Common Sense Traditional Bowhunting

[tomsm44]

Originally posted by Terry Green:
The fundamentals of traditional bowhunting go Way Beyond sharpening a Broadhead ... there's a multitude of cornerstones and those cornerstones are Paramount to a solid foundation ....

There's a lot more than just sharpening a broadhead and getting them close.

No Kat.... we're just making sure we don't run off and leave the fundamentals and the foundation remains sure and not promote fake news.

And I some of y'all do not understand it or haven't seen it but Rob and I are here all the time....

 So we see a lot more than most... we see patterns, trends and all sorts of people trying to beat the system cracking... attempts at cracking into database, advertising, Schilling, behind-the-scenes third-party Shilling, you name it we deal with it.....all to bring you the best and the truth in bowhunting.

To be fair, I said a sharp broadhead, getting them close, and delivering the broadhead accurately.  

It looked to me like a lot of the discussion was about whether new techniques and technologies (tuning, form coaching/developing, high tech equipment, etc.) were getting to complicated, and also if old techniques and technologies were too simple.  

I may have misunderstood some of those comments, but I didn't intend to suggest that the fundamentals weren't important.  They are paramount to the accurate delivery system for the broadhead.  I was just meaning that whether you subscribe to the tuning and practice methods of Saxton Pope and Ishi, to a more modern Olympic Archery style approach, or to something in between, it doesn't matter.  What matters is that you use your chosen method to deliver that broadhead right where it needs to be when that broadside 13 yard shot presents itself.

I get what you are saying about all the bs, shills, etc. that you guys have to sort through on here.  I don't envy you that job a bit.  Thanks,  

Let's not forget that things that are considered "fundamental" today like certain aspects of tuning, shooting form, etc., weren't even thought of a hundred years ago.  

That can only mean that the "fundamentals" are fluid based on new information, and yes...someone's obsession to minutia.

Even something as fundamental as archer's paradox (or "toxophilist's paradox" as it was originally called) wasn't even defined until 1913 by E.J. Rendtroff.

[Draven]

In my opinion the foundation for the (bow) hunter is based on other things than tuning tools, scientific research and formal shooting forms. Having both eyes on the target, an arrow (weapon) somewhere underneath the dominant eye - aligned with the target - and being in equilibrium while shooting are the main elements that forced the ancient hunter to adapt and develop what we call now "shooting form". The research was done long time ago and the product was already proved reliable. We are theorizing it now.

[Sam McMichael]

Terry, in a sense, every trad generation reinvents the wheel, at least to some degree. They take what they see or hear about the previous generation (us), and add in the tidbits of info they have picked up on their own. I know you too have heard of all these "brand new ideas" that some guy puts forth, you know that same technique you and I heard about so many years ago before these new guys could even spell bow and arrow. This is a good thing, because it shows that new people tend to eventually work their way into tried and true things that work. It is also in sync with Rob's notion of common sense archery. We all wade through a sea of crap before we get back to basics in life that actually work, not just in archery, either. Eventually, we get into a routine that is more simple, and these basic concepts once again become the staple of archery in the traditional sense. True, some of the new stuff turns out to prove useful, and it will eventually become "traditional" also. But to me, one of the most basic premises of traditional archery is the notion of a willingness to do the work necessary to develop hunting skills and the appreciation of the traditions behind those skills. Remember, a lot of the unending tinkering and fiddling with gadgetry comes from guys who grew up in the world of the compound bow and simply have not yet realized that much of the doodads they are used to using simply are not necessary. They are not undermining the simplicity of trad, rather they are still undergoing the journey. All is well in the world of trad archery.

Good thoughts Sam.


Sometimes people just rediscover what was already known, and whether we want to admit it or not, sometimes people really do reinvent the wheel...or at least put a whole new spin on it.  

I keep going back to Fred Bear and Nels Grumley.

Think of where we would be today if Fred had just said...

"You're right Nels...I don't know why I keep obsessing about this fiberglass laminated recurve thing, it just isn't necessary.  Let's just stick to our roots and avoid rocking the boat."

I hope we never lose those minds.

[Terry Green]

We're not talking about Fred Bear not doing fiberglass ...that's expanding the Box ...we're talking about fake news, misconceptions, bogus claims, Etc

You're not going to reinvent the wheel but you can improve the tire ...can anyone grasp what we're saying here????

What Rob and I are talking about is 13 years of running this site and seeing trends like we talked about earlier and the watering down of traditional bowhunting through miss information.

After 5 pages I guess our message is not going to get through so this thread has run its course let's all just go hunting shall we?