Bowsite.com

how many have gone to the compound, recently,,,, love the beauty of the stick, but the rehab is so long,,,,,,,

anyone said, that the compound is easy, is an idiot, I mean if you want to be truly good at it.....

I am not sure if you have ever shot compound before but if not I would seek out a good coach in your area to get you started. Proper DL, form and release activation are essential to good shooting. Learning correctly is worth the minimal cost over trying to correct a bad habit.

I'd also note, avoid using fingers on a compound. It just isn't worth the hassle trying to find a decent rest.

Good luck, nothings changed for me, close shots, dead animals, and pot shots at the local 3d shoots.

Learn to shoot correctly from the get-go and save yourself a ton of potential misery.

I am shooting both. Recurve at 48 pounds and compound at 61! Have fun with what ever you feel good about! C

I went from the compound to longbows about 20 years ago... didnt touch a compound for 2 full years, grabbed it one day, made up 4 arrows because I only had 2 good ones, and stepped out back. I couldn't remember how the sight pins were set for yardage, but after a couple shots, I figured it out. My first group of arrows was shot at 40 yards and all were in the lungs tight enough I could wrap my hands around them. My second group was at 50 yards, and while most were in the lungs almost as nicely as the 40 yard group, I had a 'flyer' that was out near the edge of the vitals, but still in there. Easy. TOO easy. A lot like shooting a flintlock. Hold, squeeeeeze, follow through... it's in there. That's why I sold it and started making longbows. But hey, who knows, maybe compounds got more difficult to use in the last 20 years :^)

I doubt it though. I was talking to a guy I know yesterday, certainly not what I'd call a dedicated bowhunter by any stretch, who is going out west this year and has been shooting 80 yards in preparation. Hmmph.

several weeks ago, I had an accident, and live in a remote section of the UP, so, there is no 911 call, unless you want to bleed out...........

my own knowledge and accessible emt tools, shut off the bleeding, and got myself into a hospital, a long drive

the recovery means, a long time to get back to a recurve, an want to hunt.......

I found the compound, a new discipline, with the peep and site and release etc....... I want to master it, like I mastered my recurve.

anyone can it a pie plate with a recurve at 20yards, but that does not mean you have mastered it, I mean be a really good shot......

the same is true I find with the compound, and as suggested from the above post, I am now working with a really good serious 3d shooter, and reading everything I can from Randy Ulmer,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

thanks to all for the advice, and be careful in life, and be prepared.

Good luck on your recovery! C

You'll be fine. Your willingness to work to be proficient tells me that. Good luck.

Wishing you happy hunting! I hope you are able to fully recover and shoot what you like.

I know a guy that had some shoulder issues (I believe from collegiate wrestling) that really caught up with him (still very young) and he was forced to shoot a compound or quit. His whole family shoots recurves etc and actually own one of the best tradional shops in the Mountain West. He shoots very low weight compounds and has killed some giants, and I mean giant bulls.

Good luck and once that shoulder feels better, or betterish, and you have that new bow set, I'd really focus on one and two shot days so you can recover.

Trad police? Nah. Truth. Objectivity.

All the best in your pursuit.

the wheel shooters are very bias with their brands big time like ford vs Chevy or American made jap cars vs Mexican made American cars man I couldn't believe it! I gave away the bowtech because mailing it out to get a new string was pointless. I didn't have a bow press and that killed me when I got into compounds.

where you mentioned injury I broke my elbow in April and once I got out of therapy I just dropped 20lbs and shoot a 44# recurve....... I say this as a lifelong stickbow shooter that going to compound is they are super effective once they are sighted in and tuned but for a true stickbow shooter the first season hunting with a compound is they are very cumbersome almost to the point of being a real PIA, they are too heavy, they turn into an ice cube in cold weather which I just covered the whole thing in padded tape for hunting in cold, and when you change a string or cable now your back re-sighting it all back in, in the woods anything even touches the bow it makes that metallic cling sound, always needed a bow hook to hang it where a stickbow you just use a branch snipped back..

I got sick of lugging mine around and went back to sticks for 90% of my hunting but honestly it was because stickbows is all I ever really known and hunting wise I like to be very close to animals when I shoot them I like to be able to hear them sniffing or breathing before I shoot,, the compound my longest kill was 38yds so 25 to even 35yds was the norm but stickbow hunters need to think carefully about stand placement for a close as possible shot but with my compound just like gun hunting I just found a tree in the general area because I knew my compound was effective out to 35yds so for me the compound took that part of the hunt away out from me.

another way to look at it is with a stickbow you have to handle that buck fever a lot longer until the animal gets closer to your comfort zone for a shot so the heart pumping is much much more intense,, with the compound I noticed I got way over confident because of the sights and would take long 30 yd shots that I never would think of with a stickbow,,,and these deer to me where far enough away I wasn't all pumped up and excited yet,,, I could of waited that's my fault but when I had a compound my comfort zone with that is further away.

finally don't worry about picking a spot just put the pin there and don't move that pin until the arrow is long gone, stickbow you needed to focus hard or it wouldn't work.

compounds are great bows I think they are getting way too expensive now but the used there are killer deals,, I have selfbows to compounds I use them all the compound mostly for late season in spots the gun hunters stomped all over and have many good friends on both sides of that fence,, I have what I think is the best compound bow ever made a Mathews rival pro, 1 fixed pin that's set to 25yds, perfectly bare shaft tuned to 20yds, ACC's with 4" left wing helical fletch and thunderheads, me personally I really couldn't shoot any better with a 1700.00 compound and 300.00 arrows,,, same as a 2000.00 shafer vs a 200.00 1953 bear K14 I'll look good but still shoot the same.

I think I worded some things wrong,,, the intensity, and buck fever feelings is how I personally felt them only I don't want it to sound like other people don't or won't get equal satisfaction its all about the hunt using a 30-06 @ 300yds or a stickbow at 10 its a personal thing and why we do this, AND why we each choose to use whatever we enjoy.

I look at a recurve or longbow as simply a tool to hurl an arrow at an animal...nothing more. Accuracy isn't in the bow...it's in the shooter. I am most comfortable when my bow is less of a device to manage/operate and more of a simple arrow-flinger...bad as that might sound. It no doubt helps that I wouldn't even remotely consider a 40 yard bow shot at a game animal, and the entire focus of my hunting is to get within 20 yards or less of every animal I shoot.

She is going to be a left-handed shooter so I wanted to try the equipment she was using in order to be a better teacher. I grabbed a BowTech with pink camo had them set it up for me at 45 pounds and proceeded to put five shots in a 4 inch ring at 30 yards. Albeit slightly to the right and low because it wasn't sighted in but still, that's consistency that even the finest traditional shooter would do well to match. I'm not saying that's a bad thing and I look forward to hunting with the love of my life this year but it's just not the same as hunting with traditional equipment.

My way or the highway is a turn off to the young guys. Many never try traditional bows because of that reality! Such a shame!

Like Durnell, I can pick one up once every 2 years and put one in the vitals at 60 yards. Now if I want to Robin Hood then I need to work harder on it but I think we're talking hunting here. The amount of animals I am 50-70 yards from is astounding and with a weeks worth of diligent practice with a modern compound 50 yards is a chip shot.

I dont know what injury makes shooting a compound more comfortable than a moderate weight trad bow, I have heard people say this before but I dont find them easier to draw and the transition into the let off is generally pretty harsh on muscles and joints, not to mention holding one up with an out stretched arm after hanging a sight, rest, stabilizer, quiver full of arrows, peep sight, limbsavers, wrist sling, and such to an already 3.5 plus pound bow.

I have a couple of good bowhunting friends, compounds, one of them has been playing around with recurves for a few years but hunts with the compound so he can shoot further. The other just stays with compounds exclusively because he wants to shoot further and he doesnt have any interest in practicing. To each their own.

No I'm not trad police, just question the whats and why fors. Carry on with whatever floats your boat.

The level of difficulty realized while hunting with whatEVER weapon is relative to our abilities and experiences, and subjective. What is, or seems, easy for you might be very challenging for me, and so on for the next guy. That said, for many, challenge doesn't much concern them. For instance, many want to kill a big buck or bull and when any semblence of an opportunity presents itself, they want the 'best' legal weapon in their hand to facilitate it. Not a problem. None of my business... though I've had others offer such info unsolicited when they saw what I was carrying. Like the mere presence of a simple wooden bow caused them introspection, and then to justify themselves. Weird.

Personally, as things have gotten easier for me and personal rewards began to lose their luster, I've sought ways to heighten the challenges and rewards... still do. But my needs, values, priorities, and goals are my own and I expect them of nobody else. Shoot whatcha brung.

I think some things just come natural to certain people and others... not so much. I certainly didn't expect to do as well as I did with the longbow. No clue how you'd get a quiver on that thing. It's like a toothpick ;)

By the way, my longest shot with an osage selfbow was 26 yards... while my longest with a compound was 29 yards.

I shoot both and had to switch to a compound but still really like my recurve or longbow. However, I just like shooting a bow and it doesn't matter which, I never get over the feeling of watching an arrow hit its mark and feeling the muscle tension waiting to release the string, its just addicting. I build recurve and longbows as well but would rather shoot a compound than have to quit archery.

I agree with Kevin Dill as well in most of his points. My average shot distance hasn't dropped one yard since switching back and staying with the traditional bows. And, for me they are just a better, deadlier tool. The shot sequence and, what goes into it for the compound, was just to complicated in comparison. I guess if I had started with one versus the trad bows, I'd likely never known that. Instead, I spent 18 years fighting the complicated, in comparison, shot sequence until I finally realized I had no need to.

Paper tuning can really help show torquing. So will long range shooting. And, do not set your draw too long. A 1/2 short shooting parallel is perfect and covers you out of the tree. This forces you to turn your grip hand like leaning against a wall almost, which forces the elbow bent out at a 45 degree angle, ensuring string clearance on all shot angles, and ensures you don't draw to the stop than creep off. Which makes you shoot HIGH every time. And, gripping the bow like this puts minimal palm into the grip, to eliminate torque, while forcing you to pull through the release which will increase accuracy tremendously. It sure worked for me.

One thing is for certain, as Buglim, Bowfreak, wybullshooter, and a few more pointed out, find you a coach. It can be a very easy thing to maintain but very hard to master alone. I'd suggest to implement the kisser, peep, all the tools to master the form needed on anchor to achieve the pin point accuracy they are capable of if shot correctly. They aren't as easy as some suggest for most people. As proper fit concerning the compound has just become mainstream in the last 1/2 decade or so. When fitted, tuned, and setup properly, what they offer over the trad bow is the tools that ensures you execute proper form repetitively every shot, and the bow is set up properly to deliver it. That is what kills trad shooters that blame their bow. They'll shoot with any compound ever made if the nut behind it can repeat anchor, release, and follow through like compound archers HAVE to do to be accurate. God Bless

I can't ever recall having a big game animal beyond my effective stickbow range, and wishing I had a compound or other longer-range weapon. Inside 50 yards the animals win most of the time, and I win a few times. That's the game as I learned it a long time ago.

There's no point arguing which weapon is best. Shoot your bow and learn to be a better hunter.

For the most part a compound is easier to shoot and requires less practice to stay proficient. However, that does not always carry over to the real world of hunting. People miss "chip shots" with all kinds of gear, including crossbows and rifles.

The average shot distance is pretty much the same for both trad and compounds. Shoot whatever you HUNT with best. You owe it to the animals we hunt.

I find trad more natural and fun and can shoot at game accurately to 30yds. However, due to shoulder/neck pain I will prob hunt with my compound this year and don't forsee any real change in my shot selection.

learned about back tension etc, and shooting only at 7 feet, to work on form.....

I have now moved out to other distances, but I always work on form at 7 feet,,,,,,,,,

now getting set for the season, shooting fmjs and 125 grain ram cats,,,,,,,,,

I did notice the WB is not the rest I would want, if I shot really long distance, but at this time, it will be just fine, for spot and stalk,,,,,,,,,,