And you are right, I don't get it when one style claims to have cornered the market on comaraderie or anything else related to the intangibles of hunting.
Lanse couche couchedo you study human nature any ? I do. Humans like EASY. They'll take it anywhere they can get it and rarely do they go for harder. They'll drive 3 miles further down the road to use a gas pump thats pay outside instead of going in. they'll go to one grocery store instead of another just becuase they don't have to sack their own groceries.
Human LOVE easy. Easy equals BETTER too, thats very common belief.
But let me submit this, its NOT always better and I'd argue it actually is WORSE.
Pro-ball players using steroids to make things easier and better - but itsmade it worse. Thats a good example right there.
I thinkpeople searching for easy with their bows have lost what it is to HUNT. They shoot farther, more accurate, higher letoffs, more tricks and gadgets, scent lock clothing, electronic calls, more deer scents than you can imagine, scent prrof gum, ATV's, cam corders, $10,000 leases ........ good gawd, when did deer hutning get to this point ?
When people shifted from hunting the hard way to the EASY way.
Make no mistake, there is a differnt in hunting for sportand hunting for meat - that seperates what most of us do today from what our grandfathers did 60-70 years ago. They needed the meat, we don't.
The shift, to easy, also follows right in line with selfishness, and the need to kill big antlers and bragging rights. Its all wrapped together.
Go to a trad only site. They post pics of does killed with self bows and they're more proud than guys shooting 150" bucks with compounds. I mean that too - and they'd rather their son kill a doe with a recurve on top of that or their best friends.
I hunted last fall in Canada with a group of trad hunters, it was enlightening. It was ALL about the hunt, the experience, the killing of cariobu was the least thought of thing. Its hard to describe, it was NOTING like a compound or rifle camp IMO.
NEW61375 fair enough answer
I myself too would set that kid up with a compound so he/she can get there feat wet. Thats how my folks started me out years ago
does it bother you that any 13 year old kid can get hunting good with a compound in a very short time and hunt with it ?
However, I really don't think that compounds and crossbows are the answer.
I'm going to use that as my sig line - you've finally crossed the line to the dark side
we get what we put in it .......... isn't that the truth ?
LBR knows it, he can shoot a 170" buck with a crossbow and say okay, nice buck, glad I got him, good meat. He shoots a 125" buck with a bow a buddy made, a string he made, some arrows custom made for him, maybe some trad clothers, you know, what MAKES the hunt and suddenly that 125" bucks is SO frickin more of a trophy that words can't describe.
I've killed my share of animals. 300" elk, 140's whitetails, mule deer, antelope ........ my 11 point TD longbow buck was by far my greatest accomplishment IMO. Funny how that is, and some of my unfilled tag hunt ? More successful with a recurve than my tag-filled hunts with a compound.
That don't make sense unless you've been there and done that, does it to some ?