My hunting friend told me yesterday that he "...could care less" what he kills with. At this point it matters not the weapon. It is about the killing.
  I hunted a local buck a couple of seasons ago that would keep most hunters awake at night, I could not think about taking that buck with any tool but my longbow. My friends offered me wheelie bows, crossbows and guns. Made me sick to think about using something other than the LB.
  I have shot Trad since I was a kid, got out of the U.S. Navy in 1990 and went wheelie for one season, it was not the same for me. To me, the ends do not justify the means.
  I think that you cannot find the real pleasure of traditional archery unless you embrace it and commit. then the JOURNEY can begin. Only you will know when. If you can imagine a feathered shaft arching across the sky, then you have begun the journey. Embrace it and commit.

I'd turn that one around...

You have a perfectly good recurve or longbow that you enjoy shooting - right?  How could you possibly be tempted to drag with you a wheel-festooned, heavy metal, arrow launching machine instead?

Let's see - on the one hand you get the fun of archery with the possibility of earning an animal the right way.  On the other hand, you can lug a machine that kill animals for you.

Piece of cake man - sell that thing.  :-D

Simple answer... Sell the compound (bow) and buy a little something for your soon to be wife. That's what I did over ten years ago. Ain't looked back!

... mike ...    ...

Get rid of it. When the mechanical contraption isn't there to temp you you won't have a choice.Just a time or two in the woods with a simple stick and string has a very different feel,very natural and unincumbered by gizmos and gadgetts.When you do harvest your first critter you will understand you'll have earned it.Welcome to the campfire.  

Bye Bye Birdie..... send them down the road, and buy the wife something pretty !!!  

Only you know when your ready.''IF YOU'' can't expect the same effeicency w/ a trad bow as a compound at the range you want to shoot,then you aren't ready and if taken game at distances that require far more skill and practice than you are willing or do obtain.The answer is NEVER.

I'm the odd one on this site.  I shoot both, and well.  I think I have more kills with the recurve then the compound.  The recurve works better in most of the areas I hunt.

Craigslist.

Its a commimentment only you have to choose when you want to do it. I just stopped "cold turkey" and sold everything.

How old is your compound? If more than a year old there are probably faster, and more advanced ones out there. Sell it and if you feel you need or want a compound in a year or two, you'll be on the cutting edge of compounds again.
But after carrying a light traditional bow and shooting at pinecones, branches, dirt clods, etc...
You'll see how much fun and "uncluttered" you feel in the woods.
John

Sell the compound.  You will not miss it.  Your confidence will grow with trad gear when you don't have the compound to fall back on.  Worked for me.

Sell it we will all chip in $5 and buy you a brand new one if you want it back.

Go hunt and shoot something that is easier to hunt. Once you see that arrow flying toward your target and you make the harvest your confidence will build and you will make the switch.

My experience was I just didn't want that trophy buck to stand out in front of me out of trad bow range. I bounced back and forth before I made the switch as well. It took me three seasons. The third season I found a very nice deer and just couldn't make myself take my recurve. Long story short one evening in October the target deer walked 15 yards right in front of me. I shot him with my compound and was just kicking myself for not having my recurve.

I then hunted out the remainder of that season with the recurve and took numerous does. My confidence was built and I sold my compound and haven't missed it for a second.

I got to feel about the compound that whenever I drew my shot was a sure thing and the excitement of the hunt was lost for me. With trad gear I never have that thought. Because you never know if you are going to hit the mark or not for sure.

Even if you do take your compound with you and kill a trophy deer there will still be a feeling of dissatisfaction inside your sole.

I played around with compounds in the 1980s. Although I never used a release, lighted sights, etc., I just got tired of all the mechanical stuff and went back to stickbows that I had shot for years before. I have never regretted losing the complexity of the compound.  There is still nothing better than hunting with a simple stick and string, the simpler the better. If the fun of shooting and the 'hunt' rather than the 'kill' is more important to you, you will not regret getting rid of that heavy, unwieldy mechanical contraption and enjoying the simplicity of the recurve/longbow.

You must simply relinquish the fear of failure.  Comfort zones are just that.  Either dump it or be a switch hitter forever 8^).   They aren't bows, by the way.

Thanks for all the help guys.  I am going to list up my bow for sale this evening.  Its an 09 pse xforce so it will still have decent resale value.  I guess I can also sell my bow press, won't be needing that anymore either.

I thinkt it will also be nice to get back some of that money I've spent

Right on!

Now your talkin. Once you get a few on the ground, you'll be just fine. Besides, when you got guys out there making stuff like this;



and this;



the decision gets a lot easier!

Welcome aboard!

Easy.  Shoot your compound...with a .45.

I looked at it as enjoying the hunt and not so much the harvest as much.Don't get me wrong the harvest is just icing on the cake. I have eaten alot of cake without icing.LOL It just takes some patience to gain hunting confidence. making good choices in your shots will increases your confidence. Don't put to much pressure on yourself, it will all fall into place.

What's all this 'kill less' guff?  How about 'hunt closer and wound less'?  A good recurve / longbow is no less deadly than any compound.  It's just that with a trad bow, hopefully the shooter will be less inclined to take those over-the-top, cross country, target range shots at game.

A good heavy arrow pushing a nice sharp broadhead is going to kill stuff if you shoot right.  The end.