Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Sean B on January 29, 2014, 10:16:00 AM
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I guess that I take it for granted that I've been at this game for a while. I had to bring a patrol car into the shop for a quick repair. The owner's son was there, he's in his mid 20's and a wheel bow shooter. He's a pretty quiet guy and is turning into a pretty good hunter. We started talking about how and why I shoot a recurve. His uncle's ears perked up. He joined in the conversation. Now, he's probably in his mid 40's however, he seems to have gotten into hunting later in life. He was genuinely interested in hearing about the stick and string. He was rambling off names of guys on the Outdoor channel who he is impressed by. Well, I asked him if he had ever heard of Gene and Barry. Well, I wasn't really that surprised that he said no.
I whipped out my IPhone and scrolled through some photos on line and other things with the Wensels, and showed him some of pictures that I have of me and some friends that shoot traditional.
I explained to him that you don't need all the stuff advertised on TV to kill deer, and that these guys have really honed their woodsman skill to where they can get CLOSE to big bucks.
I actually think that I opened his eyes a little. He had a lot of questions about the recurve, and said that he'd like to try that some day. Later on that day I dropped off a 3Rivers and Black Widow Catalogue. I also told him that if he's serious about it, I'd help him out esp with not breaking the bank. We shall see!!!
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Spreadn' the addiction. Ain't that what it's about?
:thumbsup:
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Nice job passing on the traditional info. I will never forget the first time I watched Barry W on October Whitetails. Man I got hooked!!! Good stuff.
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A couple of years ago I went to the Annual Meeting of a local Trad Bow group. Very poor turnout on a good weather day for driving (it was January). The basic very dry business meeting and not much else.
I told the President of my experience with a Woodlot Owner group where we started making the AGM's a day long affair with guest speakers and now had very good attendance.
"Maybe bring one of the Wensels in as a guest and see if numbers don't pick up." says I.
"Who are the Wensels ?" says He.
I'm not often speechless, but this time stands out. From a Trad guy, no less...
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I figure that I'll lend these guys my copy of October Whitetails I&II, and maybe a few Langer DVDs. Then if they seem really interested, my Spirit of the Bow DVD and my PBS magazine with Genes article "When Hunting Became Shooting" in it.
Yikes Tom!!! I expected this guy not to know because he was a bit of a Johnny Come Lately...but your guy, wow!!
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Originally posted by Sean B:
I figure that I'll lend these guys my copy of October Whitetails I&II, and maybe a few Langer DVDs. Then if they seem really interested, my Spirit of the Bow DVD and my PBS magazine with Genes article "When Hunting Became Shooting" in it.
great idea and Genes PBS article would be a great read for him...
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Doesn't surprise me that they had never heard of them. I come in contact with all kinds of "hunters" who never heard of them or saw any of their videos. Many people do not venture to far from what they know or do. Even before I committed my self to trad bow I watched and read every thing they put out. They have been a true benefit to our pastime....... :thumbsup:
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Yup Ron, I explained who they were and that they were the real deal. I also showed them pics of Herdbulls bucks and his moose, some pics of Manitoba Stick Flinger, StevO, My buddies Kent Zocher, Kaz, and a few others. They seemed impressed. I also explained all the other "hunting" fun you can have with a stick bow that you can't with a machine.....AND.......I Did it with out getting up on a soap box!!!
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So sad. But a lot of hunters only see the garbage on tv ! The wensels Come on ! Had gene sign my hunting rutting white tails book three times. It's so beat up he asked me if a kept it in my underware !
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Since they got out of the Grizzly Artificial Insemination Program they kind of dropped out of the public spotlight.
:dunno:
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:biglaugh: Off the soap box is always good!
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quote:
Originally posted by Stumpkiller:
Since they got out of the Grizzly Artificial Insemination Program they kind of dropped out of the public spotlight.
:laughing:
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OMG Charlie! You're about as funny as a screen door on a submarine! Should have meet up with you years ago..... :thumbsup:
See all you fellas at The Bunny Hunt!
... mike ... :archer2: ...
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Hey Sean! How's about the way Uncle Barry eats water mellon? ... :eek: ...
... mike ...
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Way to spread the word Sean!
Awhile back Compton donated some traditional archery gear to our Boy Scout troop. After getting together to shoot informally a couple of times, three of the boys asked for and received bows for Christmas and two of the parents have bought trad bows for themselves,too!
Tom, please tell me the guy's heard of Fred Bear!?
It's sad to me when people don't take the time to educate themselves on a topic that interests them. I've heard some major league baseball players have no idea about the baseball heroes of the past. Mickey Mantle? Ty Cobb?
Not just in sports either.
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Hey Mikey, They are originally from the Bronx before they moved up here, isn't that they way you guys eat'em down there any how??!!
Jim, good for you. I was afraid to as about Fred Bear, I didn't think my heart could take it!!
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That's the way to do it Sean! Good job!
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Don't be suprised. Many of the high-tech crowd have no idea who M.R. James is.
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They are, in my view, very famous... but only in the trad world....
I've had the opportunity to be in deer camp with them three times and it was an absolute hoot.
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I knew of them before I got into trad which was in '90. Heard Gene speak at an Outdoor Expo here in NY. I was looking forward to sharing a bear camp with Barry at BQ 6, but he had his episode a few months before and didn't want to risk it. I watched October Whitetails 1 and 2, and Highnoon Bucks when the first came out. They don't make'em like that any more!
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Most guys out here in WA don't know who Glen St Charles is either.
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I hunted with compounds for almost 20 years...and I can't remember a time I didn't know about the Wensels.
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Who the heck are the Wensels??? :confused:
I met Barry at Denton, he made me feel like we were old friends. I really appreciated that.
Good on you Sean. When they are done with the videos, I would like to have ago at them too. ;)
See you in a couple weeks.
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Now see what you done? :thumbsup:
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Well done.... I too learned of them in the 80s and watched their videos from the get-go!I was paying even more attention when I got my first Black Widow in 1987... :campfire:
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You just might have to be quarantined.
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I am not really surprised. There are two different worlds of archery and bow hunting. We occupy one, the compounders occupy the other. I have on a few occasions asked "Who is that?" when a guest speaker for our state bowhunting association is announced. I get looks like "You don't now who he is?" The reason I don't is that I don't read Bowhunter or other "archery" mags that promote the techie hunters and gear. I don't watch their shows on TV. So I don't have any idea what goes on in that other realm or who their celebrities are. Our niche in archery is even smaller.
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Well done apostle Sean!
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I guess the point that I was trying to make was that when I started shooting (compounds)in the late 70's, I was familiar with most of the names in archery at the time, M.R James, the Wensels, Jim Daugherty and so on, from their writings in the Bowhunting magazines at the time. Heck, I got the book on Ishi for Christmas around '81. I didn't start shooting a recurve till '90, but I still knew the names. The newer generation of bowhunter doesn't know what's what, other than what the get on TV.
It was kind of cool to see the interest build in this guy when I showed him pictures and talked about that could be done with the stick and string. I think they realized that you can actually GET CLOSE to quality animals and that you don't need to shoot a mile to connect with one.
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Now you have started something......don't tell them about Paul Schafer, Jay Massey or any number of other greats......... :wavey:
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Too late Ron, it was a quiet day at work, so I had lots of time to preach...er ah..talk! :bigsmyl:
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Oh noooooooooo!!!!! :biglaugh:
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I talked to a 23 year old that never head of Fred Bear. That was sad.
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Difference between heroes of the past and present is that the heroes of the past earned their respect. Over time through writing articles, speaking engagements, and hunting accomplishments, they showed they were deserving of the attention they received. Today's heroes are people you never heard of until they showed up on tv one day. Pretty boys, pretty gals, or dopey acting people. Not sure what credentials they have to be on tv other than they were able to come up with enough sponsors. Heroes from the past gave more than they took. People like M.R. James, Dave Samuel, Wensels, G. Fred Asbell never asked for more than expenses when invited to speak at non-profit gatherings. Contrast that to today's "heroes" who go nowhere without sticking out their hand for cash.
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I think I have heard of them, I believe they may be at a pig hunt in west texas Im going to in March. Lol this is ridiculous who has not heard of the Wensels. I admired these guys before I ever dreamed Id pick up a stick bow. Guys like this are the forefathers of modern deer hunting. Well maybe not so modern but they still know their stuff.
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I just got re-introduced to hunting, and started in archery about 10 years ago. I started watching shows on the outdoor channel and watched Ted Nugent's show. He was the one who introduced me to Fred Bear. Since then, I have tried to learn about and from all of these legendary pioneers.
It's a shame that people don't do that more often. There's so much more to learn about the outdoors than what they put on most of those shows.
I talk to people (hunters and not-yet-hunters) all the time and do my best to teach them what I also didn't know, until recently.
That's one of the things I love most about the Trad community. The wealth of REAL knowledge to be had, and so many with not only the GIFT to skillfully share that info, but the WILLINGNESS and even an EAGERNESS (not sure if that's really a word, LOL) to pass on that knowledge to others.
So good for you, :clapper: Sean B, and all of the rest of you :clapper: who try to teach those of us who had not always had the opportunity to learn about those people that we SHOULD be learning from.
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Funny thing happened tonight and I thought of this post. Our Trad club Mohawk-Hudson Traditional Archers had our meeting at a local bow shop that has an indoor 3-D set up with 25 targets. Anyway, I get there to pay for my round a young fella [late 20's] is buying a new bow. You know the one the 30" Wham-a-Dyan 3000, 355 fps with all the bells and what not. $900+ all ready to rock and roll. My friend and I have our recurves and this fella is stare'n in amazement.
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So I said to him, ever try one of these. He says, no what's that thing hanging off the grip. I tell him that it's my tab, he says your what. I don't have to say any more, but when he found out the my friends Silvertip cost $300 more than his new Wham-a-Dyan 3000 he was speechless. Do you think he knew the Wensels....... :dunno:
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I just watched "Bowhunting October Whitetails" part I and II, and I thought it was great! I had always heard of Barry, but had never watched any of his hunting videos. Seems like a guy I would wanna hunt with, and he's a great shot too. Love the part at the end where he talks about why he wears his hat sideways ......hilarious.
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Originally posted by JohnV:
Difference between heroes of the past and present is that the heroes of the past earned their respect. Over time through writing articles, speaking engagements, and hunting accomplishments, they showed they were deserving of the attention they received. Today's heroes are people you never heard of until they showed up on tv one day. Pretty boys, pretty gals, or dopey acting people. Not sure what credentials they have to be on tv other than they were able to come up with enough sponsors. Heroes from the past gave more than they took. People like M.R. James, Dave Samuel, Wensels, G. Fred Asbell never asked for more than expenses when invited to speak at non-profit gatherings. Contrast that to today's "heroes" who go nowhere without sticking out their hand for cash.
Ditto the above.
While I don’t know if they’d be considered “traditional bowhunters" or heroes, at one point all these guys did use a recurve or longbow and I'd consider all of them to be pretty "traditional" to me: Russ Thornberry, Toad Smith, Jay Massey, Jim Dougherty, Bob McGuire, Roger Rothaar, Monty Moravec, Bob Foulkrod, Alan Altizer, Larry D. Jones, Judd Cooney, Dwight Schuh.
I’m missing a few but those were some of the guys who’s writing and early video work I just couldn't get enough of. Totally different than what we see now in video and TV. There's some exceptions but today seems more about personality and promotion. These guys wrote and videoed about the hunt itself and... it worked.
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Here here, Ibow, I'll add Monty Browning. I've been watching Spirit of the bow, Its a good watch if you need a chuckle! There's a section where they show some old home movie footage from the 60's and '70s. In it there's a piece from '64or '65 with Barry standing near a spike he has hanging, and appears to be holding a Red Wing Hunter. You can see the pride as he admires his buck!! Ahhh....I can still remember the days when it was a big deal to take a deer with a bow!!
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Hey Sean B......still is a big deal!!
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For sure Sean. He's been a speaker at MI Traditional Bowhunters banquets in the past and he's another one that's the real deal. Funnier than ever and a great story teller to.
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True Ron, if its taken with a BOW.....trying not to bash the modern contraptions so the post doesn't get shut down ;)
Looking forward to hearing Monty in Cincy in March!!
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Monty is a great story teller and good speaker, Mike Mitten comes to mind also. Almost all the hunters mentioned are in my personal Hall of Fame. It's shame that more people don't take an interest in the history and background of our sport of bowhunting.......regardless of the type of equipment.
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It's kinda one of my peeve's. Get talking with somebody or even just listening to some 17 yr old who is spouting off about G2's and why he would or would not shoot a buck. No idea about anything if he hasn't seen it on TV. Never heard of the Wensels or Fred Bear. No idea of archery or history then has to ask "Can you kill anything with that" when we're standing there with the longbows
Makes me sad
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Ah, ignorance!! the "Dumb Kid Syndrome"....I know it allll to well. Being a history buff, I make it a point of learning about what and who came before me. I have a great respect for that. I just shake my head.
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the problem is this will only get worse. traditional archery isn't the mainstream thing. and certainly the ease of use with technology is part of it, to be honest the real problem is young shooters today have readily available access to all things NOT traditional archery.
our way and "the" way simply don't go hand in hand.
its been nice seeing a spike in interest, but we have to continue to be great ambassadors if the progress is to continue.
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Outdoor TV has had a major impact on the reasons the younger generation has gotten involved in bowhunting. The young bowhunters are looking up to and idolizing these fast talking want to be famous tv personalities instead of the kids parent or grandparent. Some of this is the mentors of this day and age not taking the time to introduce kids into the outdoors. You always hear the excuse parents just don't have time but thats a bunch of BS, it comes down to priorities and laziness.
Not knowing the Wensels or Fred Bear is just a small part of what the younger generation doesn't know and understand about bowhuntings past and where it's headed. They think the Pope and Young Club is just a place for vain people to show off their trophies. Very few join local and state archery clubs. Because of this us as bowhunters are losing numbers that we need to stand up against state legislatures and GFP departments trying to push thru laws that are harmful to bowhunting.
I know all the youth isn't in this group but there is a large number. Seems the thinking now days is to not fight for anything and then when thing change for worst sit around and bitch about it. I think in the next 10 years we will see our bowhunting opportunities severely limited. Shortened seasons and limited tag numbers because the take has gotten to high.
Sorry for the rant and getting off subject. Just read a couple laws our state's legislature is trying to push thru and it rubbed me a little wrong.
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ill bite, whats south Dakota looking at now? I hunt there annually
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huntnmuleys, I sent you a PM.
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Got news for you. It is not just the younger generation that doesn't know about the rich history of bowhunting. Like Mr. Robertson says, "Too much time in the suburbs".
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My 10-year old grandson knows four bowhunters: dad, me, church friend Monte, and Fred Bear. He's watched the entire DVD collection.
He shoots three kinds of bows which is two more than I shoot: Compound, Recurve, and Longbow. I don't do LBs.
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Bowwild, hope you didn't take offence to what I posted. I know there a lot of guys like you out there yet.