Shoot/hunt with modern/trad?
General Topic
Who shoots and/or hunts with both modern and traditional bows? How much do you shoot both? How much do you plan on hunting in 2018 with both? Any goals for either? My goal... to kill a P&Y buck with my trad bow. :)
I have hunted and shoot both since the late 90s. I currently hunt about 60%-70% of the time with my compound bow. I find that I shoot my trad bows 80% of the time. This year I plan on hunting with my trad bows the majority of the time, like 80% or better. What's your plan?
I have a difficult time jumping between my recurves and compound. I would prefer to hunt with just the traditional, but my effective range is about 25 yards with Traditional, about 75 yards compound.
The stick is much easier to carry around and deal with, so if I'm sitting a blind that is conducive to drawing, I have both.
In the process of making my first hickory selfbow now. I've shot compounds for 25 years, since I was 5 years old, but only shot a recurve a handful of times. My goal is to hunt with them eventually but really have no timeline.
I hunt with both in years I can shoot my recurve every day. I have to stay on top of it. I can pick up my compound once a week and be dead on with it. If work, family, weather, etc. keeps me from shooting my recurve every day then I don't hunt with it.
I deer hunt with traditional about 99% of the time. The places I deer hunt are pretty thick and longer shots aren't all that common. I did hunt the compound one day because of some longer shot possibilities but ended up shooting a nice buck .....at 9 yards.
I elk hunt with traditional about 60% of the time and I absolutely HATE carrying that compound through the mountains.
Most practicing is with traditional because I enjoy it more but I shoot the compound about once a week to make sure everything is properly adjusted and secure. I would/should practice more with the compound but even for elk I don't extend my hunting range past 35-40 yards and I like even closer.
Overall I enjoy shooting both styles.
I've hunted with a recurve exclusively for the last 15-16 years until late this last fall when I started back with the compound. My purpose is to use the recurve where cover makes closer shots more likely and the compound in areas with less cover and longer shots.
I shoot the recurve instinctively left handed (left eye dominant) and the compound right handed. This keeps me from mixing up the different grips, anchors, draw lengths, etc. I am proficient with both.
I will say I have been shooting my trad bow about 90% of the time this year. My goal is to kill any deer with it by fall. I will continue to shoot both and will hunt mule deer with my compound but when whitetail season rolls around my trad bow will be with me more times than not!
Yes, but I have to pick a weapon and stick with it for that season. For hunting I can't switch back and forth because my brain has been programmed for a certain draw-settle-release rhythm and at the moment of truth it can short-circuit.
I'm back to stickbows now after the last couple years of compounding. Its what I shot for 50 years before dabbling in wheel bows, and just seems more natural for hunting.
I'm usually a recurve guy, but I shot a turkey the other day with a compound.
I'll say this, the compound feels like a boat anchor in comparison.
I hunt with both but like the stickbow best. In all honesty tho its hard to beat a compound for lethality they are much more precise and have greater range. Also its really sweet to stack arrows at 40 - 50 yds. Goal this year is to take a deer on ground with flannel shirt and jeans as camo lol
I shoot traditional bows 100% of the time. I shot a compound in the late 80's and early 90's and started to loose interest. I started on recurves and when I picked one up and started shooting it the magic came back. I shoot everyday and it is very much a part of what I am, as said above it is something you have to stay with or you don't shoot your best. I have been fortunate and have been very successful at it. Never look back at hanging up my compounds they are still on the wall in my shop along with 20- 30 some longbows and recurves.
I done both from the time I was 11 upto 34 years of age. When I strictly wentvtrad for almost a decade. Now, I’m back to compounds.
Here’s the cold hard truth. For me, being accurate with a trad bow is easy. I do shoot them still. But, I can pick them up and shoot deadly whether I’ve shot them a lot or not. It took a couple years of dedicated practice and understanding what to look for in my view, but, of the four I have now, I can do this with all of them.
So, I tend to shoot a compound more. Always have except that decade. I truly enjoyed last year. Which was my first year back to compounds. So, I’ll do it til I bore.
God Bless men
Modern. Like our predecessors, I try and use the most advanced and efficient methods/technology available at the time.
I started traditional in the 70's as a kid. My second year hunting I shot a compound and have been hunting with traditional ever since. It was a Martin Cougar that I shot barebow with fingers. I have no patience for the tinkering to set-up and keep a compound tuned and shooting correctly (I have done it for family and friends for many years). I have all the patience in the world to put up with the limitations of trad gear when hunting. Built my own longbows and hunting with them is really satisfying.
"Modern. Like our predecessors, I try and use the most advanced and efficient methods/technology available at the time."
Our predecessors that did that would all be rifle hunting or just eating domestic meat. Technology surpassed all archery equipment a long, long time ago :^)
Both now. I started in 1956 so had 20 years of bowhunting/tournaments b/4 compounds became the craze & I switched mid 70s. Rekindled my interest in 2014 & now enjoy Barebow Longbow with mostly wood arrows & all the bells, whistles with my 2 Compounds (1 hunter 1 targets). I guess since I shot tons b/4 compounds I seem to do pretty well without shooting my Longbow more than the compounds. I have no problems with the Longbow thru 35 yds. though when hunting I pretty much keep all shooting under 25 yds. THIS goes for my compound too. 38 Biggame with recurves & well over 100 with compounds & only a handful of shots over 25 yds. I shoot my Longbow about 25% of my time & feel that has been sufficient. I started taking "both" with me hunting last year. My goals with the compound are extremely high on my next Whitetail having taken a wide variety of biggame & with a Longbow I have said a Whitetail of 8 points will do. That being said, I did pass a basket 11 point at 5 yds. I no longer shoot Whitetail Does with either bow. My limits on male or female is ONLY in the Whitetail world. My longest kill of everything I have taken just happens to have been a Buck with a recurve .
I shoot both .
Like you Rick , I practice about 80% recurve and/or longbow.....and 20% compound. I have trouble putting down my stickbows. I hunt more with my compound , but , when hunting deer from close setups with shots inside twenty yards I favor the stickbow.
My goal is to hunt 100% of the time with my stickbows. For all animals .
Both here.
Shoot the recurve & compound equally but hunt with the compound but I really want to hunt with the recurve more... tough to do when I just got a new compound :)
I shoot both, but only hunt with the compound. Every year I say I’m going to make the jump and hunt with my recurve, but then backslide because I’m just not confident enough with my consistency. Traditional archery, for me, is a grand exercise in humility and self control. Without a doubt, the most difficult thing I’ve ever tried to learn.
Was out turkey hunting this morning with my vintage Browning Wasp recurve. Goal for this fall is to kill a deer and or an elk with one of my recurves. I also hunt with and enjoy shooting my Diamond Black Ice compound. Took this photo on this mornings.
I shoot both recurve and compound, but I can't shoot them both on the same day or it messes me up...
I started shooting bows that my granddad made for me out of hickory, pecan, hackberry and Osage back in the 70’s. Wish I still had those bows.
Tried shooting and hunting with compounds in the 90’s and, although I could shoot better at targets, I killed less stuff and had less fun. Got rid of my last compound in 1997.
Now, I shoot a modern traditional setup. Self-made bow - laminated wood, bamboo, carbon and fiberglass. Carbon arrows that I cut, fletch, and tip with steel points. Machined steel broadheads. All very modern materials used to make very ancient tools much more efficient.
I have shot/hunted with that bow the majority of the time since I built it in 2004 with a few exceptions to use a takedown Black Widow for a fly-in hunt. I have two Black Widows that shoot the same arrow setups as my homemade bow so it’s easy to switch between them.
I will do all of my 2018 hunting with a longbow.
I have taken 14 big game species in North America, 4 in South America and lots of hogs, turkeys exotics, and small game with my longbows. My goals are to shoot a mule deer over 200”, finish my 8 species in Colorado, and finish the NA sheep grand slam with a longbow.
Make sure you keep us updated Treeline, you're my hero!
I'd consider myself a "both" although I haven't owned a compound for a couple years. I thought about maybe buying one this year just to "have" and possibly for a next year elk trip that is planned where far shots may be my only opportunity. But when I picked up my recurves when the snow melted, I just have no desire to get a compound at the moment. I've just fell in love with shooting instinctive probably more than anything about it. I seem to have less "off" days than I did with my compound. Compounds are just so lethal when used inside their limits, which is why I think they're so great, but I just have a hard time shooting one at this point, when there's the option of shooting a curve bow for the fun factor. One thing is for sure, I will do what brings myself the most enjoyment at any given time. I hunt for myself, not for status or to belong somewhere.
"Our predecessors that did that would all be rifle hunting or just eating domestic meat. Technology surpassed all archery equipment a long, long time ago :^)"
And they did, eventually, as it became available. Hunting today is a luxury, not a necessity. So I'm going to use the most modern technology, even for a luxury pastime. If it helps me kill more efficiently, I'll use it. If I want to be romanticized about being in the outdoors and connecting with my innerself, I'll read poetry from Frost or Emerson...
I Hunt with my recurve exclusively from after deer season until the start of the next deer season. Once deer season rolls around I hunt with both quite often. I let the stand or situation dictate which bow I choose. I have killed about an equal number of deer with both. My goal is to take a P&Y buck with my recurve, I have a couple that are close but not there yet. Shawn
I shoot my recurves a great deal more than my compound but I have only hunted with the compound. Still trying to refine my skills enough to feel confident hunting with the recurve. I'm close but not there yet! As a side note I just got a new phenolic Super Kodiak. So far I love it! Have two other Bear recurves, a takedown recurve (Kajika Stik) and an inherited old Wilson Bros. Black Widow.
For 25 years I would not consider a compound. A few years ago I had an attitude change and now I always hunt with my recurve in the woods but sometimes switch to compound on large food plots.
Yeah, I don't think trad snobbery is as prevalent as it was say 20 years ago.
We're all hunters.
Switched to only hunting/shooting a recurve about 12 years ago. Keep thinking about switching back to compound but have yet to do it.
For the past 4 years, I've shot my recurve almost exclusively throughout the year, but still hunt exclusively with my compound (I did hunt caribou last spring for a couple days with my other recurve, but didn't see any animals).
As far as daily shooting, I just find shooting my recurve to be so much more fun. I've shot compound so much that I can put it down for 6 months and within two days of picking it back up (so long as I've kept my muscles toned with the recurve) I'm shooting very well out to the farthest distances I'd consider shooting an animal in a non-follow up shot (60ish).
I'm hunting Dall sheep this August and decided that for the next few months I'm going to spend more time shooting my compound, but I really want to hunt with my recurve some this fall and almost did the past two years. I'd really like to shoot any mule or WT deer this fall with my recurve.
Hell, Ike, go get that Dall with your recurve! You can do it!
I'm gonna get a P&Y whitetail with one of my trad bows before Ike gets one with his compound. LOL!
Rick I’m really excited for your new adventure! This year I’ll be making a similar jump in technology. I’ve been using modern traditional equipment for about 12 years now...hunted with a compound for the first few years and then saw where “archery” was headed and decided I needed to take a step back. Like a tree line mentioned, my recurve bow is anything but primitive But shooting instinctively adds incredible thrill. Last couple years I have messed around with truly primitive equipment ei selfbows! I have yet to take the big game animal with one So I’ll be hunting whitetails and bear this year for the first time with a selfbow. I’ve gotten to be really accurate with a recurve to the point that my effective range is a solid 25 yards. Just need to quit getting so shaky on the big bucks! With a selfbow that same level of accuracy has plummeted to 18ish yards max so this is a real game changer for me. Should I get lucky and draw a mule deer tag I will definitely be bringing my recurve. If you are seriously chasing the quality of animals but I’ve seen you harvest with the compound I’d say watch some good YouTube films on animals reaction. Being the alpha Hunter are you are you have an incredible Headstart but animals react differently to the noises and timing of traditional equipment.
And by “archery” I don’t mean to be a snob but we are literally talking about allowing airguns into archery seasons! ...it’s insanity
Dang, now you got me thinking about hunting with a self bow. Got one finished and another one that needs a lot of work. May have to go full in and break them in this fall on an elk or mule deer...
I've shot and hunted with both compound and longbow and recurve bows since around 1972, most of it with longbows. I think that most would admit that a compound with sights and release are more accurate, at any distance, but I still love to shoot my longbows, and recurves. That's just who I am. I stay within my comfort zone range and do just fine. No goals for me this year, other than hunting as much as I can and enjoying it!
Like so many of my generation, I started with traditional tackle in the mid 60's. A Bear recurve, what else??? In the mid 70's I got bit by the compound bug and used several over many years. Shot compounds with my fingers for years and finally learned how use a release. I believe that for the majority of archers, a compound is a much better weapon to hunt with. Not for all archers but for the majority in my opinion. I strictly hunt with my recurve now. I cannot shoot it lights out but am only a fair shot with it or my longbow. I know my limitations and limit myself to 20 yards. It is more fun to shoot. The fun is what it is all about. I don't care what you shoot. Just have fun with it.
"Hell, Ike, go get that Dall with your recurve! You can do it!"
No I cant! :)
"I'm gonna get a P&Y whitetail with one of my trad bows before Ike gets one with his compound. LOL!"
Rick, that's not funny because you probably will! :)
I shot a compound for 30 years and switched 10 years ago to a Longbow and Recurves. I have had the greatest 10 years of Bow Hunting and ( 3D shooting ) witch I had never done before in all the 30 years with the compound. It's all good,but I sure do LOVE the Traditonal Bows and the friends I have made shooting 3D targets the last 10 years.
Kurt
Ike, Rick PMed me and said to make it more of a Challenge he's going to do all his Trad Hunting in CT, while doing a live hunt, wearing Crocs.
Hope you get a Booner this fall with your trad bow, Rick! That’ll give Ike some serious competition:)
I started hunting with my curve last fall, but once it got Canada cold and work hit to where I couldn’t practise for a few weeks I picked the compound back up. I find if I shoot once or twice a week with the curve it’s good. Was very surprised to pick it up after a 6 month hiatus and shooting very well at 15-20 yards. Shooting a Tall Tines recurve it was never that way with my longbow but this recurve was just made for me and does what my mind asks it to do. Was that way from day 1
As for this year I see it being much the same. I’ll take both for caribou hopefully get one with each and most likely use the curve until it gets cold then out come the wheels
Looking forward to the Paul’s brothers recap of that hunt! Got a feeling it’s gonna be another epic adventure:)
Thanks, Tavis. I hope I do as well. :)
Arnette... I'm looking forward to the season. Got a lot of work, from shooting to moving some stand sites around. Congrats on your 2nd place finish at Oklahoma traditional shoot. Nicely done!
Cool to see so many folks enjoy both sides of archery and hunting. Well, except a few. :)
I switched to compounds in the late 70's at age 25, after growing up with recurves.
I had a lot of fun with them, killed several deer, and piled up a lot of trophies from indoor and outdoor shoots.
But after a few years, I got bored with compounds and went back to recurves...circa 1985ish. Even after only about 8 years, I'd lost my touch with sticks, and it took a LOT of work to get it back.
I've shot stricly trad (I hate that term...lol) ever since, switching to the modern RD longbow in recent years...but I still have a couple recurves on the rack.
Make no mistake, ya gotta pay your dues. It takes work and effort to get good...really good with sticks. But it's worth it. They're just fun to shoot and a pleasure to tote around.
My western hunting days are history...the knees won't handle that vertical real estate of Wyoming canyon country, so I'm a simple Wisconsin whitetail hunter now. Most of my shots are in close, but I've killed a few in that 25+ yard category.
It's not for everybody, but I'd encourage anyone interested to hook up with an experienced shooter and give it a go. Trad shoots are a great place to get one's feet wet...good, helpful folks who are willing to hand you their bow and sling a few.
I'm fortunate in that I've got plenty of shooting space, stretching out to about 50 yards...which while fun, is not a distance I'll shoot at a deer.
I'll tell you what Rick, whoever shoots a bigger WT this season, no matter the bow or public/private, has to buy the other guy a bottle of Makers in March. Deal?
P.S. I'm bringing a case of Makers in March anyways...
Deal! Guess that means you'll be bringing a case and a bottle. :)
Good luck Rick . I have shot both for 20 years . I enjoy a longbow myself. Try to kill a deer every year with it. Time is not on my side as much these days . So I lean to the compound most hunts . Sure is fun to shoot! Hunt
My plan is to do what I've been doing since 1981. Hunt with a trad bow.
Used to hunt with a compound in the late 70's, but after killing three elk with one, I grew to hate shooting and hunting with it. Decided to go back to a rifle or get a stick. Got custom recurve, learned to shoot it and haven't shot a compound since.
Except for that one time on a camping trip to a high mountain lake in an amphitheater that involved alcohol, a dare, a half stick of dynamite tied to an arrow, a lit fuse and the sheriff later on. And a few dead fish. Not my bow.
Switched to a longbow in 1993 and haven't hunted with a recurve, except for fish, since.
Kind of like going from a brunette to a redhead to a blonde. Once you find what you really like, no reason to go back.
I'm like a lot of others. Shoot my recurve a lot, hunt with it a little.
The older I get the more I enjoy hunting with the recurve.
On the whole, I like my chances better with a stringbow. And they’re just way more interesting.
I feel like my modern traditional equipment actually gives me a lot of advantages over a modern compound in many hunting situations. Most of my hunting is spot and stalk in open country and I feel like I have an advantage with my equipment. Guess I’m just weird.
Treeline... you are crazy lol ...can you range and shoot a mule deer at 40, 50, 60, yards with ease? You could with a compound
I tried the recurve. It was fun to shoot, but not for me when it comes to hunting. I started with the compound and still love it.
Similar to Mark U and others....without the dynamite.
Learned on a recurve in the '60s and '70s. Hunted 2 seasons with round-wheel compounds/fingers/simple sights early '80s. Not enough challenge for how I like to hunt, so immediately lost the wheel mentality entirely and moved on to recurves, longbows and selfbows. That was about '85 and I've not shot any type of letoff bow since then. Although I'm a 100% supporter of compound bows in archery season, I would not enjoy bowhunting with anything other than a recurve or longbow in my hand.
Friend of mine was having trouble deciding compound versus recurve. I told him to do what his heart wanted and get on with things...life is short. He committed to the recurve and a few months later killed one hell of a fine caribou on a NWT hunt.
Another friend asked me about being a modern-trad swinger. I told him I had no clue if it was realistic. I know it wouldn't ever work well for me. My advice to those who want to hunt with a stickbow is to treat it like a new marriage. One wife....one bow. If she leaves you unfulfilled you can get a no-fault divorce after the season is over.
i love shooting the recurve, but I SUCK at it!! I gave a good go at it last year to become efficient enough to hunt with it, but just didn't feel comfortable enough so it went on the shelf, picked up the wheels a month before season and was dialed in ready to go.
This year is my first DIY elk hunt, i'm leaning on the wheelie crutch again this year, but man, i hope after this season, i can start back with my recurve and get that shooting down.. I love the flight of the arrow!!
Maybe i should sell everything sans the recurve and just figure this out.. Sounds like a good 2019 plan ;)
I shoot and hunt with both, but probably spend more time shooting and hunting with my compound anymore. I just really enjoy the process of shooting my compound more than my recurve.
“Treeline... you are crazy lol ...can you range and shoot a mule deer at 40, 50, 60, yards with ease? You could with a compound”
Can you confidently take a 15-yard shot lying flat on your belly? How about on your back? Reaching out over a log with your bow horizontal?
Can you swing on a deer trotting past at 20 yards? Can you take any shot that’s offered to you from 0 to 35 yards or more without a rangefinder? Can you get an accurate shot off in under a second if need be? Make a solid shot with your string hand floating in space?
Everything involves trade-offs.
I've shot both since I was a young kid and have gravitated at times to one or the other. I've had to navigate short drawing and target panic and trigger punching and other maladies and have been frustrated, pissed, made amazing shots and yet continue to love archery.
I've done full commitment to trad bows some years and missed some critical shots that I may have/probably would have made with a compound. That being said, I love shooting trad bows and watching the flight of the arrow. Also love the simplicity, lighter weight and the ability to build a self bow for instance.
I shot this whitetail buck on the Milk river as a teenager with my Schafer Silvertip recurve that the late Paul Schafer just gave me as a gift to a kid...........Thirty years later I'm still slinging arrows from trad bows. I don't have a problem switch-shooting the various bows and have been successful with all of them but you need to have the repetitions and practice critical to imprint the flight path and arrow trajectory with instinctive shooting.
I started shooting stick bows late in life. I will probably always shoot both....and continue to use a rifle on coyotes. I'm an EOK Equal Opportunity Killer
I do think its cool hunting animals with a stick as its similar to the jump from rifle to compound....your whole way of approaching things is different.
GF got a lot of the advantages to which I would add light weight and toughness.
I can also use my longbow as a monopod to glass off of.
If I drop a longbow in the rocks it might get a few minor beauty marks or, at worst, cut the string. I always keep my old string in my quiver that is already stretched and has a nock point so it will shoot the same. Back in business in no time.
With the extra weight you have to drag around the hills, sights to get bumped off, arrow rests breaking or moving, peep sights getting out of alignment, not able to see thru the peep in low light or full of mud, cams hanging up in the bushes, harness strings coming off the cams a long way from a bow press, breaking or losing releases, batteries dying in range finders, loosing the range finder, etc, etc...
I don’t know how anyone could actually kill something with one of those compound contraptions! Seriously handicapped in the hills!
Really was hoping this wouldn't lead to why one is better than the other. Simply... curious to who shoots both. I think we all know the +\- of each. Just go hunt.
Hey, Tavis - we forgot the one that wrecked me on my last Elk hunt - coming off the hill in a snowstorm, the damned drop-away froze up on me and a whole herd of Elk crossed the trail just below me while I tried to get it into an operable condition. And you should’ve seen the look on that last cow’s face right before she topped the ridge.... She KNEW!!!
Shoot what you enjoy and what works for you... unless it’s a crossgun. Those belong in GUN season.
One time a friend's compound jumped off a wheel while letting down after drawing on an elk and not releasing. Long ways from a shop so we devised this plan to press the bow by tying a rope to the riser and to a truck. Found a pair of aspens next to each other just the right spacing to rest the limbs on. Gently pull a little to compress the bow, put everything back where it belongs and gently back up. What could go wrong?
We arrived in town a couple hours later with a bow needing more than just restringing and a truck with a good size dent in the tailgate :^)
This spring I was really wanting to shoot a bird with my recurve, unfortunately I haven't practiced nearly enough to become proficient with it. I wanted to feel comfortable shooting from butt within whatever makeshift natural ground blind I would be using for turkey season. I have stuck with the wheels so far this season.
I can shoot 150 yards and beyond with my longbows, recurves, and compounds. but the compound is more accurate at that range if I get the sights set up right.
"Can you confidently take a 15-yard shot lying flat on your belly? How about on your back? Reaching out over a log with your bow horizontal?"
I shoot both a lot - hunt with the recurve 80%. I can't see any reason other than a survival situation I would take any of those shots on an animal. Add to the fact most trying would not get close to full draw meaning arrow flight would suck and hurt penetration. Yeah, I know there are exceptions - but they would be very rare.
I shoot both, really just depends on the tags I have and how much time I have on each tag. I do have more fun shooting the tradbows but enjoy hunting and killing animals I'm after also. If im hunting a critter I'm not familiar with or have had a tough time taking I'll run the compound. If its something I'm good at hunting and killed a fair amount of, I'll normally shoot trad. That's how I normally do it, and why I shoot both.
I don't understand the justification on how trad is better/easier, probably the stupidest thing I read on here. Guys that are killing with a stick on a regular basis are great hunters, and most of the time are pretty species orientated.
LOL Don, thanks for the good laugh.
Baits are out and the Widow is shooting where I'm looking. Won't be long now.
Good luck Nick. Keep us posted.
I have for about 20 years. For the last decade, mostly traditional. Got a new Oneida this year, so I am expecting that it will see most of the mammals while the recurve will see all of the fish.
It's eye opening to see how many people shoot and/or hunt with both. Best of luck to all this year, on all of your hunts. Hoping you take the first, largest or that special animal you've always desired.
Good luck Nick! Kill one with that blunderbuss, then get yourself a bow that isn't so ugly it scares little children!
;-O
"Good luck Nick! Kill one with that blunderbuss, then get yourself a bow that isn't so ugly it scares little children!"
Nick will do just fine with that bow. Jac, be careful of what you're calling ugly. Have you looked at a modern compound lately? They're so ugly there should be a law against having them in the same picture with a dead animal. And if it is in the picture, the owner should have a paper sack over his head.
Its a good goal to have and requires a lot of practice. I grew up shooting stick bows from age 5 or 6 but I've only shot a few antlerless deer with a recurve. Here is my inexpensive Samick Sage takedown that I usually use for shooting fish. My favorite is my Bear Montana longbow.
Found a whole pile of arrows with feather fletching at a local archery shop. The guy sold them all to me for $20
“ I can't see any reason other than a survival situation I would take any of those shots on an animal.”
Then don’t. Bad idea if you haven’t practiced it... or if you can only get half-drawn... or if you don’t know what kind of flight you’re going to get. But a chip-shot is a chip-shot if you know what you’re doing.
I practice shots like those all the time- not o oh because its all kinds of fun, but because I want to be able to take them, should the situation arise.... and because I’ve been in most of those situations before.... so I’m pretty sure it’ll come up again if I just keep at it.
I'd have to agree that traditional shooting is much harder and actually takes a fair amount of practice, unlike compounds. Very few people can hit anything at 25 yards with a recurve or longbow.
Disagree... to an extent, anyway. Doesn’t really have to be any more complicated than you want to make it.
Trouble is that there’s all this myth & bull crap about shooting “instinctively” and what Is or Is Not deemed Traditional that most people now go about learning to shoot in the slowest, most frustrating, least productive way possible.
If you wanna learn to shoot a recurve well, JMO, start off with a peep sight and a 20-yard pin; once you develop good enough form to shoot some decent groups, take off the pin and just float your arrow under the x-ring, or - better yet - instead of a bullseye, just put up a vertical line and shoot at that until you expect to hit it on a regular basis.
Then you can lose the peep.All it’s doing is forcing you to anchor in the same spot every time, but by now you’ll have done it exactly the same way, so many times, that you’ll nail it every time anyway. Hardest part is finding a bow that’s light enough to learn with, and heavy enough to get a clean release...
Strictly stickly since '90. Before that I hunted 2 seasons with a compound without sights, using a trigger release. Picked up an old recurve in a bait/archery shop and loved how light it was. Killed my first and second deer with it. Been switching back and forth from recurves to longbows ever since. Expecting a new Cari-bow Amisk any day now.
Good luck with whatever you choose, most importantly have fun!
Never owned a compound.....never saw the "need" for a compound. Recurves and longbows since 1958.
GF- I've tried to introduce several friends to true instinctive shooting and all the did was their arms red marks and they ruined a lot of arrows. I took an archery class in jr college for PE credits. watched the same thing happen there as well. One of my fellow students was an outfitter and grew up hunting. He was a terrible shot with a recurve
first PY with the stick
first PY with the stick
but like the precision shooting of the compound at longer ranges if needed
but like the precision shooting of the compound at longer ranges if needed
Grew up with a recurve back in the 1950s, killed my first deer in 1962 while stationed in the AF in the UP of Michigan. Purchased my first Oregon Company compound bow in 1998 to come to Colorado to hunt elk, pictured. I have a Mathews compound and a Great Plains recurve now. Still use both but mostly my Compound "meat bow" VS, my Recurve "fun" bow.
Dang, Paul, maybe that recurve is your “trophy” bow! As well as being your “fun” bow:-)
Rick, good luck with your challenge with the traditional bow. My goal is to kill my 12th or 13th elk with the recurve bow. I say this, ie, 12th or 13th elk because I want some elk meat in the freezer and feel my best chance this season, is with the compound bow. So if I kill an elk this year, I will go after elk the following year with the stick again. Elk back straps on the grill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YMMMMMM.
To each his own,
Having shot long bow, re-curve, and compound, IMHO, each has advantage's and drawback's (pun intended) It boils down to personal choice and I have thoroughly enjoyed each style of bow I have shot and hunted with.
I would love to go back to a re-curve this upcoming season but with surgery scheduled next week, (torn rotator cuff / tendon) I'm just not sure I have enough time to rehab properly in order to shoot a bow by hunting season.
My hopes do remain high to be, "out there during the Rut"
:^}
Make sure to stay after the PT after surgery! It took me a year after shoulder surgery to be able to shoot my hunting weight bows. Hopefully you will have a speedy recovery.
Any of you fellas that go back and forth between the two ever make a piss poor shot on a tremendous animal? I just did. Can't stop thinking about it either. My brain went on auto pilot just as if I was shooting my compound, trouble was, I don't have auto pilot with a recurve.
Yup I did Nick....huge WY antelope and my recurve didn’t go hunting too many more times....1985 in my case. I just was not a good shot with the recurve in the field on game.
I shoot better with my compound,I'm just not good enough to pound my chest and say I'm a so called trad bowhunter.I'm a member of Compton's and their magazine is bad for that.I told them when I joined I'm a compound bowhunter too,and membership was accepted.
Sorry to hear that, Nick.
Going back and forth is not a good thing when you’re trying to kill an animal with a bow.
Decided to try and get a mule deer with my recurve one year.
Found a dandy and snuck up to a perfect natural ground blind 15 yards from the bedded buck. Heck, I even had a stump to sit on! He got up and started feeding totally unaware that I was there and I waited for the perfect angle.
Drew and anchored without a twinge of buck fever. Picked my spot on his left side, slightly quartering away, lined up to double lung and take out the offside shoulder in the wide open at 12 yards. Released and MISSED behind his butt! Didn’t even ruffle a hair!
He jumped a little, took a few steps, and went back to feeding. I was totally befuddled, but still calm enough to get another arrow on the string with that buck broadside and facing to the left, in the open at under 20 yards. Saw the second arrow sail about a half a deer behind his butt!
He didn’t even jump this time. Nonchalantly, he sauntered over to where my second arrow was sticking out of the duff and actually dropped his nose to the nock... and then bit at the fletching! Still under 30 yards! A bit harder angle and facing to the right now.
I was starting to lose my cool by this time but managed to get my third arrow out of the quiver and on the string while his attention was on that funny looking (and tasting) flower. Hell, he actually pulled it up out of the ground! I really focused on drawing and anchoring solidly with good form. Even held on my aiming point for several seconds to ensure that arrow would hit the mark this time. It was a total shock to see the arrow zip by in front of his head and bounce off a rock 20 yards past him.
This time he finally spooked! He jumped and stotted twice then stopped on a rise at the edge of the canyon. Then he turned broadside facing left at almost 40 yards. Needless to say, my final broad head tipped arrow sailed into space about a deer to the right of his butt.
He stood there, frozen in place staring at the bushes where those funny buzzing sounds kept coming from. After about a minute or so, I stood up. He stood there like a statue as I crawled out of the brush and into the open. Finally, he just slowly walked over the edge so I walked over and gathered up my arrows (except for the one that went into space).
It was very difficult not to sling that thousand dollar bow off a cliff! I hiked all the way out, back to the truck and drove home. I couldn’t believe what had just happened so I went to the back yard and shot a target at 20. 10 ring. The second arrow cut off a feather. Backed up to 30 and broke a nock in the 10 with the third arrow. At 40 had 3 for 3 in the 10. Totally weirded out now.
Went in and pulled out my longbow. Shot well at 20 & 30. Decided I must have been loopy from the lack of oxygen up there at 12,000’ or something.
Went inside and cracked a beer to cry in.
Then it hit me! You grip a longbow differently than a recurve. I mostly shoot longbows but had been shooting the recurve extremely well all summer. I went back out and gripped the recurve like I do my longbows and proceeded to miss my target at 20 yards. Twice! Damnit!
That cost me a 190” suicidal treeline muley buck! AARRGGGH! You never get a second chance at a buck in that class! Ever!
I hung the recurve up and went out that evening with the longbow. Walked up on a 6 point bull and shot him thru the heart at 40 yards with my old reliable!
Don’t switch up bows near or during the season if you want to kill something. The more you shoot the same setup, the more it becomes a part of you.
I shoot both - actually all 3. Longbow, recurve and compound. I mix it up throughout the year depending on the stand I'm hunting or the terrain. My favorite though is my Mike Treadway longbow. Wanted to kill a turkey with the trad gear this year and just didn't get a chance to get out and do it.
--Mitch
I just picked up a 45# recurve at a sale. I’ve been shooting a bit with my one oddball arrow that has feathers. Pretty happy with myself, I can hit a 6x4 target consistently from 10 yards. I think I’m ready to hit the woods this fall. The rabbit in my yard is starting to be a little more jumpy, but so far still pretty safe.
Nick, yes! But this time I hadn't practiced much at all. Just saw my old Bingham curve that my old neighbor had made me, just sitting there. Loaded it in the truck and took it to the stand that morning. I commenced to missing a mid 130s 8pt and an upper 140s 10pt within an hour of each other. Fortunately, I missed them both, clean. One high, one low and under 20yds. Lack of practice... and I knew better. Get em next time!
Nick, that sucks. I haven't gone back and forth enough yet to answer your question. I only added the compound last fall. I killed deer with both bows last fall.
The reason that I'm shooting the recurve left-handed and the compound right-handed is to (hopefully) prevent a mix up that will cause me to miss a big one. It seems to me that muscle memory is critical when adrenaline is pumping when you're drawing down on a big animal. I'm hoping that shooting each with a different hand won't confuse my muscle memory and form. I'll be able to share more by January of next year.
Just read Treeline's post....lot of truth in that.
Beware the man who shoots one bow.
I'm a trad shooter and spend time over on LW...I like this site for the hunting aspect. Anyway, over on the Wall, there's a lot of posts on, "how many bows?", or the like. A good share of those guys are collectors, nothing wrong with that. I own one recurve and one longbow, but have shot the longbow only for a couple years. I do NOT switch back and forth in regard to hunting.
Nick, it has happened to me twice with the compound in the past several years since switching. I've shot trad bows with the same draw-settle-release rhythm for 50 years. When I get to full draw with the compound my brain screams "let it go!". I finally quit fighting it and sold one compound, loaned the other to a friend. I'm back with a recurve and feeling way more comfortable.
I agree, find what you like and settle with it the whole season if possible
For me, it’s all about the challenge of hunting with a struggle stick. I shot competition with a modern bow for years, and killing something with a compound isn’t an issue with me. Last fall, I was within 60 yards of five big bucks every day, the same big 170” bucks or better. I wanted a monster forked horn buck, easily over 30” and massive. I’d lay there watching them, knowing if I’d of had my Centergy I’d be done by now. But I knew I had to be within 30 yards with my longbow. I’m shooting a hot ILF rig now, been shooting competition with it and doing very well out past 40 yards. I’ve got two customs ordered and should be here by June. I’m getting back into wood risered bows again. Whatever you hunt with, shoot straight and keep em in the ten ring...
I was told last week by a good friend after a total F up on my part that bowhunting is full of life's lowest lows and life's highest highs... I was at the lowest of lows. Nearly gave up. Instead, I practiced more and realized my goal while experiencing one of life's highest highs...
Heck yea!!! Congrats Nick
Congratulations Nick! Beautiful bear! Well done.
Nick, congratulations on a great grizzly! Same one?
Typical story here started with a recurve then to a compound then back to a recurve. Hunted with the recurve only for several years, smashed my middle finger could not shoot the recurve and dug out the compound. I actually bought a new compound last year and had fun with it after so long of not shooting one. Nowadays I would say I hunt with the recurve 75% of the time. Switching to the compound when it seems to be the best tool for the area / stand or when I think I am a little off with the recurve. As I set out to the range today its the recurve.
Congrats on sticking with and shooting a great bear. Are you going to do a story?
Wow Nick, that is awesome!
Beautiful bear!
Wow! Nick, that is a great looking bear and an outstanding photo.
I am reeeeealy screwed up.... left handed and left eye dominant I grew up in a right handed world shooting a RH recurve and olllllld wood riser compound.
Eventually bought a newer RH compound then after a mishap swapped to LH and took up Traditional gear.
Now I saw back and forth from LH to RH and shoot a longbow a recurve and a compound.
My goal this year is a deer with a trad bow- I can kill hogs and small game but a whitetail is my Eleanor with a trad bow.
I think Nick's picture should be "Picture of the Year" on bowsite. Both for the quality of the picture and perseverance to stick with his recurve. Even though Jac thinks his bow is kind of ugly, it's way better than a picture with a C&C hardware collection (cables & cams).
Over time, the lows don't seem so low, but the highs are still there. It's an expectation thing.
That grin says it all!
Pretty sure Mr. Muche will have that grin pasted to his mug for a good long while!
The rest of the story that he ain’t tellin yet may have him permanently disfigured by a SEG for life!
Congrats and congrats;)
Nick, way to go and way to stick with it! Bowhunting epitomizes the "highest of highs and lowest of lows" more than any other sport because it involves taking a life, and things can go terribly wrong no matter what tool we use. Great job, buddy!
You guys are the best. Treeline, you especially. Between you and a few others I was left with no choice but to get back on the saddle and make it happen. I shot, and I shot and I shot...until I felt good again.
When she walked in I went through the paces in my head (something I've never done before) to ensure this one counted. It did, I'm elated, it was awesome.
I'm not done yet with the Widow. Have a few more hunts this year where she will fit in just fine. Thanks to all and to everyone else with a goal for this year, I wish you each the best of luck.
Nick...
The look in your eyes says it all for me. I'm fully envious (and delighted) to see you with that beautiful grizzly. fwiw: I used an old Black Widow to kill my first big game animal taken with a recurve. That bow was solid black and about as pretty as a used truck tire. I think your bow is a prom queen by comparison. All the best!
Wow nice bear and a great picture way to stick with it Nick! Congats
Nick - you ARE an inspiration!
Glad I stuck with it. Shooting pretty well. Will see if Donner and Blitzen cooperate next. At least it'll be fun trying!
Congrats and good luck Nick!! My brother and I will try and find dasher and dancer ;)
You are just havin’ too much fun, Nick! Yogi and twin BooBoo’s;^)
Congratulations!
Looking forward to seeing a pair of reindeer like those blackies next! Heck, from the sheep thread it looks like you have a ram located so maybe one of those! How ‘bout a moose to round it out nicely and fill the freezer!
Keep up the good work!
Nick, That is so cool!!! Thanks for keeping us updated
Good Job Brother. Glad to see you stick with it. Having a shot sequence and repeating it EVERY TIME is key with any weapon. However, as you have found out, it can be harder with a trad bow. However, if you do develop and follow one, you WILL fill tags consistently. God Bless fellas
I find that target shooting 90% of time the traditional bow at distances between 5 to 40 yards makes me a sharpshooter with a compound as I seem to gain more control over the shot sequence. During the hunting season I use both bow types as needed. If I really need meat in the freezer I take the compound afield. If I am looking for a closer and more relaxed hunt I take the stick bow along. Alternating bow types helps me break boredom and keeps the spark going. God bless.
If it throws an arrow I own it.... I hunt with compound, crossbow, longbow, and self bow, and you know what,,,,,,,, I have a lot of fun, and don't give a rip, what someone else thinks
