as the season draws near, I am getting hassled by my buddies.

[Jake Scott]

Extremely well said, Chuck.

Jake

[N. Idaho Dan]

Put it this way, tell your friends to shoot trad this season and see what happens. Anyone can shoot compound, but not traditional.

[KyStickbow]

Hang in there...I took some ribbing in the beginning as well. When u text them and tell em u just ran an arrow through a nice one...lets see what they have to say then.

For what its worth...I never shoot well when people r watching me...or at 3d targets. But when Im alone or in the woods..things change and it all comes together for me.

[monterey]

Remember that it is called trad HUNTING, not shooting.  You decide what is your max range and then go out determined to close the distance.  If your max is 15 yards and your buddies is 45 with a wheelie, that just makes your success three times what his is!

Also, next time you shoot with them invite them to play a game of follow the leader with you leading.  They have to make their shot from the same position and location as you.  Those wheelie bows are incredibly difficult to shoot from the prone position.  

[Mryan2176]

When I shoot, my worst enemy is always my mind. Don't worry about what your friends say, just text them a picture of the deer you kill this year. My friends were the same, but eventually they realized I don't care what they think of it. Two of them even started hunting last year with traditional bows. One sold his compound bow and hasn't looked back since, just like I did a couple of years ago. Good luck.

[TenkaraGrasshopper]

So I have been away from hunting for far to long myself but even back in the early days I was shooting a longbow and I got lots of **** from the guys I hung out with who started using compounds instead of the trad gear I was using. I had a long bow with a 25" draw pulling about 45#. My first deer was with that bow at just under 15 yards. It was a heart shot and I was more than pleased with my results.

The best part of the whole hunt was the fact that it was my first time out. The boys were quite impressed by my handiwork.

Interestingly, the years after that were busts as I lost confidence in my shooting. Although, I still count each animal that I got within shooting range of as a successful hunt even though I may have never taken a shot.

Ignore your buddies and follow your heart. If we paid attention to our buddies we would all be trying to marry strippers instead of the lovely ladies who keep us warm at the end of the day and who wait for us excitedly when we return from a hunt. Albeit, hugs may not come til after a deep cleansing shower to get the stench of sweat and elk pee off of us.

[Mryan2176]

When I shoot, my worst enemy is always my mind. Don't worry about what your friends say, just text them a picture of the deer you kill this year. My friends were the same, but eventually they realized I don't care what they think of it. Two of them even started hunting last year with traditional bows. One sold his compound bow and hasn't looked back since, just like I did a couple of years ago. Good luck.

[hitman]

Compound, crossbow? Don't own one, don't need one. I have the ultimate weapons of choice, recurves and longbows. I'm so sorry the other groups of hunters don't get it. They would be so much happier doing it the best way. My 2 cents worth.

[VA Elite]

My desire is greater than ever. I have shot weekly since January. Sometimes just once a week, sometimes 5 days. I enjoy the whole process. Not once have I regretted selling that brand new 1200$ Elite compound bow...ok, I do regret selling it for $650!! But not regretting making the switch. I now have began shooting without a glove or tab just because I like the feel of the string on my fingers. My range is 15-16 yds with perfect conditions, maybe 12 under normal conditions. I am cool with it. Thanks for spirit lift!

[Etter]

I dont know any trad guys that shoot at deer past 15-17 yards. Youre doing fine.

[VA Elite]

There are days when I can miss the vitals, then there are days where I miss the whole target..It all boils down to my anchor. If I hit it right Im good, but the slightest variation is a disaster. But then again, I haven't even been shooting a year yet. I think the more I shoot the closer I get to it coming natural. 25+ years with a peep and kisser and wheels , hard habits die hard!

I have a very good friend of mine who owns a local archery shop. I was getting ready to go on my first trip to Africa, and he told me he would loan me a compound to take as a backup, "just in case". He was serious, but I told him I did not need a backup because I was already taking 3 bows with me.

Since then, he has seen how successful trad gear can be. He still ribs me a little, but I know he is just teasing now.

If you have only been shooting about a year, just relax and take good, high percentage close shots. Getting a few critters down, along with lots of practice and repetition makes it a bit easier at the moment of truth. Once you have your shot truely automatic you don't have to think about it in a hunting scenario. I can pick apart almost every shot (for both good and bad things) when I am practicing, but I can almost never remember anything about the actual shot when I shoot a critter.

Good luck come opening morning!!!

Bisch

[Green]

^^^^Excellent advice from a guy who has killed more critters in more places than anyone I know^^^^^

[VA Elite]

good advice as always Bisch! I will keep on shooting and give it all I have. I have come a long ways since January, but still  have a long ways to go.

I can also tell you this......people who have not tried/been successful with trad will not understand the commitment we have. When I go hunting somewhere, I am content with my longbow in my hand. I would rather try with my longbow, and not get a critter, than use some other weapon and get that critter. The reward of "getting it done" with trad gear is that much greater!!!!!!

Bisch

[Homey88]

I just started shooting trad last year and was lucky enough to get a nice buck. I know I will never go back to a compound bow. Part of the lure of traditional hunting is how you must work to get a shot withing your effective range. Hunting with traditional equipment has made me a better hunter. I sometime will watch the hunting shows on TV and I am stunned by how often they don't get pass throughs on animals with the compound bows. To each his own, but I know I will never go back to compounds.

[overbo]

Try small game hunting. A lost progression into archery hunting IMO. Tree rat hunting has a lot more action and shooting than deer hunting. It's a great way to help your big game archery hunting.

[dbd870]

Originally posted by Bisch:
I can also tell you this......people who have not tried/been successful with trad will not understand the commitment we have. When I go hunting somewhere, I am content with my longbow in my hand. I would rather try with my longbow, and not get a critter, than use some other weapon and get that critter. The reward of "getting it done" with trad gear is that much greater!!!!!!

Bisch

This right here - I'm much happier being out with a recurve and getting nothing than with a wheel bow and killing a monster

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

As A traditional archer who hunts, I accept the fact that if a booner walks by at 25 yards I probably will not be going home with his horns in my hands. But rather in my mind and heart.

I accept the restrictions I place upon myself in the process of killing an animal. And that is how it should be. It should be hard to kill, it should NOT be easy.

Most people out in the woods don't get that. Their ego's won't allow it.

I have yet to regret it when an animal was out side of my range and I have been hunting trad since 1985.

 I hope you have a great season. But don't measure your success on a punched tag, but rather measure it on your time in the woods, experiences good and bad and on the flight of your arrows.

[highlow]

Not only do compound shooters deride us trad shooters, gun hunters do the same to wheels shooters. Went to Newfoundland three years ago with my compound. Was waiting at the float plane dock to be flown to our camp. There were also some gun hunters who had just gotten back from their hunt on the dock after just having been flown back. They had a couple of moose but not all of them had connected. They didn't know I was listening and when they saw our party was packing only bows, they had a good laugh as if to say "Yeah, right. Good luck taking a moose with those!" Well, it so happens that I and a friend, both of us in or near our 70s, both killed bulls. Wish I had their numbers so I could text a pic of mine. But just goes to show that we're not the only ones to get grief over our choice of hunting equipment. This friend I mentioned gives me some good-natured ribbing over my decision to forsake the wheels and go 100% trad. Told me yesterday that I would be back to the wheels. Not a chance.