Any Archery Snobs Out There?
Connecticut
I was on the Colorado site asking about elk hunting and I noticed a posting about "Why do you use a compound bow?"
The guy was saying he picked up his friends compound, having never shot a single arrow through it, and was able to hit a can at 80 yards with the first arrow. He then went on to say using a compound is like using a rifle and goes against the true purist sport of bow hunting. There's just no challenge with a compound!
What do you think?
I agree with him in the sense that technology has taken over like it does with everything. Same can be true for golf clubs, tennis rackets, muzzleloaders, etc. However, is he also flintknapping his own heads, making his own strings from natural material, etc? There are a lot of guys that put down others to justify what they do and believe. I stopped caring what people think. Although I have to admit that I do get a laugh when guys call these new compounds "stick and string".
I also have to admit that back when new in-line muzzleloaders came out I was a bit disturbed for some stupid reason. I thought it was an accomplishment to shoot a deer with a patched round ball, open sights, blackpowder and even flint. A time when you truely had to keep your powder dry. I think what disturbed me most is that the new inlines are just like rifles but just one shot, thats it. I know I got off on a tangent, I'm over it and again stopped caring as long as people are following the law.
the people on the west coast don't like people from the east coast!I noticed that when I was in montana.They really don't go out of thier way to help.
I guess I'm kind of an "Archery Snob", but only for myself. I couldn't care less how anybody else shoots but for me. If your fingers dont pull and release your string then its not Archery for me. I also will never use a peep thingy on my string or a arrow rest that falls away. I do make my own strings but not out of natural material. After a few pounds of meat in my freezer I plan on using only my recurve to hunt. taking only shots I feel are best.
The main thing is I don't care how you hunt , But i do want to hear about it. When I was on the A.T. one would often hear "Hike your own Hike" the same could be said for hunting -Duncan
I'm cool with bow's and arrows - both the speedy cam'ed up versions like I shoot, and the stick and string varieties.
I really enjoy fly fishing, and this type of argument comes up all the time: "oh, I dont fish nymphs or streamers, only dries smaller than size 18. you should just fish spinners or worms if you are using streamers or nymphs" or something like that.
Seems like this argument falls into every area of work and life. It's crazy.
And yes, I am a hypocrite who thinks crossbows should only be used during firearms seasons or during archery if you have a medical exemption. Just wanted to be clear up front that I'm talking a big game but probably not a good example.
At some point in my hunting life, I'm going to get a recurve or long bow, learn to shoot that thing well, and take a legal deer with it. That time is not now though...
"...was able to hit a can at 80 yards with the first arrow." - really? Can you say embellishing just a tad?
Compound bow snobs snub their noses at crossbow users. It all comes full circle. Hunting is hunting if you ask me.
Maybe the "can" he shot was one of those construction dumpsters. we often refer to those as "cans". - Duncan
The REAL challenge to me, no matter what kind of tool you're using, is finding the deer (definition of hunting) and then getting close enough to make a good, clean, killing shot. Then finding the deer, dress it, and get it to the freezer for food.
In CT the average shot distance with a bow(cross, compound, recurve, long) is under 30 yards due the density of the woods. I can tell you that any stick bow shooter who practices can shoot a 6 inch grouping at 30 yards no problem, so where's the advantage?
To me it's all about the hunt and using the piece of equipment your most proficient with using to make a clean humane harvest. I've tried them all and im most happy with my compound bow my preference my choice .
I cant hold my recurve at full draw for 90 seconds with a stable anchorpoint while o wait for the deer walks into the clearing. That is the major advantage and why im starting my hunting with my compound bow
I cant hold my recurve at full draw for 90 seconds with a stable anchorpoint while o wait for the deer walks into the clearing. That is the major advantage and why im starting my hunting with my compound bow
I cant hold my recurve at full draw for 90 seconds with a stable anchorpoint while o wait for the deer walks into the clearing. That is the major advantage and why im starting my hunting with my compound bow
I appreciate the purists but I'm not one. As far as I'm concerned as long as you follow the laws we're all hunters it's just a question of the method you choose. I don't look down at gun hunters or even those who choose the crossbow. Life is too short to worry about what other people think.
I think it's all about having respect for the animals we are able to harvest and doing it in the most humane way. I like the challenge of bow hunting and will use the best technology available on the market that improves my accuracy and ability to take animals as humanely as possible. To me hunting is not a sport where I try to challenge myself and try to make is as hard as possible for me at the cost of making animals suffer, it's an honor and priveledge for us hunters to be able to do our part in maintaining equilibrium in nature and wildlife but my main concern is being humane and having the ultimate respect for this priveledge we have. Challenge yourself as you may please with in rules and regulations as long as you are being humane I don't care what method is used.
I have a compound, recurve, rifle, shotgun, and muzzleloader and the only one I dont use is the recurve only because Im not proficient enough with it. If I was I would love to use it. I love using the bow but i also love sneaking around with a gun for a change of pace after archery season and if I bag one with a gun im just as happy as if it were with a bow. I get very few sightings in the public woods I hunt and the challenge is having a deer in front of me so at that point I dont care if its a 20 yard bow shot or 100 yard gun shot at that point im making the shot count either way. By the way I guarantee he wouldnt make the 80 yard shot twice.
Any Archery Snobs Out There?
Absolutely, regardless of personal choice of bow. It's a personality defect.
No, to be a snob, I'd be a hypocrite. I used the compound for years. Decided to challenge myself and went to recurve and longbow a few years ago. Much more enjoyable. More practice, but less meat in the freezer. My choice. When everyone else had to have the new $1000 bow, I went the other way. Simpler. More rewarding. I don't like technology all too much anyway. Still have a basic flip phone. Still use a sidecock ML w/powder, patch and roundball; and of course ML's shouldn't have a scope. I like ol'school. Traditional is traditional. The new bows and ML's of today are high tech machines almost void of error. All your gadgets (bells and whistles) won't change the way I hunt. Enjoy yourself with whatever instrument you like.
I'm a hunter there for I hunt I could care less about what anyone thinks of me or the way I do it I follow the law and respect the animal it's about seeing the animal and watching it and making a clean kill and even with the most advanced technology it doesn't mean that it's all gonna go right. Shit happens when ur hunting u can't control that's reality as for purist I'm pure at heart when I'm in the woods I'm at peace with where I am and my surroundings so I guess that makes me a pure hunter
Simply put - I use a compound because I like it. If you use a stick bow because that's what you like, then we're exactly the same, no difference; we just like different things.
No one is right, no one is wrong.
It's simply a matter of choice, who am I to judge you and the way you hunt. It's like others have said, as long as you're doing it ethically and within the law, it shouldn't matter how anyone decides to take a deer. It still takes a certain skill to get around in the woods, to stalk your prey, to scout the location, to hike in, drag a deer out, look for promising sign that deer are in the area. As I've learned the hard way, if you don't know what the hell you're doing, I don't care if you're out there with rock and spear, primitive as can be or traditional in nature, you still have to know what you're doing, no matter what you're using to bring down that animal. If anything, I wish everyone success, regardless of method.
all I will say about this ,is when native American got ahold of the old fire stick they were hooked .technology is great . when they found fire they used it ! I can go on and on . what ever floats your boat . hunting is hunting.shooting a deer with a recurve is a serious accomplishment how ever it cuts your shooting range about in half so .it goes either way .hunting is hunting !!!!
I always like to say I'm a deer hunter before I'm a bow hunter. I hunt all seasons and don't intentionally put myself at a disadvantage in any of them. There is a line I won't cross though. I won't bait, and I won't use a crossbow if both my limbs are intact.
bigjoe,
do you really think a recurve can only shoot at half the effective range of a compound? I've shot both and the longest shot, 45 yards, I've taken at a deer was with my recurve and that deer was just as dead as with my compound.
The advantage with the compound is letoff and being able to hold your draw longer, but as for range I find the recurve will do the same as a compound, but that's because I won't shoot at a deer at more than 45 yards with either bow.
Now if you're talking elk out west where you can shoot out to 70 yards, then I agree that I would rather shoot the compound, but still won't shoot it twice as far as the recurve.
Mankind has been looking for better hunting technology since our earliest ancestors sharpened the end of a branch. For the guy that asked the 'Why use a Compound' question, the retort should have been why use a recurve when the could you an Atlatl or a bolla? Now personally, I think a crossbow is more like a gun than a bow and arrow. You can outfit it with a scope, rest the stock to steady your shot and it can shoot much farther than a normal bow. In reality, you don't need to be an Archer to be effective with it. I would support its own season, with exceptions for folks who are physically unable to shoot a normal bow.
Bob I was just putting out the argument. I am a lot more confident with my compound than my recurve and hope to one day get it with it.i personally if the stars align have no problem taking up to a sixty yrd shot with my compound if like I said the stars align and its a broadside no brush shot .so in that aspect I do think a recurve cuts my shot opportunity in half ,not every one but mine. the point I was making is as mankind has evolved it technology was the key .I personally love making things harder for myself as a outdoors man I pefer to fly fish than use a spinning rod , bowhunting to rifle but I still will. so all I was saying is hunting is hunting .if its legal do it .what ever floats your boat.
Garbanzo your argument regarding the xbow scope will roll traditional bow guy's eyes when he looks at your fiber optic sights, drop away arrow rest or whisker biscuit and 80% let off. I wouldn't put the compound bow on a pedestal just yet. I can see both sides of the argument. What would you say about a September season for recurve/traditional/long bow only, no compound bows?
Smoothie, Would be fine with that.. Been a while since I shot the recurve.. it is only 58 inches and gives a lot of finger pinch. But if they throw a special season for it, I'll break it out for a spell.
