Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Modern or traditional?

Which are better? (I know the answer, do you?)

Whichever one suits you best.

For me, I can't do modern (compound). It just doesn't excite me, nor can I even bring myself to practice enough to get proficient.

The exact opposite is true of traditional (recurve and "instinctive"). It just "feels right" to me, and I love to practice and hunt with that set-up.

YMMV.... and I expect it probably does .... at least for some of us.

Well I'm on the other side of the fence from VAnimrod, I prefer the modern style. I've shot and have been fairly proficient with a recurve, but for me it is much easier to shoot accuratly and consistantly with a compound and sights. For me thats what it's all about, making 1 precise shot.

my dad had (has) one of the old Brwoning "Nomad" compounds from the early 80s. that was the last "shootable" compound IMO. I'm a Died-in-the-wool recurve shooter as well as an arrow maker

My favs are the Dammon-Howatts (now run by Martin). I used my dad's "Hunter" for years (he took it back). Now I have a Mamba, a Diablo, and an X-200. Simple, strong, fluid.
The string can break, that's about the only adjustment or malfunction......

Better? :-)

Better for what? Don't know if one is better than the other for anything. It's the guy or gal doing the pullin' that makes the difference.

Thought this thread would be about Osage bows.

Spot

Started bow hunting in the 1965 with a Shakespeare "Wonderbow".
I tried the compound years later but it was not for me. I ordered a Robertson Stickbow (longbow) in the 90's. It is shedua with locust and horn tips on the ends. A beautiful bow, but I did not learn how to shoot it well until I bought a little video from Dan Quillian. That helped me alot. It is 60# @28". I also have a few recurves, but the longbow is what I enjoy the most. Life's responsibilities and family/work has pushed bow hunting aside, but I am retiring in about 60 days so I hope to start shooting again. I hunt with guys who use compounds, butI don't care what anyone else shoots, I just really enjoy traditional. Gary

I went back to recurves about 4-5 yrs ago. I won't switch again. I enjoy the stick and string simplicity too much. There is a lot of satisfaction in making good shots instinctively.

I prefer to use a recurve bow. I am at a point in my life where I don't have the time needed to stay proficient with it however. I can pick up my compound bow and shoot a few arrows and feel pretty good about my accuracy. The recurve requires much more dedication and I have to shoot a few arrows almost daily during the season to maintain any skills.

I am combo I shoot a 10 year old (with new limbs) fire cat compound with fingers. I use one pin set to 25 yards and adjust as I see fit. I may go back to shooting instictive next season I miss that. I would go with a recurve but have a shoulder problems.

I have an absolute blast shooting my longbow, but can't hit with 100% consistency. Some days I'm on fire, and other days I'm not. As a result, I don't feel ethical about hunting past 20yds with it. Since I hunt public land and want to have some success, doubling or tripling the above yardage via a compound bow with sights seems like a logical compromise to me. I'll save my longbow for target practice and await my new Mathews (tomorrow afternoon) for actually filling a tag.

If I can live out of town someday where I can send a couple dozen arrows down range DAILY, year-round then I may consider hunting with traditional gear. I love the simplicity, beauty, weight, and joy in shooting trad gear. It looks much better in trophy photos too (not from personal experience). But for now I want to increase my odds of precisely planting a broadhead at the maximum ethical range, with means a compound.

I don't think there is an answer to which is "better" ...
I have enjoyed and been quite successful with wooden yew longbows, osage statics and glass laminate recurves and longbows for over 45 years hunting.
I jusy enjoy the crafting of the arrows, bows, strings and the physical challenges of staying in condition to shoot 70-85# 'stickbows' and 730 grain tapered wood arrows accurately.


I don't think ANYONE shoots 100% accuracy even if they are an Olympic shooter..:)Shucks, even rifle shooters don't shoot 100%.

Ultimately, whatever you enjoy archery hunting with is what is 'best' for you.Practice well, shoot often and learn to hunt in and the bow will take game consistently.Jim

I used to shoot a compound w/ fingers and peep and sights, didn't wanna go with a release like my friends, just too much crap. I decided to go to a recurve and I love it. It is so much more fun to shoot. It puts feeling back into it instead of something mechanical.

Sure I can't shoot much past 30yds but the whole point is getting close. If I wanna shoot far I do that in rifle season with a turreted scope and a laser. Or get close w/ my peepsighted lever.

My friends groups at 60 are like mine at 30 but I am having more fun. Plus like has been said I don't need a suitcase of parts and tools when I go out. Just an extra string.

I agree completely, and could easily become a long bow/recurve junky for the fun they provide and for the limitless beautiful wood options for their construction. For my area of the state I'll just plain see a lot more game at 50-60yds than I will at 20-30. A pard of mine is a VERY hard core trad bow shooter and an excellent hunter to boot. He's got a wind protected range behind his house and practices year-round--------he's spooky accurate. He's into the animals every day all season long and still has an empty freezer some years. I'm not the shooter or the hunter that he is, and some quick math told me that if he struggles to harvest trophies then I've got roughly NO chance at all. I'm not against practice, and I'm not equating a compound bow with instant success either. BUT, "out west" where gun loonies love to argue about flatter shooting rifles, a long or recurve bow just seems like more handicap than I'm willing to accept at this point in time. I do still love target practice with my longbow however.

Honestly they both appeal to me. I thoroughly enjoy both versions. I am not one to upgrade my bow every year, or every other year. Matter of fact I've only ever owned two compounds. The latest is probably a 1991 PSE.

I'm a recurve and longbow guy. Love the woods and craftmanship that goes into trad bows. I've made a few longbows and one takedown recurve and really enjoyed the process.

But then I'm strictly blued steel and walnut for my rifles and mostly hunt with at least 50 year old or older levers.

I can honestly say my old bow has never been responsible for a miss on a deer or elk I wish I could say the same for the old shooter So I never got into the mold of getting a new bow every year or trying to keep up with the technology.


You know I take some pride in still shooting with fingers and I enjoy going to bow range from time to time to show up the younger fellows with my single pin and fingers and old Martin bow of course they show me up out past 40 yards but that is ok since I am confident from 30 and in. I can remember when I would get worked up seeing them shooting from 60 yards but I mellowed out as I realized they are just inexperienced and they will learn as I did on why a bow is a short range weapon.

I really enjoy shooting with the guys that are shooting the recurves and long bows I have a ton of respect for them because it takes a lot of practice and hunting skill to take meat home.

I tip my hat to you traditional shooters and I would be willing to share a camp fire with most of the people I met over the years who use those weapons.

I am now in the camp if it is fun to shoot, shoot what ever your the most comfortable with.

Yep...the answer is BOTH!

Yep, both.I love my recurves.They just get in my blood.But there are days I can't shoot them very well, especially on days when work has just kicked my butt.So I'll take my compound out.I have fun with both.I've never shot a deer with either that I didn't get the shakes over.To me, that's what bowhunting is all about anyway!

I'm still shooting my Bear Whitetail Hunter, so I guess I am smack dab in the middle between traditional and modern. Best, John

It's got to be one or another. I shoot traditional and primitive, and have not shot a compound bow in years. I don't think you can switch back and forth and really learn to shoot a traditional bow.

I'm also not sold on the draw most bowhunters use. Stacy Krudup and others who could hit aspirins would draw to the chest, not to the corner of the mouth. So did a lot of American Indians. I understand WHY the old-time warriors draw that far back, they needed the power, but I've often wondered how those extremely good instinctive shooters, both with a bow and a flip (slingshot) hit what they were aiming at pulling toward the center of their bodies.

I'm by no means a very experienced traditional shooter, but IMO the corner of the mouth anchor helps keep your eyes lined up better with the arrow and helps you visualize the shot better. I don't have enough "instinctive experience" to write a thesis, but I've got a hunch that while you think you're shooting strictly by feel and muscle memory, you're mind is also subconsciously making note of where the arrow is in relation to the target and distance. I maybe wrong but I can't see how a chest draw has any advantage. Another theory I have is that the American Indians missed alot of schitt they aimed at because there's something like a bazillion arrowheads scattered on this contintent. I can't imagine they were all dropped by accident....

Over the years, I have learned point-shoot with bow, thrown rocks, handguns and spears..but such is limited to close quarter shooting.
Primitive hunters either on horseback or close in stalking were shooting at less than 10 yrds and no 'rear sight' reference was needed.
Beyond that, having the arrow beneath the master eye when drawn gives a good secondary subconscious reference for shooting the line..which is essential for accuracy with any weapon beyond ten yards.
I can hit a visible target ( like a small candle flame at 20 yards) in the dark when there is no visible reference to bow, hands, arm arrow, but that is due to much practice: my mind knows where my hands and body are even in the dark.

One thing about stickbow archery is that it lends itself to fluid shooting..much like swinging a shotgun on trap or skeet targets...or birds & rabbits moving.

The compound bow, for all it's accuracy and let off, breaks this rhythm and fluidity of the shot up and so faster shots on big game, small game or birds is more difficult.Jim

Very impressive.





Yeah, you should have seem my lack of fluidity yesterday while learning to drive my new bow. Practice will speed all the steps up until they look like one continual process, but for now......yikes!

I agree that it's for short range stuff, but it works. I think, and I hate to sound flaky here, it's because the bow is close to the ki or the power-point of your body. That's the "ki" in "akido" and other martial arts.

Some of the best archers in the world were the mounted horse archers from the steppes. Like American Indians, they were raised on a horse and shooting a bow. They pulled the bow WAY back, as do many Eastern archers. And those bows were made to store a lot of energy, and would throw an arrow farther than you'd believe.

There are lots of good arguments for pulling the bow back to the corner of the mouth but equally good ones for pulling it to the same spot, regardless. Old English prints show archers pulling the bow back to the right nipple, but they were wearing helmets and probably couldn't get the thing back to their face. Plus, they seemed to be shooting at long range and might have been using the tip of the arrow as a sight.

I'm a noob, so I'm sticking to bows with training wheels for now. As time marches on, who knows.

I hunt with a 58" Bruin takedown with a second set of limbs and a Fedora recurve.

Gdv

I love the ease and accuracy of my Matthews MQ-1 but grew up shooting a homemade recurve and would love to get back into that one day when I have more time. I'm right-handed and that recurve was actually a left-handed bow which might have something to do with the fact that I'm left-eye dominant today because I shot the heck outta that bow....

I do a combination of both. I shoot a compound with no sights or release. The compound allows for a longer time to concentrate on the spot and produces a flatter shot to help with the range. As for no release, it was against the rules when I shot in 3-D tournaments. It also is one less thing to forget or loose when I go hunting.

Gene, Most of your better shotgun shooters position the butt of the gun very near the center of the chest. This is so that the gun is in line with the dominant eye, without canting the head. I would assume the same would hold true for traditional archery.
I would go so far as to suggest that traditional archery vs. modern is almost like comparing shotgun to rifle shooting. One is an art, the other a science. Both are good.

I've shot traditional bows all my life and have hunted big game since 1955. Never having owned a compound my experience is only from one side of the fence. However I've been in the business of selling traditional archery equipment since 1980 and had a retail shop for 20 years. My best customers were modern compound shooters looking to change over to traditional. According to them the reason they wanted to switch was they were looking for a greater challenge.

In my opinion if there is a best way, it's what ever gives you the most pleasure.