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Traditional archery

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hunt-m-up

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Looking at buying a recurve and looking for some input...What weight would you suggest to start? #45? I used to shoot fingers w/tab, is that OK or is a glove better? And is it some type of sin to shoot aluminum shafts? Do most of you typically go with a heavier broadhead/125+? I want to get started now so I can use it next season.
Thanks,
 
I don't profess to be an expert but here's what I think. I picked my recurve up again this year and had a great time. I would go as heavy as you can, keeping in mind if you hunt out of a treestand you may be forced to take a shot in an unusual position, which makes it alot harder to pull to full draw as I'm sure you already know. Plus sitting in the cold for awhile adds to that difficulty. I shoot an old Martin 50#, Easton XX75 2217's with Rocky Mt. Razor Lite 100 grain broadheads. I feel comfortable taking maybe a 20-25 yd. shot tops, as compared to some yardages shot with a fast compound. What I like about the recurve is it's light weight and quiet movements. Good luck.stingray
 
You want to shoot the most weight you can handle,I have a 58# @28" that I use till close to season then switch to my hunting bow.63#@28".I use tabs and the one I like is the mitt its thicker leather and helps at heaver weights on fingers.There is nothing wrong with useing carbons if you want.I use 2213.
JUST HAVE FUN!!!
 
Forgot your question about a tab or glove. What has worked for me is a real light pair of polypropylene $3 @ Walmart inside a pair of wool mittens- the kind that you can fold back to reveal your fingers. Keeps me real warm, they're versatile, inexpensive, I can shoot with fingers accurately. Experiment with different things, you'll find out what you like. stingray
 
I don't claim to be an expert, and no offense to the posts before me but I almost totally disagree with some of the above advise. I have been doing 'traditional' archery serious for about 15 years..... and a lot of what I have learned I have done it the hard way. I would not recommend that you shoot the most weight. This leads to poor form early on and loss of confidence. You can kill any big game animal on this continent with #45 pounds and the RIGHT broadhead. If you have never shot a recurve bow for any length of time, then I would recommend starting at #45 pounds..... you will be much more consistent and your confidence will grow leaps and bounds. You could probably go with #50 pounds and do well with a little exercise and conditioning. Trust me, ... shooting on a warm summer day in the backyard or on the range is a lot easier than drawing that bow back after 4-6 hours on stand in 30 degree temps. and having any kind of accuracy. Another tip>>>>> do NOT pay any attention to the Easton arrow charts. They are way OVER spined!! You will have a hard time getting dart like accuracy with any spine over 2018 in a #55lb. recurve or less. Most traditional guys shoot arrows that are way too stiff, thus resulting in poor arrow flight. Just stand behind some guys at the local range and watch their arrows kick like a mule during flight down range. I was WAY over spined for years until I got around some guys that knew a lot about 'traditional' archery. I went from 10" groups to being able to touch fletching just do to a poor arrow choice.
Shooting tab vs. glove is a personal choice. I have used both and currently enjoy the 3 finger Damascus leather glove. I have one final thought......... WARNING: Traditional archery is a disease...... once you get the fever you can never turn back!!! I WARNED you......
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sorry cornfed,the most weight you can handle easily.Iam not that strong and can handle around 60#.If all I could handle was 50# I would go back to compounds as I like to shoot out to 30 yards.50# can do it, but I cant with a 50# bow.
 
Recurve? Is there something other than a longbow?
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I have a little experience, on my profile you can see my crude website

We used to hunt with bows in the 40-50 # range when I got started. A good shot and clean release goes clear through a whitetail even at those weights.

I tend to favor the 50-60# range for most of us. The heavier the bow the the more likely you will not shoot it as well. You can usually tell when someone is overbowed by watching them draw. If you have to raise the bow over your head to draw it back you may be heavier than you should be for your best performance.

Bow weight is not a macho thing and heavier does not guarantee good results. Compound bows gave us the ability to use too heavy of weight and get by with it.

A tab will work just fine if that is what YOU like. I use a glove as my personal choice.

Yes, it is a sin to shoot aaaaaluminum or cccccarbon shafts out of a stickbow!
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But you should shoot whatever works best for YOU!

You should hunt with an arrow/BH combination that flys good and goes where you want it to go each time. I use BH's in the 125-135 grain range that gives my arrows a total weight of around 500 grains I think. (I don't have a grain scale)

Getting started now is a great idea. It can be a rather troubling psycological change to make for anyone that has only known the compound bow personally.

My opinions:

It is not necessary to go out and a spend a fortune on high $$ trad equipment. It is more of the mind and developed skills of the shooter than the cost of the gear.

If you want to make the change work more easily, make a serious comittment and leave the compound somewhere out of reach.

There will most likely be some setbacks on occasion as you make the transition. If traditional is in your blood you will overcome the setbacks and do well. If not, you can go back to the comfort of the compound which is not the end of the world.
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I have good hunting buddies and relatives that have tried traditional but cannot cross the mental bridge. I still acknowledge them as bowhunters.
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If possible find some experienced stickbow shooters to spend time with and get their opinions and see what they work with. Joining a local club, going to 3D shoots and other events is a good way to see other folks and get to fondle some good equipment.

You can get caught up in all the speed, weight, upgrades, new technology etc... to your hearts desire. But the measure of a good bowhunter is doing his best with his skills and good techniques. Most of the tools will do their job if you have the desire and confidence to use them. Focus on getting the arrow where you want it to go and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Little else matters.

I shot completely through my deer this year (as usual) with 57# and 160 fps.

Wanab.c. is right on, JUST HAVE FUN!

Good luck and welcome to a high challenge/high satisfaction adventure.
 
I agree with the mentality of a lighter bow to start with. I personally use a 45lb bow shooting 500 gr. goldtip arrows. I've shot six deer with this setup over the last 5 years and all but one were complete pass throughs. I agree with cornfed about over spined arrows. Get yourself a half dozen goldtip carbon arrows with the weighting system. It is a lot faster to get to the "perfect" spine for your setup than trying to play with a half dozen different aluminums. It took me about 20 minutes to get the arrow I currently shoot. If you plan on staying traditional awhile and plan on buying a "new" bow I'd suggest a take-down of some kind. If you want to go to a higher draw weight down the road you can just buy new limbs instead of an entire bow. Have fun it's a whole new sport from here on out.
 
You know what they say about opinions. I would suggest that you try to shoot both recurves and long bows before you make a decission. I haven't shot a recurve since I was a teenager, and made the move from a compound in 1994 when I made my first stickbow. Even though both recurves and longbows are traditional they shoot and handle differenty. The longbows are much more forgiving of form and can be just as fast as recurves, and are "not"a problem in a tree stand because they are too long. I also am not an expert, but after building a couple hundred wooden bows I have developed some opinions.

As far as weight, don't try to go too heavy at first. Most people will shoot much better a little under 50# than upto 60#. If you draw a traditional bow correctly you use different mussels than with a compound. The draw starts with the bow arm flexed back toward the body and as you draw you extend the bow at the same time as you draw the string. This means you use your back as well as shoulder and arm mussels. When you hit your anchor you relase almost instantly, so there is no holding at full draw for extended times. This should become very fluid and natural and the heavier draw weights impead the smooth flow, at least at first.

As for arrows I have already said how much I like cedar shafts with large feathers. If you shoot "off the shelf" the feathers are the only way to go, and then you don't have tuning problems with different rests. If you use an elevated rest then you must nock higher on the string and that makes the upper limb string length shorter and that changes arrow flight. If you shoot off the shelf you still nock above bow center but it is not nearly as pronounced. Use broadheads in the 125 to 140 grain range with two blades. On a 29" cedar shaft this will give you arrow weights of 500 to 550 grains and will penetrate much better than three or four bladed heads.

Gloves or tabs? Several may dissagree but I like those no-glove things you put on the bowstring, especially for hunting. You may give up just a little speed because of the added string weight, but I can still get 150 to 160 fps. While hunting you will only take one or two shots anyway, and you can't forget your glove in your other coat pocket.

With good equippment you can take deer out to 30+ yards, but I read about a lot of 10 and 12 yard shots and those should become almost automatic. The big thing is to have fun and you should understand that very likely you will have more than one traditional bow by the time you hunt a year or two with one!
 
I guess it depends on what kind of shape a person is in to tell them how heavy of a bow to get.Unless one has some health or shoulder problems they should be able to handle a 55# bow easly.
Bowmaker is right that it would be wise to shoot both a recurve and longbow.Give it a good try,theres nothing more fun but its not for everyone.
 
Hunt-m-up,

If you have never been to this site before check it out.

http://www.stickbow.com/

Got to the "Leatherwall" and you will find traditional language spoken fluently.

Not much to go wrong with a stickbow, and if it ain't broke you don't fix it. You just need to adjust the nut behind the handle now and then
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Thanks for the advice guys. Great site BW.
I wondered about the longbow vs. recurve. Will continue to do my research on this one, but will probably go lower poundage to build good form first. Thanks again.
 
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