I was reading another thread that asked this question and I found the answers to be quite surprising. Who taught you the ways of the bow?
Myself I was self taught till I met the woman who is now my wife. As I have stated before on this site my family was not overjoyed with me wanting to bowhunt for various reasons. But, my parents must have felt some pity for me and gave me a INDIAN archery Deerslayer bow package for Christmas many years ago. It must have been hilarious watching me try and pull that bow to full draw, at first I couldn't, but as they say practice, and more practice. I tried everyday no matter the weather to shoot that bow and eventually I learned to do it but I had only the owners manual from the bow to go by. I was not what you might call very good (still have alot to learn today), but I didn't give up. Maybe that is why I love bowhunting so much today, I had a long road to walk to get where I am at. Today I have a father in-law who was a plywood bender from the 50's teaching me new skills, together we are ensuring the art learned from years of trial and error is not lost with us, my son is as passionate as I was.
Vern Pratt
"Blessings to your lives and trails"
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Hunt hard, and pray harder, both offer great rewards.
My grandfather. He was half Cherokee and always said he was taught when he was a kid by Geronimo. After the chief was released from prison, he sold pencils and posed for photographs with tourists to make a living and he took my grampa under his wing. Grampa often talked about those days.
Anyway, he got me started when I was just a little tyke with an elm selfbow and willow switch arrows. Started me out with an indian style pinch draw and floating anchor that I used for hunting until I took an archery course in college and was taught how to shoot like a white man. <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>
My father and grandfather taught me instinctive shooting. Other barebow methods I learned by spending a few years watching, and talking to, other tournament shooters.
I did have some help making up my mind to go with the more traditional style bows as I watched people like Tim Meigs and Gene Foster shoot their longbows, years before I decided to actually pick one up. But other than that, I'm pretty much self taught.
Make em sharp and shoot em straight, or leave em home.
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Make em sharp and shoot em straight, or leave em home.
Had VERY BASIC archery in grade school...about age 7 or 8 I think....been practicing ever since. Mostly self taught. I'm sure my form isn't exactly perfect, but it works for me.
Started with a friend who knew no more (or less) than I did. Got some hints from Byron Ferguson at a show, and his book was a major help starting out. Picked up on a lot by going to shoots, have seen Bob Wesley and Gary Sentman and got some good pointers from them also (and some things that work for them don't work for me). Learned quite a bit from the archers on this board, and still learning.
Chad
Long Bows Rule!
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"We can have no '50-50' allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all."-- Theodore Roosevelt
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Ecclesiasties 10:2
The last four letters in American..........I Can
The last four letters in Republican........I Can
The last four letters in Democrats.........Rats
I learned to shoot by myself for the most part. When I was younger I went through the "trial and error with a homemade sapling bow" stage until I got my first real bow. A bear brown fox hunter at 45#. I never did real good with a recurve until I started bowhunting with a compound and got ted nugents tape on instinctive shooting. I found out that shooting instinctive is alot easier with a traditional style bow and took it up again. I too am still learning though.
My formal training started with an Archery shop owner out in St. Louis named Darrell Dixon. He was a PAA shooter which shot for Earl Hoyt back in the 60's and 70's. To date Darrell is the finest natural archer I have ever met and I owe everything archery has done for me to this person.
My Father ,he got me started in archery when I was around eight yrs. old & loved archery ever since ...Thanks Dad...<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
Who taught you archery?
