I wrote this for the TBH Journal, but it didn't make it to print before they decided to stop the project. I just ran across it and thought you might like enjoy it.
Why Traditional?
Mary asked me if I would like to try my hand at writing an article about traditional archery, and of course I couldn’t say no, so here we go.
I guess the first question that comes to mind is why does anyone use this outdated, slow equipment? On a deer hunt to Illinois one time a guy asked me if I had ever killed anything with my “starvation stick”. I told him I had killed lots, but he just shook his head and walked away. He just couldn’t understand why anyone would limit themselves so drastically.
I think every archer should have a traditional bow to play around with or to take hunting. For your entertainment, I have come up with a “Letterman” style list of the top ten reasons you should get one, if you don’t already have one.
10. You can get a “starter” bow, either used or new for just a little over the price of a tank of gas in my big ol’ pickup truck. It is very reasonable to get too started and the bows hold their value so if you change your mind and decide to sell, you have not lost much for trying it out.
9. You can go to a 3-D shoot and completely miss a target, and you are not out of the competition, most of the time. This is a lot different than the classes where if you drop one twelve, you might as well pack up and head home. Plus the attitude is different as well, the traditional guys are joking and having fun. Many don’t even turn in a score or take a prize even when they win. At my first 3-D, I only hit eight out of twenty eight targets. I had twenty clean misses and scored well below a hundred. I was so bad the other guys joked I should use a string tracker at 3-D! I had a blast and couldn’t wait to go back the next month.
8. The guys that beat you at the above competition did so because they were better than you, and not because they have a better sight, a six foot stabilizer, or shoot arrows that weigh less than a No 2 pencil. It always irked me a little that I wanted to shoot a hunting set up at shoots, but could never compete against the tricked out guys. In the traditional classes it is a level playing field. The archer makes the difference and not the equipment. I still don’t win, but I feel better about losing.
7. We get to shoot from the same stakes as the little kids. Don’t be jealous, most of us shoot way under two hundred feet per second and put the arch back in archery. This little perk just makes things right for our added challenge, and many of the traditional archers have many seasons under their belts (read old), and need to be close to even see the targets.
6. With a trad bow, you can shoot at flying targets and have a real chance to hit one, once in awhile. I am serious, just ask Bisch or Dusty, they both knocked pheasants out of the air on the last two group hunts.
5. While it is said that any animal taken with a bow of any kind is a trophy, this is really true in the stickbow world. We celebrate does, squirrels, and rabbits like they were huge P & Y bucks.
4. You don’t have to have as many excuses for not getting something, the rest of the world is surprised when you actually bring something in to camp. On my first trip to Africa I did some hunting in Zimbabwe. They had only seen one traditional archer before. He was a Spaniard, who actually dressed as Robin Hood, and in a two week safari only managed to wound one warthog. They were so worried about me being able to kill something they offered me discounts and put me in the best places. I killed four beautiful animals in the first three days including a sable, and that all went away. The point being the low expectations worked in my favor.
3. You don’t have a lot of gadgets to fail or let you down. The traditional world is simple. Once you have your bow shooting well, all you need is arrows and a tab or glove (and you can even shoot without those in a pinch). The equipment is also very light to carry, which makes a difference if you are going to mountains or doing any spot and stalk hunting. A friend of mine once remarked that the heavier I got the lighter my hunting set up became.
2. You can be like Buff! If you don’t know him you are missing out. He is a close friend of mine and one of the biggest personalities, best hunters, and most generous guys you could ever meet. Who else has killed an African lion, cape buffalo, and elephant with a recurve. If you had to feed your family and only had one arrow left….you would give it to Buff to hunt with. I once missed a pig and in my frustration yelled, you are lucky Buff wasn’t here, and at the sound of his name the pig fell over dead (he is that lethal).
1. Shooting a recurve or longbow is just plain fun. You can actually watch the arrow fly. If you are around any traditional shooters, you will notice how much fun they are always having. We are just like a bunch of kids playing and don’t take ourselves too seriously. Isn’t having fun what it’s all about?
Seriously, I imagine most of us switched from hunting with rifle to a compound bow, because hunting with a gun became easy for us. There is satisfaction in overcoming a challenge, in doing something difficult and accomplishing it. Taking up a traditional bow is just another of the same steps.
Today’s modern archery equipment is so well manufactured and efficient, that you can take a person with an average amount of athletic ability and decent eye-hand coordination, and get them shooting well in a very short time.
This is not true of traditional archery. While anyone can pick up a trad bow and start shooting and having fun instantly, it takes a very long time to become really good at it. There are no short cuts, and many hunters practice for over a year before they feel competent enough to hunt with it.
I think you can draw parallels to activities like golf and chess. Easy to start and fun, but very challenging to master.
If you hunt with a compound, I would suggest that the next time you are at a shoot or a camp with traditional archers, ask to shoot their bows a few times. Most of us don’t mind, and you might find a new passion. You will not find a group more willing to help newbies get started.
If I have convinced you to consider trying a recurve or longbow, please check out the TBH traditional forum, where you will find lots of good people and information.
Mark
Why Traditional?
Mary asked me if I would like to try my hand at writing an article about traditional archery, and of course I couldn’t say no, so here we go.
I guess the first question that comes to mind is why does anyone use this outdated, slow equipment? On a deer hunt to Illinois one time a guy asked me if I had ever killed anything with my “starvation stick”. I told him I had killed lots, but he just shook his head and walked away. He just couldn’t understand why anyone would limit themselves so drastically.
I think every archer should have a traditional bow to play around with or to take hunting. For your entertainment, I have come up with a “Letterman” style list of the top ten reasons you should get one, if you don’t already have one.
10. You can get a “starter” bow, either used or new for just a little over the price of a tank of gas in my big ol’ pickup truck. It is very reasonable to get too started and the bows hold their value so if you change your mind and decide to sell, you have not lost much for trying it out.
9. You can go to a 3-D shoot and completely miss a target, and you are not out of the competition, most of the time. This is a lot different than the classes where if you drop one twelve, you might as well pack up and head home. Plus the attitude is different as well, the traditional guys are joking and having fun. Many don’t even turn in a score or take a prize even when they win. At my first 3-D, I only hit eight out of twenty eight targets. I had twenty clean misses and scored well below a hundred. I was so bad the other guys joked I should use a string tracker at 3-D! I had a blast and couldn’t wait to go back the next month.
8. The guys that beat you at the above competition did so because they were better than you, and not because they have a better sight, a six foot stabilizer, or shoot arrows that weigh less than a No 2 pencil. It always irked me a little that I wanted to shoot a hunting set up at shoots, but could never compete against the tricked out guys. In the traditional classes it is a level playing field. The archer makes the difference and not the equipment. I still don’t win, but I feel better about losing.
7. We get to shoot from the same stakes as the little kids. Don’t be jealous, most of us shoot way under two hundred feet per second and put the arch back in archery. This little perk just makes things right for our added challenge, and many of the traditional archers have many seasons under their belts (read old), and need to be close to even see the targets.
6. With a trad bow, you can shoot at flying targets and have a real chance to hit one, once in awhile. I am serious, just ask Bisch or Dusty, they both knocked pheasants out of the air on the last two group hunts.
5. While it is said that any animal taken with a bow of any kind is a trophy, this is really true in the stickbow world. We celebrate does, squirrels, and rabbits like they were huge P & Y bucks.
4. You don’t have to have as many excuses for not getting something, the rest of the world is surprised when you actually bring something in to camp. On my first trip to Africa I did some hunting in Zimbabwe. They had only seen one traditional archer before. He was a Spaniard, who actually dressed as Robin Hood, and in a two week safari only managed to wound one warthog. They were so worried about me being able to kill something they offered me discounts and put me in the best places. I killed four beautiful animals in the first three days including a sable, and that all went away. The point being the low expectations worked in my favor.
3. You don’t have a lot of gadgets to fail or let you down. The traditional world is simple. Once you have your bow shooting well, all you need is arrows and a tab or glove (and you can even shoot without those in a pinch). The equipment is also very light to carry, which makes a difference if you are going to mountains or doing any spot and stalk hunting. A friend of mine once remarked that the heavier I got the lighter my hunting set up became.
2. You can be like Buff! If you don’t know him you are missing out. He is a close friend of mine and one of the biggest personalities, best hunters, and most generous guys you could ever meet. Who else has killed an African lion, cape buffalo, and elephant with a recurve. If you had to feed your family and only had one arrow left….you would give it to Buff to hunt with. I once missed a pig and in my frustration yelled, you are lucky Buff wasn’t here, and at the sound of his name the pig fell over dead (he is that lethal).
1. Shooting a recurve or longbow is just plain fun. You can actually watch the arrow fly. If you are around any traditional shooters, you will notice how much fun they are always having. We are just like a bunch of kids playing and don’t take ourselves too seriously. Isn’t having fun what it’s all about?
Seriously, I imagine most of us switched from hunting with rifle to a compound bow, because hunting with a gun became easy for us. There is satisfaction in overcoming a challenge, in doing something difficult and accomplishing it. Taking up a traditional bow is just another of the same steps.
Today’s modern archery equipment is so well manufactured and efficient, that you can take a person with an average amount of athletic ability and decent eye-hand coordination, and get them shooting well in a very short time.
This is not true of traditional archery. While anyone can pick up a trad bow and start shooting and having fun instantly, it takes a very long time to become really good at it. There are no short cuts, and many hunters practice for over a year before they feel competent enough to hunt with it.
I think you can draw parallels to activities like golf and chess. Easy to start and fun, but very challenging to master.
If you hunt with a compound, I would suggest that the next time you are at a shoot or a camp with traditional archers, ask to shoot their bows a few times. Most of us don’t mind, and you might find a new passion. You will not find a group more willing to help newbies get started.
If I have convinced you to consider trying a recurve or longbow, please check out the TBH traditional forum, where you will find lots of good people and information.
Mark
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