How many older traditional shooters here

[Bill Carlsen]

I'll be 66 in Nov. I have had a bow in my hand since I was 8. I currently shoot a 60# DAS Master Hunter.

[WOUNDED EAGLE]

I just turned 62 this past friday {feel like 82}done to much bull work in the last 47 years.like they say... the golden years...yah rite,but doing pritty good in spite of aches and pains.etc.

[doctari]

Ken, I will be 52 on the 14th of September. I will be leaving for the Rocky Mountains of Montana on the 20th for some Black Bear hunting. I will be hunting with a great friend and we are going to try calling them in. I shoot a 67# longbow and 65# recurve, both are BearsPaw bows made by Neil Jacobson in Montana. Neil wants me to go to Elk camp with him to help pack out meat, will see!  

[moebow]

63 in November.  Been shooting since 8 years old.  Still have my first real bow, a Paul Bunyan green solid fiberglass 32# longbow.  Boy Scout Camp archery instructor in 1960 was my first formal archery experience.  Many bows since both recurves and longbows.  Weights rang from 30# to 65# but mostly shoot around 50# now.  Never did have or own a compound but do NASP classes with the Genesis youth bow.

[RLM]

66 and have been shooting bows since I was 10, never picked up or shot a compound. Shoot bows from 55# to 60#. My favorite Howard Hill Wesley Special @ 57#.

[Don Stokes]

Listen up, all you young whippersnappers! This is something you can do happily for the rest of your life!!

[Buckhorn47]

61 here, feel it and look it, shoot longbow and will 'til I depart, currently a HH at 64 lb. I'm really starting to like lighter weights and will likely settle on 45-50 in the very near future. Always favoured the straight grip Hill style longbows. Been at archery for 45 years. My main interest is hunting and stump shooting.

[bawana bowman]

I'm 54 and have been shooting recurves and longbows since I was 5. Still shooting both up to 90# at this time. Predominately hunt with 65-80#.
Have only shot a cable gun once; 2 shots and handed it back to dealer. Just didn't feel right and I knew it wasn't for me. Bought a Hoyt Rambo Jr. for my oldest daughter when she was 12, she shot it for about 2 months, went back to her recurve and never shot the cable gun again.( she's now 32 )
At least I can raise them right in that respect!
   

[RayMO]

Just turned 62 and I feel like a kid at Christmas waiting for the season to start. Thats the good part. The bad part is health problem really suck, but I will be out there. Shooting #45-50 these days and loving it.

I turned 63 last month. I shoot longbows from 41-46#, as I have for years. Started shooting bows at age 4, bowhunting at age 33. I'm planning an elk hunt (my 2nd) for next year, when I will be 64 (assuming all goes well). I have an artificial hip which hasn't slowed me down at this point. I think it's mind over matter, and I plan on hunting with a longbow until I drop. Every year I get more excited as bow season approaches!

[Angus]

61 also, and don't mind taking a "senior" discount wherever it's offered!!  Besides, we don't look like a bunch of young kids "trying to look 'mature'" with a cigar and a glass of scotch! been shooting trad since the mid-50's, and I still have the original longbow floating around somewhere!  Currently shoot a 57# Wright Firehawk, and a Hatfield 55#TD as a backup, plus a Lajos horsebow, Bickerstaffe longbow, and Internature recurve for fun.  I usually don't hunt grouse with a bow, however, since it's difficult to pack the Firehawk on the mountain bike.  Nope!  Today we're out after grouse/trout again, but I'm taking my little darling, my Belgian 112-year old 28ga side-by-side hammergun, which breaks down nicely in the grouse bag!  Gotta Love It!!!!   :D

[northener]

Fast approaching 55. I hesitate to label myself as old, but my body is really been acting up lately, from 30 years of carpentry. As I type this, my left knee is swollen, from god knows what? Going to the doc this morning, hopefully it will be nothing serious.
 Oh,got side tracked, been shooting stick and string for about 12 years. Recurves and longbows in the 45 to 55 lb range after shooting the confound for 15 years. The good Lord willing I will be flinging arrows for a very long time!

[JimB]

Will be 60 next month.Started shooting around age 11 and started bowhunting at 15.Up until last year,was shooting 60-66 # recurves.I've been having some shoulder problems this past year so am now shooting 53# and trying to use a more efficient setup rather than worrying about the number written on the bow.This site has helped tremendously in that endeavor.Thanks everybody.

[hockey7]

-54 at the end of this month. My son got me totally back into trad after shooting a compound for years. When we first started attending events (Compton, Kzoo), I noticed the majority of people were "older", but it was much more of a friendly, non-competitive crowd. Glad to be back.
Very surprised at the heavy weights you guys are still shooting...I'm shooting a 54#Pittsley very comfortably.

[Deff]

Age 54 -- use to shoot a 70 lb. recurve. Had to drop back to recurves @ 60 lbs and longbows @ 55 lbs draw wt.
Our ranch participates in the Montana Block Management Program that provides hunting access to the public.  I have noticed that the vast majority of the hunters that sign in, both during archery and general seasons are in the  50 to 70 age bracket. This age group tends to have more time and money available to devote to hunting, but it appears to me that when we die off -- hunting may be in big trouble.

[George D. Stout]

Will be 64 in January and still pluggin' along. I wear out a 700 pound round bale every two years, and wreak havoc on the stump population in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains.

I look at traditional archery today as a boon time; in the 1960's you had no where near the bows to choose from, of the same quality that's available now.  We are living in a great era for this sport....even though some may not know it.

As of today, I'm shooting bows in the 45/50 pound range and shot a bunch.  I did those heavier weights when I was younger and full of pi$$ and vinegar, but I've learned my shoulders prefer sensible taxation.

I can still hit a sixty yard target....matter of fact it's almost point-on with my 45# Shakespeare Necedah.  As I get older, I appreciate the time the good Lord allows us to participate in this game, and we don't know how many days we have left.  So enjoy and share with a friend....and work on those kids.

[ken denton]

Now 70, but 69 last year in the photo. Took two bucks last year with two different 47# longbows. Chemo and a muscle disease keeps me from shooting a heaver bow.
I started with my first longbow at 15. I started shooting by myself with no one showing me. I guess it was in my genes because my ancestors were from England where there are over ten Denton townships and also were at the battle of Againcort in 1415 as archers.My broadheads are sharp and ready for the season to start. Ken

[Kip]

I turned 59 this past June 19 in Quebec on the Bear Quest III killed my first bear on the 21st.
I have been bowhunting since 1974 killed my first deer 1976.Have hunted only with recurves except an all wood Damon Howatt compound in 1976 but sold it before hunting season.Still having fun.Kip

[Grant Young]

I'll be 55 on October 2 and got my first bow in 1960, age six. Except for a couple of longbows, recurves have always been my thing. Shot a Browning compound for three weeks around '79 or '80 and gave it to my brother-in-law. I own several bows, mostly Bears but have one of Charlie Lamb's Sunbears and a Saxon Kadiak. My main bow is a StyleI B riser T/D currently with a set of Brandon Stahl's limbs- 60", 72#@29". I've had a ball so far and hope to continue for as long as I breathe.                 Grant

[Orion]

If truth be known, I'd venture that most of the members on this site are "older" shall we say.  Statistics show that fewer younger folks are joining the ranks of hunters, particularly traditional bowhunters.  We older hunters are literally a dying breed.

I'm 63 and have been shooting sticks since I was about  7.  I did have a very brief fling with mechanical arrow launchers in the 70s.  Currently shooting ACSs, Hills, Bear T/Ds and a few self bows in the low to upper-50s weight range, about 10# less than  five years ago.

Lots more choices today, but there were some pretty good mass produced bows, arrows and other accessories in the 60s and 70s.

One of the biggest changes I've seen over the years is the diminished understanding and stature of hunting/bowhunting in the eyes of the non-hunting public.