Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Lost in a bow wilderness

Hello all,
So I'm thinkin 'bout gettin a bow... a recurve...I'm thinking I should start simple. I've never owned or shot a bow since I was 12ys old. (a fine rig made from an apple stick and kite string.)
To look on-line or through magazines, there seems to be 100s upon 100s of options, not to mention makers. Where the hell does one begin? Cabelas, the Big guys ie Hoyt, or the the small craftsman's shops?
I'm only 5 5" and none too big in frame so I would not need a monster bow. I think.
But really .... they all look amazing and beautiful. Are most made from tropical woods?
I like nice rifles and doubles, If possible, so too w/ a bow. Old school. (nothin' against those hot rod compounds, they just look complicated!)
Would love to hunt deer,turkey, hogs,(one day) and bails of hay.
Lots of questions, thanks for any advice.
HC
PS. How hard is it to pull a recurve? I'm getting a bit of arthritis. Will that be a hindrance?

Look at Black Widow's website. They are expensive but worth every nickel!! John

There are plenty of good used recurves for sale. Personally I would avoid ebay since you aren't really sure what you are looking for and the possibility of twisted or delaminated limbs.

Here are some good classified sites:
http://tradgang.com//noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum&f=5&submit=Go
http://65-242-99-131.hagenhosting.com/cgi-bin/classifieds.cgi

BW's are nice but pricey for a first bow with an arthritic shoulder. Martin or Chek Mate recurves can be found used frequently at a reasonable price.

Don't get a heavy draw weight bow. 40-45# would be plenty to see if your arthritis will handle it plus that wt can still hunt.

Just my 2 cents.

hardcut,
First things first.You should go to an archery shop in Maryland and determine your draw length and get an idea of what draw weight( at your draw length) suits you.Shoot the bows if you can.

Nothing wrong with a recurve or stickbow.Good arrows are equally important.Some instruction or getting together with other traditional archer-hunters will be a great help.
Reading between the lines I'd estimate your age as lat 40's and from your stature, I'd bet that a 26-27" draw would be about right.
For shorter draw lengths, a shorter hunting bow works well.
Here's one made by Martin that's about as good as you'll need for whitetail, small game, varmints, bear or hogs.
45-55#s at your draw weight should be fine.Jim

http://www.martinarchery.com/traditional.php?bow=mamba

Don't rule out compounds....yet. They have merit. Chances are you would be able to shoot better sooner with a compound and release. If you don't get to carried away with a name "Mathews, Hoyt" etc. you can get a reasonable setup for $400-500. I'd recommend going to a local shop and shooting a few of each, then decide. Or get both!

Check out Rivers Edge Recurves. Great prices, great bows.

If they are still a bit much on the wallet, take a look at Checkmate bows...I've not shot one, but have heard lot's of good things about them.

I think you DO need a Monster Bow - check it out:
www.monsterbows.com