Has traditional archery become hypocritical?

[tradtiger]

Quoting Caughtandhobble:

IMO, the people on this site are golden. Most everyone here would gladly give you a pointer or two even if it made you a better shot than them. Most of us are very average shots that happen to love " Traditional Archery" and then we are blessed to have world class shooters here as well. The world class shooter will not boast, the only way you would be able to tell is their scores and/ or hunting success.


Just to elaborate on the quality of the folks here, the posts above encompass the experience of state champions, national contenders, multiple hunting trips to Africa, big game kills from all over North America as well as those simply striving to challenge themselves in a satisfying way to put meat on their families' tables. As far as the competition aspect, people have always competed (ancient Greek Olympics comes to mind) at games -- such as 3D shoots -- to practice and simulate their set-ups for the "real" thing. Many trad shooters use their hunting rigs -- minus broadheads -- for these 3D shoots.

[tradtiger]

If my memory serves me, the moniker was not coined by we stickbow shooters, but was a label placed on us by the compound guys.

In my neck of the woods, when the moniker came about, it was meant as a compliment from those guys who coined it.

I have always graciously, and appreciatively accepted that compliment.

Rick

Exactly. One time I walked up to the static target range at the archery club, where a compound shooter was practicing. As I stepped up with a Ben Pearson recurve, he said: "Good to see a REAL archer."

It was spoken with admiration and recognition of the difficulty required to use traditional equipment. I smiled and commended the 4-inch groups he was shooting at 40 yards.

He went on to say something like: Yeah, but I could never get close to that with your rig.

[SwampRabbit]

Exactly. One time I walked up to the static target range at the archery club, where a compound shooter was practicing. As I stepped up with a Ben Pearson recurve, he said: "Good to see a REAL archer."

It was spoken with admiration and recognition of the difficulty required to use traditional equipment. I smiled and commended the 4-inch groups he was shooting at 40 yards.

He went on to say something like: Yeah, but I could never get close to that with your rig.

Funny how that works eh? I have probably received the most compliments from compound shooters. They are the ones that will be the first to come out and say "you are doing it the hard way!"

Then again, between us trad hunters... we kind of already know how hard it is, so the word "hard" rarely comes up unless we are trying to level set somebody who thought it was going to be easy to do when they first get started.

At the end of the day, I appreciate people who are honest about their endeavors. I probably get into too much trouble over explaining certain endeavors; but most of the time it isn't about bragging or self deprecation... just about wanting to tell the honest story. Saying I killed 3 rabbits is one thing... saying I missed 40 times on the same hunt paints a different picture. Saying I did it with just a stick bow... yet again paints that picture differently yet again.

And sometimes I hate the word hard or easy... My son stopped me in my tracks once when he told me gun hunting was easy. "Why?" I asked. "Because you do it with a bow and it is much harder" was his reply. "Well Yes, that is true, it is harder, but that doesn't make gun hunting easy" I retorted. I explained that at one point, getting a deer down with a gun seemed hard. Yes, it seems less hard now that I have a different perspective, but that doesn't make it any easier when you are at that point in life where you are still learning. A weekend later, he shot under a buck at 90 yards. After we walked around for 30 minutes proving to ourselves he had actually missed, I said to him... "so, was that easy?" Thankfully, 30 minutes later, he drilled a doe at 100 yards through an opening in a cattle panel. Easy is relative and we can't lose sight of the fact that just because our perspectives change, doesn't mean that something is more or less hard.

I remember the struggles I had with a compound bow...

[Mike Javi Cooper]

Archery is the practice, skill, sport, or act of propelling an arrow with a bow... The division of Archery into little pieces is and will always be personal and based on the equipment, style, and yes even purpose of the individual.

Even when there were no mechanically assisted bows and no one had ever heard of Traditional Archery, there were factions within archery who divided it into many different disciplines and yet it remained ARCHERY...

[RickBarbee]

A "SHOOTER" by my loose definition, is someone who can shoot well.

Anyone who takes the time, and dedicates themselves to be a "SHOOTER" has my full respect, and admiration regardless of their weapon of choice.

That even includes crossbows, although I still don't think they belong in an archery only season, except for someone who has a handicap keeping them from doing otherwise.

Rick

[widdler]

Jeffro said it best it is or it is not but it is having fun with a group of friends with a stick and string doing it the old way.

[Jon Stewart]

Rick Barbee and Bisch posts nailed it IMHO. I have grown up in the world of archery. Been shooting for 60 years. Had the good fortune to have mom and and that owned an archery shop in the early 60's, was able to answer the phone at the archery shop and have Fred Bear or Art Laha on the other end asking for my dad. Growing up in the store allowed me to learn how to make bow strings and fletch arrows. It allowed me to learn how to shoot a bow and at one time wasn't too bad of a shot, not so good now, lol. We owned an "archery shop" and then the compound came on the scene and as someone wrote, "traditional archery" was termed.

Archery is what you make it. As mentioned I grew up in archery, shooting a recurve, giving the compound a go for a few years ,back to a recurve or longbow and now I use a self bow and stone points which I took time to learn how to make.

I never look down on anyone who uses legal equipment as it is their choice and as long as they obey the laws of the land it is OK with me, not that anyone needs my approval.

As mention, the term "Traditional Archery" arrived with the compound bow. Just have fun shooting and parents, get your kids involved and grand parents, get your grand kids involved.

[M.E.B.]

I consider shooting trad meaning no wheels.

There were more sight shooters using "trad" equipment in the 50's than now days.

[RickBarbee]

I consider shooting trad meaning no wheels.

There were more sight shooters using "trad" equipment in the 50's than now days.

Agreed, except I will add to the no wheels with no mechanical device to aid in leveraging of draw weight. Just the lever of the limbs themselves, and nothing else.

Rick

[M.E.B.]

Agreed, except I will add to the no wheels with no mechanical device to aid in leveraging of draw weight. Just the lever of the limbs themselves, and nothing else.

Rick

What would aid in leveraging the limbs a draw loc?

[RickBarbee]

What would aid in leveraging the limbs a draw loc?

I was thinking along the lines of the Oneida bows.
They are a compound bow resulting in let off for ease of draw, but don't have wheels.

A draw lock only holds the bow at full draw, but you still have to pull it back to lock it. To me, that would be SCARY on a trad bow. LOL

Rick

[M.E.B.]

I was thinking along the lines of the Oneida bows.
They are a compound bow resulting in let off for ease of draw, but don't have wheels.

A draw lock only holds the bow at full draw, but you still have to pull it back to lock it. To me, that would be SCARY on a trad bow. LOL

Rick

The Oneida had a cam I think. I never could understand the concept. I would and did just shot a compound. I believe they have been out of business. Ted Nugent shot one instinctive before he went to sights and compounds.

[DRT]

I killed a doe last night with my compound. Today I will sit in a ground blind with my recurve looking for a management buck. Does that make me a hypocrite?

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[RickBarbee]

I killed a doe last night with my compound. Today I will sit in a ground blind with my recurve looking for a management buck. Does that make me a hypocrite?

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Nope. It just makes you versatile.

Rick

[tex4k]

I shoot several variations of traditional bows, can throw a pretty mean rock out of a shepherds sling, get the urge to try the atlatl from time to time, which would be more traditional?
I don't know, I don't care, I do it for the enjoyment. You you can sleep better knowing that Tom, ****, or Harry aren't going to decide for me, I'm grown and I'll do whatever it is that I do.
If I go to a contest then I follow the rules set out by the governing body, if I hunt same thing, the rules are set out and made known for the most part, as long as your within the rules your good.