A question about increased trad numbers

[far rider]

Ok folks. I haven't researched the numbers, so sorry for being vague here, but is it me, or is Traditional Archery having a surge. Lots of new tradgang members for sure. Are the Traditional clubs having the same sucess? How about the PBS and other societies. Anyone know?
I tell ya, the guys involved with getting our voice out there, doing the right things to draw new members, they truly deserve some form of special thanks.
Has anyone heard from the most popular bowyers about their sales. Are they up as well?

Thanks to all of you that try everyday to further our cause, spirit, and ethics!

[bowslinger]

Far Rider,

I do not have any numbers from local clubs or bowyers, but I do know that in the last two years, I have purchased or located used recurves, for one brother-in-law, one friend, one co-worker, and the brother of a brother-in-law.  I am currently watching for a used recurve for another brother-in-law, and for a female co-worker of one of the guys I purchased a bow for already.

Additionally, one person I serve with in a non-profit organization started shooting traditional about a year ago and just took his first trad deer.

There certainly appears to be an increase in the interest in traditioanl archery.

[widow sax]

I think it is or I hope it is when you try it it gets in your blood. Widow

[JOEBO]

Do you think that this may be because the wheel bow people are tired of buying the top of the line bow and the next year it is being eclipsed by three new models. Or is it that the keep it simple aspect of traditional archery is becoming more appealing?

[m midd]

I gave up wheels 2 years ago. got tired of all the lastest gear you had to have every year.I got my first recurve and hadnt looked back. My brother just got his first trad bow today.

[L. E. Carroll]

I have recently been in phone contact with a couple Big Name bowyers... I asked how they were doing with this economy? Both said it was tough at the moment and that they had to let some help go for the time being.

Probably nothing to due with a preceived growth in Traditional Archery but more of a direct result of our economy. Sure hope we can weather it out until 2012.

Gene    

[Mudd]

I will relate what I've seen with my own eyes. W have a local archery shop that 5 years ago you'd have been hard pressed to find anything traditional stocked in his inventory but he would order anything you wanted.
At the indoor range you never saw a recurve or longbow sitting around only wheel bows.

Over the past 5 years this has vastly changed. There is now dedicated space just for trad bows and related items. In the range area last week I counted at least a dozen bows that were not wheels on the rack or laying around.

Another change is these days its not unusual to find someone actually shooting non-wheel bows along side the wheel bow shooters.

My happy observations!
God bless,Mudd

[smoked]

I have set up six guys in my area in the last year, don't think any of them are fully converted yet but I am working on it!

[Plumber]

I dont know if its the people or the style of archery but over the last 5-6 years I have been bit hard. I know I love every aspect of it.From this web site to the people to the different bowyers.( WOW!what talent)to all the shoots I have been to.what a find. thanks to all

[Builder]

I haven't seen the growth. Our traditional club has dropped off by at least half over what it was five to six years ago. Our once a year club shoot is also down in numbers from where it was a few years back.
I think this site and others have seen increases due to more people using computers.

[jwatts]

I guess you could say I am new to traditional archery, so I will let you know how I got into it. This is actually my second attempt at it. I was given a Pearson Special recurve when I was aroud 14. I shot some aluminum eastons my uncle gave me. They were cut for his compund with an overdraw, so I just drew them til I hit the riser and shot I didn't know any better. I liked it, but I didn't know anybody else that shot that could help me get started and I just lost interest.

I got back into bowhunting a few years ago from the urging of a few friends. I absolutely love it, but after shooting the modern equipment for a while, it kinda lost the challenge, from the shooting aspect anyway. After I had been shooting a while one of my other friends decided to get back into bowhunting, but went the traditional route. He seemed to be having a ball, even shooting what most compound shooters consider aweful groups at reasonably close ranges. Then I realized, he was having a ball doing that. I was constantly tweaking on my bow, sights, etc trying to stack 5 shots at 60yds when he was thrilled to make a pie plate sized group at 20.

I just purchased a longbow and will begin my journey back into traditional archery. As soon as I let a few other fellow bowhunting friends know I had a longbow on order they have started talking about getting one to practice with before next season. I guess the fun and lack of stress in traditional archery is contagious.

[Doc Pain]

I'm not new to traditional archery, just new to my wife's laptop.  I didn't know all you folks were out there.  Great web site with alot of good info.

[Kenkel]

Maybe with all of the technology and drive for speed and accuracy, some of the challenge has been taken away.  The practice sessions got boring and short.  You can go stumpshooting with the compounds but you may skip a judo into the next county.  Now traditional archery, on the other hand.............wow!  Archery got fun and challenging again!!  For me, those 20 yard shoe-in shots while out stumpshooting become more challenging and if I miss, well, that is what keeps me going back.  I also like traditional for the therapy that it gives me.  I am always either smiling or laughing while shooting or after shooting my bows.  My daughters love it too, which makes it that much more fun to do!!

[Cherokee Scout]

Until this year I was in the business. I was a member of ATA (Archery Trade Assoc). Somewhere along the line I was told that traditional was the fastest growing part of archery. Not to confuse the "largest" with the "fastest growing". This was about 2-3 years ago.
Today, I'd bet money that the cross bow business is the fastest growing.
My business grew every year and got to the point it was bigger than I wanted, so I sold out to Big Jim. Big Jim did very well this year and I'd say there was little or no impact from what the news calls a bad economy in 2009.

[Mudd]

In response to:"I haven't seen the growth. Our traditional club has dropped off by at least half over what it was five to six years ago. Our once a year club shoot is also down in numbers from where it was a few years back.
I think this site and others have seen increases due to more people using computers."

I helped get a club going once and stopped going to the meetings then totally quit the club because I'm just not that competitive and that's how it felt to me every time I attended a meeting.
The only person I want to compete against is..myself.
I know when my buddies and I get together for woods walks/stumping there is some competition at some level but it's always in fun and taken that way. At the club meetings it felt about as serious as a snakebite. I'm sure that's not what's happened to all of the club members but each one has his/her own reasons. That doesn't mean they gave up traditional archery.
 My 2 cents worth... just my take and opinion on it.
God bless,Mudd

[blind one]

We have a local shop that is in the process of setting up a trad room. He said that he has special ordered more trad gear in the last 6 months than he had ordered in the past 6 years. I was talking to him and he said that people were getting tired of trying to keep up with all the new wheelie gadgets......Roy

[Tom Leemans]

Yup, and if you get a few more people on TV hunting with sticks, you'll see even more of a surge.

[George D. Stout]

Some of us have been in the sport for a long time; not because we're special, but because we are old 8^).  I can tell you, we had no where near the outlets for quality traditional bows that is out there today, no matter how you look at the ratio.

In Pennsylvania, our numbers (total bowhunters) grew three-fold when the compound hit the market.
Some of those folks are deferring to the recurves and longbows now.  Many are switching completely, but some are buying them to perhaps add a little more challenge to what they see as a sport getting much too technical.

What is interesting, is that in a time when overall hunter numbers are declining, traditional bows are selling better than ever; that tells me that those we are losing are not really committed sportsmen and are moving on to new toys.  In my view, that may not be a bad thing......quality over quantity any day.

I talk to compound shooters every year in our sporting goods department, and it becomes clear that many are getting sick of the built-in obsolescence of the wheeled weapons and accessories.  And, it is not uncommon to hear them talking about trying the recurve or longbow to get away from it.

If you just look at longevity of the traditional bowyers/manufacturers, you don't see many fly-by-nights; most have been around now for quite a time, and we still have new bowyers showing up annually.  It's a good time to be in traditional archery, or getting into it.  Lots of choices.

[Uncle Buck]

P cant speak for the growth of trad bowhunting, but I dont think sales of new longbows and recurves is a totally reliable indicator. I know a lot hunters 48 y/o and older, who after years of hunting with a compound have dug their old traditional bow out of the closet and rediscovered a love of real archery.

[far rider]

George, I tell ya what, if you believe in simple economics, then there has to be a growing demand for our user product. New sponsors over the past years, new bowyers. I know there are a lot of hobby bowyers out there, but to seriously start producing bows n a full time basis takes demand for the product. Investing in CNC machines like some of the most popular bowyers etc. you don't make those kinda financial commitments unless you have a product people want, or you are a fool. I don't believe the latter. Part of why the bowyers are slow is because of the ecomnomy overall, guys who typically spend a lot of time in the woods would be in the tax payer bracket that is getting hit hard by unemployment etc. Another cause for there sluggishness would be the competition. As you stated, there arte a lot more bowyers out there now plying their craft. Either way I love it. Now that we have lit the fire, we need to control it's growth so that we foster the ethics as well as the product. Everything that traditional is to most of us could be endangered if all we do is convince folks to give up technology. We have to impart the spirit of traditional as well, for without it the rest is meaningless. Thanks for the inputs guys, be sure to thank anyone you know who has been influencial to you or others in our growth.

Tim