kevin1

I've shot compounds before, replete with all the facinating gizmos, bells, and whistles, and frankly wasn't impressed enough to buy one. I tried it with the thought of getting more hunting time, but was reluctant to make such a substantial investment fearing that I might lose interest and be out the investment. Then a cousin invited me to shoot a 40# recurve that he used to shoot in high school, and I was hooked. I liked the simplicity of shooting it without all those distracting "mulligans", and after sufficiently mastering instinctive aiming well enough to actually hit the target consistantly I found myself perusing the pages of a Cabela's catalog and buying a 50# model for myself. I now have a 3-D buck in the yard for my hunting bow, and a home made bag target in the garage upon which I use that same 40# recurve that I started with. I also have an osage stave curing in my garage, someday soon it'll be gradually shaved into another thing to keep me hooked. As for compounds? Well...maybe someday.

BobCo19-65

Just to clarify though, I consider myself to shoot traditional, not primitive. There is a big difference. What the Indians were using compared what I call traditional is immense.

And you are right, they didn't have a choice. They used what was available. They also did very well and with a lot of hard work.

Speaking for myself only, I would agree. Luckily I am not in that position, which is probablyONE of the reasons I shoot traditional.

PreacherTony

Germ, noone said that Indians wouldn't have chosen a more potent weapon ... in fact, thay did when they traded for guns! That has NOTHING to do with the indian reference ....... you are over thinkin it

isatarak

This is all well and good, but BS in my opinion. Note that when the Indians got the chance they started using horses and firearms. They weren't stupid.

Jim_IV

Intresting........read.......but.......why......so .....many.....dots......in....the.....post?





Just being a smart A.I have to agree with Germ. If we are playing the Native American card here, they would have shot the most modern weapon they could get their hands on. Now, it is a lot harder to shoot traditional IMO. I am sure bare bone would be much harder than that.

bigcountry

I have found out there is a much bigger gap between bare bow hunting and compound than most think. For instance, I can hit 5" groups with cedar arrows, and longbow strickly instintive shooting/part gap at 20 yards. I can do it over and over again. But I have missed more deer at 18 yards with my longbow than ever with my compound. 1st step is confidence of hitting your mark consistently and knowing your limitations there. Second, is being able to harness that ability while hunting. Thats the tough part.

Do I think everybody should try it? Why no. Everybody has to go thier own way and kill whatever way makes them feel good.

Arthur P

There is an added bit of romance to using traditional gear, to see if you are man enough to hunt and take animals with the same gear your grandfatherused. Are you as good an outdoorsman as he was, as skilled?

Are you capable of hunting with primitive gear and hunting in the way of your unknown ancientancestor, back in the depths of time? Those of you who scorn the Native Americans seem to forget that we ALL - even those with pearly white skin, blonde hair and blue eyes -had someone in our ancestry who hunted with a wooden bow and an arrow with flint head. May have been 50,000 years ago, but if he hadn't hunted and killed enough meat to survive to pass on his genes, you wouldn't be here right now.

I'm sure that ancient one would've loved to have had a Bowtech or a sleek .270 with Zeiss scope. He used the best technologythat was available to him, just as you do.

Some of us like turningtime upside downand finding out if we are still up to the task of learning to shoot well enough with his technology toethically hunt with it. To see if we, as modern man, would be capable of hanging in there in an ancient hunting party without embarrassing ourselves.

It's a romantic idea indeed. Doesn't seem tohave very broad appeal though. Romance and artistry are wasted on technocrats.

DUMB BASS

Not to be a complete smarty, but if it is so great and rewarding, why come back to compound tackle?

I bowfish w/ a recurve, but deer hunt w/ a compound...

Arthur P

Some don't come back to compounds. Some are avid compound haters, in fact. There are lots of reasons to pick up the compound for a hunt though. Maybe you have a spell where you can't practice enough with the old style gear to stay proficient. You might get an injury and need the compound's power at lower draw weight. Maybe you're getting old with creaky joints and can't stand the physical strain of shooting with the old style equipment any more. Maybe you have some management goals in mind and need to stack the odds a little more in your favor -hunter success ratios with compounds are in the 40% range and around 15% with traditional gear.

And maybe you simply don't want to play cave man or Indianevery time you hit the woods.

nick_bleuer76

I would really enjoy getting into it!