traditional bow or compound

[duckman nale]

im wanting to get into bow hunting and i am tied on which one i should get into and i wanted to get your opions on what like traditional or compound i have a budget of 500 because this is my birthday presents

[Bean Counter]

compounds are very forgiving with the training wheels and all 

I suppose in a few years I may want more of a challenge and go to trad. If I would have bought one of those from the get go, I may have gotten discouraged and given up. Despite the better seasons, its harder to kill animals with a bow than a rifle.

[carpsniperg2]

I love both very much. Both have sides of the sport that I love. That being said 90% of the hunting I do is with a modern compound. Just because I know my skills well with the equipment. With trad gear I limit myself more then I should because I can not always put 10/10 on a plate at 20 yards. So there is always the wonder factor in the back of my mind. I have shot animals with both.

I have a couple great bows for sale right now. Both modern and trad. If you want send me a pm and I can get you looking at them. For a beginner I would drop some to help you stay in budget.

[duckman nale]

well my prioritys changed on my way to the store my toyota motor started blowning lots of blue smoke then a pop from under the hood and nothing  so maybe for christmas i will look for a bow

[npaull]

I think it depends on WHY you're going to bow hunting from rifle hunting or any other kind of hunting.

I shoot a longbow and would never hunt big game with anything else.

If you want to hunt with a bow for the greater challenge, demands on woodsmanship, stalking, etc, then I say go with a traditional bow.

If you want a longer season and ability to shoot does (these are not at all bad reasons, just different) but don't care as much about the challenge, go compound.

Also, as pointed out, compounds are more forgiving, but if you're willing to practice, and enjoy archery and want to develop the skill, then there is nothing like traditional archery. I will say this - most people who have shot compounds for awhile, and then go traditional, do not go back. Some do, but most don't. It's just too fun.

Lastly - if I wanted to be obsessed with the most modern gear, the highest speed, the longest range, etc (an ethos which increasingly pervades the compound world) I'd buy a rifle and be done with it.

[duckman nale]

thanks i am going to get in touch with some of my buddys that  do bow hunting that hunt traditional and see how i like it because i have shoot compounds before i want a new challenge i want a adrenaline rush from hunting

[Stick em]

You can get into a compound bow for around $300 for a great bow. I would suggest finding one you like (I like almost all Bowtechs). I got a 07 Bowtech for $200 on Ebay and put a dropaway rest and a carbon sight on it for less than $50 for both. So including practice arrows I got a great shooting bow with alot of KE for $300. I believe that if your hunting for meat you should use a weapon that will get the job done well. Just my opinion but I think a good compound would be a better choice for hunting large game. I think grouse or anything smaller would be a lot of fun with a recurve.

[copasj]

I've got a compound, although I will not be using it this year.  For me, a compound was a better answer.  All the bells and whistles let me practice and learn fundamentals, and usually hit my target.  Aiming is so similar to aiming a rifle, that part was easy.  It helped me be a better shot with a rifle as well. 

Had I started with traditional I would have probably given up.  Once I can honestly say I do it right every time I might try traditional, but for now I am fine with my crutches.   

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[Johnb317]

Don't forget to budget in arrows!
I learned shooting with a recurve shooting off fingers, but when I started hunting I went to a compound...learning curve is faster than stick/recurve. 
Also, higher KE  with a compound bow... but let's not open that can of worms.
Still the same excitement, first time elk hunting I was within 3 feet of a Spike, got him 30 minutes later at 35 yards.  Last year, 5 yards.... so I could have used a spear. 
Whatever works for ya... go to a shop and try both.

[marc w]

I shoot a recurve because I believe it is the superior weapon in my hands.  I can still shoot out to 40 yards but I can get a shot of faster than when I shot a compound.  There is also a lot less that can go wrong.  I carry a spare string in my pack and that's about all that can break!

[h5c5o5]

I had been shooting a longbow for 4 years and decided this year to go bowhunting. I went out and bought a compound bow. For me it was about how much I could practice. I live in the city so I could only make it out to the range once, maybe twice a week. This was enough to make me an accurate shot with my compound but I didn't think it would be enough to make me dead on with my longbow (also that thing would be a bitch to carry through the forest/jungle that is western washington).

Oh and some people claim that the speed at which you can get a shot off with a traditional bow is a plus for them over compounds. I would argue that you can shoot just as fast or almost as fast with a compound, the reason people dont is that they no longer have to rush their shot (due to the let off). A compound can also be drawn behind a tree or otherwise out of sight of the deer/elk/whatever and then aimed and shot (could give you less chance of being busted depending on the situation).

They are both a ton of fun to shoot though. Best of luck!