How many traditional bowhunters are on this forum?

I hunt traditional longbow and recurve. Just wondering how many traditional hunters are on this forum?

I do both depending on where I'm hunting.

Getting back to it... But have been out of the game for a while. I prefer traditional. More sporting/exciting imo

Traditional only for me, shoot a recurve mostly but own and shoot both recurve And longbow.

Seems my moods run in cycles. A few years back I hunted mostly with recurve and most all the time before that it was compound and last year for some reason a rifle seemed like fun but this week I will be in camp most of the week so gonna carry the short recurve.

I personally think traditional bowhunting is a more effective hunting weapon once you have mastered it. You can't shoot a compound with sights at anything moving. All I need to see is a shape so I can shoot earlier and later than a compound hunter. Traditional guys have more fun than compound guys too not having to worry about sight pins, noise, extra weight, range finders etc. Plus you can shoot ducks, dove, pheasant, squirrels, racoons, armadillos, bobcats and other moving targets.

I think your argument just swayed me to fix up my old recurve instead of purchasing a new/used compound!! Lol I was going to get a compound bc my neck is injured and I thought the break-over would be more gentle than the steady-pull of a traditional bow but I hate the thought of all the sites and stabilizers and junk...never used any of that before...just one pin site several years ago

I'm trad only...all those gadgets on the wheelie bows are too confusing for me...

I lasted about 1 season with the traditional set up. Was never able to connect on any animal that season so I gave it up. I didn't have the time or patience to really get good at it. I was young and needed immediate gratification which was never achieved because it takes a lot of experience to be accurate! Maybe in the next few years I will try again.

I just started with a recurve. Bought a Bob Lee Recurve a couple of months ago. I took it to stand to try for one of the spikes we have. They didn't come out. I'm going to carry my compound and recurve for awhile. not enough confidence to try it on one of the big boys yet.

That’s the thing about traditional you’re not going to buy a bow and then go deer hunting with it in a few weeks like I’ve seen a lot of people do with compounds (if you do you're nutz). You have to be dedicated enough to shoot enough to be proficient with it, and know our limits. Shooting a compound and killing an animal does not take the effort that traditional hunting does.
I actually like to make most of my hunting gear; knives quiver and bows.

I shoot a 68" longbow but can't say I currently hunt with it. I'm on a great place for bowhunting but have a couple of old guys that won't allow it. My plan is to outlast them. The landowner doesn't care but he isn't going to get involved and over rule the old men on the lease. Once they're gone, it's on!

I had a traditional way back and I have been looking for a new one now for a year but all I see are compounds. Amny words of wisdom for a traditional for me and one for youth he is 9.

Thanks

I bought 3 recurves some years back at pawn shops for bowfishing. Mine is an AMF. My Wife's and Son's are Bear. I paid $30 for the AMF and $50 for the pair of Bears. I'd look in the 45 - 50 lb range. If you can find them with curved shelfs, you don't have to put an arrow rest on them.

Pawn shops can't hardly get rid of them so if they have one, they are usually only too willing to make a deal on it.

I have two longbows for sale one real nice bow on the lower end of the coustom bows and another made by Bob Lee (the Natural) which is a high end bow. If you are interested let me know by PM or call. 903-681-6044.

I hunt with recurve and compound

Traditional only for about 26 years now!! Recurves,longbows,selfbows. Love them all. The whole traditional hunting and stump shooting challenge is great!! Plus its just plan fun to tinker with making arrows etc.

Here-Here. Taditional all the way for me, the only time I break out the rifle is to sight in the old .222 for varmint hunting. I love the traditional bows and shooting them. When you take a deer you feel like you've accomplished something. In the off season there's 3-D shoots all over, best thing about them is your gonna get a shot at every stand you go to. It's so addicting I've become a trad bow hoarder got about 25 in the bow room right now, and a pretty fair number of them have made meat.

I have hunted with a bow since 1978. I have owned and shot only recurves and long bows since 1987.

Get with some good shooters to practice and get off the range and out playing follow me with Judos if you want to get good. Shoot out to 100 yards and a 15 yard shot will seem easy.

As far as a new guy and a kid, be sure you spend as much on the kid as you do yourself. Quality equipment and arrows that match and he will be ahead of the game

I always had my kids arrows matched to them and their equipment and didnt give them my old cut down arrows which would be the same as shooting a fence post myself.

Judo points are your best friend. Take a few shots as you walk to your stand to warm up .

Most of my old hunting buddies will tell you they had rather go without their bow as to go without their Judo.

Bobby what is the judo you are talking about?

I have also carried some poor man Judos. It depends on the diameter of your arrow but I used to stick fired 38 spcl brass over the end of the shaft and tape it on with electrical tape. If it gets stuck in a stump, it's no big loss to just leave it there.

Thanks Guys, I will pick up a recurve for them to try before I spend a lot of money on one.

It will be good quality time with them either way.
We will be taking some basic archery lessons at the range soon and go from there. It has beeen to many years for me to teach him.
So we will learn together.

Thanks again.

Nothing but recurve and longbow, but mostly recurve. My favorite that I shoot mostly is a 60# Martin Hatfield takedown. It has taken down 11 whitetail total here in Texas and 3 Muley bucks in New Mexico. The closer the shot the better it is for me. The challenge of getting close is the goal . My closest is 4 yards away sitting in a 15 foot ladder stand in NM. Hunted all my life with rifles. Got to be ho hum and no adrenalin rush at all. Got back into archery like I did in teen age years and early 20's. Been hunting only with recurves the last 20 something years and the excitement is still there. You never want to get rid of buck fever..... you just want to be able to manage it . Good Luck......Shoot small, miss small.....Pick a spot!!!!!
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Spondoly

I shoot long bows, recurves and compound. The older I get the more I use a recurve.

Traditional bows are so much easier on the body. I shot a compound so much that it did something to my shoulder of my holding arm. I was shooting 66 lbs. When I'd draw, after 2 or 3 seconds, my shoulder would pop backwards in it's socket a little. That meant that I had to hold my draw every time till my shoulder popped lest it pop back right when I released. After a while of shoulder-popping, it started hurting so I'd have to stop.

My longbow draws 84 lbs at my draw length but I can shoot it as long as I want. I've done all my "aiming" before I even begin my draw so the second my thumb touches the corner of my mouth, the arrow is away. 84 lbs traditional is SO much easier to shoot than 66 lbs compound. Another big plus is the lack of recoil/shock when you release.

We all think it's fun to shoot a good group but a traditional bow is fun to shoot in itself regardless of the group. But there is a special satisfaction when the arrow pops the target where you were looking just because you were looking there. It gets close to that magical mystery flight of the arrow.

Yikes, I'd hate to tick you off! I'm 62 and the last long bow I made I had to keep working on it to where I was comfortable with it, in the 60ish range. 84#'s WOW, Like Jeff Foxworthy says, " I used to could".

Im 55. When I was in my 30's I shot 70 lb recurve. In my Late 30's I dropped to 60 lbs and picked up a bit in draw length and performance actually increased.

I have several friends that are custom bow makers and one in San Antonio is just a couple years older than me. We decided that lighter was better. I was test shooting one of his recurves and we decided that 50 lbs felt so good it needed to be 48.

My longbow is 56# at 31 and my recurves are 55# @ 31 and 52# @ 31. The longbow is 64" and shoots easier than the recurves.

I hunt traditional only for the past 30 years. An old man who used to hunt with Fred Bear and Ben Pearson got me in to it. There is nothing more pure, fair chase and fun than traditional and when you master it you will never shoot a compound.
I took the number 2 Louisiana bowkill in 93. 12pt 225 on the hoof, 26" inside spread. Since then have taken many deer, hogs, squirels, a bobcat running at 35 yards and even a dove on a dove hunt and several ducks in flight as the are landing on the decoys. Try that with a compound. My 2 Louisiana hunting buddies also shoot traditional and together we have taken more than a hundred deer over the years. One of my buddies got a 7X7 elk at 45 yard with his recurve hunting in North East Arizona a few years ago. Fun, Fun, Fun

love the post, have been wanting to try traditional for a while, just would need some guidance so to speak, what bow to get, etc... ive only shot compounds..so traditional archery is new to me...

One thing about us trad guys is all you have to do is ask and we will help get you started best we can. If you ever get around Tyler get up with me and you can shoot my recurves and longbows and see what fits you.

thanks for the invite, ill be sure to remember next time im in that area

Get you a custom made bow if possible. There are some really good custom bowyers around the country and do not get a bow that has too much poundage for your strength. Get one you can pull back in one clean draw to the corner of your mouth and let if fly without shaking.

The only bows i have are hand made self bows. I have no interest in modern compound or even store bought trad bows. I love hunting with my self bow. So much fun. Traditional is the only way i would bow hunt.

Im in I bow hunt with a Bob Lee 62 lb recurve and love it.