THE ULTIMATE COMBO!! PENITRATION, LOOKS, SPEED, ETC!!!...

[Bear]

...the one you already have.

Sorry folks, with all these recent posts about setupS (plural), pentration, bevel grind, bow speed, bow design, etc. I just have to say that assuming you have a serviceable bow, group of arrows, and broadheads... you have exactly what you need. Get the heads sharp, get good with the bow, practice regularly, then move on to more important things in life.

This stuff is such fun, it's addictive. Dont be an addict.

During the generations of our bowhunting heros they would have thought we were exessive for owning mutiple cars and televisions in our family. Cant imagine what they would say to a person with a stable of custom bows, $100 broadhead sets, and an obsessive complex over which one will kill a deer deader.

[David Sapp]

boo hiss, somebody get a rope!!!

[Deadbolt]

Im with ya bear...i had to get rid of so much stuff I had...just got to "into it" and realized I needed to thin gear down and just stick to what works and get better with it.

[Izzy]

I always felt unlucky to have found my Holy Grail bow so early in my trad shooting experience cause the search is sooooooo much fun.And all the "Stuff" on my bench and in my workshop just gives me a content feeling.Kinda like money in the bank.  

[Steel]

To many bows and gear I don't think there is such a thing   !

[Bear]

Yeah, I knew I'd get flamed on this one. And David can tell you I'm at least half hipocrite for even saying it. Nevermind the fact that only two days ago I was ready to buy another bow from him.  :rolleyes:    

But that's just it, having been down that road (and still tempted by it) I'm really starting to value the simplicity and contentment of sticking with what I already have. And aren't simplicity and contentment a couple of core values to the traditional way?  

I'm talking about those posts that read as though a new thing must be bought because the existing thing is suddenly less than adequate.

Just food for thought.

[SCATTERSHOT]

Now you've done it.....

[Steel]

I think you miss the point that everyone has different core values and beliefs.Some guys here don't even hunt they just target shoot while others buy their bows/gear and some built their own bows/arrows by hand and so on and so on.Some of us shoot year around others only through hunting season then put the bow up for a half year.Some people here work for min wage and others are doctors and lawyers with more money to spend.There are married guys and single guys on this board which has a large affect on the choices you make just ask my wife. Personally I work a high stress job during the day and like to shoot my bows every evening I can 12 months a year it helps me relax and get rid of stress. I can't put a price on that so if I own several bows and enjoy them I think that is a good thing. There is far worse things I could be spending my money on and even my wife will agree to that statement.I know where you are coming from guys do get to caught up overthinking things sometimes heck to harvest a deer all I need is a 1960's bear recurve and a handfull of used arrows I will get it done you don't have to have $1000+ in gear to hunt which is one of the great things about Trad Archery. Skill with your bow and woodsmanship still rule in this sport you have to love that fact in the high Tech world we live in now. I try not to judge people just because they have different beliefs than I do I have often found myself shareing a hunting camp with other trad hunters some have the newest gear out there others are using bows and gear that was made 40+ years ago. I enjoy all their company and have learned alot from them all.

[James Wrenn]

I mess around with lots of different stuff not because I need too.It is just fun for me.I am one of the lucky ones that needs very little to go kill a deer.Any old bow will work along with any arrow that flys decent.Still there is more time in a year that I am not hunting than time I am and I get enjoyment out of playing with things all year long.  :D  I agree it is easy to over think things but it is all about fun.We don't hunt because we have to, we just do it for fun and to cut down on trips to the grocery store.  

[JC]

Hush Alex, leave us to our affliction! You well know fiddlin is half the fun...and if you don't, come on over for some stumpin and we'll throw 100 variables at your current setup just for the fun of it  

How many bows do you have on your rack? I've had only 2 for over a year now. Those BA meetings must be working for me huh.

Any chance you can make the FL shoot 8/7-9? You make it to my place and you can ride with us.

[kbetts]

Simplicity can be applied to everything we do in life.  I am only 33 and realized only after the birth of my daughter that I needed to really readjust my priorities and ways of thinking.  I still work on compounds, even enjoyed shooting it lately, but I work on my friends bows a lot and there is a pile of junk that goes with that.  I will never part with that pile. Traditional archery has infected me to the point of dropping some of the hobbies that I thought I cared about.  Junk removed.  It all equals out.

[D. Devall]

haha. pearson bow, 3 arrows. i think im pretty down to earth.

[Curveman]

I think that economy is helping us all reframe need as choice but it's all good if it's pleasing and not harmful.

4 bows, two I shoot but I confess I'd be buying that new shotgun and the AR-15 if I had more expendable coins!  

[Bear]

I was just offering food for thought. It's obvious the point was mostly missed. I do consider all the different types of shooters here, and I was only addressing a certain type. Namely the type I am, if I dont watch it.

Another thing to consider. How many of the trad bowhunting "celebs" and heros are changing their setup three times per year, swearing each time that now they have the perfect setup? Seems to me they are always carying the same bow and arrows. Or at least the same brand and model.

It's all fun. Anyone who knows me knows I am a world class tinker-er. I'll probably never stop, because I enjoy it. I also shoot with a near religious devotion. I have found that it requires only one bow to acomplish this. In fact, using only one bow seems to improve the experience.

Skinny strings, extreme FOC, you name it, I'll give it a whirl. Some of which I stick with, when it has obvious benefit. And we all love trying that bow we've been eyeballing online for several years and finally get our hands on one.

But if you've killed eight big game animals with your current setup, you probably dont need to be asking questions about broadhead choice and penetration, much less your "neeeeed" for a different setup. And how many setups does one need for any given season, anyway?

Joe,
I'd love to, but that's Suzy's birthday weekend. So it's not likely.

I have two glass bows. My 1965 Kodiac, and My Okeena Longbow built by good friend Ethan along with my help. Four selfbows of my own building, and two that were gifts. Not including tools or time, I have about $50 in my entire bow collection. I honestly enjoy the building of the selfbows more than the shooting, at this point. I want to go all primitive, but I'm a little too obsessed with accuracy, and just enjoy shooting the glass bows more.

Actually, I do have one other low end glass bow. But I'm about to sell it. Bought it for the same reason. Always wanted to try one. Tried it. Now off it goes.

[Jedimaster]

I do understand.  When a certain craze hit the scene a while back it seemed that almost everyone wanted to abandon the set-up that had worked for countless forevers before.  I know that there was, and is, a continueing effort to improve the science and art of our sport - and I appreciate it! But sometimes it's just too easy to grab onto a bandwagon.  The constant desire to improve and tweak and second guess can get monotonous!  Before you even realize what you've done, you have left the simplicity of stick and string behind.  In many of our cases it was that very simplicity that lured us to "traditional archery" in the first place.  Without it all the joy is gone.  And let's face it nobody enjoys hunting with a set-up they have no confidence in.  Where did the confidence go? It went out the door when all the second guessing, fretting and constant tweaking started.  A point of diminishing returns was reached.

To combat this mental fatigue you just have to grab the bow and arrows that have served you so well before, clear your head, and shoot. Pick up what you know works, what you have confidence in, and get back to what you love about archery.

[NorthernCaliforniaHunter]

One bow and three arrows here as well! I have to admit I have two sets of broadheads though.

[SlowBowinMO]

A good friend of mine once told me, "If you can't find contentment where you are, you're not going to find it where you're trying to go."

I've always remembered that, and I've found over the years he knew what he was talking about.     :D

[TheFatboy]

We should put that in the "Quotable sayings" thread. Might help out a lot of peeps.

[George D. Stout]

Oh but Bear, then maybe someone wouldn't look at you to see what you are wearing on your sleeve. Big brand-name product ramoras are everywhere, waiting for a ride.        :p

[D. Devall]

haha! i aint even got my broadheads for hunting yet. i have a fish arrow though so im happy for now!