I was just thinking how good Trad archers have it.I was talking to a shop owner the other day and asked how much trad gear he sells.obviously like lots of general archery shops compounds were the bulk of his trade.He said one customer of his buys the latest compounds and one year back traded 4 compounds to have the newest model.Now there is not many trad folk that I know who do that.On the contrary lots of us are drawn to the older Classic recurves or long bows.I will admit some of us trad guys 'n' girls do buy lots of bows.When some of these compounds cost a couple of thousand it makes me wonder how these compound guys can afford it.Don't get me wrong trad can cost a lot too but generally it's a lot less.If archery was only compounds it would count me out because I couldn't afford it.What do you folk think? OSR

I agree. I may have too many bows, but I don't think I could afford to keep updating all the time. Saw and talked to a guy at the club shooting a Top of the line Hoyt compound that was 7 months old and he was getting ready to replace it with a newer model. And he had $1200 into the Hoyt and accessories. WOW! I'll give the guy this though, with a 2 year old on his back he opened his case, got the bow out, placed an arrow on the string and put his first, and following, arrows in the gold at 70 yards!. Lance.

Osr you have been miss lead. there are a bunch of compounds for two and three hundred set up ready to hunt New. your 1000.00 and up are top of the line. just like a top of the line recurve and longbows are over a thousand and some two thousand, go to cable's web site and look around.

May come a point in time where even the compound crowd will start looking back at some of the good shooting "classic" compounds.

Like the guy Knifeguy witnessed hitting his arrows in the gold at 70 yards, with his 2 year old son on his back at that. How much better will he be able to shoot with a new bow? Don't think he'll be able to shoot better but then again, it's his choice.

As for me, if it were only compounds, I would stick with whatever gets the job done.

I have bows I've paid 200 for and bows I've paid 1200 for. Just what you can afford and want. Walmart has compounds for 300 and less.

Feel so lucky to have what I got, which is five old Bears, a Wing and a Damon Howatt. Had to wait a year passed what I wanted to do to get my first one of these bows when I came back to trad. The money that was set aside went unexpectedly towards just plain living, but after waiting, reading all the forums, and wishing, I got one a year later. It was a '59 K Special with a few stress lines from a used bow dealer that posts on another site. Told him how thrilled I was to have that bow. Made his day as much as mine.

Only shoot two bows much now but can't get rid of some of the Bears. One I shoot is 57 years old and it spits an arrow out so hard it's difficult to believe. Faster and smoother than my other bows. Shot it today split finger and killed a paper plate, stone cold dead.

My favorite is a light draw Bear 55 year old target bow that actually needs some 700's (like Axis 5mm) instead of weighted down Axis Trad 600's, but it's a money stretch right now that'll have to wait. Makes me appreciate what I got all the more.

Hoping to see Y'all at some of the 3-D's.

I have two compounds at my house. One is a Jennings Arrowstar that I got for my wife in the late 70's. The other is a Martin Cougar Magnum, like one I also had at that time. The wife don't shoot anymore, but it's there if she ever decides to again. I'll keep the Martin too, you never know when a convenience can become a necessity. We've always shoot fingers just like with traditional bows...she used sights and I shot barebow. I wonder if Larry Hatfield worked on designing those Cougar limbs?

I think trad bows are expensive as compounds especially when guys buy lots of bows to find the magic one.

I have to agree with OSR. Compounds are a dime a dozen at yard sales. some folks can't even give some of the older ones away. I buy them if they are cheap and give them away to military veterans who want to get started and don't want to shoot. traditional.

I have bought many recurves for $60.00 or less including three Kodiak Hunters in one summer. The traditional bow just don't seem to go out of style.

I have one personal use compound that was given to me by Bill Pierce the owner of Proline. Killed many deer shooting instinctive with that bow when I lost my marbles and went over to the dark side for a few season. lol

But it does have a wooden riser and wooden limbs.

There was a thread on bowsite a few weeks ago, titled: what new bow are you buying for 2017... like it is required to buy a new bow every year. One guy was talking about he bought 2 brand new bows, because he could not decide on which one to buy. The kicker is, he said neither bow shot better than the bow he had from last year. I just do not get the "I must be the first one to get the newest" mindset, and it is not just archery either.

George I have a '78 Arrowstar Mark II also. Gorgeous bows. It's a lonely bow now with my old recurves around.

About 10 years ago I bought a new Vectrix XL because my 3 year old UltraTec wasn't "parallel limb" enough. Still got the UltraTec, but it hasn't been shot since '08 or '09.

After going through about 4 dozen recurve and longbows I am down to less than a dozen, my favorite being a $30 late '60s Necedah.

-Joe

No c bows here, no interest. No money either. :D

George I have a very lonely, tricked out, Star Master. I don't know what the difference is but I don't think I have ever seen another one. I never got rid of it because of some good times and memories. >>>------> Ken

George, I designed all of the first and second generation compound risers, and built the cast masters out of wood. We also did the limbs then, but worked with Gordon's on a shape of later all Fiberglass limb shapes. We produced all compound limbs until 2011.

Seems to me that some are obsessed with the latest tech and others work teally hard to improve their form and remove their flaws.Concentrating on the latest tech is a characteristic of modern life.Collecting dozens of magic bows is one of the trad approaches to tech

'Entry level', saw an article recently, reviewed several compounds, $5-600. You can get an import recurve for well under $200.

I know people who burn through the latest wheel bows, and people who burn through the latest recurves. Chasing that last few fps is some folks idea of a good time.

We're also fortunate in that if we're a do-it-yourselfer, we don't have to buy a bow at all. Making a compound isn't generally a viable option for folks.

To me a bow is just a bow. A tool to use like a hammer. They don't hold any special appeal to me much beyond that which in a way is strange because I have an entirely different idea when it comes to shotguns. Shotguns can be a thing of beauty. You don't clean a fine double SxS you fondle it. If I had only one bow that would be fine but I want many shotguns. lol

As a long time hockey coach, I watched a lot of average players trying to "buy talent" with those $600. skates and $200. sticks.

Same for golf...I don't need to spend 5 bills on a driver but there's no shortage of those who do.

I kinda think this mindset carries over to archery.

It carries over to EVERYTHING if you ask me…

I notice it most on a ski slope, where are you see some mid range intermediate skier saddled with that yours latest and greatest All Mountain Expert rocket boards.

And I'll be struggling down a level-and intermediate slope making some really ugly truck-driver turns because they haven't got the strength they'd need to bend that ski even if they had the technique to do it.

But that was The One that all the skiing magazines said was the must-have ride for that season.... at the beginning of the same paragraph that mentions how it's a particularly demanding design that will keep even the best skiers on their toes all day long and oh, yeah, the lighter testers found it to be a real handful unless they were going Mach Schnell.

Some people buy Status; some earn it.

With me, it's saddles. I'm sort of paranoid about what I put on a horses back, so I pretty much have more saddles than horses. But, I can find a saddle that I can set on a horse and mount with the cinches hanging loose.

I agree fine dogs and guns but bows too now Jeff. Who can hunt with an ugly bow or dog or gun? Tell me who? Certainly not me.LOL

Only reason someone would have to hunt with ugly is they have too. I have custom bows more money than compounds my Snake bit Blacktails.

Only reason that I hunt this bow is the glass sucks and is streaked very disappointed in bow for that reason but the game don't care. It has a lot of mojo so when its in my hand it cruises me to forget it sucks!

Some guys think why are you complaining then I'll tell you the same thing because its not right that I paid for! Its a killer stick though.LOL

Larry, there is a saddle maker right down the street from me that demonstrates that. He will put one of his saddles on then get on and off with no cinch on it. You are only the second person I have ever heard mention that. >>>------> Ken

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