Hello, I am sure this has been covered more than a few times on this site, but I'd like some personalized insight on the matter. I'm going to start bow hunting for deer this fall. My main reason is to extend my harvesting season, bow hunting will give me an extra month or so to get my deer. I've never hunted with a bow, though I did do a lot of small game with home made slingshots as a kid. (not quite the same but i'm sure some skills are transferable, the hand-eye coordination is there, I hope. ) I have also done a bit of target shooting with a youth recurve bow, maybe 100 arrows or so. So I have the choice of either a compound or recurve. I've read up on the differences and all that but I'd like some help figuring out where to go from here. Money is a huge factor as I hunt different game almost all year and my hunting cash needs to stretch out and cover all that too. I'll start with my idea of a plan as it is now, and then you tell me its crazy. I'm looking at the Samick Sage 62" recurve at 60 lbs. I'm not going to shoot anything further than 40 yards, I just won't do it. Maybe a scoped rifle out to 60-80 yards, but I have never seen the need. I normally shoot open sight rifles or shotguns when hunting. I figure I'll have trouble drawing the bow at first, but I can toss a 50 lbs sack of potatoes pretty far with one hand, I don't think I'm far off working a 60 pound bow. I can train up to that in a few weeks if needed. My main concern is how long realistically will it take me to learn to shoot this recurve well enough that I could adeptly plug a deer in both lungs out to 40 yards? Is this plan, to hunt this fall with this bow being a non-bowhunter too far fetched? I can always go compound and have no worries about learning to shoot there, but the price and also the style of a recurve has me leaning that way, it's really about getting the deer with as little cost possible. Lay it on me straight! thanks, Mugz.
Well, looking at your plan, I'll be the first to say it....it's crazy. You could throw 50 lb sacks of potato's all day long. A 60 lb bow will kick your *** real quick.
A 50# Traditional bow is more than enough and even 50# may be too much to start with for many folks. Check your state laws and see if there's a minimum weight bow to be legal. Traditional bow weight also depends on your draw length. You'll be light years ahead if you can find someone locally that is an experienced Traditional hunter. You can find out what poundage fits you the best and get some help with learning to shoot...
My recurve is about 48# at my draw length. After numerous recommendations from more experienced trad hunters, I picked up a 30# longbow and it has helped me much better in my practice. And, just to put it in perspecive, I'm a 200 pound former strength athlete and I'd modestly say strong for my size. Go lighter in the beginning.
I just ordered a Samick Journey. I was looking at the Samick Sage, but went with the Journey because every one I asked said the extra two inches on the Samick Journey will allow for a smoother draw than the Samick Sage given a 29 inch draw length. The price difference between the Sage and Journey, at least at Lancasterarchery was $14 for a total of $139. I will be going from a vintage 60 LB PSE longbow down to a 45 lb bow. First hand experience is that it took me years to get comfortable with that bow. I hope to use it again though once I am more experanced with shooting. With the Samick Journey and Sage if you want you can get either limbs you want. The only difference between either bows are the limbs. You would pay about $70-$80 for the new limbs. You can try getting the bow with 60# limbs, but as a few said here includeing myself, you may be wishing you had gotten something lighter. If that happens you can just as easily repurchase lighter limbs. I would say if you have a long draw length get the Samick Journey, otherwise get the Sage, but which ever you decide to get you can still get the limbs for either bow. Also think about getting the 45 lb limbs too. I hope this is sound advice and if anybody disagrees please say so and relieve me of my ignorance for not knowing.
My opinion, If you start with a 60lb recurve you will loose the will for recurve hunting very quickly.
I have to agree with what others have said 60lbs is a lot for traditional. I have been shooting a recurve for many years and I will not take a shot over 25 yards. That is just me some feel comfortable at longer ranges but I do not. I use a 55lbs bow but I would start with 40-45 will be more then enough for deer, check with your state laws about minimums though. If I wanted to take 40 yard shots on deer and use a 60lbs bow I would go compound.
