From Wheel to Real?

[highplains55]

i've never shot a compound in my life, all trad since i was a kid, was shooting out back yesterday, and my wheelie neighbor and his wheelie son came over and said ,lets get togther and shoot sometime,they never shot trad before,i offered the son byron ferguson's book last summer,both said "no thanks", i think they are very curios,glancing at my longbow!

[Friends call me Pac]

I shot a compound for 26 years and switched to trad 3 years ago.  The compound got to the point with so many gadgets and gizmos I had to wonder if I made the shot or the bow did?  It got really boring to me and I even quit hunting for several years.

Three years ago I tried a recurve and wanted to see if I could actually hit anything with it.  Archery was fun again and I'll never look back.

[huskyarcher]

Still have both, though i rarely hunt with a wheelie anymore, unless im set up on a horse of a buck. I will admit i shoot quite a bit of tournaments with a wheelie even landed a sponsership with it. i may be exiled for this!...but to be honest hunting with a comp is boring now, put the pin on it and squeeze and it over. not my cup of tea anymore!

[smilinicon]

Grew up with a longbow, then got a wheeler and shot it barebow. Someone talked me into sights, then someone talked me into a peeper... then a range finder..., ect. Came to my senses and bought a Martin Hunter with incorrect arrows from a compound shop. Decided right there to do everything myself and found the true enjoyment. It is great to become a GOF and do just what I like  

[waknstak IL]

Started with a compound in 1988 and decided to try and hunt with a longbow in 2006 and never touched the compound again.

[BMN]

Started with a compound and shot it for about 7 or 8 years. I switched to a recurve after shooting a friends bow and felt it gave me several advantages over the compound in hunting situations. Haven't shot a compound in 20 years.

[BigStriper]

I had a Ben Pearson Fiberglass Bow when I was around 10 years old and never shot it much because I would lose the arrows and couldn't aford new ones,at about 12-13 years old one of my older brothers got an Indian Recurve that was 45# but it was to heavy for me,then I stopped by a Friends house in September 1978 and he had a New Bear Polar LTD Compound,I shot it and in a couple of weeks I had one,Killed my First Deer a 7 Point Buck with my first shot on November 7th 1978,I shot compounds until the Spring of 2008 when I met some Real Nice Older Gentlemen,(I'm 57) shooting Recurves and Longbows at the Archery Shop while I was shooting my Compound and told them I had bought an old Bear Recurve ( Mid Seventy 58" Grizzly) a couple of years earlier but had not shot yet,they told me to bring it and they would help me set it up,I really liked a Hummingbird Longbow that one of the guys had and I bought myself one,on October 21st my second shot at a Deer with the Longbow I shot a 9 Point Buck,I LOVE shooting Longbows and Recurves and have converted my Son and am working on others to switch over to the Side I Love,I use to get out the Compound Hunt with it and put it away,Now I shoot almost Every Day and "Every" Monday Night on a League with some Real Nice Fellows and my Son,and I now have about 20 Longbows and Recurves,I guess you can't have to many,just don't tell my wife,

Kurt

[coaster500]

Started with a recurve, went to wheels in 70's, went back to traditional three or four years ago and now I'm a Longbow "NUT" ....

I don't have enough years left to make that trip again  

[Buckwheaties]

I shot trad bows as a kid, Grandpa built me and my brother aluminum recurves, and we shot the heck out of them. Then I got into HH longbows in the 70's and loved them. Life went on and I was out of archery for some years, came back and got a r/d longbow (Mattawoman II) but couldn't get my accuracy good enough (not enough practice) so I was lulled over to the wheels. Got all the "stuff", best sights, best stab, best drop-a-way rest, best arrows, best release,best rangefinder on and on and on.. $$$$$ Went to the Pacific coast range in Oregon after Roosevelt Elk,first hunt with the wheels. Lugged that 8# piece of metal around for 3 days, sat in the woods with it and finally realized that this wasn't getting it.. It's sitting in my closet and hasn't been shot since.. Now I shoot my Toelke recurve and my longbows all of the time. (got a HH Robin Hood due here Monday) and a (Apex Predator Sapelo shipping out to me Monday)(next week is going to be one hell of a week!!)(Just talked to Marty and he told me that it is the purtiest bow he's ever built !!!) Needless to say I CAN'T WAIT..) Bottom line is I love shooting longbows, might even sell my recurve?? Can't group like I can with my wheel bow and really don't care. It's longbows for me til the end, and hopefully God has a 3d range or 2 in heaven..? We'll see...

[saumensch]

started traditional simply out of reasons of cost, then shot a compound once, handed it back to the owner without a word and cant see i ever touch one again.

[Swinestalker]

My first bow was actually an old bear recurve my uncle gave me as a kid. I killed my first archery deer with it as a teenager. Got into compounds because the main place I hunted did not allow anything but compounds. (The guy running the club was not a wise man). Stayed with compounds for many years but always yearned for the feeling I once had with the recurve. I bought a recuve a couple of years ago just to play with, but still hunted with a compound because I was afraid I would be less successful with traditional. I recently decided to hunt only with a recurve because that is what I really want to be hunting with. After many blown oppertunities, I finally took my first traditional deer(doe) in many years and it felt wonderful. I have realized real success cannot be measured solely in game taken.

[dnovo]

I started as a kid when I was 5 years old shooting a hickory sapling my brother made into a bow with baling twine for a string. The next summer one of my uncles gave me a little red fiberglass bow. I went through a couple of those and when I was 14 my mom got me a Shakespeare recurve for Christmas. In 1977 I was 21 years old and bought a compound. I shot that for 3 years and then bought a Howard Hill longbow. I've been shooting a longbow since 1980. It was fun back in the 80's to go to a 3D shoot where there might be 300 shooters and my buddy and me were the only ones without a compound. Lots of looks and questions.

[rock_hunter]

I enjoy shooting all kinds of bows, compounds, recurves and longbows.  I haven't hunted much yet with the trad bows as I don't have the confidence to do it yet but am planning a on a baited bear hunt this fall as my first voyage with the recurve.  I will use the bow best suited for the quarry.

[cacciatore]

I started with compound in the early 80's,I hunted with them for almost 15 years,but they were becoming like a rifle,a little too easy and boring; then I discovered the recurve in 1990,from 95 I never looked back.I can't be more happy.

[Jeff Strubberg]

8 months.  The second time I dropped that contraption and bumped something out of line I got rid of it.

[bornagainbowhunter]

I shot compounds for about 20 years.  I don't think that stickbows or stickbow shooters are superior to compounds, I just like shooting a stick better.  Started the stick 8 years.  Love it.  

Like others said, I shot fingers and no sights when I used a compound, so the change was pretty smooth and fairly easy.

God bless,
Nathan

[vtmtnman]

Originally posted by bornagainbowhunter:
  I don't think that stickbows or stickbow shooters are superior to compounds, I just like shooting a stick better.  

EXACTLY...

Although I like to shoot both.

[huntnmuleys]

i started on a compound in the early 80s, but have shot both for a while (bouncing back and forth as to which one i shot more).  finally gave up the compounds this year, and just dont see me going back.  i like compounds though, fun to shoot too, just a different way...but i think for me personally i wont have the desire to shoot one again.

[Two Wolves]

My first real bow was my dad's 53# Bear Magnum recurve. I was 12. Never saw a deer to even take a shot. Shot a lot of cardboard boxes and hay bales. My grandfather accidently ran over it with his truck when I was about 18. Couple years later bougth my first compound. Been shooting them for 28 years now. Just recently bought a old Shakespere bow that I am going to camo in ASAT. Been wanting to go back to Trad for years now and I am finally going to do it. Seriously considering selling my Mathews. Just tired of all of the "gadgets" required, at least for me, to shoot. The older I get the simpler I want things. Going to take a lot of work (practice) to get ready but I am up for the challenge.

[Covey]

I just finally had my gut full of all the gadgets. I shot a compound for several years, but always wanted a stick bow. my neighbor let me borrow an old wing he had laying around..and BAM, I was hooked! been hooked every since. That's been about 7 years ago. I can honestly say I'll never go back! Jason