The trad bug has bitten me. I'm new here to the forum and new to traditional archery, I thought I would share my story before diving into the forum. I started shooting around the first of December this year. I've been bowhunting since I was about 10 years old, always compound. When I was in highschool, with out any warning my grandfather went out and purchased me a Bear Grizzly 50#, just like the one he roamed these KY hills with as a young man. That bow was played around with for a summer, unstrung and hung up. Im now closing in on 30, a wonderful wife, 3 wild boys 3 years and younger. Ive scored on numerous whitetail with my Hoyt Carbon Element in the past couple years with a few really nice bucks.
I don't know if it was this season being slow and loosing a 170 class bucks early in september, or what triggered me. I was in my basement and just happened to look up at the recurve that had been neglected since 2008. I grabbed it off the wall and strung it up. I slung some goldtips meant for my Hoyt around the yard that day, didnt hit much, but it felt good. Some days after I got some cheap aluminums uncut with vanes and i shot that bow every day, the rest was falling off the shelf from the vanes and poor knowledge of proper knocking point height. About 3 weeks in after getting off 3rd shift I decided I wanted to take a doe ( already calling it quits with my compound for the year). I saw alot of deer for 2 mornings straight , but it just felt different, I wasnt frustrated, or bored in the stand like I had to be there as if it was a job. Day 3 I had one of the smallest does if ever even gave a thought of shooting make her way towards me. 15 yards quartering to me, all the while pounding in my head "Pick a spot, dont draw short, anchor, Pick a spot, release". I watched that arrow blow through her at the exact spot I was burning a hole through, tore down wouldn't touch the emotion and feeling I had as she ran 40 yards and dropped.
At the moment that scrawny yearling dropped, I realized what I had accomplished, and why my grandfather bought me that bow. It was unlike anything I had felt, Better than watching that 170 walk into bow range, better than back to back 151" and 152" whitetails with a compound previous years. This little yearling topped my charts as the best dear I had ever harvested. Her meat didn't last long, but the phone call to my grandfather made it all worth while. He cant hunt and barely walk around anymore, but after sharing my story with him, he sounded like a young man again, and he was proud.
Fast forward a couple more weeks, I've spent hours reading and shooting. New cedar arrows I cut, fletched, glued, and tuned my self. It was a rewarding experience practicing with arrows meant for that bow, and its only driven me to shoot and learn more. Today I was fortunate to get out of the house and harvest my 2nd and 3rd tradbow kill on 2 KY cottontails, 1 at 11 yards and the other at about 5, but I came home grinning from ear to ear, and it tickled my wife to see me that excited. So needless to say, i've been bitten and theres no turning back. Although ill keep my compound, I really cant see my going back to it, the reward and satisfaction of the recurve will just be too hard to beat. And as long as i've still got my grandfather here, I want to visit and call him with as much success/ and failure stories as I can. I hope to learn alot more from you guys and gals, and maybe if lucky, post some more success stories.
(http://i.imgur.com/61eRBwl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/P8p5FJ1.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/rWiinQo.jpg)
:thumbsup: Enjoy your journey.......
Okay there is a way to make pictures fit what they want better, down to that 480 pixcel. I am sure some one will fill you in on that. But putting up pictures of fried rabbit, my very favorite big game is just cruel. You just wait, come later January or February, when it will be hopefully warmer and I can walk better, I will get even with you for that. Those Grayling Grizzlies were nice bows, keep using the one you have.
Congrats. For Imgur, if you change the https to http after you paste it here, that will reduce the picture size.
Yep, I'd agree you've been bitten. Congratulations with your success! This is a good forum, and I think you will enjoy it as well as learning a lot.
Thanks for the picture size comments, i didnt realize hoe big they came out.
Good job....
Welcome to the Gang! Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
What part of KY are you in?
I think you got the hang of it. Welcome aboard. :wavey:
QuoteOriginally posted by Gen273:
Welcome to the Gang! Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
What part of KY are you in?
Mason County, nky area
As a Grampa myself this story makes me happy. Glad you made your grampa happy and job well done.. Way to go young fella
Welcome, sounds like you jumped in the deep end with both feet. Congrats!
That's GREAT !!! Good shootin and welcome to tradgang :thumbsup: it's a very rewarding way of hunting !
Welcome from Michigan, I like your idea of sharing with your grandpa, mine was my best buddy. Congrats on the kills! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Cool...
:campfire:
It's a blast making the change. I was in the same boat when I came back to the stick. Just didn't have the fire I used to with the compound. Took out my old recurve and shook like a little girl when the first doe came by me. Haven't looked back! Congrats!
Welcome and congrats from the deep South!
You learn fast and the Trad bug is meant to be simple and non complicated, keep it that way and your fun meter will continue to be pegged to the right!
Good start sir , keep at it...
Congrats on your doe and rabbits...
,,,Sam,,,
Thanks for sharing! Bet it made your grandfathers day to hear that you had killed a deer with that bow.
I am originally from Logan County. You are hooked. It is a pleasant sort of misery. I shoot every day, hunt rabbits every weekend, now have a grandson tp take with me. Go get em
My grand father was my hunting inspiration.
Wait till you shoot a variety of custom bows, that's a whole another bug
Welcome, great story and congrats on your trophies
Congrats on your conversion. Your grandfather is now reliving his youth through you. A better story cannot be written. Great way to start the new year. Welcome aboard. :campfire:
I keep going back and looking at the fried rabbit, I'm hungry. I need to check in with the farmer that has the giant groves. Oh, forgot to say welcome, the rabbits threw me off. Bunnies and bows, truly a king's sport.
That story made me grin. Congradulations and welcome. :D
Welcome aboard.....I shoot grizlys also
Tim B
Welcome.
Many years ago I too suffered from the same bite.
Still suffering
Pretty neat isn't it....
Wouldn't change it for the world.
Best
Lex
I gave my compound bows away..and shot bigger deer ever since! Lmao
Congrats on the change and the early success. It never gets old.
great story and welcome to the adventure
I've been bit to and am now waiting on my recurve to be built.
I'm originally from Simpson County