I hunt with a selfbow I made myself. Rivercane arrows and obsidian heads with turkey feathers all made by me. I maid the bow, the string, the arrows, the heads, the quiver....I'm sure I'm forgetting something.

I love it. I love making the stuff as well as shooting it. In todays day and age we've become a society that is all about the quick and easy, the disposable. The premade, no work neccisarry. We do this with the intent of having more time to do what we want. Unfortunatly the cost of those things keeps our time busy trying to afford them. We don't make anything anymore. Or at least most people don't. It is all about the fastest or easiest thing. The newest gadget etc...

Nothing wrong with that I guess. But for me one day I realized I was waisting a ton of money on things I didn't need. Then I realized the history and traditions and skills our forefathers used from day to day are going away. If we don't learn these things and pass them on they will be gone. Like the way hunting is being attacked by anti's the traditions of the past are being attacked by the current way of life. The do it yourself guy is becoming the oddity instead of the norm. I find this unfortunate. I took up bowhunting because I love to be in the woods. Gun season was to short for me. Gun season was a tradtion in my family. Every year the guys went to a hunting camp and stayed up to a week. Unfortunatly things have changed and this doesn't happen anymore. (something I hope to change) It was something I greatly looked forward to but now is gone. My children may never know the antisipation of getting ready to go. The same is true with Trad for me. Recurves and longbows are technologicaly inferiour to the modern archery gear. They are slower and harder to master. The fact remains though that all archery equipment is inferior to most firearms.

I am thankfull people are interested in archery. Be it modern or traditional. I teach archery to kids. They come in not shooting anything. They first draw to the compounds (genesis bows) becuase of the modern look kids like. Before long I've usualy got them shooting a longbow or recurve. They like the chanllenge and see the advantages the simple designs offer.

For me I like that people shoot compounds and are interested in them. I don't like the throw away attitude that comes with it (not saying that people throw these away., just that they are somewhat disposable) The "I have to have the newest fastest..." every year or more.

I do own several compounds. My first bow (mid 70 Bear polar 2) I killed my first deer with it. and a bow I go to when I haven't had the time to practice with my trad gear, a PSE bow from probably 12 years ago. I can pick this bow up today after not shooting it for years and shoot 3 inch groups at 40 yards.

I prefer to have a trad bow in had if I am afield but I will not stay home if I cannot take one or do not feel comfortable with one. I hunt because I love it and don't care the equipment other than my preferences.

I'm no better than anyone for the equipment I choose. Sure its harder to be proficient with trad gear. Harder yet to make all your own gear and use it. Thats part of why I choose it. The other part is to keep the history of it alive. I hope I never talk down to anyone because of the equipment they use (or for any other reason either) We all start somewhere. I hope people try trad sometime. They often find they like it better.


Excuse my poor spelling and typing errors....

And forgive the long rambling post... I haven't had my coffee yet ...LOL