Why trad...

[Rico]

I was Trad before it was Trad, just to lazy to take the time to learn to shoot a compound bow I guess.

[razorback]

I got lucky. Was always interested in archery and a couple of years ago I was ready to really get into it a friend, (member Bamboo), helped me out. he steered me away from the wheels and rigged me up with a 55# Grizzly, some arrows and a tree stand. Bought myself a great birthday present. Anyway I still shoot the Grizzly, havn't hit anything yet    and loving my time in the woods.
I always try to explain to nonhunters how much in tune you have to be with the entire environment to even get close to an animal and in doing so you learn to appreciate the woods and fields and all the little and big furry things in it. They don't know what they are missing.
I am now getting into arrow and bow building and that is adding something amazing to the whole experience. Life is just plain better with trad.

[kevsuperg]

i started shooting a compound in the early 80"s while in the USAF,towards the end of the decade my father in law passed away and a 1969 bear alaskan recurve came my way.i was immediately hooked with the whole traditional way.i read everything i could about bear,hill,ishi etc.eventually with the help of the bowyers bibles i made and still have a nice 60#@28" hickory flatbow.during one year though after missing on several shots at deer i was tempted and convinced to return to the compound.i bought two different compounds over the last 4-5 yrs but was never really happy with them. i always felt like i was lugging my bow around the woods,it just didnt feel like a part of me.at the end of the day my elbow or shoulder would be sore just from the 4-5 lbs i was carrying.i couldnt wait to put it down and once i did put it down it sat there till the next hunt or until next fall before the season started again.with my recurve i shot everyday all year long. i will be returning to the traditional ways however,i am already building a shaving horse for my next new bow.

[30coupe]

It's archery. I shot one compound bow. It was mechanically shooting an arrow. It just didn't feel right.

I grew up shooting recurves. For years my knee gave me so much pain, I just didn't hunt with anything. Six years ago I had my right knee replaced. After that I could actually walk without pain. I got the urge to hunt again. I bought a compound at a garage sale. I tried it, but it just didn't feel right. I talked to my cousin. He said, "You need to go back to what we used to do. I did, and I'll never shoot a compound again." He got me out shooting his 45 pound Grizzly. It felt like archery again! I dug out my old Herter's recurve and fell in love again. The lure of the longbow finally pulled me in, and as you can see from my signature, I am hooked.

The time spent in the woods is priceless. My youngest son, who never had much interest in hunting, now hunts deer with my cousin and me...with his longbow! I am doing what I love with the people I love. It doesn't get any better.

Also, as others have said, traditional archers tend to be a better class of folks, at least the ones I have met here.

[wollybear]

trad is up close and personal.you are closer to the out doors.the joy of the stock. the time you have spent in the woods is like ,time forgot.  JOY!      :cool:

[pronghorn23]

Why not??

Actually I started with a compound (unless you count the plastic recurve I won as a kid and I think I strung it like a longbow).

I always kept my compound fairly simple in the scope of compounds..simple rest, shot with glove, two site pins.

I got tired of always having to check every bolt, nut and pin when in the woods. Then making sure things wouldn't rattle.

I love the natural appearance of trad bows...weather selfbows or fiberglass bows.

The people are top notch wherever you go.

I also got tired of egos...I'm shooting this FPS, I shot a 150" buck at 45 yards, blah blah blah.

My hope in the future is to start building bows and eventually take something with a homemade selfbow, arrows, and self knapped point.

[Hatrick]

Never owned a compound. I wanted to bow hunt. In that light, I think the term "training wheels" is appropriate.

I also like making my own equipment as bowunting has become more of a life style than just a hobby. Going traditional enables me to slow down and smell the roses.

Going wheels would only give me artificial roses. But that's just me. No offense intended.

[Stick_N_String]

My dad started me bow hunting when I was 9 years old with an old Pearson fiberglass bow and fiberglass arrows with Bear razor heads glued on the buisiness end.
I didn't even know what a compound was until I turned 18 when I bought my first wheel bow a PSE. I've ran the gamut shot 3-D for a lot of years had to have all the latest and greatest equipment (I think it actually made me a worse shot on game).
I love the sheer simplicity of the stick-n- string, no cams to go out of tune, no sights to come loose, don't have to worry about losing my release, etc, etc.
I do have to admit that I'm still a bowaholic,
there are so many different bows out there and I want one of each!!!! LOL

[Swamp Pygmy]

long to short of it, I decided I too wanted to learn form before getting a compound. A compound has been written off of my things to get list.

Having thought about it more recently I guess the truth is I'm not on a quest for trophies, I'm on a quest for woodsmanship. Hopefully trophies will come with that philosophy, but one way or the other that isn't the point.

But in retrospect I guess it also had to do with bad run ins with compounders. Not specifically compounders but some of the silly stuff that went with it. I remember walking into a pro store who had "matthews distributor" up in the window. I don't remember the circumstances but I mentioned Hoyt and he basically pretended he didn't even know who they were. I can't imagine talking to a guy at Black WIdow and mentioning I liked the design of a Bear Kodiak Hunter and have them go "A what? Bear? Never heard of them. I dunno. This PLX sure is nice though huh?"

Just the general notion even that the shops will only sell and work on one or the other brand of bows. You can't buy a Hoyt quiver at a Mattews distributor shop. I remember looking and there weren't anyone that could serve a Hoyt within about a 100 miles. Only Matthews and a few others locally.

I mean really? Why don't they get different colored rags and stand on the corners? They cut up territory and look for loyal specific distributors like they are a drug cartel or something. I don't appreciate the logic behind that kinda business practice and I'd just as soon stay away from it.

[str8sh2ter]

I bow hunted in the 70s before the compounds came out.I bought one then,An American Archery cheetah ,as I remember.i got my first and only bow buck with it the first year.
  I went out and bought a pearson Ole Ben longbow the next year[traded the compound for it]I didn't get a deer with that bow.My present wife sold it at our yard sale about 12-15 yrs. ago for $10.ugh!
  I came back to bow hunting 4-5 yrs ago.I've bought and sold many compounds since and hunted with afew.i can't complain,They make some of them Damn pretty.their marketing just drives me crazy.
  i started back toward Traditional last year after getting frustrated by all the gadgets and "fine tuning".i had been thru all that paralysis by analysis stuff playing Golf fo 10= yrs.Buying into all the Next best ,do this not this stuff.
  I've had several Trad.bows over the past two yrs .or so.I'm still crzy for a beautiful wood bow .My weakness for sure.I hunted with the Trad.bow this year and will again next.which one?i won't know til next season roles around and i see what I have.
  for me it's the simplicity of the shooting.No pins,releases,drop aways.No over analysing  and no trying to hold that damn pin on a spot.i just look at the spot and draw.It amazes me that the arrow rerally does go where you point.Unless you try to complicate things and consciously try to put it there.Let go and take control?does that make sense?gotta love it!

[Ybuck]

The challenge, the simplicity, and the people.
I just blend perfectly with what ive seen from
most people involved with traditional
archery.  

[J-KID]

I shot my first recurve for over 25 years.  I purchased an identical backup that never got used.  I switched to a longbow about three years ago and I plan to shoot it for the next 25 years, or the remainder of my time on earth, whichever comes first.

I should add that when I see pics of new bows posted on here I am tempted.  I just remember the memories by bow has given me and I'm back to my old loyal self.

[John3]

My story is about the same as most. "pounds" became too easy. No fun and all gadgets, plus they are ugly in my opinion.

Trad ='s beauty and warmth of wood, tradition, and the satisfaction to know that you put in the work to be good enough. It's about skill, not a wiz-bang fall away rest and a sight.

JDS III

[JoeM]

Great stories guys!!!  Great thread.  For me I thought technology (progress) was going to far.  Any average Joe can pick up a compound and be shooting well to 25yds in just a few sessions, they then proceed to call them selves bow hunters. Not traditional it makes you pay your dues.  Also the fun you have watching your arrows fly, and every animal is a trophy.  The people of traditional are an added bonus, no real competition or jealousy here and people actually remember what its like to help each other.  Joe

[Bonebuster]

Good responses from everyone to the question "Why Trad".

Way back on the first page Biggie mentions how those who have done it both ways can more easily see the differences, and how he has always been a traditional archer. Back in the 60`s there wasn`t a choice.

When I started in hunting in 78, compound bows were snowballing. My first year was with a recurve. Then everybody said I NEEDED to get a compound. I had some really good times, but after a while, something was missing. I was a bowhunter, and I shot my bow because that is what bowhunters do. Taking a tool kit with you when you shoot your bow is NOT where it`s at. I wasn`t shooting because it was fun, bowhunters MUST practice...right?

There is a whole generation of bowhunters out there who have NEVER been exposed to a traditional bow. As Biggie said, the can`t see the differences, because they don`t KNOW the differences. When you see a permanent shooting range set up in a yard, chances are there is a traditional bow hanging somewhere close by. The temporary ranges that pop up when September rolls around, means there is a traditional archer waiting to be born.

Why Trad? Because it is so much more...everything.

[Gray Buffalo]

It’s the simplicity and fun of seeing the arrow hit the target because of your skill rather then all the gadgets you have hanging on the bow

[osageorange4]

I like a lot of the responses to this post. Like many of you I started with a compound bow and then one day ran into a guy comparing the penetration of a compound vs a longbow. After chatting awhile he said he was going to cut down a osage orange tree on  the weekend and ask if I would like to tag along. That was the start of my traditional archery adventure. It has been a exciting time. The most rewarding part has been building whatever I need when I need it. My nature has always been to be very self reliant. If I need a string I make one. If I need a bow I make one. You get the picture. No need to fork out $700 for a custom bow when I can make my own. The greatest thing it has brought me though is a closer relationship with my  son. We spend hours together building, shooting and just getting to know each other. I truly love this sport.

[dixieshooter]

Here is my thoughts. I have shoot wheels off and on for 20 plus years. I've had some great times traveling around the country shooting and hunting. I think my biggest problem is finding parts for wheel bows. Mfgs. change bow lines yearly. Equpment gets out of date fast. The other problem is the brand wars. A earlier writer wrote about most dealers dising what your shooting , if its not what he or she sales. Wheel bow builders make people think they can't miss with their product. I got news for then, you can miss with anything. Traditional equipment is forever, if you don't break your bow all you have to change is the string. The key is confidence and practice,practice,practice.

[mcgroundstalker]

Why do I dig Trad Archery? It's the art of getting close. Real Close! That gets my motor running. Most of all, like stated many times before, it's fun all year round!

... mike ...    ...

[3undr]

arrogance-  well guess what, i have found as much of this in my experince with the trad scene as i have with the compound scene. I do like the simplicity of shooting my black widow longbow,but it does not make me a better man than i am when i'm shooting my Mathews. When i started shooting trad i had a friend ask me when i was going to sell my compound. my answer was and still is i'm not.Since when is it not possible to enjoy both? For me to choose 1 above the other is the same as going to my gun safe and throwing out all the guns except 1 because the all don't perform the same way. It is time to start supporting other hunters instead of causing divisions.