Am I a Trad shooter…?

[Guy Seniceros]

#146845

Hello Everyone, I’m new here, just joined. Some years ago, I was a compound bow shooter but after blowing out a shoulder, had to put it aside for a time and eventually sold it. But even when I was an active compound shooter, my eye was always taken with the beauty of many recurves. So earlier this year, I bought myself a Samick Sage recurve. I now have 3 sets of limbs for it ,25#, 35# and #45. I have enjoyed shooting it and continue to improve. However, my old compound shooting experience sort of came into the picture. I use an elevated arrow rest and fully adjustable plunger. And I also shoot with a pin site. So does this mean I am not a traditional shooter ? I’ve been doing a lot of reading and studying the 3 main ways of aiming without a site. And I must say that I am very interested in “converting” to trad shooting. Currently at 10 yards, my arrows are mostly all touching each other and endangering nocks and fletching. Makes me happy, but I’m ready to remove the “compound” gear and start over….So am I a trad shooter ? Well no, not yet. But I think I’m ready to be.

[Robin Conrads]

#146846

Hello Guy, and welcome to the campfire! You’ll find we are a small, but open-minded group and I think you’ll like it. My opinion has always been more about how you hunt (ethics and such), than what you hunt with. And the term “traditional” means many things to many people. Don’t get caught up in the details. You do you, but do it in such a manner that it gives respect to the animals you hunt.

Robin (aka Webmother)

[richard roop]

#146848

Greetings from S.E. Arizona.

Are you a Traditional shooter ??? Well …………….. Kinda, sorta, somewhat, in a way. Who am I to judge ?? I once had a ‘purist’ tell me that what I did with my recurve ‘didn’t count’ because I shot off of an elevated rest. 25 years later and I’m still shooting off of a rest.

Think of Traditional as a journey with a compound at one end and an Atlatal at the other. In between you have recurves, longbows, selfbows and lets not forget our Kyudo friends to whom the pursuit of perfection is more than just putting the pointy end of an arrow into a target. Along the way, there are side roads into building bows, making arrows and twisting up strings.  How about flight shooting ??? Traditional, yea or nay ???  I hunt with a six inch stabilizer…… am I a bad person ???

Shoot what makes YOU happy.  Now, if you show up at a tournament with a sight, (or a stabilizer) expect somebody to cry to high Heaven.  Just register as Non-Competive  and have a good time.  Talk to people about what they shoot and why.  Most traditional folks are happy to help. Sometimes too happy. Take all advice (including mine) with a grain of salt.  But, sometimes, a single nugget of information can be well worth the registration fee.

Actually, you’re fortunate in that you have a valid excuse to buy another bow.  Wouldn’t want to mess up the one that’s sighted in but need one to learn gap or instinctive shooting.  I like eBay, but then, I’m into retro recurves  although they have something for everybody.

[Jason Wesbrock]

#146854

Welcome Guy.

 

” I use an elevated arrow rest and fully adjustable plunger. And I also shoot with a pin site. So does this mean I am not a traditional shooter?”

 

Sounds just fine to me. Folks have been hunting with sights since long before any of us were born. As a matter of fact, it was pretty much the norm pre-compound. Shoot the way that works best for you and don’t worry about labels.

[Guy Seniceros]

#146894

Thanks for the warm welcome,

I really like the tight groups I shoot with my setup and when I go out hunting this season I’ll be leaving it alone. The last thing I would want is a wounded, suffering animal because of my poor shot placement. I fully understand that there are going to be times when that shot wasn’t perfect or even as good as I had hoped for. But I want to insure that I have done the very best I could on my end.

I’m going to get myself a hair rug and backing plate so that I can start practicing shooting off the rest and also without my site. The site, rest and plunger are easily enough removed and replaced as needed. I will be concentrating on target work only for now but do any hunting with my more modern setup until I’m as good with either setup.

For this year, I’m going to keep my hunting plans to small game and birds. More specifically squirrels and pheasant, I may include turkey if the chance presents itself. For now, I’m doing my practice with my 35# limbs. I was able to shoot 6 arrows from my 45# limbs but was very shaky and I couldn’t hold full draw for long. By the way, I’m 66 years young.

Guy, (Bladeswell)

 

 

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