Does Anyone Remember?
 

Maybe im just an old fart, but does anyone remember when 5-6 guys would shoot recurves into bails at a friends garage with recurves, just for something to do? And tree stands were against the law in Wisconsin, so you hunted out of blinds or drove deer with bows.
This is how I grew up, and how I learned to hunt deer, and believe me, it took me years to get my first deer. But eventually I rounded that corner when it all came together. Now with tree stands, modern archery equipment, and camo that we dont have to make ourselves, its kinda sad that some kids dont get to experiance the way we did it back then.
Dont get me wrong, I LOVE my Bowtech, and my tree stand.

Yep...Some of us still shoot fingers, feathers, aluminum arrows, fixed heads, older bows and believe it or not......They still kill deer...

My first bought camo was a zebra stripe jumpsuit from an Army surplus store....Vietnam era... :)

It was a whole differant game back then wasnt it? I dont remember as many women into archery back then either. In school you knew who was an archer from the welts on there 4 arms, and the missing hair on there arms was from seeing if there broadheads needed sharpening.

And a wad of TP wound tight with scotch tape if it was juuuuust right!

I'm still shooting and hunting with recurves and longbows, aluminum arrows...haven't shot a compound in 20yrs

....51 years old here and it sure does bring back memories.

I bought my bow, a Darton Maverick in 2001 for $199. I have one, count em one site pin. A finger tab, 2512 aluminum arrows and 3 blade muzzy 125's. I haven't shot many big bucks with it, but have killed a lot of deer. A while back i thought about stepping up with a release and all that crap but couldn't hit the house if i was standin in it, and now i pretty much refuse to do it just because i like to be different. When this bow finally craps out, not sure what i'll do. Can you eaven buy a new bow now awadays set up for a finger shooter??? If not, think instead of upgrading i'll downgrade. Longbow it will be!!

I've thought the same about where would I find a new finger bow and frankly I think I'll give in and go with a release...

Of course the type bow I'm thinking of going to will be held horizontal..... :)

Remember when tree stands were first legal, and we had to make our own? Remember our first popple ride to the ground! And huggin a tree was the only way they got you up there?

Seriously!!! Do they still make a new bow for a finger shooter?????

Gotta shop @ yard sales and craigs list for that stuff

When I started bowhunting back in the mid 70's, it took a couple of years, but I killed my first 2 deer from the ground with my Bear Polar LTD. It was my first compound bow. I shot into stacked, compressed bread boxes as my target. Back then you could only kill ONE deer per season in Pa. I shot with fingers and with no sight. lol They were great times!

We used to get ALOT of snow back then. there were 20 deer in a herd, and we would go drive em out of the pines with 20 guys. It wasnt real often we got one in the beginning, but we got em figured out and started taking some pretty good numbers. We would be beat down at the end of the day, but we always had a good time!

do recall seeing some long axle bows that you can finger shoot. Its just been a while since I looked. I think parker makes some, and PSE

i shoot a 40 year old Bear Kodiak hunter still. I love shooting trad. Half of my bowhunting is still hunting, just the way i like it.

Hoyt does .


hatchet Jack

You guys know, todays kids who never pulled back a recurve, or made there own cammo, and most likely never hunted from the ground, are pretty much ignorant to the harvest as we knew it back then. Now its all about only shooting standing deer, inside 40 yards, blah blah blah.With there fancy 1000 dollar bows. If they only knew what it was like back in the 70s. I got a feeling most of them would have taken up baking cookies instead.

im 18 and i feel like im hunting in the 70's. I just hung up a baker climbing stand, im sure most people who hunted back in the day know what they are. My dad has showed me many tips and tricks he has learned from hunting his whole life. From the stories he tells seems like going to deer camp was a lot more fun back then with tons of buddies and family, and more of a bonding time than to get monster buck.

My first bow was a Darton WH-500, cost about $200 back in 1981. I couldn't wait to get home and shoot it before hunting season. I still have that same bow but since have "modernized" my hunting with a Mathews Switchback XT that I bought 5 years ago.

I'm gonna give you some advice, throw that dang Baker away before you kill yourself...

Make sure you wear a harness. Im glad your dad took time to teach you where the roots came from. I did the same with my sons. I feel bad for some of these kids who will never know.

From one old Pa. hunter to you, a younger Pa. hunter, do yourself, your family, your girlfriend and anybody else you value a favor and get rid of the Baker Treestand-----please!!!!!

I had a Baker and later a Baker Slim Jim back in the 70's and eventually found that they were a death trap waiting to kill you.

If you like a climber get something like a Summit. Treestands are much better and safer these days. And more comfy, too.

Although us old guys reminisce about the "good ole days" there are many things today that are better for hunting.

i get up as many stands as possible on private property i have permission to hunt on, even if it means hanging up an old baker i got in the shed (of course i use a harness with that death trap lol) . and i DON'T climb with it, im not that dumb ;). Its up in a tree about 12 feet up with climbing sticks up to it. its permanently there. i have that thing nailed in good. but really those stands are safe if you know you limits in them. i've hunted out of my ladders, built platforms, my summit climber and the baker. Never had a problem, but i wont go up more than 12 feet with it, nor would i climb with it.

Sounds like you know what you are doing. You can thank your dad and other mentors for taking time to be sure you knew how to figure stuff out. Wise beyond your years!