Traditional bows are shot with fingers on the string. No release aids. The most popular shooting styles are three-under and the Mediterranean draw.

To earn a living from archery in the 21st century is, as I discover from Steve Stratton, a master bowyer with the Craft Guild of Traditional Bowyers and Fletchers, rather more unusual.

Today, Bear Archery traditional bows of the past have a huge following and are actively collected by many who enjoy the simplistic beauty of bent wood and string.

From here on out I would carry a traditional bow and nothing else. Most days, traditional bowhunters really are just showing up for the experience. The odds of success are much slimmer with a recurve ...