Mixing "primitive" and technology

[Alex.B]

I buy all my steel, wood, wool and leather through high speed internet  :cool:

[Wile E. Coyote]

Craziest mix of primitive and tech I've seen was a friend who had a knapped point attached to a ferrle that he screwed into a carbon shaft and shot from his longbow. It worked and he took a nice doe with it.

[Mark Baker]

The definition, IMO, of trad or primitive is in accepting or rather "embracing" the challenges before us.   Like most "primitive" shooters, I suspect, I like to go as primitive as I can given my level of confidence.  For example, I build and hunt with selfbows, make my own shafts, my broadheads are usually store bought, but I do play with stone and trade points. My goal or "challenge" for this year is once again taking a deer with a stone point that I knapped myself.   This may seem easy to some, but for a musician I hate bleeding fingers (gets in the way of my playing the guitar), so although most of my shooting settup is self-made, I've lacked a bit in the rock breaking for good reasons.  I'm OK with that one.
I can't bring myself to shoot carbon from my selfbows....just a thing I have, especially when I know I can make arrows that will perform as well within spitting distance.   I wear plaid shirts and jeans a lot, but I will also wear camo, use binocs, treestands.    I don't believe in carbon suits  (I passed gas in one once and could tell no difference in the resulting odor) ...just try and use good common sense hunting tactics.    We all have our limitations somewhere, and there is always room for us all to "up the ante" of challenge.  For instance, next year Ferret might be telling us he is only going to hunt in a plaid loincloth (spare us the pics Mickey!).   :eek:  

Hey, I got a question.  Given that using the same materials that primitive man used, even with our "greater understanding" of it all, we can't build anything - bows and arrows - that works or performs any better, was primitive man really primitive or was he "cutting edge"?  

Hmmmmm.....

[slick]

68# Black Widow recurve

Cane shafts

The canes fly as good or better than any other shaft material I've used. By using various lenght oak footings I can get a finished weight between 550 and 700 with an FOC between 17 - 21.
They're tough as nails, naturally tapered and come from the factory with a water resistance finish.

Oh ya, the price is right.

[Jason Lester]

I shoot both selfbows I made and laminated recurve/longbows. When I head to the woods its with one of three bows. My selfbow is #1 and last year #2 would have been a recurve but now I have a brand new R/D longbow (thanks to a fellow tradganger) That shoots sweet.

I figure I owe it to the animals I persue to be able to shoot well enough. I limit my shots but sometimes the area I hunt seems to lead to longer shots (20 yards max) So far I haven't killed a deer with trad gear. The ultimate for me would be doing that with equipment I have totaly made myself. Selfbow, string, arrows, heads, knife, etc. I have made most of that already. One day thats my goal though. I want to lear flint knapping too...

Thats what I find fun about Trad/Primitive. There is so much to learn and try. I don't need most new stuff I can buy (or can't afford) it is much more satisfying to make it myself.

[Linc]

Last few times that I've hunted it has been with "Whatchamacallit". It's an osage character penobscot bow that I made a few years ago.The techie part is B50 string and a silk backing. 2 fletch bamboo stone tipped arrows and a leather patchwork quiver. All of which I made myself. My clothing is either jeans or wool pants,plaid shirt and a wool crusher hat.My knife is a Camillus hunting knife that I bought 41 yrs ago.

I've had a few shots at various game but only connected with one red squirrel.I would like to someday take a deer with equipment that I made myself but I've been known to fish without bait.LOL.It's more of a matter of how I'm hunting than anything.  

[fredbear92]

I use easton aluminums on my recurves and my longbow

[NorthShoreLB]

Just got a bunch of stone broadheads, and all my arrows now have them mounted, had a great feeling the other day hunting with them, now can't wait to get my first opportunity at an animal  

[DAS Kinetic]

I just took the time to read through this, and find many interesting comments.  Good thread.  I've used or tried just about every kind of archery gear there is, with the exception of selfbows.  I'll admit it, I'm something of a gearhead    :p  .  I've never been one to complicate things more than I feel supports the purpose though.  For me anyway, the choice of equipment has more to do with achieving a sensibility that is most satisfying.  The actual amount of technology involved has little to do with it.  Take for instance, modern adhesives.  You've got as much or more technology involved there than in any part of archery.  You've got pin heads in lab coats, poindexters at the chalk board,  and all the rest of our worst nightmares!  Still, when I'm sitting on a hillside watching the sun rise, the fact that my limbs are held together with this technology has no effect on my enjoyment of the moment.  All it does is provide me with a more reliable tool without any affront to my sensibilities.  That is the standard that I apply to every choice in equipment.  Over the years of experimenting, I have over-shot the mark by quite a bit and had to backtrack a little to find the sweet spot for me.  When compounds first showed up, I gave them a try like a lot of people did.  I hunted a few years with them and killed game with them, but ultimately they didn't suit my sensibilities.  Where I am now is a good bit more technologically advanced than where I started out with that little Shakespeare recurve, but the balance suits me.  Of course I also have the benefit of that feeling of satisfaction from having made much of it with my own hands.  That is an unusual circumstance since most people don't have the ability to work the materials I use.  I certainly identify with the mindset of selfbow makers, since mine is a selfbow of sorts, LOL.   I've got a beautiful handmade knife that a friend forged for me.  It also happens to be the best knife I own.  I've got a shelf here with stone heads, primitive equipment and even an obsidian knife that a guy knapped for me as a gift.  I think it is all cool!  Yea, my equipment is certainly not primitive.  Some believe it isn't even traditional, but it fits me to a "T" and is soothing to my sensibilities.  That is what archery has always been about for me.  Like Mark said though, if I ever decide to build a selfbow, I'll surely not shoot carbons through it.  That WOULD offend my sensibilities!    

David

[Tom Mussatto]

Originally posted by SOS:
I can't believe Ferret actually uses a stool!  Probably has some kind of metal or clothe or even...gasp...plastic on it!    

Mickey's getting old and seniority does count. We must respect that and make allowances. Being rather aged myself I know I do.
 

[Yellowsnake]

I use an Dryad Windtalker bow(wood/tonkin cane/horn), all leather back quiver, dacron string(with metal string nocks), cedar arrows with metal field points and plastic nocks.  A owl told me once to use what works for you and trash the rest.  So thats what I do.

[tippit]

Carbons shoot great thru a selfbow.  Ok I feel better now that I said that. I've taken deer with my selfbows and carbons.

At this years bear hunt, I finally took the plunge...taking a nice black bear with my osage selfbow, wood arrows, and Woody's knapped stone head...complete pass thru shot.  I must admit that was probably my most memorable bowhunt...Doc