Compound or Recurve??
 

I am new to the Archery world and currently own a Browning Recurve Bow.

I was just interested to see what other members would recommend in Hunting White Tail.
I am a pretty fair shot up to about 20 yards. After that it gets a little skittish.

You seem to be able to pick up Compounds around here, quivers, arrows and all for about 60-65 bucks.

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Also this was my 1st post and I look forward to drawing from all of your woodsy experiences.
Thank you all for participating.

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Whats the poundage on your recurve?

I have shot my deer all under 20 yrds, but i took them with a compound.
I am working on my first real hunt with a recurve to.
My recurve is 45#
Sharp broadheads are more important......

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Recurve is 47#'s.
I will not have the fastest arrow in flight, but I am sure it should do the trick.

Maybe not though.
I just liked the thought of the traditional stategy. They were bringing bucks down long before we made the tech advances.
Lots of good technology out there though.

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Where in the world can you find an entire compound setup for $60-$65??? As far as a recommendation . . . . . you need to go with what you are most comfortable with. I prefer traditional. At times it can become very frustrating, but it is also very rewarding. Just my 2 cents. :D

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

The $60-65 compound setups are old, outdated and (dare I say it) obsolete compared to what's on the market now. Many of them are still quite capable of taking a deer, but many others have been shot to pieces by folks using ultra light arrows on the 3D course. You really need to know what to look for before spending your money on a used compound. You might get a decent enough bow, for what it is. You could also simply be buying somebody else's junk.

Most recurve shooters are exactly the same as you. Pretty fair shots up to 20 yards but a little skittish when they get past that. Just keep your hunting shots within your confidence zone and hunt with that recurve.:)

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Why Frustrating??

I appreciate all of the comment so far.
Thanks everyone for the advice and feedback.

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

What I meant by frustrating is that you can go for weeks hitting everything you look at and then something minor changes in your form and you can't hit the broad side of a barn. That can be frustrating.

When I hit times like that I go back to the basics and depend on a lot of practice, patience, and persistance (as well as a lot of advice from all the great people on the trad board).:D;)

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Traditional all the way! It takes more patience and practice to remain a good shot but there are far fewer chances of equipment failure in the field. I have shot ALOT of compounds and it always seemed I was at the range checking sights and what not to make sure nothing moved or rattled loose. Now when I am at the range it is to have fun and get in some decent practice. Just my .02 for what it was worth good luck and most of all have fun

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

a compound bow is a easier to shoot than a recurve. a recurve has no let off that i no of. but a major advantage to a recurve is they are extremely quiet and lighter. hope i was helpful

hunting isnt a committment, its an obsession

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Ditto on what Art said.

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

I started shooting a recurve 2 years ago, even shot at some 3-D shoots. A very addictive piece of equipment, and also fun to play around with in the back yard.I noticed if I missed 3-7 days without shooting my accuracy went down the tube. I'd get frustrated and go back to my compound bow and pound the bullseye arrow after arrow. Since then I hunt with my compound and fee:Dl more confident about making a true shot and once in a while shooting my recurve bow for the fun of it.

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

I have a brother-in-law who made the change and tried to go without the training wheels as some put it(he switched back). Needless to say he asked me why drive a Yugo when you have a Farrari parked in the garage. I thought that he had a good analogy. Shoot whatever feels good to you....After all Ishi didn't have a compound.:)

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Actually, I like the analogy pertaining to compounds myself. Ever tried driving a Ferrari off in the woods? Get 'em offroad and they are nothing but a pile of overly expensive scrap metal. They are fine when used in conditions that suit them, but ONLY in conditions that suit them.

A jeep might not be as fast on blacktop as a Ferrari, but it will go offroad like a champ and do dang near anything.... as long as a skillful driver is at the wheel. So, if a compound is like a Ferrari, then a recurve is like a jeep.

A recurve will go anywhere and do whatever your skill level will allow it to do... and you don't need a team of mechanics with specialized tools to keep it running.

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

I thinkif your starting out go with a compound. Get afew deer under you belt and learn shooting mechanics. Traditional is a great way to go but you must practice at a whole new level. Alot more dedicated in all respects includeing getting very very close shots.

Which ever way you go......Good Luck its alot of fun!

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

ArthurP- True you have a point. I tried to take off the training wheels and have alot of respect for the stick bow die hards. It takes alot of arrows to get good with one. But when you do it opens alot of doors. If I were good enough I feel that they would be the best for elk in close. Right now I pull back and hold til I am blue in the face on bulls because it takes a little too long to sight in on a bull at 10 yards. I always get a kick out of the responses on this forum:D.......................................Drea min' of willows and wallows

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Elkcrazy, you know what? A 10-yard shot on an elk is a gimme shot! A slam dunk! You shouldn't be struggling with a sight pin at 10 lousy yards!!

Get rid of those stinkin' sights! If your bow is long enough to keep from pinching your fingers off, and 65% letoff, then dump the release too. Put a plain flipper rest on the bow and shoot barebow and fingers. If your bow is a shorter one, then use a 2-finger release, dropping either the index finger for a 2-under release, or the third finger for a split finger release. If it's short AND high letoff, you can even do a 1-finger release. (Draw back with three, then drop the index and 3rd fingers, holding the string with the middle finger.) Or you can go ahead and use the mechanical release if you can get a decent barebow anchor with it, where the nock is high and directly under your eye.

When I shoot my compound, it's barebow and 3-under off a Cavalier MicroFlyte flipper. This is a plain fact, no brag about it, but only the best sights/release shooters can outdo me on the 3D range. I would hunt with that setup if I didn't prefer my stickbows for hunting.

My honest point of view is that, even though the vast majority of people feel sights are required accessories, they are actually a hindrance and handicap in most hunting situations. Most people are simply afraid to trust themselves and have ZERO confidence in their innate abilities.

True, it takes more practice to get good like that, but not nearly as much as traditional. The let-off lets you focus all your concentration on aiming, without having to worry about a shakey bow arm. And arrow speeds these days! You can gunbarrel aim down the shaft and get good accuracy to at least 30 yards, easy.

You most likely won't be able to shoot a 300/60X score at the indoor leagues shooting barebow, but so what? Are you looking to punch dainty little holes in paper or hang elk on the meatpole?

Get out your backup bow and give it a whirl. Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained... and your primary bow is still set up if you can't get it to work. Start out shooting around 10 yards and slowly back up as you begin to hit well. It won't take long before you're stroking them in there at 30 yards. I bet after a couple of weeks of shooting barebow, the sights will come off your primary bow as well.;)

Mankind has been shooting bows without sights for at least 50,000 years. Surely, being the product of thousands of years of evolution and intellectual enlightenment, you can shoot without sights as well. :)

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Arthur P, Thanks for the input. After the big tournaments this year I'll give er a try. I started to chuckle when you you talked about the one finger release. I was experimenting in the house when a misshap occured. Luckily I got the hole in the wall fixed before the misses got home. I shot for years without sights and took several whitetails when I lived back east. Had a couple of marginal shots also, I don't like to shoot unless I am 100 percent sure that I will get it. Thats what got me using sights. I didn't have the time to dedicate myself to hours on the range due to family, kids etc. I do now(thats another story) now I spend 4-5 nights a week at the range. I do know that a guy can get proficient without sights because I was there at one time, but that is exactly what it takes is time to become proficient and stay proficient. Thanks for answereing back. I like to stay open to all sides of archery. After all, the sport belongs to us.....:D

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

I have a compound and its great, i know there are still some hunters that just can't use them, mainly people that have been using recurves there whole life, but compunds are by far better and you can shoot them a lot farther and its easier to be more accurate and everything like that.

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

People that don't use compounds CHOOSE to not use them. Anybody that can do some decent shooting with a stickbow can shoot a compound quite well.

There are very, very few in that category. The vast majority of recurve/longbow shooters have used compounds extensively at some point in their life.

Each advance in compounds takes just that much more challenge out of shooting. A lot of guys chose to begin bowhunting FOR the challenge. That is where they get their enjoyment. Take away the challenge and you take away the enjoyment.

That is one of the prime reasons many people have dumped the compound and have gone back to their recurves and longbows. Couple the challenge with easy, low cost maintenance, simplicity in design and operation, light carrying weight, much less expenditures for accessories and tools, not to mention how quick the stickbow is to get into action, and it's easy to see why traditional archery is the fastest growing segment of the sport. Frankly, it's more FUN than compounds.;)

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

The recurve is definitely more enjoyable to shoot, especially when things are going well. Bad days have frustrated me greatly though. In spite of that, I just bought a used Damon Howatt recurve to give it a go once more.

I used to be fiddling with my compounds a lot, but my present setups are pretty solid and trouble free. Don't need to do much except shoot them. I am much more reliably accurate with the compounds than I am with the recurves, but many guys can do quite well with the sticks. I would agree that $60-65 generally won't buy too much of a compound, but I still have an old Darton Viper that I tried to sell on ebay, and couldn't even get a $50 opening bid. That bow has out-shot most of the newer gotta-have bows that I try to replace it with.

If you already have the recurve, I would start really practicing with it and see how good you can become.

BTW, Arthur, you have become seriously anti-compound in the last 6 months or so.
Are those anal-retentive compound 3D shooters in Texas responsible for that?

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Joe, if it sounds like I have become anti-compound, it's unintentional. I get soured on compounds quite easy, I admit that. Part of it is "those anal-retentive compound 3D shooters in Texas", for sure. But mostly it's the prevailing attitude that only someone who shoots the latest greatest whizbang gear is really bowhunting. And the hostile responses I often get when I disagree with that foolishness just makes it worse.

I've shot bows all my life. Started playing with bows when I was 3. When I was 6, I started hunting small game with a bow - a solid 10 years before there was any such thing as a compound. I hunted with a recurve another 10 years before I ever drew a compound. I hunted with a recurve another 5 years before I finally bought a compound. I've shot a compound in competition, and even hunted with one on several ocassions over the past 20 years. But I've never gotten used to hunting with a compound and prefer a recurve or longbow for my still hunting/spot-n-stalk hunting style.

And now we've got guys that have never shot anything but a compound passing judgement on traditional gear, saying that it's ineffective or, worse, unethical. Nearly 50 years of my personal experience say otherwise. I will defend traditional equipment against such foolish remarks, no matter what. If I must sound anti-compound in the process, then so be it. Traditional equipment is no more and no less effective and no more or no less unethical than the guy that's pulling the string.

RE: Compound or Recurve??
 

Arthur:

Thanks for the explanation, and I understand where you are coming from. Some guys just have to stir things up by making ignorant comments when they don't really have any working knowledge of things.;)

BTW, I got my Damon Howatt Bandito on Friday. It is almost as light as a longbow, and seems to have good cast for the weight. Right around #50 is what I need with these shoulders that are "damaged goods." I really like the thing so far. I am in the process of working on form - blind bale shooting, to try to cure the target panic I often get when shooting sticks. Hope it works, 'cause I would really like to hunt with this bow.:D