I was reading the traditional bowyers bible last night and it says that a fiberglass bow is not a traditional bow. That got me thinking on what is a "traditional bow" and what is not. Could a compound become traditional in 60 yers? Any way just curious about your opinion. what is traditional to you? Where do draw the line between traditional and modern?

Scotty your asking for a can of worms to open up.I don't have the right answer.        

It's in the eye of the beer holder. Shoot what makes you happy and do not worry what other folks say, You only have to please #1.

The bow I like the best is the one I am holding, that goes for self, BBO or glass longbows and recurves, all traditional to me...

does it matter? to me a traditional bow is a selfbow or a composite made from natural material "bone, horn".
i began with a fiberglass bow then my dad built me an osage selfbow and i have returned to fiberglass. i like shooting my fiberglass recurve because it has the look " wood grain" of a traditional bow but still is modern in design, speed, and grip.

i am not bashing fiberglass bows, but they are not traditional.

For me,anything without the wheels is traditional,longbow and recurve.Just my opinion.
Serge

I'm with Kevin and Drifter2. Hap

Here we go            ..at least  

No wheels.

Metal has been used at least as long as glass.

Steve

I don't draw lines.I could care less what someone else considers traditional.I shoot bows that I like and don't worry about putting labels on them.  

Trad yells at Compounds-Compounds yell ay Crossbows- They both yell at rifles-
 Why can't we all just get along? J.Michael

To me traditional is in the persons attitude not the equipment they carry.

Traditional is what I pass down to my children and/or grandchildren.    I have a couple of recurves and three all natural longbows, but 50 years from now when I'm gone to the happy hunting grounds if anyone in my family is shooting one of my bows that will be traditional.

I'm with JD for the most part.  I think the spirit of traditional archery defines it as much as the equipment.  Relative to the bow itself,however,I think that if it doesn't have wheels it's traditional enough for me.

Claudia

No wheels and no cables...not a compound bow in any way.

I also feel that fiberglass bows definitely ARE traditional since they were way pre-compound.  I don't consider them 'privative', but certainly traditional.

Also, carbon lams don't make a bow non trad, nor does metal risers, they used modern materials and metal pre compound, and that's the same thing some guys are still doing today.

That's where Trad Gang draws the line anyway.

Yup.. just what everyone else has said. I started with a Pearson Fiberglass Bow in the 60's BC (Before Compound). I also remember the Bear 76er! Somewhere.. I have to look it up...   in one of my Trad Archery books was a picture of a Recurve Bow with limbs plated with Silver... the bow was 5000 years old.

For me traditional is a one piece bow made of wood or combination of wood and fiberglass. It doesn't have wheels, plunger, stabilizer, sights, clicker, mirrors, umbrella, tracers, expandable blades, or cables.

Large feathers, racoon tails, and beaverballs are acceptable along with fur quivers and caps.  

This is what I want, but I will not try to put this off on someone else. We can talk about what we think, but we have no right to expect everyone else to think the same way. That is what makes life interesting.

2fletch

It's simply defining terms.  You have compounds, and you have traditional bows (which don't have wheels) and can further be broken down in to modern and primitive.  "Modern" bows use modern materials (e.g. fiberglass, carbon laminates, etc...), primitive bows are made from wood, sinew, horn etc...

I don't really define 'traditional' as an attitude.  You can be a good hunter with a great attitude and shoot game at 1000 yards with a 'beanfield' rifle.  I wouldn't call that person traditional.  Conversely, you could carry a selfbow and be a total hunting slob.

So, you're either a 'hunter' or a 'slob'.  The equipment you use is up to you.

No wheels...that's it. My $.o2

IMO a compound bow is always going to be a compound bow. a traditional bow will always be a traditional bow. the words compound & traditional are used to describe a certain type of bow and that will not change. i don't think in 100 years we will call a compound bow a traditional bow, it will still be a compound. that's what it is. maybe this isn't the right analogy but a ford truck will always be a ford truck and a car will always be a car. on the other hand i do think the word traditional can describe a value or values, but i don't think we will ever say we have compound values. 2 cent's added where's my