Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting what happened to archery..

I have been archer, hunter with bows, arrow and tackle maker for over 50 years.
Hunted several dozen big game species successfully and truckloads of small game and birds.

I'd like to be more involved with this small forum but there doesn't seem to be much of anything conversed about that I can relate to or understand.
What happened to the simple longbow or recurve..wood bows and wood arrows?
All the arrow hype?
Shucks..a matched set of POC or white birch or doug fir wood shafts with 145-160 grain blunts and two blade broadheads always did the job for me an thousands of other archer-hunter for over centuries..

Reading these threads it seems some habe made a simple, rewarding sport for the target archer or hunter into some maze of contraptions and snake oil salesman hype.

Any of you shoot one arrow at unknown yardage in variable light, up or down or flat and HIT a one pond coffe can( or the kill zone on most critters) consistently out to 50 yards?
IF not why not?
Throwing money and technology at this ancient art and discipline or shooting accurately for hunting and sport is not the answer.
Do a search on Gilman Keasey and see what an archer can do..
Or Howard Hill.or Fred Bear..or Ron LaClair for that matter..

BTW, what inell is a whiskerbiscuit..:) jim

Jim, you are a true Archer!!! And should be very proud of that!! I am a hunter! And proud of it! I wish I could shoot a long bow or a recurve like you. Hell if it wasn't for all this fancy bull [bleep], peep sites, releases, 3,4,5 pin sites, crazy ass whisker biscuits I wouldn't be able to hit the neighbors house at 50 yds much less a coffee can. But it's still a bow, has a string, flings an arrow and you still gotta hit the target. You have learned a true art form!! I admire the fact that you have spent years upon years to perfect such an art! Me I barely have time to take a shower before 10:00 at night! Most days I got three kids playing three sports in three different cities!!! It's alot of work. But I do manage to pick up my compound almost daily for a dozen shots to keep myself sharp. I mostly hunt with a bow because the season is such a good one. Less people, more elk!! But every time I go out I fall a little more in love with the idea ok taking game with a bow and arrow! I may have all the new fancy gadgets and bow that's easy to hold at full draw, but most of all I do have discipline and the upmost respect for the game I hunt. I can get as close as you or not as close as you to the game I hunt. Bottom line I still gotta put an arrow in the same spot. I just do it a little different than you. That dosen't make it wrong or right. It's almost like saying that the mailman ain't worth a pinch of [bleep] cause he dosen't ride a pony. 50 years ago we didn't have music on CD'S or telephone's we can carry in our pockets. But that dosen't make it wrong. If you think that because I do it different makes me not disciplined you are saddly mistakin my friend! I live for the challange!!! This is only my third year bow hunting and I've yet to take an elk. But I've never had more fun trying. CD

Jim, I admire men like you, no kidding. One of my mentors on rifles and muzzleloaders was also like you. He is long gone now and was never really known for his crafts. He was a gunsmith of the old school. He was a proficient traditional black powder hunter, he was a true woodsman and sportsman and he was an archer...his ashes were spread from his favorite deer stand just a few years ago...

He too couldn't see the gadgetry involved with archery these days...same as with firearms. He taught me a lot over the years and then I lost contact with him by moving away. The one thing I always regreted since his passing is that I never had the time to let him teach me how to really loose an arrow with a stick bow...he was a master at it. He outshot me several times with me and my speed bow. It was humbling. I've played with a couple recurves out of memory of him but just can't quite get it, at least to the proficiency needed to ethically hunt with one. My hats off to you Jim, you and Howard Hill and the like...

Someday before I go...I will make my own long bow and start to practice with it, just cause it's the right thing to do...

I hunt with a recurve and POC's. My broadheads are 145 grain ribteks or grizzlies--both have been nothing short of stellar. I probably couldn't hold my own much with the field archers of the 60's and such but I practice hard for a variety of hunting shots at ranges out to 25 yards. My distance shooting is done to make my hunting ranges appear shorter and easier.

But you could actually ask your question on a lot of traditional forums on the web. I'm seeing many so called trad guys who are getting pretty high tech about everything. Its almost like Orwell's, Animal Farm. And I know some compounders who manage to keep things pretty simple. Without going into what a whisker biscuit is (I suspect you actually know), its much simpler than many plunger rests.

The bow itself doesn't make archery simple, pure, or rewarding. Neither does the arrow. The person behind the tool determines the degree of simplicity or complexity. And that part of the sport hasn't changed in over fifty years.

Well, last eve, I didn't intend to denigrate anyone's chosen tackle or persuits..just feeling a bit anachrinistic I guess...
I agree that many of the traditional archery sites have drifted more and more toward technology rather than helping folks toward better form and simple but effective equipment matchups for the tasks.

What IS a whisker biscuit anyhow..??..:)

Speed doesn't kill, and neither do dead heavy arrows.
A well placed arrow( there's really only that ONE that matters for the game shot) with sufficient energy and ability to cut-penetrate and impart that energy well are what makes the archery kill.

I practice at longer yardages..out to 100 yards..
I do not HUNT or shoot game at those distances..
The practice is for building strength, resiliancy, concentration.
Shooting the vertical line consistently..Knowing in your mind where the arrow will be in it's flight to the mark out to your killing zone distance..
Eliminating every equipment variable you can so there is nothing left for the great shot but the man putting his back and heart into the shot..
It's all fun..The arrow's flight will always captivate the archer's mind and imagination..
Hitting well is best...:)..
This bow is [email]7730"[/email] repro of a 50's Nels Grumlet static bow that I made a few years back...jim

Archery like many other things has changed from what it used to be, that's for sure. Todays average Sportsman has many Irons in the fire in that he finds many different ways to enjoy the outdoors. The one thing that hasn't changed is there's still only 24 hours in a day. That fact limits the time most people have to pursue a particular sport be it bowhunting, gun hunting, fly fishing or whatever.

People have found many ways to compact their leisure time so that they can participate in more outdoor activities. Modern compound bows take much less time to learn to shoot than traditional longbows and recurves so understandably it is more popular.

Having said that, there is a growing number of bowhunters that are choosing to increase the challange of bow hunting by doing it the hard way.

Compton Traditional Bowhunters is a National traditional bowhunting organization for those that would like to accept that challange, check them out.

www.comptontraditional.com

A Whisker Bisquit is a an arrow rest that is basically a ring that has coarse hair pointing inside of it with a hole in the center for the arrow to pass through. The fletching goes through the hair when you shoot, but it is stiff enough to hold the arrow in place when at draw. Do a search for Carolina Archery Products Whisker Bisquit.


SS

Jim, very nice indeed ! Do you have a close up of it ?
BTW: all a traditionalist needs to know about a "whisker bisquit" is that it won't give you rug burn !! Big smile here ! BT53

I have a number of closeup pics of the 3 Nels Grumly /Bear statics I built as well as a complete pictorial from press construction thru the building..jim

and another..

Jim,
A true classic. Great color and warmth.
In the late 60's, I killed two of the unluckiest blacktail deer to ever walk in Oregon. I used an old York 55# recurve and a Bear razor Head. I also missed an entire life time limit of deer with that bow. My hats off to people with that kind of dedication. BT53

Good to see a fellow traditionalist. Been making my own longbows for 15 years, but shooting recurves primarily '59
Bear Kodiak Replicas by Ed Holcomb. I shoot everyday and am still trying now to cure everyones Target Panic and write about it some day. I shoot PO Cedar and Carbon arrows using a style I call Gapstinctive, basically what Howard Hill did. Like you I shot a recurve many years ago then got away from it when the compound came on the scene. The ugly bow will not grace my bow rack, ever. I m 60 now and enjoy the stick bow, flyfishing and iron sights on my rifles. Keep it simple and the enjoyment seems to be much more pleasing overall. I shoot balloons out to 80 yards for fun and 3 D for humility. I plan on continuing for as long as I m able to anchor and loose a shaft and watch its arc into the target.

Cheers, Estacado

Estacado, and others,
I don't believe for a minute that basic archery will pass from the scene..and it is good to hear from and meet a few who still appreciate and enjoy the challenge of a man, his bow and arrow and the well-sent shaft to the mark.

Show others and teach as you can..Despite this get it done fast with no thought or effort world, there is still a place for hand crafted archery " tools", a man's(or woman's) sinew,bone, heart and mind in this sport.jim

Jim, I agree, "basic" archery will always have a fascination for those that shoot the feathered shaft.

Maurice Thompson said it in his book, "The Witchery Of Archery" over a century ago,

"As long as the new moon returns in the heaven a bent, and beautiful bow, so long will the fascination of archery keep hold of the hearts of men"

I started shooting a Fred bear deerslayer in '66 .
traded an iver Johnson SXS for the bow, quiver, arrows, homemaded fletching burner, and a whole mess of shafts, fletch, nocks, and other stuff fforr building.

Although I still own a lot of traditional archery gear, I can't shoot anymore becuase of nerve damage in the deltoid area
( from work, not archery!).
I will not however, shoot a compiund.
Tried that once, it's not for me.
I grew up on Fred Bear , Ben Pearson and Howard Hill, and have fond memories of my first kill and my early trophies I won in competitions.

It was a good time in my life......
Cat

I shoot traditional instinctive only. My preference is for recurves.
My current bow is a 1967 Browning Nomad. She still scales 57# @30". I had some Flemmish twist strings made up a few years ago. I need to try to find some PO shafts, mine are getting dried out.
I can still shoot sitting flat on the ground. I can still hit a 6" circle at 25 yds., with my body facing away from the target.

Some people have acused me of being a "snap shooter", in the past. I actually draw and release in one continuos motion. I shoot by the same method you use to toss something to someone and learned the same way.

I was taught to start by shooting at a bale of hay in the dark, with only a shielded candle to light the bale and never shoot twice from the same spot. After a few weeks the arrows just started to group. Then I placed a thumb tack in the bale to begin training my brain to "pick a spot". I shot from every position you can imagine holding a bow, kneeling, sitting and from treestands.
It took about a year at 6-8 hours per week to learn to shoot this way.

Btw Jim, I still have 7 " BUTTERFIELD BRUTES" in useable condition

Well I started out on a 45# Indian recurve around 1973 and used it for about 5 -6 years....dropped out of it some.....took archery in college, and got into it some more....got back into it more "full time" 7 - 8 years ago ( I know, alot of gaps there..) with a PSE compound and am proficient with it up to 60 yards....now I have a 35# Indian Deerslayer on its way to my house thanks to ebay ($53) and am looking forward to getting back into to the traditional approach....in the mean time, I have also started my twin 7 year olds shooting the red ryder and a Fred Bear bow 2 years ago.....that is the most enjoyable part of all of it for me.....I can shoot all day and not come near as close to having the enjoyment as their days with the bow ....Jim, it sure would be a joy to be able to go out and shoot with someone like ya to take the bend out of the constant learning curve...I hope there are plenty of young folks in your life to share with....I had someone take me under their wing back in the day and also told me about the archers bible. What a great tool that was, and still is I guess.....thanks for the post....Boots

Hey guys,
I too am a traditional archer/hunter, and would rather set myself on fire than hunt with anything else. Not that there's anything wrong with the rifle, compound, etc., it's just not my bag. There is something addictive about watching a brightly capped and crested arrow arching toward the target. As is there something addictive about being 50 yards from a buck on a stalk, and knowing you have 30 yards to go. And the bows can be GORGEOUS! If you don't drool looking at a bow crafted from Bocote...well...there breathes a man with a soul so dead... I used to shoot a compound and while I enjoyed it, it does not even come close to the satisfaction I feel from a well placed shot from my recurve.
My main bow (I have 4) is a Shafer Silvertip built for me by Dave Windauer. It is Zebrawood top to bottom, and is gorgeous. Dave and his wife, Beth, if I remember her name correctly, are wonderful people and a joy to deal with.
To those interested in getting into traditional achery, I would highly recommend G. Fred Asbell's book "Instinctive Shooting". Read it a couple of times, buy a cheapie recurve to get started, and never look back.

Thanks,
Justin

Just came in the mail a Owl bow, 60' long 49lbs at 28 hackberry wood sinew backed with rattlesnake skin covering about the nicest self bow I think I have ever seen, and its fast, and very quite, look out deer. John

I agree with everything you wrote on your post! I have been a recurve shooter for the last 9 years after spending 12 years as a compound shooter. So I think I have a pretty good idea about both types of bows! After a recent work related injury to my right elbow it seems that I can no longer shoot my Black Widow as well as before. I recently bought a new compound and for better or worse I'm still a bowhunter! My point is we are all archers regardless of the equipment we use!!! Just enjoy the challenge and stick together! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> John