If you want to try traditional but haven't?

[Firedude]

So there will possibly be a followup of questions to this. But I needed to clear it with admin first. I think this one alone is safe.

Over the winter I've seen a lot of, "I want to try traditional but haven't..." comments. Or something along those lines.

My question is if you have wanted to try traditional archery why haven't you? What's the sticking point for some of you?

Please anybody contribute by asking or answering anything. Free flow both directions would be great!

 

[Dsnow9]

So there will possibly be a followup of questions to this. But I needed to clear it with admin first. I think this one alone is safe.

Over the winter I've seen a lot of, "I want to try traditional but haven't..." comments. Or something along those lines.

My question is if you have wanted to try traditional archery why haven't you? What's the sticking point for some of you?

Please anybody contribute by asking or answering anything. Free flow both directions would be great!

The only reason for me is time. If I had more time I’d do all kinds of things. My family is first, my job is second, and my hobbies are third. When the girls are a little older (now 5 and 2) I can’t wait to shoot with them. Already have a range in the back yard and the five year old is starting to like it. But those days are spent with my compound staying accurate. Don’t have time to add a new type of archery.

 

[Farmerj]

I made my own English long bow. 78# beast. And promptly shot it to failure. Didn’t realize a bow like that has a finite life. Worked with a guy who teaches people traditional bow making. Took a bit over a week of work to make it. Made the string from sinew as well while waiting for glue to dry.

Even assembled the arrows from scratch. Another two weeks work of working on them. Checking for spine, correcting straightness ets and glue them up with fletching and tips, nocks. If the arrows look long, it’s because I have a 31” draw. They are 34” long shafts. For a longbow, they are a chore to pull just 3-5 shots.

This bow would defeat most “traditional” (hay bales) back stops quickly. Even foam blocks became a challenge from the depth of penetration. The thud you hear is even more impressive in person. You can actually see the hitch in the bow where it eventually failed from these very first shots in its life. When the wife says “eighth arrow…” she means it’s literally the eighth arrow ever shot from this bow. It lasted about 2 years and about 3000 shots. I practiced. A lot. And used it for competition in SCA events for archery.

When this bow failed, I replaced it with a Magyar horse bow. Hunter model made by Kassai in Hungary. The draw on it is about 38# and it’s just as fast as the longbow. The spine on the arrows is about the same as the long bow and I just continued to use the same arrows as a result.

Horsebows - traditional bows, archery equipment, and fencing masks

www.horsebows.com

 

[TheBenHoyle]

When I got into archery I went with a compound bow since there was a good archery shop nearby and I could get an expert to help me select a bow and the equipment to go with it.

I would like to get into traditional archery, but there are no trad shops nearby and so I am needing to learn a lot more about what I need and how to select the correct gear on my own. I did buy a cheap recurve that I am going to educate myself with as I get ready to either spend on a better bow or hopefully build my own bow in the next few years.

 

[Firedude]

I think most people start that way. Compounds are everywhere and highly encouraged to start with. I started with a hickory longbow. Then went to a compound. When I wanted to get a longbow to play around with the only local option was Black widow. So I built one. I've made recurves and longbow for a few people since then. Lately I carry them hunting more and more. Newer compounds make me feel more like a machine operator.

I made my own English long bow.

I like making stickbows. Last one I turned out is an Osage flat bow that's 60 inches long... it was a special stave so I kept it long as not to break it.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Time...that's what it boils down to for me also.

 

[QuazyQuinton]

As someone who has bowhunted with a wheelie bow and tagged a couple animals but never been "good at it," my concerns are:

1. Taking a step back in performance and the loss of range/efficiency when I'm already not very good.
2. Learning to shoot instinctively instead of just holding a pin where I want to hit.

That said, I'm shooting a Darton Ranger Superflite daily with intentions of using it depending on what tags I draw. It's a higher level of fun, but also a higher level of challenge.

QQ

 

[Redman]

I own 3 traditional bows and 2 compound bows. I shoot the traditional more but hunt with my compounds more. Why do I do this? Well it is more of the mental "What if?" problem. What if the buck or bull hangs up outside of my 25 yard traditional range or what if I draw but the animal stops where I can't make the shot. I don't know why I do this to myself I have killed deer with them from time to time.

 

[PrairieHunter]

I decided to go traditional/primitive 2 years ago. I bought a recurve crossbow. Still have not shot it though, it' out in the shed. But it allows me to hang out with the true hunters who don't need training wheels to archery hunt. All about the street cred.
lol

 

[ImBillT]

I want to try traditional, but just keep picking up my rifle. Success rate is a big impediment. This year, my home state has added an archery season. Hunting it will not impede my ability to hunt the rifle season that I have always hunted unless I’m successful, so this time, there’s no downside. I plan to use a self wood bow of my own manufacture. If I fail, I’ll just hunt rifle season like I always do.

 

[Wrong Burgundy]

Time, consistent practice and acquired skill from said practice, and limited range. Those are the reasons I have hung up the trad bow.
I shot a reflex/deflex longbow for about 3 or 4 years, and had some success -- whitetail doe, small whitetail buck, even smaller antelope buck. It was a lot of fun, and a good buddy also shot trad (recurve) so we hunted together and had similar effective ranges, etc.
But, looking back, I recall at least 4 or 5 elk hunts throughout the seasons where I had to pass on shots on good bulls that were called in to about 35-40 yards and hung up. No shot I felt comfortable with. My range was 20-30, preferably 20-25. With a compound, it would have a been a different story. So I think the real issue is a reluctance due to limited range, which can equate to reduced shot opportunity. That is a hard fact. I don't have weeks and weeks to hunt, so I am going to maximize my chances, and with that, I switched back to a compound. But, I still have that longbow and a sweet ILF recurve that is really fun to shoot. I may take it out for a whitetail doe hunt out of a stand, but when elk/bear/antelope tags are in my pocket, the compound comes along. It all boils down to a passion for that kind of weapon and hunting style. It is a really cool way to hunt, and I enjoy everything about a trad bow, but I also know what increases my shot opportunities during a season with limited time...

If you are even remotely curious, try it. Don't be some 90 year old sitting in a wheelchair wishing you had had given it a good solid try back when you still could. Asking "What if..." is the worst question to ask yourself. And if you absolutely suck at it, guess what -- that compound will welcome you back faster than a poker table in Vegas.

 

[Irishman]

This year and plan on hunting with a recurve for the first time. The main reason I haven't before is simply because it's way easier to kill something with a compound bow. I'm at the point where I don't feel the need to kill, but like the idea of the added challenge of using a traditional bow.

 

[Irishman]

Time, consistent practice and acquired skill from said practice, and limited range. Those are the reasons I have hung up the trad bow.
I shot a reflex/deflex longbow for about 3 or 4 years, and had some success -- whitetail doe, small whitetail buck, even smaller antelope buck. It was a lot of fun, and a good buddy also shot trad (recurve) so we hunted together and had similar effective ranges, etc.
But, looking back, I recall at least 4 or 5 elk hunts throughout the seasons where I had to pass on shots on good bulls that were called in to about 35-40 yards and hung up. No shot I felt comfortable with. My range was 20-30, preferably 20-25. With a compound, it would have a been a different story. So I think the real issue is a reluctance due to limited range, which can equate to reduced shot opportunity. That is a hard fact. I don't have weeks and weeks to hunt, so I am going to maximize my chances, and with that, I switched back to a compound. But, I still have that longbow and a sweet ILF recurve that is really fun to shoot. I may take it out for a whitetail doe hunt out of a stand, but when elk/bear/antelope tags are in my pocket, the compound comes along. It all boils down to a passion for that kind of weapon and hunting style. It is a really cool way to hunt, and I enjoy everything about a trad bow, but I also know what increases my shot opportunities during a season with limited time...

If you are even remotely curious, try it. Don't be some 90 year old sitting in a wheelchair wishing you had had given it a good solid try back when you still could. Asking "What if..." is the worst question to ask yourself. And if you absolutely suck at it, guess what -- that compound will welcome you back faster than a poker table in Vegas.

My son switched to hunting with a longbow several years ago. He did it for the challenge. After 3 years of having nice bulls in close, but not able to shoot, he switched back to a compound. Opening day the next season, we call in a bull, he kills it at about 60yds. His hunting season lasted 30 mins. Now he's back using the longbow knowing it limits his chances to kill.
Apart from shooting range, the other added difficulty is that you can't draw back early. Being able to draw back and hold for a long time is a huge advantage of a compound bow.