my first bow was a buckmasters fiberglass compound....after that it was a AIM recurve

well i started hunting with a compound when i was 15 and i killed three deer that season with that bow with relative ease. So i made the switch the next season and its much more rewarding, and im 18 now and never lookin back      

Lot of us did the gun to muzzleloader to compound to stick route....or at least I think so.  I did.  Even worse, I'll be hunting with a bow of my own making this year.  It's a wonderful sickness.

I switched about 15 years ago. My success rate stayed about the same. Buy no means do i mean im that good with a trad bow. the main reason i decided to switch is i always wanted to try it and one day i realised i never took a shot out past 20 yards with my compound any way. i have this sickness about getting as close as i can.

I started with a compound 9 years ago and this is my first year I will be going trad.  Only been shooting for 5 months or so I think but my improvements have gone through the roof.  First 3 months I was always changing and trying to learn...once I settled in on my style it just all clicked and now I feel very confident at my cut off point which is 18 yards.  I wont shoot past that unless I feel I can make the shot.  That is my range though.

I was planning on going out with the compound this season so I dont limit myself but I stopped and thought...I will just have another season of hopes and dreams of tagging one with the recurve one day and wont truelly enjoy it.  So I boxed the compound up shoved it to the side and out with the stick once more.  Even if I dont get anything I know it will be an interesting season!

Started years back traditional.Took my first couple of big game with a Hatfield recurve.Then the dreaded[must get bigger better faster]made me go over to the dark side.Shot compound competitively,indoors and out,shot 3d,and trophy hunted hard.Had lots of success but something was missing. The defining moment came one season where I was fortunate enough to take a Booner whitetail[well short by 1/8 inch but who cares] with my compound and a smallish 5 point bull elk with my longbow[chek-mate crusader].Well guess which one I couldn't stop talking about, your right,the stickbow kill.By next season all my compound gear was sold and I've never looked back.Any regrets? not really, just a learning curve.            Take car Mo.

Shot LIght recurves as a kid, Hunted for 15 years with a compound this year my nephew and i will be trad . only.We will see. D.

I hit that 5th stage of hunting a few years back..you know, where you don't give a hoot about IF kill anything but HOW you kill it. I'd love to claim to be an expert with a wooden bow and sharpened sticks..truth is I suck- still! I've taken a few whitetails here in PA but my all-time goal NOW is to take a nice buck with my longbow EVEN if I hafta get 5 yards away! (cause I suck!)  :D   and I will!

I started archery with a recurve when I was 8 or 10.  This will be my first year as a traditional bowhunter.  From the time I was 12 (now 36), I have hunted with a compound.  However the satisfaction of shooting a compound continually slipped away to the point where I would usually shoot the 1 or 2 days immediately before the season opened, hunt, and then I would put it away for another year.  I hate to admit it, but I even tried a crossbow for a stint and I discovered absolutely ZERO satisfaction its use.  For years I had been drawn to the beauty and simplicity of traditional equipment.  This year I took the plunge and purchased a recurve (then another,..and another).  I must say that through shooting a recurve, I have rediscovered the true enjoyment in archery which is something I hadn't felt in the last 20+ years.  Yup, when shooting my recurve I kind of feel like I'm 12 again.  May sound silly but it is true.  I am sincerely looking forward to my first year hunting with a recurve.  I do not feel handicapped with traditional equipment what so ever.  The simplicity makes everything seem much more natural than ever before and as a result, there is increased level of confidence. I am certain it will be a successful season in all regards!

About the same. Still don't get much time to hunt, but I enjoy myself more.

BTW, I see you're in Neenah, if you ever come up north gimme a holler. I get down to Appleton once in  a great while, but it's mostly just because my wife discovered Gordmans   :rolleyes:

Hunted compound for 25 years, last year i went trad i took three deer with a longbow. I never picked up my compound last season, this year i gave the thing away. It has proven to be one of the best moves i have made in regards to hunting, the fun is back in it for me.

As a kid I started with a recurve, its what got me hooked. Then I did what everyone said I should, and bought every gadget everyone said I needed. I had a ton of fun, but there was ALWAYS
something missing. In "89" I figured out what was missing.

Forty plus yard shots were not uncommon with a compound. I rarely missed. Today, anything OVER
fifteen yards is uncommon. I have become a much better hunter, I hunt for me and not my ego, or what someone else might think. EVERY animal is a trophy. They even taste better now.

Kill numbers are down. Success rate up 100%.  :D

Great stories guys!!! Good luck to you all this season!!!!