Trad Bowhunting is getting some good press

[Friend]

I would hope to believe there should be an increase with the literaly millions of kids that going thru the NASP program.

Several high schoolers from another county took my name and number to get with me after their season to start shooting traditional. I was only able to assist training one of the guys. The other two were far out of my league. One was 5th in the nation and 9th in the world last year.

[Robert Honaker]

Honestly...No press is good press. Someone will find what they think is a legit claim against recurves and longbows.

I like flying under the radar, but that's just me.

[hvyhitter]

My copy of NWTFs magazine has a nice basic intro article on trad archery this month also. With articles like this you never know who you might reach and get converted into the fold.

[wapiti1997]

I'm one of those "compound converts", and also see a "boom" coming in the traditional world.  I shot competively with compounds in ASA and IBO, and any calm deer within 60 yards that I wanted was tagged.  I still enjoyed it but some of the excitement was gone.

3 years ago one of my traditional friends gave me a Wapiti recurve.  I shot it and shot it and had trouble getting good arrow flight.  I was good to about 10 yards and went hunting and took a doe that winter (I'd already filled my antlered tag with compound).  That got me really excited.  

The next summer I bought a Centaur from another traditional buddy, and shot it really well.  I now had good arrow flight and was enjoying shooting so much more.

I now shoot a Herway td longbow, and even though I'm shooting/hunting traditional now, I still take as many deer a year and having much more fun.

Typically as hunters "evolve" the kill becomes less important as the hunt or experience. I've got 30+ years of bowhunting behind me, and any miss with traditional equipment is as exciting as a kill with a compound.

Press is a good thing, and I agree with Friend, NASP is going to put many more archers into the field in the future.

Here in KY we had the highest ever archery deer kill, with one of the lowest overall in 10 years.  I attribute that to NASP beginning here in 2002.

[beachbowhunter]

Originally posted by $bowhunter$:
 

Originally posted by landman:
I don't know.   We all want good PR and acceptance of these sports, but I kinda hate the idea that bow hunting with trad equipment will become popular, over-hyped and advertised.   Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing.

i kinda have to agree with this. [/b]

Exactly what hard core surfers have had to deal with too...

[wapiti1997]

I don't see a lot of new bowhunters taking up traditional equipment...  We already share the woods with compound and in some cases xbows.  Increased publicity can only be good things for the bowyers, sponsors of this site, other places to buy traditional supplies.

When I walk out to the truck after a day of hunting I'd welcome a fellow traditional hunter to say "hey watcha shootin? Seems like more and more are toting xbows around here..

When we strive to keep our passion a secret, we are not promoting or recruiting future support.  The youth of today are far more interested in xbox, wii and other things.  The sport we love (hunting) is rapidly becoming viewed as barbaric and not needed, not politically correct.

It's a shame that hunting is no longer a way of life, but a hobby for most people.  We need to support every aspect of hunting and trapping, not just our own "click".

10 years ago KY sold 181,000 deer tags, last year 101,000.. Tell me that's not alarming...

I say again, any positive publicity for traditional archery, or archery hunting in general is a really good thing..

The article referred to in the OP is indeed a great read...

[Mojostick]

I don't see new bowhunters going into traditional bows unless a traditional shooter starts them that way.

I'm suggesting the growth will come almost exclusively from compound converts.

[Benha]

I recently started writing a traditional piece each month for Kentucky Outdoors magazine. I believe that more press is good because I think anyone that switches will fall into two groups those who will try and go back to other methods because it is "too hard" to get proficient and those that will truly get hooked and stay with traditional.

[ti-guy]

Simplicity and fun

[Ray Hammond]

Thanks Lin!

I thought we'd already had a trad boom?

Methinks you guys are worrying a little too much

There'll always be people who try something because it's 'cool' but you'll soon see their stuff on exxy or craigslist

This thread  got hijacked a bit- sorry Lin. I'm glad to see the info