I have noticed something over the years. Trad itional hunters seem to have a higher sense of hunter ethics, knowlegde of bowhunting hertiage and a comradie that is second only to the military.I shoot compounds mainly but share the values of the traditional shooter, hunter.  Has anyone else noticed this?
 

Yes,  I believe you may be correct maddawg.  I think a lot of it is that you are dealing with a group of people who choose to hunt in a particular way and take on particular self-imposed limitations when taking game.  People of this mindset are less concerned with killing something than they are at enjoying the experience and the rewards of the challenges they take.  Therefore they are more likely to follow game laws and have higher ethics than others.  Sadly, many people hunt with the kill as the only reward and will do whatever is neccessary to succeed.  I trust there aren't many like that here.  High hunter ethics are not limited to any one group as there are thousands of ethical gun hunters, compound hunters etc.  But it does seem that a lot of people on this site seem to share many of the same standards when it comes to ethics and that is encouraging.  

Well said TSHOOTER.  

Well said.

I find most who Trad hunt love to "hunt" which involves much more than the kill.  I was just telling my wife the difference is that I love the journey.  Somethimes it involves a kill the it is always a journey.

Couldn't say it any better... Thank You Scott!  

... mike ...

Get a room guys.

AMEN TO THAT!!!!!!!

John 4,

Since it appears you are new here, I guess you think comments such as yours are apropriate, but you should understand that for such a large group, we are pretty tight-knit. We treat each other with respect, even when we disagree. This is HOME to a great many people. You are welcome to the fold, but please be respectful of everyone on this forum.

Thanks,

Russ

yes i understand what your saying and i do agree, but as stated by others other groups of hunters are also etichal. My father has never shot a trad bow in his life but he hunts with a compound and rifles and he knows the woods and the ways of animals better than anyone i know... by far. He has the up-most respect for animals he takes.
 But this doesnt mean there isnt people who shoot trad equipment that arent corrupt, its sad but the truth and thats life. But bottom line there are people who shoot compounds, rifles, shotguns, long bows and recurves who are etical do things by the law and respect nature and everything in it....Curtis

I noticed a certain comoradarie amongst the traddies when I started devoting myself to trad as well...I still hae a compound but havent taken it out of the case in 3 years. My brother asked me the other day if I was still going to keep with the traditional hunting and I said yes! His reply! HARDCORE!!..but was said in a way that I could feel the respect coming from it. He wants to go trad but just wont spend the time in practice to git er done. My youngest brother...he's a different animal..loves hunting with a longbow but just doesnt have his confidence

I have been to exactly two trad events(so far!!), three if ya count Mikes range, and I do. All of those experiences were at the top of the list for friends, and good times. I still am amazed at how helpful everyone is...how genuine. It is a nice group to be a part of.

TSHOOTER, my thoughts exactly.

Mark

Ethics, can really be judged by none of us. What is ethical to some is not to others even on here. Shawn

Ethics ARE judged by all of us. If nobody gives a rat's a##, ethics will be lost.

QuoteWhat is ethical to some is not to others even on here.

That's why we argue so much on here!

Biggie, thats my point! You just made it. Shawn

I agree Biggie, we need to be accountable to each other.

Maddawg.....In general I certainly agree with you.  However, have you noticed how many baby bucks are dying and getting posted on this site alone?
That surprises me.  I thought, regardless of the weapon used, that the "traditional type" personality and "let the baby bucks walk" personality were directly correlated.  It is obvious I am wrong.  
That just really surprises me.

Richie

I'm pretty new to recurve shooting, so right now I'll take ANY legal shot I can get.  However, already this year I'm certain I could have killed more than a dozen deer if I had had a shotgun or muzzleloader.  The latest was Saturday: a monster 14-16pt. muley which I stalked (a.k.a. belly-crawled) to within 100 yds in an open rye stubble field... even though I knew I probably wouldn't be able to get close enough for a recurve shot.  I knew I'd had better luck "killing" some other deer on another section of land... but I knew I'd regret not taking the chance to "hunt" this trophy buck.  I was able to just watch him (and his magnificent/grotesque rack) for about six hours before he knew something wasn't right... and wandered off.

If I ever go "gun-hunting" again, it'llbe SOOOoooo easy!

My thought on it is that most of us Trad hunters are older guys... Most of us have killed truck loads of deer and just wanted to make it more interesting after years of rifle, shotgun and compound hunting.
I really don't care about rack size anymore.... Not saying given the choice between the monster and a yearling I would't take the monster... But, It fills me with pride that all my practice, and hard work helped me harvest that small buck. That I didn't take an easier way. And I am much more proud of that small buck or doe than I ever would be of the monster with a rifle or compound at 40+ yards.

The taking of "baby bucks" has nothing to do with ethics, it's simply a matter of personal choice. Those of us who've taken a few dozen deer  tend to gravitate towards bigger bucks as an additional challenege to the hunt. It's not fair to command the same choice for those who haven't taken a bunch of deer or who simply are satisfied with A deer.
I do get tickled though when I see a thread with 4 or 5 pages of posts over a yearling doe :-)