How Successful Are You With Trad Equipment?

[2Blade]

Folks ive been doing alot of thinking lately about my success since switching to Traditional Equipment and the results are not good. I havent taken a turkey 2 years in a row now and have not even had a shot oppertunity at a deer. I think alot has to do with the Logging and Devlopment around my hunting area and just bad luck. My question is how successful are you since switching to Traditonal Equipemnt? Id really like to hear from the Western guys too because it seems like it would be close to impossible to kill a mulie or antelope while stalking with a stick.

[Biggie Hoffman]

Probably about 90%

You need to get out of NY and hunt something year round. Shooting targets WILL NOT prepare you for a close encounter with a live critter.

[ericmerg]

i can hit my target once in a while i call that successful

[Stone Knife]

You need to get out of NY and hunt something year round. Shooting targets WILL NOT prepare you for a close encounter with a live critter.  

That sounds like a good plan, NY is limited on critters to hunt year round. I do still have good success with trad.

[JamesKerr]

I manage to kill at least one deer a year, but usually two with my longbow.

[2Blade]

Ive been wanting to hit my old woodchuck spots but yet another new house is near the middle of the field now! Id love to go down south and chase hogs. Ive taken squirrels but as stated they have seasons.

[lpcjon2]

Every time I nock a wooden arrow on my longbow and head in the woods I consider myself successful. To me its more than getting the animal. If that was my goal I would have stuck with the wheels and bullets.

  You get what you want from it.each day afield is practice for the moment that counts,learn from each encounter out, and hone yourself and your equipment. Success is a frame of mind!JMHO

[yankeevol]

Doesn't sound like a "trad" issue - sounds like an access issue. Get out the maps. Knock on doors. Walk the extra mile. NY has a TON of excellent public access.

[gringol]

Trad hunting takes a LOT more time to bag game than wheelie hunting; practice in the yard and time in the field.  Because getting close is a necessity, you need to scout a lot.  Logging and development can be a problem but don't have to be.  Chances are the game patterns have just changed.  One of my favorite spots was logged just about 5 years ago. Don't give up!

[bohuntr]

Believe it or not my success rate went up considerably as compared to how I had been doing with my compound. I attribute that to the fact that since I was enjoying the hunt more I was spending alot more time in the field hunting. I have shot more critters and better critters since switching to trad equipment back in 2002.

[JO_EZ]

Well, the whole purpose of fair chase is to be able to enjoy a large amount of pursuit while having a small effect on the wildlife population. So, a lower success rate is kind of the purpose of the more challenging methods.

I seem to be going above and beyond in the "preserving wildlife" portion of the fair chase model.

Having said that, I believe that time and place contribute 60% to hunting success. Some of us have more time avaiable to go hunting, either locally or abroad. If you have less time, your odds go way down. Also, if the patch of ground that you have available is sparcely populated, you can hunt hard and hunt well and still come up empty.

I think that the type of archery tackle you use is way down the list of success factors.

[ron w]

Been doing this for the most part since 1967 or 68. I have hunted most of the time in northern New York. I have hunted Ill. for deer, Colorado for Elk, South Carolina for pigs and New Brunswick for bears. I had a shot in 1972 at a forky buck and missed. I have yet to have another shot at anything. I really must like this or there is something mentally wrong with me.....       If I was planing to fill the pantry I guess I took the wrong path!! Either you love it or you don't!

[RC]

You gotta hunt whee there are some critters .I would be fibbing if I told you I could hunt for days and be happy without seeing game. I hunt to kill stuff. Success to me is an arrow through ribbs. I hunt mostly public land but it is gamey and I EXPECT to get on game because I invest time and boot leather to insure I do when its hunting season.
 I never hunted with a compound much so can`t say didly about it but we don`t go hungry around here with the longbow.
  Like I said I am spoiled  maybe. I can drive any direction from home and be in the woods in less than 45 minutes. I can Turkey and deer hunt out the back door. I also MAKE time to hunt.I do a LOT of work during the Summer to afford me days off to hunt.Good Luck.RC

[steadman]

I average one animal a year which is not too bad considering I get one to three tags a year. The 2 antelope I've shot were at 7 yards and 20 yards. My muley shots are about 20 yard averages. Wait til Tracy (Shedrock) gets on here  

 

 

 

[BowMIke]

My hunting places have dropped to only one, but my success rate on shots is as good as with a compound, because I always shoot 20 yards and under. (and I am enjoying it much more when I do shootsomething!)

[Rob W.]

My freezer stays full the same as it did with gun/wheels. The only difference is I love hunting so much more and put more time into it.

I think of it like fishing. 90% of the fish are in 10% of the lake. Find that 10% and your equipment don't matter much.

Rob

[RC]

Good way to put it Rob.RC

[2Blade]

We hunt to eat here and im with RC I get pretty bummed if I dont see game or get shots. I live next to some Public land but it has its draw backs as alot of folks hunt it. I ran in to one fella who was lost and came on to my property. Oddly he was a family friends younger brother. I told him where to go and wished him luck. My friends joke "Your either a killer or a Wildlife Observer" Lately im been an Observer.....If I see something.

[2Blade]

I can say though the deer that ive taken with Modern Equipent were no further then 32yds cept for 1. They were barebow so im confident in my instinctive abilitys and getting the job done with my sticks I just need the shot!

[James Wrenn]

I had a bit of a learning curve when first taking up bowhunting with a c-bow but none at all when switching over to a longbow.Same old thing when it came to the shooting part as far as deer were concerned.Filled all 5 tags the first season.I shoot less now because of time restraints,needing less meat and the terrain of the land I hunt.The kind of bow I am carrying has nothing to do with it however.