Zel I would say that it depends on your amount of experience/skill when you actually take up the sport of traditional. I had bowhunted and killed probably 10 deer or so with a compound before I " went backwards" and started chasin em with my Martin takedown. The first and only two seasons I used the Martin (91-92) I killed a 100" 2 year old 8 in 91. Then from the exact same tree and also around the same time of year (first weekend of Nov) a year later I killed a 130" 8ptr. (btw, I killed my second P&Y buck this past season from that spot again!) I STILL consider them special trophies and althought they arent my biggest deer they will always hold a special place in that " trophy room in my mind" .
The biggest thrill for me, or at least the greatest motivator for the switch (besides that most important " internal urge" ) was because my buddies I hunt with said it couldnt be done and laughed at me for buying the bow (which belonged to a friend and taxidermist we all hunted with and he had never killed with the bow while he had it). After the first kill they kinda quieted down but still would remark about my " indian bow" . But after the second kill (which made the books) they completely shut up and if I told them I could do something deerhunting, they believed me. I used to laugh and ask them to bet against my " indian bow" and they would just shake their heads and reply, " No thanks" .
Though I no longer use the bow (I guess it was just a phase, while I certainly enjoyed using the bow and still admire it hangin on my wall. I no longer wish to accept its limitations.) I certainly have no doubt as to its effectiveness and look forward to someday carrying it back to that special spot in MO again. I just dont spend the time shooting like I used to and while I can still hit with the bow. My " honest voice" inside my head tells me I aint ready for the woods with that bow, so it continues to hang in my office.
As for the " learning curve" I guess if you had never chased whitetails with a bow, yeah there might be a thing or two to learn. But I assume you already have bowhunting experience, so it shouldnt be hard. I always try and place my stands where my anticipted shots will be in the 10-15 yard range or closer. The two P&Ys were killed inside 10yards and while I had moved to another tree, the exact spot they were each standing in when shot was less than 10 FEET apart! (And that was 10 years apart as well ironically.)
I firmly believe that the most important weapon a hunter will EVER have at his disposal will be his " hair covered computer" the rest is just tools to execute those plans,
RA
ps
Zel likewise, I suspect I detect a lil frustration in your mind. That is completely understandable, especially if you have had success in the past with a compound. I have " been there done that" as well and had a dry period that lasted a few seasons in the mid-late 90s. In fact I had almost given up deerhunting and took up duck hunting. But I " re-concentrated" my efforts and rewrote my gameplan (based more on what DIDNT work as opposed to what did) and started listening more to my instincts and hunches and I have been more successful than ever before. If you arent getting success then dont be afraid to change something be it a tactic, location or whatever. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly yet expecting different results. Once you arrow your first with that stickbow your confidence in yourself will grow and you will be " on the way" . I wish every hunter in here could experience what I am talking about because it takes the sport to an entirely different level. If you have any questions feel free to ask me, I like to learn from others as much and where I can, help if possible...
RedAllison@charter.net
How long before success after switch to trad gear ?
