There is an old Bellamy brothers song that goes...."he's an old hippie and he don't know what to do, should he hang onto the old, or grab onto the new?"

And although I'm no hippie I can surely relate to trying to adjust to an ever changing "modern"

It's pretty easy to walk into a archery shop and lay down $1000.00 or more on a new compound, or crossbow.

I remember working during the summer, saving for a new car, bought a mint Ford mustang coupe for 1500.00.

I also saved for a new recurve, paid 60.00 for a 50# Bear, shot cedars out of it.

I hunted off the ground or perched on a limb, not for the challenge, but because there really wasn't any other choice.

Shot my first buck with that bow at 16 yrs old, a little 6pt...a long shot that would be criticized as unethical today. caught him in the liver.

I grew up hunting the mts of Northern PA, sometimes I'd hunt waay back in, but I enjoyed stalking the overgrown fields around ski sawmill as well. Who would have thought back then that I'd read about a traditional bowshot held there, on something called the internet!...wow

Back then farmers didn't plant corn around there, just timothy hay, and cut with a sickle bar mower. roads were dirt, and had a strip of grass growing down the middle.

There was an old apple tree we'd climb in and hunt out of.

Somehow despite the lack of modern equipment, compounds, treestands, harnesses, and wearing plaid or army surplus camo, we managed to kill deer.

There was a lot of "hunt" still in the word hunting.

Today I have everything at my fingertips in the way of modern equipment.

Heading out hunting, light rain falling, a recurve bow ready and waiting.

"he aint trying to change nobody...he's just trying real hard to adjust"

there still is much value in "hang onto the old"

if you want to put more "hunt" back in hunting.

Leaves are changing, coolness of fall in the air, some places to explore, things to see, smell, and hear.

Possibly today God will grant me success and my arrow will find its mark.

If not, I'm still glad some things never change, and I pray they never will.

Well said and my thoughts exactly. Sometime I would go back and relive those days, I had fun!

I'm still having fun, it's just different. But I do miss those days of nailing a few shaky boards up in a tree and climbing in for a few hours.

Using modern technology in your hunts is simply a choice, even though our accouterments are so much more advanced and intricate...it's still a choice. We should also remember that wages were equivalent to what we paid back in those days. My first summer job paid me $22.00 a week take home in the late 50's. I could buy my school clothes out of that and have left over...it was an era of nickel sodas and ten cent hamburgers, and the average yearly wage was under $3500.00.

Few people would go back to the old pay scale I'm betting, but I could live without the so-called necessities of the day, even though it's not the technology that's the issue; it's the people that use it that make it good or bad, otherwise it's just stuff.

My hunting equipment is no different than it was in the 60's, and neither is the way I hunt. With a short walk from the truck, you can be away from all of that 'stuff', but going to the woods anymore without some connection to save our sorry butts is generally 'verbotten' if you have a missus watching over you. ;) Yessir, I have to take my Tracfone along so they can 'ping' my dead carcass if I happen to cash it in out there. I do love the modern digital cameras though, saves me tons of money by not having to buy film and get it developed.

That's the beauty of Bow Hunting, Steve. All the choices are still up to you. You can hunt what you want, how you want, wearing what you want, with what weapon you want. Any limitations are completely self imposed. Just don't try to impose those same limitations on others. They won't like it!

Really great post Shade. That Bellamy brothers song does say it pretty good.

I think most of us who have been around awhile hold onto the old and try out some of the new.

No matter how long I have been at this it's always nice when something new or newer comes along.

Yep. I am in the hold onto the old school mostly but embrace some of the new club. Not too much of the new! :)

Its pretty sweet sneaking along with a homemade self-bow, cedar arrows and wearing a pair of electric socks. LOL!

Have a great season Shade!

Any time somebody wants to revisit the "old" all they have to do is do it. Very simple choice.

I personally like all aspects, Modern limb materials, modern arrow materials, as well as all natural materilas bows and arrows. One thing I never alter though is that I always hunt from the ground one way or the other. I have -0- use for tree stands.

Started out with the old and then tried the new. Now I am back to the old. For what time I have left I will stay here with the old. To each his own but I like where I am at. Songdog

IMO, putting out trail cameras to find the place where all the bucks hang out and then putting up a pop-up-blind in that spot and shooting a deer with a compound, AIN'T HUNTING. Sorry. If I wanted to change the way I do things, I'd buy a pop-up and a compound. Or an AR15. I'll take the old ways thanks.

The more expensive modern conveniences there are,the more money we save by doing without them. That coupled with the higher pay scales is a pretty sweet deal. I make everything to do with archery and knives. Money saved is money earned. >>>----> Ken

Saws quote today that was speaking of being poor, kinda relates. “ we would be better off if we didn’t have so much stuff”.

As I've said before Steve, you missed your calling. You should be published.

Pink ,and green,and yellow fiberglass bows, two arrows ,blue jeans,green jacket,5 buckle artics,row house,froze in the winter, and roasted in the summer, pooped in a outhouse, car board in front of the radiator to get heat,cars not starting,chains on tires to go off road to hunt,surplus food,killing for meat,mines closing down,fishing for suckers to eat,choking on sulfur walking to school,big gardens, and on and on and on.It built character, but that was my reality back then.Does not sound romantic,and it wasn,t, but given the chance i would still go back.

Good post Steve and I agree. Might add the freedom to roam once again and no rifles in "archery" season.

Monkeyball, thanks for the song and video.

Very nice thoughts, Shade. While I have toyed a bit with some newer stuff I just haven't felt the need for most of it. I guess the most high tech thing that I cling to is a fiberglass laminated one piece longbow. I haven't seen where any of the new technology gives you any real advantage in making an arrow go where you want it to.

As others have said it is just a choice. My choice is simplicity. I just need to be outside. Don't need to drag a load of stuff with me.

I don't want to sound like I'm strictly old fashion. to convey such a message would be somewhat deceiving.

I am not anti compound, or anti crossbow for that matter, they are "fun" weapons. but my passion is bowhunting with a simple stick and string. I often question Why? I can claim no other reason other than it just simply feels good, or is extremely satisfying.

I get the same satisfaction from walking outside in the morning and hearing squirrels around the house, the cool fall air, the dying vegetation, and change that reveals things to come and a changing of the seasons.

Yesterday we started the cookstove in the kitchen, this morning there is sausage eggs and fried potatoes waiting for breakfast.

In a bit my wife and I are going up on the mt, to bring down a little wood, we'll spend some time in devotion and prayer after breakfast. Then off we'll go.

Yesterday was a good day I saw a small buck and a doe in the morning, and 3 young doe in the evening. They had come running out the mt, stopped under me then walked back the way they came, not sure why/ but I like to thing it was a buck feeling a little randy. A little early yet, but another sign of things to come.

I remember having a TV that had 4 working channels on it where you also got your exercise by having to get up off your butt to turn it on/off, change channels/sound, adjust the rabbit ears, etc. But once you bought the TV it was then FREE. Today we have HUNDREDS of channels and you can sit on your a** watching it without moving until you start growing moss....except there's STILL only 2 or 3 channels worth watching, and this "necessity" costs you $140+ A MONTH!!!!

I'm on board with most of you hunting-wise. 15 years ago I stopped using most all the "impedimenta" that is considered "necessary" for hunting today and just have a fanny pack, binoculars and my bow/Catquiver. No stands/harnesses/cameras/phones, or ANYTHING that requires a battery/microchip.

It isn't that hard to spend $1000 on a recurve either.

I tend to maintain my vehicles rather than trade up. Just had a valve job done on my pickup. Cost a bit but cheap compared to buying something else - and wondering what it's gonna need done later. I -know- the state of my vehicle - engine job, new clutch, wheel bearing, etc.

I've bought cheap older bows and shot them until they exploded, still have a few on the shelf. Mostly shoot ILF bows nowadays, pretty bomb-proof (so far!)

I don't see the question as either-or. Mix it up as wanted and needed.

Don't you wish you could do a quantum leap and live back in that time ? Sure wish I could it made us who we are today, It's probably why most of us carry a recurve or Longbow. Great post shade mt !

I agree that it is not and should not be about being anti anything. It is just about personal choices and preferences. It is about what gives a person satisfaction in their pursuits.

I had a friend of mine (old enough to be my dad) used to say things have changed so much, that when he was younger they used to eat in and sh** out, now we eat out and sh** in. Makes me smile every time I think of him saying that .. oh how true it is. Beacon "you have come a long way baby"

hunt the old way if you like, get your vintage bear, wood arrows, cotton clothing and climb in an old tree with no strap or ladder. booom instant time machine.

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