badshotbob

At the end of the day, what kills deer? That's all that counts in my book.

Rack-attack

Talk about if you don't do the way I do, or for the reasons I do then you are not doing it right attitude!!![:'(]

Some of us hunt and shoot to GET AWAY FROM THE FAMILY..........LOL

I do many things with my family - I shoot and hunt alone or with my pops.

[:'(][:'(]

WV Hunter

Good thread PA.
In today's society, everyone wants the latest, greatest, biggest, baddest...of every product out there. Archery is no different. The unfortunate thing...is that along with those products (for many) comes the "holier than thou" attitude. Many feel like they have the absolute BEST there is (because THEY have it), and act as if there is nothing that could possibly compare. Heck, some will even tell you flat out. Just look at the boards. Heck look at THIS board. There are so many debates/arguments. Carbon vs aluminum...mech vs fixed. Bowtech vs Mathews. All will work just fine, and each has it's place. I personally don't care what someone else uses, or what they think of what I use. I mean come on...I shoot a PSE and still frequent bowtech.bbs
I hunt for my own reasons, and use what I like...period. Doesn't matter if anyone likes it or not. Doesn't matter if it's popular or expensive or not. Does it make me an irresponsible archer/bowhunter? NO WAY!!

I think skeeter said it best:

rcd567

About 35 years ago the neighbor kids and I would make a bow out of a willow with cotton string. Arrow shafts were also made out of willows. We played and often times shot them up in the air at birds. Amazingly enough, no one ever got hurt. Next came a recurve and cedar arrows. Chased small game around and an occasional deer. Had a ball doing it with some of my buddies and by myself. Next came the two wheel compound with a painted pin sight and aluminum arrows. Harvested a few deer and lots of small game. Used this bow for 20 years. A couple years ago, I bought a Mathews Legacy, fiber optic pin sight, release, and carbon arrows. I'm having more fun than ever and taking more deer. As I've gotten older my time and strength seem limited. No longer able to shoot the 80 pounders I once did. I now shoot 55 - 60 but shoot more and enjoy it even better.

This Christmas my step son got a bow, a compound, sight, release, and carbon arrows and we've gotten a lot closer by shooting and working on the stuff together. You can't put a price on that.

Still shootin and still having fun.

silentassassin

Arthurp,

Isn't that subjective? Isn't simplicity in the eye of the beholder? I suppose it's just the area that I live in but I just don't see the bowhunters in my area overwhelming themselves with gadgets. I have "high tech" setup by your definintion and I went 6 for 7 this year with the one miss being a deer that stepped backward to turn and leave as I released. Now maybe my setup isn't simplistic enough but I think if you could take a post mortom poll of the deer that i killed this year, they would tell that it is quite effective

Again, isn't that subjective? I personally was stoked with the way my season ended. I personally could not have been any happier. Basically, I am saying that what is in your opinion the penacle of enjoyment may not be the penacle of enjoyment for another.

Maybe that's a regional thing and maybe it's a universal thing but I am quite thankful that it has not made it to any group that I have ever shot 3D with and certainly never made it to our "buddy shoots". I think it all depends on the individuals. It could be the fact that none of us are "topnotch" shooters and we look at target archery as a way to get ready for the real thing..........hunting. However, I do think it's archer profiling to lump us all into the same group

I guess it depends on perspective, because I have seen it to be the other way around. I honestly believe if you took a poll (hint hint moderators) that you would find that more people feel like it's the trads slamming the techies than vice versa.

How do you know what other people are doing? I just got my wife into archery. How do you know how much time anyone spends on the couch and how much time they spend shooting or whether or not they get their family involved? Seems like you are lumping everyone into a group again Do you have shoot traditional to do all of those things? There is definetely some looking down the nose on this thread but so far the only person that I see doing it is you. JMO

Oh yea I almost forgot. No, PA I don't think you are an irresponsible archer or bowhunter. Irresponsible moderator maybe for opening this can of worms[:-]

logs

I consider myself and archery from way back in comparison to most other archers and Bowhunters here.
I started bowhunting in about 1959 or 60. Im not exactly sue of the year. I hunted rabbits and pheasant at first with a wooden bow, than a solid fiberglass bow. Later I moved up to a laminated wood and glass bow for Deer. All that time I had cedar shafts and for Deer Bear braodheads. As time moved on and technology advanced I used woven fiberglass arrows, then an Allen compound and so on and so forth. I never changed, my equipment did. I was always and archer and a Bowhunter. I use the best I can get now and still hunt from time to time with my older equipment.
At the same time I watched auto racing. These guys speed around the track in the state of the art race cars. Regular distributors, points, coils and plugs. They were Race Car drivers.
The equipment has changed but those guys who roar around those tracks at even greater speed are still Race Car drives. The cars have changed, not the sport or the spirit of those involved.
Can one have some greater sense of pride in harvesting game with the older more traditional equipment. I'd say yes and I'd have to believe most others here would agree.

I have always enjoyed bowhunting and hope to continue doing it until I die. Maybe those equipment advances will allow me that benefit. It will not diminish my other skills, just allow me to practice them with great joy and satisfaction.
Those advances in equipment are responsible to a large degree for the increased growth in Bowhunting and interest in archery.

PABowhntr

I think I may be catching more flack than you know SA....

Folks, the intent of this thread was not to single out Arthur P. I respect the man greatly...more so for standing up for what he believes in. However, I have seen posts from others in the recent past that take it to the next level and I just have a hard time swallowing some of the stuff that they are dishing out.

Buckfevr

I hunt deer, my wife hunts for shoes. She is very supportive of my hunting, she sees how important it is to me and what it does for me. And I do include them(family) in terms of celebrating the harvest or sharing the experience of the hunt. But it is for me a solitary passion and I think it would be unfair to expect my family to embrace a similar view. They know that I am a hunter and they are glad for me. That is enough.

Bees

Let's see did ya have to pull back a string and let the arrow fly? Yep, your a bow hunter. I grew up with recurves that's all there was back then.
I got new compounds now and I don't care if I ever see another recurve as long as I live. The more gagets and stuff I can put on one the happier I get. My pro shop loves me, got more gagets than any one human needs. and I don't care what anyone else thinks. I'm a Bow hunter..

Buckfevr

Actually I think that Frank is a "Bow" hunter. I don't think that anyone can match his prowess in pursuit of the ultimate hunting bow.