What attracted you to traditional archery?

[PaddyMac]

OK, and besides the babes, I have always seen beauty and poetry in the flight of an arrow shot instinctively and something unequivocal about getting up close on game, which is where all the emphasis should be.

It isn't easy. And instead of making it easy with voodoo geometry I don't understand, I am adapting to the difficulty with what I do understand.

I like shooting my recurve. It amazes me and frustrates me. I imagine it is the same with someone who loves playing their violin.

[LongStick64]

1. Shooting a compound had become boring, way too easy to hit a half dollar at twenty yards.

2. Had an argument with an anti hunter once, decided after that to try Organic Archery, Wood bows, wood arrows, wild Deer, 100% Organic.

3. Longbows are cool

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

It's just more fun to shoot arrows with a stick than with wheels. Even wheelie guys will admit that! When I got to the place where method was more important than outcome...I sold the wheelie bow. Best decision ever...for me that is!

[USN_Sam1385]

For me it happened last November just south of the Iowa border...

Me and my hunting partner Brian had traveled to a 3,000 acre Conservation area in Northern Missouri, just on the border of Iowa. It was the first week of November and a cold front was passing through. Signs of the rut were everywhere, and we couldn't have been more excited about the 3 day hunt ahead of us.

We had spent weeks prior to this camping/hunting trip deciding exactly which Conservation area we were going to hunt, and finally decided on this one. It was a mixture of mature hardwoods and pastures bordering a river bottom. The hardwoods were very mature and the forest appeared very open as you walked through it. Something beautiful about how the large mature trees in a forest block out the sun enough to eliminate all signs of undergrowth. Gives them that European old woods feeling...

I loaded my truck up on this fine Tuesday morning with the essentials: Two coolers, food, beer, camp chairs, my LL Bean 4 man tent, 2 venison backstraps soaking in a brown sugar based glaze sealed in a zip loc bag, and of course all of my hunting stuff, and headed toward Brian's house to meet up with him for the 4 hour drive north...

When I got there Brian was loading his cooler up with more goodies: Jalapeno/cheddar smoked deer sausage, several deer filets, and his homemade "Apple Pie" moonshine, which is a boiled mixture of Everclear pure grain alcohol, Cinnamon, apple cider, Cinnamon sticks, and some other stuff. It is then put into a glass bottle and chilled. It tastes just like Apple Pie and is great for those cold nights around the camp fire.

[Arwin]

Bowhunting October Whitetails 1&2
  Ron LaClair on Michigan Outdoors
 Vics Archery shop
 I have a knack for doing things harder than necessary.
 Got sick of going broke on wheelie gadgets.
 I shoot better instinctively vs. sights

[yekrut]

I hate trying  to line up pins to make a shot, and all the little parts that need adjusting, and I have trouble holding a pin on the target.!

[LoneWolf73]

The simplicity of traditional gear as an extension of myself that challenges my physical and mental capabilities.

[USN_Sam1385]

Continued...

Our plan was to head up north and hunt during the week, from Tuesday until Friday. We would get there midday on Tuesday in order to set up camp, scout, and hang our climber stands during mid-day. Then on Wednesday morning we would be able to head in quite early and hunt for the next few days before departing on Friday morning, prior to the flood of weekend hunters that we were sure were going to be heading north. We both have children and jobs, so finding the time to do this made it an extra special treat for the two of us.

As we drove north through Missouri we were greeted with rolling hills, and that early November air that is so crisp and refreshing. The bucks had really started their pre-rut activities and you could cut the energy in the air with a knife.

We were pleasantly surprised as we pulled into the Conservation area. This huge area hosted several different primitive camping areas strewn throughout, and there wasn't another soul in sight. A quick scan over the area map led us to the top right quadrant of the Conservation area.

As we pulled into the primitive camping area we were greeted with the perfect place to set up shop for the next 3 days. This area basically consisted of a brush hogged spot big enough to park 2 trucks and place a tent around a camp fire. In front of us as we pulled up was a 100 year old Oak tree just beckoning to have a deer hanging from one of it's large overhanging dark branches. To the left of the camp site was a brush hogged trail about 12 feet wide. It was visible for about 400 yards cutting a trail through the high prairie grass before making a sharp left bend and disappearing into the timber. We parked the trucks in a half circle around the fire pit as a windbreak and began to set up camp.

[Mojostick]

I'd killed a ton of deer with a compound for nearly 30 years (in the 100's and lost count since we had so many antlerless and crop tags), and it got to the point where killing deer with a compound offered little challenge anymore. Draw, hold, line up pin thru peep, dead deer.

I decided to go from "how far can I shoot" to "how close can I get".

In addition, I liked the "look" of custom wood bows and cedar arrows.

It's enjoyable to hunt with a beautiful weapon.
Compounds lack character and are more akin to being disposable over time, like a 15 year old computer.

[Rebel Yelp]

I'm still a newbie to trad. I consider a harvest as my right of passage. At the rate I'm going it may be a few years of public hunting.      

Simplicity, no commercialism, and more shooting satisfaction.

Hope to drop my training wheels this year!

[recurvericky]

As most I started out with homemade bows and arrows as a child, then move to a Ben Pearson recurve, and to the compound at 14. For the next 25 years or so it was all compound, until I went on an elk hunt in Oregon with a friend that shot traditional. That sparked a tiny light in my brain, but while on vacation in the NC mountains I bought a copy of Traditional Bowhunter and the game was on. Now what I really love about traditional archery is being able to build my own bows and equipment, and hunt with it. Another thing I truely love about traditional archery are the people the that I have met since getting back into it. Eveyone is more than will to share knowledge and to just share. You have to love that.

[Hoyt]

In the 50's there weren't any compounds and no traditional archery that I knew of. I just wanted to shoot some of them squirrels around the neighbor hood with a bow and arrow, so got an Indian Archery recurve for about my 7th or 8th birthday and started hunt'n.

[USN_Sam1385]

Continued...

With the camp site set up, it was now time to begin scouting the thousands of acres surrounding our camp site and hope for a lucky couple spots to hang our climber stands.

After about 1/4 mile walk down the brush hogged trail, Brian made an abrupt right face into the tall grass to our right. I followed, and we began wading through 4 foot tall thick prairie grass toward a timbered ridge about 1000 yards off of the trail.

We neared the ridge and the hill that we were walking down began to level out as the terrain turned into bottom ground between where the prairie ended and the timber began. We kept moving towards the ridge and ran directly into a very creek crossing maybe 10 feet deep and 14 or 15 feet across.

We found a low spot to cross the creek and entered into the timbered area on the other side. We immediately felt that we had hit the jackpot. All around us were gigantic fresh rubs, and two gigantic scrapes. These scrapes had destroyed ground underneath the licking branches the size of a car hood, and it appeared that several bucks had been utilizing both of them. You could literally smell the buck urine that had been running over their tarsal glands onto the ground.

Brian found a nice tree about 30 yards away from the scrapes and rubs, and hung his climber onto the side of a medium sized oak tree. It was the perfect set up, with 3 smaller trees behind his choice which created an excellent backdrop for his stand.

[lpcjon2]

For me it was who not what. My buddy Vern (who would kill more deer with trad gear than most with compounds) I always loved the way it looked. And second Was the great Howard Hill,read his books and saw Tembo and the rest is history . And third the third was Ron Laclair on youtube, and that became my way of life for hunting.

[RLA]

I live here in MO & had heard of Black Widow recurves, so one day when my pregnant, at the time wife & I had a visit with her Doc with our first child on the way. We found our selves with some time to kill on the south side of Springfield near Nixa, home of BW bows. I for whatever reason decided to stop in & have a look at there bows. I shot a few bows that day, went home sold my compound, asap!  I went back to BW & bought my first recurve, besides the ones we had as kids & have never looked at or missed a compound in any way!
Like others have said the recurve or longbow is just a blast to shoot!  I like my fingers on the string & my brain doin the aiming if that makes any since. These bows & arrows have become my passion, shooting them is something I can do every day. Bows & bow hunting have become my only real hobbie & I wouldn't have it any other way.
So even though I don't currently shoot a BW, I will always be greatfull to the great guys at BW for all there help in my finding my truest hobbie!

[cbCrow]

I started when at the age of twelve I fell in wonder of the flight of the arrow. Been shooting over 40yrs. and still am in wonder and awe!

[awishanew]

I was in to Black Powder and thought it would be neat to have a bow made traditional style to hang in my Tipi. I made a yew bow and backed it with moose sinew and made the string out of moose sinew. I showed up at the local archery club that at that time were all compounders. I am going to get a deer this season with my self bow and stone point as that is what I set out to do 12 years ago. Wish me luck.

[Orion]

I didn't have a choice.  When I started shooting a bow, that's all there was.  Have seen no reason to change. Attraction is still the same.  I like the idea of using my own muscle and brain and a bent stick to guide an arrow.  Also like to watch the arrow fly.

[USN_Sam1385]

Continued...

It was now my turn to find a good place to hang my stand for the days to come, and thus we hopped back onto the brush hogged trail that wove deeper and deeper into the wildlife area. About 1/2 mile further in we found a high ridge that dropped down into a saddle. A creek ran through the saddle and a small land bridge of earth was the only thing that crossed the deep creek from one side to the other. I decided to utilize this small earth bridge as a choke point, and set my stand up in a tall oak tree nestled inside of a few smaller trees on the side of the timbered ridge.

We began the mile or so long walk back to our primitive camp site and just enjoyed the freedom and feeling of where we were. For weeks we had envisioned being in Northern Missouri, right on the Iowa border, during the first week of November with a crisp cold front moving through. The trees had shed all but their last few dry crunchy brown leaves, and the ground was covered with them. As we walked back I could feel the slight chill of a breeze blowing across me and simultaneously felt like a sponge absorbing the warm, late-afternoon sun as it hit my face.

We got back to our camp site just as the sun was setting on the ridge behind us, and creating that enchanting amber autumn glow that covers the fall landscape. Only one thing was different however... there was a large sole pickup truck parked about 40 feet away from out camp site. The occupants were obviously somewhere else. Perhaps out for an afternoon hunt...

A few match strokes later and some huffing and puffing by Brian and we had a fire crackling away. We cracked a couple of ice cold beers, set up our camp fire grill top, and threw the two day marinated and brown sugar glazed venison back straps on top of the flames.

As we sat there sipping on our beers, listening to the fire crackle, and watching the brown sugar glaze pop and bubble on the meat, we saw a dark figure moving toward our camp site. The figure was still about 600 yards off and moving very slowly and steadily, but with purpose.

It appeared to be hunched slightly forward but simultaneously completely aware of everything going on around it. It also appeared to be almost gliding toward us through the deep leaf covered ground, and somehow was making no sound as it closed the distance to our camp site.

As it got within 50 yards of us I could see that it was a person. In fact it was an older gentleman and he was carrying something. As he neared even closer I could see that he was carrying something in his right hand. I then made out the outline of the item in his hand and realized that it was a longbow. As he silently floated up to our camp site I could see him clearly.

He was of slightly below average height and had a white beard covering his entire face. His clothes were mismatched wool and he had very loose fitting leather shoes on. His face was clearly weathered from years and years in the elements and he had those deep set eyes that scream wisdom and past experience. He was a man of few words and he spoke very slowly as he engaged my friend Brian and myself.

As he spoke I could not take my eyes off of the longbow that was in his right hand. It seemed to balance off of his palm like it was glued there. I could tell that it had spent many many hours resting in his palm, and the two were connected by some sort of invisible energy.

It was at this exact moment that I knew I had to have one of those pieces of magical wood that I had just seen.

[Killdeer]

C'mon, Sam!

It was called "archery"...
Killdeer