New here fellas but not to the hunt. Anybody else use trad gear to go after the longbeards?
Sure do. Been after them for about three years now with the trad and can't wait for April to roll around. I shoot a rampart longbow.
Wish I had the skills to take a bird with my trusy old recurve, make'n a body shot I could pull off at close range say about 20 maybe 25 yards but not anything farther, to me the hard part would be get'n past its eyes to make the draw.
I've thought of try'n it but just aint got serious about it, also would like to try to take a coyote with my bow, to me ther probably the most challenging 2 things to hunt with a bow.
Happy to know I'm not the only "misguided" :TooFunny: fella out here tjfish. Shure does make it excitin, don't it?
Foxfire, 20-25 yds, you are the man! I do my best to get em inside of 10 and hope the old bones don't snap, crackle and pop during draw. Shot thru the tail feathers on one last season @ 6 yds that was puttin a whuppin on my jake deke. Just a little low :laugh:
headbanger
Yep I whiffed on a strutting tom last year at 22yrds. About makes you want to cry.
I bought myself a Hoyt Gamemaster II for Chrstmas. Hoping to be ready for gobblers with it by next month's opener. I'm having a blast shooting it! Shot my 1st trad class 3D tourney w/ it this past Sunday...I've got alot of work ahead.
6 Yards...wow, he was close enuff to see you breath'n, good job man, that had to be a clincher.
I've hunted squirrels a time ot two (score...squirrels 3, me 0)its a blast, you can cast a arrow and if it dont make contact they stand up and act like "what was that ?,,,never heard a tree make that kinda noise." then they go back about ther business, at least untill you have to retrieve your arrows because you've emptied out the quiver.
Rabbits are fune to, have'nt been rabbit hunt'n in a long time, maybe I should.
Recurves are great(never tried a long bow...yet) what got me on them was back in the 80s the over draw thing was wide open, all you heard was a faster bow, more poundage, lighter arrows. I just got tired of my bow constantly be'n outta tune, noisey, heavy and by the time you paid for all the latest gadjet it just cost more than it was worth.
I found a Browning fire drake ina pawn shop and I fell in love with it, it was weightless compared to my compound, aftergett'n it home and shoot'n it ther was somethin miss'n...what was it?...OH YEAH !!! all the buzz'n and rattl'n noise, and teh always outta tune junk was no more.
Like a moron I sold it to a friend and to this day I cant talk him into sell'n it back to me, but I do have a old Bear grizzly I restored, it turned out quite nice and shoots just fine for my skill level, would be nice to have a custom bow but I'm ok for now, have been eyeball'n the Hoyt Dorado and Game masters, they look great and most of what I hear is posative, mite have to break down and get one later on.
Oh yeah, glad to see more trad shooters on here also, keep the fires burn'n ya'll.
yessir, breathing, panting, hyperventilating, something along those lines. Get's the ol ticker working, for sure. One of my longbows or recurves is my weapon of choice on anything that doesn't fly to make a living but I WILL pull out the 870 in a crunch. If scouting is lacking (due to work or family obligations) the scattergun comes out early to pattern birds..... now if the opportunity arises :newmascot:
headbanger
headshot870,
good luck man and work on it. Nothing quite like it. Ain't no expert but PRACTICE at 10yds and less. Vitals are very small (softball size) and require pinpoint accuracy. I WILL NOT sling an arrow at one with my equipment at more than 15 yds and then only if conditions are perfect. As stated in a previous post, sometimes can't even make it happen @6! If I can help in any way, let me know.
headbanger
I have the Masters of the bare bow dvd vol.1 it has some good how to info and they teach sevral different ways to shoot, of the 3 dvds vol.1 and vol.3 supposed to be the better ones.
The way I shoot I pick me a spot and lock onto it with my eyes and in the back of my mind its a single hair I'm look'n at, you just burn a hole in it, draw back and my hand/eye coordination work together and release. aint exactly ROCKET SURGERY rite, thers a lotta ways to get tothe same place, thats just my way.
I used to take old gallon milk jugs and kick it, wher ever it lands I always shot for the lid, even if it was on the blind side of the jug, as I got better I started shoot'n farther out, and love me some stump shoot'n its good because I have to bend around,stoop,lean,squat, to get the shot plus its a lotta fun, a clump of leaves, a pile of dirt anything will make a target.
I aint a good shot by any strech but I'm ok(good days, bad days) enuff to make a kill shot on a deer and a fair range, actually could stand some more practice, I dont shoot as much as I used to, I got responsabilities and all that junk now days since I've matured...yeah rite.
Thanks guys,
I've been shooting mornings & evenings. I bought all 3 volumes of the "Masters of The Barebow" series...they're great vids. I'm going to try to take a class w/ Rod Jenkins on the 26th...I can't wait! If the skills aren't up to snuff in time, I'll just hunt em' trad style in 2012.
my hats off to you fellas that make it happen with traditional equipment :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright: thats how i started off 30years ago. but it was not long before i swithched over .
now i would like to get a Trad. bow just to mess with in the back yard
Got me 2 fred bears. A hunter and a mag. Also have a firefly takedown. I also make my own flemish strings for my bears and my friends bows also.
Yeah guys, once you REALLY get into it, it kinda takes over and consumes you. I try and shoot a little every day but if it gets too hectic I will shoot 4-5 dys a week. It may be 3 or 4 shots or it may be 100. I enjoy it and have a very patient wife of 30 yrs that understands my affliction :you_rock: I am in the process of staining my 1st selfbow... that was a lot of fun to make... so far so good... if it holds together I will probably go after a longbeard or 2 with it this year. Just what I need to go along with my longbows and recurves...another trad induced hobby. headshot, a Jenkins class will help greatly...just utilize what you pick up in the class and develop your own style. One more thing, shooting targets is great but BORING. I like to take walks in the woods and like Fox Fire, stump shoot. GREAT real world practice and anything can be a target, leaves, ant beds, root balls, stumps, etc. Up, over, around, below, through...pick a spot, focus, and hit it. Sorry gents, I tend to get carried away with this stuff. Anyway, got about 6 weeks to get ready here in GA...TOMS BEWARE ;D
headbanger
Head banger...what part of G.A. ya from if I mite ask ??
Any of you gents ever make it over to TRADGANG.COM ?? mountains if info for the trad shooter but ther kinda picky about some post pertain'n to anything other than a recurve or long bow, they have some killer threads for building your own bow, arrows, leather craft, shoot'n technics, bows for sale, books and dvds, its teh bee knees for the trad archer, you can also find some trad equipment for sale on ARCHERYTALK.COM and (I think its) STIK BOW .COM., every now and then I find a few on craigs list.
Looks like this thread is already take'n hold, the recurve/long bow gets in your blood if ya aint careful, like the man said it'll consume ya.
Fox Fire,
I'm from a little town about 45 miles S of Atlanta. The only reason for me to head N is to see one of my girls and her husband who live 1 hr N of Atlanta. Either direction, that's as close as I'm gonna get to the city.
I'm a member of several of the trad sites. LOTS of good info and such to be weaned from there. Have done a good bit of horse (bow) trading thru them. Matter of fact TG is where all the info came from on the selfbow that is nearing completion.
Keep your BH's sharp and your arrows straight fellas.
headbanger
to make your own bow then go out and take a animal with it would be a ultimate reward in itself.
vahunter,
That sir is my ultimate goal for this season. I will probably attempt to put the sneak on a pig or 2 to get the bow a little bloody before going after a longbeard with it. Then again, I have 1 more w/e of tree rat chasing. That would work too.
headbanger
I've been think'n about make'n my own bow for sevral years now, rite now I need to complete my house(nearly ther) and once I get my garage cleaned out I mite try it, it has to make a man beat on his chest to take game with a bow he built himself.
Va Hunter, if ya want one O have a old Hoyt target bow that I'll let ya have, if your interested send me a PM and we'll hash out the details.
oh yea! trad shooter here!!
jwhunter, speak on up...pretty good discussion goin on here
headbanger
i love chasing turkeys with trad gear! my goal is to shoot one with my long bow! i got to do alittle more ground blind building this year to take my long bow!i like natural blinds better! but thats my goal this spring.
took a bird last year with my recurve now i want to do it with my long bow!
BW 53@26 and a snuffer makes turkey meat for dinner!!
Trad or Bust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :icon_thumright:(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss115/earljeff/tradbuck111210003.jpg)
schuylkillspur, nice buck :you_rock: It gets the ol juices flowing, don't it?
Nice longbow...Would love to see more pics if you have them. How do you like the clicker? Never tried one before.
REALLY looking forward to seeing some skewered gobblers with stick bows!!! Come on spring!!!
headbanger
Looks like th etribe is come'n outta the wood work, good stuff ya'll.
come on now folks... there has got to be more than just this handfull that chase these ol birds with stick and string. Let's hear ya!
headbanger
Reckon everybody is slingin arrows gettin ready...let's get ready to get after em!!
headbanger
:icon_thumright: :you_rock:
I mitetry'n find some time this weekend to do some stump'n, makes for soem good practice but I do need to get a store bought target.
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss115/earljeff/mainebearhunt2009019.jpg)
(http://i567.photobucket.com/albums/ss115/earljeff/NewMcDonaldbow001.jpg)
hopeing to add a Big Gobbler to the Album this April
The long bow and bear pic reminds of a chance conversation I had with Dan Quilian, I saw a add in a magazine for a long bow kit, I called the number and it was Mr.Quilian but I didnt realize at first who I was talk'n with until he told me his name.
the kit he was selling was a prefabbed but you had to finish it, after he sold his archery company he had to wait sevral years before he could start up another company, and he was just getting back into it.
He told me of a bear hunt in Alaska, he was hid behind the bottom of a up rooted tree as the bear walked past he drew and shot at 10 feet away (if I remember), he told me it stopped and looked back over its shoulder for a few seconds and walked off and about 30 yards away it fell over.
he said if he had shot it with a recurve the bear would've heard the string make contact with the limbs and charged him, but with the long bow the string does'nt touch the limbs.
We actually talked fro about a half hour or better, he was a very nice and interest'n also, at times I wish I had called him back just to talk with him.
i drew a permit for the week of april 13-19 here in wisconsin. i'll be using my 54# griffin with cedar arrow tipped with a 160 grain snuffer. i would appreciate suggestions from you guys as to what to use as a call. this will be my first turkey hunt. thanks for any help.
I use all kinds of calls (pot, box, scratch, diaphram,etc) but when working a bird CLOSE it must be a diaphram IMHO. As little movement as possible and then less than that :anim_25:
headbanger
Gonna try the recurve this year as well. Got a Bear Grizzly in factory camo a while back. Been practicing alot. Can't wait.