At some point in the last few months I noticed a disturbing trend. I noticed that I no longer cared about the technical side of traditional archery. It all started with wood arrows. I made up my mind to master making wood arrows and tuning them to my bows. I hit my goal and found that wood arrows when properly made are far easier to tune for me than any other shaft. I now simply grab a bow and some woods and go shoot. I no longer worry that I'm loosing out on fps or that my shafts aren't. 001 straight. I just go out and hit bullseye and smile. Even when I miss I smile. I know that every bow in my current stable is a mediocre performer at best but still I smile. Something is terribly wrong I should be consumed with comparing the efficiency of x and y when you change z. I should be shooting arrows into dead cows to justify my flavor of the month broadheads however I just use my old Grizzly heads and smile. I'm very concerned that I'm not trad enough to continue. Hopefully I'll get bitten by the tinker bug soon because all this dang smiling is for the birds.
It was the technical side that made you happy, you learned to master making wooden arrows.
There is nothing wrong with technical stuff if you enjoy it, and/or if it leads somewhere. If one isn't taken with it then checking in now and again to see if the world has changed, as it occasionally does, can be useful. For some people the technical side of archery is archery. If one doesn't care for that, do archery, or at a minimum be sure the technical issues one is pursuing have points in them, because some of this stuff is not relevant to everything people do.
Years ago if you worked at an archery company, you were a "pro" at tournaments. I shot my way onto the #1 target the first day and when we started shooting one of the guys on the target asked me how I tuned my bow. "Advise from a PRO"! I said I took a couple of arrows and stepped back 20 paces or so and shot one of them. If the point hit first I figured it was just right. He watched me with a strange look on his face for the rest f the day. No more questions.
David, Congratulations and welcome back to the club,
I did the same thing, shot wood for 40 years and got caught up in this high tech stuff, with the aluminum and carbon for about five years and suddenly realized that the wood arrow is easier to tune, shoots better than any carbon or aluminum arrow that I ever owned, plus it's more enjoyable making your own, staining, fletching, cresting.....the whole works I'm definitely back to wood forever, thanks for posting this.....wing
Pearl drums the crazy thing is I made my first successful selfbow about 3 months ago and promptly set aside more wood to cure. This infliction runs deep so deep that I haven't purchased any gadgets in about 3 months. Someone keeps putting money in my bank account I think because I seem to have more left over at the end of the month. Something has to give how can I live like this without buying the latest greatest wiz bang.
I've been shooting and hunting with nothing but homemade wooden bows and arrows such that it's long been just hunting, and the thought of anything more, um, 'sophisticated' just seems unnecessarily complicated and would steal enjoyment, challenges, and rewards away from me, so I can appreciate where you're coming from. If you're free enough of the technical side, industry, competitiveness and opinions of others to really walk your own path, do what feels best for you in spite of all else, and it enriches your experiences and enjoyment, I'm guessing you're doing just fine indeed. Enjoy.
After shooting aluminum then carbon since the 80s I went to wood in 2012. Its made the whole experience better for me and I'm with you and feel the same way.
Ya, very cool bro. The reason I quit the compound was I got to the point where nothing was good enough. Every little thing had to be examined, tuned, mapped out, measured, this could be better, that could be better, here's a new gadget out etc and it drove me nuts, Id be up nights wanting the next new thing. Now I just grab my bow and some arrows and go shoot. I dont care what Ashby says or how skinny my arrows or my strings are or what curve my broadheads make if they hit bone. It doesnt matter to me, I just do my thing.
I intend to make a few out of this Wisteria vine. Simply put, they should shoot straight. They have rifling. I won't worry about it if they don't. No good wood should go wasted.
You can tinker all you want without being too technical about it. I make my own arrow rests, and enjoy string making (endless loop), and basically trying this and that to see if it suite me. Those of you who were born after 1970 really don't know that the early archers were big tinkerers. Some of that out of necessity, but much out of love of tinkering. As long as you are smiling a lot, you are likely okay.
That same light shone in my face right around 2007. All I shoot is wood now and it works just as well if not better than anything else. So, good for you- archery is supposed to make you smile!
I also get back to my "roots" now and agian. I like making wood arrows and I have a pretty good stash of shafts to use. What I noticed about shooting them lately is I do not see much difference in the woods or my carbons. Both hit and miss with the same characteristics. I am working up a couple doz. alum for my PA. bow right now. One thing I have learned about woods, they do not necessarily like climate change.
Shooting old not so fancy wood arrows cuts down on flinching for sure. Example, shoot at a small target hung in front of a tall switch grass field or swamp. Take your best carbon and tape a twenty dollar bill to it or put one of those $30 broad heads on it, back up to about 30 yards and shoot. You will see dollar signs flashing in your head and visualize those dollars disappearing into the grassy beyond. Take an old crusty cedar, you won't see dollar signs in your head, not will you care so much if you miss, so you will shoot fine and probably hit. My favorite arrows are old and/or simply made cedar shoot aways with blunts, .38 casings or free Hi-Precision heads.
I have never been to technical, but I like to switch things up sometimes.
Might shoot douglas fir, switch to cedar, then to aluminum, or carbon.
Might use muzzy 3 blade, then thunderheads, then ace 2 blade, then glue on snuffers.
I get the urge to make a new bow for myself sometimes.
I might hunt with a recurve, might hunt with a longbow.
If I want technical, I have a parker compound I bought for cheap 2 years ago. It is sorta fun to shoot, ugly as sin, it's ok. I'd kinda like to kill a deer with it simply because in nearly 40 years of bowhunting I never hunted much with a compound.
But my steady is a worn 64" r/d longbow. It is without a doubt my meat bow, and the one I pick up when I really get serious.
If I were to pick one steady as a rock combo, day in and day out, no muss no fuss just get the job done.
It would be a mild R/D longbow, shooting a surewood douglas fir tipped with a razor sharp 145 gr ace two blade.
I have a friend that I gave a Big 5, a dozen arrows, and a back quiver years ago. In turn he gave his compound to someone else. He got himself a new Hill. I asked if I was going to get the Big 5 back, he gave me a defiant "NO". One of these days he is going to miss a deer with it and then blame the bow and give it back to me.
I've always said, and whole heartedly believe there is no disadvantage to shooting wood arrows where accuracy & consistency are concerned. All you have to do is know how to build wood arrows, and they shoot as good as any other.
Their only drawback is durability compared to other materials.
I also want to point out that in no way am I casting disparity on those that push the limits. We all reap the rewards of r and d and experimenting. I just prefer the slower side where I can focus on what I want to do. There is enough room for every one in archery and all forms are alot of fun.
