Many "trad" divisions have rules not only for your equipment but also how you are allowed to use it.

So my question is this... Given a traditional bow and no rules on how you use it, how would YOU shoot it for the following competitive rounds?

1) 3D 2) Field 3) Indoor 4) Outdoor target (single distance)

John,

3D Id shoot a Black WIdow with wood arrows (my favorite)

Feild Id shoot a BW with a skinny carbon a few more lbs.

Indoors Black Widow with a 23 size carbon

depending on the distance a BW with a .244 carbon or close.

THis is what i consider a Trad Setup if i could shoot metal then this ALL would change.

I love wood bows and wood arrows even more.

Dewayne Martin

The same way I shoot them now. 3 under touching the nock.

By "traditional bow" if you mean Ibo trad off the shelf, It'd be my Omega longbow with a velcro rest. I'd gap shoot known distance and for unknown 3d I'd employ my magical, mystical sort of gap voodoo system lol! I'd shoot wood, aluminum and/or carbon depending on the round.

Thanks Dewayne. I am with you on the wood arrows. I should use them more often because I enjoy them so much.

I guess what I was asking was HOW you would shoot the bow rather than what setup. IOW, with no restrictions on technique, would your style change with the different formats?

Your response got me thinking though... in USArchery, "traditional" is wood bows. No metal. That seems to make sense to me. If all single string events had a traditional division that only allowed wood bows and either wood or aluminum arrows, and then a "modern recurve/longbow" division that allowed rests and carbon arrows, that would make more sense to me than what I see now. But that's just me I guess.

I just shoot PSAA, which is patterned after the NFAA rules and regs. They are clearly stated and have been for decades so I don't know how to reply to something hypothetical.

Here is what I'm shooting this year: A circa 60/61 Hoyt Pro Olympian recurve bow, 70" and 43#, and either aluminum, fiberglass or wood arrows which were all available when my bow was made. The rules are pretty straight forward for traditional bow here, and you must shoot off the shelf...a small build-up is okay to satisfy the requirement. Since I'm a "Senior Plus"..*^)..I don't have classes to consider, we all shoot as one in that age group under the equipment class we choose. I shoot one anchor split finger as I always have, and expect to do well in my group. I shoot the same style in any shoot.

I guess to answer your question I would just say like I always have. Only thing that may change is the bow I use.

OK, thanks for clarifying that.

3-D Split finger on a hunting style riser like I hunt.

Field- 3 under and split on a target style riser.

Indoor- 3 under on a target style riser.

Outdoor target-Split finger on a target style riser.

I love competition, target shooting, and trick shooting, but ultimately for me it is always about being the best I can be with my hunting rig,

SO:

I would use my hunting rig, whatever it happened to be at the time (wood, or metal riser don't matter to me), and I would use the same arrows I hunt with for all.

1) 3D - 3under utilizing both string walking, and gap shooting.

2) Field - Split finger, and gap for the long shots. 3under, string walking, and gap for the short shots.

3) Indoor - 3under, and string walk to a fixed crawl, that gives me a 20 yard point on.

4) Outdoor target (single distance) - Depends on the distance. If 40 yards or less I would shoot 3under, and tune for a point on at that distance whatever it is. If 50 yards, or longer, I would shoot split finger, and tune for a point on at whatever distance it is.

I would be unlikely to use sights, even though "no rules" would allow them. However, if I really wanted to get in the mix of the competition, and others were using them, I might.

Rick

Split finger like I have for the past 60 years.

I'd just grip it and rip it like I always do, let the chips fall, and bring home my participation ribbon with pride.

My shooting style would not change a bit. Old enough I am happy just to be healthy and shooting.

DDave

Split, or three under wood or aluminum arrows. One thing I think is silly here is that you have to shoot off the shelf for tbot shooots. The majority of the vintage bows I shoot were made to be shot with stick on rest long before people knew it wasnt trad.

Crawl, string walking and hunting bow sights should be in the same class. Strict 3d shooting is a target game. If one would set up a course that really wanted to emulate hunting, there could be a bunch of different things thrown into the stew, like rapid fire three arrow totals with points deducted for the time required, sitting shots, moving shots, shots that force odd positions and all with time restraints. In such a course was set up right, whether one had a bow sight, bare bow or was a string crawl shooter, they could all be in one single category and the style would not matter.

I shoot my 68" 50# Ozark Mountain Longbow with wood arrows, off the shelf, splite finger, 1 anchor point as stated for my Division/class in the NFAA. I shoot ALL rounds (3-D, Target. Field) the same.

ahunter, if there were no restrictions/rules on how to shoot, would you still shoot split for all four competitions I mentioned?

3-D two ways. Split finger for an old 64-inch rosewood recurve as I always have, for all distances, and three under for a 63-inch old rosewood recurve. Recently went to three under for 3-D since the short distances matched well to it, especially with arrows so long with heavy points you can use them for walking sticks.

Started my interest in archery shooting split finger field archery with short, light, skinny arrows with 1.75 inch plastic fletching and nibs. Often practiced and played around with three under for the short targets on field courses, such as the 6 inch 25 to 35ft target up to the 30yd 12 inch target face with success and shot split finger for the other longer targets with larger 18 to 24 inch faces from 35 to 80yd. However, for field archery events, I shot split finger in the Instinctive Division with a 1963 Bear Tamerlane for events.

I am not a competitive shooter, so my POV lacks a lot of depth…

So with that disclaimer out of the way, I think if sights were allowed, it would take a pretty special archer to win his/her division without any. And I'm not all that special… so if I were serious about winning, I would definitely use them.

Otherwise… For any single-distance type of shooting, I would find myself a set- up which would allow me to shoot use a 6 o'clock point-on hold on the gold at that distance.

For 3-D, I would set myself up with the fastest arrow that would not destroy my bow, and I would shoot gap-stinctive until I got good enough to do better by estimating distance and calculating the correct gap.

The great thing about a target competition is that they don't give out any style points. You can either hit it, or you can't. So if you're serious about winning, you use the most precise system allowable under the rules of the competition.

And yeah, I'd even experiment with 3-under to see if it could improve my scores.

3D- I would shoot my Hunting setup, 10+ grains per pound, carbon arrow, shot off shelf, split finger, with sights. No range finders allowed and an orange dot for the center ring. String walkers in the same class

how ever and what ever I shoot best if scoring-widow. 2nd is what I enjoy shooting the most selfbow if not scoring.. wood arrows off the selfbow. and aluminum for everything else I want the most precisian arrow I can get if scoring. they are better straightness and closer in wt. tolerance then wood are carbons.

I'd shoot split finger and pick a spot and shoot. For all of these.

GF, any shoot that wants to stay in the shoot business, won't pair barebow shooters with freestyle (sight) shooters. This was fugured out over 70 years ago, but apparently bears repeating. In any competition that is valid, you would only compete with those shooting the same equipment and style as you, or you as they. Organizations took great pains over the years to build fairness into archery events. Today it seems we want to rewrite rules to suit the occasion (just a few do that).

In the PSAA there is one caveat to that; even with my recurve, if I want to shoot an elevated rest I would have to shoot in what's called the bowhunter barebow class where compounds are also allowed. It seems that $2.50 rest creates a completely different bow, but I'm still okay with that. It's the rule and I'm not shooting against freestyle shooters which would make no sense.

There are plenty of classes nowadays to fit into according to your likes and comfort zone. All this thread is doing is to ask about a hypothetical instance and how you would approach it. But then, that is really irrelevant since your style is already accounted for in one of the classes.

limbwalker. Yes I would. I did it all that 1st nearly 20 years (1956 thru 1975) when I switched to compound. Now I shoot both as of 2014 when I rekindled my Longbow interest. I shot/tried 3 under, string walked, sights (scope & hunting pins). NEVER liked string walking & still amazed at the guys so good at it.. 3 under was good & my brother became "very good" with that style (he shot a few indoor 300s barebow). I never shot a 300 indoor barebow but did many with fingers & sight on my 42# American Archery Pro Supreme. I won the 2 day 1970 NFAA outdoor sectionals with that same bow at Lake Geneva, Ws.. I managed a 556 field (old scoring) perfect 560 animal & a 295 outdoor PAA as they substituted that round for hunter as they did not have hunter faces.. Anyway, that was my highlight of all my shooting back then. I shot the 2015 NFAA outdoor 5 day field championships in Pa. with my 50# 68" Longbow, wood arrows & had an awesome time with the various people I shot with. It definitely was a challenge with 112 arrows a day from 10 thru 80 yds. Highlight for the 5 days for me was finding out the last day (animal round) I set a new National record score (very pleasant surprise). I plan on shooting the NFAA outdoor National in S.D. this July but not sure Longbow or compound. I placed 2nd with my compound in 2014 & would like to try beat the man that did that (he is great fun guy to compete with) OR give the fella I beat with the Longbow a chance to do me in (he's an awesome fun guy too). Either way, It will be a blast & tons of fun. Age takes it's toll & my days of drilling those spots is past but I love "trying" & the people I meet are terrific..

I personally don't see the division between Wood VS Metal riser education bows playing out as these days?...That segregation would only be skin deep (so to speak)...IOW's?...

I have a 21" wood/phenolic bolt down type riser that weighs just under 3#s which is more than most 25" alum. Oly risers weigh and we also have D-Shape Longbows coming in at 4lbs so?....what's the point? I To me the sad part is that we've reached a point where the gear is treating the classes in a world where a well skilled archer with a self bow can, would and does spank a lesser skilled archer with the best gear money can buy so despite all these newly created organizations and all the classes they define by bow nomenclature?..

Don't mean squat at days end.

Money spent doesn't affect the outcome of most tournaments. Time spent know your bow does. Metal risers were "the bow" in the early 70's before the compound took over. A review of what was happening is just a google away. The Wilson Brothers started the metal bow process with their T-1200 style skeleton riser bow. After that, Bear, and Hoyt got into the metal risers...as did Wing, Pearson and others. Had the compound not been the biggest deal in the mid 70's, who knows what bows would look like today regarding what you see on the field of competition.

After the 1972 Olympics, the metal riser recurves pretty much owned the tournament scene, prior to the machine bows. The best archers back then knew their equipment and spent a lot of arrows refining their form. When you are shooting 60 to 80 yards every shoot, it's a good thing to know your bow pretty well.

I'd like to use multiple anchors when shooting field without having to compete with compounds.

Ultra-long distance. Preferably on a large Dry lake bed. No restriction on shooting method.

Alan

Ultra-long distance. Preferably on a large Dry lake bed. No restriction on shooting method.

Alan

How bout we have a class for each different bow manufacturer and for the different colored bows. Then more people could get a participation trophy.

64 inch Bear takedown at 40 lbs. All shot with 1916 aluminum.Split finger. Instinctive out to 35 yds then gap.This would be for all competitions. George you are right on on the metal riser, 1972 Olympic trials were mostly wood handled Hoyt pro medalist, after that was mostly metal risers.Limbwalker I think your idea for USA Archery shoots and traditional would be perfect.Dean your idea reminds me of the old Trad bowhunters of Florida shoots, just getting into a position to shoot was a challenge. One target I remember was under a downed tree and you had to lay on your stomach and turn the bow sideways to shoot,I would be willing to shoot against anybody with whatever they had under those conditions.

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