TURKEY FAN

sounds kinda weird to me! I have been hunting with my uncle for 15yrs now and if we say something like that i would have to smak him in back of the head and tell him to snap out of it![&:]

WV Hunter

Wolfen....he's just flat scared thats all. He don't want you to show him up with a trad bow... [8D]

LOL .... I say PUT IT ON HIM

rybohunter

As long as you are practiced enough and are confident you can kill a deer, I don't see why your buddy would have a problem. Makes no sense to me. I want to reach a time where I'll pick up the recurve to hunt with again. I just don't currently have enough time right now, but I will at some time in my hunting future.

BobCo19-65

I see so many comments here about how people do not have time to shoot a recurve/longbow and I just want to make a comment which is not ill intended at all. First, think about it, you will take away pretty much all of the time that is spent "tinkering" with your setup if you move to traditional, this time could be spent practicing. Second, you will find that practice sessions are not quite as long with traditional mainly because you do not aim as long. Third, I would go out on a limb and say that a person with consistant practice session of every other day shooting maybe 3 dozen arrows a session, could be pretty accurate to about 20 yards in maybe 4 months or so as long a consistant quality practice sessions are followed. In other words, I don't think it is as bad as it seems.

I also noticed a comment about the price of traditional bows. And yes they can cost as much as a compound, even more. I know I paid over $500 for my last longbow and the same bow is going for 700 now. I could have sold my bow for a few hundred more then I paid for it the day after I received it and still can. But, the bow is made directly for me with the wood that I picked out, my specific draw length of 31" ,the poundage, and the length. The boyer that I bought it from is in high demand right now and isn't even taking orders at this time. He makes everything from start to finish on the bow. But these are the top of the line bows. For someone starting out, I would suggest something used. Usually about $100-150 could get you started until you know for sure if you like it or not.

Here is a picture of my OL Adcock longbow.

avid_bowhunter2005

"hard to find hunting buddies..."
Yeah, I'm 17 and still haven't found one... my last one stole my g/f behind my back, so now I'm hunting by myself...
As for the tradtional hunter response, I give a lotta respect to those who can take any animal with the traditional equipment, because they are the ones really who started this bow thing, not some cavemen with hyped up Mathews compounds...

Paul L Mohr

I have made cracks about that very thing on this website before, on a few ocasions over the years (traditional not being ethical). I am always using it as a what if type thing and going to the extremes of an attitude someone may have. Usually in reply to someone that has problems with things getting to advanced. I have never implied that is my personal feelings, just that some may see it that way.

I would like to get a recurve bow as well some day. I doubt I will ever hunt with it, but I would like to learn to shoot one just the same. I have seen some pretty amazing things done with traditional equipment and instinctive shooting. I would assume it takes LOTS of practice, and maybe even some training to get it right. I have tried it a few times and couldn't hit a the broad side of a barn, from inside the barn! I just flat out suck, but I am sure I could learn if I messed with it enough.

I think your buddy has probably tried it as well and found out how hard it is and thinks it would be near impossible to hunt that way. I think if you got proficient enough at it and could prove to him you were good enough he might change his mind. If not, I don't know what to tell you, maybe he isn't as good of a friend as you think. Unless he knows you well enough to know that you don't have the commitment to do it right or something?

I know if I told my hunting buddies I wanted to try and hunt with traditional equipment they would not chastize me for it. They might look at me a bit odd because it's against my personal nature, but they would back me up on it. Probably even offer to loan me a bow or something and help me get started. They know that I would spend hours a day every chance I got practicing and researching my new toy. That's just the way I am. And that I wouldn't even consider hunting with it unless I was really confident using it.

Of course I wouldn't catch any grief if I decieded to use a crossbow either. I might get ribbed a little, but no one would refuse to hunt with me.

Hunting is a very individual endeavor, with room for many different types of people. If it's legal and your profecient with it, use what ever weapon makes it most enjoyable for you. If you feel your hunting skills are good enough that you want to make it all that much more challenging, go traditional. You will probably love it. Just make sure you know what you are doing before step into the woods with it. I can't imagine anyone going to traditional that would not do that though.

Good luck,
Paul

silentassassin

Wolfen,

I would say that you should take this pretty serious. I think you are pretty lucky that you found someone willing to put up with your crap for a season much less 15 years

smokpole

One of the guy's I hunt and fish with is strictly a Trad bow hunter. Him and his son both have taken pheasant on the wing with thier trad bows. I would put him up against any compound shooter out to 30yds.

Texarkanimal

Definately would hunt with you if you went traditional. Might give it a second thought if you picked up a gun or a crossbow though. I rib all my gun hunting buddies. Really I have nothing against gun hunting I just prefer to bow hunt only. Reason I try to get them to drop the guns is I believe if someone puts a serious effort into becoming a bow hunter they will no longer have a desire to pick up the rifle again. They get tired of my deer scoring formula for rifle killed deer. I automatically deduct 30 inches off the net score if it is taken with a rifle. lol

Katbones

No way!! I think it is great you are trying to go back to the old ways. If you practice enough, you will be just as proficient.