by23856

I hear you C903. I am returning to archery, or should I say bowhunting, after a ten year layoff. Prior to that I shot nearly every day and worked full time at a bow shop in Central PA. I got all my gear at cost and was living at home, so I could afford to shoot competitions every weekend and buy arrows and all the latest gadgets.

However, now I'm no longer working in the archery business, I have a family and my own home and when I got bit by the bug to pick the bow back up again this year and get back into competetions again, I was shocked at the price hike over the last 10 years. Of course you expect inflation, but the prices of bows and basic compound equipment is outrageous now. I commented to my dad about this, who stayed in archery for 7 years longer than I did, and he said that he saw many of our peers drop out of the archery scene over those seven years because things were getting too pricey. In the end I decided to forget about going back into competitive shooting and only go out bow hunting. Part of this decision stemmed from the looks and comments I received from the local bow shop techs and patrons when I pulled my 12 year old 'ancient' equipment out of my bow case. You would have thought I was a paulper at a Rockefeller dinner.

In the end I decided that I shot pretty well with the set-up I had ten years ago and that if it was able to kill deer then (I assumed it could, I never got one until this year), then it could kill deer today. End result, I shot my first deer with a bow this year, a buck, with equipment that was all 12 years old or older. I plan on taking the same gear out with me next year and the year after and the year after until it breaks and I'm forced to buy new.

-Brad
Eastern Nebraska Bowhunter

Edited by - by23856 on 10/30/2002 13:09:11