Tred is the reason I am shooting traditional. After shooting a duck with my neighbor, he came over, introduced himself, and gave my sons these bows. Then he mailed them some of his wooden arrows for Christmas. That was when I bought me a longbow. So of course I like him. He is genuine, but his style is all show and he admits it.

The fun part was how fascinated my sons were with string and stick. They are such gearheads (I taught them well ) that I never imagined such a simple machine would spark their interest.

I put this picture uplast December under Bowhunting in a very long Tred thread - sorry if you already saw it.

Saw your name and had to check it out. Enjoyed it! Great story!

I've watched Tred's show for almost a year now. For most of that time I held a very low opinion of the man...sanctimonious, narcissistic, borderline unethical, etc... But I kept watching for some reason. Now I've almost completely changed my assessment. The guy can be so over the top and so tongue in cheek at the same time that I thought he really took himself that seriously. Now it's obvious to me that he's usually the butt of his own good-natured jokes. Any guy that will haul some crazy mountain goat halloween costume to the far end of creation just for a laugh can't be that bad. I still think that his views on technology are completely inconsistent. The next time he goes after a big eyed tuna in a birchbark canoe I may change my mind on that. Until then, he doesn't need to lecture people on the evils of using blinds or decoys to kill a turkey (that's just one example). All in all, I'm a big fan, and Tred---he's the MAN!

And he just may try it. Like you, I started to listen more closely (of course, since I met him, I don't miss a show).

I don't think he is inconsistent and here is why . . . . I don't hear him say he is better than me because of his longbow. I hear him say that he is better than himself; he believes he gets more out of his hunt with his methodsand wants me to get more out of mine, too, because he loves it so much.If he said he was better than me, then fishing from a modern twin turbo cabin cruiser would be inconsistent.

Oh, I don't know if it's inconsistent anyway. I mean, I have a level of technology I like best for hunting. But I've got a different level of technology that I find acceptable for myself for fishing. For fishing, it's a matter of dependability.

Why would I want to use a split cane rod with braided horsehair line and a knuckle buster reel and and have to hope against hope that nothing breaks while I'm tussling with a big'un? I can use a high modulous graphite rod, non stretch line and a top of the line high speed baitcaster and be pretty darn sure I can catch a couple of tons of fish before anything breaks, or even needs serious maintenance.

I've shot compounds in competition. Had a great many equipment failures. So many failures that I've never trusted compounds enough to actually hunt with one.

Frankly, if I had to choose between hunting with a compound or a rifle, I'd take the rifle. Hopefully the rifle would be a Hawken.

My reason for saying he's inconsistent doesn't stem from him implying that he is better than other people because of how he hunts. I have a certain undefined, almost subconscious level of technology with which I am comfortable, which I do not try to impose on others. Kind of like my personal hunting ethic. However, when he comes out on his show and calls for banning certain methods of hunting that he perceives to be unfair to the animal, I think that's over the line. His point is well taken, though. I agree that shooting something at long distance, for example, could form a disconnect between the hunter and the animal that he kills. Almost producing a video game type of mentality. Wish I could remember exactly what it was he wanted banned, think it was in regards to turkey hunting. I watch every show too, so it'll come back to me.

Men,
Ive never seen this guy on TV or DVD but iam gonna get one and check him out and then I'll give ya my opinion on this guy.
Tj

Guess I didn't know he did that.I said I never miss one, but it looks like I did.

And we all have our line on banning, just like our subconcious level of technology. For example I would never internet hunt and I favor banning it. I would never do a fenced hunt, but don't favor banning it.

Exactly. You might hate him, but he is one character you just gotta see.

Those are the two examples I was thinking of in my last post, and I'm of the same mind in both instances. I think he's right on most of the time, though, and if nothing else a very straightforward guy.