Changing to trad

[Kevin Dill]

That bear paid for my trad ego. I'm not saying don't hunt trad.

I personally appreciate the honesty in this statement. I do think there are plenty of good reasons for guys to hunt with a stick bow....but I'll also acknowledge that some get in it for ego fulfillment. I'm pretty sure you weren't ALL about ego, but only you can know that. While on the topic, I'll readily admit to suffering my own ego-related issues in the past. Maybe one of the good things about sticking with it all these years are the lessons in humility that come from taking on a challenge and seeing it through.

 

[Mudd Foot]

I jumped over to trad pretty hard a few years ago. Practiced a lot. Got my grouping down to what I thought was comfortable to use it for a bear hunt. Bike packed in all the bait. Worked hard for an entire spring and then launched a two blade straight into the shoulder blade of a little black bear.
Blood trailed the entire next morning. Found where he beaded down and then healed up a bit and was gone.
That bear paid for my trad ego.
I'm not saying don't hunt trad. I still have mine but I've kept all my compound stuff because life happens and many of us don't always have the time and dedication for competent traditional arrow placement that the animals deserve. I'll continue to use both and the season, year, and practice time will determine which one I take for that hunt.
Right now it's my 25-06 because we have a new two month old baby girl and also an empty freezer lol.

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About as well said as I’ve heard. Spot on.


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[Newtosavage]

jeremiahH - that same story could be told by many, many compound archers. Myself included when I hunted with compounds. One of the reasons I hunt with traditional bows is because it forces me to make better choices in the field. I lost too many animals with a compound over the years. My shots with traditional bows are always 100% confident or I don't shoot, period. That's saved a lot of critters lives I'm sure. LOL

 

[Newtosavage]

Case in point - I was hunting with my trusty recurve just last weekend, and I had a fine looking 8 pt. whitetail at 25 yards, head down, feeding for probably 2-3 minutes. Now, I can make 25 yard shots on my 3D deer target in the yard with my eyes closed. However, I just never felt right about taking that shot on the deer and I never even took my bow off the hook. Can't say exactly why. I've made shots that long and longer with my recurve on other hunts. Some days it feels right and other days, it doesn't. I've passed on 7-10 yard shots before because I didn't like the situation. That's part of hunting with traditional gear. Now two shots are the same.

 

[Beendare]

Well said Newt.....

Range aside...I'm pickier on my shot selection with my recurve.

There are a lot of paths to the vitals with a high penetration Compound setup; 70# bow, 500 gr arrow and efficient COC BH. I've passed on shots with a stick bow that my compound would have just pounded them.

That said, I'm probably being too conservative as my recurve has performed above expectation on some large hogs. A heavy arrow with COC bh is pretty impressive.

...

 

[Newtosavage]

Well said Newt.....

Range aside...I'm pickier on my shot selection with my recurve.

There are a lot of paths to the vitals with a high penetration Compound setup; 70# bow, 500 gr arrow and efficient COC BH. I've passed on shots with a stick bow that my compound would have just pounded them.

That said, I'm probably being too conservative as my recurve has performed above expectation on some large hogs. A heavy arrow with COC bh is pretty impressive.

...

Agreed. The bow/arrow will get the job done. It's just a lot more dependent on the guy or gal behind it doing their part to put the arrow in the right spot.

It never ceases to amaze me how much penetration I get from my 50# traditional bow and single blade head though. All the way through a 250# nasty boar a few years ago and he even had a 1" thick shield. The equipment is up to the task and we're all here to prove that point. LOL

 

[Brucebarker024]

Get lessons or buy the Solid Archery Mechanics course and don't shoot the trad bow before you do or you might regret switching. Keep your compound till next summer in case it's not working out or you're not quite ready to hunt with trad. Be really careful of who you take advice from! Buy a cheap low poundage bow to start and don't be afraid to buy used till you figure out what suits you! Shoot it for a while, then if there's anyway for you to get to a major trad shoot or store like rmsgear, do it and try a bunch of bows to figure out what fits your itch!

I was planning on buying the solid archery mechanics course so I could become slightly competent lol. I figure that I’d be better off diving in completely and then if I can’t cut it with the trad bow after shooting all year leading up to season then I’ll pick up a used compound and just hunt with that.


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[Brucebarker024]

Going "all-in" is the only way to switch from compound to trad IMO.

Having said that, if you're holding softball sized groups at 80 yards, there is a spot on team USA waiting on you.

I wish this was true lol. I love shooting tournaments with the compound but other than that I’m pretty burnt out on it. It’s just not challenging like it used to be.


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[Brucebarker024]

Regretted it.....hmmmm....No...but it can be frustrating when you have elk at 50yds feeding that you know are dead with a compound.

I have experienced the frustration of knowing I could have had an easy compound kill. I would say its similar to the difference between a rifle guy and a bowhunter...the rifle guys hunts over....when the bowhunter is just beginning.

Stickbows are a further refinement of that^.

So essentially you just have to hunt a little different, planning/working for close shots. Those rifle guys will never know the feeling of stalking in to 5 steps from a big ole wild hog in the tall grass....getting close is a rush. Now getting that close brings on a whole different set of circumstances too!

Shooting wise I love shooting a stick bow...its rekindled my love of archery. Its so much more challenging...and so much more fun.

If you need someone to bounce stuff off of, feel free to PM me.

......

That’s what I’m hoping for! I really hope it brings back my love for it. I appreciate the offer for help; I’ll definitely have questions!


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[Kevin Dill]

You know, a lot of times archery (I'm referring to shooting without sights, letoff, and mechanical aids) has been compared to golf. It's pretty hard to get good at golf on your own...not saying it hasn't happened...but it takes a LOT of work on form, strength, technique and mental management. Some people are just never going to be good at the long game. But anybody can sink a short putt!

Looking back over all the years I've done this, I only wish for one thing. I wish I'd initially met the right guy who understood the importance of form, strength, technique and mental management as applied to shooting a recurve (or longbow) with dependable accuracy. Instead I found myself listening to those who enthusiastically (and wrongly) told me to just 'keep shooting' ... 'hunch over and concentrate' ... 'just focus on the target'.....and so on. All it did was teach me to be very inconsistent and frustrated at times.

So what if a guy never learns how to golf correctly and typically misses those make-able shots? He can go to the clubhouse and have a few rounds and laughs. It's a bit different for a bowhunter and the quarry when we screw things up.

 

[GLB]

I think you will enjoy the stickbow if you spend some quality time with it And keep your compounds and enjoy them as well.

 

[Felix40]

I used to think you had to shoot one or the other. After a decade of trad only I bought a used compound to play with and have really enjoyed it in the last three seasons. I really really enjoy shooting the recurve but sometimes its nice to have a weapon you know you can kill something with. I just take whichever bow I feel like when I go hunting now. So far this year Ive killed a bighorn with the recurve.... a barbary sheep and deer with the compound and plan to carry the recurve on an elk hunt next month.

All if that is just to say that I think a guy needs both. Especially if you like eating meat.

 

[GLB]

I am old enough to remember as a kid that your bow choice was either a recurve or longbow. Compounds haven’t hit the mainstream yet. I started. With a recurve at age 12 and became a bowhunter.

Later on I hunted with the compound for about three years and enjoyed it but the stickbow is what I like best and have stay with that. Really I like all forms of archery and love the flight of the arrow.

If I had a compound bow today I’m sure I would enjoy shooting it but the challenge of the stickbow and it’s simplicity is what I like best.

 

[GregB]

You know, a lot of times archery (I'm referring to shooting without sights, letoff, and mechanical aids) has been compared to golf. It's pretty hard to get good at golf on your own...not saying it hasn't happened...but it takes a LOT of work on form, strength, technique and mental management. Some people are just never going to be good at the long game. But anybody can sink a short putt!

Looking back over all the years I've done this, I only wish for one thing. I wish I'd initially met the right guy who understood the importance of form, strength, technique and mental management as applied to shooting a recurve (or longbow) with dependable accuracy. Instead I found myself listening to those who enthusiastically (and wrongly) told me to just 'keep shooting' ... 'hunch over and concentrate' ... 'just focus on the target'.....and so on. All it did was teach me to be very inconsistent and frustrated at times.

So what if a guy never learns how to golf correctly and typically misses those make-able shots? He can go to the clubhouse and have a few rounds and laughs. It's a bit different for a bowhunter and the quarry when we screw things up.

Kevin makes an excellent point. If I had a coach instead of trying to learn off the interweb I would have been months ahead and saved myself a lot of frustration and bad habits. You may think or feel you are doing something correctly when in reality you are not, and someone watching you can point this out. So if you can find one in your area get a coach.

 

[DenverBulls]

I hunted with a compound for 1 year and made a bad shot on a bull at 30 yards. I honestly got into archery because my wife was due in rifle season... I knew nothing about tuning or my equipment overall because I didn’t need to to be able to shoot groups at 50, which gave me confidence to take a shot at a critter at 30. Looking back, I’m embarrassed at how little I knew about arrow setup, broadhead tuning, etc. I hadn’t even practiced shooting on steep slopes. I did shoot every day with the compound.

Bought a trad bow as a backup bow in January. Didn’t shoot the compound again and sold it in June. I shot every single day, made numerous friends in the trad community, and engulfed myself in podcasts, solid archery mechanics, etc. I know my bow and arrows inside and out. I do all my own tuning, build my own arrows, etc. I also dove deep into calling and hunting strategies. The end result was a dead cow at 13 yards on opening day. Was the shot perfect? Nope, it was very lethal and I was able to deploy it quickly thanks to no crap to deal with, and my heavy arrow and cutthroat broadhead penetrated exactly as planned.

My honest opinion:
1. Everyone should put that much effort into learning their equipment. Someone should have smacked me in 2018.
2. You will have to pass up shots on some animals, but you will also get better shots on others that you would have forced early with a compound or simply couldn’t make work with a compound.
3. Hunting season is only a portion of the year, I enjoy my bow year round and the community is so great
4. Most of us can also fill the freezer with a rifle later if we have to.

 

[DenverBulls]

Meant to add- seems that compound guys should just listen to trad resources, they’ll find themselves getting into chip shot range consistently.

 

[Clifford]

I recently started back up with a recurve but am keeping my compound around for hunting while my skill level builds up. If I shoot enough maybe by next season I’ll be able to take the recurve out. My point being, you might consider keeping both for a while and choosing the appropriate weapon for the type of hunting you will do that day. Eventually you will shoot your favorite one enough the right decision will be obvious.

 

[Newtosavage]

I recently started back up with a recurve but am keeping my compound around for hunting while my skill level builds up. If I shoot enough maybe by next season I’ll be able to take the recurve out. My point being, you might consider keeping both for a while and choosing the appropriate weapon for the type of hunting you will do that day. Eventually you will shoot your favorite one enough the right decision will be obvious.

I took this approach for a while, and found myself hunting stands that were more suited for a compound, more often than I should have. What I mean is, had I spent those hunts in a stand that was better suited for trad gear, I would have given myself more opportunities with the trad gear, and would have gained confidence more quickly with that equipment.

This is why I say a person really needs to go "all in." Because just like hunting with a rifle, if the kill is more important to you than the method, you'll always tend to favor the easier route. When you only have one option, you tend to get better with that tool. Like the saying about beware of the man who only owns one gun.

 

[Boxerboxer]

I took this approach for a while, and found myself hunting stands that were more suited for a compound, more often than I should have. What I mean is, had I spent those hunts in a stand that was better suited for trad gear, I would have given myself more opportunities with the trad gear, and would have gained confidence more quickly with that equipment.

This is why I say a person really needs to go "all in." Because just like hunting with a rifle, if the kill is more important to you than the method, you'll always tend to favor the easier route. When you only have one option, you tend to get better with that tool. Like the saying about beware of the man who only owns one gun.

Does "suited for compound" mean simply longer shots, or are there other factors that you're thinking of?

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[Eagle]

Be cognizant of your shoulder health. I tried to make the switch, and after several months of consistent practice, had issues with my left shoulder related to a couple previous sublaxations pop back up. I've killed a hog and a whitetail with a longbow, and have hunted with a recurve as well, but ultimately, as a result of lack of practice time with the recurve (work schedule and shoulder), I've decided to stick to hunting with my compound.

One side benefit to shooting a recurve that I never anticipated, was how much it improved my wingshooting. I use the gap method of aiming with the recurve, and, for me at least, it dovetails perfectly into being aware of where the end of your barrel is while concentrating on the bird you are trying to shoot.