Last weekend I was in Cabelas and toyed with the idea of giving a recurve a try, but I am not sure if it would have a negative impact on my current setup which has all the bells and whistles. I do have one bow that I shoot with fingers and one that I shoot with a release. My fingers don't seem to cooperate like I remember them doing when I started shooting some 20 years ago. Also my finger bow has no peep and I catch myself peeking and not keeping my head on the string. Any thoughts from those that have made the switch or from those that shoot both would be appreciated.

i just started trad. this november. i love it, i cant honestly remember enjoying shooting so much, it is quite amazing to me that i can hit ANYTHING, let alone tightly group, with no sights, rest peep, release.....but i do . i think i'll be ready to hunt by next season. i had the same question as you and tried shootin my compound to see if trad shooting affected me. i think it made me better, if anything....

Second set of questions on this matter would be what poundage bow to buy. I currently shoot 65lbs @ 31 1/2". The bows I picked up and looked at all said 55lbs @ 28". As I understand it traditional bows do not bottom out and just develop more poundage at longer draw. Any thoughts on selecting a bow?

i shoot 62 lbs compound, and i shoot 50 lbs with my recurve. talk to the guys in the trad bowhunting forum they have been super knowledgable and helpfull.
good luck
moose

Traditional shooting is probably the purest and most enjoyable form of archery. The big difference is practice, practice, practice. Most can pick up their hunting or target bows with all the bells and whistles a few days before a shoot and be back in the groove within a short time. Shooting traditional take much more time and dedication to be a competent shooter.

If you want to try traditional just do it and don't worry about it. See if you like. The traditional bug bites hard though - be warned.

My opinion, biggest difference between recurve and compound is the use of a release vs. fingers. The fact that you use hand to eye coordination to "aim" a recurve, requires you anchor closer to the front of your face, usually around the corner of your mouth, to get you eye in closer alignment with the shaft. This shortens your draw length. Your brain is flashing signals to release the arrow as you float on the target. A release aid prevents you from acting on those messages and requires your brain to instruct your finger to pull the trigger. It's controlling that signal which is such a challenge shooting traditional. You'll love it.

I shoot both, I shoot 65lbs at 30 inches witha compound and have a 45lb recurve. The weight on the recurve is measured at 28 inches and just gets higher as you go past that. Your draw length with the traditional will probably be shorter. I come in dead at 28 inches anchroing with my finger in the corner of my mouth.

Some of the form is the same, the need to maintain tension and not collapse at the shot, don't pull out the head to peek or drop the bow arm to peek.

You need to decide how you are going to shoot trad, instinctive or gapping. I do instinctive and its fun, you don't use anythign to aim with. Some folks use the arrow tip or a knuckle as a sight.

They are fun!! Ads a new dimension to scouting, we take the trad bows out and stump shoot as we scout. Its a blast.

--Bob

That's definitely true, but saying it that way makes it sound like a horrendous burden and it's really not. Shooting traditional is so much fun that you WANT to get out and shoot. When you ENJOY shooting your bow, it's much easier to find time to get out and launch a few arrows. It's not dedication, it's playtime.

Don't worry about it having a negative impact on shooting your compound. I shot both traditional and compounds for many years and found they feed each other. The traditional strengthens your muscles so you can hold a compound rock stready. The compound cleans up your form and makes your traditional shooting better. You'll find you have a totally different mindset with traditional than you do with the compound.

Well said Arthur !!


Couldnt have done it better !