How did you get in, why do you stay?

[GB]

I bought a compound back in the early 80's and bow hunted for a few years until I became obsessed with Musky fishing.  And IMO there is no better time to be on the water than in fall and I've enjoyed every minute of it.  About five years ago I got the itch to shoot a bow again and was pleasantly surprised to see the resurgence of trad archery.  So I bought a Samick Sage.  Then I found a build along for a pyramid bow from a board and overcame the severe doubts that I could actually make my own bow.  It held together, bad tiller and all, mainly because it was hickory.  The plan was just to make that one bow and quit.  Who needs more than one bow, anyway?  I just finished my 30th last weekend.
I agree that chasing a ring or rasping the belly wood can put me in a zen like state.  Until I come to a knot.   Wooden bows are just inherently beautiful and the satisfaction you get from making one that turned out as nice as you had envisioned it is pretty special.  What keeps me going is that I've found that there is always something new to learn.

[Marc St Louis]

How did I get in - my dad when I was a kid.  Why do I stay - I like making bows

[H Rhodes]

My first bow was an all fiberglass bear given to me by my parents when I was very small.  I got hooked on this stuff during the same time that you could hear newly released songs from the Beatles on your a.m. radio!  I stay with it because it never gets boring to me - I learn something new all the time. 

[Stixnstones]

i started bowhunting with a wheelie at 17 yrs old. but started to interested in traditional archery not long after. i traded my whole compound set up for a Black Bear #45 from a buddy of mine who found it in an old barn. i was hooked. at that time i would see Norm Blaker on Michigan out of doors shootin aspirin out of the air with a bow "he made himself". i had to meet this guy and learn. Norm taught me to make arrows , flintknapping and my first osage bow.that was almost 20 yrs ago. i started only makin 1 bow a year, one that i could hunt with and shoot at the sunday 3d courses.sence than i"ve taken deer , rabbits , squirrels , pheasants with homemade equipment. than found PA and still learnin. I stay because i love all of it. and want to learn all i can, and still learnin.

[sapling bowyer]

This is my story: 2 years ago ( when I was 11) (Now I'm 13) I wanted to make a bow and arrow. I took a branch, cut the nocks and stringed it up. I also made my arrows out of shoots and fletched them with duct tape. It came less than 15 pounds. Then I started to get a lot of info and made my first successful bow from a hazel sapling about 35 pounds. Then I gave a break and got a lot of more information. I started to make a yew self bow that was going VERY good and during the final tiller, it broke:( Now I'm working on a black locust all sapwood bow. Does any body seem to notice how stiff it is? I also have some plum drying. Can't wait. Now I'm addicted and ALWAYS looking for new bow wood. The only problem is that time is short

[Del the cat]

Time is short?  LOL.... I'm 64, I reckon I got maybe another 20 odd years of bowmakin'
Del
(I know what you mean really  )

[bow101]

I have been wood working for a good part of my life and one day about 4 years ago I decided to look into what I could make that was inexpensive to build, did not need a huge shop full of power tools.  I stumbled upon this site and the rest is history.  Besides making wood working (bowyering) a hobby, archery is the icing on the cake so to speak. 

[sapling bowyer]

LOL Derek. Well time is short cuz were preparing for our exam to get in to high school and I'm pretty motivated. First time in my life where I have realized that time was so important.

[jayman448]

Ive always been obsessed with survival. I couldnt watch or read enough.  Of corse i was more i terested in the more romantic side of it all:gettin the food. Equally id always been fascinated with robinhood, and lord of the rings and the like when i was younger. Therefor archery began. Attempting to make bows came some time after that with the help of a few guys from the archery club who happen to be knappers and bowiers. Of about ninety traditional archers theres only four knappers and five bowiers, but we have a good ol time at our "caveman only" bonfire at the club campouts XD

[jimmy]

I grew up shooing a couple of cheapo fiberglass kid's bows.  My arrows were crap, but I managed to shoot snakes and what not.  When I got older I aquired a bear kodiak from an abandoned mobile home on the property next to my folks.  I shot it a little, then put it away untill I was 27 or so.  I started shooting it again, and then graduated to a few different fiberglass recurves and long bow.  I killed my first deer with one, then killed a few more later.  I saw a guy at a gun show selling osage bows.  I asked him all the stupid questions that people always ask about that type of archery.  He was very patient and asked what kind of bow I was using.  I said I was using a fiberglass long bow.  He replied "you'll be shooting a wood bow within a year or two".  I thought he was being pretty sure of himself, but he was right.  I went to the library, checked out Reginald Laubin's book on American Indian Archery and was addicted.  The seed was already there, but this made it grow.  Now it is overgrown and out of control.  But hey, it could be worse.  This is no mere "hobby", it is a craft and a way of life.  I wouldn't use any other archery tackle but my own bows and arrows. 

[paoliguy]

When I was a kid my dad was in the National Guard, he spent a lot of time at Camp Grayling. He came home from one of those trips with a shiny new Black Bear recurve. I was hooked, so for my birthday I got a Darton Ranger similar to his Bear. I was king of the woodlot, it made for some of the best memories of my life.
Fast forward 20 years I'd been through a few compounds and eventually given up. But I had a young son and I kept thinking about those days with my dad. So I went rooting through my parents closets and found those old recurves. The feeling was back for me and my boy had that same look I suspect I had back when.
Since then we've shot a lot of traditional archery and the desire to create our own gear just grew along with it. I've built a couple of dozen bows now and have no intention of stopping! I don't feel my bows are anywhere near the quality I see here every day so I don't post them I just go home and quietly make shavings and build bonds with my children. Pretty cool hobby if you ask me!

[jeffp51]

These are great stories.  keep them coming.  I think that even though everyone here comes from a different background, some things we seem to have in common:  A love of nature and natural things, making beautiful things with our hands, great mentors in the past that encouraged us. . . it is nice to find commonalities with people that are also different from me.

[BowEd]

Just liked the concept of going down to the creek and getting wood to make a bow to shoot and hunt with about 7 years ago.Always been a do it yourselfer.This site and the TBB series keeps the flame burning too.