LIVE2RIDE

As the title says im new to bowhunting and want start into it this year. Traditional bowhunting is something that really intrigues me but im not sure how to start. Any tips from the pros? Good starter bow and gear to buy? Ive been looking at Bear recurves and longbows. Any other gear to get started on? I plan to practice a lot to build my skill and start with some small game this year. Thanks guys!

The Rev

All I can say Bubba is if you want to trad hunt this year you'd better get after it. You'd have a better chance of having a productive year if you went with a compound first. Compound and trad are two different animals. The degree of difficulty in trad vs compound is incredibly high.

LBR on this forum is better about giving advice on equipment and getting prepared; I've been bow hunting over 50 years and LBR will forget more about Traditional Archery than I'll ever learn.

LIVE2RIDE

I understand what your saying and I definately respect it but I'm a firm believer of the "you gotta start somewhere" saying. Being said that my interest and wanting to learn is what drives me to try these new things. As for a productive hunting season I think they are all productive. I don't just hunt to get that trophy animal or to put meet in the freezer, I do it because I love getting out there and knowing that even if I come home empty handed I still enjoyed it.

The Rev

Hard to say what's a good starter bow without knowing your budget. Martin and Samick both make good started Recurve takedown bows that are not going to break the bank. I own several of each and each has a specific purpose and shoot great.

LIVE2RIDE

My budget is fairly high...I pulled away from buying a brand new truck this month so I've got lots of room....I was looking at some Bear bows at cabelas...they ranged in price anywhere between $300-$600 but they seemed for more intermediate hunters rather then a beginner

LBR

First purchase I'd recommend is the video "Masters of the Barebow, Volume III". It can shave literally years off the learning curve.

A great starter bow is either the Samick Sage or Journey--depending on your draw length. Great bows, but the string that comes with them isn't great. The string is the bow's transmission, and can make a big difference in how they shoot. You can spend a LOT more money and not get a bow that shoots any better, or even as good.

I'd probably go with cheap/intermediate priced carbon arrows.

A really good quiver isn't cheap, but you can get by with most anything. I like the Safari Tuff myself. If I'd gone with it first I could have saved myself a lot of money on buying ones I didn't like.

Targets can be as cheap as a pile of sand, or you can spend as much as you want building a 3-D course.

For broadheads, I stick with fixed blades. Lots of good ones on the market--Ace, Magnus, Woodsman, Zwickey, etc.

A good glove or tab and you are set. Depending on where you live you should be able to get some advice from a club or store. The stores I use the most are Lancaster (Trad-Tech division), 3 Rivers, and Kustom King. These all have web sites to browse as well.

Hope this helps.

Chad

Moski147

I also use Lancaster Archery and they're only 45min away on a bad day. Very helpful staff. I've gone fron compound to recurve and chose the Samick Sage. It's a nice beginner to intermediate bow. My 10yo daughter just picked one up with 25lb limbs, it'll be able to grow with her as her draw strength improves since the riser stays the same.

Bocajnala

Practice, practice, practice, practice. It's a whole different world from shooting my compound. It's a lot of fun, welcome to the sport! Hopefully I'll be getting my first deer with it this year.
-Jake

The Rev

Amen to that; I'd like to add something to that as well Practice correctly. If you keep repeating a something bad in your form it becomes habit. Get with someone that can help you with your form, and let that become part of your practice.

LBR

Right on the money!