What Year did You start shooting/hunting Traditional gear ?

I shot my first long bow, a lilac flat limb, in 1954.  Shot my first animal, a morning dove, in 1955.  After that it was gophers and ground squirrels, until my first tasty rabbit in 1957.

[3arrows]

Small stuff 1958 first deer in 1969.

[Ken Taylor]

1965...earlier if you count my homemade kid's bows.

[Shakes.602]

First was 1977 with an Old Pearson, I got away from it, as Teenagers Do. Then in 2006 when My Son and I got Involved with Archery Again!!

[House]

2004 and loving it more every year!  Was fortunate enough to kill a bull elk my first season.  That was a special moment for me, Dwyer Defiant longbow 52#, homemade cedars with a zwickey eskimo that I touched up that morning.  I've killed alot bigger critters, but none gave me the feeling of satisfaction and excitement like that one did!    

Travis

[Andy Cooper]

I started shooting trad gear in 1960, but didn't begin hunting with it until 1998. There was this long and torrid love affair with centerfire rifles that consumed the interim.

[bolong]

1963

[Earl E. Nov...mber]

Some of us are old??? Naw, that's a state of mind, but I can guarantee you a whole lot of water has run under the old bridge since 1957.

Some of you if your lucky and God is willing will see as much or more, in the years ahead.

One thing for sure is your starting with a whole lot more resources available than we had back then.

[Joshua Lee]

2010, My first year of many.  First trad Elk hunt on monday.  Hopefully the archery gods will reward me for switching over, with a good hunt. I'm so excited I might pee a little in my pants.

[swamper]

1966

[Sixby]

1957 Kind of dates me huh. I shot a stick bow way before that but not actually hunting anything. When I hit 10 I became the enemy of the cottontail.

[Andy Cooper]

Originally posted by Joshua Lee:
2010, My first year of many.  First trad Elk hunt on monday.  Hopefully the archery gods will reward me for switching over, with a good hunt. I'm so excited I might pee a little in my pants.

If the bull happens to be rutting a bit early and bugles very close to ya...you just might!     It seems way early, though. They generally start (in southern NM) near the end of September.

[laxbowman]

1992 with litterally a stick and string.  Some of my earliest memories are of my dad (hackbow) cutting rose bush limbs and putting bailing twine on them and then cutting me some more shoots from the bush for arrows.  i was 2 yrs old.

[WRV]

1980 With my dad's Bear Super Kodiak. Bought myself a 55lb Hoyt later that year. Learned the hard wway not to leave it in a car trunk when it is hot outside.......Randy

[Jmgcurve]

Approximately 1966...Grandfather made mulberry with a mean Rhode Island Red rooster as the first kill. Mistakes with a cccccpnd in the late 70's and 80's. Back to the fun side of hunting/shooting in 1989 for good.

[Davt]

1972, bear kodiak magnum.

[barredfeather]

1962........now I'm old but still goin strong.

Jerry

[Bonebuster]

Returned in 1989...after ten years of using a compound.

My how time goes by.

I have learned so much along the way.

[DennyK]

Hunted with the compound from '74-'83. Been shooting/hunting with recurves and longbows from 1983 on.

[todd smith]

1967, 35# Indian Recurve  todd