Was Wondering...Experience

[Killdeer]

I have been shooting bows for 45 years. Like Hattrick, I have shot maybe ten arrows from a compound. I don't like them, they don't feel good to me. Too heavy and the balance is awkward. They are not pretty to me, either.

To each his own.
Killdeer

[Autumnarcher]

I ditched the wheels 7 years ago. Until then, i hunted with wheels, killed lots of deer, had fun bowhunting. I got tired of tinkering, tuning, adjusting, replacing etc.

I made the switch, and shot both for a year or so, and for 7 years its stickbow only. Now I not only still love my bowhunting, archery is a part of me. I love verything about it, the flight of the arrow, building arrows, shoots, the comraderie of the trad fraternity.

[Orion]

I've been shooting a stick and string for more than 50 years, though I did slip over to the dark side for a few years in the early 70s.

[rickshot]

First bow was back in '56 or '57...ain't crippled yet, so ain't never seen the need for any kinda assistance with shootin' my bows. Rick.

[richbat]

well i started shooting recurves when i was about 10 years old,started off shooting a bear bow that belonged to my neighbor.then about 12 started to shoot compounds,shot them for about6 or 7 years,then went back to recurves and longbows.here recently i made a decsion to go back to the wheels,but it only lasted for 4 days.just didn't feel right,so now i'm back with my true love of trad. bows and isn't no way i'm going the other direction again.

[lpcjon2]

I started out with trad as a young kid and around 22 yo switched to the wheelie and I am thankful I found my way back home.And I do not shoot the wheelie it sits on the rack.ya wanna buy it?

[Whip]

You will find a very wide range of experiences here.  Personally, I started with wheels back in the late 70's.  I don't even remember if there were traditional bows carried in the shop I bought a bow from back then or not.  All I saw were compounds and that was all anyone that I knew at the time shot.  
Been strictly trad for the past nine years and can't imagine anything else for me.

[beekeeper]

I still shoot both, I like Trad for the fun of it but i will always hunt with the Wheels.

[SMA]

Started with a bear Panda at 7. "Still have it." My Dads Bear Kodiak at 15. Compound for a few years. Bighorn Recurve, Pronghorn longbow, Homemade Recurve, Morrison Recurve, Morrison Cougar longbow, Morrison Shawnee longbow.
OMG I have been shooting a bow for 50 years!

[twitchstick]

I started with a fiber glass long bow I bought at a garage sale in wyoming at 11 years old,shot alot of bunnys. First few big game hunts were with wheels no and sights. Switch to a trad gear in the late 80's (the big trad come back era). In about 94 or 95 I thought school and a young family got in the way and went back to wheels and no sights. I always did pull out the LB out her and there. Then three years ago I put on sights on the compound and was going to shoot every 200' deer and 400" bull. Boy that sure bored me quick,just took the life out of archery for me. Last fall I bought a recurve and WOW the fire with in came back. I think I will shoot traditional or primitive gear until my shoulders fail.

[TimRadke]

Started at about age 6 on Shakespeare super necedah until age 14 or so... Then shot a compound instinctively for about 10 yrs.  Shot a longbow for a few years then got frustrated as I had no guidance and less patience and went to the pulley popper and sights thing for a few years.  Now I'm shooting my rer and LOVE it!!!

[Kevin Winkler]

I started with a recurve when I was about 10yrs old, then in the 70's I shot compound for 30+yrs  with a few years mixed in that I switched back to trad until I developed a bad case of target panic and missed a few nice deer because of it.

I switched back to Trad two years ago. I went to Colorado this year with my longbow and my compound in tow. One of the guys where we hunted said to me, You think you can kill an Elk with your longbow? I told him I felt pretty confident that I could, if I could get them within my range. I told him that if couldn't I might break the compound out of the case.....but I hoped that it would never see daylight. And luckily it didn't!

[Charlie Schweikert]

Shot bows as a kid - no compounds around.  Mostly homemade tree-branch bows with fishline strings and homemade arrows.  Loved shootin bowsnarras.  Didn't shoot a bow for about 30 years, then in 1993 decided to get back into bow shooting and bowhunting.  Bought and shot a variety of old Bear bows and then a Pronghorn longbow in '94.  Have hunted almost exclusively with a bow since 1995.  Never launched an arrow from a compound - never been interested in them - don't see it happening for me.  Love shootin bowsnarras and love bowhunting.

Charlie

[Hooked]

I was introduced to bowhunting in high school by a good friend.  At that time, early eighties, everyone was shooting compounds.  Hunted a few years then went to college.  Took about 15 years off from hunting because I couldn't afford a lease in Texas and was just involved in other things.

Wife and I moved back to her home state of Kansas in 1999 and at the urging of another good friend I decided to start bowhunting again.  He encouraged me to try a recurve instead of my old compound.  I never looked back!  I love it!

Just wish I could find more time to be in the woods!

[fido dog]

Been shooting a bow for one year. I've had a blast! I've been hunting a few times and still am eating Ramen Noodles. That will change.

Shot a compound in September and still have a scar....no thanks!

[longrange]

I started off shootin compounds for a good little while( 9 years i believe) and took up trad about this time last year and never second guessed myself about doing it. since then i've gotten rid of my compound and have never happier.

[thunder1]

I shot compounds for about twenty years. A friend of mine who just couldn't beat me at the target range talked me into getting a longbow. So I got one. My friend beat me every time. So I went back to the wheels. I just got back into shooting trad about four years ago and made a real attempt to learn how to shoot my longbow. So far so good. Now I can give my friend a run for his money. I doubt that I'll ever go back.

[BEN]

Started with a crossbow from about age 12 to 27 or so........
Dropped it and shot a compound for 3 years......
Dropped it and now been shooting Trad. for the past 4 years................Been loving it!

[Cherokee Scout]

I have shot trad since about 1958. I shot compounds for about 10 years (still had trad gear too). Went back to trad all the time when my eyes got so bad the compound sights became a blurr, that was about 10 years ago.

[Jmgcurve]

I started with a Bear Whitetail compound in 1979 with no experience in archery at all (no mentor, just head butting). After lots of fun and a trip to Utah mountains carrying a heavy bow, I decided there had to be a better way. In 1990, I bought a recurve at a pawn shop and started shooting. The rest is my history. 31 years bowhunting, a few years NFAA targets, and 20 wonderful years with my recurves. I have tried longbows a couple of times, but never with much success--thinking about it again now.

Michael