I,ve been on here for a few years and never really posted but mainly used the forum to get info and shooting tips. But I figured I'd share this for the hopes it would inspire someone else thinking about getting into traditional archery.        
         After hunting with a compound for almost 30 years I picked up a recurve back in 2006 and started shooting it. Honestly it became a love hate relationship with traditional archery, never really good enough to have faith enough to hunt with it but for some reason I couldn't put it down. Sometimes I would hang it in my garage for weeks and then something would draw me back to it like a magnet. I shot it on and off for a few years but still hunted mostly with my compound and then a few years back I skipped hunting all together for a few years while I started a new job. This spring I had free time for the first time in a few years and the traditional bug hit me hard again. I picked up a long bow and for some reason it just clicked with me, I was able to shoot it much better then my recurve and practiced all spring and summer.

        This fall I hunted bear in Manitoba with a few friends and I sat there in a stand one night with that long bow in my hand. just before dark a nice bear stepped out of the woods and my mind just went into automatic pilot. As the bear approuched all I remember is my eyes being glued onto a spot on it's vitals, the next thing I remember is being at full draw and then seeing the arrow spinning towards the spot I was watching and hitting the exact spot. IT WAS LIKE MAGIC!!!! The shot happened on it's own perfectly. I guess I shot some much it had become ingrained in my mind. Thanks everyone for the help this forum has provided to me during my learning curve in tarditional archey....DH

Great photo of you and a wonderful looking black bear.  Congrats on taking such a trophy with a bow and arrow.  Must have been quite an adventure.

Beautiful photo and bow!

Nice bear, congrats!!

Congrats! that's a nice Bear!

Congratulations, and thank you for the post, great pic.

Congrats!!  Nice Bear!

Congradulations. Hap

Great job and bear!

Very nice! Congrats!

dang nice bear ,congrats  

Awesome!

That bear has a beautiful dark shiny coat

Now thats a nice bear.Congrats....

Great story, and great feeling when you stick with it and everything comes together!

Congratulations on a nice looking bear!  Glad to see you drawn to your longbow!

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

Great looking bear.   That feeling of watching the arrow slowly spinning and disappearing into the animal where you are looking.  I can still clearly see my all white feather/cap dip arrow spinning all the way into the side of a whitetail doe and disappearing into that exact spot I was looking at.   Its been 18 years ago and I can still remember it like it was yesterday.  

Hope you got a nice rug made out of that bear.

That is a beautiful Bear! Congratulations on a great animal. You have the first animal out of the way now, that confidence will soar! Now you wont go back to that wheel thing. That has got to be the prettiest bear picture I have ever seen.

Attaboy,nothing like longbows and bears

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I am getting ready for our deer season here in NY which starts this weekend. I finally really feel Like part of the Trad community, not because of my bear kill but because I have complete faith in my shooting ability with my trad gear. Good hunting everyone.........DH

Dang that's a sexy bear!  Congrats!!!!