Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Wanting to try Traditional

My dad got me started in archery in I was 10. We shot league, and I have shot nothing but compound bows since then. That was 30 years ago, and I get deer about every year. I really want to hunt with a recurve now, but I know absolutely zilch about it. I have been gleaning what I can, but it is a different animal than what I am familiar with. I just picked up a bow that I think I will be happy with. It seems to be in great shape for being almost 60 years old. No stress lines, delams or anything that looks off. Looks straight.
1962 Bear Kodiak, 60" 50#


I am trying to put together a shopping list..
I usually shoot a 28.5" draw, 70# compound, but that is with a wrist release. What do I shoot with? Do I need a glove or just fingers? Arrows? I have a wide selection of carbon arrows. Some 500 spine that were for my kids bows. Will those work fine, or are wood arrows better? The string looks new, but I need a stringer? Shooting the Stickbow book?
Any tips to get started?
Thanks

I'll be interested in the replies from those in the know.
I have an old Damon Howatt Hunter recurve I haven't shot for 30+ years and my son was asking about getting it in shooting shape again.
If I recall it was 50# at my draw back then.

Well you might not like what I say but at least it is the truth!

I would find a lighter draw bow. get some arrows made up for it. Then practice practice practice.......... Finger Tab or Glove whatever you like best. Personally I prefer a tab. Books are great but nothing beats practice. There are a bunch of good books out there. Google Fu is free and there is a ton of great info and video's on the web.

Get off of this site and go to Tradang.com or Tradtalk.com
A great reference is Shootingthestickbow.com
Learn to set it up correctly. It will require a Dacron ony string. The string has to be set or the proper brace heigh range. Not just an arrow will work. They need to be matched to the bow and you.
You are likely going to struggle with the 50# Bear. Bad habits develope and stay with too much weight while learning.
Find an archery club near you that has recurve and longbow shooters. They will be your best help.

Two good books are " Shooting the Stickbow" by Anthony Camerotta and "Traditional Bowhunters Bible" by TJ Conrad. I bought a cheap #35 recurve and shot it for awhile. Eventually moved up to #60 which is plenty. Form and consistency. Much more enjoyable than wheels. Dont even own a wheelie anymore

Shooting the Stickbow is a must. The more you shoot your recurve the way you shot your compound the more accurate you will be. That means, draw, anchor, hold, aim and follow through. Very difficult to do with a bow much over 30# (even if you have shot a compound for 20 years). You will also find that it is very fun and being pooped after a handful of shots sucks.

If you are interested in a very nice lightweight setup that I have been considering selling. I have a Samick Discovery riser and lightweight limbs, string, stringer, case, arrows, everything but a tab and target if you are interested PM me.

Instinctive shooting 1and 2by g.fred asbell. Are excellent aids in getting started. I'd be willing to loan them out. Also, as was said. Get a lighter draw to work on your form. I started to heavy and it took its toll in the way of developing bad habits.

That's a nice ILF setup.

I've got the Discovery riser, and limbs in 30# and 45#. The 30# limbs are really nice for working on form, and high volume practice sessions.

Being an ILF riser, it opens the door to a whole world of limb options as you go along.

I started traditional, shot my first bear in 1976 with a homemade ash self bow and homemade arrows, graduated to various recurve and custom takedown recurve, shot a Brackenbury Bubinga TD recurve for many years, dozens of deer, bear and moose taken with that bow. Been shooting compound bows since the late 80's... mostly Hoyt bows over the past quarter century.

-Yes, get a stringer. Watch some videos or have someone show you how to use it properly.
-I would get a different string, flemish twist B50 or B55. The bow "may" hold up to the endless loop you have, but I wouldn't risk it. Rubber whiskers (or fur, I use beaver fur) for sound reduction are necessary.
-500 spine arrows might work for you, might not, going to depend on your draw length and a few other variables. I would be cautious with them as if they're too light (physical weight) you risk blowing up the bow. Bare minimum they should weigh 400 grains, 450 would be safer. Fletched with feathers, not vanes.
-Glove or tab, well, that just comes down to personal preference. I shoot a glove, tabs have always felt odd to me. People that shoot a tab swear by them.
-Get a bow square so you can measure brace height and set the nock point.
-Get some extra nock points and a nock point plier.
-Quiver, back quivers are stupid (IMO), bow quivers throw off the bows balance but add some mass and help reduce noise, hip quivers are good for shooting targets and not much else, side quivers are convenient but something else hanging off your neck. Soooo, you'll just have to try some and figure out what YOU like.

Start shooting at the grand distance of 5 yards, work on form first, accuracy will come with repetition and consistent, good form. If you can get to a shop that knows about trad bows, they can help you with the technical details. As others have stated, 50lbs might be a bit heavy to start, might not. I started at 50lbs and did fine but I was young and quite fit. Lots of online resources out there, utilize them.

I've spent more money here than I care to admit. https://raptorarchery.com/ You can also call the shop for technical help. Good luck and have fun!

Wow. Thank you Ryoushi. I stopped into the local bow shop here and they weren't much help. Their business was 90% crossbow, 10% compound. I found a ready to shoot package locally from someone that had a shoulder injury. A 2019 Bear Montana longbow, black, 40#. Arrows, stringer, glove, tab, etc etc. I have been itching to start shooting, so I picked that up. I flung some arrows today and it is fun, but I am all over the bag, lol. Now that I have a feel for it, I can start reading and practicing. I had to try the 62 Kodiak though, so I strung it up... I shoot it so much better than the Montana. It is crazy. Like night and day. I have a lot of work to do, but it threw 6 arrows into 6 inches at 20 yards. Felt pretty good, and was easy to shoot.

Nice job! Looks like you're well on your way.

If you want to learn instinctive shooting, then for sure get book 1. I found it invaluable when I started to learn instinctive shooting. I found a glove and shooting split finger worked best for me. Three under brought the arrow too close to my eye, such that it was hard not to aim. After shooting for a while, I was questioning whether I was actually shooting instinctive or if I was somewhat aiming. So, I waited until it was good and dark, grabbed a flashlight and placed it right in front of the target (shining on the target) and walked back to somewhere around 20-25 yards and let em fly. I found out I was shooting instinctive as they found their mark.

As mentioned earlier, 40-45# would be better for working on the fundamentals, although I have no idea of your strength. 50# may be fine.

If you have some aluminum 2016's give them a try. I'm guessing you will draw around 27" to the corner of your mouth. Don't overdraw, take your slightly crouched stance and come straight back to the corner of your mouth and then your eye should be right over the arrow. At least that's what works for me.

I will definitely give those a read and I suspect I will be much better off shooting instinctively.
I believe my issues with the Montana yesterday stemmed from trying to aim. I kept trying to use the riser to aim and failed miserably.
I revisited it today and focused on my target, drew back on it and released without trying to use the bow to aim and I did much better.
I find 3 under more comfortable. Split finger feels weird.
I plan on picking up all these books and continue practicing...
I stopped shooting after breaking an arrow. The shaft splintered at the nock so I think it needs to be retired. I would have had 3 in the black.
I am warming up to the longbow now!

This is so cool.

I've recently been shooting my old Hoyt recurves, purchased in the early & mid 1970's more. I have a 34# boy and a 53# bow. I enjoy shooting them very much. Hope you enjoy as well.

Regards, Guy

There is conscious gap aiming and unconscious gap aiming. One the latter is learned it can be reflexive and yes, muscle memory allows for some adaptation.

Veey easy to corrupt ones form and followthrough as the day progresses, and still hit good.

Next day however, starting out fresh body but corrupted sight picture from day before, its pretty horrible.

The smaller the gap from arrow/ bow hand to target the faster and more accurately the brain learns the sight picture.

3 under or if going split, middle finger corner of the mouth helps.

Its fun, even when tired, but thats when you start w the corruption.

Pace yourself and dont overdo it.

Conscious gap shooting can be very accurate.
But it to me is stilted.
I much prefer unconscious gap and that requires a ton more practice.

Also prefer a tab, calfhair, and split finger.

But dang if 3 under and using the arrow as a sight doesnt work great.

I banged up both hands and had to go aiming w the arrow due to limited practice. It worked like a champ.

Still prefer unconscious gap shooting. Just feels better, as i run a lower anchor ( my old anchor for 25 yrs LOL ).

Coming from a compound background where you are used to sights, shooting 3 under and gapping will be much more natural and provide more consistent results. Once you get the concept down it can be very accurate. I would say that the majority of the better shooters at indoor or outdoor/3d shoots are aiming off the arrow in one way or another. Here's an example of what an average Joe can do when shooting with good form and a solid aiming system. That is a 60 round target with "No 3's" shot at 20 yards. I couldn't do it every time but scores in the 270's on the standard NFAA 300 were common. You will hear all kinds of reasons why people don't shoot paper but it really is a great way to track your progress and be able to figure out where your ability level is at. The old NFAA games are a lot of fun with a Trad bow.