Why do we do it?

[WESTBROOK]

Why?....

Cuz the way I see it, traditional (as we like to call it today) IS bowhunting. Compounds, crossbows and all the BS that goes along with them isnt.

Simple enough

Eric

[Autumnarcher]

Good topic, and fodder for thought. I've hunted with, and killed deer with pretty much everything. I bowhunted for many years with wheels, and contrary to what many want to believe, its not automatic, although it is a far cry easier than with a trad bow. I killed plenty of groceries with one, but eventually the intrigue, the challenge, and the simplicity drew me to traditional ways. I tired of constantly tinkering, tuning, adjusting,switching out parts, the whole routine. ANd more than that, I wanted more challenge.

Once I made the switch, I was hooked. Shooting was mor efun, I could actually see my arrow in flight. But one thing that stands out to me is this- a compound bow has no soul. Its a cold, hard machined piece of metal and cables. A stickbow is crafted from the earth- different kinds of woods,a variety of artistic features crafted by skilled bowyers and woodworkers. When you knock an arrow, and wrap your fist around the grip, it becomes part of you, rather than a contraption you feel like you have to tame.

Hunting with one requires mor skill, more patience, and a good dose of humility at times.
I much prefer the process of preparation- the ability to laugh at ones self during practice, hand sharpening my broadheads rather than opening a package, building my own arrows instead of unboxing them.

Shooting a stickbow accurately is a challenge with yourself. Much like golf, its all you. Your shooting, like swinging a golf club, is controlled only by your own hand eye coordination.

I've missed, or had to pass shots many times that may have been executed with a wheel bow. Maybe. Sometimes for sure, although plenty of deer are missed with those too.

I don't expect others to understand my "Why I do this"- and I dont feel a need to justify it to anyone who may question it or ridicule it. I'm not in any way better than those who choose otherwise. Its simply what I love to do, and I readily accept any shortcoming or limitations as a result of my choice.

I still hunt firearm season with a firearm, the past several years I shoot an inline muzzleloader. I enjoy it, although my first passion is, and always will be the archery season. I've got 5 unpunched elk tags hanging around that pretty much prove that. If I just wanted to kill an elk, Id rifle hunt. But while I do want to kill an elk, its either with my longbow or nothing. I can live with that choice.

Trad bowhunting is  passsion. Plain and simple.

But man is it fun.

[guspup]

Because it's a lot easier to clean than a muzzle loader :-)

[joekeith]

I kinda felt like hunting with a gun was "more like killing than hunting".

Then after a couple of years of compound bow hunting it began to feel "more like killing than hunting".

I don't believe this will ever be anything BUT hunting, and that's why I do this....I love the thrill of hunting, not killing.  

[JamesKerr]

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
it (trad bowhunting) just feels like the right thing to do.

Amen to that. My whole family is a bunch of gun fanatics and I am the only bowhunter in our family let alone traditional. My Grandfather always thinks I am crazy to shoot deer with a bow at 20 yds. when he can close the deal @ 300 yds.

[mwosborn]

1 - Nothing like the flight of an arrow out of a trad bow.

2 - Love getting into the safety zone of my prey.

3 - Love being in the woods.

[broketooth]

its hard for me to explain. but when you compile all the close encounters , with gettin busted by buck or doe, the missed shots of bein oh so close to sealing the deal, and then in that one moment when everything slows down, you draw the string , you have picked a spot and release, watching the arrow in slow motion penetrate your target. and then it hits you, the elation that you feel when all the hard work and preparation all comes together.there is nothing like hunting and shooting with traditional gear. love it. rv

[Gator1]

Why do I do it?

this is a fantastic thread, I began hunting when I was 10 years old, with a Green Glass Kodiak Hunter my dad gave me.  Really enjoyed carrying that in the woods, able to hunt all fall and hone my skills. In my teens switched to wheels had some success, then 20 years ago ordered my first custom bow, a Rocky mountain recurve. I had grown tired of constantly tuning, adjusting, those old heavy compounds.  Carrying a two pound stick just felt right.  The satisfaction of getting real close and the challenges of the perfect shot angle etc.. is what drives me to this day.  Another aspect is the satisfaction I get from getting to know personally, the bowyer who made the bow I carry in the woods.  Sure can't do that with most other gear.  The pure enjoyment of practicing and shooting is another factor in shooting a traditional bow.  To me regardless of weapon of choice, understanding the responsibility and satisfaction of "truely hunting" is the lessons I have learned from hunting with stick and string.  having the good fortune to harvest a white tail with a stickbow never vaporizes from my memory.

[ChuckC]

I have to Jump on Rob's band wagon.  

Although lots of reasons come to mind, they are not WHY I do it but rather they are outcomes of what I do.

I do it because it is what I am.  I can't help grabbing a bow as often as I can, even to just carry it with me as I walk the property.

It is just what I do.  Is there a "longbow gene" in our DNA ?
ChuckC

[Bowwild]

I was drawn to bowhunting (pun intended) nearly 50 years ago. I  made that first bow when I was 7 or 8. I'm sure if I could have made a gun I would have. I just copied the Indians on TV and started stalking birds.

My Dad wasn't a bowhunter. He often asked me, when I came home without a deer or elk if I could have killed one with a rifle had I chosen to use one on the hunt.

My answer to Dad was always ...maybe, but that wasn't the point.  I want to get as much out of the experience of hunting as I can. I want a reasonable chance of killing game (thus I've never quail hunted with a bow). The bow gives me a reasonable chance. For the record, I support hunter choices of all equipment types. I don't support all hunter behavior or choices though. Surely some folks get as much excitement from killing with their chosen gear as I do with mine?

By the way its not just killing the animal with a bow, it also matters A LOT to me how I hunt and kill that animal. For instance, I'll never know what a "lucky" shot feels like because I won't attempt a shot that requires "luck".

I have however experienced "unlucky" shots -- perfectly fine opportunities that resulted in a miss...or worse. Sometimes these "unlucky shots" were actually the result of my faulty reasoning or observation before I took the shot.

In the end, what matters to me is how I feel about my choices and my performance. This has changed over time and I suppose, as I age and my circumstances change it may change again.

These days I'm more reluctant to say never, than ever before.

[SlowBowke]

It's just all about reaping the most satisfaction out of every minute of every day and out of every endeavor we undertake.

It's the length of the journey and the obsticles overcome that make the end results so SWEET!

The easier it is......the less satisfaction there is to reap, IMHO.

Sadly, I have failed often in passing that down to others.

God Bless

[koops4]

Plain and simply, just because and why not.

[Tom Leemans]

You feel more attached to the living land with a stickbow in your hand than some mechanical contraption.