Is archery a lost art?

[ChadMR82]

I have to vent a little here. I was at Bass Pro in Clarksville, IN over the weekend. They were selling crossbows like they were going out of style. People were also buying compounds and other gadgets. In the entire store there were two recurves. That was it along with a small 6 foot by 4 foot area with tabs, gloves and misc generic trad gear.

One guy asked me what kind of arrows I thought he needed for his compound so I pointed him to the correct arrows and explained a little bit about arrow spine and how important it is to match the proper arrow to your setup. He ended up needing a 400 spine but then decided he wanted a camo arrow and bought a 500 spine arrow because it looked better.

I could hear all kinds of chatter of compounds and crossbows around me. Most of it was nonsense and it infuriated me. I have nothing against any form of archery, but I hate that people do not want to take the time to properly learn their equipment. If a guy is going to shoot any kind of bow, then they should learn ALL aspects about it.

This brings me to another instance. I saw a guy at my local shop who was shooting a $1600 compound. He told me that he had never shot past 20 yards because he can not hit the broadside of a barn. You can imagine his surprise when I put 4 arrows into a nice group at 30 yards.

Everyone wants instant gradification anymore and it makes me sick. Grab a bow, throw on a sight, sight it in at 20 yards and hit the woods. Hell, that is not archery to me at all. I want to practice many hours, have my equipment feel like an extension of my body and then feel very achieved when I do finally take an animal.

It is just sad to me that people do not take the time to fully learn archery. Archery is a great sport and can teach us a lot of lessons. It has taught me to slow down in life and examine things a little closer. Pretty deep stuff, I know, but think about it.

With all of this talk you would think I was some old guy. Actually I am 31 and I have evolved into an archer. I have shot a bow since I was 13 years old. I learned everything I could about a compound and a few years ago I progressed into traditional archery. I have learned more about archery since shooting traditional than I ever had.

It seems archery is becoming a lost art in this modern world. I hope I am wrong.

[jerp]

I think a lot of guys get a hankerin' to get a bow from watching hunting shows, etc but have no idea how much dedication it takes to be proficient. First timers often buy a bow and expect to hunt the next weekend. I know avid long-time rifle hunters who bought a bow and messed around with it for a while, maybe hunted once or twice then either sold it or stashed it in the closet. Others felt the magic with the first arrow flung and rarely if ever picked up a rifle again. It's the difference between getting the "bow bug" and catching a lifelong case of the "archery flu".

[El Coyote]

News flash you're old!!!
Btw I'm 40.....carry on

[ChadMR82]

Dang it, I am old!!! LOL

[Bowyer]

I think a lot of guys get a hankerin' to get a bow from watching hunting shows, etc but have no idea how much dedication it takes to be proficient. First timers often buy a bow and expect to hunt the next weekend. I know avid long-time rifle hunters who bought a bow and messed around with it for a while, maybe hunted once or twice then either sold it or stashed it in the closet. Others felt the magic with the first arrow flung and rarely if ever picked up a rifle again. It's the difference between getting the "bow bug" and catching a lifelong case of the "archery flu".

This is a perfect analogy!

[Cropduster]

Well that sure shows my age. I an 73 years old and still make my own equipemnt. That is the way I like it. I have made many recurves, and longbows over the years and have finally settled on the longbow. It just seems to fit what I enjoy doing in my hunting. The idea of going to a store and buying all the "stuff" that they sell does not appeal to me. I just love to shoot the ole longbow and watch it go where I am looking. Oh yes I have killed many animals in my time from Elk all the way down to the lowly rabbit. The main thing is don't for get the main thing, which is enjoy what you are doing as our time on this ole earth is short, so enjoy.

[Limbwalker]

Lots of wisdom above for sure.

And yes, ARCHERY is a lost art. Bowhunting, on the other hand, is more popular than ever. And I agree 100% that just like pro golfers make it look too easy on TV, top archers and bowhunters make it look too easy as well. Pick a sport, and 99% of the people who watch and say they want to do it just like "..." does, really have absolutely NO idea how much time that person puts in to get to that point.

We have a society that has no patience for specialization anymore. To become a great archer, you have to specialize and put your time in - which means giving up other things. Folks these days think they should just be able to be great at everything at the same time. That's what TV has done to us. Given us all a case of ADD.

[tex4k]

But look on the bright side, these guys have resurrected another lost art. Taking the dogs out and tracking for some of these guys enables me to spend even more on building supplies. Not that many years ago you almost never heard of blood trackers.

[DoubleGArchery]

I love BIG BOX stores. They help my business.

[PSD Ryan]

My take...

Crossbows are an entirely different weapon.

Compounds sell well in big box stores because they are one size fits all. You can adjust draw weight and length to fit almost any shooter. There's just no way to keep enough inventory of traditional bows that most anyone looking for one off the shelf that day can buy one in their make, model, bow length, and draw length and still be profitable. Traditional bows are just so much more unique to the shooter.

I started young with fiberglass longbows, but I got serious on compounds, now I'm shooting traditional. Plenty of people still do or are getting into trad. You just can't get the perfect bow from a big store.

Who cares if most people don't care about learning the fine art of tuning, won't shoot past 20 yards, and are gadget obsessed. It only affects them. Grab your bow and shoot the way that makes you happy. That's all that matters.

[LeanMachine]

I realized this year that the crossbow is the next compound. In another 10 years, the compound is likely to be viewed the way that trad bows are viewed now. People will look at them and get the "you actually hunt with that?" or "have you ever killed anything with that?" questions that we all get.

Trad bows are reserved for those who take great pleasure in archery; for those who are mesmerized by the flight of the arrow. To most, it is important what they kill. To us, it is important how we kill it. Trad is very frustrating at times, even when you have shot it for many years, but we are dedicated to investing the required time to become proficient at our art. The building of equipment is simply an extension of the how rather than the how big. More value is placed on success when it is achieved with homemade instruments.

[Limbwalker]

There's just no way to keep enough inventory of traditional bows that most anyone looking for one off the shelf that day can buy one in their make, model, bow length, and draw length and still be profitable. Traditional bows are just so much more unique to the shooter.

And here I was thinking that traditional bows were the original one-size-fits-all bow... You know, the further back you pull them, the stronger they get.

It's the reason nearly every 4-H and youth archery program still uses recurves.

[PSD Ryan]

And here I was thinking that traditional bows were the original one-size-fits-all bow... You know, the further back you pull them, the stronger they get.

It's the reason nearly every 4-H and youth archery program still uses recurves.

I've got several that I own and shoot, but my main one is set up just the way I like it. All of them work down to my old 15 lb kid bow, but the one I ordered specific shoots better than the rest and has the poundage I want.

[60 Deluxe]

I think that you have the wannbes in all things; be it archery, fishing, woodworking, golf. I don't let it bother me much. I am kind of glad that there were fellows that went out and bought the best bow that money could buy fifty or sixty years ago and grew tired of them and tucked them away while they were still pristine. It gives me a supply of beautiful old bow to collect.

There has been a tremendous amount of traditional archery in the movies and television the past two or three years. I had thought that would bode well for gaining recruits into the sport but, as you say, there really isn't much of anything available at the sporting good stores or archery shops. I think that they might go to look and end up not buying or worse yet, buying a crossbow.
Our local shop no longer stocks any trad gear, not even a couple of cheap Sammick or PSE recurves. That is why I always try to keep a couple or three inexpensive bows around that I can sell cheap or even give away to a newby.

[Deb]

I have to vent a little here. I was at Bass Pro in Clarksville, IN over the weekend. They were selling crossbows like they were going out of style. People were also buying compounds and other gadgets. In the entire store there were two recurves. That was it along with a small 6 foot by 4 foot area with tabs, gloves and misc generic trad gear.

One guy asked me what kind of arrows I thought he needed for his compound so I pointed him to the correct arrows and explained a little bit about arrow spine and how important it is to match the proper arrow to your setup. He ended up needing a 400 spine but then decided he wanted a camo arrow and bought a 500 spine arrow because it looked better.

I could hear all kinds of chatter of compounds and crossbows around me. Most of it was nonsense and it infuriated me. I have nothing against any form of archery, but I hate that people do not want to take the time to properly learn their equipment. If a guy is going to shoot any kind of bow, then they should learn ALL aspects about it.

This brings me to another instance. I saw a guy at my local shop who was shooting a $1600 compound. He told me that he had never shot past 20 yards because he can not hit the broadside of a barn. You can imagine his surprise when I put 4 arrows into a nice group at 30 yards.

Everyone wants instant gradification anymore and it makes me sick. Grab a bow, throw on a sight, sight it in at 20 yards and hit the woods. Hell, that is not archery to me at all. I want to practice many hours, have my equipment feel like an extension of my body and then feel very achieved when I do finally take an animal.

It is just sad to me that people do not take the time to fully learn archery. Archery is a great sport and can teach us a lot of lessons. It has taught me to slow down in life and examine things a little closer. Pretty deep stuff, I know, but think about it.

With all of this talk you would think I was some old guy. Actually I am 31 and I have evolved into an archer. I have shot a bow since I was 13 years old. I learned everything I could about a compound and a few years ago I progressed into traditional archery. I have learned more about archery since shooting traditional than I ever had.

It seems archery is becoming a lost art in this modern world. I hope I am wrong.

Amen!