Phil, in the 60's i used a stick with bailing string on it that my grandpa made me,lol.Later was a solid fiberglass bow that i thought was great and shot that for years before i got a real bow.Here in the deep south it dont seem like archery was as common back then as it was up north.The ones of us that bow hunted down here didnt have much help from others, it was just trial and error, mostly error,lol.When i shot my first deer with a bow i was famous in our community.No one but my friend and i hunted deer with a bow and everyone thought i was nuts until i actually got a deer.Nowdays trad archery is still almost unheard of here.I see that there are a few guys from trad gang in my area now but i have never crossed paths with them yet.Almost everything i learned about bows as a teen was from outdoor life magazine and a few books.And my hero as a young teen? Patric McMannus who wrote a column in outdoor life,lol.