Was this anyone else's 1st archery influence?

[GMMAT]

This may get moved.  And, if so, my apologies for not knowing where to post it.

I was reminded (and dated!) this morning of my very 1st archery infuence.  I can remember cutting small pine trees; notching the ends and "stringing" my "bow" with nylon rope.  I remember also having to shred/fray the nocking point, so that the arrows I bought (<$1/ea) at the army surplus would fit the "string".

So, who was this archery icon?.....lol



My infatuation with archery lasted until I was old enough to handle my 1st air rifle...and I got my (guess which one!).  I probably was 0-300+ on tweety-birds for that span.  But MAN did I have fun!

I now wish I'd had a real-life archery influence, back then.  Looking back, I knew NO ONE (honestly....NO ONE) who hunted with a bow and arrow.  Almost every male I knew small game hunted....and scatter guns/.22's were the weapons of choice.  STILL....these were great times to grow up in the US.  LOTS of fond memories.

I shot a recurve (yard sale pickup) a little, during HS.  But I really never archery hunted until I was 40.  Switched to all trad. tackle (or, came full-circle) last season (when I turned 45, 1/2 way through).  Can't cry over spilled milk, though.  I'm old enough to appreciate what I now have.

Just some random thoughts that were spurned, recently.  Again, I apologize if this is in the wrong spot (this thread).  But, I thought it would be "cool" to learn who your 1st influence(s) was/were.

j

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Mine started back when I was younger (5-6yrs) I really loved to watch old westerns and the English knight movies. I had one of them red bear bows that I would go out and shoot every day till I lost/broke the arrows.

I didn't know anyone that hunted so I was a late bloomer when it came to hunting. I loved seeing the old shows that had fred bear on from time to time.

As I grow more and more in to hunting I was more of a rifle hunter. After 10 yrs of using my 30-.06, I moved to smokepole. I still had the love for archery, but didn't really get in to it because of the wheels on the bows.

In 2002, After I had Heart Surgery I jumped in to Archery hunting. I did anything to be in the woods because of My surgery and having to be on blood thinners. Rifle season got really cold and I knew I needed warmer weather.

So in 2005, the wheels went bye bye. I look back and I can see that the movies and PPL like fred bear, Howard Hill (the 2 that really stick out) helped me turn to trad archery.

So to answer Your question I would say, Fred Bear & Howard Hill in Robin Hood .

[wapiti792]

Mine was my great-grandfather. He built hill style longbows for himself and his friends in the 50s. I came across an old black and white pic of him when I was about 14: he was at full draw and something about that caught me! I showed him the pic (he was in his 30s at the time of the pic) and even at 85 he could explain what the bow felt like in his hands and how archers paradox worked on those wood arrows. I have that pic burnt into memory to this day and keep a scanned copy of it in my pack when I am in elk country.

I wish he were alive today to see what trad archery has become. He would be proud of this site and all the folks working here to keep traditonal archery alive. I have an old Herter's recurve of his that I am going to shoot a deer with this year just because it was his, and I know he killed a deer with it. Thanks Popa!

[Jock Whisky]

Hmmm Red Ryder...

My dad bought me a Red Ryder bow'n'arrow set for me when I was about 4 or 5. I can still remember him taping the target to the wall in the house and shooting at it with me with little suction cup arrows. Man that was a long time ago. I guess it sorta stuck with me. Thanks Pop.

JW

[cahaba]

Richard Shaw and Howard Hill greatly influenced me as well as Jerry Hill.

[GMMAT]

Jock:

I got the "Li'l Beaver" suction cup ensemble at Rose's dept. store....as a bribe to let the mean barber man be the first to cut my hair (besides my dad).

lol

[Guru]

This guy right here....my Dad....

•  

This past season the tables turned a bit...It was me that got him "back" into bowhunting after being away for years.

Meant more to me that I can put into words....

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

My archery influence? My paternal grandfather (circa 1950).

[ishiwannabe]

My dad introduced me to nature, and loving being out in it, I turned to archery. He had some older recurves, and let me have my pick of them. I hunted two years with those bows, coming close to two large toms on two different occassions. I "traded up" for wheels and sights "so I could hit something". Years later, my mother told me about how my dad was slightly disappoineted in my choice of weapon. He never once said a word to me, and shared many celebrations with my compound harvests.
Years later, good friends brought me back(Shawn and Damon for the JLMBH), and I havent looked back since...havent even touched my compound in 3 or 4 years.
I got my first trad deer this year, and even though my father was in the late stages of Alzheimer's, when I showed him a picture of me, my longbow and my deer his eyes sparked briefly, and he smiled. I will always hunt trad now. I walk with my father whenever I pick up my bow.

[ron w]

I watched Fred Bear on American Sportsman and read about others like Jim Dougherty when I was just a sprout.Then in the 70's M.R.James and others in that era had their pull on me as well. Many of those went on to compounds as did I, but I finally came to my senses and back to my roots.Many of them never came back to their roots, which is a shame.

[reddogge]

It was the 1952 movie Robin Hood starring Richard Todd for me.

[Earthdog]

Hard to put a name too.
I wanted to hunt rabbits,I couldn't carry a rifle,few 9 year olds can where I live.
Of course I knew the legend of Robin Hood,and every cowboys an indians movie I ever saw had bows in it.
So like I said,I wanted to hunt,,,an then I came across a childs longbow in our local hardware store,,,had a birthday coming up,,my Dad bought me that bow.
He had nothing to do with archery or even hunting,but he bought me my first bow "so I guess it wasn't that hard after all huh.

Gordon John Carter.
1932--2006.

[kill shot]

It would be my Dad,Ken Englebretson(owner of "Bear Archery Center in Grand Rapids Mi)and Fred Bear.When I was a kid,these guys screamed adventure.There were many more,but these are the top guys.

[James Wrenn]

In about 1980 I saw some guys going in the woods to hunt.I asked my buddy about what they were doing.He said yeah if you hunt with a bow you can start 2 months earlier than with a gun.We bought bows that weekend!  

[Grey Taylor]

I had a Tarzan solid fiberglass bow when I was little. The arrows that came with it had suction cups on the tips. First thing I did was pull off the suction cups and put the shafts in a pencil sharpener.
Man, that sure didn't go over well with my Mom...

Guy

man...i remember taking the wood stiffener out of the pull down shades and puting some kite string on to make a bow, and little saplings for arrows...but never had a real bow when i was a kid, besides the ones with suction cups, that didnt last long anyway...i was tough on my toys.

[vtmtnman]

Definately my dad.But I think I've always liked archery just for the cool factor of it all.I was making sapling bows and hardware store dowel arrows and fletching them with turkey feathers I found in the woods long before my first bb gun.  

[joevan125]

The picture of Fred bear and that huge elk laying on the side of the mountain, thats what got me interested in bow hunting.

I saw that pic. recently and it brought back memories of when i was a kid (10 yrs old) i can remember wanting to be like him that day.

[V I Archer]

A neighbour of ours hunted with a longbow.  I remeber watching him practice on warm summer afternoons.  I remeber sitting in his living room in awe of all the woderful mounts, especially the mountain goat.  Peter was a phenomenal shot with a 78 pound Hill style longbow.  I started shooting at 13 and bought a compound because it was the cheapest bow I could find.  WHen I was 18, after working and saving I bought a sky trophy, still one of my favourite bows.  I never killed anything with the compound.  My second year hunting a 200 acre private land parcel which Peter also had permission to hunt, I killed my first deer, a button buck blacktail.  Peter helped me trail it, dress it, and taught me to cut and wrap.  Peter taught me to build flemish strings, fletch arrows and countless other little things.  

I have known Peter my entire life, he has watched me grow up and been a great influence.  I think it quite fitting that I should ask him to be my best man this July when I marry my sweetheart.

[rpembert]

Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves with Kevin Costner. I was about 12 years of age when I saw that movie. Then found out my dad knew Mr. Howard and showed me the FIRST Robin Hood movie. Then my dad really got me into archery in a big way. Love my "old man" as I call him.

Joshua