would you swallow your pride?

[Don Batten]

If you came up with a way to shoot a trad bow and hit your target every time you shot at it, would you not do it because it was not socially accepted?

I see all the time on here about folks who are shooting down gap shooters, point of aim folks, intictive guys? Mostly I see it in the Trad Events forum. Some guy who shoots his way don't want to shoot against someone who shoots his way.And don't even start about the 3 under vs split stuff.  What the hell? I think the most of us are bowhunters first and target shooters 2nd. Who cares if the 1st guy gaps and the 2nd guy shoots instinctive? Or even shoots his bow with his teeth? I think that anyone that gets beat or don't kill as many deer or what ever, as the next guy, needs to search his soul about what he's doing wrong instead of bashing the other guy. Sorry for the long post. I don't know much about it but just my  take. I'd been better off spending this time shooting my bow. LOL Don

[Don Batten]

Moderators, feel free to move this to PowWow. DB

[Ranger B]

Don - I wrote a long response agreeing with you and after I read it to myself I realized that I was just being negative so I've deleted it.    
I'll just say that I wholeheartedly concur. I get so frustrated with it. Who cares where your fingers are on the string or what you are focusing on when you shoot?  If you draw the string from a given distance and hit the target I say - WELL DONE.

[Guru]

[Langhorn]

I agree Don. Having shot with you and been a friend of yours for a while now, I know that you are about as level headed as they come. Having said that, I know that you arent going to throw rocks at anyone. I dont understand what people have against trying different things that may make them a better shot ultimately. I say this having just switched to a three under purely instinctive style of shooting.....that you pretty much started me shooting(me and Jeff for that matter). If you cant run with the big dogs, stay on the porch, OR do what the big dogs are doing! Perhaps there is a reason they are doing it......Just my thoughts!

[foamkiller]

Batman I think you hit it on the head. One thing that bothers me about "Traditional" archery is..there are those folks who if you don't do like they do you are wrong! I could careless if you gap, point, shoot instinctive, three under, split finger or whatever. The bottomline is.....no matter what your target whether it is a McKenzie deer or a breathing hairy one you must hit the spot you aim at. It doesn't matter if you are a 20 time World Champ or someone who started yesterday you can have a bad hit on animal because the animal moved. There is no room however in hunting for those who wound animals because they are bad shots regardless of what weapon they are using. We as bowhunters are more under the "microscope" of the public than Fred Bear or Howard Hill ever were.

[DaxE]

I think no matter what the sport/hobby is, you are always going to have folks who wants it there way or no way. No matter how hard you try to show someone something new or different, there way is the only "right" way to do it and if ya best them with it then you are surely wrong.

Dax

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Batman,

Well said! When someone outshoots me, I like to figure out what he and I are doing differetly. I then use that information to make myself better, not make excuses for why I failed.

[S.C. Hunter]

I agree if one person shoots well with their form I will say well done period. I see shooters all the time shoot three under and gap shoot and they shoot lights out. I wish I could but my natural and comfortable shooting form is pick a spot and let it go. Some days, I can't be beat others good but nothing special. That is part of the joy of shooting trad. I often felt stress shooting the compound because I expected a perfect shot every time. I do strive for perfection with the longbow but do so stress free. It is sort of like golf I have a 1.6 index which is really good better than probably 95% of golfers but not tour good. Enjoy and don't stress over the little stuff.

[Peachey]

Well said Batman  

[recurvecody]

you can shoot more than one way? lol j/k, i think a lot of people would be better off shooting there bow more than bashing someone for not doing things there way. when it comes down to it if you aint haven fun than you probly need to find another way of life. oh yeah i agree with you.

[ARCHER2]

Very good point! If it works, use it and don't worry about what everyone thinks. If one thing worked for everyone it would kinda take the challenge element away. Figure out what works best for you and use it. Just my two cents worth.
                              Good Shooting!
                                 Charlie

[Cottonwood]

Don, thank you for posting this.  I have had other shooters, not here, but on other forums tell me that canting the bow does not work, because they can't see how it does.  One guy is stricly a vertical shooter with a longbow, I say great if it works for him.  They tell me, you can't shoot like that with any possible accuracy or repeatable etc etc etc.

My groups speak for themselves.

There are many differant styles of shooting, and if it works, it works.

I wonder if they would have told Pappa Bear, when he arched over backwards and shot his bow, that just wouldn't work.

The beat goes on.....  

[Marvin M.]

One of the reasons it took me so long to get to trad was what I perceived as an "elitist" attitude in trad shooters.

I still see it quite a bit out there.  It hurts the sport.  We should be above that.

[Eugene Slagle]

I've always felt that it is to the individule {sp} to how or what they use to aim & shoot as long as they are comfortable & can repeat the shot sequence to hit what they want.

one person suggested to me quite often that I should be shooting 3 under for instance because my point on would be right at 20 yards, well I tried it & he was right I can use the point on the X to hit at 20 yards but for the life of me I could never get the hang of shooting 3 under so I went back to split finger & kinda use a split vision aiming.

[McDave]

One thing about shooting out west, if you only like to shoot with people shooting your own style, you're going to be shooting by yourself a lot!

Most of the shoots we get are mixed compound/trad shoots.  The few trad guys are mixed longbow, recurve, olympic.  We don't even ask how they shoot their bows (well, one guy complains when people shoot carbon arrows out of longbows, but we ignore him).

[RocketDog]

I think it's obvious the way I shoot is the only right way, and I am the only one who understands how to do it.

Great post.  If your way works, do it.  The guys who are most vocal about style are probably still trying to get it right.

[Cromm]

Just enjoy is what I say.

[RC]

I could care less how a fella shoots. I`ve been doing this a while and always "try" different stuff. I usually go back to "my" way. It seems to work for me.
  My hunting Buddy Chris and I shoot completely different styles and have never even brought up his way or my way being "the" way. We both have fun and enjoy the hunt.Thats what its about to me.RC

[eric-thor]

all i can say is :what is the point of using a weapon,if you are ineffective  with it ? what would you prefer to do if you "HAD " to feed your family with your sucessfull use of that weapon or even defend your family .
 i think if we were so picky as to what our aiming method or shooting style, many of us would not servive .

i feel that the result is far greater important than the method of sucess.

ive seen many people shoot many different styles and equiptment . the best shooters are good shooters no matter what thier equiptment in many different styles of shooting.