There was an interesting thread going on that sparked my curiousity.This will be my 4th season of hunting of any kind.I have been working really hard in the places that I have permission to hunt, but have yet to shoot a deer.I have gotten close quite a few times but have made some rookie mistakes. I chose to use a longbow to hunt with because I thought it would make me a better hunter, having to get close and to learn the ways of deer.I know my time will come, hopefully this year.I love this type of hunting.So here are my questions:
Am I hunting because I haven't killed anything yet?
Why are trad hunters such a minority?
Thanks for taking the poll.
I think the main reason more people don't shoot trad gear is because they don't know much about it, and have become convinced somehow that it isn't effective.
Also, traditional gear is somewhat less accessible - its not available in most stores up here, other than a few old recurves in the corner and some cheap finger tabs. Unless you're willing to shop extensively online for your stuff, you're going to be disappointed in the ability to find traditional bowhunting supplies.
Other shooting weapons are better known and (appear to be) more effective. Trad archery has an intimidating learning curve for some.
It is all I have hunted with.
I went 3-4 years before my first kill, killing is a very small part of hunting.
QuoteOriginally posted by Jake Diebolt:
I think the main reason more people don't shoot trad gear is because they don't know much about it, and have become convinced somehow that it isn't effective.
Also, traditional gear is somewhat less accessible - its not available in most stores up here, other than a few old recurves in the corner and some cheap finger tabs. Unless you're willing to shop extensively online for your stuff, you're going to be disappointed in the ability to find traditional bowhunting supplies.
What he said plus with a compound you can get all tuned up and be hitting pie plates at 50 yards a week before season and if you want to do that with trad gear it takes dedication and most don't have that in them.
Edit: Not to mention they don't even have to tune it,the shop where they bought it will do that for them.
I think Jake and Mike nailed it... In today's "gotta have it now" society, few people are willing to put in the time and effort required to effectively shoot traditional archery.
The poll results speak for themselves.
Trad is just one step further in making the hunt challenging and unique.
I have a friend who hunts only with a compound; this year he shot a huge moose at a range I am not even going to mention here, because to me it was WAAY to far, even though he got the moose with a quick kill. He has killed 100 plus big game animals with his compound, so he is certainly no rookie. After the moose, he says that next year he is going to revert to a recurve, because I think he sees the compound as just too easy at his skill level. I think that many good hunters with a compound will eventually decide that they need a bigger challenge and will come to more traditional equipment. Knowing this guy's drive and skill, I'm sure that he will be more satisfied with the overall hunting experience when he hunts with the recurve. And I doubt that he will go hungry.
To many "Hunters" have the gotta get one syndrome. Hunting with traditional gear makes that just that much harder. I also hunt with firearms and the last few years have spent much more time with a recuvre or longbow in my hand. I'm not successful but I enjoy myself.
i think alot of it is what everyone sees on tv...
You are hunting if you have not killed anything yet, but that is the main goal of hunting, not to go make buddies and look at nature, if that were the case we would all carry cameras. Also, the poll is skewed I believe as many guys have not hunted long with trad bows and should realize it is no harder to kill deer with a stick and string than a compound, the only thing that makes it harder is getting closer not the fact we shoot stick and string. I just get mad because guys use the fact that we hunt with trad equipment as an excuse for not killing stuff instead of saying I have a hard time getting close enough for a shot, they blame the equipment. Shawnh
One big advantage trad bows have over compounds is that they can be shot over the shoulder, horizontal, or canted vs perfectly upright. That can definitely help in certain situations.
I think the comments by everyone have been right on.
As for me, I enjoy shooting my two recurves because of the simplicity of a recurve over a compound.
The first question should be obvious if you hang around any younger people who bowhunt.
1. A compound is easier to master than a traditional bow.
2. Compound is faster by far and flatter shooting.
3. Compound hunter think they can hit game at much longer yardages.
4. Compounds are the latest and greatest and offer scads of doo-dads and accessories for them.
5. Compounds have wild color strings and cables.
6. Compounds are what the TV heroes use.
7. Compounds are coooooool.
8. You don't need to practice very much with a compound.
9. Compounds obsolete themselves almost every year so you get your buying fix upgrading yours.
10. No self respecting bowhuntress would use anything but a compound.
Seriously, this is how they think. Just ask them.
I definitely agree that the goal of hunting is killing the animal, but its not the only goal. I also think we are splitting hairs here Shawn. Getting closer IS the hard part, but we have to get close because of the stick and string. I suppose we could get just as close with a rifle or a compound, and maybe thats your point, but we don't have to. With a stick and string we have to.I can't blame my eqipment. I have some really good equipment. I blame my lack of experience.I'm definitely close and have no excuses except needing some more time. I'm in no hurry however.Just being in the woods is good for me. To each his own.
Killed plenty w/compound & longbow. Prefer the longbow because the compound was no longer fun. It was very boring & no more a challenge. Near gave up archery altogether. Owner of Viking Archery put a lb in my hand & in 15 minutes I was home again, rehooked on lb's only since near 35 years ago. No better than any hunter, just luckier to hunt w/what I enjoy most.
The times I have been outraged is when I help young hunters get all set up, show them how to sharpen their broadheads, teach them how to shoot, and help them with their hunt. Then find that they don't practice, did not sharpen the rest of their broadheads, start chasing animals around like they are shotgun hunters and end up blaming me when they hit a deer and could not find it. they then declare that their stuff is no good, go out buy compound gear and arrows and then immediately think they are superior beings.
The same reason so many hunt with modern "muzzleloaders"....which are basically a one shot .270 with ranges out to 300 yards, a far cry from a traditional patch and ball muzzleloader that I think of when I think smoke-pole.
A compound is easier. Flat out my humble honest opinion.
Less work.
When we had to share seasons with the patch and ball black powder group, they were civil polite and safe. The inline crowd is a different breed, pushy, mostly ride around, will shoot at deer out in field long after shooting hours and at extreme ranges. Seems like most of the ones around here also shoot compounds or come from the shotgun seasons thinking that they can get the big bucks before the bowhunters get them.
As a guy who's used both compounds and trad bows I can say with certainty that a compound is easier to shoot (it has sights). But, that's doesn't mean that the shooter is not a good HUNTER. Remember, being a HUNTER does not specify what weapon you use, only how you use it. HUNTING is more a mentality than a method.
With that said, there's also trad shooters who are very 'snooty' against compound hunters. I don't find most of us trad guys are brand miopic, because there are so many different kinds of equipment in trad bows including all kinds of custom bows. But, there's lots of trad guys out there who look down upon compound guys b/c they think they are not HUNTERS. Most of the compound guys I see at the range are amazed that I hunt with a trad bow in today's day and age of technology.
I know my reply is long winded and perhaps may offend some, but it's the honest truth. Remember that HUNTING is a mentality, and that even a compound guy can be a great HUNTER. The ultimate goal of hunting is to take an animal, so if you require a compound to do so, please by all means, do just that. I won't look down on you, many of us started with compounds or at least have dabbled in them.
Yornoc, easier to shoot yes, but easier to kill deer with, that is a matter of opinion only. Brian Sorry, I have killed 50 plus deer with a compound and 20 plus with Trad gear, not splitting hairs, I set all my stands than and now for shots under 20 yards. Did not make any difference which bow. Gun, well than you could make a valid argument to me, as that is different. To me killing something is the only goal, the other things make it nice, but why am I out there hanging 63 stands and preparing stand sites by trimming and even raking my paths into them, well to kill something. If your main goal is not to kill something maybe that is your problem. Make it your main goal(not only goal)but your main one and maybe just maybe you will kill something. I feel as hunters we all should strive to do our best and the best a hunter can do is achieve his main objective and that is too kill something we are hunting. stratera well said,='s Nuff Said! Shawn
I remember an encounter with a compound shooter who just could'nt understand my (our)phylosophy.My goal is to get as close as possible to my prey (to me=better hunter).Is goal was to be able to shoot it as far as he could (to him=better long distance shooter).He was kind of shaking his head in disbeleaf.Life and time are not static it's a continuous movement and trad archery is,to me,a movement to commitment...
Shawn, totally agree. My opinion has NOTHING to do with hunting/killing deer. Just easier to be accurate with.
I personally dont care what anyone uses. I like trad gear myself. But I'll go on a rifle hunt anyday than go to work. :bigsmyl:
while i think a compound is MUCH easier for longer shots, and doesnt take near the amount of practice or persistance, i think a traditional bow is actually easier for close shots. and, i think a lot of it is the hunter, as in i think the upper tier compound hunters would fare well with traditional gear as well, given the practice with the equipment. maybe not as well as they do with the compounds, but im betting they would still get their share of animals.
i shot compounds for many years, both compounds and tradtional for many years, and now am strictly traditional for one reason, WAYYYY more fun!
To each thier owen. Just go hunting for goodnes sakes.
For what it's worth, here is my opinion.... Most of us at one time were compound shooters. Most of us love bowhunting more than the average guy and wanted that extra challenge that we feel we weren't getting with the compound and made the switch. Is it handicapping ourselves, I say no, only challenging ourselves to be better hunters and get closer to game. This is the fire that we all crave.
Shawn, can I ask why you chose to start hunting with trad after hunting with compounds?
I have nothing against compound hunters, rifle hunters, or any other hunter. I have a big problem with snide remarks made by ignorant people. And an even bigger problem with snide remarks by well informed people.
Brought in my bow to the man I bought it from to get set up with some arrows. He apparently forgot the only person in town to come in looking for a recurve bow. He began telling me a story about his friend who nearly made the olympic team shooting a recurve and that he would always tell him that some day he'd grow up and buy a compound. Now, it was by now means what he said that got to me. It was how he said it and the way he looked at me after he said it.
A few days later I was in to pick the arrows up. My fletching choice was pink and green, 2 pink 1 green. Easier to see and imho they came out to look very nice. One of his buddies came in who needed some fletch work done and he agreed to do it free of charge. Before the man left he noticed my arrows. "Those are some nice looking arrows there, looks like something you'd see hanging from a womans ears!"
Again I have a tolerance for rib jabbing, if he knew they were my arrows. I then heard the owner, and man who fletched, very sloppy I might add, my arrows reply. "Thats exactly what I thought when the guy asked for pink" and a loud chuckle.
The man is a very two faced sort of man. He has a reputation for being a jerk and I was giving him the benefit even after what he said the first time. He shoots compound but obviously has no respect for traditional archery. He even told me the day I bought the bow he wouldn't reccomend hunting white tail because a recurve at 49# wouldn't do well enough to kill the deer.
Sorry for the long windedness but I know the difficulties of shooting a compound, sights or not, you need to aim and that can be a pain. I chose traditional to start my hunting days with because it gave me a feeling of accomplishment just thinking about taking a deer with stick and string.
I respect hunters, but I do not respect badmouths. (To put it politely).
Shoot to kill, and only shoot if you can kill it. Everything else in the equation has no merit. We enjoy traditional, and that's why we congregate here. To each his, or her, own.
Not much for me to add. I agree with some of what is written above and not so much with a couple comments.
One thing I didn't read directly mentioned has to do with access to view and handle the variety of top-notch recurves (ok, longbows too) out there. I think if a pack of compound shooters went to a trad-vaganza they would be amazed, impressed, and intrigued. I think those who were past piling up a body count (not that the body count isn't an important part of the trad hunt) would be drawn to the "trad" equipment.
I shot recurves with others of my generation in the 60's and early 70's. I killed a couple of deer with a Pearson Cougar and a Bear B Mag.
Then, I was introducted to a PSE (Citation compound 33% let-off) in 1975. As soon as I saw the thing shot (the shooter was an indoor pro)I was sold -- literally. Thus began a 34-year attraction to 20+ compound bows. I liked the accuracy and, while I only used extended range twice in all those years, I liked adding 10-15 yards to my effective range.
Around 2000 I was a guest speaker a the Kentucky Klassic in Pulaski County Kentucky. I had never been to a trad-fest before. I couldn't believe the beautiful bows; Hummingbird, Acadia, Fox, Bighorn, and assorted others I had never heard of. I bought one the next year and another 4 years later. However, I wasn't ready to give up those 10-15 yards of "gimmee" range yet. Then in 2010 I did.
Unless I get hurt or damaged to the point I can't shoot my recurves, I can't imagine ever turning back to hunting with the compound. I have nothing against em or those who hunt with them -- some of the best hunters I know still use compounds. I enjoy the beauty of custom recurves. I love the challenge of shooting the recurve accurately.
I feel greater accomplishment when I've killed a deer (hopefully a turkey soon) with a recurve. That feeling was beginning to wear off with the compound.
Personally, I'm all for starting new archers with compounds. Let them learn a lot with this equipment about archery, bowhunting, and themselves. At some point I think many will seek to make the hunt a bit more difficult and they will turn to traditional. However, far more will simply quit bowhunting altogether because they develop shooting issues, have changes in priorities, or get bored with the compound and don't know there is an exciting, viable traditional alternative.
I've developed a bit of a bad habit that I'm gonna break. Occassionally I catch myself talking bowhunting with another hunter. Too often I've found a way to 'slip in' that I hunt with a recurve. Shame on me. I think I'm wrong to do that and it says something unappealing about me. I'm going to focus on the hunt, the quarry, and the hunter and let the equipment choices speak for themselves. The last thing I want to do is come across as better or elite. There are far too many fellows out there better than me in every aspect of bowhunting for me to ever act like that.
The world changes very quickly these days. We are a High Tech society. New high tech gadgetry that is constantly changing in design is the rage these days. I have seen compounds and crossbows take over the Trade magazines. Trad is a minority because the Archery market is approx 80% high tech and 20% Trad so the visibility/dollars/energy goes high tech. A few people remember where we come from and enjoy/"live" the challenge of the old ways. But most people live in the present and high tech rules the present/future. Enjoy that fact that you are a minority "living" the Traditional ways. But do not have expectations that Traditional Archery is ever going to come close to the High Tech market in the future. And yes you are Hunting(pursuing game for food or sport)whether you have a spear or an AR15 or something in between in your hands!
I myself hunt with Shotgun, muzzleloader, pistol and even a compound on a occasion as I have had some health issues so I hope the comment above was not directed at me. Marshall has it right, for me it is about getting close, hell if I could legally hunt deer with a spear I would do it and I would not consider it a handicap at all because I chose to do it, same with a stick and string! Shawn
This is hard stuff. Those of you that think it's easy must have forgot the learning curve. I have hunted my whole life and killed a lot of game. Switched to "trad" 6 yrs ago. took 2 years for first kill. Probably the best of my life.
Not everyone has the time to learn this way. I will never knock someone for their choice of weapon as long as the laws and good ethics are followed.
Dont jump to conclusions anyone. Saying trad archery is not as easy as compound archery does not necessarily make compound shooting "easy."
I for one believe trad is much more difficult.
That does not mean compound shooting/ hunting is a piece of cake. Just easier than trad equipment "in my opinion."
Hopefully no one is knocking anyone. It was a pretty simple question and is just getting answered in the opinions of those asked. No need to take things beyond that!
trad hunters need to practice all year. wheelie hunters can pull out the bow 2 days before the season opens.
Because different people have different interests. I like rock, you like classical, I like scotch whiskey, you prefer Pepsi. Some folks just aren't interested in traditional.
Thats ok, being different is what makes this world interesting.
As I have said before without shame, to me trad has been a whole lot easier and more effective than my old Hoyt compounds otherwise I still be hunting with wheels. I had a lot of equipment failures with compounds and missed a lot of split second opportunities. If you hunt like me, you are looking for 10 yard shots with gun, bow or anything else. For this type of hunting trad is easier than a compound.
I love guns and gun hunting but just have more opportunities to bowhunt otherwise Id never put down my .35 that I inherited from my dad.
The thing that really sold me on traditional hunting is the bowyers art and the exotic woods used nowadays not a higher level of challenge. I also like to look at fine guns although I cant afford many of them. Not many compound bows out there that you can look at and say "Wow Thats Pretty!"
Trad is definately no excuse for not killing stuff and no more challenging than wheels or a crossbow for that matter. In my book we have the upper hand so lets not fool ourselves and say we're taking the enlightened road.
23 years of living traditional archery hunting here.... read/listened to anything traditional related, had good equipment, shot year round, etc, etc, etc. This is the first year I will be carrying a compound...... I lost interest in it.. Got sick of shooting all the time, passing up shots that were just not in my range, making poor/missing shots on close deer. After last year I was totally fed up and quit the traditional side of archery...
Damn right traditional shooting is more difficult. I am not totally sold on the compound yet, but I shoot it more accurately than I ever shot the recurve.
yes you are a "hunter". i hunt to soothe MY sould and it is in my blood, i was born with the desire to hunt. i "kill" when it feels right to ME and i need not justify MY reasons to ANYONE. its a personal thing, there is no right and wrong just what feels right to YOU.
Its clearly a personal decision to most of us. I just know that I can't wait for the opportunity to get out and try again this fall.To teach my kids to respect nature.Will I kill a deer if the opportunity presents itself?You're damn right.Call it what you want. I hope everyone has a great season and they get out of it everything that they want. And if I should shoot one, I'll be sure to take some pictures with my camera!
If not for my own inadequecies, I should have had several deer EVERY year with trad equiptment. The senarios were perfect, the deer stopped in shooting lanes and looked the other direction, etcetera. Everything was perfect except for me. Trad equiptment is not a detriment in the woods. I could have shot a doe yesterday morning, but passed because she was too jumpy. I didn't like the possibility of a wounded deer, so she walked. It turned out to be a good choice because she bolted seconds later. She would have been outta there before the arrow was even close. A compound would have made ZERO difference.
Because they have a choice,some people like guns,some compounds,some both,it doesn't matter to me just as long as I can hunt the way I choise with traditional equipment.
I believe that not everyone is hunting traditional because they have yet to realize how light a longbow can be. At about a pound adding a few more ounces for my arrows...life is good and travel light. I am shocked at the weight of some of these speed bow rigs. I think the need for speed is partially driven by the bow's attraction to the ground.
Well I think this type of thing just needs not be started in the first place. But, here I go.
I have to side with what Shawn, Izzy, and one or two others have stated. They think the most like I do.
That comment about in-line muzzle loaders being single shot 270's made me spit out my soda. :rolleyes: That in-line stuff is mostly hype much like the compound stuff. Very few users of either can really push them to consistent long range accuracy. Most can just manage reasonable range hunting shots and need all the help they can get to do that. I wouldn't want them shooting anything less accurate.
I personally hunt mostly to kill stuff. We eat wild meat for 75% or more of the meat we eat every year. I can't recall the last time we got beef. The rest of the experience is great, but hunting has always been about killing and eating stuff through the generations of my family. Maybe I got raised wrong. I don't judge a good hunt by rather I get anything or not, but I do everything possible to be successful each hunt. The closer I get to a kill the better the hunt. I don't take repeated failure lightly.
Nothing wrong with doing it the hard way and never shooting a thing at all as far as I am concerned, but don't get down on those who go out with the intent to kill something in the most efficient and lethal way legally possible just like hunters of days past.
I have always tried to be the best hunter I can be and that means getting them close and putting them down fast. I always figured a sure thing was the way to go for any shot and the closer the better my chances. Maybe it was because I grew up shooting a recurve and smooth bore shotgun to hunt deer. My Hawkins was my most deadly long range deer killer. You had to get close with nothing better you could hunt with in those days in a non rifle area.
My closest kill on a deer was about 5 feet. I did it with a gun. I shot my first deer with a gun in about three years late last year. Shot distance was 12 yards. That was my longest shot last year with any weapon. Long bow, compound, gun wouldn't have mattered for any of my kills last year.
In all my years of killing with a compound my longest shot was about 37 yd. One other around 30. About 55 kills the best I can figure at under 25 yd. with most of them under 20. I could have shot a pile of those with a trad bow and probably shot some I didn't get if I had a trad bow. Then there were all the deer I let walk past at trad bow range for one reason or another. I don't know that I would have shot all that fewer deer with a trad bow vs. a compound when I think about it.
I switched over to compounds almost 10 years after starting bow hunting. In part because it got hard to find trad bows and supplies or get help with them. It was the internet and all the info and gear I could get that got me back into trad heavy again. Most people couldn't walk into a sporting goods store and get started in trad if they wanted.
Even Fred Bear made compounds, promoted them, sold them, and even hunted with one a little. He couldn't shot one well so stuck with the recurve because it was what he shot the best. Maybe he should have stuck with the compound because he was less accurate with it and it would have been doing it the hard way.
Face it, trad bow hunters can't support what is required to maintain, improve, and supervise fish and game in our states, and they can't get all the hunters we need to get in and stay in the sport. It takes all hunters to do that. If all we had was trad bow hunting, hunting would die out and the anti's would kick our butts. It would be hard to get new hunter to stick out years of not shooting a single thing just to do it the hard way.
Do what you like and leave everyone else who is a legal ethical hunter alone to do what they enjoy the way the like to do it.
Hmmm...
I am one of Fred Bear's "Two Season Hunters", metaphorically speaking.
I love traditional bows and classy, usually big, rifles.
I read a couple of comments about traditional bowhunting being more fun, and I must disagree. It may be lots of things, but fun is more about attitude than equipment. I had heaps of fun yesterday blasting pigs with my M70 .458WM in a place where it was almost impossible to bowhunt them.
Further, I would be so bold as to suggest that even though I love traditional bowhunting, "fun" is not always so fitting a description as is "frustrating". Or at least it is a combination of the two, to me.
A decent man should be defined more by his character than by his choice of weapon.
Sometimes traditional bowhunters sound almost evangelical, selling a message that ours is the only path to eternal salvation.
Happy hunting, and enjoy your adventures!
I would rather say that using other equipment is lazier not easier. It takes much more practice time with a stickbow, unless your the exception to the rule shots will need to be closer so it takes more work to get set up for the shot inside 20 yards, it takes more patients to let the game come to the range that will make a good clean kill. I know several guy's that hunt with the high tech stuff and still haven't killed a deer, I hunted back in the 80's with the other gear and it took me 3 years to get my first deer, it wasn't the equipment it was me.
Lazier? I must disagree again. I put the same amount of time into loading ammunition as I do in making arrows. And when I hunt I have to walk the same distance, just as slowly and cautiously. The only difference in terms of time spent in preparation is that it takes fewer bullets on the range than it does arrows to stay proficient. "Different, not deficient", as my old college lecturer used-to say. The term "lazy" is derogatory, and I would prefer not to be labelled thus. I will say that hunting with a rifle is easier than with a tradbow, but it is still a valid and useful pastime. There's nothing wrong with some easier things in life, if used right. Most of us here order archery goods online or via e-mail; many of us utilise tradesmen or technicians to do jobs that we aren't skilled to do. Tradbowhunting isn't everybody's cup of tea. It is an interest, a hobby; not a religion.
Funny thing: Now-and-then I find myself having to defend the honour of riflemen here and on Ozbow; and now-and-then I find myself having to defend the honour of bowhunters on Nitro Express.
QuoteOriginally posted by Ben Kleinig:
I will say that hunting with a rifle is easier than with a tradbow...
In terms of making a kill, that is. Not in terms of facing the dangerous old enemy-friend, The Sun (or fierce cold for others); or aching legs and back from hiking for miles; or avoiding dangerous snakes or terrible bugs; or finding the game to begin with.
I'm sure it has been mentioned already, but it is difficult to find people to help with trad advise. Oh yes, when you find some, they are more than happy to help. Unfortunatley the advise too frequently comes with snide remarks about the wannabe's current method of hunting and pressure to convert to traditional archery.
I will tell you that when I started shooting a bow, I wanted a compound (late 70's). If you would have told me that I needed give up my guns and to "convert" to archery, I would have told you some not so polite words and stayed with my guns.
I have many guns, but rarely use them unless something just has to die. I probably would have kept my compound too had I felt some sort of attachment to it.
I know that most of mean well when trying to recruit new trad members, be we can come off as unaproachable.
There is a tendancy to bash everything that isn't trad. I know this is human nature, but it is a free country (at least for now). Let see what team would you pick. Team 1: advertisement everywhere and help around every corner. Lots of people participating and friendly with a willingness to help. Or Team 2: Great people but very hard to find. Lots of good trad shops but tucked away in remote places across the world. Lots of help especially when the student shows the desire to "convert" to trad.
If it wasn't true, why would so many people be afraid to admit that they still hunt with a compound wether it be ocasionally or frequently.
just my.02 .
Trad and loving it, BigJim
Hunting with archery gear is just that ... hunting with archery gear . Its great that we have a place have here to chat about archery gear that has no cables etc ... wood arrows and longbows play a big part in my life ... but this is a sport , a pastime and it is very personal choice as to what someone uses when hunting...
I tend to cringe when I see stuff that could be seen as divisive etc ... I'd put down a good whack of money that the majority of archers here came from shooting compounds, rifles , some of us still do ...
And amidst threads on trail cams , gps units , carbon arrows , foam cores and extreme EFOC, commercial camo ... this whole "trad vs..... " is kinda tiresome .
Yes , with my back quiver full of woodies and straight limb longbow I am way cooler than me wheelie friends lol , but it doesn't mean I am better .
I hunt with several compound shooters. I don't see any of them admiring the beauty of their bows, but they sure do compliment how my bows look (thanks to guys like Big Jim), even as they say that they would be hard pressed to hit the broad side of a barn with a trad bow.
Lots of us own several bows, mainly because we are enchanted with the lines and woods that make a traditional bow as much a work of art as a killing machine. Lots of us shoot wood arrows, probably not because they are more efficient, but rather because they have a look and feel that is pleasing to us.
I believe that a lot of us hunt and use trad bows because we enjoy the overall package; the look and feel of a wood bow, the involvement with sharpening broadheads, the continous practice to maintain proficiency is all appealing. If we just wanted to go out and kill something, there are lots of ways to do that without all the involvement that traditional archery entails.
When I hunt I enjoy the challenge of reading the sign, studying the animals activities, watching their reaction to different happenings in the area (A.K.A. woodsmanship). I will choose to shoot my first deer with a longbow when the time is right. The challenge has been completed. And, I will do it from the same zip code, up close and personal.
Mechanical shooters think I shoot well (let'em think what they want) but when I tell them I shoot 250 arrows a week they freak out. They have just completed their 3, 5 arrow set and are off to buy something new they just saw on the hunting infomercials on TV.
Because the TV shows tell them that traditional bows aren't cool.
It also takes a great commitment to become a proficient shot and people aren't willing to work that hard. :nono:
You have too few choices. Your poll is very biased. One reason that really needs to be added is "They aren't exposed to it".
I agree with all things that others have said here. I think all th SMART ones eventually return to their roots as Trad archers....
it's a fast food society and compounds are the quickest, easiest way to make-believe bowhunting. and they look so darned space age cool, too! :D
the ACT of hunting IS hunting, for without the act their can be no attempt at a kill. ;)
Why aren't all hunters TRAD?
Why doesn't everyone listen to heavy metal?
Why isn't everyone's favorite color red?
It's a matter of taste and preference, experience and exposure, and a hundred other factors.
You probably don't mean it or realize it but to ask the question itself implies a bit of elitism. It's a form of PRIDE that is insidious and dangerous; as PRIDE usually is.
Thank God there's room for us all here on His grand creation. Just enjoy it.
When I started trad, the Allen Compound was ~ 6 years from making the local scene. Our club was nothing but stick and strings. When the wheelie started to spring up here and there, most were totally against it just like other common response when change is required.
Today the younger generation, peer pressure, marketing and state revenue takes its toll on making the switch and/or commitment thus serving to deprive those of the true traditional experience. Marketing still strives on developing a weapon that virtually shoots itself. Even back in the 80's, 2D's ranges were to 60 yards. A good wheelie guy then may average 265 where the elite may average ~280. Today's wheelie shooters may have several guys scoring in the high 290's at virtually every shoot. Many of the high scorers today are likely not as proficient as the 265 guys of the past.
While coaching NASP, many of the kids are quite noticeably distracted by another walking up to the line with a wheelie and picking the spot a part. I even witnessed this last year in working with the national champ team, while a kid, with a wheelie, from a competing school that they well new and whom they easily dominated during NASP shoots. They were nonetheless still mesmerized.
It is ultimately up to us to share the experience or the masses will continue to miss out on the total fulfilling experience of the traditional. Just remember that the burden we carry is light but what we unload is esoteric. Those successfully inflicted with the passion will follow. The youth will remain our best source for growth, however instilling change and fully exposing this wonderful experience must come from the top.
It's not necessarily the destination, but the journey, live for the journey.
I go with Vermonster, lack of exposure is a huge part of it. I started with shotguns, 15-20 years ago rifles other than 30-30 were a fairly new thing in our area (tradition, dense woods, fear of somebody getting shot), then compound. I had never even seen a tradbow in my area until 2 years ago. If you asked me about a recurve, I would have conjured up a B&W photo of Fred Bear. It just wasn't on the radar.
Ever since my first shot I've been hooked.
It is harder to master and stay on top of, no doubt, but 20 yards and in I thought that Fred Eichler article comparing stickbows and compounds made good points. Stickbows do have certain advantages - quicker shots, quieter shots, better in low light, less gadgets to go wrong, less to think about, and, other than length, easier to maneuver/cant for a shot.
Seems to me, no matter what you are using, figuring out the animals and getting close is probably the hardest part.
Interesting thread.
So far, I have not wounded and lost a big game animal with any of my recurve bows. I have done that with a compound bow.
I recently went bear hunting in Maine where I took one weapon: a recurve. And, as I practiced in the morning and ruined two arrows putting them over the top of the target, I had a serious conversation with myself.
Is my need for challange and/or romance more important than the ethical need for a clean kill? The question is a serious one that we all should answer for ourselves. Many take that answer by saying they will hunt with a compound. And, for them, it's a good answer.
As for myself? Either I straighten up, shoot straight, or not go out that evening. Shooting a recurve can be challanging. Fortunately, I was able to reacquire my focus.
This, I believe, is where the cutting edge of tradtional hunting should legitimately be. And, I agree 100% with Bowwild on simply saying "I went bowhunting" and leaving off the "with a recurve." Hopefully, we will bring young hunters into the sport with a dedication to shooting accurately and making clean kills.
I find it funny how we judge others about their freedom of choice. The joy and challange of shooting a stickbow can be anger and frustration to someone new to bowhunting. Compounds shorten the learning curve and bring a higher success rate. Regardless how hard you work, success in even the smallest form will keep you trying harder. In the world of bowhunting there are no "slam dunks" if you don't do your homework you get to eat crackers. Hunter success, woodcraft etc. has nothing to do with what kind of weapon you carry. Practice with your choice, become a proficient shot and make clean ethical kills. No one will ever find fault with that.
I don't think it matter much what a person chooses to hunt with as long as they choose to hunt. I have and hunt with a longbow and a compound depending on how I feel the day I go hunt. I grew up hunting with a compound as did a good number of hunters. I think it is just foolishness to consider either better than the other. Each has advantages and disadvantages and for a group of hunters legally hunting to bad mouth ANY other group of hunters who are also legally hunting is totally unacceptable.
This has been my experience.
Someone who hunts with trad only and refuses to hunt compound is mocked in most of the places we go. I have been in shops when they aske me what I shoot and snicker at me and walk off.
The trad hunter is faced with the challenge because he chooses to do it that way. Yes, getting in range is harder for a trad hunter but, with practice your range can double. It wasn't that many years ago trad hunters were known for shooting 40+ yards at an animal and making a clean ethical shot. To many people have seen on TV all the technology and the "ease" it seems to make hunting. I know a lot of wheel guys who don't take deer for years between each kill because they don't know how to "hunt". They think with the stuff they have they don't have to know and respect the game they are after. To many times compunders have looked doen their noses at me which is why I refuse to go to any archery shop anymore. I hunt how I want to hunt and personally I think I am pretty good at it because I have the tags to show, however, if someone wants to hunt with a compound thats fine hunt how you want no problem. It is your tag, your money and if you are legal shoot what you want. What the issue to me is when compunders start talking about the ethics of hunting. A lot of the guys I have run into in my home town don't respect the animal they are after and take shots they shouldn't take. Regardless of yards if you don't have a clean shot hold off. Too many times I heard people say I lined my pins up right behind the shoulder and I know I double lunged him. Sorry, you didn't if you double lung a deer it will be down in seconds. Our bodies function with blood and if you hit two major blood organs they will die. Also, a lot of the wheel guys I know are so focused on shooting an animal that they let that get in the wy of enjoying the outdoors. There is more to the hunt than a kill. I get so sick of people relying on their equipment to do stuff and then say "I just shot a deer at 50 yards". No, you didn't, your bow shot a deer at 50 yds. You just sighted it in for a few hours and were good to go. I have no problem with compunders but when they compare their success to a trad hunter I don't put them on the same podium. The Trad hunters I have come across are ones with a very real sense of the woods and what it takes to take an animal. And I will go out on a limb and say that Trad hunters are much more humble because we have failed 10X more than we have succeeded and is what life is.
/rant off/
This poem kind of sums it up for me: nothing wrong with either method, I just happened to choose traditional and I'm fine with that. What others choose is up to them. I'm fine with that as well.
The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Killing is only a quick/small part of hunting.
Compounds are just plain easier to master and the "archery guys" behind the counter can help you get those set up. So even that part is easier.
Many people (just a few years ago I was one too) want the latest and greatest, most easy to use/master killing tool they can get their hands on.
The compounds are an easier way to go.
Sights. letoff..etc.
Same mentality comes in to play with why so many people put down their compounds and use crossbows just as soon as they became legal.....its just plain easier.
I'd say the main reason msot don't hunt trad is a subset of the reason most don't archery hunt.
Time.
I find that it is easier to shoot a deer with a longbow or a recurve than it was with a compound. I have seen a disturbing number of younger guys with modern stuff, not be able to put their shot together when shooting at game and end up taking a guesstimate sort of instinctive shot without using their sights at deer. It rarely goes well.
It is probably easier to believe that just because you bought all of the right doodads that you will be an expert, than it is to spend money and have to think about developing form and strength and abilities through effort and with work it may pay off.
Some of us would rather have a canoe than a big, stinky, noisy, irritating speed boat. Some of us long for adventure.
They have erased from their memories all of history from the beginning of man when he used a stick bow to hunt, and replaced it with the last 30 years of compound usage.
They honestly dont' think you can kill something with a stick bow.
Vermonster makes a good point. They simply aren't exposed to it. As far as being elitist, Wasn't trying to be.I don't have a problem with compounds ot anything else for that matter.I'm pretty open minded. I was just trying to get a feel for why people here think that all hunters aren't feeling like we do about trad.I started this thread because I feel that these threads are interesting. It helps us to reflect on why we are going out with our stickbows at a time when some of us are just getting ready to start our season.Sorry if some find the poll to be biased.Guess I hadn't thought of everything. Thanks for posting on it. Good luck this season!
Like Zradix said...its just plain easier to hunt with a compound/crossbow.
Yeah, anyone can pretty much pick up a compound bow, and most definitely a crossbow, and be accurate enough to hunt within an hour.
A traditional bow takes practice and patience. Generally, people aren't going to decide to take the more difficult and challenging route if they don't need to.
However, I have recently decided to use traditional bows instead of a compound because I want the challenge. It's something that takes practice and skill. That's what I want. I want to have to earn it and I know it will be more rewarding in the end.
This coming Saturday will be my first time hunting with a traditional bow. And it's got me excited. I've not been this excited about the opening day of deer season since I was a kid. It's all been kind of clinical before.
QuoteOriginally posted by KodiakMag:
This has been my experience.
Someone who hunts with trad only and refuses to hunt compound is mocked in most of the places we go. I have been in shops when they aske me what I shoot and snicker at me and walk off.
The trad hunter is faced with the challenge because he chooses to do it that way.
I'm going to be honest with you guys. I was in that crowd for years.
I grew up shooting only compounds since the age of 12. I bought into the whole high-tech part of the compound bows. But my interest in compounds started waning about six years ago. I started to see how phony it was with regular working guys, without the paychecks they thought they had, worrying about the newest, baddest, and fasted space-aged compound bow that was made of lighter carbon fiber and promised 20 more feet per second of speed. The price tags were getting ridiculous as well.
I used to see traditional archery as being antiquated and silly. It was just a simple 1 lbs piece of wood in and a string. It was something cute, but not a real piece of hunting equipment anymore.
Then I started researching for my documentary film about Ben Pearson almost two years ago. And I have been converted. Is the equipment of traditional archery simplistic? Yes, but that's what makes it so great. And it's something that takes real skill to pick up and really EARN you kill.
Can I shoot 30 yards with my 45+ yr-old recurve bow? Yeah, but it's not as tight as with my compound. It's going to take practice and a lot of time. But, I think it's worth it to stick with it. It's much much fulfilling and I feel like I can actually feel like I earned the kill.
QuoteThe term "lazy" is derogatory
Sorry Ben, wouldn't put you in that category. I may have made a mistake using that term in such a broad way. I just feel it requires a bit more work to get inside 20 paces of you quarry than it does to get say a 40 yard compound shot or 300 yard rifle shots. So I wont say lazy just maybe not as ambitious :bigsmyl:
One of my students summed it up this way... As he was getting ready for his very first elk hunt (he's 23) with a longbow he asked me if he should take his compound along also.. I answer, Why? His answer... What if I see a really big one at 40 yards and all I have is my longbow... I told him to leave the longbow at home and just use the compound.... He wasn't ready to make the commitment to getting close or accepting that today wasn't the day... He got a nice 6X6 at 10 yards and wishes he had been using the longbow... This weekend he is leaving the compound at home and going after a whitetail with his longbow.. Hunting as we do is a mindset that not everyone is willing to accept, but that doesn't imply that we are somehow better than those who don't hunt with a stick and string... we are just different
Maybe I am naive, or unaware, but I really don't think it has much to do with easier, harder, the right way, etc....it seems to me to be a matter of choice and what we are exposed to.....
Some people drive Fords, some Chevy....some people wear commercial camo, some plaid and earth tones...some like IPhones, some Droids.....some people like football, some soccer or other sports...some like jazz, some rock, some country...it is what makes living in this country great...freedom of choice and diversity.....
We all make choices...some people choose compounds because the learning curve is shorter...and it fits their lifestyle and schedule.....nothing wrong with that.....in fact....seeing some people on the practice ranges at traditional shoots leads me to believe that a great number of stickbow shooters should consider switching...and stop making fun of "training wheels"!
To me, it is a matter of what fits the person and the situation they are in....am i better for shooting stickbow...most certainly not....being proficient at whatever weapon you use is what matters to me.....
As far as longer shots, most friends from my archery club takes an average shot of 20 yards and in...in PA, especially in early season, there aren't many places where we get more than that...unless you hunt open fields .......and with the hunting pressure in this state....that doesn't happen till well after shooting hours......
QuoteOriginally posted by LeeBishop:
QuoteOriginally posted by KodiakMag:
This has been my experience.
Someone who hunts with trad only and refuses to hunt compound is mocked in most of the places we go. I have been in shops when they aske me what I shoot and snicker at me and walk off.
The trad hunter is faced with the challenge because he chooses to do it that way.
I'm going to be honest with you guys. I was in that crowd for years.
I grew up shooting only compounds since the age of 12. I bought into the whole high-tech part of the compound bows. But my interest in compounds started waning about six years ago. I started to see how phony it was with regular working guys, without the paychecks they thought they had, worrying about the newest, baddest, and fasted space-aged compound bow that was made of lighter carbon fiber and promised 20 more feet per second of speed. The price tags were getting ridiculous as well.
I used to see traditional archery as being antiquated and silly. It was just a simple 1 lbs piece of wood in and a string. It was something cute, but not a real piece of hunting equipment anymore.
Then I started researching for my documentary film about Ben Pearson almost two years ago. And I have been converted. Is the equipment of traditional archery simplistic? Yes, but that's what makes it so great. And it's something that takes real skill to pick up and really EARN you kill.
Can I shoot 30 yards with my 45+ yr-old recurve bow? Yeah, but it's not as tight as with my compound. It's going to take practice and a lot of time. But, I think it's worth it to stick with it. It's much much fulfilling and I feel like I can actually feel like I earned the kill. [/b]
Good for you! :clapper:
I think a lot of people just like the precision that can be achieved with the compound, particularly those who consider a kill to be the primary measure of hunting success. I have never owned a compound but have been to many shoots where I was the only trad shooter. Most of the compund shooters were enthralled with the accuracy that could be achieved at distances I would not even shoot. Also, many indicated that they were able to shoot very accurately in a relatively short time. Therefore, I belive that ease of mastery ( I realize that is a very relative concept) is why many guys prefer the compound. As they become more proficient, as indicated on Trad Gang, many decide to take the road less traveled and come over to the trad side of life for grater challenge and a renewal of the joy of bow hunting.
As for the second question, the answer is YES. Hunting is the pursuit of game and does not necessarily include a kill. It took several seasons before I claimed my first deer, but in my mind, I hunted just as hard as the guy who killed the world record. If you are making the effort to take game, you are a hunter. If you are doing it with a trad bow, you are a very special hunter.
See Brian, people do agree with me. I never said you have to kill to be hunting, but that is the reason we hunt. I get a kick out of the guys like you and Ken that say it is a soulful experience or whatever you say, that is fine butif the ultimate goal is not to kill something, why not just carry a camera. I am not a killer, I am a hunter in the true sense of the word. I put more work into hunting than anyone and I mean anyone I know. It is a passion for me that I would be sick without, if I don't kill something it is not the end of the world but am I disappointed, you bet your butt I am!! That is what I work and strive for all year. I spend a couple hundred days a year in the woods and fields and that defines me. Whatever floats your boat is fine with me, but as has been said by many I never feel handicapped by something that I chose to do!! Handicap- an impediment of a condition that effects ones ability to perform normal function: not of ones choice!! That is a definition I found on-line! Read the last part, not of one's choice. There you go, choosing to hunt with a stick and string is not a handicap by definition. Shawn
Disclaimer : i didn't read all 6 pages of responses.
Around here, Trad is taking off big. I have a friend that was shooting Widows in the 80,s in Howard Hill tournaments. He ran a licensed bowfish charter service. He taught the big pro shop owner and his team all of them, he taught how to shoot. At this time he has sold ALL of his trad bows and he said he went bought the latest Bowtech Compound. He simply said he had done it all, for so long, and just got tired of it.
I know many compound shooters that envy us and do have full intentions of going trad. I see no reason why any of us cannot switch sides every now and then just to do something different.
Finally, I think compounds have done achieved all there is to achieve. Technology has no more place to go. End of the road.
Sure you're hunting if you haven't killed anything. Otherwise it would be called "killing".
As far as why not trad equipment: It's hard, takes more effort, has less chance of success due to limited range and most hunters are unwilling to use their precious free time for something with a lower chance of success.
Most disgusting thing I've seen on TV lately was Hank Parker's son, on his TV show, jump out of a pick-up truck his wife was driving after she spotted a buck and take six steps then shoot the deer. We call that "road hunting" hereabouts and it's only one step removed from jacking deer. This was after he spent a day spreading "C'mere Deer" bait to no success.
We have allowed ourselves to put too much pressure on success being a large, dead buck rather than the challenge of the hunt. :(
I gun hunted for my whole life. Shotguns and handguns here in Ohio, and rifle in wva. Bought a crossbow from a friends dad 8 years ago and used it for a year. Got a decent 8 point and a couple does. No challenge so I bought a high end compound. More does, a nice 9 two years ago and a real nice 11 last year. Have two good friends, "longbow ben" and "leatherneck" who encouraged me to try primitive hunting. Have tried a couple different bows, just got my new one today. No its not about killing at all, least to me. I love to go to sleep 20' in the air on a nice warm day. Woke up last year to find an 8 point looking up at me. This is like learning to walk again for me, and im in no hurry to make a poor shot on a deer.
some people just dont enjoy it or trust that they could make that shot on a animal. Some people like being able to take longer range shots at animals and be able to do it consistantly. which is hard IMO with trad gear (for me im sure people on here could take distance shots and do just fine). some people have injuries that make holding a good weight hunting bow back where with a compound they can go lighter, have letoff and still feel confortable with shooting animals.
long list. i feel like everyone has the right to use what ever they want and I dont really care what people use as long as they are happy. i enjoy both trad and compounds (trad more). but i still dont feel 100% confident yet so im pretty sure my longbow will sit this season out. I want to hunt with the long bow so bad but until i can get to the point where i feel 100% confident shooting from a tree stand at a deer im not going to risk wounding one.
Shawn -
I too have killed numerous deer with compound and recurve. As well as trad muzzleloader and inline. Even several with the rifle (3 in one day last year during antlerless season).
In my opinion it is easier to kill deer with a compound than a recurve - even if they are inside of 20 yards. The simple fact that you can draw and hold your compound for a couple of minutes makes it easier. You can draw before the deer gets inside of 20 yards and hold until it does. With a recurve you have to be more patient and be much more careful when you draw. Obviously a trad bow is a very efficient weapon - but a compound is easier.
It goes without saying inlines and rifles make killing easier yet for obvious reasons.
I love to hunt no matter what weapon I am using. If I had to pick only one it would be my recurve - why? I don't know I just enjoy it more!
Happy hunting,
Mitch
I've been rehashing this one in my mind for a bit....
Trad is more difficult to become proficient in. (.)
In general order of difficulty we have..guns,crossbows,compound bow, tradbow, spear, knife, bare hands.
If I hear about someone hunting and killing a deer with his bare hands...for certain he's a better hunter than I am.
As far as I'm concerned more skilled = better.
Tradbow hunters are more skilled than compound hunters and therefore better hunters.
There I said it.
QuoteOriginally posted by Stone Knife:
QuoteThe term "lazy" is derogatory
Sorry Ben, wouldn't put you in that category. I may have made a mistake using that term in such a broad way. I just feel it requires a bit more work to get inside 20 paces of you quarry than it does to get say a 40 yard compound shot or 300 yard rifle shots. So I wont say lazy just maybe not as ambitious :bigsmyl: [/b]
Yeah, no worries, mate! We both shoot Hills, so we can't be too bad! As my mate Ben Maher says, it makes us cooler! And it does take more persistance and effort and luck (here we have continually-swirling winds) and frustration to get within 20 metres for a tradbow shot. One thing is for sure: Being a tradbowhunter makes me a much better rifleman in terms of stalking skills.
:knothead:
Hang-on a cotton-pickin' minute, Good Sir! You asked the question, and one that was bound to stir passion and debate!
:knothead:
Although really, this topic was a "dead horse beating" exercise before it began.
:thumbsup:
Ah! Sorry for jumping the gun, then! I didn't realise. Cheers, and good hunting!
I picked too hard some people like 40 and 50 yard shots with a wheelie, but I really think it is the majority of people dont know that it can actually be more efficient tool at 20 yards and in (IMO).
I do think that hunting the majority of it is the act of hunting not just killing that makes a small part of it. You need to make a kill every so often not to get accused of trying to get away from your wife and take naps in the woods though.
Completely agree with Shawn Leonard...I go out during hunting season to kill something...am I disappointed when I don't...somewhat, especially if it is because of a mistake I made....and that keeps me going out.....I can experience nature any time of the year with my camera....hunting season is hunting season...it's not ALL about the kill, but it is an important factor in taking a weapon out during hunting season.....whatever weapon one is proficient at.....I read a study by the PA Game Commission a few years ago, and through surveys and such, they concluded that the average ARCHERY kill shot was 17 yards...Since compounds have been allowed in PA...archery seasons have actually increased in duration.....not exactly a slam dunk with any equipment, at least here.......
Gotta disagree with you Zradix, respectfully of course. :D
Better hunter because you use a stick bow? "Better" is a dang broad word. I know for a fact that there are thousands and thousands of "better hunters" than me that use compounds or rifles. They've put in more time, have more experience, and have hunted tons of different animals that I can only dream of hunting. Being a hunter is a lot more than just letting an arrow fly or pulling a trigger.
I would say woodsmanship, experience, passion and dedication are a much bigger part of hunting than equipment choice.
Most hunters are not willing to accept any less of a chance at killing something as to many people the kill is their success of the hunt, rather for many traditional folks the kill is only part of the hunt and the experience is what they are looking for, the kill is only a bonus.
Unfortunately there are alot of guys out there hunting with trad equipment that really have no business shooting at animals with their particular choice of equipment. Many just do not develop the skill and capabilities to effectively and consistently place their arrows in the kill zone of a living target, much less on the practice range.
I think many new trad converts feel some type of superiority complex by shooting traditional equipment and just don't get it and what the traditional lifestyle is all about. However, there are many trad guys out there that do get it and are extremely effective with their chosen equipment as well as compound shooters too. There are always different types of people in all aspects of sport but for me traditional hunting is much more then just an equipment choice, it is a way of life that totaly consumes you and something that you just cannot get enough of and always want more. And if nothing else, traditional archery is definitely something that the more you put in the more you get out of!!
Nicely said Mark
Hard to put what you think and feel on a short text or email.Nothing's solely black or white...Let's have fun and go hunting... ;)
QuoteOriginally posted by ti-guy:
Hard to put what you think and feel on a short text or email.Nothing's solely black or white...Let's have fun and go hunting... ;)
X2 ....4 more days!!!!!
I just like new challenges and for me a longbow was and is just a weapon choice and a way of challenging myself. I don't particularly consider it to be a lifestyle. I don't worry about what others think.
I am out there to enjoy myself and put meat in my freezer. If someone else has a much fun with a compound as I do with my stick, Good for him! If you just enjoy shooting stumps and watching animals and sunsets Great! Good luck to everyone, hunt safe and have fun. C'mon Saturday!!
Great conversation.
I think most guys are conditioned not to trust the inexactness of "instinct." There is somethign reassuring about sights, and of course, they can see their accuracy on a measured range out to 80 yards or so. I was one of those guys. I started out with no sights on a compound and didn't have the time to shoot every day so I got pins and started shooting 3" groups at 50 yds with boring precision.
But that accuracy did not translate into the field.
I am more accurate now with my recurve in a real live hunting situation than I was with my compound because I don't have to judge distance and think, it's 22, no 29, no, more like 26-1/2 so that would be like just a hair below my 30 yard pin or would it be a hair above my 20, wait, which pin is that? When I start thinking like that, I miss. Now, I see it and shoot it.
But like heavy points and heavy arrows, the typical American male brain isn't wired to accept that. To most guys, faster is better, flatter is better, the more technologically complicated the better is how most guys think.
But there is a huge surge toward trad and it's because whatever drove compound hunters to bowhunting is still driving them and the only place to go from where they are is to traditional tackle.
Still, instinctive shooting is a huge time commitment. It's like I'm trying to get to Carnegie Hall playing a one sting violin. Practice, practice, practice. I don't know if that's a realistic thing for a lot of people. That's why I don't have much gripe against compound shooters... unless of course their success rates cost me time in the field.
I jumped to conclusion to fast. I would have to agree with Lee Viv. Its partially what they grew up around and partially the amount of time the have to get efficient with their particular weapon. I'm guilty of thinking less of some compound hunters, I don't like to admit that. I just need to be happy they are hunting and taking care of the outdoors. I just don't like it when I hear about them taking 50+ yard shots at animals. I guess I bow hunt because I want to be close to the game I'm hunting. That's a big reason I got into trad archery. I wanted to push myself harder and see what I can accomplish. I know some people are think that if you practice at long range its ok to shoot at animals at long range, I just don't agree with it. Anyways I'm done. ALL ETHICAL HUNTERS ARE OK IN MY BOOK!
QuoteOriginally posted by TxAg:
The poll results speak for themselves.
Trad is just one step further in making the hunt challenging and unique.
I agree 100%, except I'd word it sorta in the reverse; wheel bows are just one step further in making the hunt easier and more like using a rifle.
Have to admit...
Where are the 44 ( at this time ) people coming from who say you're not hunting unless you've killed.
taking a compound to the woods is one thing...whatever..
But saying you're not hunting unless you get a kill..???
Now those people just don't get it.
Personally, I wonder if they're happy at all with trad archery. Lets face it our kill rate is lower.
QuoteOriginally posted by Zradix:
Have to admit...
Where are the 44 ( at this time ) people coming from who say you're not hunting unless you've killed.
taking a compound to the woods is one thing...whatever..
But saying you're not hunting unless you get a kill..???
Now those people just don't get it.
Personally, I wonder if they're happy at all with trad archery. Lets face it our kill rate is lower.
I think you've misunderstood what folks is saying.. You don't have to kill to be hunting, but if your goal isn't to kill something then why take a weapon... you can "HUNT" with a camera..
When I go to kill me some food for the table, I'm disappointed if I'm not able to do so.. plain and simple.. The fact that I choose to use a longbow has nothing to do with that.. I don't consider it a handicap nor do I consider it more difficult than a compound or even a rifle.. just different.
when people hear I hunt with trad equ. they look at me like I have 3 heads.It was hard. it aint so bad now. Iam getting the hang of it.It just seems so pure to kill it with a stick an string.there is no question it will make you a better hunter.I need a hobbie like this to reel me back to reailty I think it helps ground me as a person an it will DARN SURE humble ya.
Yeah, I think the hunting/killing thing is a matter of semantics. I have a lot of fun hunting but it's more fun when I kill something. And it's more rewarding, obviously. And I know at the point when I am drawing on a buck there is nothing I want more in the whole world than to kill it; it's a very powerful primitive urge.
I didn't get a deer during the early season. Disappointing? You bet. But I still had a fun time, and as always, I learned a lot. And I'll be out there in November.
What weapon u use does not make u a better hunter
It does decide the challenge u are looking for
I use a recurve because it is what I grew up shooting and what i enjoy and I think it is the best tool for the job in certain situations