Oh Bull Hockey. Hunting is about killing something. The journey is a part of it but the ultimate goal is to shoot something. You can have the greatest journey in the world, but if you never shoot anything you've flat failed at what you set out to do. If the journey is your ultimate goal take up paper punching and photography. The ultimate proficiency test is did you bring any meat home. If the answer is NO, you failed in the ultimate goal. I know all the touchy touchy feel good answers and I ain't buying them. Everry one of you that heads to the woods does so with the hopes and prayers you've practiced enough and you put blood on the ground. You came for a variety of reasons, but the goal is the same. The journey just makes you the old Indian word for vegetarian. Don't tell me it's all about the journey. That's only a part of it. Let's not loose sight of why we hunt and it's ultimate goal. I love a walk in the woods as much or more than the next person, but at least I'm honest as to why I'm there.

Complete opposite point of view from myself.

I took my son turkey hunting (with me, he's still a year away) this past weekend. He heard a few birds on the roost, saw 14 deer, flung a few arrows at some targets and had a great time. It was a successful hunt to me. Nothing killed. Experience and knowledge gained. Nothing at all failed.

Bowhunting in itself is challenging, thats why I do it. I have a different point of view though of which bow to start out with and part of my view has to do with learning many if not all aspects of shooting a bow. I believe any new archer should start out with traditional equipment.

As for statements made that picking up a compound bow and being accurate within minutes is possible, that doesn't qualify anyone to be a good bowhunter. Being consistently accurate is more important and no matter what weapon is used, hunting skills are also important

Arthur, I generally agree with you but can't agree that using traditional equipment is what bowhunting was meant to be. Looking at things that way we could say the same about many things. We could all be riding horses too if the combustible engine was never invented. I bet you do drive a truck. I will agree that overall, using traditional equipment is harder in taking big game with on a consistent basis and that using traditional equipment is very romantic and historic.

I would get the Hoyt Trykon; much better bow then the VTEC; I just traded a Xtec in for one and the Vtec and Xtec are basically the same. Now once you have your compound get a good used traditional long bow or recurve. These can be bought for $100 or less. You will master the compound if youpractice in a week; where the traditional is going to take much longer IMO. Most people hunt with a compound and there is a reason; they are easier to be good with; unless you are Byron Ferguson

Yes, I like making meat.... No doubt..... But if that is what it's all about, why not just use a rifle?

Learning is always good.But, it wasn't a successful hunt, it was a nice walk in the woods.[8D][8D][8D] I enjoy walks a lot, but don't tell me it was a successful hunt. It wasa fun walk.[8D][8D]

davidmil

What is your goal ? To kill something ? If it is, go to a farm and shoot a penned deer and you've accomplished your goal, haven't you ?

I'm betting you aren't into canned hunting though. Why ? Because its NOT the kill that makes the hunt.

Its the journey.

You compound hunt because of the added challenge to the hunt. You stack the odds more against you by shooting a shorter range and less accurate weapon than, say, a rifle deer hunt.

Why ?

Because its MORE than the kill.

Then you don't get it and the view you have is ultimately killing our sport.

You are wrong, in that the best days in the woods very easily can end without a loosed arrow. Some of my best hunting days ended in no animals killed.

Can you explain that ? I can - hunting is so much more than the kill. Traditional hunters seem to understand this more.

Actually he IS right. Archery was forever about traditional bows, until the legalization of compounds.

Should P&Y have a trad only category? They don't need to - the P&Y WAS a trad category, until compounds were legalized and accepted. P&Y from the beginning was trad archery, if anything compounds need their own category.

Me ? I could care less about the "book" or if compounds/crossbows either, both or neither are in archery season.

But don't look past that archery season was always about trad archery, the others that were allowed in were just that , ALLOWED in.

Again, you don't get it.


I sense you're the kind of guy who gets upset if he's not seeing animals to shoot. You're not happy with a hunt that ends with an unfilled tag.

Oh, I understand the ultimate goal is filling the tag - but its a very, very small part of the picture that is hunting. Larger parts of the picture is practice, comraderie, scouting, time in the stand watching the world that God created ....... so much more than the few seconds and the actual shot and kill.

David,hunting to you seems to have a different meaning then it does to me. Hunting does not in all mean killing to me, but is only a part of sports hunting. I do not have to kill to be successful. Success to me has more to do with an inner desire of fulfillment. As Big Red Porker noted, if you want to kill, you can do it very easily. Heck if I wanted to teach my son to kill, I'd take him to a butcher.

But hunting isa pursuit and/or search. Quite different then a careless walk in the woods. This is where our views differ, and it is not necessarily something that I have an overwhelmingneed to convince you of.

You probably won't understand thisdavidmil, but I killed a squirrel the other day at 27 yards withmy recurve.

I'm more proud of that kill than any buck I'vekilled with a compound or muzzleload or rifle and I've got a couple between 125" and 145"

I rifle hunted last fall, a remote wilderness, do it myself hunt that was incredibly tough. I was more proud of that hunt, accomplished more and got more out of it than my 2004 KS hunt where I killed a non-typical with my Dad's compound. The Colorado rifle tag made soup, but it was a more successful hunt.

Ya know, under certain circumstances traditional equipment is easier than using a compound bow. Example is having to take a very quick shot. Ever attend a Saunder's speed round shoot? More times than not a good recurve shooter would win because he was able to get off shots quicker than the archer shooting a compound bow. Its true. My twist to this saga and I am sticking to it!

By the way in answer to the original poster's question I stand by my earlier post urging him to start with a recurve, simply because I believe in starting out with the fundamentals and progressing from there if he so wishes. In fact I love recurves as well as compounds, and in this modern world there is a place for both to be recognized as archery equipment and revered as archery hunting.