Am I impatient or what????????????

[T Folts]

I'll try not to type to long. I am a recovering wheel guy, shot many deer with the wheels up until two years ago. I made several board bow and a osage selfbow with the help og Gary Davis. I told my self the compound gets put in the closet and I only hunt with trad bows for now on. Last year I didnt even have a shot to take so I didnt score, this year I put out a laddr stand at on spot and built a ground blind out of a blowdown in another (my prefered spot). My goal I set is to take a Deer from the ground with my bow from a arrow I made fletched with a turkey feather I shot and a broadhead I hand sharpened. (What has recently raced thru my mind is this is a pride thing maybe it is just so I can say I did it you know get some attention I dont know.) So the first deer I see is a doe and she catches me move before she is even close enough for a shot so I tell my self you got to move less OK. Then I have a buck come by just before dark circle around to the side of my blind no more than 5 paces from my but not where I can shoot he needs to walk 5-10 yards and he will be around 5 yards up wind quartering away, no luck he just turns aroud and walks away man that was close. Next hunt I walk to the groud blind a 5pm and I put a couple apples on the ground and I hear noise about 50-60 yards away after I get to the blind and there is a buck rubbing his horns on a tree, so I just sit down and put on my ghillie suit string my bow get everything situated while keeping an eye on him hes still there and then there is another buck I didt see and they start sparring, after a while they just walk away not knowing Im there about 20 minutes latter two does run right from where these to guys headed ran right over my apples and continue on not even knowing I was there. I decide to hunt the next moring before church get out there get setup about 30 min before daylight and these two bucks are out in front of me and start sparing its still dark I cant see them but I sure can here them not real aggresive just sparing. So they come aroud me I think trying to check the wind of the area the smaller of the two a six walks down wind and stops the other a larger deer I could make out his rack but bigger stops off to the side, the six goes back to the other buck and continues to move out in front of me 25 yards out of range for my longbow then he heads in twardsmy apples delight but angels of but passes 15 yards I start to draw and he dont even know I am there about 1/2 way back my upper limb is touching a branch so I stop the draw reposition a littes not much start to continue and the other buck must have been watching me just takes off taking my Buck with him. SOOO close dang it.
Here is where I get stupid I decide to hang a stand down wind of my blind where these bucks keep circling to cut them off but in doing so I decde I need my compound for two reasons one I can shoot to 30 yards no problem and cover all the area the come through second I really havent shot my longbow from a tree to much and this stand is a little higher than my standard 12 feet. I tell my brother my plan ( Iam on his land) and he proceeds to set me straight he says If I am going to use my compound to only shoot a mature 3 year old or a doe if I am meat hunting he says you have shot enough bucks with your compound to shoot a 1 1/2 year old Buck. He says If you are using your longbow shoot whatever you want except a button buck. I needed that advice I got frustrated and it became about the kill not the hunt, I fell off the wagon for a minute but I feel I am back on now. Have any of you felt this way. Thanks for the meeting.

Terry

[wingnut]

The best way to beat this is to sell the compound.  I went cold turkey when I did it and have never looked back.

BTW what's the complaint, you've had great hunts by the sound of it?

Mike

[frassettor]

I have recently switched as well. I have not shot a deer with traditional yet but I will, so will you. In my eyes you were already sucessful, you got inside their "inner circle" I am a huge meat hunter as well but when the time comes I finally do harvest a deer with my recurve, my wife is going to have a hard time wiping the smile off of my face!!!  Good Luck, things will turn out!!  

[rugrat]

I had this problem last year.  I switched to my compound in late October to take my buck.  I've regretted it because I shot my buck last year at less than ten yards...easily doable with my recurve.  I haven't even touched my compound this year. It's stayed in it's hard case.  I just keep reasoning with myself that the last 8 deer have been shot at ten yards or less. Keep strong it will happen!

[Skinner]

Originally posted by wingnut:
The best way to beat this is to sell the compound.  I went cold turkey when I did it and have never looked back.

BTW what's the complaint, you've had great hunts by the sound of it?

Mike

Ditto what wingnut said.  It worked for me as well.

Skinner.

[T Folts]

I have thought about just giving the bow to someone or at least puting my bowfishing reel on it.

[Apex Predator]

You have to sell it!  The day I put my on the auction site, I killed my first with trad gear.  Trust me, you won't look back.  I really firms up your resolve.

[LV2HUNT]

The greater the challenge the greater the reward.

I would sell the compound as fast as possible because the value of it is plummeting like a stone.

I agree with your brother as well in that for your first stickbow deer take whatever presents you with a solid shot in your effective range.

I also agree with Wingnut about the great hunts. Would you have found those hunts as rewarding with your compound?

[MI_Bowhunter]

If the only reason to hunt is to kill then why use a bow at all?

Days like you had are why I hunt and what keeps me hunting.

I've never even had the priviledge of seeing two deer fight while hunting.   I'd trade that for a "kill" any day.

[T Folts]

Believe my that was a great adventure that I wouldnt trade it,it aint about the killing, I remember how it got with the compound it was loosing its apeal before I went trad. When I walk through the woods with my longbow in hand I feel different inside for some reason I just lost my sense.
As far as selling the bow it is not worth anything to speak of is is 15-18 years old.

[Skinner]

Originally posted by T Folts:
As far as selling the bow it is not worth anything to speak of is is 15-18 years old.

Try to find a youngster coming up in the ranks that could use a starter bow.  Help them get set up and moving down the road.  That's what I ended up doing with my old Whitetail II when I sold it 4 years ago.

[Big Dave]

NO when I quite c********* I did it because I thought that they were going to far when they started overdraws and all the speed crazy. That's been quit a few years. If you can kill it with ac********** you can kill it with trad.  :D    :D

[lt-m-grow]

I switched too about 2 years ago, and I don't know if I will ever hunt with a compound again.  I am pretty sure I will not.  But I don't buy into this "you have to go cold turkey thing"  

I like to shoot my compound sometimes.  My wife and I are thinking  of joining an indoor archery league and if we do, I will dust off my compound and have a great time.

I cannot remember the last time I hunted with a rifle either, but I didn't sell them to be a bowhunter.  I do have fun pulling them out and shooting them though.

It all comes down to what you want from a hunt, like others mentioned.  I want to have my recurve in my hand when I shoot my "monster" deer and I will smile through evey hunt until that happens...even if it doesn't.