I spent a few minutes writing this for another thread and thought I'd post it here to see if others would do the same. I value the wisdom being shared by experienced trad hunters.

So here is my story. I'm 61 years old. Shot my first deer at 8 with an open site 30-30 sitting on my grandfather's lap on our family ranch in central Texas. I remember it like it was yesterday. I continued to hunt deer with a rifle until I was about 20 years old. I roamed our Texas Hill Country ranch every chance I got. I remember falling asleep on the side of the hill one day and when I woke I had 4 does bedded upwind of me less than 15 yards way.

Then a friend showed up to hunt our family ranch with a compound bow. I think it was a PSA Fire Flight. I shot it 2 or 3 times and was hooked. I put down the gun, bought a bow and never looked back. It took me all year to kill my first deer. I set up at a hole in the fence and shot over a year and half old spike at first light. The next day I was back in the same spot at the same time and he came through again. Aimed lower and put a nice slice in his back. Day three he came through again. This time I aimed low, then lower, felt like I was aiming at his feet. Loosed the arrow and center punched him. Still gives me goosebumps.

Over the next 20 years I killed too many deer to number. I was a good hunter, great shot and excellent bow mechanic. I tuned my friends bows and had a blast doing it. Harvested a pile does and good bucks. From 5 yards to my best buck at 35 yards, a 275 pound 160" 9 point.

After about 20 years with a compound, I started to toy with trad bows. I had no idea what I was doing. I read the G.Fred Asbell instinctive shooting book. It helped, but I was an over bowed split finger shooting disaster. I got lucky and killed a 7 point with a recurve after a few years. So I ordered a custom black widow and really started practicing. But, I could never get consistent. I heard about "3 under" and gave it a shot. Holy cow, it just felt right. My groups started tightening up and I started to build confidence. I'd practice all summer only to chicken out when hunting season rolled around and I'd pick up my compound again.

One cold December morning about 10 years ago I was sitting in a lock on near the bank of the Mississippi River watching a nice 8 post slip by at about 75 yards. It was such a beautiful scene. Then I looked down at the mechanical bow in my lap and knew I should be looking at my recurve. I literally said to myself, "You p&#$y! Put this compound away once and for all and hunt with your trad bow." When my guide came to pick me up, I handed him my compound and said, "Merry Christmas! Don't give this back to me no matter how much I beg you."

When we got back to camp I pulled out my Black Widow. Shot for a bout 30 minutes and went back to the woods. Heart shot a nice 8 point at last light and never picked up a compound again. The next several deer I shot at I killed. Then the honeymoon came to an end and the wounding started.

I practiced and tuned and tuned and practiced. I'd kill one deer and then wound two or three others. I never took a shot beyond 20 yards and never took a shot I didn't think I could make. Every year I think I'd think I'm dialed in only to rush a shot and wound another deer. I've been tempted to wrap my bow around a tree on occasion, but never once tempted to quick and go back to the compound.

I know I'm gaining wisdom and becoming better trad shooter and hunter. This sport and community is my home. I've learned a lot on Leatherwall and appreciate everyone's help and encouragement. Thanks for reading my story. I hope it helps someone. Blessings to all. Tom

Great story, thanks for posting it. I have killed a lot of deer with many different guns, rifles, shotguns and handguns, but just a few with a bow and they were with a compound bow. I started bowhunting about 1975 or 76 using my old Red Wing Hunter I bought from a co-worker when he switched to compounds. I hunted with it for a couple of years and made the switch to compounds when I traded a Dan Wesson .357 pistol for a Bear Polar II. Wheel bows were all I shot for the next 10 years. I bought Bear Kodiak recurve in the mid 80's and hunted with it for a couple of years and went back to my wheel bows. Made the switch again from compounds back to trad stuff about 5 years ago and have never looked back. I haven't killed a deer with it yet as I am very particular about taking a shot, I'm confident in my shooting abilities with the recurve but if the deer doesn't give me the right shot I won't take it.

My archery journey started with homemade branch bows when I was 8 or 9 and progressed to a Paul Bunyon fiberglass bow when I was around 12.

I got out of the Army in 69 and started a career in power plants in 1970, one of my first purchases when I had a real job was a Bear Kodak Hunter bow. My company moved me to a back woods location and I took up deer hunting with a gun and a bow. This was a time before the tree stands, we stalked through the woods slowly. We got a lot of shots at deer but missed everything, we didn't practice much and then it was only a few shots in the yard at a bale of hay.

I killed one doe with my recurve bow at about 5 yards and probably missed a dozen, I hadn't learned how to pick a spot yet.

When compounds came out, we all bought one my but missing deer continued, I stayed with compounds for 18 years but wasn't very good at killing deer with them.

One afternoon I called in a huge buck to about 7 yards, he was out of his mind with lust, he was slobbering, his eyes were rolling and he was standing broadside breathing hard when I drew my bow. I heard a crack and saw my top limb split down the middle, I settled the pin on him anyway and touched my release.The arrow hit some unseen branch in front of him and did a nose dive into the ground.

He ran off and stopped broadside at about 15 yards but I didn't take another shot, I instantly hated my bow, peep sights and carying what felt like a boat anchor through the woods.

I sold the compound whe I got home and bought another Kodak hunter bow, finally I felt like a bow hunter again.

I was stil missing deer: then I took up 3D archery and learned to pick as spot, the deer didn't stand a chance after I learned how to pick a spot and shoot.

In 96 I started making my own selfbows and haven't looked back, I have made 158 of them so far and don't own any modern firberglass lamainated bows. My selfbows get the job done quite well.

I killed my first four deer with a recurve because compounds had not yet been invented.

I was ten years old ( 1969 ) when I got my first bow. My Dad bought me a 45# Bear Green Fox Bowhunting Set, I still own the bow. It hangs in my game room above the second bow my Dad bought me, a 1974 60# Bear Grizzly. I hunted small game on the family farm with the Bear Green Fox until I was twelve years old ( 1971 ) and got my first bowhunting license, then my Dad allowed me to hunt deer and hunt off our farm. I killed my first deer ( a doe ) with the Bear Green Fox in 1971. I ask my Dad for another bow so he borrowed a 1963 or 1964 45# Black Hawk Warrior recurve for me to use. I killed my first buck ( 9 point ) with that bow in 1973.

When my Dad seen archery and bowhunting wasn't just a fad with me and something I'd end up quiting he bought me a 1974 60# Bear Grizzly with a Bear Quiver, and some cedar arrows. I felt like a millionare. "LOL" Them two bows my Dad bought me mean a lot to me since my Dad passed away of a heart attack in 1975. In 1976 I bought another 60# Bear Grizzly for a back up bow by saving up my money doing odd jobs. Then I ended up enlisting in the U.S. Army, I ended up doing eight years in the Army. Some of the posts I was stationed at had military sportsmen's clubs where I could rent or borrow a bow to shoot. Getting home to shoot or hunt was hard specially when I was stationed overseas. Four months after getting out of the Army I took the state civil service examine and was hired by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. I had some money saved from my Army days and since I now had a decent job I decided to buy something I always wanted, so I bought my first Bear Kodiak Takedown.

I never owned a compound. I've had a lot of different bows through the years, both production and expensive customs like Robertson, Schafer, and Morrisons to name a few. Twenty-two years ago I decided to go to Bear bows only so I sold all my other bows and only shoot Bear bows now. I've been shooting recurves and longbows for 53 years. I've taken quite a few game animals ( whitetail deer, turkeys, black bears, elk, muledeer, wild boar, and a variety of small game through the years. I always had some good times bowhunting. I also shot a lot of competition archery (outdoor and indoor 3D, and the D.A.R.T. video system ) from 1988 to 2002.

My granddaddy bought me a Ben Person fiberglass bow, The Jet, when I was like 13 and I shot it all the time, loved shooting it. That Christmas I got a compound bow and shot it for 3 or 4 years. My daddy didn't hunt so I was never really around it much but my Uncle and cousin did so I went with them and learned basically every lesson the hard way, mistake after mistake. I never even saw a deer the first year, only saw 1 the second year. I loved shooting my bows though. I got my first job when I turned 15 and my first purchase was a new compound, a PSE, I was pretty good with it, I always shot fingers and never used a release but again no shots. I bought Bow hunting magazines and tried to get all the information I could but really had no where to hunt. One day I was in the local Archery store ( Smoke N Feathers) They sold bows and muzzle loaders. When I went in that day to just look they had some recurves and I thought that's cool I think I will buy one to play around with. As I was getting everything the owner told me I would need Eric Krewson walked in ( guy above me in this thread) he helped me out and I went home to shoot and everything changed, I loved shooting the recurve. I sold my compound and found Traditional Bow hunter Magazine. After a year of shooting that recurve I ordered a Black Widow recurve and my Cousin, best friend from High School, my Uncle leased 400 acres. I would plant green fields and hang some stands and really learn a lot that year. I also was blessed with seeing deer. I had 4 does come up on me while I was hunting on the ground. I was able to get a shot and kill the lead doe. She was the first deer I had ever seen dead.... I was like 19. I had also forgot my knife so I had to use my Gerber multi tool knife and cleaned my first deer, which was the first dead deer I had ever saw and this was of course the first deer I had ever seen field dressed. It was a slow process. Since then I have killed a few deer, I have been shooting longbows for about 20 years and Trad bows for like 30. I had some years I didn't get to hunt, got married had kids went through divorce, I am a teacher and coach so that takes time. I got back into hunting 2 years ago after a few years off and had some success. I have hunted public land and I really love it, I am blessed with 4 management areas with in an hour and 2 of those are with in 20 minutes. I have learned a lot and like I said the hard way,many of you guys have killed more deer in a year that I have in my life and I am 47 but these last 2 years have been great and I really look forward to this hunting season. The biggest deer I have killed is a 6 point and he was a small one but I don't care it was fun and I will always have those memories. The last doe I killed is a pretty cool memory too. I just enjoy being out there and seeing nature and if I get a shot cool.

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