Are Sights Trad?

[Scott E]

If your long bow or recurve has a sight is it traditional? Of some one showed up to a trad shoot with a recurve with a sight would they be shunned? Seeing the DAS SRF sights in the 3 rivers catalog got me thinking about this and I'm curious to know what every one thinks.-Scott

[-Achilles-]

there are different devisions at archery tournaments...you just have to go by the rules of the tournament...as for sights being trad or not...they most certainly are...native americans would attach sticks to there bows for sights...I personally wish people would quit using the word "traditional"...this is archery...archery is the shooting of a bow and arrow...for some reason when they invented the compound they started calling real bows "traditional"...I dont know why

[dragonheart]

Traditional designates a type of bow without wheels, pulleys, stores energy without  mechanical means.  Is a sight traditonal, I don't know.

Longbows & Short Shots,
Jeff

[dragonheart]

Most 3-D shoots will place you in a division with other sighted/limited shooters (wheel bow) with a recurve and a sight.  Traditional divisions typically do not allow sights on bows for competiton in 3-D.  The NAA (olympic style shooting) have sights on recurves as the predominate style of shooting.  This is target archery with paper targets.

[Tom A]

I agree with Achilles.

Would they be shunned at a trad shoot?  Probably. Should they be shunned?  No

If I was running the trad shoot I would put them in there own class. If there was not enough to make a class I would tell them and apoligize that we dont have enough shooters for a class but welcome them to shoot for fun anyways.

[McDave]

I don't know if shooting with sights is traditional or not, but I think the more important question is: what do you want to get out of archery?

Clearly, if what we wanted out of archery was to hit a distant target with the most accuracy, none of us would be here in this forum, because there are ways to do that that none of us would consider to be traditinal.

What some want from traditional archery is to shoot a bow and arrows they make themselves.  If that defined traditional archery, then most of us wouldn't qualify.  A very few of those who make their own bows and arrows make them using only those tools available at the period of time their type of bow came into use.  That would eliminate even more people.

But regardless of how you define it, traditional archery implies that you are willingly placing limits on your equipment and techniques.  You know that if you didn't limit yourself in whatever way you choose to do, you would be able to shoot a faster and/or more accurate arrow.  You voluntarily decide not to go to the next step because it pleases you to do the best you can under whatever limitations you place on yourself and your equipment.  That's what makes it fun and rewarding.

I don't think any of us really care how somebody else shoots his bow, so long as it's a fair competition if we choose to compete with him.  But I think a person is only kidding themselves if they try to see how far they can squeeze the definition of traditional, rather than just setting their own limits at whatever level pleases them the most.

[Jeremy]

If sights aren't trade, then neither are the glass lam bows, since sights predate fiberglass  :D

I agree w/ Achilles.  I also agree with Shawn Leonard in saying there a more than a few stickbow shooters who really should have sights on their bow to be hunting...

[TSP]

McDave said it pretty well.  Here's another opinion.  

Trad is a descriptive term, a real word, and is quite useful if we don't get carried away with a 'Hatfields and McCoys' mindset when applying it.  Archers won't accept one meaning for it so all we can do is assign our own meaning.  For me trad really is more about old-style hunting gear rather than target gear, and traditional hunting gear doesn't include items like bowsights, carbon arrows, electronic nocks, berger buttons, bows or add-ons that mimic compound setups, etc.  Not that there's anything wrong with target bows or compounds but its hard to regard or label them as traditional gear.  Thats not a condemnation, just a personal decision that I think many share.  Basically, traditional is about a simpler approach without gadgets or things that are mostly used on the target range.  

I think mixing the latest in target-style bows and arrows with the simpler old-style hunting bows and arrows is where most of the bad feelings come from in the archery forums.  Very few folks would say that hi-tech target equipment isn't good for target shooting (duh), but lots of folks (including yours truly) simply don't care to equate that type of gear with the simpler designs.  In effect it muddles the identity of what USED to be a fairly simple undertaking, both re gear and mindset.  

With the new target-style technology fad we're morphing much closer to a compound bow kind of identity than a simpler-makes-sense identity.  In that sense what we call our equipment and how we define and use it certainly does matter.  Making a few basic decisions to clarify obvious differences in gear/styles is a logical step that for some reason makes some folks respond defensively with 'traditional elitist' namecalling...in a revengeful tone.  Too bad we can't agree to accept something better than 'no wheels' as the one and only definition.  Sure would make understanding what we do easier and save alot of bad feelings across the board.

[Molson]

No, they are not.  

Traditional Archery/Bowhunting is a modern term used to describe a way of doing things. It has little to do with what did or did not exist in the pre-compound days.

They are not accepted in traditional classes or at most traditional shoots.

[laddy]

I shoot longbows and recently selfbow, however I am a fan of olympic archery.  I used to shoot that way for fun, if I still could I would still do that for fun.  The SRF sight may help when one can predict that the shot will be taken at a specific stance.  I don't feel that they are all that much of an advantage for unpredictable hunting situations.  If no one is keeping score no one should care, if you have one on your bow.

[MI_Bowhunter]

Yes, you will most likely be shunned or criticised for your equipment choice.  Yes, I feel that it is wrong.

Everyone has a slightly different interpretation of what "Traditional" archery means to them.  For me it means simply that I am shooting bows without wheels.   For others, as Molson states above, it's more of a way of doing things.

I love archery in all of its forms.  It's one of the few activities we do that we can really personalize and individualize our equipment to make it our own.  We can go totally primitive, totally high tech or any one of the infinite levels in between.

I now shoot primarily traditional equipment (i.e no wheels) but I guess I have a more modern mindset.  Everyone should shoot the equipment that makes them happy and confident.    I say go ahead and try the sights, just be aware that not everyone will be accepting of your shoice, but then again it is "your" choice.  There's room for everyone in the sport.

And, Yes I consider sights to be traditional.   They were around before anyone referred to their equipment as trad.

[Scott E]

Thanks for the opinions its good to know what others think about topics like this and at least I won't be stonned for putting a sight on my bow if I end up doing so. -Scott

[aromakr]

Scott:
Does it really matter? Do what turns YOUR crank and quit worring about what someone else will think or say. Archery is about having FUN its not a popularity contest.
Bob

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Originally posted by Tom A:
I agree with Achilles.

Would they be shunned at a trad shoot?  Probably. Should they be shunned?  No

If I was running the trad shoot I would put them in there own class. If there was not enough to make a class I would tell them and apoligize that we dont have enough shooters for a class but welcome them to shoot for fun anyways.

[Raineman]

Scott E- You would most likely be given more of a hard time by drilling a hole in your bow, not having sights on it.

I recently picked up a Wing Presentation with a very nice, and period correct (probably put on back in the 60's) adjustable sight already on it. I thought about removing it and filling the holes, but I figured "what the heck. Looks nice, functions....I'll leave it on".

I'll be using it that way at BBTC and ETAR this year. Someone wants to give me the business about it they can pound sand. Sights were a huge part of an entire era. If they weren't then how come I have a bucketful of sights I took off old recurves?

If you wanna put a sight on your bow, I say have at it. Especially if you are hunting with it and are a marginal instinctive shooter (like myself)....the animal, at least, deserves that respect.

JUST DON'T DRILL A HOLE IN YOUR BOW!  :D

[Scott J. Williams]

I have been shooting a bow since I was 9 years old.  I am 52, and can tell you honestly that a lot of people were shooting stickbows with all kinds of sights, from commerical, to nails glued on, to match sticks, to you name it.

Having said that, it was not all that widespread, but enough for me to remember, and was most often seen when the hunters decided to shoot the target courses. Chucks Adams shot a number of animals with a stickbow with sights on it.  

If they came to our shoots, they would be forced to shoot with the compounders shooting sights and fingers.

[jrchambers]

my father bought a old bw curve that had sights, there were holes drilled in the riser, he never used the sights all the cracks in the bow started at the empty holes, sad.  the previous owner killed lots of critters with the sights including a phesant on the fly.

[carphunter100]

If you want a sight, put it on your bow. If you go to a trad. shoot and they dont have a class for you pay your money and shoot for fun. WHO CARES. I have ben thinking about puting one glow pin on my bow because I have diabetts and in late eve. I have been having trouble picking a spot. If I do try this and it helps I could care less what other people think. The only people in this world that I have ever cared about making happy was my Mom and Dad and my wife. If it works and you like it do it.

[Archer Fanatic]

I have been shooting a bow since 1969, and there was never this kind of bickering about what is or what isn't. Just shoot what you like and don't worry what is or isn't. I knew Fred Bear and his best friend Floyd Eccleston and they would have told you who cares what other people would say what is traditional. Just have fun. The word traditional didn't exist back then just the word archery or archers.

[TSP]

ttt