Trad Gang

Recently I have been reading Mike Mitten's book One with the Wilderness - sure has brought back some old memories and passions.... got me to thinking about, and re-evaluating some things.  At age 52 solo hunts deep in the wilderness probably aren't a good idea..... but

Anyways, it got me to thinking about why I/people choose Trad Archery.

So....

Why did you get into Traditional Archery?

It seems to ME that the current trend in archery today is not to improve the man behind the bow but to improve the gadgets to over compensate for the man holding the bow.  Range finders - because most people really are not good at judging distances – especially past 30-40 yards.  Release aids, small fletching, super-fast bows, OZONICs, night vision, and now crossbows during archery seasons, etc.... just wondering where the line will eventually be drawn

I realize my motives are mine and not everyone will follow a similar path – and that's OK.  However, I would love to hear your story - why did you get into and why do you still pursue traditional archery?  What is it about traditional archery that gets your blood pumping.

Hopefully I have no violated any of the rules of this forum - if so I understand the removal.

"It seems to ME that the current trend in archery today is not to improve the man behind the bow but to improve the gadgets to over compensate for the man holding the bow."

Seems like that's the goal of so-called traditional archery too.  Look at the huge number of "trad" gimmicks and gadgets -- bow holders for guys who can't hang on to a stick; ghillie suits and camo, silly discussions about coffee in a stand and peeing in bottles, lighted widgets.  Chemicals that are supposed to dampen you scent.  Discussions over 10 gram differences in broadheads, magic materials for everything, etc. ad nauseum.  

A gadget to compensate for everything, rather than spending time in the field learning basic woods/hunting skills and bow skills.

It's supposed to be about TRADITION, not modern nonsense.  Get back to basics, guys!

When I hunt, I wear ordinary outdoor clothing in normal socially acceptable colors not camo, I carry a bow, two arrows, a canteen, a map and compass, food, a knife and some cord and a survival size mylar blanket (my only hi-tech gimmick).  I bathe and eat regularly, and do what a bear does in the woods if necessary.

No phone, no camera, no gadgets, no hyped products.  No excess junk.

I walk quietly and slowly and keep my eyes and ears open.

That's TRADITIONAL archery hunting.

In nearly 40 years I've skunked out less than 25% of the time on whatever I was hunting.

QuoteOriginally posted by KenH:
[QB] "It seems to ME that the current trend in archery today is not to improve the man behind the bow but to improve the gadgets to over compensate for the man holding the bow."

Well said. I agree

I didn't get into traditonal archery. Traditional archery got into me. I have always loved everything about the outdoors, and was introduced into bows and arrows as a pup. I transitioned to guns for quite a while, but was a 'two season hunter' a la Fred Bear in the 70s, and although I wasn't very successful with a bow back then, I always enjoyed being close to animals when bowhunting, much more so than whacking some animal from a distance. I loved the solitude that bowhunting provided, and being on more even terms with my prey.
I tried a compound for a couple of years, and it just didn't 'do it' for me. I soon returned to trad bows, and never faltered from them since the late 70s.
I just really enjoy shooting pointed sticks from a wooden spring, whether it is in pursuit of animals or hitting a leaf at an unknown yardage. It is an addiction that those of us who frequent this site can understand, although most folks might think we are eccentric.
Traditional archery is a simple pleasure; not easy, but simple. I can escape from the craziness of the world, politics, and other annoyances when I am roving the woods with bow in hand.

I had a guy yesterday, who happens to bowhunt quit a bit, look at me dumbfounded when I told him I just came back from a rather expensive bowhunt to OHIO with an unfilled tag.  He asked me, didn't you want to take a compound or a gun so you could improve your chances at getting a buck (I had several dandies at 40-45 yards).  I looked at him and said thought never crossed my mind.  

I just think some poeple will never understand the whole "romance" of trad archery - I fumble badly to put it into words but its in my soul/spirit???

I shot my first longbow 17 years ago. It took 1 shot that was it for me. I bought that longbow before I even shot one. I was always drawn to Traditional archery. I was reading Traditional Bowhunter in my compound days. I don't know what it is, its inside me. It just feels right to me

I made the switch from compound equipment when I was 18...eight years ago. I had always been interested in traditional archery but I realized that If I wanted to continue to have a lengthy and liberal season I would need to make a choice along with other hunters to maintain the primitive weapons status that got us all started in the first place. I also found it to be extremely fun! But my main goal was to decrease the odds in increase the challenge. Being that much closer to our bow hunting history and the great men who started out was an added plus. As it turns out, for having greatly decreased my odds I have certainly benefited ten fold in my woodsmanship skills.


The straw on the camels back for me was a recent study in 2006 on the near doubling of archer success rates around the country in the last 15 years.  Read this as Short seasons looming in the future...particularly in Western states
That along with The state-by-state legalization of crossbows and an ad I saw in 2006 for The liberty compound bow with the ridiculously short axel to axle. I thought to myself, "what would Fred bear say!"

As more and more states allow crossbows into archery seasons more gun hunters will be drawn into it and we will have shorter seasons..... its just a matter of time.

K.I.S.S. is the main reason. Last time I shot a wheel bow, I missed a giant buck at one yard. I thought, theres gotta be a better way. That was 1984.

As I think back - about 2008 is when trad archery started to hook me.  I was in the local archery shop getting set up on a brand new wheelie bow.  Two older gentlemen were in there shooting the 3-d range which was directly next to where the owner would set up bows.  Both of them were shooting recurve bows and were nailing the targets from 0-35y with ease.  As I got my bow done - I had to spend some time sighting in each pin.  But these guys didn't have pins, no release, just a simple stick and string.

I found this forum about the same time and started reading.  The next time I was in the shop a few months later I started asking questions since both guys shot there a lot.  One of them sold me a 45# r/d long bow and I was off the races.  After the 2009 season I hunted the entire 2010 season with just a trad bow.  No shots offered and I reverted back in 2011 until this year.

Took some encouragement from friends, co-workers, and a belief in myself but I'm now full time stick bow.  The satisfaction was so great on my first harvest that I don't think I could go back.

Simple, a lot of fun to watch the arrow fly, less weight to carry, quicker and quieter to draw....the list goes on.  I enjoy practice much more with a stick bow.

I think KenH is quite correct.  If anything, my buddies and I got more gear-nerdy after getting into trad. archery, at least more involved in buying and selling bows in the attempt to find the one that would be able to compensate for the biggest problem almost all new trad. archers have:  the inability to hit anything because we buy into the idea that one needs to ditch all orthodox ideas about shooting in order to be "trad enough."  Once I figured out that it was the Indian, and not the bow, and that I had already owned the brand of bow that agreed with me best a few different times, I settled down to re-learn how to shoot, and I am enjoying it more than I ever have now.  But, I digress.  I got into trad. archery because I was sick to death of competition and the fact that although I had the skills to shoot with anyone, I didn't have the mind to do it, and I was miserable.  The recurve simply allowed me to have fun with a bow again, and escape from the grind of judging myself a failure over one missed 12 or X-ring.

I agree with  DaveT1963, some people will never understand or get the "romance" of traditional archery. I always get the "why don't you take a compound or gun" also. It's not just about bringing home the "bacon" any more.  For me It fills a void. I feel closer to nature and it has made me better!  I enjoy every last detail. 4 years ago I went on a meat hunt in south tx, white tail does and axis does. ( just to clarify it was low fence) I shot 5 does in a day and a half. I left with my coolers full but an empty spirit. It did nothing to satisfy what I long for in the outdoors. I haven't picked up a gun since.

I will also add that for me it is so much more personal/spiritual when I do harvest an animal.  There is a connection and reverence there that defies words.  When I use to "knock them donw" with my .270 sure there was joy but there was never that personal connection with the animal like I have with stick and string?  Perhaps it is because I have to get so close to the animal now, maybe I have grown into a different season/ phase with age?  Don't know, I just know that everyday I spend out in the woods carrying my longbow or recurve it seems like I step into yesteryear and the world slows down for a bit and things are, for lack of better words, as they are meant to be.

I had a custom flintlock made and hunted with it exclusively for about 5 years. The nagging thought in the back of my mind that I should give up my compound and go traditional archery also was always there. I bought a fine Lynn Harrelson take down and begin to practice.(2005) Just like a lot of other Type A, Macho guys, I was over bowed and tore my shoulder up in short order. Sold that fine bow.
I went back to the compound and hunted with it until this year. I'm 63 and starting over. This time I bought a bow that at 40lbs and 62" I can handle and I'm just enjoying getting it set up and learning to shoot instinctively. I enjoy hunting, but I enjoy just getting out and shooting a bow every chance I get. There's not much enjoyment for me in sighting in a compound, setting the pins at 20,30,40 and 50 and then letting it set up all year when I would shoot the weekend before season a couple of times to make sure the sights were on. May as well shoot a scoped rifle. I hope to get decent at this instinctive shooting stuff and buy another really nice bow, that fits me, sometime soon.

I've always had a love for the outdoors. Born and raised in the suburbs, I was fortunate enough to have a father who was a fishing addict and took me to the Sierras to camp/fish on a regular basis.

I spent a few years in Ohio as a teenager, where I got into hunting with a compound, without success. And, although, I always liked bows and had an interest in them, I never got real excited about shooting it, and it probably didn't help that I didn't have any kind of support group, club, or friends to shoot with.

A few years later I moved back to California, and made a new friend who invited me to a weekend archery shoot. Well, we couldn't camp the whole weekend, but it was only 2 hours away, so the wife and I made a day trip to see him on Saturday.
I instantly fell in love with the whole thing! The community, the combination of camping with friends AND shooting. Shooting bows without all the gadgets and frustration and expense, it was literally like going in the front yard to play catch with my dad.
While I was there, I met another guy, who would become a really close friend, who gave me a shooting glove. Just met the guy, and he just had enough faith that I was going to get into it that he gave me a glove.(same guy got me into backpacking too. Actually he's really cost me a lot of money over the years...)
Being in college at the time, I wasn't about to try to convince my wife to let me buy a bow, but little did I know, she got in contact with one of the guys that was selling a used bow at the shoot, and that bow was to become my Christmas present just a few months later. A friend gave me a dozen wood shafts for Christmas, and the rest is history.

It's taken a few years for me to get back into hunting, but I'm trying to get my crap together this year to do my first trad archery hunting.

But regardless, I just love trad archery. The weekend long 3D shoots, the local 3D shoots, and 3D league night during the summer. The ability to just shoot a couple arrows in my backyard.

The whole draw to trad archery for me, was the contrast to the gear heavy compound world. I love the ability to just string my bow shoot arrows at anything at any distance. Sure I'm not as likely to hit my target beyond 25 yards, but I don't get frustrated with myself either because I don't have such high expectations. There isn't this pressure to be accurate at 50 yards like there was with a compound. I've even gotten almost completely away from commercial camo clothing, but that was in the works even before trad archery, based on my own observations while playing paintball. I am working on building a lightweight ghillie suit right now, but I don't consider that to be gear to make up for a poor hunter/shooter, blending in has been around as long as man has hunted animals. Even plaid is a form of camouflage.

Funny note, my first bow(the compound) was a Christmas gift from my grandfather. My first longbow was a Christmas gift from my wife.
This Christmas, my 2 year old daughter is getting her first longbow.(well, more like a fiberglass stick with a string, but I can't wait.)

I consider myself a bowhunter who just happens to use a traditional bow. When you get down to brass tacks our equipment is very state of the art and made with space age materials, so we have all gone the easier route at some point. The only electronic gadgets I use extensively are range finders and flashlights. I can judge the distance but it is nice to range a couple of landmarks before you settle in to give you piece of mind. Some gadgets actually do enhance the experience and don't limit fair chase, I'll just keep hunting the way I like to.

I am too dumb to operate a compound or crossbow.

it's REAL ARCHERY

I shot a Bear Kodiak Hunter in during my high school years in the mid 70's; got away from archery for a while after I graduated college and when I got back in to it I started using compound bows. Eventually I found my interest waning and a few years ago I started not to take time out at the monthly shoots to go shoot the course, just worked the shoots (I'm an officer of the club) - I was loosing interest. So a little over a year ago I decided to hang up the compound and go relearn the recurve; I'm having a blast.

Everything I could say is summed up into one video - watch "The Challenge" by Sitka Films. It's on youtube. Let me grab the link....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFA1Fc0QqFw

I think you guys would all enjoy it.

Alex

I originally switched to trad because I am a very competitive person, and traditional shooting is hard. Over the years trad hunting has become a part of me, so much so that I do not hunt with any other kind of weapon. I also believe that trad successes are more rewarding because of how hard it is and the work it takes to be proficient!

Bisch

Its a feeling that I cannot put to words.

Simply because it's simple!

For me, it's cause I never new anything else!  My dad was an archer (field) and bowhunter.  We lived in a small town in the UP where hunting was an embedded tradition.  My dad caught the fever while living in Cleveland working as a machinist during WWII (4f).  He saw an exhibition shoot by Howard Hill and took up the bow.

He shot a 60# lemonwood self bow.  About 1954 he got me a lightweight bow like his.  I and several other kids in town spent many hours roaming with our bows.  It was all in the true spirit of roving and stump shooting.

I bought a couple simple round wheeled bows in the early '70's and enjoyed tinkering with them and learning how they worked.  Even with those, I found it necessary to shoot simple setups.  I found a satisfaction in fiddling with them.  Very much like the pleasure of tuning an engine to run perfectly.

Nowadays I get that same pleasure out of building and tuning longbows.  

To me, it's the simplicity of it that appeals.  And, I'll happily say that I find the same enjoyment in shooting and hunting with side lock muzzle loaders and old milsurp rifles.

In the end, regardless of what's in hand, the important thing to me is the solitary immersion in and melding with the wild.

For me, I like a challenge and really want to earn my first deer ever. I owe it to the animal to give him as fair an opportunity as possible. They work hard to stay alive and I'll work just as hard to put the meat on the table. Hence this being my 8th year and still looking for that first ever!

Wouldn't have it any other way, though I could easily do it with a rifle!    :thumbsup:

I don't really think of it as a challenge, its just what I do.  When I go out in the woods, I carry my longbow (or a recurve sometimes).

I hardly shoot guns any more, no point (for me) and I WON'T get another compound.  I might build me a crossbow outta Ooops longbow limbs I have in a pile in my shop.  Not for hunting but for screwing around in the yard. Might be fun.

My friends kinda chide me for not grabbing a high tech compound when I go out west, after stories of all my "close, but not quite" encounters. .  all of which would have been quite easy (longer) shots with a sighted compound.  I don't get their need to kill something to feel successful, and they don't see my joy in the being there.

I guess we all have buttons, different buttons, and shooting sticks pushes some of those buttons for some of us.

CHuckC

Well, I guess I must be a little different to some extent.  I am not meat hunting.  If my family was relying one me for food I would be bringing my rifle 100% of the time.  It's a challenge with trad equipment.  I am still waiting for my first harvest and this is year 2.  

As for the high tech bashing, I think its amazing that we criticize ourselves over technology made to be better.  I do agree people just go out into the woods and expect results without work, and part of that has to do with commercializing.  I will never look down on someone using a compound or crossbow as their way of hunting (I would like to see a trad season in FL), but between those two weapons they are pretty much the same.  If your into pure basics all the way down to making your own bow, much respect because I found it hard just getting my bow tuned right.  The fact is some new age stuff is just flat out better.  A topo map will not do you any good here in FL.  Compass or GPS is what you need if you are going somewhere, say the everglades.  Most of our area is roads and water, kind of hard to get lost in any area where I hunt.

What is considered basic by one person might not be the same to others.  I for one just don't find any interest in dressing as a Indian to hunt deer. Nothing wrong with that just not my cup of tea.  Just like people catching hogs in traps for harvest.  Nothing wrong with it and its legal where I live, just not my cup of tea.

The longbow allows me to the closest (1/2") to 'naked' primordial existence.

Simply put....I like it!

Plus I can walk around acting like I am better than everyone else   :smileystooges:     :p

"Plus I can walk around acting like I am better than everyone else [smileystooges] [Razz]"


Charlie, that should ruffle some feathers!   :biglaugh:    :biglaugh:

Plus it's an excellent alibi when coming home empty handed!

Some really interesting and thought provoking posts in this thread.  I guess I never really thought about it that deeply.  I love to bowhunt and I choose to use a recurve.  I have never found that I was at much of a disadvantage to guys using a compound.  

Compounds are easier to shoot accurately and I understand that some guys do not want to practice or train much.  I love to shoot my bow.  It is just what I do.  It makes perfect sense to me to hunt with it.

Even at 3D shoots, my hunting buddies know that I shoot a recurve.  Nothing is really ever said about it.  They shoot what they want and so do I. Simple as that!  Shoot your bow and have fun!

It was my kids that brought me back to Traditional. They had no interest in compounds and only wanted to shoot traditional so I dusted off my old Grizzly and joined them.

It's been 30 yrs since my last hunt with the Grizzly but that's going to change next year when I hang up the compound for the hunting season.

Years ago I decided to start bowhunting and purchased a used compound (Bear  Blackbear) and a used Kodiak Magnum. I was told the compound was outdated and I needed a newer bow, and was advised to not even buy the recurve. taking them home, I spent money on a rest and sights for the compound. Had no luck getting it setup, and the K-mag just seems so simple, and fun to shoot. Since then I have known compound hunters that have had many "New" bows, and that old K-mag would still do the job just fine, like it did 40 years ago. I like simple, is my answer.

I like both styles of bow (compound and trad)
Recurves are more challenging and thats the main reason as to why I like them.

Im not going to ditch camo, a gps, a replaceable blade knife etc because it's too "techy" thats a load of crap.

I hunt in First Lite merino wool because I got a great deal on it (never hurts) and because it gives me the advantage of staying warm when its cold and cool whe  its warm. Plus it comes in ASAT which I think is one of the best camo patterns out there.

My hunting requires a lot of physical activity and I want the lightest gear out there to make myself more comfortable.

I have high tech bino's and a super lightweight frame pack which help me to be successful.

If thats not traditional enough, well I dont rightfully care. I hunt because I enjoy hunting and want to maoe the e perience last as long as I can.

I shoot my compound and recurve @ least every other day. There are plenty of people that practice with their compound bows more than quite a few people do with their trad equipment.

Hunting has a lot less to do with the equipment and a lot more the indian than most would care to admit. Havent gone 100% with my recurve because I dont have quite enough confidence in my abilities yet to make a clean ethical shot.

Hunt how you want too, join as many conservation groups as you can and leave everyone else be.

Sometikes it must be hard to stay grounded from way up there on such a high horse.

Personal satisfaction, I love the simplicity. I also like to incorporate a bit of stump shooting and mushroom kills. If it was all about killing I would definitely use a rifle. That said I have strictly bowhunted for over 50 years.

about half and half with compound and trad bow.

I can say that I will never go back to a mechanical bow but when I get to where I cannot draw a hunting bow will probably use a rifle or quit.

Simply put hunting with trad bows and gear is the most satisfying and rewarding form of hunting I have ever done.
BTW I made a ghillie suit this week and sure never considered it to be a gadget.
At least its a bunch safer than tree stands , unless someone shoots me for a squatch.

God bless, Steve

I shoot traditional because its fun and enjoyable for me...I never had fun shooting the compound. I was one of those guys that pulled out the compound a few weeks before season to check sights and I was good to go. With my longbow I shoot a lot...its relaxing to me...I love to watch that arrow fly!

I wanted to shoot traditional for a long time but didn't because none of my buddies did. I didn't want to get made fun of and poked at for shooting something different than they did. Finally I just said screw it I am gonna do what is enjoyable for me.

I didn't tell them what I was gonna shoot at the start of this season...I just show up on opening day with my longbow. They wore my butt out..."You cant kill anything with that"..."I didn't know people still shot those"...and on and on. 5 deer later all with a longbow...and one being a pope and young buck....they don't make fun anymore!!   :goldtooth:

As a young boy my Grandfather gave me his Wing Gull recurve. I self taught myself to use it. Later in my youth I would learn a little more about the fundamentals of traditional archery at boy scout camp. In my twenties a workmate introduced me to bowhunting and I purchased my first compound bow. Over the next ten years I went from the basic entry level compound to the top of the line. I learned to set up these bows myself and make my own arrows. Then one day I just hit a wall. I felt no challenge. Form and yardage was all I needed to know the bow did everything else. There was a empty hole inside me I needed to fill. It came to light I needed to go back to my roots in archery. I knew only through traditional archery would I be able to become a better archer. Now many years later a feeling I can only discribe as zen like when I shoot. That in the yardage in which I comfortably shoot I am in control of the destination in which my arrow will hit the spot I am targeting. It is a very fulfilling feeling of confidence and control. I know now that I am exactly where I want to be.

That's simple for me, traditional equipment is simply a better choice for hunting period.

Compound bows and all the equipment that goes with it,simply will fail far more than any shortcomings we give up with tradional bows.

QuoteOriginally posted by monterey:
Plus it's an excellent alibi when coming home empty handed!

:biglaugh:

Best hunting tool for me . It is that simple.

Gotta love it!

QuoteOriginally posted by Cyclic-Rivers:
Simply put....I like it!

Plus I can walk around acting like I am better than everyone else    :smileystooges:       :p  

Because when I started shooting a bow "Traditional Archery" was still just Archery.
Too old to change now...    ;)

I shot compounds for years... lots of years. I managed to get pretty good with them and it began to be just like shooting a rifle.... just that automatic.  If I could get drawn on a deer,  it was a done deal.

That got to be no fun after a while, so the natural progression was to take up trad.  
Let me tell you,  watching an arrow rotate straight into your target at 15 yrds is more enjoyable for me than hitting a playing card at 60yrd!!!!!

This is my 2nd year of hunting with traditional archery gear and I got my first deer this fall and I WON'T be going back to the compounds any time soon.

Good luck and God bless,
Rodd

Micheal Arnette pretty much nailed it as far as I am concerned.  The success rates for bowhunters have skyrocketed.  I have to admit that it gets a little annoying when my non-hunting friends all ask me why I havent shot a deer yet this season when all of my compound shooting buddies have.  It is hard enough to explain the difference to a guy who hunts with a compound, let alone trying to explain it to someone who does not know the difference between each weapon.
  One thing that I find to be very sad is that most of the modern bow hunters have no idea that bowhunting pioneers had to fight tooth and nail to get bow seasons established....long before the modern bows even existed.

I started with Trad about 1968 because well that's all there was to start with. Never took well to the wheel bows so I just continued on with what I knew. We have all seen the wheel sector change and evolve but our bows just stay the same. Why? Because they work fine like they are and don't need to change very much. I know I'm a dinosaur on a number of levels but that is how I like it. Today, I love that Trad is still alive and well for others to discover and enjoy.

I started out when you only had longbows and recurves.Once you take game with either one it becomes way two easy with all the other stuff.

For me traditional bowhunting and traditional hunting in general just has a certain comfort and style to it. As for bowhunting with the exception of 2 seasons I have always shot a glass recurve, glass longbow or a selfbow. I jump around between the 3 pretty regularly and have done steel, stone and even bone and antler points (zwickey Eskimos are my usual though), arrows have always been wood for me as it just doesn't feel right to me to use carbons or aluminium.  As for hunting clothes I usually stick with canvas and wool, not much for camp myself but I do have a bit and use it from time to time (even built myself a ghillie suit but I don't use it much). As for blinds and such I usually use ground Blinds out of natural materials and occasionally a bit of burlap to close things up, never cared for treestands.
The same goes for most any other hunting I do.I grouse hunt with a double 12 Guage that was built the same year WWI ended, gun hunt with a lever gun in 45 Colt or a single shot 45-70 and quite often a matchlock smoothbore. Even though it may get me rode out on a rail around here I even built a copy of a 14th century crossbow (pretty traditional to my mind) but haven't decided if I will ever hunt with it or not.
Like I said above, traditional style gear just feels comfortable for me and seems to be the right thing in the woods.

Well, I was gifted a great recurve bow. I was loosing interest in shooting, it was getting boring/easy with compound. All my harvests with a compound were 15yds and in. It's become a challenge again.

I think I got addicted. Tuning is fun, pickin a spot and stacking them in is awesome, cool how brain/muscle memory works.

And these bows are waaaayyy prettier!

Back in 1975 I was a 14yr old boy with a brand new Ben Person Cougar recurve that I bought with a my own hard earned money.  

I stepped out of the house and headed for the woods before light to a homemade wooden deer stand. It was a cool morning with a light frost and my breath hung in the air.

I got scared of the dark and waited in the  clover field till first light to make the journey through scary woods to my stand.

With the smell of an apple scent deer lure I bought, squirted all over my boots, I watched a fantastic sunrise from that wood platform.  I had never seen a sunrise from the woods.

As if on cue a doe approached from behind my stand.  I shook so bad that I didn't even notice the tree branch that was going to save that deer's life.

Two years later I returned to saw that limb off to save the broad head.  I felt like I should keep the results of my first ever bowshot at a deer. I still have that limb with the broad head stuck in it.

Some years went by and I bought a compound.  I never liked sights so I shot it bare bow.  I took some nice critters and never once do I think back on my compound years as being any less of a bowhunter.  

Problem was it didn't look like a bow, it was cold, and as time went on you couldn't find one that you could shoot with fingers.

When I started a career in aviation I moved to Illinois and met up with some guys shooting traditional archery gear. A few shots reminded me of my past and suddenly the touch and feel of the compound had lost its appeal.

Fate allowed me to purchase the Iowa home and property where I grew up.  That's Where my wife and I finished raising our two daughters. As a family we've enjoyed the simple pleasure of shooting the bow and arrow.  And still maintain the friendships born of traditional archery.

The story is long, and God willing it will get longer, but If I had to some it up it one sentence..................

"When I step out of the house, feel the nip in the air, hear the roar of a distant corn dryer or catch the smell a freshly picked corn field I grip my bow tight and life's baggage is gone........I'm 14 again".

>>>Come to the Water<<<

Often times when the conversation has run dry, the remedial responses and posts tend to digress.

An alarming revelation is often experienced during lulls and even to be expected at any time. As humans, it should be no surprise that we may have our feathers ruffled when exposed to the diversity of human nature.  The way of the traditional is held sacred, while our openness, acceptance and tolerance are often challenged as we too strive to develop into an aggrandized complete individual.

Through the integrity, camaraderie and spiritual adhesion of The Trad Gang family,  I saw a man who was brought to life...when away, the Trad Gang presence still lingers.  For I remain captivated by the resonating light of the Traditional and staunchly refuse to be suppressed by my childhood dreams of the past. We have been sent an angel.

We have the power to choose to be angry for 'anger' is a natural emotion.  Being angry at the wrong time may be counterproductive.  It is also, quite easy to complacently view such comments so far out of the grey area as "how stark is the here and now".  Alienation would be unjust as we may deny the true treasures of the traditional way. May we successfully assemble the lost sheep for life is merely a moment in space.

Sitting on our laurels, and accepting possible hints of blasphemy is the time to heed a certain call. Being inspired to both positively and collectively educate and offer secure guidance should provide a way to the dawn of the light and passage out of the dark...such that they may have the opportunity to dip themselves in magic waters.

The glory days of the traditional are here and now!

I jut like recurves and longbows.

My first bow was a compound but only because I let somebody talk me into it. It wasn't long before I dumped the compound for a stick.

I'm totally amazed at this thread as i see everyone telling their story's with very little animosity towards different styles of archery equipment that has evolved over the years....

Oh sure... there's been a few folks here that expressed their feelings on not wanting to be a part of the high tech evolution of archery equipment and prefer keeping things simple. But even Fred Bear, Howard Hill, and many other icons in archery pursued the evolution of building better products.... It's human nature to build a better mouse trap....

I could fill up a full page with another story here on my introduction to traditional archery that would be similar to others here, but i'll try not to carried away here.

I started my archery adventure later in life than a lot of guys....and I absolutely went nuts over the compound bows. These things were still looking like bows in the late 80's, and were very cool! The evolution of the compound bow in the 90's was just incredible....This was time of serious advancement in engineering for wheels, cams and wild different riser designs, and i had a ball with it..... I spent many years shooting hundreds of arrows each day. I shot leagues, I shot 3D , and i got into serious competition too.... i built my own arrows and tweaked my bows to the max, and had a lot of fun with it...

Man i just loved everything about the sport... Finally life and its complexity made me limit my competition goals, and I had to limit my shooting to 3D practice and hunting only.....

This is where my story starts sounding familiar......    I was an accomplished archer in every sense of the word, and a good hunter too. With the higher tech bows and increased performance levels, the range i could harvest big game went from 35-40 yards when i first started, clear out to 80 yards. I shot a lot of animals in the 50-70 yard range over the years.

I could go 3 months without shooting at all, and still shoot groups as big as your fist at 60 yards........ and all of a sudden... the trill was gone....

Without my competitive challenges keeping me going. my bow had become just another means of shooting something, and the fun i had keeping my edge was gone.....

Then i ran into a couple guys shooting home made long bows one day at a 3D shoot. And they were having a ball at it too.... I think i was honestly intrigued with building my own bow as much as i was with the challenge that exists shooting a bare bow instinctively....

Bottom line is that i sold my high tech compound bow and bought a band saw.....When i showed up in elk camp the next year with my first long bow, my hunting buddies thought i'd lost my marbles...

Needless to say, i never looked back..... This total leap into traditional archery has been a great adventure, and it always will be for me....

Why traditional? Because it's difficult.  All I have ever done.

Even allowing for differences in design and material, going traditional connects us to
hunters a thousand years ago or more.

I started out with a "Too Long For Me" Ben Pearson recurve, I bought at Auction for next to nothing. I was a teenager, and nobody but me shot much. So it died down for awhile, Girls, Cars, Family were the Main Concern. Then I was introduced to Compounds, my Son and I. Then the Whole Crew of mine got into Shooting and I had to Shell out for 6 Used compounds and all the goodies that went with them!! 4 Kids and 2 Adults can rack up a   LOT   of Equipment!!   :scared:   We had a Great Time and it was a Family Activity that, once past the Initial Investment, was Relatively Inexpensive for   ALL   of Us to Participate in!!
  Then I bought a Cravatta Bros. Recurve. My Son was Deadly with it, and then of course Dad had to have another bow because my Son latched onto the recurve like it was Gold!   :thumbsup:  
   One thing led to another, and the compounds are collecting dust, sold or given away. My 4 Girls, counting the Ex, just lost interest. Boys and such took precedence from "Stomping Around in the Woods with Dad".
    Now I wouldn't Trade   One   of my Longbows for a Truckload of Wheelie Bows!! Its just so "simple", that Stick and String, but it takes Skill to get the Arrow where you want it. Nothing to depend on but your Instincts and Hours of Practice to get Deadly with it. I make my own arrows and leather gear, and am Still Trying to Make a Bow that will Actually work.   :laughing:   Now that "Traditional Archery is My Lifestyle", I couldn't be Happier!!

just.." cause its cool"...and it feels right.   :saywhat:

For stalking and still hunting, I think it's the best...

My answer is .....
I like hard way ! I don't like optics ,peep sight ,pin etc !
Stick and string ! Simple !

Simple, its how I started and its still fun.

It's the simplicity of it!! Todays world suffers from to much "instant gratification". My father says it best when he says, wheelie bows lack the soul & beauty of a recurve or long bow and besides, I get confused  to what reference point goes where on wheelie bows??? LOL. My father has a very unique way of saying things to say the least.

I feel a more personal connection all around with
Traditional. It just feels like there is far less between me and the animal I am hunting. Then there is the beauty of our chosen equipment. The ethics of the people who choose this path.

I never felt like I wasn't challenged with a compound but never had any real interest in the  sponsored hunting ''pro'' culture that moves gear.

Well I have gone back and forth with compounds for about 17 years and always loved shooting and hunting with trad bows much more. The real turning point for me was when I had the compound out and was popping balloons at 140 yds and realizing I was practicing to be a marksman and not a hunter. I sold my compound mid-season (my friends and family thought I was crazy) and it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders knowing that wheels are gone forever! It is the best feeling to know you are doing what you love and have a resource like this site to share thoughts and learn from knowledgeable people with the same interests who love to talk about their passion! Thank you.

To be honest I got into hunting with recurves and longbows because proficiency with such equipment is an actual skill that not everyone is capable of.  Anyone can shoot a compound accurately, not everyone has the physical skills and coordination to shoot a stick.  

It's the same drive that pushed me to excel in football and baseball in high school and college.

Because it's fun! I've seen some Indians that have no business in the woods though.    :eek:

Anything else is like fishing in a bucket...

It's hunting, real hunting. You and the animal. Shooting is another subject. I can kill at very long distances with my rifles but with my Sasquatch I need to be a good hunter. I love hunting more than shooting.

Hey KenH. Why don't you enlighten me ? What exactly are socially acceptable colors ? Sounds like hunting with you would be a real hoot.

When I started, "traditional archers" is all there was.  Been shooting a stick for about 60 years now. Of course, we just called it archery and bowhunting back then.

L P M you pretty much nailed it.  Your description of "When I step out of the house..........." sums it up very well.  You have a way with words Duane.     :thumbsup:  

Bernie

Pretty simple for me - I like shooting recurves and longbows and I like getting close to the critters I shoot.

that is an easy one! My father was a big traditional Archer and therefore I figured I had to do it as well. either the vintage / traditional thing floats your boat or  it doesn't! there is something very rewarding about mastery or semi mastery of the longbow or recurve. definitely not for the guy looking for the easy way out....

Hi

- Simplicity:just few technical things to be concerned bow wise , you can even make all your equipment By yourself, if u like
- ease of use; lightweight, easy maintenance, possibilty to stumpshoot and have fun By that way too ( cant do that with compound)
- connection to our past; when you carry your bow in the woods, you can imagine all those past hunters, who have been in that same spot ages ago with bow in their hands doing that same thing
- that feeling, when you see a perfect arrow flying :)be it towards game, target or stump...