My mom told me when I was a young boy, never argue with a fool, cause if someone is listening, they won't know who the fool is.

Antlereater, you made the most sense of anyone.

Bobby

Thats next fall ... I gotta practice a bit more. Right now I'm a bit slow coming around the tree and my club is hitting to left of my targets

I'll buy that. I choose NOT to use a compound and I am less effective, less efficient that allows me less error for distances and sceanrios that might arise.

Aint that something ... and we're both bowhunters ?

BTW, crossbow hunters say the same thing about their choices of equipment, don't they ?

I would say so but then again I would say that crossbow hunters are bowhunters too. JMO

I really can't say for sure but I think that there is a distinct possiblilty that they feel this way. However, much of us with any tech knowledge realize there are more cons to crossbows than pros. Most us realize they are louder, don't have the same effective range of a compound, and they don't have the KE or momentum (in most cases) that compounds do. I say this, however, I am not familiar with the crossbos that have hit the market in the last 4 or 5 years so many of those problems may have been ironed out. So that brings back to the most important thing that we can carry in the woods with us and that is confidence. A compound (preferabbly a Bowtech) is what gives me confidence. A crossbow is to easy for me personally but I don't mean to judge crossbow hunters and I welcome them into the world of "bowhunters", they're just not for me. You may feel that compounds are too easy for you, just like I feel that traditional equipment would "limit" me and I respect that opinion. However, I don't feel like any of us have the right to judge how someone else chooses to hunt, so long as it's legal. (I used the term legal because I feel like ethics are different for everyone, though many here try to force their ethics to everyone else)

I've been watching this thread for a while, and feel compelled to respond. I have 2 different scenarios for you :

1) Some of you are making it sound like shooting a compound is "easy" and that everyone should be marksmen if they resort to using equipment that is so simple to shoot accurately. Well, I shot in an indoor league this winter after a 6yr break from competition. If it's so darned easy, how come only about 10 people out of 120 or so in the league managed to shoot 300's (NFAA 5-spot 300 round / 60 arrows at 20yds). Not only that, but some very good bowhunters were happy to be shooting in the 260 to 280 range. A 260 means they missed the 3+" bullseye 40 times out of 60 (assuming they kept their misses in the 4-ring!) at 20yds, indoors, perfect lighting, in street clothes. Doesn't sound too "easy" to me!!!

2) Now on the other hand, I haven't shot my target bow for 6yrs after getting fed up with the competition side of things. I don't shoot year round and probably average once per week for 2-3 months during the summer and then maybe 3 times per week for a month prior to the season with my hunting bow. I picked up my target bow and shot one practice round the weekend before league just to make sure I could even shoot 60 arrows! (I hadn't shot a bow at all since the end of October) By the 3rd week of the league with no practice in between I shot a 300 with 48 X's. So with essentially NO practice I was in the top 10 out of 120 other bowhunters / archers. So there is something to be said for "natural ability".

When I first started in archery 18yrs ago (I was 20 at the time), I lived and breathed it. I shot every chance I got, bowhunted, shot 3D, shot indoor league and traveled to 3D and indoor tournaments all over Vt, NY and New England, including state and New England regional championships. I would even start practicing for indoor leagues during rifle season since the indoor range was empty! I fell firmly in the camp that if you didn't shoot 12 months out of the year you shouldn't be hunting.

Now I'm no longer young and single with unlimited time to devote to archery. I have a 4yr old son and a wife, both of whom I actually enjoy spending time with. I feel that I practice plenty to be proficient but archery just doesn't consume me like it once did. The enjoyment I get out of bowhunting is probably MORE than it was when I was shooting constantly because I was more of an archer than hunter. I don't feel any less prepared now than I did then come opening morning, and I certainly DON'T believe that one must shoot year round in order to bowhunt!

.... Shockwave

Shockwave - Trad hunters shooting over 200 on a 3D shoot aint that common in my experience .... theres your comparison to what is and isn't easy shooting !

Natural Ability ? Snicker, snicker

Stealthycat - You are absolutely right ... there I said it! There is NO comparison between compounds and traditional gear. I haven't seen anyone in these entire 6 pages argue that point with you so get over it.

So you are a "traditional elitist", huh? Nothing I can say will change your attitude, then.

Good hunting to you .. Shockwave

I favor crossbows and I'm elite .... now c'mon, you know those two don't go together !

BTW, I drew for a CO elk muzzleloader tag ... another anti-elite move, wouldn't you say ?

I've had just about enough of this elitist traditional crap.

You want my honest opinion on the issue?...........

Alot guys start out shooting compounds or the really old ones started shooting sticks then switch to compounds. All they every killed is dinks and does. At some point they say to themselves, killing these dinks and does with compounds is too easy, I think I will go back to the stick to increase the challenge.

Well trads, let me tell you, consistently shooting mature bucks with a compound IS TWICE AS CHALLENGING AS SHOOTING DINKS WITH A STICK!!!!

I pass on atleast 20+ dinks every season, I could definately kill some of these bucks with a stick, no question. But it is still a dink and no challenge.

Choosing a stick does not make up for your lack of knowledge of mature bucks.

Ding, Ding...........

Oh SH[:-]T

Type your name into that post a few times DC. I want it to be clear that it wasn't me..........[]

Two birds with one stone...........

Atlas....It wasnt me.....It wasn't me.............

I would never even think up something like that

LOL ! Are you drinking Double Creek ? Take your trophy hunting to a whole new level and try doing it with a REAL bow and REAL skills instead of shooting a release, fiber pins and high tech thing that resembles a piece of the space shuttle. You know, one of those ancient stick and string bows that require practice, concentration and skill as opposed to mindless, mechanical aiming that my 5th grade teacher could master in 20 minutes.



No, you keep telling yourself you "challenge" is bowhunting with a compound, but that don't make it so. Your challenge is getting within 20-30 yards of a mature buck. Thats when things change - and equipment DOES make a difference. If you dont agree with that, you aint shot a recurve/longbow in a long time !

Rack-attack - How'd I do there ? Enoguth to generate 3 more pages of responses ??