Guys, here is my story...

I started my trad journey in February 2005. Basically I wanted more out of my hunting and wanted a new challenge. I went through bow after bow searching for the one that fit me. I was obsessed with it. I would spend hours upon hours reading about bows, form, aiming styles, etc. It was an exciting time for sure and I learned a tremendous amount about archery history and present.

I knew right away that in order to truly grow as a traditional hunter I would have to remove the temptation of using the compound as a crutch, so I sold it. The first season was a blast. I failed to connect with a deer, but I had several close calls and a desire to get better and better.

The following spring I made my first kill with trad equipment:



The fall of 2006I connected on my first deer and it was my best with a bow! :



2006 came and went without anymore opportunities on deer, but I was still having a ball and hungry for more!

2007 started out great with a doe on the 2nd week of the season and the remainder of the season was action packed with me missing 3 deer, including one good buck!



2008 came around I was excited about what the year may bring. I was blessed again in October to harvest another fine animal, she was small but ate very good! lol




2008 has been a challenging year for me as far as finding time to spend shooting my bow. My wife and I were blessed with our 3rd son in August. I now find myself with 3 boys under the age of 6, a wife that works full time, and myself about to be partner in my accounting firm. Needless to say, I'm a busy man!But I'm not complaining,God has blessed me tremendously!

Halfway through this season I came to the realization that my shooting was suffering b/c I was not making time to shoot as much as I should. I'm a pretty good shot with trad eqiupment, but Im not a natural. I have to shoot almost constantly to maintain my form and remain an ethical hunter. The bottom line is I bought a compound and will use it for the remainder of the season. I know I will come back to traditional archery someday, but for me, at this point in my life, I can not continue to do it.

I have a tremendous respect for you guys that gut it out year after year, you are truly "hunting the hard way".

Some of you could care less about my story, but I thought I would explain myself to some of the guys that I've made friends with on this forum over the last 4 years.

Good luck and good shooting!