It's funny I hear the traditional shooters keep saying they are the ones getting bashed by the compound guys but I haven't seen one person say anything about there choice to shoot traditional but I have seen a lot of elitist comments such as "I would like to see new bowhunters learn the art of hunting"and "gun hunters wanting to extend their season" from the traditional side. I've been bow hunting deer for 30 years so i've put in my time with a recurve and now you want to tell me that I'm less of a bowhunter because I've chosen to shoot a modern compound, what gives you the right. I still get just as much of a thrill from shooting a deer with my compound as I did with my recurve and I still get within 10 yrds. of deer. No I'm no less of a bowhunter than I was with traditional gear I just don't have to pass up those 25 yrd. shots at a buck that I used to.

Just to clarify something. I receive no profit nor is my interest in anyway profit when I suggest equipment to folks. I derive pleasure from experimenting with new equipment. Nothing more.

As long as it's not a crossbow or doesn't lock at full draw, then I think it's bowhunting. If you hunt with a bow; it's bowhunting.

AAHHHHHH Geeeze

You had to go and say the "C" word (and no Arthur not "C" as in compound)

Pop Corn....Pop Corn Here, get your Pop Corn

I got into bowhunting on my own. I thought I would like to try it and bought an old bow and fell in love with it. I like my rifles but prefer bow. I even bought my 9 yr old daughter and 7 yr old boy bows although they don't seem to have much interest. But by exposing them early I figure they may get into it later. The last thing my wife could care to do is shoot a bow but she knows I love it and supports that. What was the early bows and arrows? Tree limbs with animal cartiledge and sticks with pointed stones? So isn't it correct that archery products have evolved and improved constantly over the ages? I'm sure making your own bow and arrows out of natural materials without the use of any machinery or modern processes would be quite satisfying and to harvest an animal with that equipment would be incredible. If someone did that, would they have the right or be justified in slamming someone who shot anything else because their equipment was made by machines or contained material other than natural or used improved designs different than the first bows because it wasn't as pure? Utterly ridiculous. An archer should be glad he has a big family of fellow archers who enjoy the sport in some fashion. I would not want everybody shooting high tech compounds. There should be a healthy variety of shooters and equipment. I thing the sport would get awful stale if there was one kind of shooter and one kind of bow and nobody trying to advance it. What gets alot of people angry on this board is when someone can't just state their opinion and the facts of how they got to that opinion, but have to start using words like "ignorant", "stupid", "trash", "junk", and so on, and most of the time they haven't even stated that they ever owned or tried the equipment they are slamming. BTW, I'm not specifically talking about Arthur or any one in paticular but about multiple posts I've seen. I don't know Arthur but from what I've read he's been shooting longer than I've been alive and will never know as much or be half the archer he is. But I don't have to be in order to get absolute enjoyment from what I do. Hats off to all the trads. I'm sure it must be absolutely great. I wish I had more time and maybe someday I will. Unfortunately, I don't. So I will put my time into shooting my compound and loving every minute of it. BTW, my first setup cost me $100 for bow, sight, rest, case, a few arrows, stabilizer, peep, whiskers, and quiver. New bow cost about $500 with acc's. The pro shop has never pressured me to buy the most expensive gadgets. Quite the opposite. They usually tell me if I can get something else just as good but cheaper. Besides, the pro shop needs more business if you ask me. I understand the compound hasn't been around that long and the early ones weren't that good so even though they have gotten pretty good in the last, what, 10 years (?) or so, they are still viewed by some as new fangled. Eveyone should be able to enjoy archery on their own terms and other archers should be able to accept the others as parts of the whole. You do or don't like something? That's your right. Maybe some could state their opinions without the extra digs and put downs.

Exactly and I get my satisfaction from killing big bucks and I don't care if they are 30 yards or 6 yards. Surely you would agree that killg a 4.5 year old buck at 30 yards with a compound would derive more satisfaction that killing a doe at 6 yards. It all depends on your priorites and what floats your boat.



Again, what difference does it make? So they do it different than you would do it? Why do you want to even judge where it ends. It is that persons own business to what extent to take their archery passion as long as it is legal and ethical. It is not for you to determine so why try to impose your standards on others?

I will try if you will explain to me why so many of what would be considered the best archers in the world shoot releases, wheels, and fancy gadgets and if you will explain why releases, wheels, and gadgets out number all other methods 50 to 1. But to answer your question I can't answer your question because I don't know it to be true. I don't know but a handful (a small handful) of guys that shoot trad. However, maybe they are looking for an excuse to not be able to hit the broadside of the barn. That is one thing we totally agree on. Most people blame the equipment when they shoot bad when they should be blaming the shooter.

So are all archers that shoot releases, wheels, and fancy gadgets suckers? The majority of the best archers to ever grace the sport shoot that way are they suckers too or are you just a sucker when you try to start off shooting that way?

Becasue 99% of them can't (including myself) and I shot that way for 11 years and I so kick my old scores @SS now that I shoot a release.

Well that's just sad. I suppose I am not exposed to as many archers as you and why some of the new archers that I am exposed to are misguided they aren't that misguided

These same controversies can be heard from rifle hunters to shotgun hunters,SG hunters to crossbow hunters,Xbow hunters,to compound ,compound to trad,trad to spear hunters, spear to knife,knife to club club to stickStick to sling?I don't care one way or another ,I love to hunt and hunt with my compounds have harvested with trad bow,and with gun too.One mans ceiling is anothers floor.I live on several floors and love to hunt.I do take my wife hunting and fishing with me and my youngest daughter loves the stick and string.One is really no more better or worse than the other, they can all create agrivation or jubilationAnyone for golf,with some old wood clubs or do you prefer the newer graphite and titanium?Bill D>

A friend of mine is a traditionalist and has studied about the evolution of the bow. He was telling me about two different tribes of indians who started experimenting with mounting smaller bows to the front of there regularbows and tried stringing them together with extra strings. It would not decrease the poundage but would keep their bow from stacking at full draw. Man has gone from throwing spears and rocks, to bow and arrow and evolution has brought us to further extremes. It has been predicted that the last world war will be with bows and arrows. Without production lines and people left there will be only the tools that have existed for years. Until then I will shoot my compound and recurve once in a while , but when the crap hits the fan I am giving you all a call(if the power is on) . As long as you enjoy it by all means do it. Other than that I will claim rectal glaucoma on this one, because I can't see my arse arguing about such a great subject. After reading this thread I think that the war has already begun.

Elkcrazy, you can call me for the power outages I am a dedicated Lineman,We even Glove 12,470 volts daily,but used to use sticks to work on the stuff back in the dayBill D>

NY Bowhunter, you don`t know how glad I am to see what you wrote here! You are correct, who would have the audacity to tell you that your newer style setup is wrong? As long as your setup is legal, right?

Kinda like a high fence operation.