Why Are So Many Against Trad?

[overbo]

Having hunted w/ both.I feel their are tradeoff's w/ both.Most are aware of the ease to become very effiecent w/ modern archery tackle and the luxury of holding at fulldraw but if one applies themself,they can make their trad tackle more useful in some situations than modern tackle.Moving targets are far easier to learn to shoot when one is acomplished w/ trad style of shooting and to eliminate the confusion of gadgets canbe a huge bonus on quick shots,that happen alot in the field.
What ever you and your buddies choose to shoot,challenge each other and all will grow in skill.
 .

[Running Buck]

The conversation of "why do you like stick bows instead of modern compounds" comes up at all the shoots where you are allowed to shoot what you want. In most cases I am told "I don't want to put in the time to get good with a bow that only is good out to 25 yards" or " I like speed" and the list goes on and on. What I see is people who want instant gratification in a sport whose purest reward comes from hard work. When I get these questions I reply " We all must dance to our own music" and you my friend have no idea what you are missing.

[trad_bowhunter1965]

this is a great post eveyone has pretty much hit the nail on the head.

[SELFBOW19953]

I am 57 and have shot longbows/recurves for almost 50 years.  I have flyfished longer.  Most of the people that critize or find fault with my choices are people that tried my way and got upset because they couldn't master it immediately. I could do it better than they did, not because I was better, but I had been doing it longer.  There is a learning curve, you have to practice, and be patient.  Mastering, or at least becoming proficient, takes time-something most people today don't want to invest.  Is my way better, not really, but it's what pleases me.  Am I more successful than the next person, depends on you definition of successful.  I may not bring home more game or fish, but I sure have fun doing it my way. I learned a long time ago, you can never please everyone.  No matter what you do, someone is going to chastise you for what or how you did it.  I only have to live with and please one person-ME!!!!!!

[2Blade]

Agreed this has turned out to be a great thread im really enjoying reading everyone's views on this subject as it is a touchy one. You guys shoot trad for a lot of the same reasons I do. One being because its simple fun and as ive matured as a hunter I now realize I want my animals close. I remember when I was younger and much more dumb I use to always think it would be cool to shoot something at 60 yards.

I lost sight of the bowhunting picture which is to get the animal close and not just brag about making a lucky shot. I also find it saves me money instead of replacing 3 strings I can replace one for half the price. I also like shooting moving targets and I cant get enough of a good day of stumping. Ive seen a lot of photos read a lot and watched a lot about traditional archery and it just inspired me. I could just go on and on about my reasons but I wont you guys don't have that much time and I don't feel like typing all that. I just hope I can pull a deer or turkey kill off this fall just so I can prove to these guys its possible

[Jeff Strubberg]

Most folks need you to validate their own choices by making the same decisions they did.

Don't sweat it.  Shoot what you like and smile.

[LC]

Man lots of great posts and thoughts from everyone! I can't add much other than I've been to camps where someone will offer me a old compound they have thinking I can't afford a good bow! The only thing I might add is another thread going through here kinda relates, trad is not doing it the hard way as most think but actually it's easier just with a more reasonable shooting distance that EVERYONE should follow.

[Red Armed Panther]

Follow Your Bliss, and all will come to you.

[crookedwoody]

KEEP SHOOTING AND HAVE FUN!!DONT WORRY WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT YOUR CHOICE OF HUNTING STYLE.DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.THATS WHAT I DO.ITS NICE WHEN YOU GET A DEER.BECAUSE YOU DID IT ON YOUR ON TERMS.GOOD HUNTING...CHRIS

[saumensch]

My best and mainly only shooting friend uses a compound. We make fun of each ohter, but in a good way and we respect each others choice.

I am a bit jealous of how fast he laerned to score, on the other hand he still is in the same range of distance.

And after a long day out, when i want to roll a cigarette and ask him to hold my bow he always is amazed and jealous how little weight i lift the whole day...

each to his own, we have fun, thats what counts!

[Roy Steele]

Why is it the compounders are always trying to convert us back.But we never have to try to convert them.They just convert back on there own.

  You just can't seem to make them beleive its funer,easer and makes you a better hunter.They just have to find out for on there own.

[trapperDave]

I find the rewards greater when you have to work for them.

just one of the reasons I shoot what I shoot.

And its a family thing, even the youngest can have fun with stick n string  :D

 

[OkKeith]

Nick,

You sound like a pretty well grounded young man to me. Everyone has given good advice, and I hope you take what you need from it and do well.

I will be totally honest with you; I started in traditional archery at a young age (5 or 6 years) because I wanted to be like my Dad. He was a traditional archer (of course this was about the time the distinction between archers and traditional archers was developing). He shot the recurve he bought with money he had saved while in S.E. Asia “on his senior trip” as he called it.

I have always shot recurves and longbows. Never owned anything else, but again, to be honest, it had nothing to do with traveling the path less followed or out of a spiritual connection to archery. I simply couldn't afford anything else. When I was a kid, my Dad gave me a garage sale recurve to shoot until I got strong enough to shoot a hunting weight bow. Then he gave me a third or fourth hand bow he got from a friend.

All through my high schools years (Lord save us from the 80's!) everyone who was anyone had a compound. I couldn't afford one and my parents couldn't either. So, I developed this "I like to do things the old way, I like to do things the hard way" mentality to cover the fact that I was embarrassed by my financial situation.

Later in my life, when my career started and I did have some money, I decided that I didn't really want a compound. Not shooting one made me different. I realized that I really did like doing things the old way or the hard way.

I still have both of those bows my Dad gave me. I doubt he realized what path he started me down when he gave them to me, but then again, the older I am, the smarter my parents seem to be.

Nick, you do what feels right to you. Sounds like your buddy is just trying to look out for you (that’s what real buddies do). Appreciate his concern and enjoy your hunting.

OkKeith

[Scrub_buck]

I have read some truly great responses here to your initial statement 2-blade.  There are many, many thesis and dissertations there waiting to be penned in the words I have just read!

I am similar to you in that one of my close friends that I hunt with shoots a compound (and shoots it very well!).  He was taken aback 2.5 years ago when I bought my first recurve.  He followed along with my progress and I think he was impressed with the bow's performance on the target bags.  He was impressed when I killed my first deer, and totally blown away when I killed two last year with stone points one morning about 5 minutes apart.  Since then, he has never questioned my motivations and desire to hunt with trad gear.  

I am a big fan of the saying "The proof is in the pudding".  Work hard and practice well, and show him what you and your bow can do.

[2Blade]

Thanks everyone ill take in the replies and just keep on shooting. I think your right he is just trying to look out for me. I mean last November he seen me head shoot at chipmunk at 15yards I dont see why he thinks I cant put an arrow through a deers ribs at that same range.

[Bear]

I've only met one person who has any missgivings about it. He respects my decision, but kind of jokingly rolls his eyes.

Why? Because they had a traditionalist guest at their lease who slept outside the clubhouse in a teepee and wounded several deer without recovering any.  

Moral- When in Rome... If someone is nice enough to invite you to their property you might put aside your dreams of being Ishi, and just hang out with the guys. This person was obviously enamored with the idea of trad, moreso than the hard work of practice. But other people will just blame it on the equipment.

So with big grins they literally asked me "Are you gonna sleep in a teepee if we invite you down to the lease?"

I dont blame them. Sounds like they had a real flake in camp.

[Michael Pfander]

For what ever its worth it seems to me to be more about why you shoot than what you shoot.  I and I suppose most of us here shoot our bows for the shear love of the act as much as anything else.  All of the gadgets just get in the way of the feeling you get when the arrow goes exactly where you were looking when you released.  For me its that magic that keeps me shooting my trad bows.

Take care
MAP

[bentpole]

To shoot Trad you have to love it first of all. I killed so many deer with my last wheely bow it just wasn't fun. No challenge. Go out and buy a space age wheely bow. Sights, pin ,release, arrows, everything dialed in . I shot a peep with a single pin.  If a deer came in 0 to 30 yards draw, anchor, pin on deer,release, [shot fingers always] DEAD deer. Traditional you have to love just shooting a bow. Wheelies once your there just like a crossbow or gun.

[Mo. Huntin]

I really like what has been said.  I think your friends want you to be succesful and they have chosen what in there mind is the best path to succes.  My friends have not said anything negative about my switch, they know what I stand for.  I shot compound forever and they come to me when they have a shooting problem or a tuning problem.  I always have extra tips and knocks and some basic tools when we go to a 3D shoot, just in case.  I sharpen all there knives and we all help each other out.  Just cuzz you do it differnt that don't change the way you guys should hunt together.  I am not bragging but when me and my brother went to a shoot I shot my longbow really well and it felt good to hear my brother say man you could take that thing all over the world.  I hope that was not just a good day.  The other compound shooters where really liking that old bear montana and so nice I could not believe it.  The other trad shooters where not near as warm and nice to talk with, I guess they already know the magic of the trad bow cuzz a couple still whooped me a little not to bad though.  thats ok I got a little more drive now.

[PAPA BEAR]

just tell em you wanted the challenge to be greater...thats what i always said and it seemed to shut em up...out shooting a compound shooter never hurts either