So, how long does it take?

[okcaveman]

I have been shooting traditional archery equipment for the last 10 years, although never consistently practicing, or using consistant arrows, until relatively recently. Never have shot at targets, but have done a lot of bowfishing and stumpshooting. My question is, how long a time did it take you to become proficient enough to hunt with your trad gear after you got serious about it?

[Mitch-In-NJ]

After a layoff of about 20 years it took me a couple months to feel confident at 20 or so yards.  This year I really committed to working on form.  

My biggest issue was muscling the bow and the string.  I fixed this with good alignment and a new anchor and a lot of practice.  I shoot nearly every day.  Some days I only shoot a few dozen arrows and other days I will do some target work but then stump for an hour or two.

I still throw a bad arrow now and again and some days I shoot better than others, but I have zero reservations about shooting 20 yards or so now.  Haven't missed a bale in a long time.

[jamesh76]

It took me about 2 years. I never had a teacher or even knew anyone that shot traditional archery. I bought a heavy longbow and overspined arrows and struggled with it for about 6 months. Then I sold the bow and kinda gave up. Then one day browsing I came on the trad gang site and started reading post and learning about how to properly shoot and tune the traditional set up. And I decided to buy another bow at a lighter poundage.  That is what got me here today. All my fellow tradgangers and their support through topics, discussions and plain out a good group of people willing to help another.

James

[Bowwild]

I've been shooting a very long time. However, mostly with compounds since 1975.  I use identical form with the recurve as with a recurve which shortened the learning curve for me and allows me to shoot both types of equipment interchangeably if I choose to do so.

It took me about 60 days to get comfortable at 15 yards (arrows touching). Another month to move to twenty and I've been mixing it between 14-25 yards since. I feel 95% at low 20's an under.  I want to step it out to about 30 but I think that is going to take some more time and maybe not enough time before our season opens on Sept. 4th.  Once the season opens (whitetail) I will won't try to extend my effective range.

Pretty humbling at times as I return to traditional.  I can routinely shoot baseball-size groups at 50 yards with my compound but feel fine with soft-ball groups at 20 with my recurve.  That's what happens when the sights, peep, release, flat trajectory, 6 GPI arrows, and anchor wall are removed from the equation!

[Bowwild]

Whoops.

..with a recurve as with a COMPOUND...

[Thumper Dunker]

After about a tweenty year plus lay off Got married ,kid ect. maybe two months . But thats shooting every or just about. What helped me out was going after our ground squirrels. When I started hitting them I felt confedent to go for the bigger stuff. Still trying for the big stuff ,Im not a good deer hunter . I get board too fast. Theres coyotes to try to call in.

[Shaun]

I'll let you know...

[cbCrow]

When I decided to get back into archery, after a 6yr. layout due to injuries, it took me at least 4-6 mos. to just get back into a routine I could work with. Now 3yrs. later I have amazed myself with what I can do. I may shoot lower weights but I'm far more accurate than I ever was.

[Pete McMiller]

I picked up my first longbow last December.  Shot (struggled) indoor league the rest of the winter, then outdoor since then.  I've shot several 3D courses and shoot a broadhead league now.  After a few thousand arrows I feel ready hunt and will be chasing elk in three weeks.  Now a caveat, before picking up my longbow I shot compounds for 35 years and at one time shot 300's regularily, before that I shot a Kodiak Magnum recurve for 10 years (mostly not very good).  So, I have the experience and muscle memory to draw a bow.  The difficulty this time was that of getting the right muscles lined up and that took a long, long time and many shots.  My goal is to be as good at 40 yds. as I am now at 25-30 and that may take another year.  It's coming, but slowly.

[Whip]

When I started back into traditional it was mid winter, and I used a longbow to hunt that same year.  I limited myself with shot distance though, and ended up taking a doe at 12 yards.  My range has expanded a little in the meantime, but I still am very conservative on what shot I will take.  These bows are not 40 yard tack drivers for 99% of us, and if we stay within our limitations we can do just fine.

[Gatekeeper]

I practiced for a year before I carried a traditional bow in the field to hunt.

[Chris Shelton]

I got my first substantial weight recurve at the age of 15, I got it about September 15th, which is opening day of bow season, at the time dad only hunted rifle season religiously, we would go out a weekend here or their.  I shot that bow just about everyday, from September to November 11th.  On November 8th I hit my first milk jug in the air. At about 12:27 on November 11th I launched an arrow into the cavity of a mature whitetail buck at 23 yards.

Moral of the story . . . some of us pick things up faster than others, it would probably take me two hundred years to be consistently good at some sports, and it only took me about two months to be good enough to hunt with a recurve.

Another thing is that I was shooting CD size groups out to about 30 yards, now I am shooting tennis ball groups out to about 30 yards, and CD out to about 40, so what do you guys consider proficient? I am way more proficient now vs 2 years ago.

[Pete McMiller]

Chris,  I always figured I won't shoot at an animal past my comfort distance - and that is about a dessert plate or CD size for a deer sized animal.  If I could get that good at 40 yds I know my 25 and 30 yds are going to be great.

I know I haven't reached my full potential for traditional bow accuracy yet and knowing that keeps me practicing.

[COLongbow]

I switched from the training wheels to trad last December, and have been practicing diligently since with recurve and then RD longbow. I know I haven't reached my potential but I feel comfortable enough to chase elk in a couple weeks. That being said, I will not take any shots past 20 yds.

[Tajue17]

it was the wrong equipment with me that kept me from shooting good or learning correctly and held me back for about a year and a half starting in 1986!!!!    I had the wrong string on a bow that was too heavy shooting the wrong spine arrows with the wrong weight points,,,,,,       BUT once I got in touch with Paul Brunner @ Screaming Eagle Archery (long closed) and he took the time to hear what I had he had me write down on paper what I needed to get to make it all work.

so it was maybe 2 years before I could consistantly hit an 8 ring on a deer sized mckenzie thats just standing there at 20yds which I said if I cannot do that then I shouldn't be anywhere near live game and thats pretty FAIR on the ethics spectrum.

The 3rd season I was in my stand!  its all about the correct equipment and not overbowing yourself.

[LimbLover]

I started in May, hunted in October, shot my deer in December, first rabbits in January.

It can be done with practice. I shot every other day in my basement and once a week at the range. Its more of a confidence thing really.

My Dad bought a recurve when he was younger so he could be a two season hunter here in Michigan. He said he hunted with that bow for quite a few seasons and never shot at ANYTHING. It just never seemed good enough.

I think being in the woods with your bow is extremely helpful.

I do not remember when I started shooting bows, there are pictures of me when I was very small from the 50s.  I went through a bad couple of years with a flinch, the maintenance and relearning never ends.  I have had people that I have gotten into this that were shooting tight out to twenty yards in just a couple of days at targets, some of these found shooting at small game and stump shooting very easy and others found real shooting much more difficult.  Everyone is different.

[KEG]

When I bought my first archery equipment I asked the owner of the archery store when would I be able to hunt. He said that day but I would have to limit the distance I shot. I think 5 yards might have been my max.
I think it was about a year before I could shoot at 20 yards keeping my shots in the kill area. I shot almost every day at my clubs 3D range or practicing on paper.
I believe the store owner was right. Know your limitations and stay within them.

[Ken Taylor]

Hard to say with me because I didn't start as an adult.

I starting chasing anything that moved as soon as I could walk so when I managed to get a "real" bow in my hands when I was around 12, it progressed from there. Heck, the first few years I didn't know that you were supposed to have a nocking point on a bow string.

Twig bows, to a fiber glass long bow, to a recurve, to an off period, to an old simple compound, to a recurve, to a longbow..... the next thing you know, you've been chasing stuff for over 50 years, and 35 of them with bow and arrows.

[swampdrummer]

I started back after a 15+ year lay off and probably a 25+ year lay off from stick and string.
Started shooting every day in mid Febuary of last year and was chasing pigs by the end of April of the same year.

Seriously limiting my shot distances to 12-15 yards I killed a few pigs last spring and summer.

Come deer season I started missing with regularity. 5 misses in the first couple of weeks of season. I was just getting too excited and not picking a spot.
I seriously considered going back to wheels. You can search under my screen name and read all my whining. I was blaming the equiptment when I should have been blaming me.

I'm still practicing every day. I hunted pigs all summer long. I'm shooting good groups but a 20 yard shot is still a long shot to me.

So, to answer your question. 2 months or 2 years? As long as your confident of your shot at whatever distance your comfortable with. Go for it. If you can shoot a good group at 5 yards. Hit the woods, but limit your shots to 5 yards