Ft Bliss, my archery beginning

[centaur]

I will get this forum started. Don't really know what Terry has in mind for this place, but if this isn't appropriate, please delete.

My archery life began in the 1950s. My dad was stationed at Ft. Bliss, and we lived at an on post in a trailer park. Directly across the road from our place was miles and miles of desert, where I bothered some rabbits, birds, and lizards with my fiberglass Indian longbow that I got for a present when I was about 9 years old. Some buddies and I also set up cardboard boxes that became targets for our arrows.
Where I used to play has been pushed out by civilization, but I have been by there a few times and thought each time of how my love of archery started.
Any other military brats out there that started archery in or around a military base?

[Terry Green]

No worries....posting topics is fine and dandy....like I said, the forum is all yours.

[Archer Dave]

I got started in high school, but no on base. Didn't shoot for years after high school as I shipped out for basic 2 weeks after graduating. It has been good getting immersed in archery again.

[DaveT1963]

I got started way back when after my first season with an old bear compound.  I read an article about Myles Keller and a few stories about Paul Brunner, Paul Schaffer and the Wensels.  I looked up Paul Brunner and called him.  I then became known as "The Guy from Texas"  Paul spent hours over the phone encouraging me and giving me advice on equipment and technique.  I soon had his book and all the Wensel books I could find.  Then Bowhunting October Whitetails came out and I was a complete goner.  I took my first deer with an old Howatt Hunter recurve with the very first arrow I ever released at an animal.

I have hunted on and off with recurve and longbow for over 3o years now.  Everything I learned was by trail and error as I never have had the opportunity to share a campfire with another trad shooter.  Hopefully some of us can get together and share some stories.

[bear bowman]

Well, my archery journey did not start on a military post. I did do my tech school at Ft.Bliss. After that I was stationed at Ft.Hood. That was 91-95. I didn't have the opportunity to bow hunt at all while I was there. It was way too expensive for me. The cheapest lease I could find close was $1500.

I'd love to meet some of the great people I see writing here myself

[Droptine26]

I got my start in trad bow shooting while I was stationed at Ft. Bliss ‘87-‘91. There was a great archery range off post on Fred Wilson Dr. Met an old timer named Charlie Nail who took me under his wing and got me started.  There was a lot of desert to chase jack rabbits, quail, and coyotes. Great times!

[M60gunner]

I didn’t even know there was an archery range on Camp Lejune until one night on a “night compass” problem I stumbled into a field archery butt. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to check it out as we were preparing for deployment. When we came back I got orders for the rifle range so never saw it again. Now after I relocated to San Diego I used to shoot at the monthly shoots at Camp Pendleton. There was a store in Vista, Ca. I used to go to, he was a longbow guy. He helped me with my Bear SK, probably cause I was only trad guy that came in store.