I currently own three Bob Lee Recurve bows, a 60" 54# Signature TD, a 62" 43# Hunter TD, and a 54" 45# Hunter Signature 1 piece bow. I usually shoot Gold Tip arrows that are 10+ grains per pound bow weight (ie; 45# bow = 465 grain 33/55 size arrows) for great penetration and Wensel Woodsmen broadheads or Bear Razorheads. Bob Lee makes a fast, sweet shooting bow at a resonable price.
I have a custom built recurve from Northern Mist/Steve Turay in Negaunee MI. I'll try to get some pics as it is unique. I had it made out of birdseye maple with an accent strip of walnut. I find shooting a bow addictive and even more so with a recurve. I will shoot it to muscle failure and then again the next day. Right now I'm shooting cedar arrows with Magnus blades/2 blade.
I started with a Ben Pearson Cougar then used a Bear Kodiak Magnum then tried compounds and crossbows and finally settled on making my own out Long bows and flat bows(Made one recurve) of Hickory and also making my arrows out of the same .Make my own bowstrings(Dacron B-50)fletch my arrows with turkey feathers, cut the nocks with a chainsaw file and use a rasp and a knife to create a taper on the arrows to glue on either Zwickey or a Bear head.Carried my arrows in a cheap leather and plastic quiver to start with, then when I killed a young bobcat(bout 15 pounds)I case skinned it and cleaned all the meat and scrap from it and salted it and then made an indian style quiver out of it to carry my arrows in.I have killed rabbit, squirrel,coon,frogs and snakes with my gear.When you use only hand tools and it takes better part of a day to make a good arrow I promise you you lose one and you will spend a LOT of time looking for it.
Craig
And yes before you ask a friend and I both ate the bobcat and it was absolutely delicious. put it on a smoker for a few hours and then lightly basted with Barbeque sauce and made what we called bobcat burgers !
I shoot two Robertson longbows, identicle except one is a two-piece, 50#, 64". Tapered cedar shafts from Three Rivers that I finish and Stos 2-blade broadheads.
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I've hunted with traditional equipment for the past 25 years. Started with an older Bear Kodiak Hunter, progressed to a Martin Mamba, and have settled on Blacktail Bows made by Norm Johnson out of Reedsport, Oregon; awesome bows. I shoot hand made laminated birch arrows, and am currently using a, what used to be, Wensel Woodsman Broadhead. They're now being offered by Three Rivers Archery as the Woodsman. My Blacktails and some arrows that I've made. Arrow making is an addiction for me; I make them for all my friends.
I was hoping MagMarc would chime in. The dude is GOOD, and has some awesome bows. Twists up a beautiful string, and somewhere there at his place, there's some arrows with my name on them (once we get done moving).
I don't shoot traditional anymore. Quit because it demanded too much time and dedication to become proficient enough to continue to hunt ethically. I probably went from 1987 until 1999 with 95% recurves and 5% longbows.
Hunted with Fred Asbell's Bighorn, Kohanna Kurve and two Great Northern bows, a Super Ghost & a Crtter Gitter. (spell check can't help me here) Could have been a Howard Hill longbow amongst them also?? Foggy..................??
I really enjoyed it but became too busy with other things and went back to the compound.
I'm a part-time trad hunter. I still use the compounds on occasion, but there is nothing like the satisfaction experienced when taking game with a trad bow. It's even better when I use arrows that I make, especially wood arrows. I also like competing in trad competitions. Trad shooters (and competitors) seem to have more fun, and trad archery seems to attract the kind of sportsmen and women with whom I can relate.
I have many trad bows, but my preference is for the laminated longbow. I can shoot them better than any recurve ever tried. They just point better for me. They are also quieter and more forgiving of my mistakes. One of the pioneers of the modern archery movement, Howard Hill, once said of himself that he is not a good enough archer to shoot recurve bows, speaking of their less-forgiving nature and his own limitations. Since Howard Hill's time there have a lot of improvements made to arrows and bows, but I can still relate with his experience.
I had the opportunity to hold and examine the bow that Howard Hill made with his hands and used in the filming of the original Tarzan movie. It is a simple self-bow made of a single, solid piece of wood (osage IIRC). The shop where that bow resided at the time was called Chippewa Archery in Mount Pleasant, MI. The original proprietor, Floyd Eccleston, was a pioneer in the sport of archery and a close friend and business associate of Fred Bear. His shop was a virtual museum of archery containing thousands of bows, arrows, arrowheads, and other priceless artifacts from every famous archer of the 20th century.
But I digress. The bow I grab 75% of the time is a Bear Montana Longbow. With it I have killed many head of game, including my very first trad kill. Shooting it is like meeting with a good old friend. The arrows I usually shoot (when my son isn't shooting them) are 23/64" cedar shafts fletched with feathers from turkeys I have killed. I have used various broadheads but lately have been shooting double-edged Ace heads of 125gr weight. These are very solid and dependable heads, and less costly than some others of the type. I purchased these heads from the owner of the company who graciously attends and sets up a booth at the annual Great Lakes Longbow Invitational, the premier event of the Michigan Longbow Association.
Our God reigns. Harrumph!!! I often use quick reply. My posts are not directed toward any specific person unless I mention them by name.
I shoot traditional exclusively, not for the extra challenge(which it is), or my personal belief that the archery business is totally out of control(which it is), but just because it's a bunch more fun. I've owned Bear, Big Horns, and a bunch of others thru the years, along with a few compounds years back. Right now I'm shooting a Samick Stingray(about the sweetest shooting bow I have owned by the way) and a Stik Bow made by Don Dow in Oregon. Both are between #50 to #53. I shoot both Bear stainless steel 145gr. broadheads and STOS 160gr.
I like vintage Bear bows and have at least one of each model listed in the 1958 catalogs (2 Kodiaks), for broadheads I either use Bear Razorheads or Zwikey Eskimos.
I am contemplating getting into a little traditional archery my self. My main motivation for this would be to shoot (attempt to shoot) geese during our early goose season. There has been many a times where I've been in my blind in the decoys and birds are damn near on top of us (or landing right out front) and I think to my self, "damn, if I had a bow I think I could kill that one". I have ZERO traditional experience, however. This goose hunting with a shotgun has gotten monotonous. I still love it, but would like to spice things up a bit. I think attempting to shoot big resident Canadas out of the air with a trad bow and flu flus would be pretty damn fun.
You guys that got the experience, you think this is doable?
Would you recommend a recurve or longbow, and why?
Sure it's doable. Bear, Hill, Pearson and I'm certain several more I'm unaware of have done it. No doubt Ferguson could do it.
I'm not a waterfowler but my brother-in-law does it seriously, (he's also a bowhunter), and after speaking with him he thought a recurve would probably be the easiest to handle in a pit or blind. Mostly because they are shorter. My personal opinion is I wouldn't go any shorter than 56 inches mostly because I don't care for bows any shorter than that. Not that they aren't effective, they are. I simply don't shoot shorter bows as well as longer bows.
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I have a few. My two favorites now are both longbows - a Pronghorn and a Shrew Classic Hunter.
I spend a few days deer hunting, but I really enjoy heading out your way in September to hunt with my son. Been there a few times.
Do you mind telling me where that picture was taken.I don't have to know exactly but it's the kind of place I have always dreamed of going.I would love to be camped there.I don't think I would care if I killed anything or not.I could sit there all day and just enjoy.
It's doable. have shot pheasant and quail with my long bow and recurve. see if I can dig up some photos. I cut out foam discs duct taped them and had wifey throw the up in the air for practice wing shooting.
For wild birds. I fletched with six uncut bright feathers and used a grizzly head. I dulled the head with a file when hunting with my dog. Don't want him getting cut when retrieving a bird. If I missed arrow would go maybe 50 yds.
can also spiral wrap a feather around arrow.
Judo and bird snare heads fine for small birds like quail.
I like broad heads for pheasant goose and ducks.
Not as successful as a shotgun but a good time
Originally Posted by Fisky
I am contemplating getting into a little traditional archery my self. My main motivation for this would be to shoot (attempt to shoot) geese during our early goose season. There has been many a times where I've been in my blind in the decoys and birds are damn near on top of us (or landing right out front) and I think to my self, "damn, if I had a bow I think I could kill that one". I have ZERO traditional experience, however. This goose hunting with a shotgun has gotten monotonous. I still love it, but would like to spice things up a bit. I think attempting to shoot big resident Canadas out of the air with a trad bow and flu flus would be pretty damn fun.
You guys that got the experience, you think this is doable?
Would you recommend a recurve or longbow, and why?
Thanks
Originally Posted by Fisky
I am contemplating getting into a little traditional archery my self. My main motivation for this would be to shoot (attempt to shoot) geese during our early goose season. There has been many a times where I've been in my blind in the decoys and birds are damn near on top of us (or landing right out front) and I think to my self, "damn, if I had a bow I think I could kill that one". I have ZERO traditional experience, however. This goose hunting with a shotgun has gotten monotonous. I still love it, but would like to spice things up a bit. I think attempting to shoot big resident Canadas out of the air with a trad bow and flu flus would be pretty damn fun.
You guys that got the experience, you think this is doable?
Would you recommend a recurve or longbow, and why?