Traditional bow hunting

[AzHunter_15]

Always up for a new challenge and was thinking about maybe picking up a traditional bow and giving it a shot and hunting with it if I can get it dial in. Any thoughts on where to start  , or a good starter bow? Thanks anything helps as I have never even touched a traditional. 

[NOTAGS]

Good for you, good challenge!  I started bowhunting with a Bear Grizzly when I was 15.  I have never shot a longbow, but know quite a few folks that like them and swear they are much smoother than a recurve.  I'd find a shop that sells trad equipment and has a range if possible, shoot both.  

Trad equipment will definitely put the challenge back into bow hunting.  Good luck and have fun with it!

[PRDATR]

https://archery360.com/2017/12/20/longbow-vs-recurve-whats-difference/

[AzHunter_15]

10 minutes ago, NOTAGS said:

Good for you, good challenge!  I started bowhunting with a Bear Grizzly when I was 15.  I have never shot a longbow, but know quite a few folks that like them and swear they are much smoother than a recurve.  I'd find a shop that sells trad equipment and has a range if possible, shoot both.  

Trad equipment will definitely put the challenge back into bow hunting.  Good luck and have fun with it!

Good to know didn’t even know there was a difference! Thanks

[runningbird]

I've shot a long bow for about 10 years.  I love shooting it.  I have killed a few Javilena  and two mule deer bucks.  Tried elk bull elk hunts but missed.

Get used to stalking to under 20 yards.  I'm dead on at 30 yards, but by the time the arrow gets there the game have jumped 2 or three steps.

My deer were shot at 12 and 16 yards. 

 

Traditional is a whole different game. 

[bdhuntr]

Check out the Black Hunter TD long bow at Twig Archery. One of my favorites even though it was 1/5 the price of others I have. Start out with fairly light limbs (low 30 range) and get your form and shot cycle down with those. You can get heavier limbs for hunting later. It is totally different shooting a 70lb compound vs a 40 lb trad bow.

[oz31p]

I say any thing . Grab a bow and start flinging. I love traditional archery. Only killed a few critters but is way more rewarding 

[bwana]

I suggest www.tradgang.com. Great site and great people . I shot traditional along time, back to the compound since 2016

[AZAV8ER]

18 hours ago, NOTAGS said:

Good for you, good challenge!  I started bowhunting with a Bear Grizzly when I was 15.  I have never shot a longbow, but know quite a few folks that like them and swear they are much smoother than a recurve.  I'd find a shop that sells trad equipment and has a range if possible, shoot both.  

Trad equipment will definitely put the challenge back into bow hunting.  Good luck and have fun with it!

My 31 year old son just went through this process. I was going to suggest a Bear Grizzly around 50#-45# but he went with a budget priced takedown recurve carried by his local archery shop. He is starting with 30# limbs and figured he can move up in weight as his form and confidence build. He is enjoying it and happy he chose trad over compound. Once you get the weight bow that you can shoot well with its just a matter of the right length/spine arrow. I shot a recurve and a reflex/deflex semi long bow for several years. Maybe the long bow was smoother but enjoyed shooting both bare bow. After a couple seasons hunting with them I switched to traditional black powder round ball ML. Spot and stalk with a 60-100 yard effective range was much nicer.

[Heat]

#1 Don't overbow yourself-My compound is 67#, my recurves are 37-51#. 40# is plenty to start with and will kill a deer no problem.

#2 Bow length somewhat corresponds with draw length, don't get a 52" bow if you draw like 30". 58 or 60" is a good medium length. Agree about Bear Grizzly. Don't spend too much in your first bow but get something you like and will want to shoot.

#3 Find a mentor or join a club. This one is kinda self explanatory.

Happy to help, ask lots of questions! Lots of sites on Facebook to buy used bows. I can help with that too. Feel free to contact me by pm if you prefer. Good luck and have fun!

[Heat]

[1uofacat]

This can be a lot of fun, hunted traditional style for years.  I started hunting deer with an Indian Bow in the early 70s.  Brothers shot Wing & Bear Bows.  I won a Javalina contest in the early 80s after hearing all the bragging crap from some of the guys who were shooting incredibly fast arrows & far at pigs, so for the last week in January (season back then was for the month of January, all archery tags were OTC), put down my Jennings & killed a huge pig w/cedar shafts (my own from blanks), turkey feathers, & Black Diamonds out of a 50# Bear Grizzley.  It was awesome & a lot of fun!  It put those bragging jerks in their place too being beat by a traditional archer (14-5/8" skull).

 

As stated earlier, start slow (poundage-wise), but know it's very different & you'll likely need to change your whole outlook & approach to be "successful" (whatever that means).  I also suggest reading the book, Hunting with the Bow and Arrow by Saxton Pope.  Original was printed in 1923, reprint in 1947, & in 2011.  (Name of the author sound familiar?)  Pope & Young also taught Fred Bear as Ishi passed before Fred came into the picture as I recall.  

 

If this book doesn't get your heart pumping for traditional style hunting, don't put down your compound bow.

[1uofacat]

In the mid 80s my brothers & I decided to try/go back to traditional for elk so we ordered 80# Damon Howatt recurves.  They built/sold us several, but we all broke them, most of which limbs snapped at full draw when releasing.  (& don't think that didn't make you wonder if the limb was going to smack you after releasing either!)

 

After several calls we finally got through to the tech building them.  He told us he warned the salesman not to agree to build/sell them because the limbs/materials weren't engineered for the poundage we were asking for.  We were holding about 96# at full draw with our draw lengths using the largest XX75 shafts made at the time.  

 

Later we gave it up & went back to compounds, although one of my brothers did kill a decent 6x with his old Wing recurve.

 

... or should I have said, "harvested"?  🤣

[bigorange]

I’ve actually been toying with the idea too...I shot recurve a long time ago and really enjoyed it. I suck at getting close enough with compound, so I’d be a really crappy trad hunter. I enjoy listening to Aron Snyder’s podcast from Kifaru. He talks expensive stuff, but he shifted to traditional and is pretty informative and entertaining. 

[Edge]

1 hour ago, 1uofacat said:

This can be a lot of fun, hunted traditional style for years.  I started hunting deer with an Indian Bow in the early 70s.  Brothers shot Wing & Bear Bows.  I won a Javalina contest in the early 80s after hearing all the bragging crap from some of the guys who were shooting incredibly fast arrows & far at pigs, so for the last week in January (season back then was for the month of January, all archery tags were OTC), put down my Jennings & killed a huge pig w/cedar shafts (my own from blanks), turkey feathers

I did a lot of small game hunting with a traditional bow growing up. All with hand me down bows from an archery obsessed uncle.

Got the itch again a couple years ago when a mentor offered to lend some knowledge. We selected just the right willow down along the Salt River to make a bow from. A lot of prepping for this like a daily flexing of the tree while waiting for the right time to cut it.

I was anxious to get good with my own made bow, arrows and forged heads. But life threw a curve when my N/A friend had a bad spat with his spouse and  moved up on the White Mtn Res.  Now he's heard his calling preaches the gospel there.

Just a speed bump in a hunting path less taken. I will bring down a deer with tools I manufactured even if I have to use a spear. Till then, cap and ball will keep tame my ancestral urges.