Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting No more romance with the compound bow

Although we have some Bodock around my area I have always like Hickory as i could find straight trees and Hickory is tough as nails. Makes for a HEAVY arrow as well. The Heavier the arrow the more energy it takes from the string Making it Very quit.
A person cant really launch an arrow fast enough to keep a deer from Jumping the string (it would have to be faster than the speed of sound)BUT if he dont hear it He wont Jump it.

I always Liked Making either an Indian Flat bow or a European type of bow .
The books go into great detail(the Bowyers Bibles)String Making ,Quivers,anything you vcan think of . Even Asian composites.
If you have any interest in building bows get all the Bibles.
You will definetly feel like you spent your money well.

Oh I think if I live to retirement and get some years otu of it, it will sure be fun.

What I've been noticing alot here lately in N.Dakota is pheasant. You could really sharpen up your instinctive skills on flushing them up in the air. I think that would be a blast. I'm almost thinking a longbow would be quicker with a snap-shot. But will definitely give it a try with my recurve.

I choose not to take the path of least resistance. I embrace challenges. Being a traditional bow hunter means you have to become a better hunter. Instead of taking 50 yard shots with a compound, you take 15 yard shots or closer.

I wouldn't take anything but a 15 yarder or less with a compound or my crossbow for that matter... all in personal preference.

But then you read of the compound guys that take 50 yard shots but they snub the recurves.... too much infighting.

Good for you. I had the same experience about twenty years ago. I'm almost hanging up the guns entirely and just shooting my recurve. Oddly enough I haven't bought me a long bow yet. Don't think you are limited with trad equipment. Get yourself some good solid FOC arrows with a nice sharp and heavy broad head and it will penetrate any critter on earth. As stated, heavy arrows suck up sound and seem to run better out of trad equipment. I shoot both wood and carbon out of mine. Some will shutter at shooting carbon from a trad bow but let's face it, they just hold up better for the amount of shooting I like to do. You will find out it is more fun to shoot a trad bow as well and I usually shoot mine until my arm is ready to fall off. That's where shooting carbon or aluminum will make sense. Wood will eventually break and carbon or aluminum will shine in life span in comparison. I've shot everything from squirrels to bear with mine and have yet to feel handicapped. And like others have mentioned, don't over bow yourself. A #45 recurve will kill a lot of game with good arrows and shot placement.

You just wuznt close enough.

The crossbow is interesting to me and looks cool.

Ct made them legal for deer so I got one and its easy to shoot and even practice with in the basement. It's quiet.

The kit was only $200.

I like it all. I'm not above shooting them in the eye with a 22-250 either. I'd catch 'em in snares if it was legal. It just depends how much "sport" I want to have...and how hungry I am.

I like my Longbow if for no other reason it is like carrying a feather in the woods compared to my Compounds

If the compound no longer holds any romance for the OP I highly doubt a crossbow would. lol. I find the crossbow an interesting weapon. I don't think they belong in archery only seasons because the drawing and holding of the string on a conventional bow involves so much movement and archer input that they are totally different to me. But they shoot arrows, and are short range weapons - so, humm. Where do they belong?

In firearms season...or maybe muzzleloader. It's too late now though, their lobby is way too strong to ever give up ground.

I used to really care about things like that, but the older I get the less energy I have to get very worked up about it.

For me shooting the recurve and longbow is more about satisfaction than romance. I know the level of dedication it takes to attain accuracy with the recurve or longbow. For me that makes a great shot with a trad bow a lot more satisfying than a great shot with a compound which didn't require the same level of dedication.

I'm almost totally alone... in the fact that I use a crossbow just like any other. I"m not shooting distnace... nothing past 15 ish yards.

Too much noise and still the chance to dodge the arrow or make a bad hit. Something about 15 yards and in I've yet to have an issue, past that, there have been movement issues that don't please me while any arrow is in flight.

As to where it belongs, per the moving and drawing... hunting in a tripod/tree stand, or popup or like stand, you don't have much to worry about moving or not.

I've had deer very close to our pop up that did see movement trying to raise the crossbow... I would have had same issue with any other bow, though IMHO if I had my compound or recurve standing upright at that time, I could have drawn and shot with less chance of anythhing seeing it, but lifting the complete crossbow off my lap was another issue.

Wife was sitting with me. Of course part of the issue is the deer 3 or 4 steps away all over the place.... and they'll see about anything when you are ground level with em, even with a small shooting window...

All I can say in the end, when tuned up with a recurve, there is a lot less to go wrong with a shot than a compound IMHO. THe bow shoots itself. You don't have to think about so many other things as with a compound.

Just my take on it.

I started out with recurves in the 50's (shot Field Rounds in several states for quite a few yrs...Hunter Class) and finally went to compounds on in late 70's or early 80's. Hunted with them for many yrs with fingers and no sights.

But, the compounds kept getting shorter and shorter so went to a release and one pin with no peep site. I never liked the release..just don't like using the muscles needed to draw with one...but really hated the peep site when I finally put one on the string.

All that led to no enjoyment in shooting. So I decided to go back to recurves. Best move I've made and really enjoy shooting again. Didn't really change much for hunting..I hunt same way with recurves as I did with compounds and shoot them about the same. I do really like carrying the much lighter weigh recurve through the woods.

Got a new Covert Hunter being built now that should be ready first part of next month.

I still got my compounds but haven't pulled one back since going back to recurves. I do all my hunting with flintlocks I build (.58cal rifle for deer, hog and elk and .20ga. for spring gobblers and squirrel..only two flintlocks I got left) and a rim-fire .22 for serious squirrel hunting..or one of my .22cal Weihrauch pellet rifles.

I guess I like hunting with these bows and guns because where I hunt on public land I don't get many opportunities to kill deer or turkeys and when I do I want it to mean as much as possible for me. I also enjoy hunting with the same guns as the old long hunters did, just to know what it was like to be a turkey or deer hunter back in those days.

Most who try the longbow will never go back to the recurve

Agreed. Started off our indoor leagues this year with a compound - shot a 300 50X first time I scored a NFAA 300 round in 3 years. Sold that bow.....Went to a local indoor 300 shoot the next weekend, shot a 272 16X with my trad legal recurve. There is no comparison to the satisfaction I felt shooting the score that was nearly 1/2 point less per arrow. I don't really understand it myself, but a well executed shot from a simple stick and string is intoxicating.

Because of this thread and Lt Pat I shot my longbow about 45 times yesterday, still suck at it and my wrist got the chit string slapped out of it.

I did the same with my recurve minus the string slap injury.... I shot it to the point of failure and the trip to the chiropractor prompted the question as to why my left arm/shoulder was so tight. One mention and he responded "I need to get my azz outside and do the same." I love the fact that it feels like it weighs 1/4 of any compound. I have yet to seriously shoot a long bow for fear of losing the love for my recurve and I'd hate to do that.

Hold that bow like you're shaking hands, not like your doing a push-up.