Like alot of others, I hunted when I was a kid with a recurve. After leaving the Corps, a buddy got me back into it. I bought a PSE compound and got real good, got to be any deer within 25 yards was already in the freezer. One day sitting in my tree stand and letting about 10 does go buy, just having fun watching them. I looked up at my bow hanging from a limb. The sight pins (that I had to work on keeping secure. The arrow rest (man, I had to work to get that tuned just right. The cable slide. The cam's which just the year before set the timing back up. Then I said to myself, "I need more of a challenge than this". Upon arriving home, my lovely wife, asked how hunting was? I told her of the deer I seen and let walk buy and the beautiful morning and all the great stuff. She then said, "Good, what's wrong?" I said that I am going to get a recurve, need more of a challenge and make it fun again. That christmas she bought me a PSE takedown. I finished my bowhunting season and began to play with the bow. BAM, I realised again how much fun it was to shoot. Not just shoot an arrow or two to ensure my pins was on. But to go to a range/field and shoot the bow. I felt more connected with the woods roving around stump shooting, like it was just mystical. Fast forward to last year. I had a buddy out at a range, teaching him how to shoot a recurve. Some kids came up and shot there compounds about four times. Then stood there a few minutes watcing us have fun. I asked if we was keeping them from shooting this target. They said no, just trying to figure out how you shoot them things. Well, after mentioning to them a little history and said Fred Bear, Howard Hill, they said who? WEll, I then began American archery history 101. They stood there listening in awe, and next thing they knew they was learing how to shoot a longbow. Afterward then said they had more fun with that stick than there bows. I explained, that that was a fine hunting machine, but it is just makes me happier shooting this. A month later was at a 3-D shoot with my friend. We was having fun, missing targets, breaking arrows, every now and again hitting what we was aiming at, just having fun. Little later we caught up with the group in front of us, and one of the kids from that "amercan archery history 101" was there with them. He looked upset and depressed. So after they all shot, and moved on he asked if he could shoot with us. I said sure. After the about four targets he was happy and laughing. I then said what was wrong? He said shooting with those guys just depressed me. They was serious, upset if they was out and inch. Always messing with this and that. They step up to the stake and took a minute to shoot. you guys just shoot and have fun. I smiled and my buddy giggled and the kid said what. I said "notice any place you go MAJORITY of your wheel shooter's take this way to seriously. You can stand at a tournament, and close your eyes-you will here mumbles and gripes, but when you hear laughter 9 out of 10 times they will have a stick and string". AFter we was done, he said he noticed I was right. As we walked to the clubhouse, I stopped and said look there. They looked at a few picnic table and a practice range with people about each. "The ones sitting at the table's are traditional people, for some reason that clan will sit around and joke and laugh for a long time. your wheel shooters will turn in there score card, have drink or bite and then gone to there next rush job."
Topic: Your Traditional Journey (Read 480 times)
