Thinking about downgrading my bow!

[Poor Man]

Tierd of being able to shoot 60 yards and ready for the chalenge of the long bow. I have hunted with compound bows since I was 10 years old. My latest bow is a 2006 special order 80# Bowtech Alegence. Ive had my eye on a Martin Savanha longbow. I just think shooting an elk with a longbow would be the ultimate chalenge, with the exception of sheep or goat of corse. Pluss it's only a couple pounds to carry. Any thoughts?

[Blackelk]

I can go with you on that one. There's been a few times elk hunting where a re curve or a long bow would have suited the situation better for a quick shot. I have not shot anything other than small game with a re curve. I want a take down model for mountain lion.

[BC Cowboy]

Hunted deer and bear with long bow, i finally upgraded to a compound, as i didn't have the time between kids, work and the farm to practice enough...

The hunting is definitely different, and it is very rewarding to know you could use traditional equipment and still be successful... A lot of fellas don't ever get that rush, or that satisfaction!

[salukipv1]

IMO I see almost no reason I'd ever want to shoot a long bow/recurve instead of a compound.

If you wouldn't use a long/recurve on a sheep, why would you on a elk? I don't really follow that logic.

If I could hunt every season with a rifle and tags were easy to draw, I'd probably would have never started to bowhunt in the first place.

To me the challenge is to get close enough to use a bow in the first place. I can kill an elk at 50yds, but that would not be my ideal shot with even a compound, give me 30yds any day. Wind etc...at 60yds good luck.

Perhaps you've killed too many elk with a bow, I have yet to, if I had though I'd probably try to start hunting other animals that I have yet to.

to each their own though.

I think when hunting with a bow gets to be too easy, or I've killed enough with a bow I'll just quit hunting.

[Siman08/OH]

Poor Man is downgrading...LOL

[Poor Man]

Well since sheep and goat are a once in a lifetime tag for the most part. I would take a rifle. Taking an animal with a longbow would just be more rewarding and primative much like a mussleloader ( not an inline) is to a rifle. This pertains to Colorado hunting.

[wyomingtrapper]

I hunted with a compound years ago, and have hunted with a recurve or longbow for the past 18 or so. Mostly the long bow. I may pick up the old compound again as it does take a lot of practice to achieve consistent accuracy and I find less time to do so.

Get G Fred Asbell's Instinctive shooting if you go that route.

There were times when the quick draw, anchor and release would have been nice when I was hunting with the compound. There have been times when a shorter bow would have been nice when hunting traditional. Traditional bows are much more enjoyable to shoot for me, and most definitely nicer to pack around, but there is a certain degree of accuracy I have to meet before I'll head up the hill. Give them a try. Spend a lot of time in the woods stump shooting and decide in the fall which bow to carry.