why does it have to be one or the other
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: timex
15-Apr-19
why is it in archery that probably 90 % are either on one side of the fence or the other. myself personally like sneaking thick cover on windy days with a recurve & if I find a patch of whiteoaks that are loaded with fresh sighn I'm looking for a tree for my climber & my bowtec I use both & feel both have +s & -s but very few others feel this way (WHY) I just don't get it. in fishing the equipment ranges from cane poles or even string wrapped around a can to 130s that hold 1000 yards of 200# line & everybody gets along fine & firearms from bb guns to dangerous game cannons & once again it's all good. but in archery the division is undeniable so WHY IS IT So. I love it all. trad compound bluegill to giant bluefin tuna & squirrel hunting with a .22 to 1000 yard benchrest rifles
From: HUNT MAN
15-Apr-19
Not sure if the answer . But I see it all the time. People seems to think they are a better hunter one way or the other ! I like it all. Happy Monday. Hunt
From: wyobullshooter
15-Apr-19
You answered your own question when you said “myself personally”. Just because you prefer to do things a certain way doesn’t mean others do, and vice versa.
From: Boreal
15-Apr-19
I also shoot and hunt with both. I don't post about it much. Locally, I've been given some flack from trad only guys I know. I've never heard a bad word about it from the compound only guys I shoot with.
From: Woods Walker
15-Apr-19
It doesn't. Hunt how you like. Simple as that. As long as how you hunt doesn't impact someone else 's hunt then if there's an issue it's theirs, not yours.
From: Arrowhead
15-Apr-19
Everything you mentioned I've done and I don't remember caring if others approved of the way I was doing it or not. Having said that, I have been guilty of trying to up the challenge on just about everything. For instance: Shooting clay's with a shotgun is great but can I do it with a 22 rifle? Catching bluegills are awesome but how big of a fish can I catch on the same tackle? Shooting a rifle at a 1000 yards was a requirement to be on the shooting team but I wonder if I can hit that deer at 1781 yards with a 243 remington 700 shooting 100 grain xx bullets? Hunting with a long bow, compound bow or a stick bow is great and practicing with all until I feel confident is fun and a challenge but I wonder just how close can I get to a deer or can I hit a bumble bee with them is what I will ask myself. Or what will it take to kill a deer with a spear? Am I crazy or am I just having fun? You decide. I'm still going to do what I do and on occasion find others ways to have fun as well. Some things I suck at and some things I'm good at but you won't know till you try.
From: APauls
15-Apr-19
I think your assessment of the situation is incorrect. I am willing to bet if it came to a vote MOST bowhunters don't give a rip and a good many (myself included) enjoy all aspects of it. Trad, wheels, stands, spot and stalk etc.
Generally there's just a few loud guys that make it seem more divisive than it really is.
From: LBshooter
15-Apr-19
Well I guess it only matters if you care what others think. Hunt the way you want and don't worry about the rest. Now, you left out crossbows, so do you care if someone uses a crossbow? Does your question now change? Becoming legal in more and more states, so you all ok with the guy who uses it?
From: Arrowhead
15-Apr-19
I did leave out crossbows and a lot of other things too. Doesn't mean I haven't tried them. Some things you just keep to yourself. Ha Ha. No really just trying to make a point and not wanting to write a book. Seriously though. SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH on the x bow. Our secret.
From: rallison
15-Apr-19
You shoots your way, and I'll shoots my way. Matters not to anybody. Not being a smart @$$, it's just that I'm too old to concern myself with things out of my control. :^)
From: Glunt@work
15-Apr-19
Plenty of separate factions in fishing and rifle hunting. Some fly guys look down on the bank fishermen with a can of worms, some Tenkara guys poo poo regular fly flishing, some 2-rod bank fishermen call fly fishers elitists, etc.
Its not an archery thing, its a human thing.
From: EmbryOklahoma
15-Apr-19
I like them all too (vertical bows). I've got something planned this fall that entails 3 bows. My plans are to kill three animals, one with a wheel bow, one with a recurve, and one with my Selfbow. The elitist attitude is a HUGE turn off for me.
PS... I don't care what bow someone else uses as long as they are doing it legally.
From: jjs
15-Apr-19
I just go my own way, always been a stick hunter and always will until no more, have nobody to impress and care less. It is what I enjoy and the challenge of going eye-eye in the hunt.
The only elitism that I got was at the archery club from the compound shooters that made negative comments about wounding and hard to kill with the stick bow, it goes both ways unfortunately but it is easier to say nothing and walk away.
Life is too short and this could be your last hunting season so enjoy it and don't mess it up for others while out there, enjoy the hunt.
From: Beav
15-Apr-19
I don't care what bow a guy hunts with. I agree with APauls as far as a small percentage is vocal making it seem more divisive than it really is.
From: skipmaster1
15-Apr-19
I shoot, hunt and put critters on the ground with bow trad and compound bows. I don’t care what anyone says, but I take more heat from the compound guys than the trad guys. They think I’m out there wasting my time or wounding animals until they realize the success I’m having
From: timex
15-Apr-19
iv got nothing against the x bow its not for me but friends of mine use them. honestly the guys that do used to shoot compounds & still do when they have time but their so buisy when they do get an afternoon free they grab the x bow & go have a seat in the woods
From: Franklin
15-Apr-19
Keep in mind 95% of the bow hunters are not writing in magazines....on the internet websites or on YouTube making videos. Those people are the real voice of bowhunting and they could careless about these silly issues.
The days of MYOB are long gone.
From: Scrappy
15-Apr-19
I think most compound guys have a huge respect for trad guys or maybe that's just me.
From: PAbowhunter1064
15-Apr-19
At the end of the day, we will not all agree...that in itself, is human nature. My true feeling on this matter, is that pulling back a bowstring, coming to anchor, releasing it, and watching an arrow in flight towards it's intended target, is good medicine for each and every one of us. We may bicker about the finer points, but we are all one and the same...we are bowhunters.
From: DanBow
15-Apr-19
From a strictly hunting view point when archery seasons were in their inception seasons were created and they were lengthy do to the challenge. Game animals are not infinite and trad hunters may feel their seasons may be threatened (shortened) by higher success ratios. Like it or not Xbows prove that out. JMO As far as target shooting goes who gives a sh*t have fun!
From: Feedjake
15-Apr-19
Yeah I've hunted and killed deer with all 4. Recurve, longbow, compound, crossbow. Stay legal and enjoy what you are doing. None of the guys I know care what I shoot because they know how I hunt.
From: Owl
15-Apr-19
Some people define themselves according to aesthetics and when that is not sufficiently validated by the public, any manner of tantrum can occur. Luckily, as others have mentioned, those folks are in the minority. Loud, but a minority, nonetheless.
From: Missouribreaks
15-Apr-19
Many so called traditional guys own a stickbow and shoot it occasionally... but their go to primary hunting weapon is a compound bow, many transitioning to scoped crossbows.
From: ELKMAN
15-Apr-19
Different strokes, different folks. Some people just believe it matters "how you do things" A LOT more strongly than others.
From: BigOk
15-Apr-19
I don't care what weapon you choose to hunt with as long as it is legal. Being an A$$ to others who choose a different method than you is what I dislike. The big picture is preserving the hunting culture we all love. Just my 2 cents...
From: timex
15-Apr-19
I have the upmost respect for trad bow shooters that have taken the comentment & time to shoot one well. I have no respect for one that thinks their better than me because of it
From: Junior
15-Apr-19
My father and I started bow hunting with no sights on compouds, shooting the old flu flu arrows. We would have contests shooting dawn soap bottles launched from a wooden jig with huge rubber bands. We did this for a couple years before we got sights and started hunting deer. Needless to say, I have a ton of respect for any traditional archer! Those guys definitely need to hunt harder and practice more to produce consistently. I also respect guys using a rifle, its all fun or use to be? I still to this day, think my family had way more fun hunting meat than antlers. I remember getting scolded for shooting old deer. So we for sure didn't start out hunting to shoot a big buck. I truly believe hunting went to shit with every guy thinking he had to kill a monster to be recognized as a good hunter. The antlers are the root of divide imo.
From: Jaquomo
15-Apr-19
What Glunt said.. Fly fishing is worse than bowhunting as far as snobs and divisiveness. Fly fishermen HATE gear fishermen. Conventional fly fishermen denigrate elitist Tenkara guys, who believe they are superior because they don't use a reel. And they all hate bait fishermen. Bait fishermen hate fly-only, catch-release waters and blame fly fishermen for that (when it's truly a limited resources that needs protection.
From: 'Ike' (Phone)
16-Apr-19
^^^ Bingo!
From: Ambush
16-Apr-19
“Why does it have to be one or the other?”
Because some folks believe that ONLY their way can be the right way.
It’s tough to keep one’s self pure in such a filthy world, but a rare few have the “gift”.
From: tobywon
16-Apr-19
Its like a Vegan....ever notice that they have to announce that they don't eat animal products like they are above anyone else and it's some great achievement? Unfortunately same holds true for some bad apples in many sports/activities.
From: ElkNut1
16-Apr-19
As long as it's legal I'm a strong supporter of any weapon!
I hear you though, when I shot trad for a few years there seemed to be off color remarks flying around, I never cared for that! We all have the same goal, some of us just approach it differently, as far as I'm concerned it's all good! Don't worry what others think; just have fun!
ElkNut/Paul
From: South Farm
16-Apr-19
From: Jeff Durnell
16-Apr-19
"Why does it have to be one way or the other?" It doesn't. You know that. I could write a book on the many reasons why it's one way and not the other for ME, but it's pretty obvious your question was almost entirely rhetorical, and it would be solely about MY motives, needs, and values... so of little value to anyone else. I don't expect you or anyone else to feel the same way, to care why I make the choices I do, nor do I feel a need to convince you to change anything YOU do. That said, I'm no big-tenter. Just freely traveling my own trail... as we all should. You do Timex. I'll do me.
From: David A.
16-Apr-19
Maybe the better question is, why are so many people overly sensitive to discussions about compounds, xbows, modern muzzleloaders, etc.?
I've been pegged now as an elitist because I started the thread which asked what if the compound had never been invented. Yet, I own 2 compounds and have friends who hunt only with compounds and/or rifles.
It's a false label even though yes, I prefer to hunt with trad bows myself. I doubt I'll be personally effected that much by the xbow, but the technological developments seem to have almost no limit. Same thing happened with modern muzzleloaders, as we all know.
From: Jeff Durnell
16-Apr-19
False label... I've been the target of that numerous times myself. Be objective and brutally honest, and eventually it'll happen. Doesn't bother me though. Sticks and stones.
From: Missouribreaks
16-Apr-19
I think you are more a realist, not an elitist.
From: Jaquomo
16-Apr-19
You're only an elitist if you place yourself on a self-erected pedestal and denigrate others for their choices, whether overtly or subtly. Of which many traddites are guilty. Whenever I used to hear Tred Barta crow about doing it "the hard way" (right before shooting some poor animal in the neck or ass) I wanted to puke. It made me ashamed to be associated with trad shooters.
The choice of bow has absolutely nothing to do with "hunting the hard way". Trad guys who only hunt whitetails out of a tree in the back 40 are NOT doing it the hard way. They only think they are. Now, a guy successfully killing a big ram DIY after a 20 day solo hunt in horrible weather with a knee wrecked from a fall IS doing it the "hard way", but you never hear those guys beating their chests about bow choice. Its just what they do, irrespective of what propels the arrow.
David, I know you and you are not an elitist, but I know of a few forums where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a handful. And they are proud of it.
From: timex
16-Apr-19
I agree with the last few posts. I do it all I hunt with both compound & trad bows. I have an old knight 45 cal muzzleloader that is absolutely awsom. & in the late season I do herd control with a benchrest rifle. & I'm fully aware that this forum & the leather wall represents probably not even 1 % of all the bow hunters in the United States however the trad vs compound thing does exist
From: trophyhill
16-Apr-19
Love the "different strokes" analogy. Now if they'd only apply that logic to 100 yard bow shots ;)
From: Kevin Dill
17-Apr-19
Egos.....I've seen plenty of them wearing camouflage and plaid but they can't be hidden. I've known plenty of guys who think you shouldn't judge animals but they'll judge you for the weapon in your hands. I think....as I age...I spend more time in critical thought about how I hunt, and almost no time taking the measure of others.
From: Lost Arra
17-Apr-19
"Comparison is the thief of joy" Teddy Roosevelt
From: Arrowflinger
20-Apr-19
I love bowhunting. I hunt with both recurve and compound. Just being in the woods with a bow in my hand is what matters to me.
From: ahunter76
20-Apr-19
I started in 1956 so it was only Longbows & recurves b/4 compounds took over in the mid 70s. I switched then & now for last 5 years do both again. 50# Longbow & 60# Compound. It's ALL archery. SOME will never be much good with traditional & the compound makes it possible for more to enjoy archery & bowhunting.
From: fubar racin
21-Apr-19
Well at least we all know the modern muzzleloader is the root of the problem right? Did we all know the inline design came before the caplock? Or that the old .451 Gibbs rifles of the last century would out shoot 99% of what’s built today? Completely off subject but “modern muzzleloader” keeps being brought up, and it’s just not quite on the mark. I don’t care what people hunt with I shoot compound, recurve, muzzleloders, lever guns, and rifles capable of 1 mile+ shots. They are all fun and if hunters don’t quit eating our own we are all going to lose.
From: Ron Murphy
21-Apr-19
Wh y does it have to be one way or the other? I agree with most posters that say we all should respect others choice of bow, self bow, long bow, recurve, or compound. Notice I did not list x-bow in the list. I have no ill feelings towards those who choose to use them, after all Its a legal weapon (not horizontal bow) to use in archery seasons, But here is my beef, there is no way to limit them in technology gains. Look at speeds in excess of 400 fps accuracy that allows for 3 inch groups at 100 yds. They are getting smaller in design and easier to use. And this is just the beginning. Here is what I think should be the way to decide if something should be called a bow and permitted in Archery seasons, The self bow, long bow, recurve, and compound all share one thing in common they must be drawn by hand, If you shoot a 70 lb bow, it doesnt matter what bow you are using somewhere in that draw cycle you have to draw 70 lbs. That limits how much technology can improve performance. You are limited by your strength, there is no such limitation in a crossbow and several manufacturers are using systems to load their x-bows to high poundages that improve performances to levels never seen and its just beginning. If x-bows are to be used in Archery seasons they should be limited to what the archer can hand draw. Notice I am not banning x-bows, just making their performance a little closer to the bows.
From: Missouribreaks
21-Apr-19
The current muzzleloading seasons were generally created because the muzzleloader offered disadvantages from modern guns. The scoped inlines destroyed that disadvantage so may as well get rid of the special muzzleloading seasons. I guess with scoped crossbows the same could be said for archery seasons. May as well have one season, use whatever weapon you choose. Adjust seasons and opportunity accordingly.
From: Rob Nye
21-Apr-19
Because it is fun to give my hunting buddies grief about their wheels and gizmos and gadgets. Please don’t tell them I don’t give a rat’s ass what anybody hunts with it would take all the fun out of it.
From: fubar racin
21-Apr-19
Missouribreaks I understand that 100% my point was those disadvantages were perceived not real, I can shoot an elk with my .451 white with peeps farther than a scoped cva tc ect the old Gibbs rifles will outdo my whites. Now some of these smokeless crazy builds ok they have an advantage in accuracy but they are not hunting portable either I read somewhere the cyclops rifle weighs something stupid like 47 pounds. If someone is man enough to carry that on anything but a stand hunt on the back 40 I ain’t man enough to tell them not to. In reality the only way the “modern muzzleloader” thing holds any water is if we consider everything post rock lock “modern”
From: tonyo6302
22-Apr-19
I have always found the pure Trad guys to be a whole lot nicer, and pleasant to shoot with and talk to.
