Am I a little nuts to try?

[gudspelr]

So here's my predicament...  I want to build a bow.  Matter of fact, I was in the garage last night working some stuff out and did my first dry run at my (hopefully) first laminated longbow.  Never bow-hunted before; wanted to, but couldn't seem to get around to spending significant amounts of money for a compound.  This is cheaper and I enjoy building stuff, so I figure it's a win/win.

Well, a few things keep creeping into my mind.  During the dry run, I started seeing some of the challenges that will come with only the glue-up.  That doesn't even count the stuff that will likely come later (if I manage to get it glued up correctly, that is).  The other thing is my "wheelie" friends...  One guy thinks I'm plain crazy to go the trad route.  Says he thinks they're cool bows and all, but can't see why I seem to make things harder than they need to be (no sight pins, releases, closer for a shot, etc.).  Another guy had a friend who gave up on a trad bow after 4 seasons because he was unsuccessful hunting and told me I should get a compound first, then go trad if I still wanted to.

All that being said, I'm still going strong to build my own bow-also want to build a board bow like what 4est has posted, too.  I know I'm asking a biased crowd here, but what are your honest opinions?  Have you seen many guys try and then give up at the trad thing because it's too difficult or not what they thought it would be?  What is it that keeps you building your own bows and hunting with them?  I dream of a day when I can harvest an animal with a bow I made myself-is that crazy talk?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Jeremy

[Roy from Pa]

I dream of a day when I can harvest an animal with a bow I made myself-is that crazy talk?
 

You said it all right there:) And that's why we do it..

[walkabout]

thats exactly right, for me its seeing a bow ive built shoot well, and the amazement i get from it actually shooting well and not snapping on the first pull. its not easy, but i like challenges. trad bow hunting/ shooting is to me just as easy as shooting a compound, because the bow is simply an extension of your arm and its similar to pointing your finger, something everyone does instinctively. no sights to tell you where youre pointing, but like the compound there is some need for good form. i find trad longbows more forgiving of mistakes than even the nicest compounds, and if something is off with my trad bows i fix them myself, no need to take them to a shop so a "technician" can fix them. to each their own though, but for me simpler is better.

[Osagetree]

There are many members here that had the same thoughts and goals,,, you're not nuts!
I am on my way to work or I would have more to say.

Hope this link provides you some inspiration. Not my first but, still inline with your dream.
 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=39;t=000219

[Brent Hill]

Your are nuts, nuts, nuts, nuts... and so are we.  The idea that you may want to try something that may fail, that may be difficult is one that is okay, heck it should be mandatory.  Life is full of nice warm cozy people who are still wrapped in their nice warm robes afraid to jump off the diving board into a risky crazy life.  Don't be one of them.  I'm building either my first osage sinew backed bow... or another pile of splinters.  Either way, I will to try again with new lessons learned.  But I'm getting more than just a bow out of the deal.  You will see.  There is a reason you want to do this, hanging out in your garage screwing with a strange piece of wood as versus getting overfed in front of a TV.  You need to shoot with some of us. Stick with it.  Welcome to the campfire.

[Apex Predator]

You are in for the ride of your life!  Having never hunted before, you are un-tarnished by all the gadgets and gimmicks available today.  Build your bow, with our help if needed, and go out and enjoy your hunting.  You will feel like a little kid again while carrying one you built yourself!  It's a phenomenal journey!

[ChristopherO]

In the end nothing says you can't put sights on your home made bow, if you want to for a while.  Some guys even use a mechanical release with their trad bow.  But, you will probably enjoy the challange of learning to shoot your creation without those aids because you like a challange or you wouldn't consider starting on this road in the first place.  
I've seen guys on here that take multiple big game animals their first season with traditional bows.  I am entering my 4th season without tagging a deer with mine.  Not that I haven't had multiple opportunities, either.  My arrows have shot just over the back or under the chest on many occassions.  No fault of the bow.  Am I ready to pack it in?  Not a chance.  If I really need meat I pull out the shotgun in gun season but my heart is still with my archery gear.
Have a great time.

[DCM]

Absolutely, you are stark raving mad.  Welcome to the club.

Folks have tried hard things for millinia, and given up in defeat, but we ain't their ancestors.

Have fun, that's what matters.  If a nice bow comes out of it, great.  If you get to hunt and kill something, all the better.  

That said, if you want to increase you odds of success hunting, to enjoy the process of killing and eating wild game which I'd encourage, then use a bow and then a gun.  That's why they have two separate seasons.  ;-)

[Tom Leemans]

Can't never did nothin'

[Joshua Lee]

Don't look back.  I shot compound last year and made the switch a few months ago.  A friend loaned me a bow, I got hooked, built a bow, and now shoot everyday.  Compound hunting was fun but I only shot two weeks before the season and stored the bow the rest of the year.
Before you build one, I would reccomend that you borrow one first so you know what you like or dislike.  Also, I missed my weight by 11 pounds on my first bow so be ready for anything.
Good luck
Josh
also, I'm in boise Id and found a nice exotic wood place in eagle (noticed your in Idaho), and wood be happy to give you any pointers that I have picked up.

[metsastaja]

My only suggestion is before you do the glue up is to read through some of the build a longs here.

 You will pick up lot of tips and tricks that will make your effort much easier.

Best of luck

[b.glass]

I was hoping someone like Josh would pipe in. Accept his offer. There is NOTHING like a mentor. Good luck! I hope your first bow is just what you want. It doesn't happen alot, but it happens.
I had never hunted before I picked up a longbow. I have one deer to my credit and it took 7 years. He is in my avatar. There are alot of variables involved besides choice of weapon.

[Jason Scott]

You are committed already. Congratulations! You will be just fine. You have a different mindset than your friends about what it is to succeed in archery hunting.

[Mike Most]

After the bow, comes the strings, the arrows the fletchings, the armguards, all the good friends and yep relatives, durn I got it so bad, and there aint nothing to take for it.....

 

[jsweka]

I was a compound guy during my teens and early 20's and had good success on deer.  Saw some guys shooting traditional bows at a 3D around 1994 or so and the looked like they were having a lot more fun than me and I started getting interested.  Shot with a borrowed Shakespere recurve for a little while and my father bought me a Great Plains recurve for a college graduation present in 1996.  I didn't hunt with it that year because I still wasn't sure of my shooting yet.  That was the last year I shot a buck with the compound.  Grad school came and that put a damper on all my hunting.  Really got back into it when I finished school and got a real job.  I wanted another bow, but couldn't decide what I wanted and always admired those that made their own equipment.  So I got a Binghams longbow kit and never looked back.  I was really proud of that first bow, but looking at it now, it's somewhat embarassing.  I haven't had much success yet with traditional equipment - it is tougher and the everything about deer hunting in PA has changed in the past 7 - 8 years (that's a whole other topic).  Still I would rather not kill anything than go back to a compound (or rifle, still do like my flintlocks).

For some of us in the hunting community, how many we kill or how big the kill doesn't mean as much as how we killed it.  To me there is no greater accomplishment in hunting than to kill a big game animal with a weapon you made yourself.  Beleive me, after you build that bow and kill a something with it your friends will be envious, even if they don't admit to it.

Good luck,

John

[gudspelr]

Thank you all so much for the encouragement-I really appreciate it.  Josh-looks like I'm only about 20 minutes down the freeway from you.  I just saw your post the other night with your makeshift sander-started giving me some good ideas.  Might have to find out that exotic wood guy you have over in Eagle...

As for reading some of the buildalongs on here, to my wife's dismay, I have spent A LONG time on here doing just that   .  I also have an old VHS tape a friend of mine loaned me that has a full build up on it-watched it twice so far and probably will another time or two just before glueing up.  Same guy was gracious enough to loan me his longbow form and heat box.  When done, the bow will hopefully be a functioning R/D Longbow.  My friend had one he built off the same form several years back and it's a great shooter.

Anyway, thanks again and I'll try and take some pics during the process to show you all.

Jeremy