Best Natural shot I ever saw!!!

[Jeff Hren-Renegade]

My best friend Matt's Son Coty Is/Was the best natural Instinctive traditional bow shooter I have ever seen!! This kid started at about 8 Yrs old with a Great Northern Longbow, Then an old sears Recurve I had, then finally to a old Darton Recurve I picked up at a yardsale for $10.00.
 In the last 2 years he quite shooting the kid stakes at the local 3-D range & started shooting the hunter stakes with his dad & I. Coty was out shooting us half the time!! It was humiliating !! here an 11 year old kid was out shooting us!! Alas this last fall we lost him at the age of 13 to the way of the Compound bow.... What a sad day!!!
  I had hopes that he would be coming back to a stick bow after a season of shooting a compound. But it appears that the compound bow has stolen him away... For now. With luck & good fortune we hope to Slowley try & coax him back to a stick & a string.!
 At 13 its all sports, girls,& what your buddies & team mates are shooting. He has the ability to be a leader & break away from the crowed & go his own way & Maybe bring a few with him. We are going to try & nurture that leadership ability & bring him back to us. Wish us luck, it looks like a long hard road.!!
  It is amazing to watch a Kid that doesn't know he's not supposed to be able to make 40 yard Kill shots on a target, make one after the other simpley becouse he doesn't know he can't!!!
     Jeff Hren.

[Brian Krebs]

Jeff: set up some interesting trad only hunts with your friends; and see what happensn  
 My youngest son was a natural; and he went the way of 7mm mags and such; but this fall he took his longbow out and had fun with it.
   

[Thicket Hunter]

Jeff,
 The important thing, and you know this, is you gave him a great foundation on which to build. Not only should you be proud of him, but proud of your selves. I am sure that because of the influences he had at such a young age, he is the outstanding young man you see today. Well done!

Mark

[Stone Knife]

He sounds like he is turning out to be a fine young man. I would bet that he doesn't stay away from trad equipment long. My son is 10 and already his buddies in school are telling him that you can't kill anything with those kind of bows. He just ignores them at least for now.

[BONE]

Jeff---Don't let it bother you and your buddy to much, he will be back. I think most of us tried the wheels at one time or another.When the new wears off he will miss all the fun he had w/ trad gear and return to the fold.----Bone  

[Ron LaClair]

Jeff, I can't think of better role models than you and Cotys Dad. He'll be back.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.":Proverbs 22:6

[nockhunter]

He will come back ,I did .

Mike

[pappy]

My son did that at 11/12 just so he could have enough weight to hunt,as soon as he grew enough to pull a reasonable weight to hunt deer he came right back.At least till he got to colleage now it women,hope he come back from that also.
   Pappy

[Whip]

I wouldn't worry too much about it.  It's not the equipment that makes a hunter.  It is the ethics and actions in the field that really matter.  I have lots of good freinds who have never made the switch, and they are fine hunters and sportsman.  
He is young, and experimenting to find his place in life and what he enjoys.  If it ends up being wheels, so be it.  Far worse things could happen to a young man.  As long as he is respectful of the animals he hunts, his family, friends, and the laws, that is what really matters.  He can still be a good person.
But when it comes down to it, I agree with those who think that he will be back.  The leasons you taught are not forgotten, and he will remember the joy that traditional archery can give.

[Benha]

Well said Whip! It is interesting that the comment was made that he made 40 yrd kill shots but didn't know he should be able to. Hmmm learned limitations.

[Ray Lyon]

Jeff,

My son Tyler went to a compound bow for about 2 years when he was 11 years old. He said he wanted a compound "like his grandpa". I've never owned a compound, but I just wanted him to enjoy shooting and keep and interest for hunting. He used the compound for 2 years and then I gave him a new Super Shrew Lite longbow from Ron LaClair for his 13th birthday. He's been shooting that bow ever since and will turn 16 next week. The best part is, it's growing with him since his draw is increasing each year.  

[Jeff Hren-Renegade]

Thank you for the support. Coty is a great kid. I understand the peer presure & that kind of stuff.Its just I hate to see someone that 2 years ago at comptons hit 4 of 5 aireial targets on the FIRST Round!!! He had never even seen them before then, let alone ever shot at any! He shoots Hunter stakes with us. The last trad bow he used was a Darton 58" 54# @ 28" he draws about 25-26". He consistantley shoots (just playing around ) & makes kill shots at 40 yards. Some time we take shots at 60-70 yards & Coty is always right in there with us!!
 Well thats part of life. I am sure someday he will come back to traditional Bows.! I just hate to see someone that young & talented go to wheels,sight's, release aides,Peep sights,& all that tech stuff.        

[WildmanSC]

Originally posted by Ron LaClair:
Jeff, I can't think of better role models than you and Cotys Dad. He'll be back.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.":Proverbs 22:6

Ron,

They just don't want him to wait until he's as old as we are before he picks up a stick bow again!     :eek:              

Bill

[**DONOTDELETE**]

first off it's great You both got him in to Archery. I know it's hard to see him shoot with wheeles, but that's better then seeing him do drugs... If You both can try and do a Trad Camp/shoot and see if he would like to go, But tell him he needs his trad bow... NO WHEELIES aloud... He will come back... Bunny hunting with trad bow could help as well. It is more fun to hunt bunnies with a trad bow then a wheelie bow....RIGHT?

[Jeff Hren-Renegade]

We do a traditional only hunt one weekend on the property,But I won't tell Coty he can't come just because he shoots wheels. I would rather he stay hunting than push him away from it in any way.

[Benha]

Right! Don't draw a line in the sand. My son did the same thing and switched. I wouldn't have him to quit hunting with me for all the bows in the world.