Trad Gang

I certainly understand opinions may vary, but I would like to hear why you chose traditional archery.

SIMPLICITY!

No more worrying about gadgets on wheelie bows.

The babes!

QuoteOriginally posted by PaddyMac:
The babes!

:biglaugh:

All of the above!  :D

The challange!!  Plain and simple.

No Wheel bows in 1959 when I got into archery.

Target panic using sights kinda forced me here. Wish it would have happened 20 years ago.

When I started, a bow was a bent piece of wood, held in shape by a string. If I wanted to shoot a bow, that was the choice! I hadn't even heard of a compound until I saw Rambo & I certainly didn't think I'd ever get to shoot one.
I 'flirted' with shooting a compound for a couple of months, not seriousy, but it jut didn't seem like a bow to me. I've only ever bowhunted with traditional bows.

For me it was the challenge and the "romance" of getting close to game. When I started bowhunting at 13 I did so with a compound and sitting in a tree. Now I spot and stalk 95% of the time and the other 5% I still hunt. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I didn't harvest a deer last year (first year traditional) but I had more fun than I ever had. I also had more buck opportunities than I ever thought possible. I've always thought that a person has 1 chance at a trophy buck a year, sometimes I got him other times not. Last year alone I had around 10. Going traditional really made me slow down, enjoy the outdoor time I get to spend, and really hunt. No better way to hunt than with traditional equipment IMO.

I got tired of being a slave to pins and missing deer because of it lol.

The effectiveness and simplicity of a Longbow and wooden arrow.

Eric

Started in archery 'BC' (Before Compounds)- never saw a need to change.
Craig

It was ARCHERY when I started learning the Art of the Bow...

i honestly was shamed in to it as i worked for the sherifs office and ran a round with the local game warden and he sjamed me in to it now i am so hooked wished i would have done it earlier

QuoteOriginally posted by awbowman:
SIMPLICITY!

No more worrying about gadgets on wheelie bows.

same here!

The lack of gadgets.

For me, it was to pursue archery in what I consider its "pure" form. No gadgets. Simple. Make it, tune it, and go. Never needing to worry about losing a part, adjusting anything, etc. And if made right and cared for they can last a lifetime since there are no wearable parts.

I also like the smooth draw without sights and I believe shooting a "barebow" offers the most versatility of the bow...and I feel a good traditional bow is the best type of bow to shoot if one shoots in a barebow fashion.

That said, I am curious as to what attracts others to the sport...as I know we are all different.

I started with home made sticks and strings as a little kid and then a fiberglass recurve at about 8 or 10 and then a "real" recurve (Pearson) to hunt deer with at 15.  Moved to compounds as they came about and now have just started to get into trad again because I wanted to make my own.  It's becoming a blast.

Camaraderie

OK, and besides the babes, I have always seen beauty and poetry in the flight of an arrow shot instinctively and something unequivocal about getting up close on game, which is where all the emphasis should be.

It isn't easy. And instead of making it easy with voodoo geometry I don't understand, I am adapting to the difficulty with what I do understand.

I like shooting my recurve. It amazes me and frustrates me. I imagine it is the same with someone who loves playing their violin.

1. Shooting a compound had become boring, way too easy to hit a half dollar at twenty yards.

2. Had an argument with an anti hunter once, decided after that to try Organic Archery, Wood bows, wood arrows, wild Deer, 100% Organic.

3. Longbows are cool

It's just more fun to shoot arrows with a stick than with wheels. Even wheelie guys will admit that! When I got to the place where method was more important than outcome...I sold the wheelie bow. Best decision ever...for me that is!

For me it happened last November just south of the Iowa border...

Me and my hunting partner Brian had traveled to a 3,000 acre Conservation area in Northern Missouri, just on the border of Iowa. It was the first week of November and a cold front was passing through. Signs of the rut were everywhere, and we couldn't have been more excited about the 3 day hunt ahead of us.

We had spent weeks prior to this camping/hunting trip deciding exactly which Conservation area we were going to hunt, and finally decided on this one. It was a mixture of mature hardwoods and pastures bordering a river bottom. The hardwoods were very mature and the forest appeared very open as you walked through it. Something beautiful about how the large mature trees in a forest block out the sun enough to eliminate all signs of undergrowth. Gives them that European old woods feeling...

I loaded my truck up on this fine Tuesday morning with the essentials: Two coolers, food, beer, camp chairs, my LL Bean 4 man tent, 2 venison backstraps soaking in a brown sugar based glaze sealed in a zip loc bag, and of course all of my hunting stuff, and headed toward Brian's house to meet up with him for the 4 hour drive north...

When I got there Brian was loading his cooler up with more goodies: Jalapeno/cheddar smoked deer sausage, several deer filets, and his homemade "Apple Pie" moonshine, which is a boiled mixture of Everclear pure grain alcohol, Cinnamon, apple cider, Cinnamon sticks, and some other stuff. It is then put into a glass bottle and chilled. It tastes just like Apple Pie and is great for those cold nights around the camp fire.

Bowhunting October Whitetails 1&2
 Ron LaClair on Michigan Outdoors
Vics Archery shop
I have a knack for doing things harder than necessary.
Got sick of going broke on wheelie gadgets.
I shoot better instinctively vs. sights

I hate trying  to line up pins to make a shot, and all the little parts that need adjusting, and I have trouble holding a pin on the target.!

The simplicity of traditional gear as an extension of myself that challenges my physical and mental capabilities.

Continued...

Our plan was to head up north and hunt during the week, from Tuesday until Friday. We would get there midday on Tuesday in order to set up camp, scout, and hang our climber stands during mid-day. Then on Wednesday morning we would be able to head in quite early and hunt for the next few days before departing on Friday morning, prior to the flood of weekend hunters that we were sure were going to be heading north. We both have children and jobs, so finding the time to do this made it an extra special treat for the two of us.

As we drove north through Missouri we were greeted with rolling hills, and that early November air that is so crisp and refreshing. The bucks had really started their pre-rut activities and you could cut the energy in the air with a knife.

We were pleasantly surprised as we pulled into the Conservation area. This huge area hosted several different primitive camping areas strewn throughout, and there wasn't another soul in sight. A quick scan over the area map led us to the top right quadrant of the Conservation area.

As we pulled into the primitive camping area we were greeted with the perfect place to set up shop for the next 3 days. This area basically consisted of a brush hogged spot big enough to park 2 trucks and place a tent around a camp fire. In front of us as we pulled up was a 100 year old Oak tree just beckoning to have a deer hanging from one of it's large overhanging dark branches. To the left of the camp site was a brush hogged trail about 12 feet wide. It was visible for about 400 yards cutting a trail through the high prairie grass before making a sharp left bend and disappearing into the timber. We parked the trucks in a half circle around the fire pit as a windbreak and began to set up camp.

I'd killed a ton of deer with a compound for nearly 30 years (in the 100's and lost count since we had so many antlerless and crop tags), and it got to the point where killing deer with a compound offered little challenge anymore. Draw, hold, line up pin thru peep, dead deer.

I decided to go from "how far can I shoot" to "how close can I get".

In addition, I liked the "look" of custom wood bows and cedar arrows.

It's enjoyable to hunt with a beautiful weapon.
Compounds lack character and are more akin to being disposable over time, like a 15 year old computer.

I'm still a newbie to trad. I consider a harvest as my right of passage. At the rate I'm going it may be a few years of public hunting.    :biglaugh:  

Simplicity, no commercialism, and more shooting satisfaction.

Hope to drop my training wheels this year!

As most I started out with homemade bows and arrows as a child, then move to a Ben Pearson recurve, and to the compound at 14. For the next 25 years or so it was all compound, until I went on an elk hunt in Oregon with a friend that shot traditional. That sparked a tiny light in my brain, but while on vacation in the NC mountains I bought a copy of Traditional Bowhunter and the game was on. Now what I really love about traditional archery is being able to build my own bows and equipment, and hunt with it. Another thing I truely love about traditional archery are the people the that I have met since getting back into it. Eveyone is more than will to share knowledge and to just share. You have to love that.

In the 50's there weren't any compounds and no traditional archery that I knew of. I just wanted to shoot some of them squirrels around the neighbor hood with a bow and arrow, so got an Indian Archery recurve for about my 7th or 8th birthday and started hunt'n.

Continued...

With the camp site set up, it was now time to begin scouting the thousands of acres surrounding our camp site and hope for a lucky couple spots to hang our climber stands.

After about 1/4 mile walk down the brush hogged trail, Brian made an abrupt right face into the tall grass to our right. I followed, and we began wading through 4 foot tall thick prairie grass toward a timbered ridge about 1000 yards off of the trail.

We neared the ridge and the hill that we were walking down began to level out as the terrain turned into bottom ground between where the prairie ended and the timber began. We kept moving towards the ridge and ran directly into a very creek crossing maybe 10 feet deep and 14 or 15 feet across.

We found a low spot to cross the creek and entered into the timbered area on the other side. We immediately felt that we had hit the jackpot. All around us were gigantic fresh rubs, and two gigantic scrapes. These scrapes had destroyed ground underneath the licking branches the size of a car hood, and it appeared that several bucks had been utilizing both of them. You could literally smell the buck urine that had been running over their tarsal glands onto the ground.

Brian found a nice tree about 30 yards away from the scrapes and rubs, and hung his climber onto the side of a medium sized oak tree. It was the perfect set up, with 3 smaller trees behind his choice which created an excellent backdrop for his stand.

For me it was who not what. My buddy Vern (who would kill more deer with trad gear than most with compounds) I always loved the way it looked. And second Was the great Howard Hill,read his books and saw Tembo and the rest is history . And third the third was Ron Laclair on youtube, and that became my way of life for hunting.

I live here in MO & had heard of Black Widow recurves, so one day when my pregnant, at the time wife & I had a visit with her Doc with our first child on the way. We found our selves with some time to kill on the south side of Springfield near Nixa, home of BW bows. I for whatever reason decided to stop in & have a look at there bows. I shot a few bows that day, went home sold my compound, asap!  I went back to BW & bought my first recurve, besides the ones we had as kids & have never looked at or missed a compound in any way!
Like others have said the recurve or longbow is just a blast to shoot!  I like my fingers on the string & my brain doin the aiming if that makes any since. These bows & arrows have become my passion, shooting them is something I can do every day. Bows & bow hunting have become my only real hobbie & I wouldn't have it any other way.
So even though I don't currently shoot a BW, I will always be greatfull to the great guys at BW for all there help in my finding my truest hobbie!

I started when at the age of twelve I fell in wonder of the flight of the arrow. Been shooting over 40yrs. and still am in wonder and awe!

I was in to Black Powder and thought it would be neat to have a bow made traditional style to hang in my Tipi. I made a yew bow and backed it with moose sinew and made the string out of moose sinew. I showed up at the local archery club that at that time were all compounders. I am going to get a deer this season with my self bow and stone point as that is what I set out to do 12 years ago. Wish me luck.

I didn't have a choice.  When I started shooting a bow, that's all there was.  Have seen no reason to change. Attraction is still the same.  I like the idea of using my own muscle and brain and a bent stick to guide an arrow.  Also like to watch the arrow fly.

Continued...

It was now my turn to find a good place to hang my stand for the days to come, and thus we hopped back onto the brush hogged trail that wove deeper and deeper into the wildlife area. About 1/2 mile further in we found a high ridge that dropped down into a saddle. A creek ran through the saddle and a small land bridge of earth was the only thing that crossed the deep creek from one side to the other. I decided to utilize this small earth bridge as a choke point, and set my stand up in a tall oak tree nestled inside of a few smaller trees on the side of the timbered ridge.

We began the mile or so long walk back to our primitive camp site and just enjoyed the freedom and feeling of where we were. For weeks we had envisioned being in Northern Missouri, right on the Iowa border, during the first week of November with a crisp cold front moving through. The trees had shed all but their last few dry crunchy brown leaves, and the ground was covered with them. As we walked back I could feel the slight chill of a breeze blowing across me and simultaneously felt like a sponge absorbing the warm, late-afternoon sun as it hit my face.

We got back to our camp site just as the sun was setting on the ridge behind us, and creating that enchanting amber autumn glow that covers the fall landscape. Only one thing was different however... there was a large sole pickup truck parked about 40 feet away from out camp site. The occupants were obviously somewhere else. Perhaps out for an afternoon hunt...

A few match strokes later and some huffing and puffing by Brian and we had a fire crackling away. We cracked a couple of ice cold beers, set up our camp fire grill top, and threw the two day marinated and brown sugar glazed venison back straps on top of the flames.

As we sat there sipping on our beers, listening to the fire crackle, and watching the brown sugar glaze pop and bubble on the meat, we saw a dark figure moving toward our camp site. The figure was still about 600 yards off and moving very slowly and steadily, but with purpose.

It appeared to be hunched slightly forward but simultaneously completely aware of everything going on around it. It also appeared to be almost gliding toward us through the deep leaf covered ground, and somehow was making no sound as it closed the distance to our camp site.

As it got within 50 yards of us I could see that it was a person. In fact it was an older gentleman and he was carrying something. As he neared even closer I could see that he was carrying something in his right hand. I then made out the outline of the item in his hand and realized that it was a longbow. As he silently floated up to our camp site I could see him clearly.

He was of slightly below average height and had a white beard covering his entire face. His clothes were mismatched wool and he had very loose fitting leather shoes on. His face was clearly weathered from years and years in the elements and he had those deep set eyes that scream wisdom and past experience. He was a man of few words and he spoke very slowly as he engaged my friend Brian and myself.

As he spoke I could not take my eyes off of the longbow that was in his right hand. It seemed to balance off of his palm like it was glued there. I could tell that it had spent many many hours resting in his palm, and the two were connected by some sort of invisible energy.

It was at this exact moment that I knew I had to have one of those pieces of magical wood that I had just seen.

C'mon, Sam!

It was called "archery"...
Killdeer

Two reasons:

1. Simplicity. When I shot compound for a year I was constantly wondering if my shots missed because of my sight being off. Also, in general, I like to keep things in my life simple with a minimum of accessories and gadgets.

2. Aesthetics. Kind of linked in with simplicity. I just like the way the bow looks and feels. It makes shooting fun for me, instead of just necessary practice.

The challenge. Shooting tiny little groups with wheels is boring after a while. With a longbow, you have to concentrate on every shot or your gonna miss by a mile.

The beauty of a simple wooden bow. Just called to me!
Glenn

It just felt right to me  :)

A wonderful way to take me back to my youth, when a lot of things were simpler. The Skookum that I use too hunt well with at that time, when I was younger. The feel of good long bow and the feel of a well shot arrow. I am there again.

I simply enjoy it.

USN_Sam1385, Good story, I'd like to hunt in your camp sometime you sound like my kind of people!

The challenge and the drive to hunt harder, plus it is fun stuff!

The bow grabbed me first.  Love at first sight.  Always have had an affinity with Native American culture as well and the stickbow fit right in...

That's all we had.  Went to wheels for abfew but longbows retook my heart

I was 9 years old, at my elementry school there was this guy shooting a longbow in our autotorium, his name was Howard Hill! ya ever heard of him....lol...shortly after that my mom bought me my first Ben Pearson , cool huh ..  :)  ....never been the same...Mark#78   :thumbsup:      :goldtooth:      :archer2:

I got tired of bringing so many gadgets like lazer range finders wheel bow with fiber optic sites and a release. Heck just the bow alone had to weigh 5 pounds or more. I just like grabbing my longbow and some arrows and hit the woods. SInce going the traditional route I've never discovered I'd left my release back in the truck after hiking a good ways into the woods.

IMHO traditional archery is just simpler....period!

To better my Woodsmen-ship.

Sam you can't leave us like this   :readit:


For me it was what I considered real archery!  I grew up as a young boy watching my step dad leaving and coming home with his 80# Drake recurve, I was fascinated by the smooth simple curved profile of that bow!  My dad probably didn't weight  135#'s but was a wry muscle and shot in local NFAA tournament at that time and did quite well.  I remember sitting at home and looking at all the bowhunting magazines with the glossy pictures of Bear, Pearson, Martins, Wing and other bow advertisement and saying I wanted one when I got older.  After joining the USAF  I soon purchased my first bow  a Browning Safari but it was the compound model.  I shot it a year or so and just never could convince myself that this was the archery I had dreamed of as a young boy.  Not long after I sold the compound and purchased my heart desire, a GFA era Custom Bighorn (Still have it 22 years old) and new that's what was driving me all them early years, it just felt right.  I've never looked back

It never was how the bow felt when I shot it but how the bow made me feel when I had it in my hand and loosed an arrow..

God bless,Mudd

My Dad bought me a Bear 76er in my early teens, I used to shoot it all the time when we would go shore fishing along the Missouri river, that always stuck with me but I didn't get serious about bowhunting until 1985 when I bought my first Bear Wheelie bow, in 1993 or there abouts I swiched to traditional and never looked back. Thanks Dad!

Got tired of not being able to work on anything myself.  Initially planned on just not having as much stuff to have to mess with.  Now I can start with some sticks, skins, and feathers and end with a nice set of archery gear.  Love it!

I had never bow hunted before for anything, only gun hunted for 3-4 years. In March near my birthday I was with my wife at the Ohio Deer and Turkey Expo in Columbus. While looking at bows, my wife said for my birthday I had my choice between a compound, recurve or longbow(hybrid) that they were selling there. I went with the longbow because it was beautiful and simple, but eventually switched over to a recurve. The recurve in my opinion is even more beautiful and feels "right" in my hand.

I chose the longbow at the time because I knew I would never be satisfied with the compound. I was certain that I would have a nagging thought about whether I could effectively hunt with the longbow. At the time, I was unaware that there was a difference in archery between trad and modern. I just thought the longbow was simpler without all the sights and cams. Also, I am excellent at breaking things and the longbow had less to break.

Over the years I have grown to appreciate a bow in the woods more and more. After firing a gun the animals scatter and everything falls quiet. Often after shooting a bow, the animals stay in the area and will go back to whatever they were doing as they went about their day.

I am glad I made the choice, even if most people just don't understand me. That includes other bowhunters! I only hope that I can do half as much for archery as it has done for me. I think most trad archers feel that way and that is why I love this community.

I shot a wheelie for years. Always shot almost daily. never got tired of it per say. I loved letting arrows go. A few friends moved over to the Trad side of life. I ended up shooting one of their longbows and that was it. Haven't had a wheelie in my hands since. Still let arrows fly daily but now I have to actually try!!! I love it. Ive always considered myself and archer but don't know that I actually knew what that meant until I started shooting, stick and string. Im still really green with it and I really hope this excitement stays with me for the rest of the journey. From what Ive read on here I fully expect it to! Great thread and thanks for sharing everybody. Good Stuff!

I have shot the same Proline Typhoon XT compound since about 1989, I think.  Always fingers, never used a release, but sights, yes.  Still pull it out from time to time, as I enjoy it, in spite of its obsolete technology.

My dad was a big archery guy and ran a shop in the 60s and 70s.  He always set me and my brother up with our archery gear, and we grew up puttering around on compounds.  Dad had honed his hunting skills with a JH Gamemaster on Catalina Island, in California.  He was a crack shot, and a killer hunter.  At some point, he started shooting a compound.  Then we moved to Alaska in 1979.  Dad went out moose hunting that year and killed a 70" moose at 86 yards with a compound.  It was facing him, and he shot it through the jugular vein.  I can still remember him telling me how the blood gushing out was like a stream from a garden hose.    He was putting his gear away and I remember him saying something to the effect of, "This is too easy.  It wasn't even fun."  I never forgot that.  Dad kind of hung up his archery gear after that, and communicated his frustration that compounds were getting too close to shooting a crossbow.

I hunted a bit growing up, killing small game with my compound, but it was only mildly amusing.  Then, in 2006, my dad surprised me with a Black Widow PMA.  By this time, I was 35 years old and lived far away, with a family of my own.  He wanted to pass on his archery heritage to his boys, and we all planned a big traditional archery caribou hunt the following year in Alaska.  At this time, I lived in Illinois, and my brother and his family lived overseas.  I had never shot a recurve before.  We all started practicing, and I practiced every day in the parking lot of the apartment complex where I lived.  I practiced around 10-11pm to stay out of trouble.  I was real excited, learning, learning, learning.  Then came the crushing news that dad died suddenly in a freak heart arrhyrhmia episode, at home in Alaska in March 2007.  We were to be hunting caribou that fall.

I do traditional archery because I really enjoy it.  I feel like it brings out the 'artist' in me.  I do trad archery because I aspire to be like my father was.  It was clear to me that his enjoyment increased a hundredfold when he started shooting trad equipment again.  And I find some of the same joy in it that my dad did.  I guess I started to do trad archery because it's in my family.

Started out with a fiberglass recurve 28 years ago (still have it).  I dabbled with compounds in the late 80s to early 90s.  Went back to recurves because they were a bit more honest & just felt right.  Got into longbows a few years ago to live out my inner Howard Hill...

There are a couple of reasons:

1) I learned to shoot a compoud instinctively as a kid with no sights and tab, funny enough.  As a teenager I began hunting with a compound until my father in law took me out to west Texas to hunt with a buddy of his for my birthday about 7 years ago.  We were stalking pigs in some thick stuff and we could smell them.  I was looking about 20 yards ahead expecting to see them anytime.  I was not expecting the bedded boar to jump up 2-3 in front of me from behind a bush.  My father in law's friend drew his Great Plains Texas long curve and put an arrow in him immediatley.  I was still trying to hook my doodad onto my thingy to pull back my watchamacallit when the boar turned and headed right for us.  I would love to say I courageously stared him down but I think I urinated on myself as I dove off into a bush.  Luckily he turned at the last minute but I learned a valuable lesson, compounds are great for targets and for preplanned hunting situations but an instinctive bow is much more efficient for the unpredictable hunting situation.

2) shooting a compound is a science to me, shoot a stick bow is a sport, an art.  I would never want to stop calculate the distance and arch at which I would need to throw a baseball or take a shot in basketball, I just want to look at where I'm throwing or shooting and "feel" it.  To do otherwise would strip the joy out of it for me.  

3) Lastly, the challenge and joy of having to know my game better in order to get closer to them. It helps me feel more a part of nature rather than standing outside of it and reaching out to touch it.

I hate to say vanity, but my initial attraction was to the elegance of the bows and associated tackle. However after shooting awhile I stayed because it is a versatile and descreet weapon.

My Father is the reason I got into trad,when we were kittle he would make our bows from an osage limb,then when we got a little older he got us a fiberglass bow.Once I was about 14 he bought me a bear super mag for my birthday started taking us to the indoor range in town,met my first mentor who took me hunting,was a great experience,all this from a man who didn't hunt deer,tried compounds didn't like them just seemed that if you knew the yardage it was to simple,went back to trad once I retired from the Navy,never been happier.

1) I grew up shooting a Bear glass longbow, and used to go to shoots with my Dad. Then I migrated to the wheelie bow side of things, but grew tired of pulling a trigger (too much like gun hunting...which I will still do with Black powder). I craved something different and yet familiar....thus back to my childhood roots and to something I did with my Dad. The second reason is below.

2) Seven words, "This site and All of You People!". I do love the simplicity, the ability to make my own things, (i.e. strings, arrows, bows, etc...), and the friendly good natured attitude of the majority of other Trad Archers. I don't think I've met any Trad archer's yet that wasn't willing to help me out, or give me assistance with just about any or every aspect of traditional archery. I can't say the same for the wheelie bow crowd. Most of the ones I've met when I did shoot with training wheels could care less about if I had problems or not, so long as they won the money, or the prize or the trophy. That is one HUGE reason I love trad archery. NO PRESSURE, just a bunch of great guys shooting, having and making fun of each other, and giving praise for great shots. Now throw in all of the great people on this site....I can't be happier and more proud than to be a member of any greater group of folks than all of you on here. SO...that was my reason for the original seven words up top.
Thanks,
John

Just like the name of your business, Keep it simple.Only I like K.I.S.S. for myself... gotta add that last letter.

Started out with a compound. Disliked all the gadgetry and the hundred and one things that could go wrong. Squeeky wheel, loose bolt, bumped pin sight, etc. Also frustrated with the industry telling me I have to have this or have to have that or you need to have the fastest bow in order to be able to even kill a deer. I guess it comes down to what most have already said...simplicity, getting back to basics and enjoying the hunt for what it is...the hunt.

I used to tell wheel shooters that if I have to explain it, you probably wouldnt understand, now I invite them to take a couple shots with my bow.

Reading "Hunting the Hard Way" and then reading online about Paul Schafer; and one Archery Action article by Mick Baker; and a photo in Archery Action of a wild-lookin' bloke named Albert Agale with a recurve and a toothy boar. I was going to buy a Mathews whiz-bang thing, to replace the old-clunker Hoyt compound (wooden limbs, mind) that kept me company through much of college; but after due consideration and contemplation of the above, opted to try a Martin Hunter recurve.

the challenge

My dad got me into shooting a bow when I was 8 or so shooting compounds. It was fun but lost its luster around highschool when other sports became more important. Picked up a compound after my senior year wrestling season and shot that for a year, came into a great deal on two 70's Bear recurves. Shot those after the work day was over and fell in love and gave my compound bow to a co-worker the day after. I love the look of the bows much more than that of a dead metal compound '=/.

The simplicity and I had my dad's old recurve sitting around willing me to shoot it.  I've never even shot a compound, not interested in any way, shape or form.

Challenge
Semplicity
The beauty of the bows and of the woods
The natural feeling on drawing a stik

It was just archery when I started.  They wouldn't let me run all over the country side with a gun when i was 7 so the bow and arrow was the ticket for a few years.  I fell in love with it and the rest is history as they say.  

I did shoot a compound for some years, but never lost the love of shooting stick bows and have gone back to mostly shooting them now.

Initially, I chose traditional archery because of an injury I suffered to my right shoulder when I drew my Jennings Buckmaster c******d without an arrow on the string that I could walk into the backyard and release into my target.  It took me 8 weeks of therapy to get back into shooting shape.

Budro, the owner of The Archery Shop convinced me to switch to traditional.  That was 10+ years ago and 150+ stickbows ago!     :(    Yes, I've earned a reputation, but, I have had fun!     :biglaugh:   I stuck with traditional archery because when I started shooting stickbows I found it to be more fun than a kid, errr, man, should be allowed to have.

Bill

I guess I should ammend my earlier post. I started trad archery as a 7 year old. We made "trad" bows and arrows as kids to hunt birds. Never got a bird with our twigs and twine, but we sure did try. We didn't even know what we were doing, but we cut self nocks in the end of the arrows so they would stay on the string and whittled a sharp point on the other end. As a kid I didn't know it was called a self nock or trad archery! That was also back in the day where a kid could carry a pocket knife. I remember we also painted lines on our face to look like "indians" with my moms make up case...    

Not too bad for a city kid with no hunting mentor!

A book got me started in archery! In 7th grade I found the book 'Hunting the Hard Way' by Howard Hill in the public library and I've been hooked ever since.

Great thread!!

P.S. SAM!!! How did your hunt end?????   :readit:    :campfire:

When I was young, I shot some kids bows and recurves.  I then got caught up in the compound out of high school.  Took several animals with it.  I had the same compound for nearly 25 years.  I became a game warden and saw how so many bowhunters got caught up in the ever increasing technology of compounds.  It made me  miss the simplicity of traditional equipment as so many lost the connection to the roots of bowhunting.  I returned to trad bows and got rid of my old compound.  I love the look and feel of the traditional bows.

The reason I switched from compound to traditional was the simplicity of the longbow. I now only have to worry about a few things malfunctioning as opposed to many.  Yes, things did go wrong when I used a compound.  

I also got tired of 'keeping up with the Joneses' with all the latest compounds and associated gizmos.  This got pretty expensive after a few years.  

This fall will be my second hunting season with a longbow.  I tagged one big game animal(small elk) but no deer.  It is my dream as well as my goal, to tag a whitetail this fall.

In all, I am glad to have gone from compound to traditional.  The ride has been awesome so far.

Aesthetics.

Lots of very nice recurves and longbows out there.
And the challenge and the fun.

1) I love the heritage and simplicity of a stick and string.

2) Fred Bear beat my great grandpa to the punch in developing the first fiberglass bows.(by a few months)

3) When I meet those compound carrying hunters in the elk woods they often look at me, then my bow, then back to me, with this strange face and say "you gotta be s*#%ing me!"

the simplistic difficulty. The challenge of trying to become a better shot.

As a kid I made simple bows from limbs, graduated to a bear recurve when I got out of the army in 69. When wheels came out I switched to them for a bunch of years but got tired of the tuning and parts failures. A limb that split while I was drawing on my best buck ever at 7yds sealed my compounds fate. This was in 89, never shot a wheeled contraption again except for a shot or two out of someone else's just to be polite. One shot is all it takes to remind me what a piece of junk a wheel bow is.

i love the diy (do it yourself) aspect of trad hunting and equipment, and also the opened mindness of the trad world. theres no one certain setup thats the best just you and your design. IMO  :)

It wasn't "traditional archery" when I started, it was just "archery".  I never saw, or really heard of, a compound until the mid 70's, I'd been shooting over 15 years by then.

I like wood.

i felt terrible when i missed one with a wheelie HAVING SIGHTS.. still bothers me when i miss one with recurve , but hey, i dont have any sights !

I can't tell the rest of the story, as we were hunting with compound bows and I want to ensure that I stay within the posting regulations.

:-P It ended well however.

Simple. That's all there was when I took up archery. Later, I never was attractrd to wheels.

No wheels when I was a kid . And always thought componds were too ugly to owen. Just plain fun.The bows were forgoten about for a real long time then I seen  Tred Barta on tv and I thought hey I have some bows and stuff some place in this place.

Traditional bows are a more effective hunting weapon for me, that's why I use them.

Explanation if you want to take the time to read...

When I started hunting with a bow at 14, my father was shooting a Bear 76'er that was spray painted camo.  But, he bought me a "C-bow".  He thought he was doing the right thing for me...  Now don't get me wrong, I loved shooting, and took many, many critters with various "C-bows" over the years.  But, I always had a recurve that I shot for "fun" from time to time.  Well, over the years hunting for one reason or another I'd miss opportunities with the "C-bow"... more often then not it was because I couldn't get drawn and lined up with the peep and sights in time to get the shot off.  

So, I kept track of those instances along with shot distance of successful shots.  Got to shooting the recurve more and more and was getting proficient.  In '99 I bought myself a used Black Widow SA III (which I named "The Light") because it literally was like a light switch got turned on.  I wasn't as accurate at longer distances as I was with the "C-bow" but could get shots off a lot quicker and accurately.  I took 4 deer that year, and three of them were with the Widow... Two of them were short, quick draw and shoot shots that hit their mark.  I think there would have only been two deer in the freezer if I hadn't been shooting the Widow that year.  

So, I went back to my log and figured the number of shots over 20 - 25 yards vs. the number of shots I was unable to take due to the drawbacks of the "C-bow".  Low and behold there were far more instances where I could have gotten off an accurate shot quickly with the recurve vs. missing out on longer shots.  So, in my thinking the traditional bow would give me more successful shot opportunities then the "C-bow".  So at the turn of the century I sold my "C-bow" and haven't looked back.

Bowhunter4life   your so right. The varmints I hunt some times theres only seconds to shoot no time to think too much. A trad bow is a better weapon for fast shots than a compond.

Three reasons ...
A childhood affinity with all things Robin Hood that still , albeit geekily , resounds with me today
Bob Swinehart ... the most dashing of hunting archers ...
And I look better in plaid ........

The challenge (brought me to wheel bows) but then simplicity and tradition!  I was tired with fighting peep sights twisting, missing a shot realizing that when I pulled my bow up in the dark I banged the sight out of place or broke the fiber optics and couldnt take a shot in low light!  Bringing so much crap like I was going on a week long elk hunt in reality was for a afternoon hunt in a woodlot off a soy bean field! Always been interested archers from the medievel English longbowmen to Fanasty Lord of the Rings or Rangers apprentice from my son's books (NERD ALERT but wish I could shoot like Legolas or Halt, an excuse for more practice)!

2 arrows at once huh. :-P

Perfect example yesterday. I was sneaking around the back of my shed with my bow at half draw. I was preparing for what I thought would be a 8-10 yeard shot on a groundhog in back of the shed. Instead, he popped out of a hole on the side of my shed about 2-3 yards away. I finished my draw and shot him through the neck into the off shoulder. I never would have got him with a c-bow.

Unfortunately he slipped back under the shed and broke my arrow in half getting in his hole. I was going to make him into dinner, but no luck.     :banghead:

It is just plain old fun.How many compound shooters on their out of the woods.Would look at a old stump or a leaf along side of the trail and pull out a blunt point and take a shoot ?  :archer2:  They would say no I may break arrow or lose it.  :nono:

Aside from fiberglass recurves in gym class & Boy Scouts, as a child of the suburbs I have no "tradition" of archery or hunting. I came to it later in life, first with an entry level compound, then a recurve. Having a friend and a co-worker who are experienced recurve hunters supported my interest. The recurve, on the surface, seemed simpler, more graceful, less "tech". Compound bows, with all the choices, cams, rests, sights, releases, stabilizers, seemed overwhelming to a newb.

Culturally the trad-bow guys seemed more relaxed, enjoying the experience and the art, compared to the obnoxious "Team this" and "Deer Murder Mafia" that mentality.

However, the "trad only" attitude doesn't work for me. I've learned that archery is archery, and the bow is just a tool- and certain jobs call for different tools.

Got tired of worrying if my rest was going to unscrew or my sights vibrate loose or my cams coming out of time etc.  this was in the mid 90s and the bow technology was nothing like it is today.  I sold my compound after 2 years and picked up a recurve and fell in love with the fact that I was not married to a set of allen wrenches and locktite anylonger!

Fred Bear's exploits and his local reputation. I was born and raised in the same PA towns as Fred.

Of course it wasn't considered "traditional".....it was just archery.

Its plain and simple for me..... It is more fun to hunt with traditional gear.

It was the challenge.  I was all caught up in the hype, I had the latest and greatest gadgets and was always looking for the next thing.  One afternoon I was shooting in the yard and after making 40 and 50 yard shots arrow after arrow and being able to put 6 arrows in a bottle cap at 20 yards I thought to myself "this is pointless.  I bowhunt for the challenge and this is not a challenge at all.  It's almost like hunting with a gun."  I didn't switch to trad, I quit bowhunting completely.  Then one day my uncle (we were raised as brothers) called me and said that he and some friends wanted me to go to a trad bowshoot with them and that our one friend was willing to let me try his Bear Montana for a few weeks and use it at the shoot.  Long story short, I bought the Montana, the c-bow has long been sold, and I have been a trad addict for 7 years now.

All there was when I started

I switched to traditional archery for the sport of it. We hunt for the enjoyment of the outdoors and getting back to our roots. Compounds these days with all the fiber-optic sights and range finders mounted to them take all the sport out of it. There is very little skill involved with shooting compounds in my opinion. Why not just hunt from a helicopter with a grenade?

My best friend got me started in traditional archery. He has shot traditional bows for quite some time. Once I tried it I was hooked.

In a nut shell, an anthropological interest in Native Americans drew me to traditional archery/bowhunting.

I posted then read some more of the other's posts. Looks like I copied Todd's post!

Simplicity, and the fact that anyone can do it with a compound!

Indians.  Growing up, I always wanted to hunt like the Indians did.  Although my bow is a far cry from the ones the native americans used, I still have a link to them when I'm hunting with a traditional bow and after 50 years of archery, I still have that connection.

I got interested in Trad BOWHUNTING more so than Trad Archery.


Gave up of gun powder in my late 20s...

Gave up the Wheels a few seasons after...

Just wanted more of a challenge.

for me I had taken a few goats with my longbow but on 1 trip I could see 3 goats at the top of a ridge looked on the seat beside me and thought imp not carrying the rifle or compound up there today so I grabbed my longbow off the back seat sharpened the broad heads on my wooden shafts and walked up the hill and around the back of where they were slowly stalking down I noticed I was above about 30 goats that were hidden from view of the car. I watched them at about 10m for half an hour before I saw an ok Billy. I was at 5m when I saw a good 35inch goat out of the corner of my eye and thought he is mine (not quite) about a hour in to stalking him I had moved about 10m over open ground in full view of the rest of the mob and still 20m away from my Billy when he got up and started to walk away into the thick under growth. I had lost him but kept looking when I was charged by a small boar who didn't like me on his door step. the pig got my heart going and put me on high alert witch turned out to be a good thing and I noticed the Billy about 50m in front of me laying down 2 hours of stalking and looking and I had lost him again. I was about to give up and go back to the car when I saw a Billy with long thin horns so I decided to take him out of the aria. I stalked in to 4m in about 10minouts and put an arrow through his lungs. I was standing there after the shot and court movement up to my left just up the hill. I was shocked my Billy was still lying in his bed that I was trying to find and he had 2 other good Billy's with him so I left him for another day and went to get some photos of the 1 I had shot. after a few days of kicking my self for not taking my compound it dawned on me that if I did he would have been dead but it would have been any where near as  satisfying  as the smaller Billy shot with the longbow. That was my last hunt where I took my compound for some time and I have only shot 2 goats with it this year and that was only because I was hunting with an old guy who loves his wheelie bows.

I shot a compound from the time I was 10 until I was in my 30's.  Then I developed carpal tunnel in both hands and having the strap on my release pulling on my wrist was agony.  I'm sad to say I actually walked away from archery, and hunting in general, for about 3 years.  My brother got into shooting traditional gear during that time and kept on me to try it.  I finally relented and was instantly hooked.  I bought a takedown recurve, a dozen arrows and the rest, as they say, is history.  I haven't enjoyed the level of success I had using my wheel bow (I'm still waiting for my first traditional harvest) but as we all know it's the journey that makes this sport so enjoyable.  TRW

Fits my style of hunting better, Might call it freestyle bow hunting which is no style. Not always straight up and down or canted the same angle every time, not all ways full draw. Sitting, standing, bent over, feet in what ever position they are when the shot is taken. It is easier with a recurve or longbow (1,2,3 pcs.). I really hesitate using the word easier, it seem to be a no no here anymore. Hunting the hard way??? don't think so.

create more of a challenge of bowhunting, then fell in love with the beauty of the bows and arrows, now it has caused me to stop and enjoy mother nature even more and enlightened my spirit with joy.

I tried the compounds for about 2 years back in the 80's, and it wasn't my cup of tea.
I guess I'm just 'old school' at heart. Love the look of longbows and recurves, the smell of Port Orford Cedar, and quiet times in the woods.
My music preferences are Old Time and Bluegrass along with delta blues, and I even enjoy ragtime. I play banjo clawhammer style. Maybe I'm just a throwback to another time.

It was the people that drew me in and still do.

The challenge got me interested the people of Traditional Archery are by far what has kept my interest.