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Need to know......
Alright everyone spill it. How old are you, and when did you start shooting traditional? I am curious, seeing that I am a relative newbie when it comes to traditonal archery. I am 28 years old and have been shooting a compound bow for a long time. I started with a compound, and until recently, that is all I shot. I started shooting traditional recently and absolutly love it. I hooked my younger brother who is 23 years old and he loves it as well. I am curious to know about the rest of you out there. In fact I would love for each of you to list one tip. If you could only provide one tip to a relatively new shooter what would that be. Remember it is only one tip......Also one of my new years resolutions is to stop lurking in the background and start posting more. Hopefully you guys won't mind.
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RE: Need to know......
I'm 33, will be 34 in Feb. I don't remember the exact date I started shooting traditional, but it was approximately 10 years ago (unless you count homemade equipment as a kid). Bows and arrows were things I only saw on TV while growing up--it never even occured to me that I could shoot. My folks were never exposed to it either. I fell into it by pure accident, and am very thankful I did--compounds were ok, but never took a hold on me like this. My son started shooting when he was 2, he will be 8 in March, and he already owns one longbow, two take-down recurves, and a self bow. He isn't a collector--lol--he just keeps outgrowing his bows.
My one tip is to keep it fun. Practice properly, but have fun with it. If it's not fun, then what is the point? Don't take yourself too seriously, don't take everything that every "expert" tells you as the gospel truth and the only way it can be done--experiment, play, shoot with friends, walk in the woods, go to tournaments, shoot every bow you can get your hands on, and love the sport. Chad Long Bows Rule! |
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I am 37 and I too started with a compound. My first bow was a indian deerslayer 50lbs. I could not pull it when I got it for Christmas but by the end of spring I was shooting it nearly everyday. Even though it was a compound I shot it instinctive and did so until I tagged my first deer with it. From that day till about 4 years ago now I shot compounds with sight pins, and releases. Needless to say I got tired of trying to keep up with the techno junkies. Back to plain bows and big smiles. Best tip would be to always use a stringer and to ask questions.
shoot straight, aim well, and tell tall tales to good friends. |
RE: Need to know......
52 years young. I shot some when I was a kid, but not enough to be serious about it. I starter with compound when they still resembled a bow
 , then 10 years ago or so I picked up my first stick and got rid of the wheels.I guess my best tip (since LBR stole my other one<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>) is to start lite in weight, say 40-45# at your draw and work on the mechanics of the shot before accuracy. Because consistent accuracy won't come until your form, anchor and release are consistent. Make em sharp and shoot em straight, or leave em home. Edited by - wahya on 01/05/2003 00:00:27 |
RE: Need to know......
Turned 31 yesterday.I have been shooting traditional about a year or so and wish I had started with traditional instead of a compound (much more fun).At least I started my son out right he is 8 and doing quite well so far.My best tip would be a bad bow will still shoot a good arrow to its mark but not even the best bow will put a poor arrow where ya want it!
SHOOT STRAIGHT >>>--------> Troy |
RE: Need to know......
I'm 34 , started shooting 21 years ago when my grandpa bought me my first curve. I got my brother into shooting curves about a dozen years ago, given him over a dozen curves since then (he has more bows than me now)
I did a stupid thing when I was 18 and chased my girlfriend of then time over to Abbotsford, and fell into making bows for a living (was better than finding actual physical work....) Marc |
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I'll be 51 in April. Started when my grampa made a selfbow for my 3rd birthday. Killed pigeons, sparrows and other assorted vermin around the chicken coop until I graduated to rabbits, possums and raccooons when I was 7. Shooting arrows and small game/varmint hunting has been my favorite hobby ever since (but I still have to get my fishin' in some time<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>). To this day I'd rather hunt small game than deer.
A lot of folks don't count their experiences shooting bows when they were little kids. I do. I've loved it ever since the very first arrow and just never had sense enough to quit. I did start shooting a compound a little around 1981 with an old Pearson wheelbow that had all of about 35% letoff. Got pretty serious about field archery tournaments in the mid 80's with my compounds. I've still got a few wheelies laying around the house, but I've only hunted with them a few times. Like Chad says, 'longbows rule'. My alternate tip, besides having fun, would be to not be afraid to do some long range shooting with your bow. You'll lose and break arrows, for sure, but you'll learn more about shooting stickbows with long range practice than you'll ever learn by constantly plugging away at 15-20 yards. And when you get to where you can shoot something resembling groups at 50-60 yards, it makes those 20 yard shots slam dunks. Develop your form with close range work. Perfect it with long range shooting. |
RE: Need to know......
Rolled over to 40 last May, might even grow up one day...<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I started out around 5/6 with vine maple bows strung with cotton butchers twine and arrows my gramma whittled out of the kindling pile. Hunted grannary mice and frogs. Graduated to my mother's fibreglas 2 piece longbow with knitting-needle-thin aluminum arrows (bow circa ~1956), killed alot of cardboard boxes, buckets and even a couple of fish with that unit. At 8 a neighbour gave me a Ben Pearson "Old Hickory", still have it. Fiddled around with those bows into highschool but never hunted with them (too light anyway)- was more into game birds with .22 and shotguns. Went compound in '84 shooting fingers and 3 sight pins, never got caught up in a gadget phase, always thought I'd go back to recurves and eventualy did. Wife got me an "offshore special" recurve for Christmas in '92 and I haven't looked back. Through the kindness of a benevolent stranger I got my first quality 'curve a few years later and now I even shoot an LB from time to time.
Tip? Segments of the trad world seems to be rife with random acts of kindness- give back if you're able. RC |
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I am 35, and began shooting a Bear fiberglass bow at the age of 6 or 7. I played around with all the new wheels and pulleys until just recently.
This past Sept, I was allowed to shoot the CM Crusader of a very evil person while moose hunting in Ontario. Needless to say, it rekindled an old flame, and brought back the desire I was looking for. I am soon to start building my own arrows. I am already re-finding the joy of archery that was disappearing. My tip? Be safe, have fun, and pursue what makes you all warm and squiggley inside. |
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I'm 52. I've been shooting since I was 13. Started with a 35# fiberglass bow and graduated to a 48# Bear Kodiak Hunter when I was 17. At the age of 24, I fell over to the "Darkside" and bought a wheelie bow. About 10 years ago I went back to traditional archery because the deer were still jumping the bow even with all that "Speed." I decided to see if quiet was a better approach. It is. I'm having a lot more fun now.
My tip would be to learn to make at least some of your own equipment. It helped me understand 2 things. 1st is why things work and 2nd, why bowyers charge what they do for a "Simple stick and string". Dick |
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RE: Need to know......
56. Started shooting in 1958
Your life is made of time, not money. |
RE: Need to know......
I was 41 in September. Starting shooting a solid glass "Brown Bear" when I was 12. When I was 14, I started hunting deer with a Bear Super Magnum "48" I bought that bow from the Bear museum/pro shop in Grayling MI. I hunted with that bow for 3 or 4 years and took my first two deer with it. I then switched to a compound because it seemed that that was the thing to do. I bought a Darton Trailmaster and I hunted with that bow for about 17 or 18 years. At that time I bought another compound, a Jennings Quest. Had all the toys on that one, red dot scope even. I really liked that bow, but after taking a few deer with it it just seemed a little boring. After last season, just for the heck of it I picked up a recurve that belonged to the owner of our local archery shop. Fired a few arrows with it and I guess I was just hooked. Shooting that thing felt like it did when I was a kid. Within a few weeks, I purchased an older Bear Grizzly and shot that for a few months. Thinking that I wanted something a little heavier for hunting with, I purchased a Chek-mate Falcon from a guy that I had been talking to on a bulletin board. The bow was new, never been shot, 54# @ 28". What a sweet little shooter. I shot that bow all summer and was committed to hunt with it this fall. In the meantime, I enjoyed shooting that Falcon so much that I decided to order another one a little lighter weight and a little fancier. Well, I orderd a Falcon Special, Cocobolo riser, red elm limbs, clear glass and some really pretty overlays. Because my bow was not here for hunting season, I hunted with the other Falcon and managed to take a nice Michigan 5pt on the opening day of the season. I might ad that somewhere in there I started making my own cedar arrows and that is what I used to hunt with.
To make a long story real short, I haven't sold my compound, probably won't, but I can't ever see going back to it. As I said, shooting the recurve actually brings back the excitement for archery that I had when I was a kid. I can literally shoot for hours and never tire. Never wanted to do that with the compound. As far as tips go, I'm a relative newcomer myself so I could use the tips myself. If I could give one tip that was given to me it would be this. Unlike shooting the compound, where even on a bad day you are very accurate, shooting the recurve is a lot different. Some days it feels like I literally cant miss. Somedays it is the exact opposite. For whatever reason, some days it is just not there. You're best off setting your bow down and coming back tomorrow. Don't try to shoot through it...it will only get worse. The fellow that got me started told me this. He is what I would consider to be a superb shot and even he has days when it just doesnt work. Keep it fun and if you would indulge me, one more thing. This is a pet peave of mine. :) It seems that for whatever reason some of the people that shoot traditional equipment are on some sort of elitist ego trip. Trad shooters in my opinion are no better, no more ethical, no more sportsmanlike than any of our counterparts that shoot a compound. We just choose to shoot different equipment for a multitude of reasons reasons. Try not to let it be anything more than that. JMHO KPC |
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I'm 22 and will be 23 in March. I have shot a recurve since before I could run, but never hunted with one until two years ago. I started bowhunting with a compound about 4 years ago and have been fortunate enough to harvest a deer with it every season. This past bow season I tried to only use my recurve. I didn't see nothin'! until my string broke and I had to use my compound, and then I killed a big doe! It was 40 yards anyway and way out of my recurve range. That was the only deer I saw all bow season. Lucky I got her huh? I get bad target panic when I shoot my compound on the range, but hardly any problems when shooting a stickbow. It just seems more natural to me.
"Hey ya'll, watch this" |
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38, going 39 in a couple of months. I started bowhunting 4 years ago, using a compound with all the "gizmos" (rifle hunted before and wanted to try something different). I changed to the stick and string a year ago for a couple of reasons; the technological evolutionary arms race became irritating and, being a "fiddler", I was constantly tinkering. I needed a change to something simpler. This change was challenging, fun and heightened my outdoor experinces with a wonderful hunting season.
Mark "tread softly and carry a big stick" - acknowledgements to LandRover & FDR. |
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55 this month , I was a Bowaholic , belonged to the "Bow -A-Month "club , went to counceling almost cured now, only buy one or two bows a year. Came over from the "Dark Side" 13yrs ago.
Tip : You NEVER have enough BOWS !!!!! :) :) :) Bill |
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Be turning 27 here this Jan 23. I started shooting a compound at 14, took to a recurve the next summer and by that hunting season rolled around it was the only bow I owned. A Martin hunter I paid a whopping 190 bucks for NEW! Hard to imagine in that short of time they have almost doubled in price. I have since been becoming a history nut. Trying to dig up old magazines/books/periodicals/photographs on the sport of bowhunting/archery seems to consume most of my time and almost all of my extra cash! Got some great photo's that need a frame job that for now will stay put away till that day comes. The wife picked me up a rare find here for xmas, Arab Archery almost half of what I have seen a good copy go for. Btw if any of you have anything of interest let me know! I am always looking for more! Two reasons I guess it has hit me, one why make the mistakes they made? There has been many "changes" and yet very little is new and there is tons of info on what they have done out there if you dig hard enough in the right places. Second its just a plain ole good read! Interesting to see how the archery and bowhunting worlds came to be what they are today!
One tip I guess I have is perfecting your practice and your equipment as it relates to your accuracy, and then adhering to that "max effective range" you have limited yourself too. There is no excuse for the reputation stickbow shooters seem to have amongst many different groups! Many of whom enter the woods every year wounding and loosing game and have track records that make many sick. Sure there it's supposed to be fun, but dont loose the grasp of what you are trying to do with your choosen equipment. Kill an animal as quickly and humanly as possible PERIOD! Even those who just enjoy the woods and the time spent there, are at one point or another, going to find themselves inthe situation of "the moment of truth". Do it right when that moment presents itself and its all that more sweeter! |
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I'll be 43 in June. Shot a fiberglass longbow from about 8 to 15 years old. When I was about 9, we were shooting around some woods in town for anything that moved. A notice went out from the police that there was a band of crazy people in town shooting bows at squirrels and things. Our parents called us in and told us to be careful for the crazy people and wouldn't let us near the woods for a week. Never told them it was us. Restarted with a compound about 1990. I also got tired of the new and improved mechanical things. Started the evil traditional habit again about 6 months ago. It was after visiting this forum and buying my first Crusader from Chad that the Viruses got me<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>. I sold my compound and I now own 5 longbows with a new Crusader on order, I'm ashamed<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>. Beware the 4th Axis of Evil, Chad and Crusader bows<img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
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RE: Need to know......
Turned 56 this past Monday. Started bowhunting 18 years ago with compounds. Sold my compounds in the winter of 1999 and ordered a T/D recurve made by a fella in the local area. Have since given it to my son-in-law, bought a Chek-Mate Firebird, gave it to my son, bought a Fox Reverse Handle longbow, because some fella says Long Bows Rule, then sold it and ordered a Check-Mate Crusader from that LBR fella. I must say I do agree with him. Long Bows (do) Rule! And I love my Crusader.
I will give you one tip in three words all starting with the letter F. Family, fun, focus. Always put your family first, have fun and focus whether practicing or drawing down on an animal for a shot. Bill Praise the Lord, He is worthy |
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I'm 45. Started shooting about 11 in boy scouts. Started bow hunting
at 12 with a borrowed Kodiak Magnum. At 13 bought a Red Wing Hunter with 36 hard earned dollars. Still have it. I listened to too many lies and it took me till I was 27 to learn how to hunt. About that time recurves were starting to make a comeback and I bought an Oneida to gain those few extra yards I needed for stillhunting. Won a 3-D tournament shooting fingers instinctive against guys who weren't. Got the itch and bought a Hoyt with sights and release. Great machine, but I needed a wheelbarrow to haul it through the woods, and couldn't see a thing through the sights unless the sun was bright and high. Shooting an old Vantage Pro now and looking for something a little longer and stronger. Never shot an LB but am open to the idea. What's the difference? More hand shock, more forgiving, less speed is what I've been told. My tip: Get in the woods. Breathing targets are a different story, and this sport is hunting not shooting. |
RE: Need to know......
<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Never shot an LB but am open to the idea. What's the difference? More hand shock, more forgiving, less speed is what I've been told. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>
It's hard for me to explain the difference--just something about the way a longbow feels to me is why I prefer them. As far as the differences you listed, it just depends on what bow you are shooting and what bow you are comparing it to. Some longbows do have a good bit of handshock, and/or are slow. There are also several that are very close in speed with very little handshock. Longbows are generally quieter also. Recurves seem to be more forgiving with arrow spine--at least the ones that are cut past center are. Chad Long Bows Rule! |
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46 in a couple of weeks. Started archery about 6 months ago.
My tip: Don't get discouraged. When your shooting goes to h*ll (and it will), put the bow away for a little while and try again later - it will come back. |
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