Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Considering trying Traditional

If ya can't shoot targets you can't shoot fur.
The shot is the shot.

Trad is easy to corrupt, and one can do decent with things all mucked up.
But usually the next time out they start where they left off and have to slob through it to get decent again.

Like others have said, good form is key.

IMHO a major killer of that is fatigue.

You have to push some, for strengthening mind and body, but not so much as to get bad habits.

Its so fun it's too easy to just go til ya damn near pass out. Don't do that LOL

I have a problem with hand/eye coordination. I can throw balls at a basket all day long and never hit it. My hand doesn't go where my eye is looking. That carries over to shooting. I've tried to shoot traditional a number of times over the years and failed miserably because I could never aim where I was looking. If I was an Indian, I would have been a vegetarian.

Buy a cheap recurve on E Bay. They a have Bear Wolverine package deal for about $170.00. Basically looks like a Samick bow which are also on E Bay for at around $110.00. You should go with a lighter bow probably around 40 to 45#. You can buy heaver limbs later or go to a full custom. I shoot Wes Wallace and Palmer bows, but all customs are pricey. Martin Hunters, which are a semi custom run around $800.00 now, but are great bows. If you don't like Trad you're not out that much and if you love it you can used it for bow fishing. These budget bows really shoot pretty well, I own one I bought after shoulder surgery to get back in the game, and bought a set of heavier limbs as strength came back. Don't get too heavy a pull weight. Back in the day we all thought we were tough and shot 65 to 75# bows, hence bad shoulders, Hard to sell a heavy bow now. Must of my friends and I shoot in the 50 to 55# range and that is plenty for deer and elk.Have fun!

Are you cross dominant?
2 of my kids are (all right handed but 2 of the 3 left eye dominant).
The offset is huge shooting that way.

Yet some folks do OK with it.

Lots of people don't know which eye of theirs is dominant.

No, not x-dominant. My arm just can't coordinate with my eye. I can't explain why but I've always been that way.

There is a huge athletic ability component with shooting instinctive.

Learn the proper form, have tuned equipment, quality practice, and learn your effective range. If it is 35 yards, great. If it is 10 yards, hunt harder.

Not everyone has the ability to be a scratch golfer, top pistol competitor, sporting clays shooter, or elite athlete.

You can learn a ton watching youtube videos on traditional archery these days. The Clay Hayes videos are excellent but there are others. Buy a good low-poundage recurve (40 to 45#) and get started. I consider a bow like the Bear Grizzly or Browning Nomad to be good starter bows and can be bought fairly cheap. Attend a trad shooting event when you can and shoot a lot of different bows. You will learn what you like.

The Black Hunter seems like a great starter bow, and one that you will never really outgrow. I might pick one up eventually.

I would probably start off with 30 or 35 pound limbs.


I had a rough start with a Bear Montana that failed, and ended up with a 40# Toelke Whip as my first bow. Not exactly a 'starter' bow, but really an amazing bow if you want to spend some loot.

In the last 18 months I've accumulated four bows in the following sequence,

1 - Toelke Whip, 40#. I started at 10 yards, 20 arrows a day. In about a month I was up to about 100 arrows per day, 15-20 yards

2 - Bodnik Slick Stick 35#. Wanted something lighter draw for more arrows, better form work. Very lightweight bow, about 16 ounces. Maybe too light to be considered a great starter bow. It's is not 'forgiving'.

3 - Bodnik Slick Stick 50#. Liked the 35# so much I 'needed' one with real killing power, and also a heavier weight 'workout' bow to build my strength.

4 - Samick Discovery 45#. After gaining some basic skill, I just had an itch to try a recurve, and an ILF, so that happened. Later I added a second set of limbs at 30#, for a great lightweight indoor garage bow for the winter, where my range is limited to 14 yards.

I've kind of settled down on the buying lately. I shoot mostly with the 35# Slick Stick, and the Samick Discovery with the 30# limbs. The lighter draw weight is just a lot more fun for me, especially for shooting a good number of arrows.

With the lighter bows, I'll shoot 100+ in a session. With the 45/50# bows I'll usually call it good at 50 or 60 or so, and then maybe pick up a light bow and shoot some more.

Plan to shoot A LOT!

Excellent advice. +1 on getting the "Shooting the Stick bow" book, and starting with light limbs (VERY important for learning proper technique)

Consider the Southwest Archery Spider XL 3-piece takedown recurve bow, with 30# limbs to start. Learn to shoot with it. Lower draw weight will permit more shots for learning, reinforcing, experimenting, and yes, strength development. New limbs are $75-80 if you want to increase draw weight. The Spyder XL is a 64" ( amo) how,came very smooth shouting out to 31+" draw lengths. About $150-160.
https://www.southwestarcheryusa.com...urve-bow-parent-1?variant=29613097517116

Arrows: Easton xx75 aluminum alloy arrow shafts ( about $3/each). Add nock, insert, point (either 125-150-175 grain), feather fetching ( not plastic), get TBE simplest fetching jig you can buy - to make your arrows. 3-under finger tab by Bateman. Consider Lancaster Archery as a source for equipment
https://www.lancasterarchery.com/shooting-gear/quivers-accessories/target-3d-quivers.html

Read trad websites (stickbow leatherwall, trashing, others). Watch YouTube vids by the likes of: Jimmy Blackmon, vabowdog, Arne Moe, "The Wedge" series, "The Push" series, many others.

Get "Shooting the Stickbow". It is the best $20 you will ever spend. Let Santa know. Maybe he will come through for you.

Im no all star, never been, but have always had decent skills at other sports.
But my vision was VERY good and I think "aim smal, miss small" to be a component of shooting bows well.
Visual acuity, meant for me, mental acuity as well.

I can't see as good, or think as good, 35 yrs later.
Still shoot well, but not good enough to compete.
Kinda sucks.

Still nice to just have a target in back and blast a few now and then. Actually gonna do that in a few, it's nice out.

My 54# Blackwidow is now enough to need more practice/work.
Might get a new one at 48# this summer.

Mine is older, and they don't make limbs for that model (I knew that, but really like that old metal riser model- 3rd one actually).
Should fab a hotbox and try to make some limbs for it.

Shoot a higher FOC arrow. The added weight will shrink the gap.
You might end up being able to use the arrow tip as a sight.
The higher the anchor, the less gap.


Middle finger corner of mouth seems doable, split or 3 under.

I prefer to shoot without conscious gap aiming. But that takes a lot of repetition to burn in the sight pictures.

Got hurt one year and went 3 under, higher anchor and was able to use tip as sight. It was stupid easy.
Drilled my deer at 25 yards, perfect.

It is however, stilted...........not fluid.

"look and shoot" and a medium high anchor just feels better to me overall.
And I had 5 deer in a row using that method.

But I also had a range in my yard that went to 40 yards.
You can be sloppy and do well, 20 and in.

40 yards shows your problems. Slop doesn't work there LOL
Creep or pluck and she's way out.

LOL, coyote spooked a deer I crawled up to intercept ( was feeding to the blowdown I snuck into).
Spent 45 mins after the spot to get in there.

Blowing? heard her run off. Stood and here came a coyote.
Drilled him.
42 yards.

Like shooting my target in the back yard at 40 LOL
Nonconscious gap shooting, but at that D it was "set it on my hand" kinda sight picture.

Lots of great advice here. If you get the traditional bug you should subscribe to the Traditional Bowhunter magazine.

All good advice. I second getting on ebay or even a pawn shop find of an old bear, shakespeare, pearson, or similar. The vintage bows shoot with the modern ones and have a vintage cool factor along with them plus being a bargain. 20 years ago I got started on stickbow leatherwall. Definitely check out the youtube videos mentioned and you could also check out the the push podcast and facebook pages. I started with a slightly heavier bow than many suggest just over 50#s. I joined an indoor 3d archery winter league. Was a lot of fun and got good practice in. There is a video series called masters of the bearbow that is good. If you get real serious about being a better shooter the push guys have signed up with Rod Jenkins, Tom Clum and Joel Turner along with others for shooting seminars. They are well reviewed. https://thepusharchery.teachable.com/.

This is the dark secret of most people who fall hard for Trad. We almost all go through it looking for the perfect bow, myself included. The good news is you will eventually find what works for you and settle into a bow/style of shooting that fits you if you give it a real chance.

When it all comes together and you take your first animal ala trad you'll understand why so many of us are hooked for life.

My best advice is "don't get in the weeds". We've been doing it for 40,000 years.

Other than the fact that an arrow is ultimately launched, compounds and traditional bows don't have that much in common, or at least, shouldn't have. It's much like shooting a shotgun vs. shooting a rifle...one is a science and one is an art. Or even turning on the radio vs. playing guitar.

I like my Mathews compound and my Robertson longbow. I like my radio and I like my guitar. I like my rifles and I like my shotguns.

If I want to shoot a long way, I shoot my rifle. If I want to shoot fast moving targets, I use my shotgun. If I want to make music, I play my guitar. If I want to hear GOOD music, I turn on the radio. If I want to kill something, I use my compound. If I want to HUNT something, I use my longbow.

Now that I think about it...guitars, shotguns and traditional bows, while maybe not as effective, are just more fun.

Yes, but remember, shooting traditional stuff doesn't have to be as much of a "production" as shooting a compound. I've got targets to 60 yards for my compound. The far target is pretty big, because I don't want to lose a $10 arrow or skip one off into the distance.

I haven't shot a traditional arrow at a dedicated target in 30 years. I practice with good blunt points that will not bury, shooting leaves, pine cones, stumps, trash...whatever. I shoot one arrow, retrieve it and shoot something else.

Ive had about 3 dozen recurves over the years, and as many compounds.

Am down to one. Might sell it if I order a new one.

Have arrived so to speak. Know what I like
Looked at a nee compound last weekend.

Could end up w 2 bows. But those proly be the last bows i ever buy.

Blackwidow psa 2 and a Hoyt torrex. Used to shoot top end compounds but think the cheaper Torrex will be an OK hunter. Havent competed in yrs so dont need the latest n greatest.

Only reason for a new Widow is to drop #. Current one is a model no longer made.

Roll the sight out of the way on the wheelie bow and let 'er rip! Take video. I like seeing someone else's arrow glance off a tree never to be seen again. Used to shoot 3D with a fella who did that. Misses were spectacular.

The big difference when you don't have wheels is you need to be much closer and you're not driving down through one from 20' up. Think 10' and 15 yards. I hunt off the ground. It's a hoot!

Shooting trad is like shooting a shotgun. If you have your form down, you just look at the thing, shoot and follow through. You see where you want the arrow and put it there. When it's right it's like you are physically attached and making it happen all the way into the target.