I been thinking about this for a few years. How more technology in bowhunting before it becomes, well, not really bowhunting? I mean I know that we evolve and we went from very primitive bows and equipment to where we are now. But a big part of why we all do this is to have some attachment to the primitive past. Of course most of are using the fastest and smoothest shooting bows out there with carbon arrows and awesome broadheads etc. But we also have the range finders, sights that now have ranger finders built in them, Ozonics, scent lok this and that, trail cam cell phone thingy, etc.. Im not saying any of those are bad, but I do ask and wonder will we get to a point where the essence of bowhunting is gone? Will we see the art of archery/bowhunting lost in time like so many other things have in 21st century?
Every pursuit of game has evolved from fishing to hunting to even mushroom hunting and berry picking. Things evolve can not stop progress. Thing is an individual can chose to step back and hunt and gather in their preferred tradition, using the technology they are comfortable with.
Watch you tube? A repeating vertical bow has been developed and looks to work well. The machine bow on the sling shot channel. He has a company producing it now. Bow hunting is a personal challenge activity. I started shooting a recurve . It took time to get the timing down between arrow speed and deer drop. It was a fun journey . Though I hunt for meat and with kids at the time a faster set up is needed for me. So the switch to compound. Many years later and age with shoulder issues I always strive for a , in early season deer but if that doesn't happen the last two weeks I have in early and the last 10 days in late season the crossbow is great!. I could switch back to the recurve no problem ,I shoot instinctive with the compound. Just like in gun I can switch from shotgun to rifle or rifle/ shot gun to my one shot muzzle loader. The point is, this all is about ME, MY, personal experience. It doesn't take into consideration nor will it ever, anyone elses preferred experience and why should I be worried about that in the first place?
I get your point. It seems like each year manufacturers look to advance products that already do a great job. With that being said, the pure joy of bowhunting is still there for so many of us. With ALL this modern technology at our disposal, we still miss, shoot low, shoot high and get busted by that deer that sneaks up behind us. It's not like people have a higher kill ratio because they have the latest and greatest gear. When I started playing golf, I was in awe of guys with a $500 driver, expensive clubs and a high dollar putter. Yet, they were puzzled to see me hit the golf ball completely off the driving range with a $100 driver. At the driving range one day, a guy asked if he could hit my club and I gave it to him. He hit the ball maybe 200 yards. I in turn asked him could I hit his new TaylorMade driver and he agreed. I hit the ball over 340 yards completely off the range. I turned and told him, it's the hitter, not the club. I learned, over the years, that it is the individual's skill and preparation that helps him, more than anything, succeed in his chosen field; no matter what his equipment costs. Good Hunting this year! Kill a Giant!
very well said. I tried traditional for an entire season and I will be honest, it was hard. too hard.
I love shooting trad, but hunting with it? I just could never get consistent enough. But yes, there is a huge following
State F&G will just limit what they allow. Idaho doesn't allow anything electronic attached to the bow. Lighted nocks aren't even allowed. No matter what technology, rules can and will be made to keep harvest ratio's where they want them.
It's lots of work shooting, but lots of fun. I'll always shoot instinctive but forced to go to a release. Though still shot fingers with my old Hoyt raider/ intruder, it was still slow enough not to be a problem. New bow I had to go mechanical.
I sold a brand new Elite energy 32. arrows, release, bow everything. went completely traditional for an entire season. I knew if I held on to the compound I would be tempted. In the end, I wasn't willing to work as hard as I needed to become a traditional hunter and I didn't want to go afield half ass. So I keep it hung up on my wall and hope to one day return to it.
One thing I do is practice from where I'd hunt. Which means a treestand. I take just 3 arrows with me and shoot a non measured distance until the group is less than an inch. Then I move farther out at a different angle and start again. Let me tell you this makes you focus because climbing up and down that ladder does 3 things 1 gives you a hell of a work out 2 causes your breathing to be close to that " excited state" when a deer comes in 3 gets o!d fast...lol So it does hone your concentration. Also when I leave the field and it's nearly dark I'll walk past my ground target area and 3D deer stop turn and shoot. The target is barely visible and it's pretty much on the fly,sorta speak. The target is pretty much an out line so mostly muscle memory is at play. I usually drop right into the kill zone. Now this isnt so I can shoot a deer in such light. Here legal light is WAY before it gets that dark. It is a psychological confidence builder. Sometimes that is a major element in accurate shooting.
That's exactly how I practiced. I would say I got about 80% accuracy shooting trad. But 20% was no man's land! I do enjoy it though. And one day I will return. I missed a doe and wounded a doe and that kind of put a damping on my will..
Dwayne, you are a wise man. Hunters are extremely guilty of believing that the missing piece to our success is the gear we take into the field with us. Each year we look for that piece of equipment that will be the secret to more filled tags and taxidermy bills. The reality is, nothing will ever substitute woodmanship and hunting skills that are learned from being in the field. No amount of electronics, gadgets, or gizmos will replace the intuition that a skilled hunter has at locating and getting close to his prey. I can go buy the best fishing rods in the world - it doesn't make me KVD. And I can buy the most expensive baseball bats but still not hit like Mike Trout. And no matter how much equipment I buy and take into the woods with me, I can't kill a deer over 150".
Technology slows when the consumer begins to pushback and quit buying the products. So long as there is a jack wagon out there buying a vertical repeating bow, technology will continue to move forward. AND if one of these big shows endorse it.
Jack wafon? That's sounds like a Dem touting all you " jack wagons " with AR's don't need them. They shouldn't be made. See that slippery slope ahead of you?
I wonder if there is a point though? At what point does technology begin to diminish archery skills? I mean for me, a compound bow, release, climber and carbon arrows is the technology I use. Oh and the mech broadhead... I kill deer with those things. I never had a range finder or a really fancy sight that aids in aiming or yardage. Or ozonics and scent lok. But that's ME. I personally could certainly benefit from some those things but I personally like the challenge of having to rely on my judgement. Playing the wind, and using spray and pine needles for cover scent. Nothing wrong with people maximizing the tools out there. I just try to be a minimalist as much as possible. However, I am guilty of using what most traditional archers would consider advanced technology. I know it's a matter of choice. No wrong answer. It's like one guy uses a hammer lock and iron sight muzzle loader and is limited to how far he can kill and the other guy uses a quick load inline with a high dollar sight and shoots deer at 200 yards. They are both muzzle load hunting...It's hard to throw stones in a glass house
