Trad Gang

If a couple of you guys would take the trouble to look at this man's profile and then at the website linked there maybe you'd learn a little bit about him and not be so damn suspicious.

Guy

I hunt with compound shooters 90% of the time. They have their choice and I have mine. Bashing compound shooters isnt going to help our sport of bowhunting as a whole.

As far as crossbows are concerned I think if you are able to physically draw a bow then you should not have the advantage of hunting with a pre-drawn weapon.

The use of ATVs is a human responsibility issue. Its not the ATVs fault that property is destroyed it is the person operating it that is
at fault. I don't own an ATV but have used friend's to get deer out of the woods. They save a lot of work and if used properly don't do much damage.

QuoteOriginally posted by Grey Taylor:
If a couple of you guys would take the trouble to look at this man's profile and then at the website linked there maybe you'd learn a little bit about him and not be so damn suspicious.

Guy

I did!  Quite a bit actually!   No offense intended to Mike and it sounds as if none taken!   I think he understood the question!

Compounds vs. Recurve/Long bow, Camo vs. Plaid, atv vs. horse.  Who cares, when it all comes down to it no matter what you wear, shoot, or use to pack out your trophy. True hunters all have one thing we all can agree on.  Thats the love of the outdoors and passing on the tradition of being out in God's creation and being thankfull for being able to enjoy the way of life we all love to our younger generation.  

I my self dont look down or have a bad opinion on those who use the latest and greatest for hunting.  I myself just made the switch over to hunting with a recurve last year but I still use some of the newer stuff when I hunt.  But I do look down on those who go out and break the game laws of hunting.  

So lets not worry about who uses what and judge them for it.  Instead lets focuse on preserving and passing the torch on to the future of our sport we all love.

Mr. Tomano,
I too, am a little put off by the "I'm better than them" attitude that comes across in my favorite trad hunting magazine. I was raised to believe that I'm no better than anyone else.
That said, I will never condone the breaking of any laws just to "bag" an animal. These laws are supposed to be in place as a guideline for helping people to know what's reasonable, ethical or moral, right?
I may not represent the "Traditional Collective" as a whole, but I'm proud to be a member of it.
Just my humble opinion...

Well said Deeter! My opinions mirror yours. I don't always agree with everything the game wardens say and do, but I obey the laws and expect everyone else to do the same.

We are all on a journey. Growing up, no one in my family bow hunted, so I was a rifle hunter. My first hands on exposure to archery was through Boy Scouts (a recurve), but I didn't start bow hunting until a friend of mine started me with a hand me down compound. I've continued my journey now into traditional bows, but no one else I hunt or shoot with is traditional.  

I do object to crossbows having the same season as the rest of archery, and I think there should also be a trad only season (like muzzle loaders), here in Michigan.

But I do not object to other forms of hunting or gear. As has been said, to each their own. Just because I don't think it's sporting, 'fair', or right, doesn't mean that the next guy shouldn't be able to enjoy the outdoors, and hunt how he wants to.

I do really hate to encounter other hunters while afield, but I really enjoy their company and camaraderie at any other time. Especially around the camp fire, giving them a hand when they've been successful, and certainly here on tradgang.

The way I do anything is the way I do it.

Your way can be the same, similar or totally different but that's of no concern to me if it's legal and ethical. The legal is quite clear (unless you're a lawyer!), the "ethical" can cause some debate...

My view is you have to like your gear. I like recurves, wish I could shoot a longbow better and prefer wood arrows and Autumn Orange aluminums.
You have your preferences and we can joke around about the differences, but I'm not going to dwell on them.

Respect is hard to come by these days. Many have a "me first" and "hurry up" attitude that gets in the way. Perhaps, it's that simple, everyone has to show more respect.
Oh, that it could be that simple, if you think that would be simple...

On ATV's, I believe that if used responsibly they are not a problem.  I will be pulling one with me when I head west in a few days.  But if I hike in to an area where they are not allowed and some bonehead comes tooling up on his ATV I can guarantee it will chaff my hide.  I sure sympathize with those who put up with irresponsible use.

I frequently hunt with friends who use compounds and have no issue at all with them.  I choose my partners based on how they hunt, not what they carry for a bow.  That being said, I do not agree with crossbows being allowed in the archery season.  Not that I think I am better than them, but they simply are not bows.

Fenced hunting is a very difficult question, but a very important one in my mind.  There are extremes on both ends, from pens in which you pick your animal, shoot it, and go home, to those such as some in Africa where you can drive for hours without reaching a fence.  

To me, the defining factor is whether you are hunting animals that were born on and grew up on the property. Put and take operations, where animals are brought in by truck to be shot by "hunters", is where the line is crossed.  That is not hunting in my mind, and I think reflects badly on the sport we love.

Ethics are a personal thing, and very devisive in many cases.  I have strong opinions about mine, and I also am picky about the friends I hunt with based on their ethics as well.

I have no qualms about any legal form of hunting. That being said there are several methods that I don't care to participate in personally, but I wouldn't bash another hunter for trying. I shoot my recurve because I love it and have a passion for it. I have a friend who feels the same way about his rifles. And my father in law has recently fallen in love with cross bows, my father in law has never been a hunter but now has an interest in getting in the field this season with me because of his cross bow. Who am I to criticize his weapon of choice for enjoying the outdoors, and possibly drive him to stay home? If an individual can kill an animal in an enclosure and be happy with that animal and make full use of the meat the more power to him, it's not for me. I've got no great moral objection to baiting where it's legal, just as I don't object to food plots, acorns, or estrous lures. We are called to be care takers of this world, given dominion over the creatures of the earth. If your going to use the animal harvested, and not harm the environment or herd so to speak. Then ill not bash another for use of any safe legal practice. Just my humble opinion.

I have lots of compound shooting friends and relatives and used to shoot them myself, but I consider them better suited for target shooting than hunting, and I don't like reading about them in hunting magazines.  I own an ATV but believe their use needs to be closely regulated and those rules followed.  I have no problem with hound hunters and don't see how hunting with dogs is in conflict with traditional archery or traditional values.  I don't think bait piles and high fences have anything to do with hunting, regardless of what kind of weapon used.  I think all of us have an unwritten, internal code of ethics and although they may not be written out, you know immediately when you or someone else crosses that line.  I personally have no issues with the opinions of traditional values or ethics held by the editors of that traditional archery magazine you refer to.

As long as it is not breaking the law, abusing the rights of others or land, then why should I care.  We are all granted with the same "Privilege" to pursue our own happiness.

I too get turned off by the folks who attempt to "push" their beliefs on to others and who also do not respect differing views.

Mike -

I approach this from a different angle but similar to what you are talking about. Not against compound bows and responsible use of ATV's...however all of this "lets get along" and "we are all hunters" is what got the crossgun incorporated into the archery seasons across the US along with all the other so called acceptable hunting practices. Where do we draw the line on archery equipment? Is it when a crossgun fires a bolt with a 209 primer or something similar??

This is more of a concern for me than anything else you mentioned.

Ron

Well, there are laws and then there are laws.  We're indoctrinated to believe that if the law says it's legal then we're good to go.   If your conscience is fine with that so be it.  I'm not.

I do not support the big tent theory, and all hunters are not my brothers.  I want nothing to do with a significant number of them.  If folks want to call that elitist that's there prerogative.  

It's no different with other outdoor sports.  IMO the worst thing that has happened to our lakes and rivers is Bass Tournaments.  How has that benefited the resource or the experience?  

It is all about the money...

Mike, a very large part of the reason that many of us use traditional equipment and technique is that we ARE different.  We don't use the equipment to BE different, we already are.  We see things with a slightly different point of view.  

Many folks in Wisconsin are for the game of football, and very much for UW Madison (Badgers) and the Packers but very much against the other teams.  You can equate that to almost all facets of our human lives.  It is what it is.

We do things our way and they do things their way.  Even within the trad community there are vast differences in needs, desires, styles and goals.

We are no different than any other group.

ChuckC

There are many hunting practices I am personally against as they go against my moral compass but I tend to keep it to myself as much as possible.
That being said I don't try to push my morals on someone else as long as they don't try to push their lack of them on me. Just because the law says you can do something does not make it right .

Just my 2 cents and I better shut my big mouth now...lol

I agree with BAK.  I do not want technology in my hunting.  I will not use a trail cam because to me this is a short cut.  The satisfaction gained from this is immeasurable to me.  Do I think this makes the traditional guy elite?  Yes actually I do.  Anyone can shoot a crossbow well but not a recurve or longbow unless great effort is expended.  The effort makes a hunter elite not the  label traditional.  If  the main effort is to write a large check for gear it does not make you a hunter I respect.

I have my own opinions on these subjects to which you refer.
I am a traditionalist be nature I believe. In some ways I like the "old ways" of doing things.
Don't get me wrong, technology is great! If I did not like it I would not be typing this on my iPad while surfing the Internet.

These are my opinions. I don't judge anyone on their choices I just don't feel they fit with what I believe. (I will hunt this season with someone who uses a compound)

I believe in fair chase.
I believe in the adventure being just as enjoyable as the harvest.
I need to develop skills to get close. I don't want easy which I feel the compounds and crossbows do. I am looking to the challenge.
I don't believe that crossbows belong in archery season.
I don't care if you shoot them, but in my thinking they are a gun that shoots arrows and should be used in gun season.
Don't mind compounds. I teach children in my classes to shoot them. I think they are a great teaching aid.
But, I do think that they tend to cause some to attempt less than ethical shots. I also feel that some of the marketing of these tools border on leaning towards whack-em and stack-em, killin machine, mentality.
ATVs are also a great tool. I just hope they are not in my woods.
Technology is great, but sometimes it is at a cost to what is greater.
In every category of every thing there are sub-categories. People have different thoughts and opinions. It is true here. Ask 100 Trad Gangers a question and you will get 100 answers.
There is the same "divisiveness" among the animal rights activists.