ForkHorn Report post Posted December 22, 2011 Anyone hunt with a traditional bow? I have every intention of picking up a recurve and learning how to shoot it after the Christmas weekend. I have shot a compound for awhile now and feel drawn to picking up some traditional stuff and going "old school". It'd be neat to see some pictures of Arizona game taken with a recurve or longbow. Any tips or tidbits of info as to how it may change how I bowhunt (compound vs traditional), are welcomed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted December 22, 2011 Anyone hunt with traditional bow? I have every intention of picking up a recurve and learning how to shoot it after the Christmas weekend. I have shot a compound for awhile now and feel drawn to picking up some traditional stuff and going "old school". It'd be neat to see some pictures of Arizona game taken with a recurve or longbow. Any tips or tidbits of info as to how it may change how I bowhunt (compound vs traditional, are welcomed. I don't anymore, except for stump shooting around camp. I started out with traditional gear many years ago. I took a buck and small game growing up back in Indiana. The wide open space and longer shots in the west makes it very difficult. Traditional is a whole new game which requires a higher level of dedication and practice. I thought about hunting javelina with my recurve, but there's always the chance that a nice muley will present a 50-60 yard shot....maybe a bit of a stretch for a stick bow. Don't let it discourage you from trying though. Pick up some decent used equipment to start and go from there. You'll have to practice..practice..practice...and build up those back muscles along the way. I am of the opinion that all new archers, especially kids, should learn the fundamentals of traditional archery before moving on to the high-tech stuff. You will develop eye-hand coordination, learn the trajectory of the arrow, and good form. Heck, if something goes wrong with my high-tech compound in the field, I know I can shoot instinctively, no sights, and finger release if necessary. Good luck and have fun. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest oneshot Report post Posted December 23, 2011 I have been with hunting trad gear for 40+years, with a few seasons of trying to shoot a compound. The compound Bow just never gave me the enjoyment or confidence of a recurve.I'm not sure of the total deer I've killed with a bow, but it would be somewhere around 50-70 deer(reg. bow season plus "management tags" on our farm/lease. I now shoot a 60inch BlackWidow recurve 49# @30inches bare bow(no sights), release with bare fingers(no glove). I draw and shoot at what seems the same time, meaning I dont hangout at full draw, when my finger touches the corner of my mouth, I've already made my aiming process and the arrow flys. Dont feel that your limiting yourself as to range with a trad bow, I've seen some stickbow shooters make some crazy shots over and over, At a trad shop in NY the owner POWDERS asprin at 60YARDS as a show of what can be done...Top photo: 2011 Coues Buck at 4yards from tree stand... Bottom photo: 2010 Coues Buck(P&Y tied for number 323) at 25yards from the ground at running deer... Enjoy the change and Good Luck dumping the "training-wheels"... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cmc Report post Posted December 23, 2011 I would say I have been bit by the same bug and just took ownership of a used Bear Grizzly for my Christmas present from my wife and kids. I would say first go with a used bow if possible, go 15 lbs lighter than your compound, get arrows that are 'spine' properly for the recurve bow draw weight/length. That is far more important than on compounds, and it's important on them so don't overlook it. I'm still in search of the right spine and testing with bare shafts of all that I have and not found the perfect one. Once you have the bow in tune (see Eastons Bow Tuning guide - google it) ...then practice, practice, practice. Work on finding the same anchor spot and using proper form on your draw and you should start to group quickly. I guess you could look at this a few different ways. We took to hunting pigs in the HAM hunts so that while deer hunting we weren't distracted by a pig tag and spotting pigs. Now you could look at applying for a HAM tag so that in Jan you can hunt with your compound and in Feb HAM season use the recurve. I will say if I'm shooting well with my recurve by then I'm going that route but most of January I'll have my PSE Dream Season in my hand. If you're looking for a used bow try tradgang and archerytalk classified. I bought mine on ebay for less then I was seeing them on any other site. Your mileage may vary. one shot... sweet looking bucks and congrats on filling your tags. Stick and string makes it that much more memorable. I have yet to shoot anything like that with my compound which has kept me from switching to traditional for deer. Figure I'd start off on pigs and small game for a while. Maybe not. Who knows. Good luck. cmc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ForkHorn Report post Posted December 23, 2011 Great information guys, I really appreciate it. Love the pics oneshot, it makes me want to get out there right now. Right now I have tentatively decided on ordering a Samick Sage ($129) from 3 rivers archery in either 35lb or 40lb, with the intent of upgrading to 50lb limbs (only $69 for limbs) after I practice for awhile. The Sage has got great reviews everyhwere I have looked online, with many people saying it's the best value in traditional archery, and a lot of bow for the money. I went down to Sportsmans the other day and shot a 30lb version and it felt great. Silky smooth. I'm pretty excited about diving into this after Christmas. It looks like I will be able to get started fairly inexpensive and work from there. It seems like tuning the bow and finding the right spine for arrows is pretty critical and something I should not skimp in putting time into. Do you all shoot instinctive? It seems the key concept is focus on a spot and "aim small miss small". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest oneshot Report post Posted December 23, 2011 There are books that explain instinctive shooting,G.Fred Asbell is probably the best on this subject. There is also a method called "Gap shooting" where your nock-point is at or under the eye and your sighting down the arrow. Set-up(nocking point, brace height, arrow selection), Good practice(for hunting: making a slow smooth draw and keying on the "one arrow" concept) and commitment to your goal will get you where you need to be...Goood Luck... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DBArcher Report post Posted April 2, 2012 well its official, I can say im a traditional nut, been bouncing back and forth for some time now between compounds and traditional, but this past january I took a javalina with the recurve now im hooked. Even going so far as selling my compound(If anyone is looking got it setup ready to shoot for $200). Good luck shooting and hunting with it, its a blast. Daniel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
standman Report post Posted April 2, 2012 I just got a new recurve a little over a month ago. Been wanting one for a long while now. Practice is going great out to 20 yards. My goal this hunting season is to take a coues buck with it (long time dream of mine) and then a javelina. Definately a whole different ball game than shooting a compound, that is for sure. Brian Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hawkens Report post Posted April 2, 2012 I made the change this year to sold my Mathews and bought me a longbow . Having a blast with my set up !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted April 2, 2012 well its official, I can say im a traditional nut, been bouncing back and forth for some time now between compounds and traditional, but this past january I took a javalina with the recurve now im hooked. Even going so far as selling my compound(If anyone is looking got it setup ready to shoot for $200). Good luck shooting and hunting with it, its a blast. Daniel If you werent a midget, Id think about about it.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DBArcher Report post Posted April 2, 2012 Its to good of a setup for ya casey Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ForkHorn Report post Posted April 3, 2012 I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one that has been bitten by the traditional bug. I'm addicted. Been shooting a 40lb recurve since my initial post, and just recently picked up a 53 lb custom longbow I plan on hunting with. I have definitely set aside the compound in favor of my new bows. I enjoy shooting a lot more, and can't wait for archery turkey next month to get out there. 20 yards seems to be my comfortable range right now but I'm slowly getting better. There is just something about having a lightweight wood bow with no sights and accessories hanging off it that calls out to me. Good luck to everyone! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BASS Report post Posted April 7, 2012 Traddy here too! I shot compounds my whole life, and picked up a recurve back in 2004ish to play around with. Didn't shoot it for a couple years and dug it back out. I surprised myself this year by actually keeping the arrows on the target (yellow jacket) at 40 yards. At twenty I was dead on, and missed a quail on the javilina hunt just barely from shooting too low, which is my bad habit with all bows. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ibowhuntaz Report post Posted April 9, 2012 This was my first Traditional for Arizona. Will probably keep using a Longbow for pigs from now on it was so much fun. http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29742 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
