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Hey guys I’m new to the forum and new to the traditional bow hunting experience. I have been a compound hunter for roughly 10 years and I’m making the switch to my recurve (Samick Sage) I’m stuck in a pickle. I’m confident at 20 yards at 30 it gets tricky for me. But with my compound I have confidence up to 50 yards. In my heart I know I want to make the switch for my next hunt but there is still this doubt in my head that says I will regret not taking my compound. I keep going back and fourth. Should I wait Untill this little bit of doubt is gone, or roll the dice and possibly have the most memorable hunt of my life. Thanks for any input
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If your purpose is to kill the deer no matter what, then hunting with a traditional bow is probably not for you. If you wont find joy in just watching the deer go by, then stick with your compound.
Traditional archery is about more than just killing deer. It is about honing your hunting skill, and embracing the challenge. You will find that traditional bowhunters will brag about how close they got to the deer. A shot at 4 yards is sought over the shot at 20 yards.
Traditional archery gives the hunter many more ways to find satisfaction and joy in his/her hunting adventures. We play with our gear all year long, making it a part of our lives. The hunt becomes the thing. Killing a deer is just icing on the cake. The kill actually becomes inconsequential.
As Fred Bear says: “Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse yourself in the outdoor experience. It will cleanse your soul and make you a better person.”
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Thank you for that. I read your response over and over Agian. Mostly After reading the first two sentences you wrote and the quote from Fred Bear I will be hanging the compound up and starting my traditional experience. This is just what I needed to hear! Thank you.
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Well said, Mr. Graf. I could not agree more. A lot of folks also ask me why I choose to fly fish when I could catch more fish easier if I used a spoon or bait with a spin cast outfit. It’s not just catching the fish, or shooting the deer (moose or caribou in my neck-of-the-woods), it’s the whole of it, the experience, adventure, place, striving to become a better hunter, the”me” of it …the tradition of it all.
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The first deer I killed with a longbow, a 10 yard or so shot, made me realize that I could be a real hunter and not just a shooter.
And like Steve said, there’s way more to it than the kill.
I have observed way more of nature since I started hunting with my longbow. Especially since where I hunt it’s pretty much spot and stalk so you can just imagine I have lots of time to observe.
Whitetails flagging me and mule deer stotting away are commonly observed.
There’s things like hearing a covey of quail chirping, chatting among themselves and you go around them instead of the flush. A porcupine shuffling by a foot away from your foot. Watching a roadrunner capture a lizard for supper, that within an arms reach. Coyotes don’t turn around the other way when you draw your bow at 15 yards, they invert front to back and are gone.
Many more little treasures like those in my memories.
So could luck and enjoy the simplicity’s of live.
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Ralph you made me laugh about the coyotes! How do they do that without getting S@#T all over themselves? It is a hoot to see one do it.
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Kit, IMO you should think about 20yds. and under. Much more realistic. Been asked, when hunting with a stickbow, what happens when that buck hangs up at thirty? Same thing that happens when your hunting with a compound and that buck hangs up at 80yds. Just watch it and enjoy.
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Hey Kit,
Steve nailed it on the head.
The question I’d ask yourself is simply: What do you want to get out of your time in the woods?
Sometimes I take my rifle out because I really want to try and get some meat. Most of the time I carry my longbow since I’m after the whole experience, which means it is the rare occasion that I come home with game I’ve arrowed. Yesterday I didn’t see a single bear, I broke an arrow on a rock that a quail was sitting atop, and I lost an arrow after I hit a branch a squirrel was perched on. This month I could’ve filled a bear tag very easily with my rifle, but it would’ve meant never having some really close encounters (like a sow with 2 cubs that was about to walk over me if I hadn’t whistled when she was within 5 yards), never would’ve sat and watched a big boar climbing oaks and shaking down acorns for 20 minutes, never would’ve watched the shrew and sharp-shinned hawk hunting, and just a general loss of time in the woods. Hunting creates this need that is hard to recreate any other way, and hunting with traditional tackle creates a need to get intimate with your quarry. The time in the woods and intimacy with big game is my cake; to release a clean arrow and quickly kill game is the icing.
As long as you’re clear with yourself what you want out of the woods, then you’ll be happy whichever weapon you carry.
Good luck and have fun!
Preston
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