What isTraditional archery to you?

[joe ashton]

I like G Freds quote:  " It's first of all, the bow and arrow itself. and the  it is the bewitching mystique of pursuit, with its possibility of success and probability of going home empty handed.  And it is the woods and mountains, and the rain and the snow, the dry wind and the smell of leaves and wet wool and countless other things, feelings and perceptions."
Trad bows are so simple and effiencent and effective.  It is amazing that a well placed broadhead brings down amazing animals.  
Long bows (particularly)  gets in your blood and there is no getting them out.

Joe

PS  4 months 4 weeks and 10 hours until Colo bow season.

[Earthdog]

To me it means little outside of being a class I some times have to enter when I shoot competitions,and a way for some people to define themselves to others.

I've been a hunter that hunts with recurve bows  for over 40 years and I don't use a label for my hunting other than "hunter".

Hunting hasn't changed me,a hunter is what I've always been and I come from a long family history of hunters,fishermen,and soldiers.

The bow is simply my chosen tool because in this day I have the luxury to make it so.

[Owlmagnet]

I admit that I like that "touchy feely zen" stuff, but what I respect most about traditional archery is the essential integrity of its process.  For me, hunting is at it's very finest when it is an endeavor that requires strength, moral courage, mental discipline, physical grace, patience, knowledge, wisdom, and most of all, humility.  It is difficult for me to articulate, but I want to be increasingly worthy of the animals I kill.  I want success to be a matter of honest individual achievement and every step I take towards improved technological lethality carries me further from that goal. --Bob Wilson

[bofish-IL]

The satisfaction of making your own bow, arrows, and other equipment and then harvesting game with items your own hands made.

I also found it more thrilling and challenging. So much so I started hunting large game, upland game, small game, and fish all with traditional bows and wood arrows.  Since wood shafts were so cheap I was not afraid to lose arrows.

The most important thing was it forced me to slow down and have more patience waiting for the 15 yard shot.

[walkabout]

traditional archery takes me back to my roots, growing up shooting an old ben pearson recurve made in the 60's my grandpa let us kids shoot. My family crest also bears 3 arrows and a badge for a reason directly tied to archery, so trad archery is pretty deep in my family history. its also trusting my instincts and not some threaded pins with fancy beads to tell me where im aiming. finally its my way of getting in touch with one of the finest materials on this green earth-wood, which is a pleasure to mold anything useful from. finally it connects me with my native heritage by allowing me to harvest game in a way which somehow connects my mind, body and spirit all in one moment at any given time. cant go wrong with something that inspires such great thoughts. Great question  

[walkabout]

lol- 1 finally:p

[Thumper Dunker]

Its fun and chalinging. Was vaporising ground squirrels at 200-400yards out for a long time now Im crawling on my hands and knees just to get a shot at the little varmints.

[Ragnarok Forge]

stick string and another sharp stick.  The only shooting errors made are made by me and not the equipment.

[String Cutter]

It is the most simpliest pure thing in my life... If I fished I would fly fish. If I wanted to keep score I would golf. But I am a Traditional Bowhunter....I love the smell of earth as I kick out alittle place to stand. The feel of the leather tab on my fingers. I even love when I decide not to shoot cause it just didn't feel right.

[HUNT 24/7]

Traditional archery for me as a new shooter is:

 Fun & new challenge for me, it must be quite a feeling of accomplishment when you kill an animal with traditional equipment.
 It won't change me as a person, nor do I have any deep emotional feelings about it, but I do find myself really into the history of the long bow & the pioneer shooters & hunters.

[doug g]

It clears my mind, slows me down, makes me appreciate the outdoors more than I have. Traditonal archery has really taught me more about the hunt than any other type of hunting. Anyday in the woods with my bow is a day to remember, I see more, hear more and live more with my bow than any other form of hunting. It takes me back to a place that our ancestors lived and hunted, a much simpler and calmer time.

[ranger42]

I find the 1pc. longbow to be the simplest form of hunting for me. I always follow the K.I.S.S. rule. Keep It Simple Stupid!

[dave19113]

Just going back to a simpler time for me....And for me ...it made me a better outdoorsman....I still hunt with modern hunters also... they dont mind and either do I... A personel choice......

[jerryb]

I started out with a wheels but it is so technical. As long as you keep your exact form you can hit a quarter at twenty yards every time.
                 TOO TECHNICAL
Traditional is just fun.Stick string aim and release.Nothin technical about it.Just keep it simple and don't think.OOOHHH ya MUCH MORE FUN                  

[zinndl]

Challenge, simplicity and satisfaction...thats what trad is. Like jerryb I also started out wheels; I was mesmorized by all the gagitry and awed by the speed but there was something very important lacking,I just was not sure what. I would say to myself "one of these days I'll get myself a recurve or long bow just to play around with".
When I did get my longbow it was instantly clear what I had been missing...challenge, simplicity and satisfaction. You've heard the biker saying "ride to live, live to ride" my motto is "shoot to live , live to shoot". Weather permitting I shoot every day and never tire of it, there is nothing like the feeling of seeing the arrow fly flawlessly through the air and then hit exactly where you intended...it's like therapy, it melts away stress and calms the soul. It's just you the bow and the arrow, nothing more; when the arrow flys true and hits the mark you know that you did it; it's almost magical when it all comes together. You cannot say that about shooting wheels, most compound shooters I know only shoot a little before hunting season or maybe a couple 3D shoots & other than that they don't shoot at all after the newness has worn off; I believe the reason is because it offers no real satisfaction, with a couple days of practice anyone can shoot wheels reasonably well, not so with stick and string... it demands a total commintment but the rewards are well worth it. Anyway, thats my opinion. One thing I have noticed is that since I have been trad (3 yrs now)and no longer own a compound I tend to feel a disdain for compound users, that is something I don't want to allow because we all have to start somewhere and like myself many folks start there.

[Jmgcurve]

Read my SIGNATURE first!

Traditional is simple and just plain relaxing!!!!

[Bonebuster]

For me it`s the people.

Those who love traditional archery are just different...in a good way. You can see it in each others eyes. Our cups are always half full, not half empty.

[Jeff Romans]

Jcar315 hit the nail on the head for me.  "It's about the journey, not the destination."

[Ia Hawkeye]

What is it to me? No compounds, no sights,no releases, no expandables,One anchor,close shots,etc.
Others should shoot the way they want. The ? was,"what is traditional to you?".

[Shakes.602]

So many Ways to Say "I Made That Myself Too!"    
 Plain and Simple Bows & Arrows, and some of  THE  Best People I Have Ever Met!!