Something I thought I'd never do

[Mudd]

Earthdog  "Show me a man shooting an honest self bow shooting wood arrows,and you've shown me a man I can respect."

Do I have to shoot this way and only this way to get your respect?

I hope we can meet someday, I'd love to show you that because we don't happen to agree I can still respect you.

With all the love of Christ
God bless,Mudd

[Kris]

"Show me a man shooting an honest self bow shooting wood arrows and you've shown me a man I can respect."

Earthdog

I make and shoot self bows and self wood arrows in addition to shooting carbons through other "wheel-less" bows.  I try to keep it as real as I can, in addition to experimenting with the more technical aspects of the sport.  I don't pretend to be anything.  Nor do I need any title.  I enjoy all aspects of this sport that we loosely refer to as "traditional".  Call it what you want.  I personally struggle with getting too sophisticated again and wrapped up in the latest and greatest "stuff".  It is the very thing that turned me off about compounds back in the early 1980’s.  Hence my apprehension towards carbon.  I posted "I love wood" because I really do, not as a "lever of division".  Don’t read more into it.  

I do hear what you are saying though.  

Kind Regards -

Kris

Ps – Invite me down to NZ and we’ll go “stumping”.  One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to.  Lucky you!

[Kris]

"Show me a man shooting a totaly modern R/D bow pretending to be a longbow,carrying wood arrows with plastic nocks,machined steel heads,die cut feathers,FF string,and then crowing about wood arrows being traditional,,,you've just shown me a complete hypocite"  Earthdog

I guess it depends on what genre someone is thinking about when they use the word "traditional".  Does it matter?  I wouldn't get too hung up on the semantics.  For most of us, it means w/o wheels.

Keep it fun!

Kris

[Kris]

mistake, please delete

[cacciatore]

I love wood arrow and the way a properly spined wood shaft fly,but how many efforts to have a very good matched dozen of arrows.Lot of cares and a eye always open to every change in humidity and after every shoot.So wood for romance or for special occasion,otherwise all way to the Carbons.LOL

[Maxximusgrind]

Im sure you guys could out shoot me with your dominant eyes tied behind your backs.and Im sure that carbons would help improve my consistancy too.I wont say never,but I like to be able to make as much of my own as I can.
 My besy bud shoots with wheels,I cant say I'll never do that either,and Ive thought of it.Sights would have really helped my confidence after a missing streak I had.I guess it just depends on our own views and what were trying to get out of it.
 My best bud is my best bud training wheels or not.Wer'e still bowhunters,He just is mostly concearned about filling his freezer,not the romance of the obsolete equipment.I guess I am on the other side of that.
 We all have a little Hypocracy in us.So its best we stick together with the people who seem to like us anyway.
 Robert.

[steadman]

I really wasn't asking for anyones respect or not by switching this year. I brought this up only to say that there is room for change and at times change is good. I am doing this for me, not for anyone else. And ultimately, that is what this is about. I really don't care what kind of equipment anyone shoots, as I too have friends that shoot both, and I'm not going to look down my nose just because someone does. But I am going to rib them because that is me, and my friends give it back and it's all in fun.

This definitley was not meant to be a one vs. another arrow material. I now shoot all three. And hands down, right now the carbons give me more confidence. And that is what I am looking for right now.

[fatman]

PhD Archer Bowman shoots carbon from a '59 Kodiak;  surprisingly, the earth did not open to swallow him, and he was not struck by lightning.  

[Shane H]

I hope everyone gathered that my posts were meant to be funny. Steadman is one of my best friends and I just like to poke fun a little. I would be friends, and hunt with steadman if he were switching to a compound. Take care and I hope to see those dreaded carbons soon!

[wollelybugger]

Everyone ought to give up on wood and send them to me. PM me and I will pay for the postage, no use having those inferior shafts laying around.LOL.

[straitera]

All about ethical hunting regardless of tools. Who'd question your ethics after 2-days tracking 5 miles for the bear? Plenty of carbon advantages!

[KentuckyTJ]

Carbons bring out the best in me and my bows (I need them). The older I get the more I realize you should never see something someone else is doing and say you would never do that because I'm doing things today I thought I would never be doing when I was younger.

[Ragnarok Forge]

I shoot both.  Frequently switching back and forth at a 3D shoot.  My woodies cost less than my carbons.  If the shot is long or the animal small in a lot of brush or around rocks, I shoot the woods.  They both shoot to the same point of aim.  I love woodies, I hunt carbon.  Knowing the arrow is straight and each one is adjusted to weigh exactly the same adds to my confidence.

[George D. Stout]

Arrow type has little meaning in regard to archery.  At one time we had wood, aluminum, fiberglass, graphlex and stainless steel to choose from.  So there is nothing new here with carbon...nothing at all except an advance in the way materials are manufactured and used.  

We felt the same way about the 24SRTX and XX75 when they became readily available.  I still like my XX75, and if you can't tune them to your bow, it certainly is not the arrow 8^).  The key is to shoot what you are confident with, and one isn't really any better than the other when the rubber meets the road.  

People who tell you carbon arrows aren't traditional, have no sense of archery history.

[Over&Under]

I have a feeling you may not go back, well not exclusivly that is...Carbons have a lot of pros. They can be a little finicky to tune but most of the time with a little tinkering they shoot perfectly, and easy to get high foc!

Hope the switch works out well for ya Ryan!

[Kevin Dill]

It took me a while to settle this in my mind:

I only shoot a bow for the purpose of hunting. When I have a very desirable big game animal at close range, the LAST thing I'm thinking about is aesthetics. I want that arrow to go deep and go accurate. I want a short blood trail and a very dead animal. Give me a Beman please.

That said, I love woodies and shot 'em for about 20 years. One of my good friends still shoots woods exclusively. He's wearing me out making me help him with all his dead critters!

[chad graham]

after 20 years of shooting wood exclusively and the total stisfaction of staining dipping cresting tapering and fletching and killing with them,i decided to try some carbons.i did feel that rolling on a cap wrap wasnt too trad it was quick easy and and bam i have some great shooting arrows.thats not a bad thing,i still have a love for wood but shoot carbon.i look at it this way i still pick a spot draw with both eyes open anchor release and hit the spot,thats trad to me no matter what kind of arrow hits the spot.its the way we hunt and shoot not what kind of arrow we shoot!imo

[LimbLover]

I went Carbon too. I said I would never do it until I started bending arrows in league on tricky shots.

I made the switch to Heritage 250s and instantly started shooting better. When you don't have a lot of money and you are worried about breaking arrows - you lose confidence fast.

I am confident that my arrows will make it through anything and my shooting has improved drastically not having that worry hanging over me.

[amicus]

I think if our ancestors had access to carbon arrows, they would not have used wood.

Gilbert

[mnbwhtr]

Like Kevin, my purpose for shooting is to hunt. When I started I wanted a new Kodiak magnum!The pro shop owner had advised me a Kodiak would be better for my draw length. When the time came to buy He told me He had taken in 1 year old magnum and if I wanted I could use the extra $20 to buy microflite arrows instead of wood, after all He said "you'll never kill anything with your bow but hopefully something with your arrows", buy the best you can afford.I bought the used bow and microflites and the next year I traded for a Kodiak!Of course no one knew what "traditional" was in 1965.