I reckon I fit the category. Other than playing with a few homemade bows and arrows--hickory saplings strung with nylon twine were the bows, and cypress shoots were the arrows (no feathers), I had very, very little experience with archery growing up. I borrowed my uncle's compound bow once, I think I was 12 or 13--shot it without any instruction at all until I lost all of his arrows (didn't take long at all). I was in my early 20's--21 or 22, I think--before I really got into archery. Got a compound (that didn't really fit), and taught myself to shoot it. It was an old Hoyt, wood limbs and a plastic flipper rest (wan't made to accept any other type rest), round wheels, 65% let-off. Pretty sure the longbow I shoot now is faster, but I enjoyed it and it got the ball rolling.

Then one day one of my best friends came over and had these odd little toys with him. He'd picked up a couple of fiberglass recurves at a gun show or flea market or something. He'd had an uncle that was pretty good with a recurve and he wanted to figure it out. He was up to date with compounds at the time, but neither of us had a clue with the recurves. We got out in the yard (not sure how we even got them strung, even though they were really light weight) and had a ball. Meanwhile, I traded for what was then one of the better compounds on the market--a PSE SLR 1000 Infinity, high dollar sight pins, Scott Mongoose release aid--I was in high cotton. Never did shoot that one much--just wasn't much to it. Set the pins, put the pin on the target, squeeze the trigger, hit the bull, repeat. I'd also found a Bear Tigercat recurve--that was the bow that had my interest. Still didn't have a clue as to what form was, but I was getting somewhat close to the target anyway. Then I saw Byron Ferguson perform for the first time, bought his book, found a longbow, and I was ruined. I'd been shooting trad for less than a year, and went to pulling 82# on a longbow. Also found out that we had two local archery clubs, and we had a few trad shooters in the area that were about my age.

Read the book over and over, used what parts worked for me, got a computer and got on the internet, found lots more information, and here I am. It took me several years to get half-way decent with my shooting, and I'm still no Robin Hood, but I'm still learning and loving it.

I don't think it's all that hard to get started these days. Lots of great bows out there, and still a few that can be had at a decent price. Way more information available to the general public now than there was then, and a lot better selection of equipment. If a person sets their head to it, they can do it.

Chad