Getting into it!!!

[b-rice]

Hey i have bowhunted for a little while with a compound bow but want to get into traditional stuff. So here are my Questions, What kind of bow recurve or long bow, What make, And how long it should be, What arrows and what weight???? Remember this is all for hunting deer

[LBR]

Recurve or longbow--depends on your personal preferance. I like longbows, some folks like recurves, some folks like both. Shoot both and see what feels good to you. Seems like most folks start out with a recurve.

What make--depends on what you want to spend. There' s gobs of great bows on the market, but an old $50 Ben Pearson will kill a deer just as dead as a $1,000 custom job. Starting out, I would go cheap. First, you won' t know what you would like in a custom bow until you have been shooting for a while, and you don' t know yet if the sport is for you. The nut driving the bow is what does the job--I have a friend that has flat-out spanked lots of high-dollar bows (at tournaments) with an old Bear that probably books for around $50--$75. I' ve seen him out-shoot a PSE factory shooter with that same bow.

How long should it be--depends on the bow style, your draw length, and personal preferance. Some styles that are 52" long (or less) will handle a 28" draw, and in others it will require one that is 64" or longer. Going a little too long is better than going too short, in my opinion.

What arrows--wood, aluminum, carbon, or fiberglass. The main thing is that you get arrows that are the correct spine for your bow, regardless of what they are made of.

What weight--for deer, I' d go with 45# and up. Get a weight that you are comfortable with. Keep in mind that when you are hunting you might have been sitting on the stand for several hours in the cold before you get a shot. The bow that felt just fine when you were warmed up in the back yard may feel like pulling 100# when you are cold and stiff. 45# is plenty to do the job on whitetail, and a double lung with 45# is a lot better that a gut shot or miss with 100#.

Good luck!

Chad

[IrishLad32]

Uhhh...What Chad said You can go to ebay and find a lot of good old recurves. An old Browning Mach I just went for about $55. It needed refinishing but it' s a good price for a good bow that needs minimum repair. I' ve also seen old Bears go for $70-$100. Some go over that too. But you could easily find an old Bear recurve for $150 or less. That sure beats payin $200 or $300 and finding out you don' t like it. Another site is www.women-outdoors.com/traditional There are some used bows up there people are trying to sell and such. There are some of the old Bears, Persons and such, as well as some used cutoms that people are looking to sell. Those would be good places to look if you don' t know anyone who has a recurve/longbow. Then after you get a bow and you have the specifics Chad might be able to help you with other things. Just don' t mention the words " Chek-Mate" or " Crusader" or the place will come alive! lol

Brandan

[wulff]

b rice- you came to the right place for info these guys help you out alot, always willing to answer your questions not like some other message boards, not to mention any names

[woodbow]

All very good advise...

I would also suggest finding someone in your local area that shoots traditional equipment. Most of them are usually willing to help you out, alot of them are quick to let you try their bows. It' s a good way to try many different types and poundage of bows.

good luck

[Woodduck]

What they said
Reallly. Weening (sp?) myself off compounds a few years ago; I found a local bowyer that had longbows and recurves that I shot. I ended up getting a longbow that shot where I was looking. Wasn' t paying any attentiong to the arrow. I just shot the longbow to humor the bowyer. My mind was made up that I wanted a recurve ' cause everybody said they were this, that, or the other.Boy was I happily surprised. (Hummingbird, by Ben Graham) I had Ben make me a longbow.
To me, this is a nice way to get help and buy a bow.
Maybe there' s a traditional shop or group that can help.
I' ve bought used off ebay and D. Farmer' s women-outdoors site. Sometimes you can get a deal on used. That might be later after you shoot some bows and have an idea what you want.
Mc/NC
Later, thought: Go with the 45# advice. Here in NC you must pull 45# for deer with longbow or recurve. Compound shooter can pull 35#. go figure.
I' ve got a Black Widow(used) coming in(I hope). It' s 49# @ 29" (my draw) I thougt this was perfect since BW states it might vary a couple of pounds either way. By the way; with compounds I shot 31" arrows. With longbow pull 29" and cut arrows 30 1/4" .