the superiority of stickbows. a new look at trad!

[Three Arrows]

I went traditional from the start because I did not own a compound.  Then I bought one and hunted with it for a couple years, killing deer out to 55 yards.  I went back to traditional for about 12 years.  I got lazy and did not shoot enough to justify going hunting with a traditional bow, so I bought a top of the line compound bow.  I mastered shooting that in a few hours ( just to sight it in).  Now I am back to traditional bows again.  I found out that shooting a traditional bow is very relaxing ( almost like fly casting).  You definitely will never be as accurate to longer ranges as a compound bow; but, you will definitely appreciate the gains and enjoyment.  That is... until you get a big dose of target panic!  It is not about hunting dynamics or accuracy with traditional.  We shoot with it because we appreciate the fun and simplicity of the stick and string.  Or do I lie?

[Orion]

Where would you get the idea that one would have "to settle for the spirit of the hunt rather than the kill" if they shoot real bows?  I've been hunting with stickbows since before they were called traditional and have always felt that I get both the spirit of the hunt and the kill.

Regardless, given the penchant of most folks today toward laziness and instant gratification, which exhibits itself in hunting through the use of ATVs, baiting, shooting behind tall fences, adopting the latest technology, etc., I'm certainly not disposed to recruitment, which will only expand and disperse those behaviors.

OK, that's enough venting for one night.  This thread seems to have hit one of my hot buttons.  Sorry.

[STEVE R.]

I think all the above statements are well meaning,and mostley spoken on a positive note. But I do not feel the need to compare my recurve and wood arrows to any other weapon.Hunting with it needs no explenation,or approval.I truly love the sport.I go on trips with people who bring compounds and or rifles,I just bring my old recuve. One thing is for sure you will have to learn how to really hunt,to effective with this weapon..

[bayoulongbowman]

Trad bows are just flat out more effective bowhunting weapons from 35 yards on in in my opinon and always will be...to traditional bowhunters its about getting close . For the compound guys they shoot a longer ranges with lighter arrows and BH's ...I just look a one of the promote tapes for major bow company they were shooting elk at 75 yards...is that effective ...for most compound shooters probably not....because most dont practice it or practice with Broadheads...how do I know , I work in a bow shop!!  

[kahunter]

I don't really have the credentials to say yes or no because I haven't hunted with a stickbow yet.  However, this season finally made me decide to make the switch.  I have always been "drawn" to trad, but never had the time to put in the practice to be proficent enough to hunt.

I usually don't get to hunt very much, usually a couple times a month.  I also hunt conservation areas.  As such I don't have the time to scout and setup treestands.  I like to hunt on the ground anyhow.  This year I had 2 opportunities at a deer.  Both were within 15 yards and both were very quick opportunities.  I couldn't get my sights lined up in time for the first deer, and I hit a cornstock shooting at the second deer because I misjudged the trajectory(low anchor point).  
The point is, I don't know for sure if I could have shot those deer with a stickbow or not, but just from the short amount of time I have spent practicing with my recurve, I honestly think I would have 2 deer this season instead of 0!  I guess I'll find out for sure next season.

[Holm-Made]

Amen Jeff.

[John 4]

Trying telling some newbie that a stickbow is better than a compound an your going to be lweft talking to yourself in very short order.
A person will either turn to the stickbow or they won't,,,all the "trad" talk in the world won't change that,,,but I might drive them away for good.
I've shot recurve for over 30 years an the one thing that turns me off "trad shooters" is the never ending put downs of compounds,an the negative self promoting that goes on.
This thread is the perfect example.
Way to go guys!

[wesome]

To me it ain't about better, it's about more fun! I've bowhunted for years. I'd dust off the compound about 1 week before season, take a few shots to make sure sights were still on, and I was ready to go. Pie plates at 40 yards was easy. I just wasn't having as much fun as when I was 10 years old chasing rabbits and squirrels with a homemade bow strung with some of my Dad's braided fishing line. Last night I was tickled pink telling the Misses how after a year I can keep all the arrows ON the target at 40 yds!!! :>)

[SteveB]

Easier to maintain - yes.
Harder to be proficient - yes.
Deadly - yes.
Superior - only in the hands of a minority of hunters using them.

Steve

[ChuckC]

They are tools.  If you have a 1/2" bolt to turn, you probably will not be satisfied with a 3/8" wrench in your hand.  A stick bow can do some things, other sorts of weapons do other things.  Each has their plusses and their minuses.  Neither is better, or worse....unless of course you are holding that 3/8" wrench at the wrong time.
ChuckC

[no]

Dont kid yourselves boys, dont try to make people believe that a stick is a better killin weapon. or more efficient.In the hands of a good shooter a compound is also very quick to aim a shoot. Quicker than you might imagine. Those videos you see with the guy waiting for ever to shoot are only for the camera. I shoot both stick & compound. Most shots with both I take are under 20 yards. I see these threads all the time & it just aint so.  Mike

[Bjorn]

Several of my fellow hunters shoot compounds very well and other hunting friends shoot rifles very well; there is no way the stick is superior; and the compund is inferior to a 30-06-so who really cares? Do what you want.
For me a stickbow is the choice and I really don't care what others choose to use-nor do I care what they think of my choice.
I like this forum and I like trad guys; but that does not mean that I think differently about other hunters-or non-hunters for that matter.

[no]

Well said Bjorn. I am just tired of the elitist attitude that divides sportsmen. I shoot what I shoot & like what I like.  Who cares. I just dont see the point of some guys trying to say there way is better. Its elistist & its annoying. Done here,  Mike

[Paul J.]

For me the challange of the stickbow is to become consistantly effeciant within huntin range.(20yds). Also the amount of time, patience
and practice it takes to keep that effecincy. For
someone who takes this time and makes the dedication to it, the stickbow is an extemely
effective weapon at close range. That being said
I don't believe it can compare with a compound.
These days compounds are EXTREMELY accurate. Even
at distances much further than 20yds. To me the sad part about it is that they require minimal practice to achieve this accuracy and like one of
thier adds say "They take the arch out of archery." They fit perfecly for people that love instant gratification.
                              Paul J.

[Brian Krebs]

If you think a longbow is an advantage; try drawing one back in a popup blind; or from a treestand.
 Yes; we can make some shots that a compound shooter cannot; I remember a television 'star' that shot at a pig out of a permanent blind; and hit the edge of the blind window; because where your sight pins are is NOT where your arrow is.
 But - I doubt I could have drawn back my longbow in that - and most blinds.
 Treestands too can be impossible to shoot out of for angles that a compound shooter can take with no problems. Its just plain possible to draw back a compound in sitting and standing positions that are totally impossible with a longer bow.
  I watched a darn good hunter the other night on the television with a compound draw back on an elk and hold for EVER until it turned and he could make the shot. We just cannot do that!
  With a longbow or a recurve; you don't (IMHO) bleat at a deer and then draw back and shoot; you draw back and that ussually will stop the animal; but its like a whole different ball game.
  I have seen a lot of people pick up a traditional bow for the first time; and make really good shots. Getting consistant is another matter of course; but we all love picking up a new bow or a buddies bow and shooting it and hitting dead on. It takes practice at every range you might shoot at to be able to do it consistantly though.
  You can walk in a store and buy a compound sighted in for arrows provided; and just for giggles ask a compound shooter what range his pins are for! Its now normally 20 to 80 yards.
 And you can be good in minutes. That is the attraction of the compound.
  What attracts me to trad bows is the fact it is a simple tool; not a machine. When I see a deer or elk etc and hold up my bow - I want that bow to be as simple as I can shoot ethically; and have it be an extention of my thoughts. I want to concentrate on the animal; not on the bow.
  I have shot compounds; and I remember missing and looking at the bow; wondering if something came loose; or slipped or whatever.
  Now I know its the nut on the string.
I like the arrows flight being ME; not an extension of the world of technology.
  I think stressing the relationship with nature is so precious; and that it is best enjoyed on a simple level. Most deer and elk think me and my bow are pretty simplistic.. maybe the word is simpletons... but I like deer seeing me and not turning inside out to get away.
  I am really not all that scary a concept to animals; and I like that.
  If I shoot a doe; I am happy; if I shoot a buck I am happy; if I shoot a trophy animal I am happy.
  But if I take an animal and shake my head because I spent all that money and didn't take a trophy... I probably will not ever be happy with traditional bowhunting.
 
So- I say tell people that traditional bow hunting is getting into the woods; and enjoying being part of it. As opposed to stepping into to it just for the reward of a big trophy animal; or a guaranted shot accuracy when I hunt.
  If you want guaranted accuracy- hunt with a gun.
  If being in the woods; and becoming a part of it; and limit yourself to what bowhunters have for perhaps 8000 years- then shoot traditional bows.
  I enjoy hunting; and traditional bowhunting is full of people that enjoy hunting; and enjoy being in the woods.
  I think that is the best advertisment there is- to the audience I want to talk to.

                   

     

[Paul J.]

Great Job Brian. You said it for me!

                          Paul J.

[Pack]

I almost hate to admit that part of the reason I went away from the compounds is some sort of rebellion against all I hate about the "bow carriers".  There are very few (as a percentage of the whole) true bowhunters left.  If it were not for the resurgence of traditionalists, bowhunters would be a truly a notion of the past.  I actually don't care what kind of bow is shot.  I shot compounds for years, but a bowhunter approaches the hunt, his equipment, the animal, the laws, and fellow hunters differently.  The modern "bow carrier" (especially in the West), uses the bow as a means of drawing a tag and shooting distances are only limited to the line of sight.  People are always saying we must not divide ourselves or we will be conquered.  I'm afraid I may be conquered then, because I refuse to be lumped in with the arrow flinging "bow carriers".

[Shawn Leonard]

I have not read all the ppost, but we must be honest here. This year I had 3 P+Y bucks within 30 yards of me. If I was hunting with a compound I know I could of killed anyone of those bucks. Why? Well because I would of took the shot, but at 27 yards a big ten point gave me a small hole and it was just a tad too far for me to be confident. I believe there is some advantages shooting a stick but if you are in this just to kill deer than shoot a compound cause most guys will kill more, not all guys because ya still have to be a good hunter but the accurate effective range with a compound is about double than it is for most, not all but most stick shooters. I know in the two years I have hunted stick only I have killed 6 deer, with a compound and stick I averaged that each year. Shawn

[gordonf]

The only situations that I can think of that a stick bow would be more effective than a compound is low light and if you have to arch the arrow over an obstacle. Otherwise compound bows are superior weapons. But I'll never hunt with a compound bow - unless it is a survival situation.

[Brian Krebs]

I really want to make it clear; that I do not knock the hunting abilities of anyone- in any group. I have seen trad bow hunters that really were bad hunters; in interpretation of sign; and I am not an 'A+' person in that regard...yet.
 I have been enlightened by rifle hunters that had strategies and enthusiasm and dedication to the hunt.
 I got my hunting instinct from some remenant gene; my father and mother were not hunters at all.
 My uncle though; he was; and a rifle hunter. He was an ardent conservationist; was deeply involved in conservation; including his involvement in the 'MUCC' (Michigan United Conservation Clubs) as president; and as well his involvement in the wild turkey movement in Michigan.
 My fathers best friends were Frank Mainville; an outdoor photographer; and man whose name escapes me; but was the exectutive in the NRA at one time.
 Frank was a photographer; and through his lens I saw many things in a way that inhanced my appreciation of the out-of-doors.
 My fathers other friend hunted with English Setters for pheasants; and had a cider press and an apple orchard; and those memories are burned into my mind.. and I am also a bird hunter.
 I hunted and took my first 'bow deer' with a compound.
  Gun hunters influenced me into realizing the relationship I should have with nature; the honorable part of hunting; that being- centering on the experience.
  It would be a huge lie to say that I have only learned to appreciate the wild through the eyes of a bowhunter; and then to narrow it down to the experiences that I have had with a traditional bow.
 
 However; all the good I that learned; I can best express and best appreciate now: through traditional bowhunting.

 I saw what I wanted out of hunting; out of the experience of being out of doors; through many eyes; but I saw all the best of it best expressed in the flight of an arrow by a big eared guy named Fred.
 Meeting him did not diminish that impression at all; and meeting other traditional bowhunters has been good too.

 But bad too. I have met traditional bowhunters that were conceited and arrogant.
  Fame does something to some people; maybe to all. I know I turned into an instant a$$ when I started winning competitions; to the point I stopped competing.

 I have sat down and consumed adult beverages with Fred Bear and Bob Munger; and they were both human beings. They had faults; did things that bothered others; but they were loving the same things as me; and experiencing in the same way.
  I put a pope and young muledeer in the book with a shot that probably was close to 60 yards. I have killed a record book bear at 15 yards; and I am proud not only of those shots; but the really close shots I have taken; and the does and small bucks I have taken.
 Ishi - whose family and entire tribe: was killed because of their skin color and heritage; their scalps sold for the price of a couple bottles of whiskey....
 Ishi gave up being wild; and turned himself in. He had an opinion about what white men thought of him; and he turned himself in; not to a fort of soldiers; or a church..but instead he sat down naked in a slaughter house; waiting his turn.
  It ended up that he expressed what a wonderful relationship his tribe had with family -and with nature.
  I can express such good through bowhunting; through honoring those that I honor; that I cannot help but do so with a traditional bow; which is more an expression of how I feel about nature; about wildlife; about Ishi; and the guy with big ears.
  I remember seeing Fred shooting at a thimble berry leaf when on 'the American sportsman'. I saw that shot as not an arrow hitting a leaf; but liken to an artists brush stroke.
 And when he shot the grizzly bear that brush stroke connected him as a human to the bear; with nature in a pure honest way :with artistry.
 
  I cannot draw a recognizable stick man. I cannot play the guitar; I cannot turn a pile of clay into a sculpture.

  But I dang sure can make a brush stroke of an artist when I shoot my traditional bow. Not every shot- but enough to make some beautiful memories.

 Ishi said when dying; 'we will meet again in the flight of the arrow'. Fred Bear said that after "compounds shoot arrows over 300 feet a second it will not be bowhunting anymore".
 He had a point; its hard to see the flight of the arrow when its going 300 plus feet per second.

  For me bowhunting is not about anything short of expressing the past and those that I respected and honored in the way I hunt.

  Others - like the Eastmans: can do that with a rifle.
   But me; I do it best with a traditional bow.

And I keep meeting some of the most appreciative people of nature- with traditional bows- in their hands.

  I really intend on heading further down that path. And I will do it with a traditional bow in my hand.

  Its not about the superiority of one weapon over another; its how we can express the best of ourselves in some way- and for me... its with a traditional bow.