What attracted you to traditional archery?

[scharms]

Started out with a fiberglass recurve 28 years ago (still have it).  I dabbled with compounds in the late 80s to early 90s.  Went back to recurves because they were a bit more honest & just felt right.  Got into longbows a few years ago to live out my inner Howard Hill...

[TexasStick81]

There are a couple of reasons:

1) I learned to shoot a compoud instinctively as a kid with no sights and tab, funny enough.  As a teenager I began hunting with a compound until my father in law took me out to west Texas to hunt with a buddy of his for my birthday about 7 years ago.  We were stalking pigs in some thick stuff and we could smell them.  I was looking about 20 yards ahead expecting to see them anytime.  I was not expecting the bedded boar to jump up 2-3 in front of me from behind a bush.  My father in law's friend drew his Great Plains Texas long curve and put an arrow in him immediatley.  I was still trying to hook my doodad onto my thingy to pull back my watchamacallit when the boar turned and headed right for us.  I would love to say I courageously stared him down but I think I urinated on myself as I dove off into a bush.  Luckily he turned at the last minute but I learned a valuable lesson, compounds are great for targets and for preplanned hunting situations but an instinctive bow is much more efficient for the unpredictable hunting situation.

2) shooting a compound is a science to me, shoot a stick bow is a sport, an art.  I would never want to stop calculate the distance and arch at which I would need to throw a baseball or take a shot in basketball, I just want to look at where I'm throwing or shooting and "feel" it.  To do otherwise would strip the joy out of it for me.  

3) Lastly, the challenge and joy of having to know my game better in order to get closer to them. It helps me feel more a part of nature rather than standing outside of it and reaching out to touch it.

[bigbadjon]

I hate to say vanity, but my initial attraction was to the elegance of the bows and associated tackle. However after shooting awhile I stayed because it is a versatile and descreet weapon.

[GRINCH]

My Father is the reason I got into trad,when we were kittle he would make our bows from an osage limb,then when we got a little older he got us a fiberglass bow.Once I was about 14 he bought me a bear super mag for my birthday started taking us to the indoor range in town,met my first mentor who took me hunting,was a great experience,all this from a man who didn't hunt deer,tried compounds didn't like them just seemed that if you knew the yardage it was to simple,went back to trad once I retired from the Navy,never been happier.

[americanhunter7]

1) I grew up shooting a Bear glass longbow, and used to go to shoots with my Dad. Then I migrated to the wheelie bow side of things, but grew tired of pulling a trigger (too much like gun hunting...which I will still do with Black powder). I craved something different and yet familiar....thus back to my childhood roots and to something I did with my Dad. The second reason is below.

2) Seven words, "This site and All of You People!". I do love the simplicity, the ability to make my own things, (i.e. strings, arrows, bows, etc...), and the friendly good natured attitude of the majority of other Trad Archers. I don't think I've met any Trad archer's yet that wasn't willing to help me out, or give me assistance with just about any or every aspect of traditional archery. I can't say the same for the wheelie bow crowd. Most of the ones I've met when I did shoot with training wheels could care less about if I had problems or not, so long as they won the money, or the prize or the trophy. That is one HUGE reason I love trad archery. NO PRESSURE, just a bunch of great guys shooting, having and making fun of each other, and giving praise for great shots. Now throw in all of the great people on this site....I can't be happier and more proud than to be a member of any greater group of folks than all of you on here. SO...that was my reason for the original seven words up top.
Thanks,
John

[Rusty in Fla.]

Just like the name of your business, Keep it simple.Only I like K.I.S.S. for myself... gotta add that last letter.

[WTT03]

Started out with a compound. Disliked all the gadgetry and the hundred and one things that could go wrong. Squeeky wheel, loose bolt, bumped pin sight, etc. Also frustrated with the industry telling me I have to have this or have to have that or you need to have the fastest bow in order to be able to even kill a deer. I guess it comes down to what most have already said...simplicity, getting back to basics and enjoying the hunt for what it is...the hunt.

[Uncle Buck]

I used to tell wheel shooters that if I have to explain it, you probably wouldnt understand, now I invite them to take a couple shots with my bow.

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Reading "Hunting the Hard Way" and then reading online about Paul Schafer; and one Archery Action article by Mick Baker; and a photo in Archery Action of a wild-lookin' bloke named Albert Agale with a recurve and a toothy boar. I was going to buy a Mathews whiz-bang thing, to replace the old-clunker Hoyt compound (wooden limbs, mind) that kept me company through much of college; but after due consideration and contemplation of the above, opted to try a Martin Hunter recurve.

[horatio1226]

the challenge

[Redux]

My dad got me into shooting a bow when I was 8 or so shooting compounds. It was fun but lost its luster around highschool when other sports became more important. Picked up a compound after my senior year wrestling season and shot that for a year, came into a great deal on two 70's Bear recurves. Shot those after the work day was over and fell in love and gave my compound bow to a co-worker the day after. I love the look of the bows much more than that of a dead metal compound '=/.

[slivrslingr]

The simplicity and I had my dad's old recurve sitting around willing me to shoot it.  I've never even shot a compound, not interested in any way, shape or form.

[cacciatore]

Challenge
Semplicity
The beauty of the bows and of the woods
The natural feeling on drawing a stik

[xtrema312]

It was just archery when I started.  They wouldn't let me run all over the country side with a gun when i was 7 so the bow and arrow was the ticket for a few years.  I fell in love with it and the rest is history as they say.  

I did shoot a compound for some years, but never lost the love of shooting stick bows and have gone back to mostly shooting them now.

[WildmanSC]

Initially, I chose traditional archery because of an injury I suffered to my right shoulder when I drew my Jennings Buckmaster c******d without an arrow on the string that I could walk into the backyard and release into my target.  It took me 8 weeks of therapy to get back into shooting shape.

Budro, the owner of The Archery Shop convinced me to switch to traditional.  That was 10+ years ago and 150+ stickbows ago!     :(    Yes, I've earned a reputation, but, I have had fun!       I stuck with traditional archery because when I started shooting stickbows I found it to be more fun than a kid, errr, man, should be allowed to have.

Bill

[buckeye_hunter]

I guess I should ammend my earlier post. I started trad archery as a 7 year old. We made "trad" bows and arrows as kids to hunt birds. Never got a bird with our twigs and twine, but we sure did try. We didn't even know what we were doing, but we cut self nocks in the end of the arrows so they would stay on the string and whittled a sharp point on the other end. As a kid I didn't know it was called a self nock or trad archery! That was also back in the day where a kid could carry a pocket knife. I remember we also painted lines on our face to look like "indians" with my moms make up case...    

Not too bad for a city kid with no hunting mentor!

[Ketchikan]

A book got me started in archery! In 7th grade I found the book 'Hunting the Hard Way' by Howard Hill in the public library and I've been hooked ever since.

[snakebit40]

Great thread!!

P.S. SAM!!! How did your hunt end?????      

[TSchirm]

When I was young, I shot some kids bows and recurves.  I then got caught up in the compound out of high school.  Took several animals with it.  I had the same compound for nearly 25 years.  I became a game warden and saw how so many bowhunters got caught up in the ever increasing technology of compounds.  It made me  miss the simplicity of traditional equipment as so many lost the connection to the roots of bowhunting.  I returned to trad bows and got rid of my old compound.  I love the look and feel of the traditional bows.

[mt-dew10]

The reason I switched from compound to traditional was the simplicity of the longbow. I now only have to worry about a few things malfunctioning as opposed to many.  Yes, things did go wrong when I used a compound.  

I also got tired of 'keeping up with the Joneses' with all the latest compounds and associated gizmos.  This got pretty expensive after a few years.  

This fall will be my second hunting season with a longbow.  I tagged one big game animal(small elk) but no deer.  It is my dream as well as my goal, to tag a whitetail this fall.

In all, I am glad to have gone from compound to traditional.  The ride has been awesome so far.