Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Hooked big time on Trad

With the help of Centershot I've gotten into recurve bows. The ILF I purchased from him encouraged me to shop for additional bows since I knew I was giving the ILF to my son and grandsons, they love it. Three sets of limbs with the heaviest being 34#, perfect to learn on after compound bows. So, I needed something to practice with and also to hunt whitetail/pigs. Being new to this I picked up a Ben Pearson Colt (1966) that draws 35#. Love it. Then found a Darton Ranger 41#, fantastic (1974). Kept looking, picked up a Wing Gull from 1967 45# and this will be my go to hunting bow. All that to get to this, don't be afraid of those traditional bows, not much to tuning them either. And they're gorgeous!

Yep-like an old wood canvas Old Town canoe...art form!

Yep

I'm creeping back into trad. Hunted with a recurve for a decade or so and enjoyed every minute of it. Got too busy for awhile and had to use compound for this last decade.

I've shot recurves and longbows since I was a kid and long before someone decided archery needed to be defined as 'traditional'. I do dabble with compounds/sights/releases and but they don't do anything for me. I started making all my own equipment 35 years ago and that is where I get the most satisfaction from archery. I shoot recurves better than longbows but have more fun with longbows. I've been building what's referred to as a 'hybrid' that is quieter than a recurve and performs as well or better. The more recurve style grip enables me to shoot more consistently, similar to how I shoot a recurve:

The style of bow I've made and shot for the past 10+ years:




Wood arrow shafts hand planed from boards:



Grandsons get into it as well - vintage Howatt Hunter (I can't convince him it's a little big for him yet :

Tried traditional years ago. Made the mistake of getting to much draw weight.
Glad you and grandson like it. I’ll stay with my wheel bow.

I got tired of archery early in HS. Mostly due to the bows of the day being big heavy magnesium and fiberglass beasts that were expensive and weighed a ton. I didn’t have the money to upgrade when I’d outgrown my bow since I’d have been looking at not only a bow but sights, rest, release and all that other stuff.

My best friend came to show me his new bow and said that I should give it a try. He’d been hanging around with some guys who attended the Macalister rendezvous every year and had picked up a recurve. I shot it a little and kinda liked it so had my dad take me to the city so I could spend some plowing money on a new Martin recurve.

I immediately loved the simplicity. Ended up even deciding I liked the extra challenge of hunting off the ground. It all seems so much more raw and real to me. I’ve still not shot a deer with any other type of archery tackle, nor from a stand though I do have one I hunted out of last winter. I don’t see myself ever going to modern archery, just isn’t something that interests me.

Nothing wrong with that! I also went down the path of trying to shoot heavier draw weights and developed shoulder issues and bad shooting habits. Fortunately, I was able to work through it. Anymore, for me it's all about fun and making my own gear is what I'm passionate about. If my main priority was filling tags, I'd be hunting with my compound.

Beautiful work JGray!!

As to draw weight, I'm using a 45# for hunting and I'm easing into that.

JGray that is a nice design and bow looks really good. I have been looking at some of the "hybrids" lately.

Stan V, you've got it bad. lol. A great addiction to have. Glad you are enjoying it.

Yea, and I'm spreading it around.

I started with recurve, went to compound, now backed up to primitive long bow. Nothing plastic, linen Flemish twist string, cedar shaft arrows with cut nocks. The only "modern" things are field points or Zwickey No Mercy broad heads. Range is more limited but it's a lot of fun.

Our bow season is through the month of October and I'm looking forward to the season. Of course, we can hog hunt year round but not many do that in our heat.

Come on cooler weather and October.

45 lbs is plenty and arrow weight is more important for penetration than speed. I used to think I needed to shoot 60-65 lbs but have learned my lesson. The above bow came in heavier than I wanted (5728) so I've since sanded the limbs a bit and it's around 55 lbs now. It needs to be refinished and I'll sand another couple lbs out of it then. If I haven't shot for a while, I start around 50 lbs and 52-53 lbs is a sweet spot for me when I'm shooting regularly.

Tell me more about your primitive longbow - any pics?. The first bows I made were selfbows carved out of Yew and Osage. I still have a Yew bow from 30-35 years ago that I need to rework, and I have pair of Yew billets that I'll make an English style longbow with horn nocks one of these days.

I like that , a simple solution. It is artwork and has been for centuries.

My bow is 78 inches long, draws 60 lbs at 30 inches, Osage-Orange with a bamboo back. Nocks are reinforced with antelope bone. It is a self bow. String is linen Flemish twist. Silencers are beaver fur. Of course there are no sight devices, strictly instinctive shooting.

A friend built the bow, I make my arrows. Those are 32 inch long Port Orford cedar 11/32 shafts. I prefer a 32 inch arrow, I do not want a sharp broadhead any closer to my hand.

Towards the end of this video (around 4:25) I am shooting it.

Prairie Dog Shooter, nice!! I'm not ready for 60#'s