Growing the interest my friends have?

[threeunder]

I've got 3 buddies I hunt with.  They all either shoot compounds or crossbows during archery season.  Each of them, at sometime, has said he would like to get into shooting trad equipment.
I keep hoping one (or all 3) will take the first steps, but, as of yet, it hasn't happened.
Ideally, I would take them out and let them shoot some of my lighter bows, but I am a lefty and they are all backwards (righties...LOL).

Any thoughts on how to foster this budding interest they have?

Ken

[stevewills]

make it avalible to them...i have a friend who is one of the top finger shooters in the ibo and i gave him a maddog longbow to play with this year,he didnt go to any local shoots without that longbow,now the big shoots he carried his compound.he also hunted the first half of the season with that longbow...i feel he will go all trad someday....just have it there when the converation comes up and go shoot

[reddogge]

Yes, cruise the classifieds for a light (35-40#) 62" LH recurve cheap and used to keep on hand with some appropriately spined arrows, a glove and let them shoot it.

[threeunder]

I've really thought about that.  May take the plunge and find a RH 40# or so bow for them to "test-drive".
This is my first year doing all my bowhunting with trad gear.  It's definitely made an impression on them, and I feel like that's a positive step.

[Iowabowhunter]

Good luck! My friends dont think trad bows can even kill deer, I will prove them wrong as soon as bow season opens back up!

[mcgroundstalker]

Let your friends see how much fun a trad bow is to shoot... Not just for hunting but all year round!  

... mike ...

[ChuckC]

keep it fun and shoot a lot.  Take them roving / stump shooting.  

I believe that is something not many compounders do and I have more fun at that than anything else we do.

Then start small game or carp shooting and once they have fun and see that they CAN do it. .  get out of the way.
ChuckC

[Jake Diebolt]

I have seen people try and get into trad bows from compounds at the club I shoot at - and then abandon it almost immediately because of the difficulty of drawing it. Modern compounds are so easy to hold at full draw that many shooters can't get recurves or longbows of hunting weights all the way back. If they're shooting well with compounds, this is a major obstacle.

Case in point: I let someone shoot my bow for a few arrows - after a few shots he said to me "That bow's about 80 lbs, right?" It was 50 at 28. He was used to the letoff bringing his 60 lb bow down to 15 or 20 lbs.

The best thing to do would be to encourage them to get a lightweight bow at first - or provide one for them to practice with. If they can shoot decently right off the bat it will be more encouraging and more fun - and more likely to get them hooked.

[Bud B.]

There's a 45# $40 Monkey Ward bow in the classifieds now.

Also/or, buy an older dual shelf Bear in low 30s in pound pull. I think there's one of them in the classifieds also...

[ti-guy]

Funny! I have the same probleme!! I'm thinking of getting a used RH bow with a low poundage.  :D

[Sean B]

Really work on them....tell'em to think back to when they were a kid and the excitment thay had when they first started hunting, or when they took thier first deer.  I hooked one of my hunting buddies!!  He saw how "simple" I became.  He had the right attitude toward it.  Good luck!

[slivrslingr]

Big Jim has some reasonably priced used lighter weight bows as well.

[Sam McMichael]

Don't press too hard, or that might drive them off. Getting some light pound bows and letting them "mess around" with them will let them get their feet wet. It will either take or it won't. Even if they are not enthusiastic at first, keep taking the trad equipment to the range. Trad "sneaked up" on many members of the gang, and it may do the same thing with them.

I used to shoot at 2 clubs where I was the only trad guy there, but if I turned my back for any length of time there would be a couple of guys trying  out my Hill ( with prior permission). One them wound up getting into trad.

[Hatrick]

If you can find one of the big trad shoots close to you this Spring invite them along for a day. If they see how much fun is going on and visit some of the vendors they might give it a try.

[Jason Kendall]

I agree with ChuckC, take them stump shooting, it's the most fun you can have with a trad bow in my opinion.

[nineworlds9]

Frankly (and my disclaimer is that this is from what I've personally encountered, so its not the rule by any means),and this is the whole reason our trad culture and this forum exist, is a large number of wheelie shooters just have a completely different mindset when it comes to all of this stuff.  That draw weight thing with the trad bow 'feeling like 80' but only being 50 is typical, and the wanting to put it down and walk away frustrated.  When I re-entered archery back in July after a 15 year break I originally bought a @$@#%@#% bow cause I didn't know any better and hadn't fished my old Tigercat out of the garage yet.  And all the guys I know, all wheelie shooters of course thought I was nuts and quaint.  Once I did that though and realized that the silly LED sight and all the gizmos was entirely unnecessary (after my first hunt carrying 50 lbs of @%$@#4 into the woods!) there was no turning back, I got back into trad and that's where I'm staying.  Havn't sold the @%@#^#$ bow yet cause I don't think I can get my $ back out of it and might as well keep it.  We'll see. Like I said, I think to get them into trad you'll have to redirect how they think about archery and acquiring new skills, but definitely approach it from a fun angle, my ranting is a poor example,  

[wooddamon1]

Like others have already mentioned, keep a light bow available for them to mess around with. I have a few buddies (some even non-hunters) that swing by and they always ended up asking to shoot my bows. I ended up giving a few away to the more serious ones and two of them hunted elk for the first time this past season.

[BOWMARKS]

Yep take them out and have a good time shootin the bow and the bull. No score keeping or tough shots ,make it a fun day at the range or the woods.

[kill shot]

Check out garage sales. You could find a good inexpensive bow that needs a little T.L.C. You can't believe how a good polish,rest,scilencers and a new string can make a garage sale special look like a bow you would be glad to own. Good project and very rewarding. Oh ya, maybe a quiver with some new arrows in it.

[Bjorn]

Careful whatcha' wish for..........there is only room for so many of us crazies on this planet!