Pennsylvania Game News - November 2012 - 49

ditional bow, a recurve or longbow. Notice I didn’t say “step down,” because not only in the technology used to build the bow, but also in its place in history, the crossbow is not advanced over the first two. And there is nothing wrong with all three. Indeed, Barb Terry, who does the customer relations, training and education at TenPoint, told me she started with a crossbow and still shoots and hunts with them. Then she reached into the corner behind her desk chair and pulled out a custom-made, Striker brand longbow, which she said she also enjoys. “It’s all archery, whether it’s shooting the bow vertically or horizontally,” she said. At that I nodded. I left Ohio with a crossbow and am looking forward to giving it a try this archery season. I think that hunting with it will be different and yet it will be like any bowhunting. The hardest part is always getting close to a deer or setting up where a deer will get close to you, then not spooking the animal with scent or movement, and getting the right opportunity for a killing shot. The rest, whether it is with a recurve, compound or crossbow, is practice and mechanics. The Ohio trip was on Monday. By Thursday, I was in the woods of Pennsylvania’s Potter County, at the Eastern Traditional Archery Rendezvous. While my husband visited the vendors, my 17-yearold nephew and I went out on one of the event’s through-the-forest 3D game animal target courses. We started on “Stickbow Alley” and then went to the “Ironman” course, which ran up and down a steepsided hollow and gave many challenging shooting situations. “ETAR” is the biggest traditional archery event in the eastern U.S., and it attracts traditional bow shooters from across Pennsylvania and nearby and notso-nearby states. Having been at ETAR several times, I had lost my amazement at the sheer number of longbow and recurve enthusiasts who were there and just enNOVEMBER 2012

joyed being immersed in their world. The traditional archer’s world is much akin to the trapper’s in that it has a lot of do-it-yourself craftsmanship and appreciation for craftsmanship, even artistry, in the implements and accoutrements of the sport that you know you can’t make yourself. Even the arrow quivers hearken back to the old days and old ways, made of leather, wicker, blanket or, the type with the most status, wild fur. Trumping all is a back quiver you made yourself with a fur you caught yourself, although a handcarved design on hand-sewn leather is a close second. After shooting, the three of us roamed the exhibitors’ tents until a severe thunderstorm closed the booths. I stopped at the Striker Bows booth, to relay the TenPoint gal’s greetings to the owner, and was encouraged to step out to the practice range next to the tent and try some of their longbows and recurves for myself. There were quite a few demos in my range, 40- to 50-pound pull, and I was able to experience the difference in drawing and shooting between the two styles of “stick bows.” The traditional archer next to me at the range happened to mention something about the crossbow he owned. I said, I guess loudly enough for others on the line to hear, “Yeah, I just bought a crossbow the other day.” Some of the other shooters turned to look at me. Reading their faces, I suppose some thought I’d gone over to the “dark side.” Others had a bit of a grin and others just looked interested. The fellow next to me said he had always shot with traditional equipment, but thought he’d like to try the crossbow, too. “It’s all archery,” he added, and I remembered Barb’s words. I’m back home now, standing on the seesaw of traditional bows and crossbows, not balancing in the middle, but rocking from side to side and having a great time. And why not? Enjoying outdoor recreations, such as target shooting and hunting, is what’s important. It’s more than okay to
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Pennsylvania Game News - November 2012

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