traditional bowhunting ( or trad archery to those that don't hunt) . what would you do different? Three under? Or shoot a self bow first?
mine is easy......wished I would have taken a lot more pictures of friends and acquaintances at all the trad functions/ banquets/ camps over the years.....so many good times....
start trad earlier.
I'm going to get flamed for this... BUT.
I would have never picked up the first TBM mag. I would have stripped all the junk off my compound, and shot it barebow, 3 under.
I would have told both worlds to F off and shot 3D matches and bowhunted for my whole life and never gave a squat what anybody thought.
But there was Schafe, and the Wensels, Ed Dowdy, Matt Riley, Rosey, and Dick, who all had some influence, and now here I am. A pretty damn good barebow shooter and fair bowhunter, whose got a ton of stories with a recurve in God's country.
The bow is just a vessel, and we are all travelers. Don't take the non-conformist thing too far, or you'll be another radical conformist.
Hippy rant off...
I wish i had Stop switching from compound with all the trimmings to trad every 6mths for the past 18 years and just setteled and shot trad from the get go I would have saved at least 30 grand lol
Dan good post. I felt the same way... I am very grateful ro gave been introduced to the other simpler side of Bowhunting. Even on the trad side we can get caught up in the gadgets and the faster/stronger draw of technologies.
Joe more pictures and more journal entries.
I think Dan summed it up rather nicely.
Dan the man !! i am with you brother 100%
Ok glad i got a recurve 10 yrs ago wish i had done it sooner. I wish i had not played with so money different bows and found my go to bow sooner. A lot of money was wasted in those 10yrs and just found my bow of bows!
great thread !!
I started in archery at 10 y/o.....40+ years later I got a coach. :knothead:
Joined the PBS when I picked up the bow and started seeing the "I'm the PBS" ads. Since there was no internet then and I didn't know other folks that hunted with trad equipment, it took me way too long to find all my brothers of the bow. Going to a PBS banquet 15 years ago would have changed a lot for me.
The other thing would be buying points out west earlier than I started.
I started off snap shooting too heavy a bow many moons ago. Did this for a few years and was very inconsistant, therefore passed on some really nice animals on some very expensive hunts. I knew nothing of correct form till I started shooting FITA/target, then applied the basics to my hunting bows.
Boom, it all came together.
Wish I started that way.
I was too picky in the early 80's.
I would have taken shooting lessons from someone who knew what they were doing before I ever started shooting!
Put the recurve down in the late 70's and early 80's to rifle hunt up north, good learning experience, but never knew how much I missed bowhunting with a traditional bow. One of the reasons I have only had one shot opportunity since 1971! As they say to old to quick, to smart to late! :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
I wish I would have found a Rod Jenkins kinda guy to teach me "old time archery" and proper form rather than trying to teach myself thru reading "instinctive" shooting books. That and actually going to Bighorn to get fitted for my first recurve where they set me up with a 60# as a nineteen year old kid...should have stayed in Michigan and picked up a home grown #45 Super Kodiak!
Hunting wise, I wish I would have bought a chunk of land here at home where I could safely spend my old age when I was young.
I don't think I'd change a dad burn thing myself....Why cut to the chase, when you can experience all the little transitions along the way?
There's a great write up on "the 5 stages of a hunters evolution" i really enjoyed reading that could be applied to archery in general for those who are not hunters in many ways. ( See The age thread going right now)
a professional fighter doesn't wear the world champs belt by winning all his matches. He gets there by getting his ass kicked enough to move beyond that stage and avoid the errors he made along the way.
When I started in '86 I went to the local sports shop to buy a recurve.
ANY BRAND NEW BEAR RECURVE WAS $20!
I had no idea what I was looking at and picked a Black Bear #45. I'm sure there were Super Kodiaks as well as all the other models but I picked one that felt OK in my hand.
If I could do something different it would be to borrow the money if I had to and buy every single bow the store had.
I wish I never would have picked up a compound. Im sure Im not alone here. I started at 11 with a 35# Bear Cub. Graduated to a 45# Grizzly at 15. Then fully drank the compound Kool Aid at age 19. It was kool aid too. As much as I shot that compound it was never as easy and quick to hit a target. I kept telling myself this was superior to old recurve in every way. Not so much. It was very accurate though and only took a short time to become so.
I should have not left traditional archery for 10 years to shoot a compound barebow. It just never fit me right. I was always thinking of going back it just took me longer than I thought.
I don't believe I would change a thing, this journey has been great! Even-though i'm not a very good shot or a good hunter, I enjoy every minute. If the time comes when it isn't fun any more then I'll hang it up. "Trying to master this sport is a great journey"
QuoteOriginally posted by ozy clint:
start trad earlier.
Exactly! Also I would have gotten with Rod Jenkins and got on the right path first off.
Biggest regret has to be the bow weights that I felt like I needed to shoot. 85#-105# with wheels when they were 50% let off. Switched to trad and tried to "learn" with a 77# recurve. Finally got smart and bought a 55# recurve and I shot it instead of it shooting me. Bow arm shoulder is damaged now from the shooting and work. 50#-55# is it now and I've learned that it is plenty.
The biggest thing I regret is passing up past hunts to work and make more money, should have taken the trips, you cannot buy back time in the field.
I started in the fall of 1989 and had no one to teach me or get advise from at least I thought so. To do over today I would have asked a ton more questions and sought out Trad guys. I would of got to know Ricky Welch, he only lived 20 miles from where I was located at the time and sought his advise. But since I didn't I order my first recurve with too much poundage 60" 63#@31 and struggle to master it and in the process built up a mighty good case of TP. And since then have fought to gain some consistency in my shooting, but I love trad to much to quit :biglaugh:
I am 51 years old and everyone will admit that hind-sight is 20/20; I now work for a school with over 6 weeks of time off and every weekend off; my younger years was spent chasing money and the jobs that went with it; I honestly wish that I had gotten under a true bowyer and learned how to make good, quailty bows and make my own to hunt with; the money I have spent on true junk could have been used to travel to different places to hunt; I would have never bought a computer, new automobiles, or ever bought a compound bow; I wished I never bought a treestand and learned at a young age how to hunt 100% from the ground; looking back, never would have watched the first hunting show or dvd, or even owned a stupid tv in the first place; getting where I hate television and ALL of the hunting shows; a simple cabin with running water, a bath and a bed, that's it; no computers,tv's, cable, or anything; live close to a river, big lake and a small town with NO WAL-MART!!; would make every traditional rendevou, every year; just simple if I had to do it all over again................ :campfire:
Wished i'd moved out of Michigan to a more game rich land when I got divorced the first time. Didn't have kids at the time and I was free, single and dumb for not going west. Now have kids and have to wait 7 more years to get gone.
I wish I had never seen pictures of all of the beautifully made exotic bows. I feel like I spend more time trying to find the perfect looking bow and obsess over wood types, wood grain, fiberglass flaws, etc... I already found two bows which shoot out of this world for me and I've bought and sold more of them than I care to remember. Some very pretty, so much that I really don't even like carrying them into the woods for fear of scratching, nicking, denting them. Oh, how I wish I could just by and be happy with a plain Jane hunting bow and get back to the reason I picked up traditional bows in the first place. To hunt deer with!!! Twenty years ago I gave up compounds to stop obsessing over the lastest and greatest gadgets and just hunt. That has been replaced with obsessing over the prettiest, grainiest wood I can find...Mike
I other areas of life there would be things I would change, like telling my dad thanks and I love you more before he passed. In archery I wouldn't change it. I am enjoying where i am at too much to change things. Take advantage of the joys available everyday. Life's too short for small regrets.
Chris
Spot on Dan! When I switched I started with a 65# zipper custom made for me. I jumped in with both feet. Still have the bow after 15 years, now it's a conversation piece and I can only shoot about twice and I'm done. Do it all over again I would start out with a light weight bow. Don
Walked more softly, listened more intently, and savored more frequently!
I would have stayed in SE Ohio and set up a guiding business instead of leaving. Regardless of the choice in people's weapon, I enjoy hunting traditional and guiding for others.
As far as trad goes, I'm happy.... If I can't get a deer, then there are always muzzle loaders!
I'm not to terribly old, but if I think back. I wish I would of taken a ton more of pictures when I was growing up and all the time my brother and I would spend in the field. My brother passed away 7 years ago and I still look at pictures from many great hunts ago. Just wish I would of taken more of us just having fun roving together. Those are some of my fondest memories.
Draw weight. It injured my shoulder. 40 - 45 lbs would have been plenty.
No regrets about anything. Made my own bow at age 8 and haven't changed a thing in 50 years.
2 wishes. Back when I didn't think I could afford to buy any property, I wish I had done it anyway, cause land prices have tripled of more where I would like to own property. I am still behinmd the curve to afford land, as my income has gone up, land has increased more.
My other wish would be that I had known someone to caoch me on my shooting about 30 years ago. I could have avoided so many setbacks along the way.
Would have shot lighter bows from the get go. Would have taken and made more time to just shoot. Would have spent more time in the woods instead of hurrying home to take care of business. Would never have bothered with glass, carbon or aluminum arrows and just stayed with my own woodies.
But, at age 66 I don't want that to look like a chain of regrets, cause it's not. Just a few things I'd change but most would be exactly the same.
Do over..... in not having a gap in shooting Trad from teenager to about 38 years old. But riding the Trad saddle hard now.
I would have kept a journal of my hunts like Mr. Wommack and Chris Spikes have. When asked how many deer have they killed they will not only tell you exactly how many but the dates and times as well as shot distance and how far after the shot the deer ran. I could guess how many and miss by 30 deer give or take.RC
I wish I had started out with a Hill style longbow. I had alot of recurves and from mild to wild R/D longbows.I shot them for years.Bought my first Hill style about a year ago and that's what I'm sticking with.Sold off just about everything else.
I wish I had move to Ga in the 80's and Met Joebuck, Schuster, Marty, Biggie, Thomas, and Cory Mattson and the rest of the guys who have become good friends of mine in just the last few years. Also wish I'd had a coach of sorts to get my shooting on track right from the start.
Hadn't spent thousands of $ on stuff I really didn't need.
and shot that 5x5 elk that I had at 12yards in Alberta in 92. There was a 6x7 behind him that never got close enough.
I would have been lucky enough to have been able to find a mentor that could bring me into it. I started 6 years ago and its all been on my own with the unwaivering assistance of tradgang.
Aside from that, I started with a #45 longbow. Should have started at #40.
Like RC Wish I kept a journal just now starting one. Make my stand on the other side of the orchard last night. :banghead:
I wish I had never picked up a compound when they first came out and had not missed those years with recurves and longbows.Luckily I started looking at Tradgang and got the urge to get back. Thanks so much everyone.
Well I took care not to introduce ex-wife. I'd started earlier to shoot with a bow.
As I read all these aforementioned regrets, and reflect upon my own, I am left to ponder; what are WE going to do different during our remaining time on this earth?
"Would have, could have, should have", etc., all fine and dandy. But what steps are we all taking to do things differently today? No one gets a do over, but we can still change our future.
My biggest Archery related regret? Well, I started stick & string in the late 70's as a child, so I started early enough. My mistake comes from the early 1990's. I wrote to Jack Howard, requested a catalog and was seriously considering buying a Gamemaster recurve from him. The price scared me away and I bought a PSE Blackhawk T/D (Samick), which has been a great hunting bow for 20 years, but it is no Howard Gamemaster!
Now, looking back, I WASTED far more $$$ on "wine, women & song" (and guns too), than a custom Gamemaster bow and a trip out West would have cost. I WASTED some serious dough, and I mean wasted it, although I sure did have some fun along the way!
But now, in my mid 40's, don't I wish that I had flown out West, met Mr. Howard, shook his hand, spent some time with him, learned from him and paid him to make me a bow. "Would have, could have, should have"... That time has elapsed, and now Jack is gone.
We only travel this path once. At this point in my life, I focus on the future and try to think things through as much as possible. No more regrets.
Keeping a journal and more pictures would have been nice.
Early in my hunting career, I was "shown" what to do. I wish I would have done my own thing earlier in my career than I did.
I was told baiting is the "only way to bowhunt", and I wasted alot of time sitting in a tree guarding sugar beets and corn. I did kill a few deer, but I was missing out on the part of learning deer biology.
I wish, back in 1966, I would have started with a lighter bow. I wouldn't (still) be struggling with snap-shooting some 46 yrs. later !
Excellent post!
QuoteOriginally posted by Hit-or-Miss:
As I read all these aforementioned regrets, and reflect upon my own, I am left to ponder; what are WE going to do different during our remaining time on this earth?
"Would have, could have, should have", etc., all fine and dandy. But what steps are we all taking to do things differently today? No one gets a do over, but we can still change our future.
My biggest Archery related regret? Well, I started stick & string in the late 70's as a child, so I started early enough. My mistake comes from the early 1990's. I wrote to Jack Howard, requested a catalog and was seriously considering buying a Gamemaster recurve from him. The price scared me away and I bought a PSE Blackhawk T/D (Samick), which has been a great hunting bow for 20 years, but it is no Howard Gamemaster!
Now, looking back, I WASTED far more $$$ on "wine, women & song" (and guns too), than a custom Gamemaster bow and a trip out West would have cost. I WASTED some serious dough, and I mean wasted it, although I sure did have some fun along the way!
But now, in my mid 40's, don't I wish that I had flown out West, met Mr. Howard, shook his hand, spent some time with him, learned from him and paid him to make me a bow. "Would have, could have, should have"... That time has elapsed, and now Jack is gone.
We only travel this path once. At this point in my life, I focus on the future and try to think things through as much as possible. No more regrets.
Just like a lot of the others, I wish I would have started traditional bowhunting sooner... although I guess it took time to get me to switch I enjoy bowhunting on a different level now. :archer:
Wish I would have hung up the compound sooner than
9yrs ago.There was so much I was missing without my longbow but did'nt realize it. Those days are gone and enjoying so much more now. A shot at an animal or not. There is no day in the woods
that turns out dissapointing. :) :) :)
I'm still terrible about taking pictures of my hunts and my two boys out in the field. Wish I would have taken a lot of pics.
I'm still terrible about taking pictures of my hunts and my two boys out in the field. Wish I would have taken a lot of pics.
I've made some mistakes in other aspects of my life but I'm mostly satisfied with my career as an outdoorsman and archer. I never got into the wheels and cables thing but I did spend a lot of time hunting with a rifle when I could have been hunting with one of my bows instead.
Truly, the only regrets I have in more than 50 years as an archer and bowhunter, are that I don't still have the first two bows I owned when I was a kid. I still have (and shoot) all the rest but I wish I had those first two also. :(
Mike
:archer:
I wish I had started left handed and had sought out help. I learned that I'm not a very good teacher haha
I wish I'd learned a whole lot sooner that there is a difference between the best bow for shooting 3D/targets and the best bow for hunting.
I would have had more money so I could have afforded better bows when I was young -- back in the days when "traditional archery" had no meaning, because all bows were either recurves or longbows! And Fred Bear would have been my dad!!!!!!
Allan
All the money spent chasing the "magic-bow" back to put towards hunting trips!
Nothing. I've enjoyed most all of my past experiences with archery. Those that I didn't enjoy, I learned from and appreciate the gained insight.
One of my biggest regrets was not having my parents take of picture of me with my Ben Pearson longbow when I was 11. My second regret is loosing that bow somewhere, I can't remember what happened to it.
The third regret is not taking pictures of my early traditional hunts in the 60s/70s because we hunted a military installation where security was strict and cameras weren't allowed in the secure areas.
One thing I don't regret is my journals. I have every hunt, bow shoot, family event, etc recorded ever since I put down the compound 25 years ago.
I do regret not taking more pictures. I just don't like to be bothered with a camera.
One for me went to Bob WEsley shooting school earlier, the next would be to take pictures and hunt more with friends and family.
I dropped out of archery for a time when I got old enough to use a rifle. I wish I had still continued to use the bow at least part of the time.
Hunt more !
I dont think I would have done much different.One thing I would have liked to have done different or would recommend doing is seeking quality information,knowledge,coaching and or DVDs etc on proper shooting technique/form to start out with from the beginning.
Started about 30 years earlier :coffee: