Strugglestick Addiction, An Article Series By Aron Snyder

[Justin Crossley]

In early January of 2016, Aron decided he would hunt with only a traditional bow for the year and this first article of the Strugglestick series takes us through his prep, practice, mindset, and some great hunts. Aron's writing is always entertianing and informative so I know you all will enjoy this article as much as I did.

The Strugglestick Addiction Part I

Be sure and subscribe at "Thread Tools" top of this post so you don't miss the rest of Aron's series on the strugglestick

 

[HERD CHALLENGER]

Nice article Aaron. Looking forward to the other parts

 

[Loco4dux]

Awesome, subscribed.

 

[DWinVA]

Great stuff. Bring on Part II.

God Bless.

 

[blackdawg]

Keep the articles coming!

 

[Big6810]

Awesome. I'm in the middle trying to make a decision on going "full trad" for 2018. Last year I hunted turkeys, bears, and my hometown whitetails with the stick. I have a hard time taking a recurve only when I travel out of state to hunt. We shall see for 2018. Great read so far Snyder. Maybe you can help sway my decision.


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[Chad.frank]

Great article so far. Thank you for sharing the Idaho hunt with everyone. It's good to see you being transparent with everything Aron. More people need to be that way.

 

[AndyB]

Good read Aron,
Ive always hunted with a recurve and recently got my first compound dialled in, I'll be taking both to Colorado this year but don't know which one I will pick up at the trailhead yet. I really want to get my first Elk with the recurve but I have a bit of an internal conflict going on at the minute, as I could extend my range some with the little Mathews. This will be my 5th attempt to take an Elk. 4-0 at the minute.

 

[tater]

I just want to thank Aron for his candid discussion these last two years on traditional bowhunting, and for coming to the forefront as someone striving to be the bowhunter he wants to be while encouraging others to "come to the struggle side".

There is a necessity for a new voice other than that of the "old crusty's", and an acknowledgement that there are many facets to hunting with this weapon and many ways to become proficient. Tough gig to take on, but good on him for standing up to the task.

 

[ssliger]

Listening to the podcasts and now reading the article just makes you want to pick up a traditional bow.


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[LostArra]

"but 40 was a par two for me at this time" HAHA great one Aron!

I've been shooting sticks for 50 years and it's still a par two for me.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Thanks for the comments!

Looking forward to keeping everyone updated in this season as well.

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[PredatorX]

What a great read. I too took up the stickbow right around the same time. Like Aron said, it rekindled my love for archery after 20+ years of shooting a compound. Seeing that arrow in flight again reminds you of those feelings when you first fired an arrow. Also, I don't know what it is, maybe i am just turning into a hippie but hunting with simple stick and string somehow makes me feel closer to nature.

Whenever I start questioning myself on using a stickbow (dont listen to the voices! haha) , I always remind myself that even though really unfortunate, if you do lose an animal, nothing of that animal goes to waste. It all fits into the circle of life.

Aron- if you really want to give your bows some soul, harvest some of the sinew from your next animal and wrap it on your limbs. You wont hear any more heckling haha.

 

[Kevin Dill]

First, I consider us all (hunters) to be family of a sort. From that, bowhunters remind me of brothers. All are different and may have their ways (and fights) but still know that their ties go back to a common bond. That bond is the ancient bow and arrow...the mastery of hunting and killing game with one's bow and an arrow is a challenge we meet at whatever level we choose. Some of us simply want more challenge and some want things to be about as difficult as possible for themselves. This is where...for me...the 'struggle' comes into play.

The things that challenged my abilities the most...made me really struggle to achieve my goals...also produced the highest degree of satisfaction. I hunted 2 seasons with compounds in the very early '80s and had good success, but my nature is to look beyond, and so I immediately converted 100% to a recurve. There was no back-and-forth; I put the compound in my past and that was it. Struggle? Hell yes I struggled and it wasn't always fun. It was always challenging and I craved that. Of course I learned my effective range would be shorter but really didn't let that bug me. I figured to get better at getting close and getting the shot. I did...and here's the unexpected thing: I found out that what really fed my inner predator was getting extraordinarily close to game animals. When shot ranges routinely become 5-10 yards at unalarmed animals...that's what I call 'pouncing distance'. For me there is nothing more completely fulfilling than killing an animal at 5 yards on the ground with my longbow.

In a weird way, now it's less about the bow (for me) and more about 'pouncing distance'. I could get the job done with almost any weapon. I stay with the longbow (or recurve) because of its fast-handling nature and silent shooting. It also requires strength, confidence and a mastery of simple-but-primitive archery skills. At times it is still a struggle and I think I like that. Shooting the compound was no struggle and I could only be bored by that. Personally I love the term 'strugglestick' and think it shows how much we can be challenged to master something so incredibly simple and non-technical...one simple bow and one good arrow.

 

[Glendon Mullins]

what an awesome read

 

[maninthemaze]

The link to the article doesn't work for me using Tapatalk. I tried using the search feature, looking for an article started by Aron with that name to no avail.

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[Ryan Avery]

just go to Rokslide.com... Can't miss it.

Do you have an Android Phone?

 

[mfllood3800]

Kind of ironic that to Aron, he feels he had a rough year, where many would be happy to get a bird, bear and a chance at another, all in 1 year.
I had already followed along so I know how it was up and down all year. But isn't that hunting? Be it a rifle, cam bow or stick bow?
One reason we all do it- no given, no freebies.

I love the article- its real, relatable, and touchable to all who ever set into the forest to take an animal in their habitat and live with them on their terms.

Thanks to RS for putting this adventure together in many of our "off season" time frame.

I have thought about the trad bow, and am thinking once again.
Kind of funny right? You'd think after reading the article, knowing the struggles, most would shy away, but the adventure seeker in most of us, find this article draws us in deeper, rather than push us away.

 

[Nick Muche]

Amazing what can happen when you put your mind to a goal and work hard to make it a reality

 

[maninthemaze]

just go to Rokslide.com... Can't miss it.

Do you have an Android Phone?

Yes on the Android phone. When I touch the link on the screen, it tries to open another tapatalk graphic but fails.

I'll just go to rokslide.com

Thanks

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