What would you do different?

[NBK]

"A wise man learns from his mistakes...
A wiser man learns from the mistakes of others".
It's a saying my brother and I remind each other of periodically.

There is a vast amount of knowledge and experience within the ranks on this site.  So much so I believe that volumes of books probably couldn't capture it all.
So in the spirit of passing on a portion of this wisdom I ask you this question,
"If you could go back to the beginning of your trad bow hunting, knowing what you do now, what would you do differently?"

I anticipate common themes and occasional nuggets, both well suited for the purpose.  
I will begin by saying that I wish that as a younger man, prior to the commitments of work and family, I'd sought out a successful and ethical trad bow hunter as a mentor.  Someone to shadow on hunts and give practical advice on killing game with a trad bow.  I've enjoyed the trials and errors, but in hindsight knowing there were a lot more errors!  
Perhaps this thread can remedy some of that.
Thanks.

[Todd Cook]

I would have , from the beginning, learned how to shoot with proper form.

[Matty]

For starters I wouldnt have grown up in NYC! I was born geographically mis placed.  HA HA  Not a lot of Trad Hunting and shooting there, Anyway I would have started out with a lighter bow, coming off wheels like some of us,and OVER BOWED I created bad habbits that are hard to break, like snap shooting, not anchoring target panic stuff. I would have like you said, find a mentor...

[ChuckC]

There is very little I could have done differently.

When I started there was no internet, no Traditional Bowhunter Magazine,  the available books on traditional archery were not well known or available to a kid, Traditional archery wasn't even invented yet (the name).  I had some mentors, but frankly, I would have been better off without some of their teachings.

In the beginning I thought I had proper form, and I think, the actuality of proper form has morphed since then anyway.  I though I shot OK...boy were my eyes opened.

Nearly everything I learned I had to learn by trial and error.  Heck, most of the guys on here that started before early 1970's did.

If I had the internet and its available information (direct and indirect ie. being able to look up and order books I didn't even know existed) and its ability to give me more and more mentors, in spite of distance or language, I would have been in heaven.  

Heck.. I want to learn how to fly fish and it is slightly overwhelming to me, in spite of my lifelong addiction to "regular fishing".  I just spent a few days on-line looking at videos put out by Orvis and a few others and heck. . .  I'm ready to jump in (with both feet !).  It was that much different.  

My next project may be brain surgery (always wanted to do that) !

OK.. to your question.  What would I do differently ?   Not screw up so much.  Not waste time.  Not sit at home dreaming when I could have been out pursuing. Not putting myself into dangerous elevated situations.  a good start.

Oh, and get all kinds of out-of-state hunts in while they were all legal and still affordable !

ChuckC

[Fattony77]

I would like to have joined tradgang sooner!

[Stumpkiller]

I would have bought every garage sale bow for $15 and invested in the new Damon Howatts and Bears at the sporting goods stores that they were selling at cost in 1975.

Definately wish I had concentrated on bowhunting more.  My gun nut phase could have funded a lot of archery and bowhunting.

I did have the great good fortune of meeting a traditional bowhunting mentor back in the 1980's.  I wish I had sought him out sooner.  He passed away in 2003.

But, you can't dwell on the past.  The only thing you can change is now.

[GreyGoose]

Found a way to spend more time outside.

[Bldtrailer]

 double post

[Bldtrailer]

I would have never pickup/        shot a compound bow! I started with real bows at 7        and till I was 20 something and then(after the army) went to the dark side        for 25years, what a waist. If I had stayed with trad I would not have had to relearn good        / and unlearn bad        
Also spent more time with my children in the out doors, before they grew up(worked way to much to put food on the table, but missed a lot)

[Izzy]

I wish Id never picked up a compound in the 1st place. Ive never been against them because any  "less challenge" mindset I just never liked the lack of reliability and lack of beauty in them to my mind.

     I hunted for many years with a compound and killed my share of game but when looking back, man I wish I would have had a pretty stick bow in my hand and see those arrows go where I wanted them too. I always had a feeling that I wasn't enjoying bowhunting as much as I should have been when hunting with compounds but never knew why until my 6 year old son put me onto traditional bows.

[snag]

Shooting a compound lead me to shooting a recurve and seeing the joy of shooting a stick bow and wood arrows...so I can't say it was all bad or misplaced time.
The form issue has been fixed somewhat by spending time with Rod Jenkins...still working on it.
I guess just making the time to be in the woods more than I did. But as a young guy it was hard when you work long hours and sometimes 6 days a week....trying to make up for that now! haha
Can't say I'd do anything different. It has led me here.

[Josh Perdue]

I was way overbowed when I started. I didn't have much confidence in killing a deer with a mere 50lb bow. I couldn't have been more wrong.

[longbowman]

Since there was only "bowhunting" when I started & no compounds yet I guess I couldn't have done much different.  If I knew then what I know now about deer hunting I would have killed a deer sooner than 5 yrs. of starting but overall it's been a great run!

[LB_hntr]

I would of tried to gear my life style better so that u could spend more time hunting and being outside. Once you get set in a career, married, kids, the expenses of the life style start to load up. For years we have been trying to get to a simpler life style so we can spend more time hunting all over and living a self sustaining life style. But I look back at all the hours and dollars chasing worthless material dreams that could of been used to make memories and quality time.
  IMO every minute spent outdoors is precious and that now every decision we make is to try and gain one of those minutes.

[lbshooter]

I also spent too much time in my early years with bows that were unneccessarily too heavy, hindering my true accuracy potential.  I shot 65-70# bows for 20+ years.I got sucked into the heavier is better mindset when in reality it was a lot of wasted energy, and struggling to maintain proper form. It eventually took its toll with a damaged muscle, resulting in 2 years of missed shooting and eventually forcing me down to 50# where I should have been in the first place.

[KentuckyTJ]

Would have shot that cow elk at 12 yards that walked right past me on the second day.

[Plumber]

I am pretty happy where Iam at I shoot trad an so do my sons.Jake my oldest took his first deer at 13 yrs with trad equ. Ben is 11 yrs an soon to follow.WE have mentors. well seasoned guys we shoot with an who keep us on tract.hunting with my boys is a dream come true an watching them grow in the sport makes me VERY proud.

When I ordered my first new longbow, 1972, I should not have been so dumb and stubborn, and taken the advice from John Schulz about poundage and draw lengths. I got smarter and took his advice very serious, then one day I must have had a testosterone over load and ignored it again.  Just because I can draw and shoot a 90# bow, that does not mean that I should or there won't be consequences.

[riverrat 2]

I'm still what I consider a Traditional hunting novice. I've shot a couple Whitetails and two Turkeys with my Trad bows. Never been out of state,or hunted any BIG game animals. So to that extent I cannot add insight. I only wish I would have discovered traditional archery earlier. I'd love to get out west on a hunt in the next few years. But work,and family makes time small in some ways. As a younger man,without a mechanics back it would have been nice to go on a hunting quest back then if I'd only realized how great trad archery was versus a Jack Daniels & Marlboro migrane from my youth. rat'

[Bladepeek]

I'd have started at least 50 years sooner and would be a lot better shot by now