a strange ? for all tradgang hunters

[Bowhunter4life]

Nope, I've taken critters with wood arrows, aluminum, and carbon...  What I felt with each is the same... proud!

[Northwoods]

I think the choice of arrow material adds little to the difficulty in harvesting game (much less than the choice of weapon) and therefore doesn't detract any from the accomplishment.  For various personal reasons, the sense of SATISFACTION can be influenced by material choice - especially harvesting game with materials you've made yourself.

Ted

[Northwoods]

I think the choice of arrow material adds little to the difficulty in harvesting game (much less than the choice of weapon) and therefore doesn't detract any from the accomplishment.  For various personal reasons, the sense of SATISFACTION can be influenced by material choice - especially harvesting game with materials you've made yourself.

Ted

[Molson]

I used to be of the wood arrow only for trad bows camp but really it doesn't matter one bit as to the accomplishment of the hunt.  The only difference is in the amount of pride you take in crafting your own gear.  There's a bit more work involved in making a good set of woodies, and quite a bit more if you make the shafts from scratch.  Anything that requires more out of you will give you more back when you're successful.  That doesn't take anything away from your accomplishment, it adds to it.

[NDTerminator]

Originally posted by hunterace:
in your opinion...
does someone harvesting an animal, using a recurve or a longbow, but using aluminum or carbon arrows ... in you mind decrease their accomplishment?
what i'm trying to ask is if taking an animal with a stick and wooden arrows is better than a stick and carbon? or is it equal in your mind?
just curious on everyone's opinion

As far as I'm concerned, no it doesn't.  Grassing a deer with a recurve or LB impresses me, irregardless of the arrow, fletching, or broadhead.

I use alums & carbons and let me tell ya, the day someone comes up with a viable synthetic feather fletch (ie, that has the durability and weather proof qualities of vanes), I'll be the first in line to buy a couple hundred...

[Jerry Wald]

Well here's my two and and half cents worth.

It's all personal choice, but when I see all the technical advantages out there and they still try to call it "BOWHUNTING" I just get angry....

It was called fair chase in my day and that mean't "fair for the game and the hunter" and we had a special season for it.

We had to spend the time in the field to learn the habits of the game we hunted from squirrels to elk, bears whatever.

Now people have got themselves into such a "BUSY" world and they seem to be proud of it cause when you ask ppl how they are they SAY "BUSY" like it's a friggin medal they wear or something.....well the ants are busy too but doing what?

So then we come up with all these gadgets to give "US" the advantage cause we don't "HAVE THE TIME"to put in the field like we used to.

It drives me crazy.....I have a problem with compounds because of the gadgets and advantage it gives ppl.

When they first came out there was very little advantage..not much let off, no sights, no triggers (yes triggers - that's all those things are to me) etc, but give me a break...you might just as well have a gun now with them.

Range finders - lighted sights - TRAIL CAMS - scents - Christ the next things ppl will catch them in a net and then go out and stick it while it's in the net.

Oops loosing it again (redneck coming out).

My point is I use all kinds of different arrows and it takes me time to tune them all...if they aren't flying right..THEY AREN'T FLYING RIGHT PERIOD.

So get them flying right and practice and get out where the animals are and LEARN TO HUNT.

I haven't taken much game lately and I would love to post and animal or two BUT.....I HAVEN'T HAD THE TIME TO PUT IN THE FIELD to get that hunting SAVVY BACK.

It's my doing and it's my fault, but I am not going to turn to technology to help me there.....no TRAIL CAMS to see when and where they are coming (that's why they leave tracks)..

No range finders so I know the exact yardage...no pins so I know they are dead on the hoof as soon as I can get the range finder back in my pouch....NO 99% let off so I can shoot 90 lbs flat as a die at 60-80 yards so I don't have to get CLOSE and actually LEARN TO HUNT.

We have trouble getting close to Bison up here (well I don't, but)...know why....well when they were introduced they fead them with snow machines and hay.

they did that for years...then they told us we could hunt them (well gun hunters anyway). Then ppl would ride out on their snow machines...guess what... the bison would come running...thinking they were getting fed....

Now they are smarter and they hear one they bugger off...don't blame them...but the "SO CALLED HUNTERS" were shooting them off the machine.

Instead of using the machine to locate and then go on foot (hunting) they would drive as close as possible and start shooting...now they are shooting at tremendous distances now and as soon as they hear the whine they bugger off.

Well I saw one the last time I was out about half mile a way....it took me 2 hours to get close - 15 yards.....If it was legal to take it with a bow I could have taken him easily....he didn't even know I was there..I don't hunt with guns EVER..my choice.

I circled him and pushed him slowly to my hunting bud with his rifle and he got him about 100 yards from the road.

THEN we got the snow machine and packed it out to the road.

Anyway what it comes down to is getting more time to do the things we love to do. how you do that is your problem, but you need to buy it back somehow.

I have started down that path and the future looks bright for hunting, fishing..family etc...but I have been biting the bullet so to speak waiting and working at getting my time back.

I love reading about your hunts successful or not and I am envious. When I see you with a doe or a hog  or a nice buck I am PROUD to be a bowhunter and I think BOWHUNTER is a TRAD HUNTER period.

Sorry about the rant

Jer Bear

[Gray Buffalo]

Jerry

well said

[Dave Worden]

It's a shame that the question even exists!!!

[Roy Steele]

Personally I've only shot selfbows,wood,2 blades for the last 20 years.It's totally up to the hunter and the handycaps he puts on hiself.

[Roy Steele]

Personally I've only shot selfbows,wood,2 blades for the last 20 years.It's totally up to the hunter and the handycaps he puts on hiself.

   DEAD IS DEAD NO MATTER HOW FAST YOUR ARROW GETS THERE

[DHR]

Jerry,

that was great.

Dan

[divecon10]

Whatever set of factors you set in place toward the achievement, this renders the resulting accomplishment vindicated or not..

[michaelschwister]

I think that is a question each person must answer only for theirself. Personally I prefer woodies when I can find quality shafts, but the reason has nothing to do with what I or others think is traditional. Woodies are repeatable, consistant, and easily fine tuned, as well as quieter and more foregiving, and I do need forgiveness.....

[Wary Buck]

Interesting topic.  Me personally, I find killing a deer from the ground to be a hair cooler than from a treestand.  And killing a deer with a wood arrow a hair cooler than with aluminum.  That said, I still do most of my deer hunting from a tree because it usually works better, and generally use aluminums because I'd rather spend time hunting than extra time working on arrows.  

All of that having been said, I think hunting animals successfully (or unsuccessfully for that matter) with traditional bows and arrows of any kid is very cool in own right.  After that, we're splitting hairs in degrees of cool-ness.