| Go to the magazine section of your favorite book | | | | up with my buddy at the agreed-upon time. I still |
| store or supermarket, and check out any periodical | | | | don't know what possessed me, but instead of |
| pertaining to the challenging sport of bowhunting. | | | | simply back-tracking the way I had come, I decided |
| There is a good chance you will find an article | | | | to head east toward the logging road with the |
| discussing the pros and cons of technological | | | | intention of crossing it and hunting the other side of |
| advancements in bow and arrow design, material, and | | | | the road back to the truck. What I didn't know was |
| manufacture as well as in the myriad accessories | | | | the trail I had been hunting did not parallel the road |
| offered to make bowhunting "easier".If the magazine | | | | exactly; it was actually on about a 45 degree angle |
| caters to the majority of bowhunters, the article's | | | | southwest to it. Anyway, I slowly headed in the |
| author will most likely extol the virtues of the latest | | | | direction of the road expecting to reach it in a few |
| and greatest in compound bow technology, such as | | | | hundred yards; I didn't. So, I shrugged and climbed |
| percentage of let-off, cam shape, cable material, riser | | | | the next ridge - still no road. I trudged down to the |
| material and shape, carbon arrows, fletching vanes, | | | | valley and up the next ridge - still no road. Now I was |
| feet per second, etc. Don't forget the sure-fire | | | | getting a bit concerned; so, I opened my pack to get |
| bowhunting success gadgetry like electronic aiming | | | | out my topo - not in there; not in my pockets. I had |
| devices, electronic rangefinders, bowstring release | | | | left it on the dashboard of my friend's truck! I hate it |
| triggers, etc. On the other hand, if the periodical is | | | | when that happens! I broke out my compass. I was, |
| devoted to the more traditional side of the sport; i.e., | | | | actually, heading east...well, more like southeast, but |
| hunting with recurve bows, long bows, self bows, | | | | where in the world was that darned road? Should I |
| Indian flat bows, wood arrows with feather fletching, | | | | go back the way I had come? By now I was even |
| then the opposing view will likely be proffered.I tend | | | | starting to doubt my compass and my sense of |
| to lean toward the more traditional bowhunting | | | | direction. I started to whistle and yell in hopes that |
| tackle; I shoot a Black Widow recurve and a Howard | | | | my buddy or someone who knew where the heck |
| Hill longbow. I use a bow quiver on the recurve and a | | | | he was would hear and come to guide me out of the |
| leather back quiver with the longbow. I prefer to | | | | forest. No response. After I calmed down a little, I |
| hunt with home-made cedar arrows with feathers | | | | decided to continue on the way I was going. After |
| that I burn to size and shape and glue-on Zwickey or | | | | another hour of climbing over downed trees and four |
| Wolverine broadheads. I twist up my own | | | | or five more ridges, I finally found the road. I turned |
| bowstrings. I don't use a sight (can't judge distance | | | | north on it, but I came to a fork I didn't remember. |
| that well, anyway), which forces me to get pretty | | | | Not knowing which way to turn at the fork, I just |
| close before I feel comfortable in making an | | | | prayed that I was on the main road, turned around, |
| instinctive shot. I prefer wool to fleece (own both), | | | | and walked the five miles back to camp. My friend |
| plaid to camo (own both), hunting into the wind to | | | | showed up in camp about an hour later intending to |
| cover scents. However, I am not what some | | | | get our two other friends to go looking for me. I |
| technophiles would call an elitist. I have my | | | | was pretty embarrassed to say the least.I swore |
| old-fashioned streak, but I have no problem sharing a | | | | that wasn't going to happen to me again. Before the |
| camp fire or a tent with a fella and his high tech, | | | | next bowhunting season my family and I moved to |
| "wheelie" bow. I just believe that if a guy or gal | | | | Colorado. My wife also bought me a Garmin GPS |
| decides to chase game with a bow, all that matters | | | | (global positioning system) from Cabela's for |
| is that he or she practices with whichever type of | | | | Christmas. Boy, did that come in handy a few years |
| equipment he/she prefers, learns his/her effective | | | | ago! I was hunting for the first time on the |
| range, and doesn't try to shoot beyond it.So, why | | | | Uncompaghre Plateau in western Colorado. It had |
| am I writing this article about technology versus | | | | been raining like crazy for much of the trip. While I |
| tradition? Well, as a traditionalist when it comes to | | | | was in the forest (very thick stands of aspen and |
| bow and arrow, I gotta' tell you, when it comes to | | | | spruce) a few miles from camp, it not only started |
| safety and survival, give me the high tech stuff | | | | raining again, it became socked in with fog. I got |
| anytime! There was a time when I figured all I | | | | pretty nervous because I could barely see where I |
| needed was a topo map and my trusty compass; did | | | | was going. Fortunately, in my pack was my GPS, into |
| fine with them for quite a few years. That's probably | | | | which I had entered a way point for our camp site |
| because I am blessed with a pretty decent sense of | | | | the minute we arrived earlier that week. I was able |
| direction and because I hunted in the same area for | | | | to walk through thick woods, dense fog, and |
| several years. BUT.....About ten years ago, my buddy | | | | torrential rain directly to camp. Sure, I still keep the |
| and I decided to check out an area in the Cascades | | | | compass and a topo of any area I hunt in my pack |
| of Washington with which we were not so familiar. | | | | as backup, but will I ever venture into the woods |
| As bowhunters often tend to do, we got out of the | | | | again without my GPS? Not likely! It is as much a part |
| truck and immediately split up (two guys make three | | | | of my survival gear as the first aid kit and fire |
| times the racket a single bowhunter makes). After | | | | starters in my pack. I plan to purchase a pair of the |
| entering the forest to the west of the road and | | | | Garmin Rhino combination GPS/walkie-talkies now |
| walking a couple hundred yards, I found and followed | | | | that my son will start hunting with me next season. |
| a game trail southward in what I thought was a | | | | No reason he should have to worry about getting |
| parallel with the logging road we drove in on. I | | | | lost.The author is a traditional bowhunting enthusiast |
| pussyfooted through the area for about three hours, | | | | and webmaster of online provider of quality personal |
| covering probably only a couple of miles, and then I | | | | electronics products at excellent prices. |
| decided to head back to the truck in order to meet | | | | |