OK, I know that we can't do the same things as compound shooters (I shoot both), but I do think that we could simplify things for some newbies that wanna try trad. So, I am gonna kick this off, everything below is just my opinion:
1) Buy a trad bow of your choice between 40-50 lbs at your draw length. (Remember that draw length with a compound does not necessarily equate to draw length of a trad bow. Many archers shorten their draw on a trad bow.) This can be a longbow or a recurve. One piece, TD, ILF, WARF, Frankenbow, etc. It really doesn't matter. I would personally not recommend that you start with a self bow (all wood), but these suggestions would probably even work for that. Length should be between 60 to 66 for most archers. If you have ape arms, you may need more, or T-Rex you may need less. Buying used can save you some bucks on a custom bow, but there are also several decent stick bows that can be bought for reasonably prices new.
2) Buy carbon arrows spined for your bow weight and draw length with feathers of at least 4 inches, 5 is better. Find something that shoots fairly good out of your bow with a 125-150 grain field point. Anyone else wanna suggest anything for special inserts? I have gone both ways (stock and heavy) but will yield to someone else to make a suggestion for beginners. I suggest carbons for consistency and durability, not that wood or aluminum are inferior. As a new trad shooter, durability matters. Get some help tuning these arrows to your setup and style of shooting. Generally, with trad gear you can adjust spine by trimming arrows or adding weight up front. Tuning is important, but it is probably best accomplished with a mentor or staff at a good archery shop.
3) Buy a good fixed two blade cut on contact broadhead. There are a bunch out there: two bevel, single bevel, whatever, it does not matter. I suggest something between 125 and 150 grains. There is no need to go for anything else other than a sharp edge. Any broadhead sent through both lungs at short range will work.
4) Buy a glove or shooting tab, and stick with it. Changing up may not help your shooting much at first.
5) Shoot off the shelf or a rest, it does not matter. Regardless, many trad archers like to 'pad' their shelf and riser area with some kind of soft, quiet material. Stick on moleskin is good, and many other products are available on-line for this purpose.
6) Watch a handful of YT videos on shooting a trad bow, and pick an anchor point and nocking method. Stick with it. Most of us started with split fingers nocking at the corner of our mouth, but no reason not to go three under or any other nocking point. However, it is critical that you can learn to hit your nocking point reliably, and that you can know when you have done so naturally. Stick with what seems to work for you, changing stuff up does not normally lead to reliable accuracy. Experienced shooters may tweak their system to get some improvements, particularly at longer distances, but consistency is far more important IMO.
7) Form matters even more in trad bows than compounds. I'll not tell anyone that they need my form, but I will stress that if you want to shoot accurately with a trad bow, you will have to be able to replicate your draw length, anchor point, and aiming system. (Ignore target panic for now, you will know it if you get it and there are some excellent resources available on line, but this is another post already.) If you need or want an aiming aid, try white masking tape on the belly face of your bow riser with one black mark on it, probably about 1.5 inches above your arrow. Stick it on lightly and you can move it up and down. Most shooters do not need this at short ranges, their mind uses the arrow point subconsciously, but it is a cheap solution if you are coming from sights and want it.
8) Start shooting at a target with a good backstop, at 6-8 yards. Most of us started with some form of instinctive aiming, and at 8 yards you ought to be able to learn to hit a 10 inch pie plate regularly without any aiming aids. Keep shooting until you can group all your arrows in 6-7 inches. Then, move a few steps further back.
9) In my opinion, you should be planning for your first shot at a deer with trad gear to be broadside or quartering away and under 12 yards. Anybody that has been saddle hunting for long has had these shots, and if you haven't, then you need to work on your general hunting skills before trying to kill deer with trad gear, JMHO. Put up an elevated stand on your practice range and shoot at a deer shaped target from your stand until you are confident that you: a) know what your limit looks like and b) can hit a deer's vitals with confidence within that limit. Some guys may struggle to get beyond 10 yards, and others may be good at 20 yards after a season of shooting. IMO, though, 10-15 yards is a great trad shot, and most hunters can get within 10 on a deer and can learn to execute this shot. Not so at 20 . . . Do not push it with trad gear: no Hail-Mary's and no off angles. Wait for the right shot or don't shoot, it is as simple as that.
10) IMO, you should aim for your first trad kill to be a young buck or doe. No reason not to shoot a monster that gives you the perfect shot, but set your bar low. If you choose to shoot fawns, remember that the kill zone is smaller. For close shots in early archery seasons, you will probably be hunting food sources, trails, and funnels, with less emphasis on buck bedding habitat. If you do have a target buck, I would not suggest targeting him for your first trad kill, JMO. Also, though many trad hunters have killed deer from the ground, I would suggest that you should hold off on ground hunting until you have a few deer under your trad belt. The odds of getting a deer close and pulling everything off without alerting the deer are much lower on the ground.
Is there anything else that I am missing?
Hugh
1) Buy a trad bow of your choice between 40-50 lbs at your draw length. (Remember that draw length with a compound does not necessarily equate to draw length of a trad bow. Many archers shorten their draw on a trad bow.) This can be a longbow or a recurve. One piece, TD, ILF, WARF, Frankenbow, etc. It really doesn't matter. I would personally not recommend that you start with a self bow (all wood), but these suggestions would probably even work for that. Length should be between 60 to 66 for most archers. If you have ape arms, you may need more, or T-Rex you may need less. Buying used can save you some bucks on a custom bow, but there are also several decent stick bows that can be bought for reasonably prices new.
2) Buy carbon arrows spined for your bow weight and draw length with feathers of at least 4 inches, 5 is better. Find something that shoots fairly good out of your bow with a 125-150 grain field point. Anyone else wanna suggest anything for special inserts? I have gone both ways (stock and heavy) but will yield to someone else to make a suggestion for beginners. I suggest carbons for consistency and durability, not that wood or aluminum are inferior. As a new trad shooter, durability matters. Get some help tuning these arrows to your setup and style of shooting. Generally, with trad gear you can adjust spine by trimming arrows or adding weight up front. Tuning is important, but it is probably best accomplished with a mentor or staff at a good archery shop.
3) Buy a good fixed two blade cut on contact broadhead. There are a bunch out there: two bevel, single bevel, whatever, it does not matter. I suggest something between 125 and 150 grains. There is no need to go for anything else other than a sharp edge. Any broadhead sent through both lungs at short range will work.
4) Buy a glove or shooting tab, and stick with it. Changing up may not help your shooting much at first.
5) Shoot off the shelf or a rest, it does not matter. Regardless, many trad archers like to 'pad' their shelf and riser area with some kind of soft, quiet material. Stick on moleskin is good, and many other products are available on-line for this purpose.
6) Watch a handful of YT videos on shooting a trad bow, and pick an anchor point and nocking method. Stick with it. Most of us started with split fingers nocking at the corner of our mouth, but no reason not to go three under or any other nocking point. However, it is critical that you can learn to hit your nocking point reliably, and that you can know when you have done so naturally. Stick with what seems to work for you, changing stuff up does not normally lead to reliable accuracy. Experienced shooters may tweak their system to get some improvements, particularly at longer distances, but consistency is far more important IMO.
7) Form matters even more in trad bows than compounds. I'll not tell anyone that they need my form, but I will stress that if you want to shoot accurately with a trad bow, you will have to be able to replicate your draw length, anchor point, and aiming system. (Ignore target panic for now, you will know it if you get it and there are some excellent resources available on line, but this is another post already.) If you need or want an aiming aid, try white masking tape on the belly face of your bow riser with one black mark on it, probably about 1.5 inches above your arrow. Stick it on lightly and you can move it up and down. Most shooters do not need this at short ranges, their mind uses the arrow point subconsciously, but it is a cheap solution if you are coming from sights and want it.
8) Start shooting at a target with a good backstop, at 6-8 yards. Most of us started with some form of instinctive aiming, and at 8 yards you ought to be able to learn to hit a 10 inch pie plate regularly without any aiming aids. Keep shooting until you can group all your arrows in 6-7 inches. Then, move a few steps further back.
9) In my opinion, you should be planning for your first shot at a deer with trad gear to be broadside or quartering away and under 12 yards. Anybody that has been saddle hunting for long has had these shots, and if you haven't, then you need to work on your general hunting skills before trying to kill deer with trad gear, JMHO. Put up an elevated stand on your practice range and shoot at a deer shaped target from your stand until you are confident that you: a) know what your limit looks like and b) can hit a deer's vitals with confidence within that limit. Some guys may struggle to get beyond 10 yards, and others may be good at 20 yards after a season of shooting. IMO, though, 10-15 yards is a great trad shot, and most hunters can get within 10 on a deer and can learn to execute this shot. Not so at 20 . . . Do not push it with trad gear: no Hail-Mary's and no off angles. Wait for the right shot or don't shoot, it is as simple as that.
10) IMO, you should aim for your first trad kill to be a young buck or doe. No reason not to shoot a monster that gives you the perfect shot, but set your bar low. If you choose to shoot fawns, remember that the kill zone is smaller. For close shots in early archery seasons, you will probably be hunting food sources, trails, and funnels, with less emphasis on buck bedding habitat. If you do have a target buck, I would not suggest targeting him for your first trad kill, JMO. Also, though many trad hunters have killed deer from the ground, I would suggest that you should hold off on ground hunting until you have a few deer under your trad belt. The odds of getting a deer close and pulling everything off without alerting the deer are much lower on the ground.
Is there anything else that I am missing?
Hugh
