If you've been flirting with traditional archery but haven't taken the plunge, give the Fleetwood Spartan recurve a hard looking over.

The sport of archery has seen an impressive surge in popularity over the past decade or so. As equipment becomes more and more accurate, powerful, affordable, and easy to learn, more and more people have jumped on board. For the most part, new archery addicts shoot modern compound bows or crossbows. With these superb tools a person with little to no hunting experience can pick up the skills necessary to shoot short distances with enough accuracy to go hunting. One aspect of archery that hasn't seen quite the same explosion, but rather sits like a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered, is traditional archery. Traditional archery means different things to different people. To me, traditional archery is any bow that doesn't use the cams to assist the shooter. Longbows, recurves, self-bows, and backed bows all fit the bill for traditional archery in my book. These bows all have a few things in common that many traditional archery shooters will love. They are fun to shoot, comparatively cheaper than modern bows, and a constant challenge. You can also get to the point of making your own gear if that is path you wish to walk. If you have ever thought about dabbling in traditional archery you might want to take a look at the Fleetwood Spartan recurve. As a guy who cut his teeth on a recurve bow, I can tell you it will be money well spent. [caption id="attachment_6394" align="alignright" width="169"] Fleetwood Spartan Recurve[/caption] There are a number of reasons the Fleetwood Spartan would be a good first traditional bow. First off the bow comes in a variety of different weights, many of which aren't easy to come by. If you order the Spartan there are five different weight options, most of which would be heavy enough to hunt with. Personally, I've never been overly interested in the weight of a bow. Most bows, when paired with a good arrow, will provide enough penetration to take down commonly hunted species in North America. Archery really is a game a accuracy, and sometimes lighter bows can help you be more accurate. If you can get accurate with the Spartan, it can definitely be a capable hunting tool. Just one man's opinion. Secondly the Fleetwood Spartan has a well designed grip that will ensure repeatable hand placement before each shot. Traditional archery is more difficult than modern archery because the shooter is responsible for mechanically reproducing the exact same movement for an accurate shot. Modern bows and releases do this for you. If you are new to traditional archery, the grip on the Spartan will almost force you to take the same grip each time, which is an advantage. The final major advantage of the Fleetwood Spartan for a newbie into trad archery is the price tag. Ringing in at $139.99 the Spartan is well worth the cost. For lots of us, forking up hard earned cash for a non-essential item like a bow is a tough thing to do. On the other hand a traditional bow like the Spartan requires a relatively small financial cost to gain all that a traditional bow has to offer and the doors it will open. I still have the first traditional bow I purchased and still shoot it. It has taken me on some great adventures, and helped to release pent up stress at the end of a long day. Looking back, I'm very happy I rounded up the cash for my first recurve and would do it again in a heartbeat. The Fleetwood Spartan recurve is an absolutely great first time traditional bow. It can be purchased at a variety of different weights to accommodate your size and strength, is designed to help a beginner succeed, and you won't find a brand new bow much cheaper than this. If you decide to purchase one, good luck as you begin down the trad archery road. It is a fun-filled, frustrating, and rewarding experience.

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