What attracted you to traditional archery?

[toehead]

Got tired of worrying if my rest was going to unscrew or my sights vibrate loose or my cams coming out of time etc.  this was in the mid 90s and the bow technology was nothing like it is today.  I sold my compound after 2 years and picked up a recurve and fell in love with the fact that I was not married to a set of allen wrenches and locktite anylonger!

[hayslope]

Fred Bear's exploits and his local reputation. I was born and raised in the same PA towns as Fred.

Of course it wasn't considered "traditional".....it was just archery.

[TRADSTYK]

Its plain and simple for me..... It is more fun to hunt with traditional gear.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

It was the challenge.  I was all caught up in the hype, I had the latest and greatest gadgets and was always looking for the next thing.  One afternoon I was shooting in the yard and after making 40 and 50 yard shots arrow after arrow and being able to put 6 arrows in a bottle cap at 20 yards I thought to myself "this is pointless.  I bowhunt for the challenge and this is not a challenge at all.  It's almost like hunting with a gun."  I didn't switch to trad, I quit bowhunting completely.  Then one day my uncle (we were raised as brothers) called me and said that he and some friends wanted me to go to a trad bowshoot with them and that our one friend was willing to let me try his Bear Montana for a few weeks and use it at the shoot.  Long story short, I bought the Montana, the c-bow has long been sold, and I have been a trad addict for 7 years now.

[Terry Lightle]

All there was when I started

[dhill1520]

I switched to traditional archery for the sport of it. We hunt for the enjoyment of the outdoors and getting back to our roots. Compounds these days with all the fiber-optic sights and range finders mounted to them take all the sport out of it. There is very little skill involved with shooting compounds in my opinion. Why not just hunt from a helicopter with a grenade?

[JamesKerr]

My best friend got me started in traditional archery. He has shot traditional bows for quite some time. Once I tried it I was hooked.

[b.glass]

In a nut shell, an anthropological interest in Native Americans drew me to traditional archery/bowhunting.

[b.glass]

I posted then read some more of the other's posts. Looks like I copied Todd's post!

[macksdad]

Simplicity, and the fact that anyone can do it with a compound!

[Gordon Jabben]

Indians.  Growing up, I always wanted to hunt like the Indians did.  Although my bow is a far cry from the ones the native americans used, I still have a link to them when I'm hunting with a traditional bow and after 50 years of archery, I still have that connection.

[Terry Green]

I got interested in Trad BOWHUNTING more so than Trad Archery.


Gave up of gun powder in my late 20s...

Gave up the Wheels a few seasons after...

Just wanted more of a challenge.

[bobzila]

for me I had taken a few goats with my longbow but on 1 trip I could see 3 goats at the top of a ridge looked on the seat beside me and thought imp not carrying the rifle or compound up there today so I grabbed my longbow off the back seat sharpened the broad heads on my wooden shafts and walked up the hill and around the back of where they were slowly stalking down I noticed I was above about 30 goats that were hidden from view of the car. I watched them at about 10m for half an hour before I saw an ok Billy. I was at 5m when I saw a good 35inch goat out of the corner of my eye and thought he is mine (not quite) about a hour in to stalking him I had moved about 10m over open ground in full view of the rest of the mob and still 20m away from my Billy when he got up and started to walk away into the thick under growth. I had lost him but kept looking when I was charged by a small boar who didn't like me on his door step. the pig got my heart going and put me on high alert witch turned out to be a good thing and I noticed the Billy about 50m in front of me laying down 2 hours of stalking and looking and I had lost him again. I was about to give up and go back to the car when I saw a Billy with long thin horns so I decided to take him out of the aria. I stalked in to 4m in about 10minouts and put an arrow through his lungs. I was standing there after the shot and court movement up to my left just up the hill. I was shocked my Billy was still lying in his bed that I was trying to find and he had 2 other good Billy’s with him so I left him for another day and went to get some photos of the 1 I had shot. after a few days of kicking my self for not taking my compound it dawned on me that if I did he would have been dead but it would have been any where near as  satisfying  as the smaller Billy shot with the longbow. That was my last hunt where I took my compound for some time and I have only shot 2 goats with it this year and that was only because I was hunting with an old guy who loves his wheelie bows.

[toppredator]

I shot a compound from the time I was 10 until I was in my 30's.  Then I developed carpal tunnel in both hands and having the strap on my release pulling on my wrist was agony.  I'm sad to say I actually walked away from archery, and hunting in general, for about 3 years.  My brother got into shooting traditional gear during that time and kept on me to try it.  I finally relented and was instantly hooked.  I bought a takedown recurve, a dozen arrows and the rest, as they say, is history.  I haven't enjoyed the level of success I had using my wheel bow (I'm still waiting for my first traditional harvest) but as we all know it's the journey that makes this sport so enjoyable.  TRW

[Bob Morrison]

Fits my style of hunting better, Might call it freestyle bow hunting which is no style. Not always straight up and down or canted the same angle every time, not all ways full draw. Sitting, standing, bent over, feet in what ever position they are when the shot is taken. It is easier with a recurve or longbow (1,2,3 pcs.). I really hesitate using the word easier, it seem to be a no no here anymore. Hunting the hard way??? don't think so.

[toddster]

create more of a challenge of bowhunting, then fell in love with the beauty of the bows and arrows, now it has caused me to stop and enjoy mother nature even more and enlightened my spirit with joy.

[centaur]

I tried the compounds for about 2 years back in the 80's, and it wasn't my cup of tea.
I guess I'm just 'old school' at heart. Love the look of longbows and recurves, the smell of Port Orford Cedar, and quiet times in the woods.
My music preferences are Old Time and Bluegrass along with delta blues, and I even enjoy ragtime. I play banjo clawhammer style. Maybe I'm just a throwback to another time.

[Bjorn]

It was the people that drew me in and still do.

[hunt it]

The challenge got me interested the people of Traditional Archery are by far what has kept my interest.