are perfectly straight and virtually knot free. They are tied up to prevent twisting, and set to dry now. When the weather gets warm, it's bowmaking time!
Everytime I pick up my bows and shoot some, all the problems of the rest of the world recedes from consciousness. It is my stress buster and without it I would be lost.
I shoot nearly every day. Yesterday my sweet wife grabbeb her bow and joined in. She has been suffering from back issues and thought stretching her back by pulling the bow might be good. We had such fun. traditional archery is the best!
Every time I pick up my longbow, a peaceful and complete feeling settles over me. It takes me to a place in my mind where there is nothing but the woods, an animal to stalk, an nothing to disturb that communing with nature that I love so much.
No feeling like it :archer: :archer:
Just me an' my sticks... Know the feeling!
Man. My thoughts exactly lpcjon2.
In such a high tech world and a complicated life. With each arrow loosed, another problem is released. Nothing beats the stick, the string and hand crafted wood arrows.
I agree, just holding the bow or looking at it makes me me a whole lot better!
I shoot nearly every day and am lucky to have converted a 2 acre piece of my property into a walking 3D range with 7 different targets. I can tell you that I can go do "the circuit" a few laps with one of my recurves, and I am ready to leave the stress of the day behind.
Lately I have been training for elk hunting and doing a quick 3 mile run after work followed by "the circuit" at least once. The fight comes outa me, and I am ready to settle into being a dad and husband again after a nutty day of work. I love it!
I shoot everday,,,If I can't shoot for some reason I get on edge and feel like somethings missing in life.
There's more than one version of runners high,,,I got the version that needs no running an I'm good with that.
One of the great pleasures of my life. I shoot every day, weather permitting.