I am seriously considering getting a traditional bow by the spring, but I really do not know much if anything about them. My draw to trying traditional archery equipment is that it is alot of fun to shoot. I don't know if i would ever hunt with it as i struggle to get deer with a compound, but would like to have one to shoot around the house. I do not know the difference between a take down, a recurve or a long bow, or if they are all the same. I have started looking at some ready to shoot packages, nothing fancy,just something to play with. I would love some help in getting started on my search if noone here minds. What should I be looking for in a beginner bow? What kind of draw weight and length will I want to go with, and what kind of arrows would be easiest to start with? Any help would be appreciated.
You are right...they are fun to shoot, especially at the 3D shoots over the summer! Its all a personal preference on what you want to shoot, longbow, recurve, take down or a 1 piece! I like a light weight Longbow, doubles as walking stick..LOL! I started out with a Bear Montana Longbow, 50#...I wouldn't go much higher than that starting out! Taught myself to shoot on it and Killed my first Trad deer with it! Great bows! With that said, I would look at a used bow on such sites as Tradgang or the Leatherwall! Be careful though, once I started shooting a Longbow, I never shot a Compound again, its very addicting...theres nothing like walking in the woods with a Longbow in your hand! If you can hit the spot where you are looking at with a Longbow or Recurve, no reason not to hunt with it!
I loved shooting my recurve just wish I had the time to put into practice to feel good about hunting with it...instinct shooting is challenging but if you can do it you can get out of the stand a bit more for sure. I have two Bear recurves at 45 and 50 lbs though I always hunted with the 45 lb.
Here are you four basic styles: Recurve The limbs have enough curve which causes the string to make contact with the limb. Longbow This is the classic D style "Robin Hood" Reflex/Deflex or Hybrid These bows are a blend of recurve and longbow. The limb have some of the curve of the recurve but not enough that the string ever makes contact with the limb (other than at the end where it attaches) Self Bows - made from a single solid piece of wood as opposed to the glued layers of wood, carbon, glass, etc. of the other styles. Here are some offerings that can make bows more modular, adjustable, and or portable: Two Piece - Offered from some of the custom bowyers (bow makers). It allows longbows to be separated into two pieces for easier travel or storage. Take Down - The bow is in three pieces, the lower limb, riser, and upper limb. Bolts are used to secure the limbs to the riser. Different limb weights from the manufactuer can be installed for great flexibility. ILF - This stands for Internation Limb Fitting. It has been used for a long time in olympic or target type shooting. They are just like the take downs but require no bolts to secure the limbs. They easily slide off after the string is removed. ILF's are standardized so that you can swap out limbs and risers of different manufacturers. Recurve limbs or longbow limbs can be used on the same riser. As for recommendation for you we need a lot more information. What poundages are you currently shooting? What is your draw length? Would you like the option to hunt with it? What animals and kind of hunting would you plan to do? What kinds of trad bows have you shot? Are you already drawn to one style of bow? Over the last year how much did you shoot per week during the shootable months? How much are you able to spend on a new bow? Do you travel a lot (with a bow)? A quick response to these questions would be very helpful in directing you to your best options. I am excited that you want to get started and glad we can help.
That is a very helpful response, thanks. I am currently shooting around 65 lba on a 29 dl. I honestly do not know if i would hunt with a trad set up, if I did it would be mainly white tail, turkey and black bear.I can say I honestly have not shot alot over the last season as I have in the past,maybe two times a week for aout a half hour at a time. Shooting a compound while enjoyable in its own has gotten a little stale for me.I am not really locked into what style of bow i want to try but I like the idea of being able to pack the bow in pieces,although any travel I do would be by automobile. I had been looking at the samick sage on Lancaster archery website, it is fairly inexpensive and has alot of good reviews. Some of my biggest confusion with this style of archery is the arrows. I have only used carbon arrows and am completely baffled as to what I would need for arrows.
start off with alum. arrows with feathers,keep them ainch or 2 longer then your draw length and just have fun
