Traditional Hunting Partners

[Stringwacker]

I don't think you can place a value on a trusted hunting friend that you can share your hunts with.  Good hunting partners are all priceless and represent something very special; especially when you share a common interest.

I've been thinking a great deal today about how many folks I have shared a hunt with over the years. Sometimes it involved just a whitetail hunting trip to a local area; other times it might be a two week wilderness trip in Alaska, the Rockies, or some other remote destination that the traditional journey can take you over a lifetime of adventure.

I've begin to notice something.... first just as a casual observation; then with far more certainty and clarity as father time flowed faster under the bridge. As we get older, our buddies often develop other hunting interest, quit hunting, or just don't have the desire/time/money to travel for a new adventure....or worse. When you throw the traditional archery aspect of hunting into the conversation, the previous sentence is even more pronounced.

I find myself at 65 still having a desire for a new adventure. I still have a lot of friends who enjoy hunting with something other than a traditional bow and I'm thankful for them. I don't discount their friendship nor their willingness to make an occasional hunt together. I also have a 79 year old great friend that is in better shape than I. We have hunted together on a lot of destination hunts but I know there will come a time that my good friend (who shoots traditional) will need to turn a page in one way or the other. God Bless him as we have made a lot of hunts together.

Recently, I have developed a travel interest in turkey hunting with a stickbow for different species other than Eastern's. Recently, I made an archery turkey hunt alone to Kansas as I found ZERO interest in anyone wanting to hunt one with any type of bow....much less a stickbow. I find it amazing how few people hunt turkeys with a bow; much less a traditional bow and want to travel. Throw in the use of an outfitter and you become an outlier in the game quickly in terms of having a buddy to go with you.

We all know our interest as promoted by this website is a very, very small subset of hunting in general. Do you make the hunts often alone or do you have a small circle of traditional shooting friends that you can share your hunting passion with? There's a lot of value in talking the same language. Even bad hunts sometimes can become very memorable.... when shared with a good friend.

[Basinboy]

I fully understand where you’re at. I truly enjoy sharing hunts with good friends and do on occasion. But like you have said not everyone can or are willing to travel to other states. I have no desire to hunt any animal with anything other than the Traditional bow and finding other like minded hunters isn’t easy. So I spend 95% of my time hunting alone and I have to be honest as I get older I really don’t enjoy it as much as when I have a friend to share the hunt with. Thinking of heading to Kansas soon to try for a Turkey myself….

[Stringwacker]

I fully understand where you’re at. I truly enjoy sharing hunts with good friends and do on occasion. But like you have said not everyone can or are willing to travel to other states. I have no desire to hunt any animal with anything other than the Traditional bow and finding other like minded hunters isn’t easy. So I spend 95% of my time hunting alone and I have to be honest as I get older I really don’t enjoy it as much as when I have a friend to share the hunt with. Thinking of heading to Kansas soon to try for a Turkey myself….

Maybe we can look each other up for a future hunt.

You shared exactly what I'm experiencing. I was just interested to know if I was the only one going through things like this.

[Bowwild]

I have a great friend I've been bowhunting with since the mid-70's.  We live in different states so we don't hunt together all the time, in fact usually on out-of-state hunts.   My 44 year old son is my everyday hunting buddy, we live about 1/2 mile from each other next to our hunting farm.

I've never cared what type of archery equipment my hunting buddies choose to use. They don't care what I use either. We have fun figuring the game out and making cool memories.

My friend has, at 78 years old with some serious medical issues, won't hunt out-of-state any more.  For the younger fellows out there. I'm going to regret not hunting more with my great friend if he "gets there before I do".  I hope he and I have a few more years to share more hunts, white-tails in Indiana. I live in KY.

Do it now.

[Basinboy]

I fully understand where you’re at. I truly enjoy sharing hunts with good friends and do on occasion. But like you have said not everyone can or are willing to travel to other states. I have no desire to hunt any animal with anything other than the Traditional bow and finding other like minded hunters isn’t easy. So I spend 95% of my time hunting alone and I have to be honest as I get older I really don’t enjoy it as much as when I have a friend to share the hunt with. Thinking of heading to Kansas soon to try for a Turkey myself….

Maybe we can look each other up for a future hunt.

You shared exactly what I'm experiencing. I was just interested to know if I was the only one going through things like this.

I’d love to get together anytime anywhere. 

[LookMomNoSights]

I think there is a bitter sweet curse to what we do ....... so much beauty in the whole big picture of a hunting career in the woods with a stick bow,  but most of that is experienced alone and will only ever be shared in words or pictures, when we wish we could share those moments live and in person with those we care for most. The longer we go,  the more this becomes apparent.

[Pat B]

 I've hardly ever hunted with another Trad hunter(s) a few times over the years. The guys I've always hunted with, since 1979 have shot wheelie bows. Even when I hunted with my .50cal Hawkins back in the early 1980s they told me to go get a real gun. They are all excellent hunters and sportsmen but our methods have always been different...but I still try to convert them. 

[Stringwacker]

I think a good hunting buddy transcends that idea of just having someone to hunt with. I've had a a rare hunt or two that I couldn't wait for it to end just to get away from my "partner". I'm sure its been that way for other folks I've hunted with on occasion.... in regard to me. Sometimes its not an issue of merely being good or bad.

Good partners not only mesh with hunting style, but also abilities, personalities, capabilities, disposition, and likes/dislikes. Often, it takes a hunt together to figure this all out. Its been said nothing prepares you to know what the other person is like until you spend a week in a tent together.

Maybe that is why you have to cherish a good hunting partner when you find one the right one.

[mnbwhtr]

Stringhacker
Good partners not only mesh with hunting style, but also abilities, personalities, capabilities, disposition, and likes/dislikes. Often, it takes a hunt together to figure this all out. Its been said nothing prepares you to know what the other person is like until you spend a week in a tent together.

That about says it all. My bow hunting partner and I met  for 2 days the opening day of the Mn deer season as seniors in different high schools. We hit it off that weekend and the next summer we met again at a municipal archery  range and really got to know each other. We've gotten together each year since even though we always lived at least 100 miles apart. My dream hunt was to hunt BC where Fred Bear hunted and his was to go to Africa, We've done both! Our wives both took up bow hunting also and made the Africa trip a trip of the lifetime. Our next hunt will be in September Antelope hunting.

[JohnV]

If you want to find hunting pals that share your love for traditional equipment you need to look at joining and becoming active in local, state, and national organizations that promote hunting with traditional bows.  The Professional Bowhunters Society and Comptons are two places to start.  PBS has many hunts each year that members can participate in.

[elkken]

I've been blessed with a trad bowhunting buddy, this year is our 50th year hunting together. Trad bowhunting is what brought us together back in 1973 and it helps that we can fuel one another with all those past hunting adventures when our passion might begin to wane a bit.   

[Red Beastmaster]

I only hunt with other trad bowhunters. There's a few I hunt local deer with, several more who go to deer camp and hog camp, and two dozen who go to our annual squirrel camp. Only REAL bows allowed!

They may have other hunting interests but when we hunt together it's always with stickbows. I am very fortunate to be part of this group.