Do you use a release with your recurve and/or long bow?
 

I have a bear recurve that my grandfather recently gave me because he couldn't pull it anymore. I was thinking of trying to take a deer with it next year. I tried to practice with it, and found it to be much more difficult than my compound - I've got a lethal range of about 5 yards!

Do you guys use a release? I have a truball that I use with my compound - the handle kind, no wrist strap - will this work?

I tried when I first started but you just won't get any arrow ossillations with a release and most likely get feather contact with the rest.

Only way i would use a release is with a elevated rest. You need that arrow to bend around that riser.

Thanks, bigcountry.

Why would a release affect how the arrow bends?

You want to pick a spine of an arrow that bends around your riser. If you have a good release, and the correct spine, your feathers nor your strike plate should have any marks on it.

Here is a good video showing this. A hand release induces this bend. A mech release does not. But you have more of a up and down ossilation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzWrcpzuAp8

I never use a release. Good ol glove for me and bare fingers when Im hunting.

If memory serves me, I believe back in the early 80 or maybe even the late 70s, there was a trend with some target bow shooter that used old flipper releases.

If you choose to use a release, retune your arrows. You will need to adjust the spine.

I don't use a release with my recurves. I use a tab; one over, two under.

Reminds me. . .
 

when I got back into archery, some twenty years ago, I decided to go with a release and a compound bow.
I let those Indians keep those 19th century instruments.

You know I have seen you post some silly stuff and extremely poor advise. But you do realize your on a trad forum? Don't you?

Just remember compounds where invented for those physically unable or unwilling to do the work needed to shoot real bows. Maybe someday you will really get into archery, but I doubt it.

Not even at gunpoint!!!!

Used to use finger tabs 1 over two under but recently I find myself shooting barehanded

Just for giggles I tried a release with a longbow...once. It was a back tension release, and a dang-near killed myself with it. Not fun at all.

That was not long after I got "into" traditional bows, and didn't even know what back tension was. Now I have a much better idea, and still won't try a release.

I do know one guy that, due to an injury, has to use a release. He's an excellent shot with it...but he was a dang good shot before he had to go to a release.

Personally, one of the main reasons I got away from compound bows nearly 20 years ago was to get away from the gadgets. Something always getting loose, forgetting to bring the release aid, sights getting bumped, etc. etc. etc. It was getting to a point where it wasn't much fun anymore.

I don't have a thing against compound bows--they are what got me started in archery--but I have to say I never had a fraction of the fun with compounds that I've had with tradtional gear. I never killed a fraction of the game with a compound that I've killed with tradtional gear. And, I don't think I would have ever considered shooting in tournaments with a compound, but I've been from TX to PA shooting traditional bows, and been on hunting trips from NM to Northern Ontario. It's just too much fun!

Chad

Bear Kodiak Hunter, here.

I use gloved fingers.

I am not a fan of releases. Too gun like for me.

You are stuck in the rut of compound mentality. Loose the release and keep practicing. Nobody said trad is easy and its not supposed to be, thats why we do it.

Releases in varius forms have been used for 100's of years.

I use a "no glove" on all my recurve bows. One over and 2 under. Seems to work for me.

That's not an apples-to-apples comparison. A horn thumb-ring is a bit different than a Scott.

Most folks I've talked to switched to tradtional for the same reason i did--simplicity. The fewer moving parts, the better for me.

One wants to use one, by al means use one. Go to a bow shoot u might feel a little out of place.

I have a whisper buisuit I leave on 2 of mine, then I don't have to reset when I want to go bowfishing.

If you feel the need for a release, try a thumb ring first. One of the first ever releases.

An honest question. An honest answer would be the majority dont use releases. I would guess your Grandfather didnt either. At the height of the recurve, about the time of the compound, some recurve shooters where experimenting with releases, but mostly this was for target work and higher scores.

I love recurves because they are what I grew up with. I love them because they are a pleasure to shoot and if you are a person who loves shooting, shooting anything, you will learn to appreciate the practice and training it takes to shoot one well. The satisfaction you get from a perfect shot is hard to duplicate with other weapons.

Go to the 3d shoots, and those in charge to tell you who regularly turns in the highest scores with recurves. Then ask that person for help. He may very well take you under his wing and get you started properly. Pick up copies of Traditional Bowhunter Magazine and find a big traditional shoot near you. Go there and ask questions. One of my pet pieves has been that trad shoots dont all have instructional booths for the beginners or those who need to learn the basics. Many of the trad internet sites have long discussions on form and techniques. It is just harder to weed out the new guys full of advice from the old timers who've been there a long time and earned the respect of others. Enjoy.

Releases have been around for quite a long time. This ad looks to be from the '50s

I made a thumb ring once. I was too use to using finger, even when I went to compounds for a while, I used fingers. My one and only compound has a release now, but it took some time to get use to it. With that said, I just did not like the feel of shooting a bow with a thumb ring.