RE: Time to go Trad
 

I'm not Jody, but I think you should work on everything and make a judgement call when it's time. Even if you can only shoot 10 yards effectively, I'd personally still hunt (keeping that yardage at my max). Heck, I get that close to deer every year.

RE: Time to go Trad
 

Thanks dwd2001...you saved me a lot of typing. I am in the same boat as you, and believe that Jody A is a little quick on making an irrational judgement on our situation.

As for being young and only chasing big deer, I really don't understand that statement. I have shot 3 times more does than bucks. Further more, some of the best hunts, as I saidin a previous post, are the ones I go out and never even have a weapon in hand. I love the outdoors and enjoy the time I spend there. In no way am I ever disappointed if I don't harvest an animal. I shot a doe with a pistol last year, my first one with a pistol, and that was one the biggest accomplishments I have ever achieved. Although it was only a doe, I still took great pride and honor in achieving something I had tried to do in 3 years. I do have a deer on the wall that scores 172" that I shot 6 years ago and I was just as proud of that doe as I was of that buck, just b/c of the challenge.

Now, thatI have started shooting trad, my next goal is to harvest an animal with this equipment. I feel that 3 months time is plenty enough time to know my boundaries and get enough practice to successfully take a comfortable shot inside 15 yards. If I fail to harvest an animal this year, there is always next year. I am an outdoorsman and a hunter, nota killer. Harvesting an animal is only a bonus on top of the experience I have in the woods.

Trent

RE: Time to go Trad
 

I believe the premise of Jody's argument is that the hunt was designed for "established" Traditional Hunters........I personally don't really care either way, but I do see where he is coming from.......

On a side note, 3 months time won't buy you much proficiency....... BUT, you've got to start somewhere, and we would LOVE to have you as part of our brotherhood!!!!!!! Good luck and good shooting......

I'd start with Rick McKinney's book "The Simple Art of Winning". It will show you proper form..... From there you can manipulate things to fit your style..... I'd also go online and buy Rick Welch's Instinctive Shooting Volume 2...... It's by far the best video I've ever watched on learning how to shoot a stick bow......

My #1 tip to you 2 guys........ Shoot3 timesas many arrows working on form as you do working on accuracy...... Up close, working on each aspect of your form...... Without form, accuracy will be elusive at best.....If you'll spend the next 3 weeks shooting up close at onlya few feet and working on your bow arm, your anchor, your release and your back tension, you'll come along ways fast!!!! If you work VERY hard, you might be decent at 15 yds...... This stuff takes time and dedication......

RE: Time to go Trad
 

DC, I agree totally. First thing people, including myself wants to do is targets. I have am trying to teach the wife how to shoot.I keep stressing form and she doesn't like that. She just wants to shoot. So I have asked her to try to close her eyes and work on form or let down a shot isn't working for her, but she gets frustated and quits.

It all started when I went to a traditional shoot and she saw this lady that was on fire. She was deadly, and the wife was impressed, and of course the lady told her she could do it. The wife nods her head repeatly saying she understood she had to practice and learn the right way. Right!!

RE: Time to go Trad
 

Im not going to poke my nose too far into it...but I will say-

Three months isnt much time at all when your trying to get into killing shape. When and if a deer does come out within your effective range, its an entirely different game than putting a pin behind its shoulder. You need to be able to pick a single hair off of that deer, and split that hair. If you can do that in three months, more power too ya...

My two cents, take it for what its worth, and good luck...

[Deleted]
 

[Deleted by Admins]

RE: Time to go Trad
 

I give up guys... I am through trying to push my point. Obviously, this is a lose lose situation. I keep trying to say I am getting into trad for as long as my body allows, but for some reason, people assume I am getting into it b/c of some hunt I didn't even draw in for this year. Happy hunting to everyone this year, whether they use a pellet gun, slingshot, spear, or whatever else they want to use. I am out on this issue!! [&o]

RE: Time to go Trad
 

Thanks for the support DC.

Yeah Miller, I'm done with this too. We can lock this thread as far as I'm concerned.

RE: Time to go Trad
 

oh man this is good... Guess I'll start with myself here...

First off, I am a grown man , in America, hard working paying taxes, and I'll do what I want to do. Did I put in for the Mcalester hunt only because of the big bucks?? Dang right I did. Did I start practicing when I applied?? Heck no I didn't. Don't like it? Tough. Will I apologize? NOPE!I'm 33 yrs old and I've put in for that hunt my whole life and this is the ONLY time I've ever been drawn. If I would have practiced all those years w/o knowing what would happen, I would have wore out 2 or 3 bows by now and never been on the hunt. But guess what? The day I knew I was drawn, I was shooting a recurve by the next day. I'm serious as hell about this thing. Funny thing, I can already tell that I'm gonna want to continue with trad. even after this hunt. I'm already enjoying it too much not to. BUT, If I just prepared for this for the hunt and then put the bow down, that's my perrogative also. I don't care what someone else thinks,nor should I.
If you want to know the truth, this hunt discriminates against guys who don't go traditional. There is not another option in this state for compound that even thinks about measuring up to the caliber hunt that this is. If there were I'd put in for that. But, as a hard working ,tax paying citizen, I'm just as entitled to that hunt as anybody. Or do only traditionalists pay taxes??So the only option I have is exactly what I'm doing and being thankful for it, all the while knowing there's self-righteous dudes out there who use traditional archery as a macho stepping stone who are gonna think they're better than me because I haven't shot traditional in so long. BIG HAIRY DEAL.
If you want to get technical about it , I'm Cherokee Indian. I'm the one who has the right to shoot "traditional" on the land that should still be mine..and nobody else..Honestly , that'sNOT an issue to me, but the point is, it could be if I wanted to play that card.

So dwd, millertime, keep doing what you're doing. You both seem like conscienscious, ethical men who will do the right thing. That's the bottom line. That's all that matters, having the integrity to do what's right. I'm sure there's plenty of "hard-core traditionalists" who go in there and miss and injure deer all weekend long. In fact, I know of a few of them.. All their years of "being real men" don't mean squat to the buck laying out there suffering from a gutshot..
I shot three times with my bow last year at bucks. All 8 points. None of them made it over 75 yards from my stand. That wasn't by accident or dumb luck. That's the way I am. That's my standard. And I'll have that same standard with the recurve hunt. I plan on being succesful. I'll do what it takes to be responsibly ready. And when I check in down there this fall I'll beas proud as anybody, maybe more. And I won't give a rip what anyone else thinks. My clear conscience is all I need....That and the big buck that I WILL be taking home with me.....

RE: Time to go Trad
 

Hold'er Cap...
Im a pretty hard core traditionalist, Ill shoot selfbows and cedar when the mood strikes me,and you wont find any "buck laying out there suffering" from me, or most of the trad guys on here...Im pretty sure you wont findus going out there and missing and injuring deer either...

I'd check your stats Captain, in most (if not all) of the studies/surveys done,it wasfound that stickbows wound less deer...

You really WILL be taking home a big buck...hmm, you and I clearly have different views of hunting

BTW- Im Cherokee too ;)

For what its worth...