What do you do when it's just not "fun" anymore???

[eric-thor]

sounds like you need to head to the dealership and buy a new or fairly used truck and maby on other good used car. heck take a cab and drive home.

[Bowwild]

I've been shooting seriously since I was 13. I began bowhunting big game in 1969 at 16 years old. After God and Family archery has been the most important thing in my life since the first chipmunk wandered in front of my Pearson Cougar driven Deadhead (I know -- overkill).  I do other things also and before retiring from Fish & Wildlife I "donated" 3 months a year of overtime doing my job. But, I had to find time for archery. I "lost" archery (at least shooting) for 8 months last year -- hurt my shoulder during DIY project at home --.  I feared I would never shoot a bow again. I've been back since last August and shoot on average at least daily. I think having almost lost archey caused me to appreciate it even more. I built a 3-D range this past week (22 targets) for the exercise as much as shooting. I enjoyed making the trail as much as I love to shoot it. I also like scouting and hanging stands almost as much as hunting. I shoot by myself most of the time but my son shoots with me when he isn't working. Here's the ringer for me. I shot recurves until 1974. Then I switched to compounds (and loved every minute of it). I came back to recurves this year. I shoot the recurves daily and the compound about once a week -- 2-3 arrows.  I think the 3-D range with other archers is a great thing but you'll have to go in a positive have-fun frame of mind. If you go focused on results and you aren't result-ready, it could be torture. Finally, NY is a relatively new NASP state. You can contact your wildlie agency and find out where your nearest NASP school is and offer to assist some young people. Your NASP coordinator is Melissa Bailey -- contact info at:  www.archeryintheschools.org  

The only time in my life when I didn't have fun with archery was when I had target panic really bad in the early 1990's. It is long gone now!

[Guru]

Originally posted by LITTLEBIGMAN:
I'm 55 and the enthusiasm and fun  of archery is more intense then ever. I am a loner though and enjoy the freedom of not needing company to make something fun. I am not saying i don't enjoy shooting with others ,just saying the desire and the fun of shooting is there either way. with or without others. If its not fun anymore, do something else. Life is too short to not be having fun.!

Insert 45yrs. old for me....couldn't have said it better myself...just gets better and better!

Good luck Chuck    

[curlis]

Chuck,

I think you need a good rain or snow dance to get the juices flowing again. Wish I was still out there buddy I'd be over and take you out for a day of stumping. Hang in there, I'm sure it will pass.

Good luck my friend,
Curlis

[joevan125]

I remember when i was in college playing baseball during the winter months me and my roomate would shoot our bows for hours everyday.

I had everything paid for and my dad would send me about $75.00 dollars a week just to have some spending money, life was good.

Jump ahead 20 years and i have a house payment, child support, credit card debt, car payment, $30,000 dollar loan because i had some health issues and then the first of the month bills.

Dear God how in the world am i going to make it through this. Yes sometimes shooting my bows takes a back seat to all the problems i have going on in my life.

My ex just moved her and my daughter 90 miles away and im having a really hard time dealing with this situation.

I still love to shoot and try to at least 3-4 times a week but all this crap is still floating around in my head so it takes some of the enjoyment out of shooting.

[jackdaw]

I'm with winterhawk...get a shooting buddy! Their enthusiasm will help charge your batteries...theirs too! There is nothing wrong with laying the bow down for a short period of time and take up some flyfishing, flintlocking or some other activity for a while...diversity is the spice of life! In a short while the bows will bw calling your name...you'll answer. It's in the blood, cheif.

[Kevin Breaux]

I'll echo the words a few have written. Find a place to shoot with friends!

Next, visit Binghams project web site and order the plans for two bows, one for you and the other for your son. Then plan it all out together, this will create a time for the both of you to talk, make plans for future hunts and dream. In the end, the time you will have spent with him making those two bows, will live in him forever! And in the end, you both have two brand new bows!  I hope you both find it again, it is there!

                Kevin

[Yellow Dog]

Chuck, if you want to get fired up about traditional again do the following. Contact Tom Phillips and put a few bucks away a month for the next year and be part of Bear Quest V 2011 next June. The best time you'll ever have with people that enjoy Trad Bowhunting. My wife just didn't understand it when I went last month. "You're going to drive 16 hours, by yourself, to a place you've never been to before to hunt with a bunch of people you've never met. I don't get it." My answer was "Yup". Most fun I've ever had with a bow in my hand