The passing of Ron LaClair has prompted me to pass along a bit of advice, not to just the younger folks, but to anyone just beginning in traditional archery.
First of all, this site has members with a wealth of knowledge and experience, and they are more than willing to share it. Take the time to read the posts thoroughly. If there is something that you don't understand, ask them. If you aren't comfortable posting, use the private messaging feature. Folks on here are good about replying. Just this week I had a tuning issue and reached out to McDave for some help. He responded right away and was very helpful. Don't be afraid to ask for help. I've been at this stuff since I was 30 and I'll be 67 my next birthday, and I am still learning.
Secondly, use the forums here to learn about OUR past. New trad archers today have the advantage of having a wealth of information on bows, arrows, tuning, hunting advice...you name it and it's out there. BUT some of the stuff out there on the net isn't necessarily true. One of the great things about this site is the members. You have members on here that have travelled the world with a stick and string, members from other countries, old timers that have been dropped in Alaska and taken Bull Moose with a homemade selfbow. A quick hit of the Search button and you can find anything you want and some stuff you didn't know that you wanted to know about!
Thirdly, don't spend all of you time reading on the internet. Read a book. There are some accomplished authors out there, many of them visit here on Trad Gang. Some of the books are how to, some are folks sharing their adventures and experiences. Every August, I read books by Roger Rothaar, Barry Wensel, Gene Wensel. The chapters of those books (and many others) fire me up for the upcoming deer season. When I was younger and hunted out west, I'd read Don Thomas' books to fire myself up for the mountains. Names like Pearson, Hill, Bear and Shafer aren't just the names of people that made bows.
And lastly, if any of the names mentioned in the paragraph above aren't familiar to you, you are missing a lot. These guys have killed more mature game than most of us have ever seen. There are others on here, Mike Yancey and Walt Francis come to mind, that have knowledge and experiences that we can only dream about.
The traditional archery community just lost a giant with the passing of Ron LaClair. Ron made contributions to the resurgence of traditional archery that changed the way people view traditional equipment. There is probably someone in your area that has a lot to share too. Locally we had a fellow named Ed Pitchkites who was instrumental in opening Indiana's first archery deer season. Ed is gone now, and I wish I'd spent more time with him. I know I've left out some of the names of members that deserve mention, but I too am getting a little older. Please take the time to read and learn about the folks that paved the way for what we enjoy today. A big thanks to Terry for this site and a bigger thank you to all that contribute on Trad Gang!
Topic: Ron's passing got me to thinking... (Read 1893 times)
