By Allen Hamrick
The modern world we live in is nothing short of noise and the constant flash of progress. Progress is often thought of as the train we must board to survive. Because of this, we often distance ourselves from our past and measure ourselves by the amount of time we spend working our way forward. However, for some, the voice that calls us to the wild and wonderful ways is not a weekend hobby but a lifestyle that is baked into their bloodline. Just recently local mountain man soon to be legendary master woodsmen and hunter Joe Woods competed in the long bow competition at the West Virginia Bow Hunters shooting competition. Joe finished 3rd in the competition just behind the leaders. Here he proved that while there are all kinds of technology involved in the world of bow shooting, the quiet tension of a bowstring still is a thing of beauty.
True mountain men believe hunting is not about taking trophies but is the process of the whole package. Joe has taken the field of archery to heart and has a desire to make every component of his craft from the bow to the arrows and all the accessories. He hunts with a long bow for the challenge because most modern hunters would find it too difficult. It forces the hunter to get closer physically and mentally to the animal than a rifle or a compound bow would.
Joe chose this way of hunting much in part due to his dad and his ancestors, long time trappers and hunters. All the credit for his steady hand and sharp eye for the target go to them who never let him walk alone when it came to learning the old ways. Joe Woods is one of a seemingly dying breed who holds to the ancient ways and has forged his instinctive shot and skills that propel him forward. Third place at the state level is a remarkable achievement, but Joe will agree that the true win is that while the world seems to have forgotten the ways of the ancestors, there are still some who can hear the trees talk. Joe’s desire to hold true to the past is due to his great respect for those who went before him, from his dad’s teaching to the moral compass of his family. They taught him how to see and to learn and of the medicine of the woods.
The longbow carries his traditions into the modern age and proves that some of the most valuable treasures we own are not purchased but are made by our own hands. Woods didn’t just place 3rd in a state sanctioned shoot; he honored his ancestral linage that refused to let the old ways fade into the shadows. Every shot he makes is a conversation with his past.
