T.J. Conrads—President
Welcome to the new web site for the Traditional Bowhunters Hall of Fame, Inc. (TBHOF). I am glad you have taken the time to come see what this new and exciting organization is all about!
My archery days date back to the early 1960s while living in the Philippines. Ernie, our gardener, fashioned my first bow from bamboo he cut on the hillside behind our house up in East Kalayaan on Subic Bay Naval Air Station (now Subic Bay Freeport). That bow never left my side, until one fateful day when my mother’s prize Bantam rooster, José, threatened me for the last time. With the quick demise of José, I was not allowed another bow until we moved back stateside.
For several years I shot a lemonwood longbow my father picked up and succeeded in shooting a few rabbits, birds, and a few other critters, but it wasn’t until around 1981 that the bowhunting bug for big game really hit me. I picked up a Bear Kodiak recurve and succeeded in taking a bear and deer that first season, then quickly had Fred Asbell of Bighorn Bowhunting build me my first custom recurve. I hunted with that Bighorn bow for years taking caribou, mule and whitetail deer, elk, bear, and myriad small game, grouse, and a few turkeys before I moved to longbows. I have never looked back, and still shoot a longbow to this day.
After many years of hunting and trying to find out more information on traditional archery (compounds had taken center stage by the 1980s, but I was interested in the classic archery skills and hunting), I decided to start a new publication that was geared toward those individuals who shot recurves, longbows, and selfbows. Hence, Traditional Bowhunter® Magazine was born in 1989, and is still going strong today.
For the last 43+ years I have immersed myself in traditional archery and bowhunting, having penned numerous articles and two books on traditional bowhunting. I have served on myriad Boards as vice president, board member, trustee, and am a Life Member of the Professional Bowhunters Society (PBS), Compton Traditional Bowhunters, Idaho State Bowhunters, Idaho Traditional Bowhunters, Washington State Bowhunters, past National Bowhunters Education Foundation instructor, long time Senior Member of the Pope and Young Club, current trustee for the Glenn and Margaret St. Charles Trust Fund (for the purpose of promoting the use of traditional bowhunting with youth and women), and an honorary Life Member of both the French Federation of Bowhunters and the European Association of Sporting Bowhunters (Association Sportive Des Chasseurs a’ Larc). I also developed a synopsis for teaching archery to physical education majors in the Kinesiology Department for ten years at Boise State University. In 2018, I was also awarded the Historical Achievement Award by the Australian Archery Museum for my, and Traditional Bowhunter® Magazine’s influence on bowhunting in Australia, one of only three non-Australians to be given such an honor.
I am excited and quite humbled to have such long-time, well-established leaders on our Board who bring many, many decades of knowledge, experience, and professionalism to the TBHOF, an organization that is long overdue to promote, recognize, and preserve our rich heritage of those individuals who have weathered the test of time promoting traditional bowhunting. Our future looks very bright!
Jim Akenson—Vice President
I started bowhunting in 1969 at age 12 in the Coast and Cascades Ranges of Oregon in pursuit of blacktail deer and Roosevelt elk, and along the sloughs and shores of the Columbia River for carp and cottontail rabbits. My first bow was a Herter’s recurve. I used a recurve until compounds were deemed reliable and affordable and used those for a decade or so. I simply missed the romance of using a traditional bow, and in 1984 I permanently switched back to the stick & string – mostly recurves.
My four decades of traditional archery has been a roller coaster of successes and “almosts.” Probably my greatest hunting accomplishments occurred on mule deer while living and working in the central Idaho wilderness for 21 years. I have hunted in remote wildernesses for various species from New Zealand to Alaska. Although, frankly, my favorite big game to hunt are elk, in remote backcountry, with a string of mules for logistical support.
I have served in national and state organizations as both a volunteer and a paid professional. This includes being a past president of the Professional Bowhunters Society, Conservation Director for the Oregon Hunters Association, past Executive Director of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and a current Board and Life Member of Traditional Archers of Oregon. I love history and especially archery history. I am very enthused about the legacy opportunities presented through the Traditional Bowhunters Hall of Fame, and I’m proud to help-out on this journey to give credit to those individuals who have paved the way for our great sport and lifestyle!
Kevin Bahr—Director
I am Kevin Bahr, residing in central Illinois. I’ve been bowhunting for 35 years or so, strictly traditional for all but the first couple of learning years.
I have been a member of the Central Illinois Bowhunters for over 30 years, serving as a director multiple times; founding Board of Directors member of the United Bowhunters of Illinois, serving as newsletter editor and board member; served on the board of directors of ATHA; served on the Professional Bowhunters Society Council as Councilman, Vice President and President and currently a Life Member.
I’m also a member of Compton Traditional Bowhunters as well as a few state traditional bowhunting organizations.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have bowhunted in several of our United States, Canadian provinces and Italy, and I have had my fair share of success. While taking game is the ultimate goal of bowhunting, it isn’t the defining qualification of a successful hunt.
I truly believe in “giving back” and I am honored to serve on the founding Traditional Bowhunters Hall of Fame Board of Directors.
Jim Eeckhout—Director
Hello, I’m Jim Eeckhout and I live in the “Thumb” area of Michigan in a log home I built as a young man. I have been shooting a traditional bow since the age of five and bowhunting with one since 1975. You could say it’s a lifestyle for me. Shooting and hunting with a traditional bow has given me the opportunity to travel throughout North America meeting many great people and experiencing various cultures in my pursuit of various big game animals.
I am the past President of Michigan Traditional Bowhunters and I am a member of PBS, Compton Traditional Bowhunters as well as various state archery organizations.
It is with great pleasure that I am serving as a director in TBHOF to help recognize traditional bowhunters who have made an impact in archery community and to give them the recognition they deserve for their accomplishments.
Russell Lantier—Director
It’s an honor to have the chance to serve on the Board of this newly established organization. It was created to recognize and pay tribute to past and current members of our traditional bowhunting community. Its time has come.
During the late 1950s, I was but a young lad of somewhere between 12 and 14 years old, when on one lazy Saturday afternoon, I was watching the old American Sportsman series on TV. That day, I saw an episode featuring ‘Papa’ Fred Bear, in the wilds of Canada, hunting grizzly bear over a yearling moose carcass. The spell was cast! That episode literally changed my life.
After a stint in the Army and a tour in Vietnam, I had the opportunity to begin the fulfillment of the dream that had been planted almost two decades earlier; my first bow. The first adult bow I had was an AMF Wing recurve from around 1972. The passion for the challenge of hunting with this simple tackle blossomed from there.
Since that fateful Saturday afternoon, I’ve been blessed to hunt with the longbow in different countries around the globe. I’ve also had the opportunity to hunt in numerous different states, here in the U.S.
It wasn’t until the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, that I happened to meet the right groups of people, and was in the right place and time in my life that I was able to help establish and serve as president, secretary, and treasurer of the Louisiana Traditional Bowhunters during its first and formative years. Subsequent to that, I held the offices of area advisor, vice-president and president of our state’s bowhunter association for quite some time. Through much legislative effort, and in concert with our wildlife agency, we were instrumental in getting our bowhunting season extended, and we were able to defeat pending crossbow legislation.
During the mid ‘90s, I also had the privilege as serving as an NBEF instructor for a few years and then as a Master NBEF instructor for a short while. I have been a member of the Professional Bowhunters Association since around 1995 and am a charter member of the Compton Traditional Bowhunters.
Serving on this Board, represents a new challenge for me. It is a privilege to work alongside this very talented cadre of traditional bowhunters, as we move forward getting this organization up and running. It will be a joy watching it grow.
Matt Schuster—Director
I was born and raised outside Atlanta, GA, and bought my first recurve at age 16 with no idea how to shoot or hunt with it. I have been carrying a traditional bow for over 40 years now and am still learning.
Over the years, I have been fortunate enough to hunt in six countries and well over 20 states, and have shared campfires with some of the most passionate, dedicated bowhunters on earth. I am a Charter Life Member of the Traditional Bowhunters of Georgia and have served T.B.G. as editor, Vice-President, and President. I am also a Life Member of Compton Traditional Bowhunters and The Professional Bowhunter Society. Serving the P.B.S. as a Councilman, Vice-President, and President has been one of the great privileges of my life.
Chasing critters with a stick and string still stirs my heart, and I doubt that will ever change. I am honored to serve on the founding board of the Traditional Bowhunters Hall of Fame and look forward to bringing honor to those who have given so much to our lifestyle.
Tom Weaver—Director
I’m Tom Weaver and I live in Central New York. I have been bowhunting 40 plus years, using recurves and longbows, except for a few years in the early ‘80s. I started shooting a bow in the late ‘60s, and shooting and hunting with a traditional bow truly is a way of life for me.
I’m a founding member of New York Bowhunters, serving as President, Vice President, and multiple terms as a Board of Director. I’m a long-term member of the Professional Bowhunters Society, as well as Compton Traditional Bowhunters. My involvement with these organizations has allowed me to bowhunt in numerous states and provinces for various big game animals.
Our New York Bowhunter moto is: “Preserving the Past, Protecting the Future”. I believe we need to know our bowhunting history to be able to protect our future. I am honored to serve as a Director in Traditional Bowhunters Hall of Fame to preserve and recognize the accomplishments of traditional bowhunters who have given so much to our chosen lifestyle.
Robin Conrads—Secretary/Treasurer
I have been the “Webmother” for Traditional Bowhunter Magazine for over 25 years. I have been married to T.J. for 44 years, and we have two adult children, two bonus children (spouses), and three grandchildren. We live in the high desert of southwest Idaho, and my hobbies are beekeeping and weaving.
I was honored to be asked to be part of the Traditional Bowhunters Hall of Fame. It’s a project that has been tossed around for many years, but it’s finally happening. My role will be to support the amazing board members who have volunteered their time to get this going. So, I’ll be working on the website, helping donors, keeping track of how donations are used, and whatever else needs to be done.