# Does anyone else ever get the desire to pick up a compound anymore?



## Shane Whitlock (Sep 18, 2012)

The past week or so, I have had a enternal struggle that has clogged up my thinking. I thought I would never think about shooting a compound again. The last 2 and a half years, I have hunted only with my recurve, picking up a riffle only a few times in December. My brand new PSE is still at my brother's house where I left it when I decided I would hunt with my recurve.

The thought of shooting my other bow has raced across my mind several times here recently, I guess we all go through this at times, sorta like a backsliding Trad hunter. My season will be cut short by 3 weeks for work related training this year, and I really don't care to gun hunt, but I am going to have to fill up the freezer. My range with my recurve is 18 to 20 yards max. It seems like each year the number of deer sightings decrease. I feel confident with my recurve, but I guess the thought of extending my range and increasing the chances of filling the freezer is messing me up.

I have seen very little deer sign where I hunt thus far and hope it gets better soon.  I guess I am looking for some encouragement. I know I will not be as satisfied with a compound kill, but my main objective is stocking the freezer. I keep telling myself why are even thinking about doing such a thing, hunt with your recurve, stupid....keep the faith. I took my 6 yr old hunting Sunday morning with his crossbow, all I could think of was if I choose to hunt with a different weapon one day just to change things up a bit.....it doesn't make me any less of a hunter? I have been so dedicated with my trad gear, now what will people think? Anybody got some good advise here, my head is clogged up....freezer panic, I quess.


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## gurn (Sep 18, 2012)

Ok I know some might not agree but..... Use what ya need to and dont look back. If ya need the meat and only got ah short time this year. You can always go back to shootin the good stuff next season.


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## Jayin J (Sep 18, 2012)

Go with what makes you happy and don't worry about what people think.


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## Dennis (Sep 18, 2012)

I agree


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## rapid fire (Sep 18, 2012)

Yep.  I won a brand new mathew's compound in the shoot out.  If it didn't cost 3-400 to set it up, I would probably keep it and shoot it from time to time.  Last year I took my daddy's crossbow out and killed one.  Just something to change things up.


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## sawtooth (Sep 18, 2012)

I'm in agreement- do whatever you want to- don't let the decision get your head all fouled up. Just do what's fun and enjoyable for you-


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## Miguel Cervantes (Sep 18, 2012)

sawtooth said:


> I'm in agreement- do whatever you want to- don't let the decision get your head all fouled up. Just do what's fun and enjoyable for you-



This ^^^^

As for me, if I want to use a sight and have my projectile go faster I just wait for firearm season..


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## Blueridge (Sep 18, 2012)

Me personally, no. Its been decades, but that said its all about the hunt to me. We owe it to the animal to be proficient with our accuracy.  If you have doubts with trad gear then do what you are confident with . I would never look down on someone based on the equipment they use.  Good hunting!


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## SELFBOW (Sep 18, 2012)

Shouldn't matter what others think. I have a friend that's gone back to wheelie and I ride him hard but its all in fun. I'm thinking he might need a xbow next year....as for me I still like the rifle if I'm hunting places I can see far out in.


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## jerry russell (Sep 18, 2012)

I will have to agree with the rest of the gang. If you have the desire to shoot one with a compound and you need the meat, do it. Don't ever let shooting a stickbow feel like it is hindering success. Now success does not mean meat on the ground. Success means absolute happiness with that stick and string in your hand- regardless of the game taken. A time will come when you will be ready to hold a trad bow in your hand without ever having regret. This point is arrived at for different people at different times but you will know you are there when not killing a deer with your trad bow still feels better than killing one with something else.  

That day for me came in 1988 when I shot my last animal with a firearm. A big 9 point that I rattled in on the last minute of the last day of the season. I remember walking up to that deer and having the strangest feeling. I have never once felt that I needed anything but my recurve since that day. Your time will come but until it does, just enjoy hunting any way you want to.

Now, on a side note. The minute you put that wheelie thing in your hand you need to have a pin set for 10 yards because that is the range of the deer you will shoot.


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## stick-n-string (Sep 18, 2012)

There is nothing wrong with a compound or a crossbow! Shoot whatever you want, there are no rules saying you can only hunt traditional. I plan to shoot 1 with a muzzle loader this year because i have never killed 1 with it. 
So if you want to pull out the compound by all means DO IT!


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## dm/wolfskin (Sep 18, 2012)

I pick up my old 80's PSE every now and then to feel how heavy it is. mikE


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## BkBigkid (Sep 18, 2012)

Shoot what you won't to shoot!
 I had that same decision to make a few years back, I was heavily into shooting trad Bows and I picked up my compound and shot it a few times in the Yard. it just didn't feel right so I put it back up. It stayed there for a few seasons and I picked it up again. Never left the yard with it just didn't have the comfy feel it used to. Well seeing how it was a older compound I took the wheels off of it and turned into a Trad Bow this year.  

Follow your heart and your gut, if putting meat in the freezer is a priority and you know that another weapon is going to get it done for you. By all means use what you have to to get the Job done, even if it is a slingshot!


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## Al33 (Sep 18, 2012)

For me I have no desire to shoot a compound much less hunt with one, but if circumstances dictated I needed to such as a physical limitation, I would. If filling up your freezer is the priority then just take the rifle and get it done quickly. Who knows, you may get your meat and still have time to take your trad bow if that is what you want to do.

Like others have noted, do what you want to do regardless of others opinions.


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## OconeeDan (Sep 18, 2012)

I have no desire to shoot a compound.

BUT, one day, we may not be able to draw a stick bow, and it's either compound, crossbow, or nothing.


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## belle&bows (Sep 18, 2012)

Shane, I'm following in line with what has been clearly stated...shoot what you want to...need to...fill the freezer with whatever weapon you choose and don't worry about it. You can then hunt with the recurve without the pressure of needing to stock up on meat.


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## Shane Whitlock (Sep 18, 2012)

Thanks for the input, I know the reason I decided to go Trad only a few years ago, and thats why I am having such a hard time dealing with this issue. I haven't picked up that compound, only considered shooting it some. I never thought I would ever say this after my first trad kill. I know if I pick up the compound, I am going to be disappointed most likely. I enjoy my recurve and longbow, but I also enjoy a full freezer of meat. I am probably just got a bad case of monkey on my back. I will be hunting with my kurve tomorrow and the next. Come November and the freezer is empty, I may have to rethink things.


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## markland (Sep 18, 2012)

As others have stated hunting/archery is a personal choice and does not matter what anybody else thinks, do what is best for you.  If the ends are more important then then the means you should use what is most efficient for the job, if it is all about the experience for you then use the tool that accomplishes that for you.  It is your decision alone, so do what is right for you!


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## TIMBERGHOST (Sep 18, 2012)

I hear you loud and clear (SHANE!  Sorry. I meant Shane. For some reason I thought this was Mark's thread.) I have thought on trying one out from time to time. Especially when the deer show up but hang around just outside of recurve range all season long.  Then I remember why I don't use a compound.  They are just too complicated for me.  Too much stuff to break or go wrong. Bad things happen when I pick up a compound -  I bang the sight on something or the release goes off prematurely or I miss the indoor bail completely and destroy the mortar in the cinder block wall beyond....  

Murphy has been my constant companion in this life and I need to keep things as simple as possible. For that reason I can probably count the number of arrows I have fired through a compound bow.  I don't hate 'em and don't dislike 'em.  I just can't use them effectively or efficiently. 

I do think cross-bows ought to be relegated to general firearms season but nobody asked me what I thought about it before they legalized them and I don't think my opinion would have been taken into account anyway if I had been asked.


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## Barry Duggan (Sep 18, 2012)

It's you choice and if that's what you enjoy doing, go for it. If it helps keep or adds to the number of individuals who hunt every year, then it helps us all in the long run.


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## TIMBO1985 (Sep 18, 2012)

I have only been shootin trad. Bow for a month or 2 but i got my compound out about a wk ago to shoot it , i shot a 1/2 dozen arrows and it wasntmuch fun anymore i was ready to pick my long bow back up , i have a hoyt , trykon for sale or trade  .


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## snakekiller (Sep 18, 2012)

You already know my opinion Shane do what feels right to you a full freezer for you and your family is more important than what anyone else thinks


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## Stump Shooter (Sep 18, 2012)

I use both killed two deer with the compound last year. Killed a buck with the long bow last year and a pig with a long bow this past January. I just love BOWHUNTING!!!!


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## Recurve (Sep 18, 2012)

Shane,i am a DEER HUNTER who just happens to shoot Recurves and Longbows.All my hunting these days i do on public land whether it be archery only areas or WMA s  that open back up archery after gun hunts in both Tn.and Ga. I can tell you this if i decided opening day of gun season i wanted to hunt with a rifle i would do it and not think twice about.Good luck DEER HUNTING this season!


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## DaddyPaul (Sep 18, 2012)

I sold my Alphaburner to resist tempation.  Probably would have two bucks in the freezer right now if I was still using it.  I'm digging hunting with the curve so much though that the lack of deer meat hasn't bothered me.....yet.  I'll burn some down with the rifle later in the season and my bloodthirsty kids will knock down a half dozen or more so we'll probably make it through the winter just fine.


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## wilber85 (Sep 18, 2012)

Life is too short to just shoot one!  Heck, you aint gonna hurt the trad bows feelings bc you pick up a wheel bow every now and then.  I shoot trad bows, compound bows, muzzle loaders, center fire rifles, blow guns, etc and I appreciate each one for what it is.  

There is enjoyment to be found in each one of these and to just pick one would be much too difficult. Now if you just have no desire to shoot one or the other you wont be doing anyone any harm either.  

Now if I was as deadly as some of yall with my home made bow (thanks to Dan Spiers!) I would find it difficult to pick up anything else myself!


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## WOODSWIZE (Sep 18, 2012)

I shot competitive with the "fastest" compound of the year, every year in the late 1970's &1980's. Went back to trad in the early 1990's. Now, I look foward to helping a 15 year old nephew to just get in to archery, who has never even picked a bow up. I will by pulling out the "cool" compounds to help instill a whole new sport to him. I am really excited about going back!


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## Silver Mallard (Sep 20, 2012)

Still shoot my lx and conquest 4's. No need to just let them sit there. They are a bit jealous of the wood bows....


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## brownitisdown (Sep 20, 2012)

i agree them shoot what u like but the old compounds make good recurve u can have the best of both worlds


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## robert carter (Sep 20, 2012)

I have no desire to hunt with anything but a tradbow. I don`t even enjoy hunting squirrels with a 22 anymore. With that said I will tell you to hunt however you want to. I hunt with a longbow because its what I enjoy the most. Thats why I hunt because I enjoy it. I hunt for me and no one else and don`t really care what anyone has to say about it. If I get where I can`t draw a stickbow I`ll get a compound and smile.RC


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## Mudfeather (Sep 21, 2012)

When I got into traditional....I did the all the way sell out thing complete with the fedora....Had that I have arrived look at me...you aint as good has hunter as me if you need the crutch of let off and such...

Thats the biggest bunch of crap you can have...After a slump I bought a Hoyt Vectrix..killed critters with it and it reignited my confidence and enjoyment with my longbows...Because a compound is easier....

I have no desire at all to shoot one with a gun but would gladly choose my Hoyt IF the situation dictated it..

AND I CARE NOT WHAT OTHERS THINK BUT DONT PUT UP WITH THE ATTITUDE THAT I ONCE HAD...takes one to know one they say..LOL


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## Apex Predator (Sep 21, 2012)

I've been through the same as Mudfeather.  I bought a compound this year to boost my confidence.  I don't think it is working.  My wife thinks I'm crazy, my friends think I'm crazy, and the deer are laughing at me!  I've got a recurve on the way.  Should be here today, Lord willing!


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## markland (Sep 21, 2012)

Apex Predator said:


> I've been through the same as Mudfeather.  I bought a compound this year to boost my confidence.  I don't think it is working.  My wife thinks I'm crazy, my friends think I'm crazy, and the deer are laughing at me!  I've got a recurve on the way.  Should be here today, Lord willing!



Good luck Marty I hope it works out for you I really do!  Just got to get that confidence back and no matter what weapon you have in your hand you will start stacking up some critters.  You have the skill, just need to get the mental aspect fixed!  Good luck!


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## BBowman (Sep 21, 2012)

Whose to say that shooting a compound is easier anyway.  Once you learn to ride a bike does that mean that riding a tricycle is any easier?  If you shoot trad. for 15 years does that mean that shooting a compound is easier? I personally have to concentrate more to shoot a compound.  To me, shooting trad. is like throwing a football.  I know where I want the arrow to go and it just goes there.  That being said you still have to know how to hunt to be successful.  RC and I learned how to hunt together and we learned the hard way.  Now when I go hunting I don't wonder when I'm going to get to see a deer I just wonder if I can hold out to drag him out.  Not being arrogent, that's just the way it is.  Hunting is for fun so just hunt.


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## Shane Whitlock (Sep 21, 2012)

Thanks for all the input, I feel better knowing that some go back to the compound every now and then. The hardest choice was do I want to go back to the associate level in the TBG? I have had two hardcore traditional only years under my belt, and I feel like I would be throwing all that away in relation to the TBG.  I kinda like the reputation of being the guy, who hunts the hard way. I really like the challenge and connection I have with my trad gear. 

I picked up the PSE the other day, really had to work at it to get good with it again....didn't really like it. Almost, chunked it into the woods,but I like shooting it more than my rifle. I have yet to hunt with it. Hunted with my recurve on both my off days and enjoyed it. 

Did some more hunting/scouting....still very little sign around my place, even in the food plot after the rain.  Coyotes have been seen running in packs,so I am sure they are killing some deer, that and all the neighboring hunt clubs. The deer hunting hasn't been the same since the limit was increased several years ago. I have been fortunate to get permission to hunt "city deer" an area that is heavily populated with deer. I am hoping that this area will soon pay off. I am learning "city deer" are harder hunting than I thought. I am shooting better than ever with my recurve, but my range is right at 20 yards.  My goal is to add atleast one more to the kill thread with my recurve this year, and if I feel I need to take a few with the compound to feed the family this year, I will change my membership to associate and see if I can give those city deer a ride in the truck. It's not that I am not that good of hunter, it's just that don't get as much time to hunt as I use to. And when I do get to hunt, half the time I am sitting in the same tree with the wife or kids trying to teach/help them get their first bow kill.  Thanks again for the commits, it is just a hard choice for me, because it is so personal. It was a suprise to hear that some here are compound shooters at times. It has helped me feel better about the whole idea........thanks shane


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## earlthegoat2 (Sep 21, 2012)

Why shoot a compound again?  For me, if I need meat, I shoot what I shoot best.

YMMV.


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## SOS (Sep 22, 2012)

*Sadly, yes....*

Since my elbow went bad 2 years and I've had to switch from right to left handed shooting, I broke down and bought a new lefty compound this summer.  Gotta say the technology has come a long way, but was sitting in the tree earlier this season thinking, good grief, what a crazy looking contraption I have in my lap.  Not world class with the wheelie bow for sure, but just can't seem to get consistent with Left El Cheapo to want to sling arrows at live critters.  I am still practicing...though.


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## Bucky T (Sep 24, 2012)

I do.

I also get the urge to hear my 06 thunder across a hardwood ridge or clearcut!

I'm a hunter who uses all kinds of weapons to hunt deer during the season with.  I enjoy them all in my own way.

I love my recurve!!!  I shoot it probably every other day, simply because it's so dang fun to shoot!!

I've simply added traditional archery to my arsenal of gear to hunt deer with.


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## Bucky T (Sep 24, 2012)

SOS said:


> Since my elbow went bad 2 years and I've had to switch from right to left handed shooting, I broke down and bought a new lefty compound this summer.  Gotta say the technology has come a long way, but was sitting in the tree earlier this season thinking, good grief, what a crazy looking contraption I have in my lap.  Not world class with the wheelie bow for sure, but just can't seem to get consistent with Left El Cheapo to want to sling arrows at live critters.  I am still practicing...though.



Isn't nothing the matter with that!!  As long as your able to get out in the woods and do what ya love to do, that's what matters!!

My hat's off to you for simply being able to switch over to be a lefty archer with any kind of bow!!!  Heck of an achievement in my book!

Good Luck!!


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