Committing to trad

[Friend]

The traditional way presents an individualized mystique laden gift of fulfillment.

Determining your own prioritized order of success will guide you best and that order is likely to change thru time and experience. If harvesting an animal is one’s true measure of success, then fulfillment, will remain limited. If ones priorities focus in delving into the complete traditional hunt experience itself, then fulfillment will be routinely attained and as a consequence, harvest may substantially increase.

The intersection of wholeness, harmony and radiance will illuminate the beauty you seek....Aesthetic arrest...

[Bvas]

For me, there is no cut and dry line for a hunt being successful or not. I think of it more as a percentage of success.  Every hunt I go on is successful in some way. Just being able to step foot in some of my favorite woods is a great success some days.
Will I ever achieve a 100% successful hunt?? I HOPE NOT!!! That drive to do something better, harvest a bigger buck, use less gadgets, whatever it might be. These are challenges I impose on myself.  These challenges keep the hunt in me alive.
Choosing trad gear is just another challenge that helps "refresh" an activity I already love.
I do not use trad gear on all my hunts. But when I do, those hunts get bonus success points. JMO.

[BWallace10327]

I believe I have had many 100% successful hunts, it just isn't that hard for me to achieve.  Being outside hunting is enough for me, if I see game or kill something its a big bonus.  I appreciate almost all methods of take and will use them without reservation, but I strongly prefer a traditional bow.

[dbd870]

Originally posted by newhouse114:
Maybe I should explain where I was coming from. I was a registered guide in Alaska for many years. Shot competitively and was a state champion 3D and field shooter with a wheel bow. I became jaded with "hunting" with either a rifle or wheel bow. They were just means to put food on the table. Traditional archery has put the joy back into the actual hunting process. Just a comment on my personal journey!

I'm right there with you; never was a guide but killed plenty of game over the years. Going out with a recurve has made it much more enjoyable to me again as well even if the harvest numbers go way down.

[Red Beastmaster]

I sold the compound 26 years ago, all the guns followed several years later. All the money went to buy real bows.

I never regretted it.

Last fall I shot one dove with a .410 and ten doves with a Berry longbow.  One dove with a longbow is ten times more fun than one with a .410.  So that means last fall I had 100 times more fun dove hunting with a longbow.  However, I did miss the first eight that I shot at with the longbow, thus the first one of the fall was with the .410.