Why Traditional Archery

[DaveT1963]

Recently I have been reading Mike Mitten's book One with the Wilderness - sure has brought back some old memories and passions.... got me to thinking about, and re-evaluating some things.  At age 52 solo hunts deep in the wilderness probably aren't a good idea..... but

Anyways, it got me to thinking about why I/people choose Trad Archery.

So....

Why did you get into Traditional Archery?

It seems to ME that the current trend in archery today is not to improve the man behind the bow but to improve the gadgets to over compensate for the man holding the bow.  Range finders - because most people really are not good at judging distances – especially past 30-40 yards.  Release aids, small fletching, super-fast bows, OZONICs, night vision, and now crossbows during archery seasons, etc…. just wondering where the line will eventually be drawn

I realize my motives are mine and not everyone will follow a similar path – and that's OK.  However, I would love to hear your story - why did you get into and why do you still pursue traditional archery?  What is it about traditional archery that gets your blood pumping.

Hopefully I have no violated any of the rules of this forum - if so I understand the removal.

[KenH]

"It seems to ME that the current trend in archery today is not to improve the man behind the bow but to improve the gadgets to over compensate for the man holding the bow."

Seems like that's the goal of so-called traditional archery too.  Look at the huge number of "trad" gimmicks and gadgets -- bow holders for guys who can't hang on to a stick; ghillie suits and camo, silly discussions about coffee in a stand and peeing in bottles, lighted widgets.  Chemicals that are supposed to dampen you scent.  Discussions over 10 gram differences in broadheads, magic materials for everything, etc. ad nauseum.  

A gadget to compensate for everything, rather than spending time in the field learning basic woods/hunting skills and bow skills.

It's supposed to be about TRADITION, not modern nonsense.  Get back to basics, guys!

When I hunt, I wear ordinary outdoor clothing in normal socially acceptable colors not camo, I carry a bow, two arrows, a canteen, a map and compass, food, a knife and some cord and a survival size mylar blanket (my only hi-tech gimmick).  I bathe and eat regularly, and do what a bear does in the woods if necessary.

No phone, no camera, no gadgets, no hyped products.  No excess junk.

I walk quietly and slowly and keep my eyes and ears open.

That's TRADITIONAL archery hunting.

In nearly 40 years I've skunked out less than 25% of the time on whatever I was hunting.

[frassettor]

Originally posted by KenH:
[QB] "It seems to ME that the current trend in archery today is not to improve the man behind the bow but to improve the gadgets to over compensate for the man holding the bow."

Well said. I agree

[centaur]

I didn't get into traditonal archery. Traditional archery got into me. I have always loved everything about the outdoors, and was introduced into bows and arrows as a pup. I transitioned to guns for quite a while, but was a 'two season hunter' a la Fred Bear in the 70s, and although I wasn't very successful with a bow back then, I always enjoyed being close to animals when bowhunting, much more so than whacking some animal from a distance. I loved the solitude that bowhunting provided, and being on more even terms with my prey.
I tried a compound for a couple of years, and it just didn't 'do it' for me. I soon returned to trad bows, and never faltered from them since the late 70s.
I just really enjoy shooting pointed sticks from a wooden spring, whether it is in pursuit of animals or hitting a leaf at an unknown yardage. It is an addiction that those of us who frequent this site can understand, although most folks might think we are eccentric.
Traditional archery is a simple pleasure; not easy, but simple. I can escape from the craziness of the world, politics, and other annoyances when I am roving the woods with bow in hand.

[DaveT1963]

I had a guy yesterday, who happens to bowhunt quit a bit, look at me dumbfounded when I told him I just came back from a rather expensive bowhunt to OHIO with an unfilled tag.  He asked me, didn't you want to take a compound or a gun so you could improve your chances at getting a buck (I had several dandies at 40-45 yards).  I looked at him and said thought never crossed my mind.  

I just think some poeple will never understand the whole "romance" of trad archery - I fumble badly to put it into words but its in my soul/spirit???

[frassettor]

I shot my first longbow 17 years ago. It took 1 shot that was it for me. I bought that longbow before I even shot one. I was always drawn to Traditional archery. I was reading Traditional Bowhunter in my compound days. I don't know what it is, its inside me. It just feels right to me

[Michael Arnette]

I made the switch from compound equipment when I was 18...eight years ago. I had always been interested in traditional archery but I realized that If I wanted to continue to have a lengthy and liberal season I would need to make a choice along with other hunters to maintain the primitive weapons status that got us all started in the first place. I also found it to be extremely fun! But my main goal was to decrease the odds in increase the challenge. Being that much closer to our bow hunting history and the great men who started out was an added plus. As it turns out, for having greatly decreased my odds I have certainly benefited ten fold in my woodsmanship skills.


The straw on the camels back for me was a recent study in 2006 on the near doubling of archer success rates around the country in the last 15 years.  Read this as Short seasons looming in the future...particularly in Western states
That along with The state-by-state legalization of crossbows and an ad I saw in 2006 for The liberty compound bow with the ridiculously short axel to axle. I thought to myself, "what would Fred bear say!"

[DaveT1963]

As more and more states allow crossbows into archery seasons more gun hunters will be drawn into it and we will have shorter seasons..... its just a matter of time.

[onewhohasfun]

K.I.S.S. is the main reason. Last time I shot a wheel bow, I missed a giant buck at one yard. I thought, theres gotta be a better way. That was 1984.

[Altiman94]

As I think back - about 2008 is when trad archery started to hook me.  I was in the local archery shop getting set up on a brand new wheelie bow.  Two older gentlemen were in there shooting the 3-d range which was directly next to where the owner would set up bows.  Both of them were shooting recurve bows and were nailing the targets from 0-35y with ease.  As I got my bow done - I had to spend some time sighting in each pin.  But these guys didn't have pins, no release, just a simple stick and string.

I found this forum about the same time and started reading.  The next time I was in the shop a few months later I started asking questions since both guys shot there a lot.  One of them sold me a 45# r/d long bow and I was off the races.  After the 2009 season I hunted the entire 2010 season with just a trad bow.  No shots offered and I reverted back in 2011 until this year.

Took some encouragement from friends, co-workers, and a belief in myself but I'm now full time stick bow.  The satisfaction was so great on my first harvest that I don't think I could go back.

Simple, a lot of fun to watch the arrow fly, less weight to carry, quicker and quieter to draw....the list goes on.  I enjoy practice much more with a stick bow.

[Diamond Paul]

I think KenH is quite correct.  If anything, my buddies and I got more gear-nerdy after getting into trad. archery, at least more involved in buying and selling bows in the attempt to find the one that would be able to compensate for the biggest problem almost all new trad. archers have:  the inability to hit anything because we buy into the idea that one needs to ditch all orthodox ideas about shooting in order to be "trad enough."  Once I figured out that it was the Indian, and not the bow, and that I had already owned the brand of bow that agreed with me best a few different times, I settled down to re-learn how to shoot, and I am enjoying it more than I ever have now.  But, I digress.  I got into trad. archery because I was sick to death of competition and the fact that although I had the skills to shoot with anyone, I didn't have the mind to do it, and I was miserable.  The recurve simply allowed me to have fun with a bow again, and escape from the grind of judging myself a failure over one missed 12 or X-ring.

[Crittergetter]

I agree with  DaveT1963, some people will never understand or get the "romance" of traditional archery. I always get the "why don't you take a compound or gun" also. It's not just about bringing home the "bacon" any more.  For me It fills a void. I feel closer to nature and it has made me better!  I enjoy every last detail. 4 years ago I went on a meat hunt in south tx, white tail does and axis does. ( just to clarify it was low fence) I shot 5 does in a day and a half. I left with my coolers full but an empty spirit. It did nothing to satisfy what I long for in the outdoors. I haven't picked up a gun since.

[DaveT1963]

I will also add that for me it is so much more personal/spiritual when I do harvest an animal.  There is a connection and reverence there that defies words.  When I use to "knock them donw" with my .270 sure there was joy but there was never that personal connection with the animal like I have with stick and string?  Perhaps it is because I have to get so close to the animal now, maybe I have grown into a different season/ phase with age?  Don't know, I just know that everyday I spend out in the woods carrying my longbow or recurve it seems like I step into yesteryear and the world slows down for a bit and things are, for lack of better words, as they are meant to be.

[Riverrat43]

I had a custom flintlock made and hunted with it exclusively for about 5 years. The nagging thought in the back of my mind that I should give up my compound and go traditional archery also was always there. I bought a fine Lynn Harrelson take down and begin to practice.(2005) Just like a lot of other Type A, Macho guys, I was over bowed and tore my shoulder up in short order. Sold that fine bow.
I went back to the compound and hunted with it until this year. I'm 63 and starting over. This time I bought a bow that at 40lbs and 62" I can handle and I'm just enjoying getting it set up and learning to shoot instinctively. I enjoy hunting, but I enjoy just getting out and shooting a bow every chance I get. There's not much enjoyment for me in sighting in a compound, setting the pins at 20,30,40 and 50 and then letting it set up all year when I would shoot the weekend before season a couple of times to make sure the sights were on. May as well shoot a scoped rifle. I hope to get decent at this instinctive shooting stuff and buy another really nice bow, that fits me, sometime soon.

[Wandering Archer]

I've always had a love for the outdoors. Born and raised in the suburbs, I was fortunate enough to have a father who was a fishing addict and took me to the Sierras to camp/fish on a regular basis.

I spent a few years in Ohio as a teenager, where I got into hunting with a compound, without success. And, although, I always liked bows and had an interest in them, I never got real excited about shooting it, and it probably didn't help that I didn't have any kind of support group, club, or friends to shoot with.

A few years later I moved back to California, and made a new friend who invited me to a weekend archery shoot. Well, we couldn't camp the whole weekend, but it was only 2 hours away, so the wife and I made a day trip to see him on Saturday.
I instantly fell in love with the whole thing! The community, the combination of camping with friends AND shooting. Shooting bows without all the gadgets and frustration and expense, it was literally like going in the front yard to play catch with my dad.
While I was there, I met another guy, who would become a really close friend, who gave me a shooting glove. Just met the guy, and he just had enough faith that I was going to get into it that he gave me a glove.(same guy got me into backpacking too. Actually he's really cost me a lot of money over the years...)
Being in college at the time, I wasn't about to try to convince my wife to let me buy a bow, but little did I know, she got in contact with one of the guys that was selling a used bow at the shoot, and that bow was to become my Christmas present just a few months later. A friend gave me a dozen wood shafts for Christmas, and the rest is history.

It's taken a few years for me to get back into hunting, but I'm trying to get my crap together this year to do my first trad archery hunting.

But regardless, I just love trad archery. The weekend long 3D shoots, the local 3D shoots, and 3D league night during the summer. The ability to just shoot a couple arrows in my backyard.

The whole draw to trad archery for me, was the contrast to the gear heavy compound world. I love the ability to just string my bow shoot arrows at anything at any distance. Sure I'm not as likely to hit my target beyond 25 yards, but I don't get frustrated with myself either because I don't have such high expectations. There isn't this pressure to be accurate at 50 yards like there was with a compound. I've even gotten almost completely away from commercial camo clothing, but that was in the works even before trad archery, based on my own observations while playing paintball. I am working on building a lightweight ghillie suit right now, but I don't consider that to be gear to make up for a poor hunter/shooter, blending in has been around as long as man has hunted animals. Even plaid is a form of camouflage.

Funny note, my first bow(the compound) was a Christmas gift from my grandfather. My first longbow was a Christmas gift from my wife.
This Christmas, my 2 year old daughter is getting her first longbow.(well, more like a fiberglass stick with a string, but I can't wait.)

[bigbadjon]

I consider myself a bowhunter who just happens to use a traditional bow. When you get down to brass tacks our equipment is very state of the art and made with space age materials, so we have all gone the easier route at some point. The only electronic gadgets I use extensively are range finders and flashlights. I can judge the distance but it is nice to range a couple of landmarks before you settle in to give you piece of mind. Some gadgets actually do enhance the experience and don't limit fair chase, I'll just keep hunting the way I like to.

[Roger Norris]

I am too dumb to operate a compound or crossbow.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

it's REAL ARCHERY

[dbd870]

I shot a Bear Kodiak Hunter in during my high school years in the mid 70's; got away from archery for a while after I graduated college and when I got back in to it I started using compound bows. Eventually I found my interest waning and a few years ago I started not to take time out at the monthly shoots to go shoot the course, just worked the shoots (I'm an officer of the club) - I was loosing interest. So a little over a year ago I decided to hang up the compound and go relearn the recurve; I'm having a blast.

[shreffler]

Everything I could say is summed up into one video - watch "The Challenge" by Sitka Films. It's on youtube. Let me grab the link....

 

I think you guys would all enjoy it.

Alex