Wind is wrong for me this evening, so took some time out of the stand. Got to thinking about bow season and how I came to be a "traditional bowhunter ". I rarely gun hunt anymore, but I'm curious about everyone else belonging to ITBA. How many of you folks are strictly traditional bowhunters? I mean only using recurves, longbows or selfbows during bow season. No compound or Xbows. For me, I've been only traditional gear for bowhunting since 1991.
Me too... Have been since about 1998 or so... Dang, that's closing in on 20 years now... sheesh time flies... I shot both from 1989 or so till 1997... sold off all my wheels and whatnot... haven't looked back...
Not a member, but i'll chime in anyway. 22 years ago I shot my last deer with a rifle. Never looked back. I never used a compound, so that was a non issue as well. Since then I've always managed to take 1 and sometimes two deer a year with my bows, and thats all I needed, so to gun hunt would only shorten my bow hunting, and that I would not tolerate. I did go deerless one year when I decided to hunt with my self bow only or not take a deer. That was my one meatless year. Now I'll hunt with the selfbow after I take one with laminate bow, but the primitive harvest still eludes me. Now my grandson is hunting. At age 10 he has killed 3 does and a buck, the natural progression is muzzleloader next, maybe a crossbow, and then his longbow. I had Kevin Brown build us matching longbows from Cherry and walnut cut off my farm, with antler overlays on the tips, also sheds found here on my farm. The day he takes a deer with that bow ill be a proud Papaw for sure. I have even considered gun hunting with him, just because he wants me to. I think he wants to see me kill a deer with the 45/70 I bought from Steve Redden. I would not be opposed to that. Its all about the mojo experience to me. Do whats legal,ethical, and of importance to you. Be a trend setter, not a follower. Happy Hunting !
I don't have much success but I have went tad only for everything. There's just something about the simplicity of walking through the woods with a stick and a string.
I really enjoy the "hunt" ...........when the deer is down, the work starts. I've always said " I want to get my deer the last day of the last season.....
DBar