Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

I had planned on purchasing a new bow (most likely a Matthews) this summer. Well....I just couldn' t bring myself to dole out the $800 by the time all was said and done, and decided to continue shooting my old, outdated, technology-surpassed PSE Polaris Express. I hadn' t shot my bow since last fall, and gained a good bit of satisfaction last week as I was shooting at a local range. The hot shot beside me, whom no doubt snubbed me due to my equipment faux pas was shooting a nice looking Hoyt CyberTec. It was fun to shoot 6 arrows from 30 yards and walk down with him (without a word spoken) to pull our arrows from the carpet bales. The funny part was...his groups were decent...actually they were pretty good. Well...really I guess the funny part (to me) was mine were all touching as well...right in the sweet spot.

All this just to say.....brand names and high cost do not a bowhunter make! :) Remember when guys were taking every big game animal in north america with recurve bows shooting far less than 300 fps??? It' s far more important to know your gear, know what it can do, and practice, practice, practice! Having Matthews, Bowtech, or Hoyt stamped on your bow will not get it done without it. Although...I think next year, I' ll buy a new bow!

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

Great article. I just posted a thread about Hoyt bows. I shoot an old PSE Nova Express and would like to upgrade, but it' s finally set up the way I like it. If you don' t mind me asking, why are you leaning towards Mathews? I know a lot of guys swear by them. How does the new Hoyt and Parker, Bowtech, etc. stack up in your opinion?

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

Yep. I' ve got an old Hoyt Superslam hanging around the house. I' ve had quite a few current model bows that shoot faster, but not a single one has shot better for me than the old warhorse.

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

Well, I' ll put my two cents in! I am the proud owner of a brand new Bowtech VFT purchased in March of this year. I purchased it early to give me plenty of time to get used to it before September bow season(i.e. practice, practice, practice). As far as price, price is not an issue for me in a sport I enjoy (Bowhunting) so much!!!

I like new stuff, but I' m not obsessed with it. Before this one, my last purchase was a PSE in 1992. So I don' t buy one often, but I wanted it to be what I felt was best for me because I plan on keeping it awhile. My idea is for all archers to do what they want, whether it' s shooting the 1960' s model recurve, buying the latest a greatest every year, or some where inbetween like me.

Getting a new bow doesn' t necessarily make you shoot better if you don' t become familiar with your equipment. But if you do take the time, it' s alot of fun taking that new bow out to ' break her in' . I personally can' t wait to get out there in September!!

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

I have to agree sith all the above. I have been using a Bow and Huntine for the past uuuuummmmm almost 40 years. The Bow does not make the Archer, practice does and nowing your equipment and having it fit and feel good. I just purchased a new Martin Magnum Jaguare after shooting my old High Country for the past 12 years. I really like the new Bow and will be a lot better once I get real comfortable with it. Its not the Bow its the person behind it that makes the Bow....

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

I am in total agreement. I still have my Bear Whitetail compound I bought in 1980.
Its a great finger shooting bow. Not as consistant as my 2yr old PSE but nonethe less a great bow. [:-]

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

But look at what all those guys do to boost the economy with buying all those high priced bows every other year.:D I' ll stick with my practical priced bows and keep them 7-8 years, could probably keep them longer, but even I get the itch to have something new now and then. :)

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

HEY!!!!

Is Someone calling me a PRIMA-DONNA[:o][:o] with my pretty new bow.

I have ugly camo cloths, Does that help??????:)

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

[>:]I just retired my High Country Trophy Hunter I bought new in 1988.
I shot it nearly daily. During that time I went through (wore out) 4 flipper rests, 8 strings, 2 sets of cables and a Quicky Qwiver. Every scratch, nick, blemish is etched in my mind and reminiscent of each event that caused them. I know this Bow inside and out and it literally has become a extention of my physical makeup.
The bow still shoots fine, but the limbs are aged, weaker, and I didn' t want to end up having them fail on me although NO sign of damage was present.

My wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said a New Bow. She told me to pick one out. My mind raced to back to when I bought the High Country, and a Bow I had seen and shot after buying the H.C. I fell in love with it because of it' s draw cycle. I just couldn' t justify the cost because of my recent purchase.
So when I got the nod from whatshername, I really didn' t know if the company was still around. I did a search and found out the company had been sold, BUT it was restructured and alive. After visiting their website and doing some research with current shooters, I decided to go ahead with my purchase. Glad I did, love the Bow and look forward to the many years (God Willing) and experiences we will share together...

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

Rack-Attack....don' t get me wrong. I have no problem with guys having nice gear. I' m all about having nice (and sometimes expensive) stuff. It' s the the attitude that' s presented by some when sizing up your equipment...er...bow that bothers me. :D I' ve only noticed it on occasion...I think most of us are in this together no matter what we' re flinging arrows out of. It' s a great sport and you' re welcome to wear your ratty camo anytime you please!

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

I think to shoot a nice setup doesn' t generally make people snobbish. I think shooting a nice setup poorly is what makes their attitude seem so. But there are those that dump roses.:eek:

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

It' s all about getting to know your equipment and practicing. I know people that can make some amazing shots with a 55# recurve bow and no sights. I personally just bought a new bow, but you are 100% correct - equipment does not make the archer.

I think anybody that would look down on you because of your " old" setup is an amateur. You are describing the same kind of people that go out and spend $1500 on a new .300 Ultraearsplittenloudenboomer and cannot even hit a barn from the inside. Yet, they talk about how said rifle will allow them to kill an elk at 500 yards. Meanwhile I' ll continue to bust clay pigeons out to 400 yards with my cheap Savage rifle in .270 Winchester.

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

Never, never, dis' the " Old Guns" (bows). They are the patriarchs of today' s gear and today' s hunting techniques. If the older bows were able to do the job in their time, and do it well, why can' t they still do the job today if still in good shape? Here is a news flash: They can, and they do!

Unless the new gear is detrimental to clean hits/kills and recovered animals, it is the individual' s prerogative to hang anything on his or her bow if he or she believes the " stuff' enables better accuracy. However, here is a statement that I am sure will put the fingers to the keyboards of many of the bowhunters that have taken up the sport in the last 10 years. ……Regardless of all the technological advances in bowhunting gear, a bowhunter using all the expensive and advanced tech gear that is available today, still does not have any extensive advantages over a bowhunter using older -even newer, less powerful bows and simple gear.

Bowhunting remains a close contact sport; and unless bows are developed that can accurately cast an arrow at great speeds, and the arrow can maintain a flat trajectory to a greater than common yardage, bowhunting will always be a close contact sport.

If I were to hunt with a person using all the most advanced gear, and I was to use my 1979 60#, 200-210 fps PSE Pacer, with the wide wheels sitting in brackets on the limbs, I would not be intimidated nor would I believe I was outgunned. I would simply add 2 more sight pins for the additional yardage, where as I use only 1 pin on my newer Martins.

The fact that an arrow may fly faster and might get to the target faster, does not compute to an indisputable and outstanding advantage.

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

C903 - I agree 100% - its all the same:)

99% of bowhunting is getting that deer under you.

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

This year I bought a new bow. New for me I guess. It was last years 2002 Mathews Legacy for about half price. The guy who sold it buys a new bow every year! He bought an LX. (Wish my wife was as understanding as his) Anyway I retired my Golden Eagle hunter bow circa 1980. I couldn' t believe how quiet the Mathews was compared to my old bow. It' s not really faster cause I went from 70 pound to about 55. But it is smoother and quieter and just as fast. This weekend I' m going to put it through a chrono to see for sure.

But my point is, check around, you might find a super deal out there. I also have a buddy who bought his off ebay.com If you check the seller' s feedback and communicate with him it should be OK. My buddy got an inspection period of 3 days in which if he didn' t find the bow satisfactory, he could return it for his money back.[:o] I like new stuff too, but also like to save money to buy on more jun- er, stuff.

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

Good post and good point. Seems like there are so many new gadgets out there to make you a better bow hunter, but are they all that necessary and can a person be sucessful without all of it? Of course they can!

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

The man makes the bow, the bow don' t make the man. I' ve only been shooting bows for about a year now but they' re no different than the rifles I' ve been shooting my whole life. The shooter, not the weapon, hits the target. Sometimes the newer equipment is lighter, has a higher let-off, and is a little quieter but all that means is comfort to the user. That doesn' t have a whole lot to do with the kill on an animal. Once you pass the minimums for a kill like draw weight, arrow grains, etc its all skill after that. Anyone who thinks hes a better shot or hunter simply cause hes got the lastest fad is full or himself. Only range and field time makes you good.

RE: Old bow, good groups, and prima donnas
 

rather_be_huntin

Well said, and square on the head of the nail.

However, I would add one word to your statment:

" The man makes the bow, the bow don' t make the man."

to

" The man and woman makes........." :)

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