Great Northern Bushbow, what do you think?

[killinstuff]

I really like the looks of the Great Northern Bushbow on the back of the lastest issue of TBM and I'm wondering what the guys that have one or had one think about the bow.

[Whitetail Chaser]

I shot one for a few years back in the '90's.  It was a sweet little bow.  Smooth to draw and very quiet.  I killed a few deer with it.  Still have it in storage.  

They are good bows.  I may hunt with mine again someday, but I've been in recurve mode the past few years.

Brett

[Ghost Dog]

I have a very high opinion of the Bushbow. Out of  well over a hundred fiberglass laminated longbows of various limb configurations that I have owned, the Great Northern Bushbow is one of my two favorites.

Any bow is only as good as how accurately you can shoot it. I have found that a mild R/D, showing no reflex when strung, shoots most consistently for me. Now that is not a revelation; a lot of guys have come to the same conclusion.

The brilliance of the Bushbow is it's smooth, natural feeling when drawn, coupled with the stability that the slightly wider limbs provide. The bow just feels right; smooth, stable and quiet. It feels like a bow that was perfectly designed for the human body, and having a background in exercise physiology that is an important component with any bow that I shoot.

If you are wondering about speed, the Bushbow is not a speed demon, but why would it need to be? There are only two speeds to be concerned with; fast enough and not fast enough. The Bushbow is definitely fast enough. Once again, a bow is only as good as how consistently accurate you are with it, and the Bushbow is a honey at delivering an arrow right where you want it.

[Pete Patterson]

I think more importantly, you would be well informed to appreciate what Jerry, the bowyer, is capable of.  I'm on my second Great Northern Critter Gitter.  And the quality is unsurpassed by any bow I've ever owned or shot.  It's a joy to shoot something of it's quality.

Whatever you get from Great Northern will serve you well.

[maxwell]

I agree great bows simple to shoot made for the hunt. The jacknife is a great takedown option.

Bill

[Long Bow]

I've only had mine for about a month,picked it up at Kzoo, and I'm loving it! As Ghost Dog said, it's smooth, stable and quiet, and it's plenty fast enough!

 

....And putry too!

[Java Man]

Great Nothern's new ad on the back cover of TBM sure looks nice.  The bows are very well made also.

[Ghost Dog]

One more thing.

I really enjoy the simple beauty of Great Northern bows. They have a dignified, uncluttered appearance, which highlights the overall beauty and function of what a bow truly is. The image above says it all!

[Focusource]

My cellphone wallpaper is the Great Northern logo.  I recently sent a letter of appreciation to Jerry Brumm.  The man makes a wonderful bow.

[paradocs]

Don't under-estimate the Bushbow's speed, either.  Mine is 57# @ 26", my actual draw length.  It has put 630 gr woodies through 3 different chronos at about 155 fps.  Extrapolate that out to a 28" draw and 9 gr/lb arrows, and I believe you'd be in the mid 180s.  Not too shabby for a mild R/D bow.  As an aside, it's the quietest bow I've shot...by far.

[WidowEater]

Some thoughts on the Bushbow....

Right now my primary bow is a Bushbow.  Most of the posts here have been positive but mine will not be.  I assure you it is only my personal opinion.  

The Bushbow I own is fast enough.  It is also the quietest I have ever shot.  I does not feel good to me though.  Hand shock is higher than normal and it has a tendency to stack after about half the draw.  

It is a good bow abeit an archaic design.  An archaic design that works.  I would recommend a bow with more deflex/reflex and something besides bamboo for a limb material.  I know I might catch serious flak with opinions like these.

One last thing is this.  I consider myself an above average shooter.  The flaws in the Bushbow I just pointed out are by no means insurmountable otherwise it would not be my primary bow right now.  I only believe it takes an experienced archer to get by the flaws.  There is no such thing as perfect....

[Ghost Dog]

WidowEater, I have read your post several times trying to delineate your position on the Bushbow.
 
You mention that your post will not be positive, but then you go on to say that the Bushbow is your primary bow, that is fast enough and that it is the quietest bow you have ever shot. It sounds to me that you like the bow quite a bit. As far as hand shock, one man's hand shock is another man's no hand shock. Personally I find no meaningful hand shock shooting a hunting weight arrow (10 grains plus).

The comment that your bow stacks half way through the draw is really odd. I have never heard of such a thing. I have three bows from Great Northern and they are as smooth as can be.

And as far as your recommendation for a limb material other than bamboo,I am uncertain how this comment relates to this particular post, but there are some great woods available for limb laminations other than bamboo, so I am with you on that point. Hickory is a remarkable limb material for the Bushbow.

One last point. I have never shot a traditional bow that was not an archaic design, or inspired by an archaic design. All modern bows are just a step away from a so-called primitive designs, sans modern materials. The ease with which I can shoot the Bushbow accurately after having shot every permutation of longbow on the planet makes me think that it is a highly refined design, but to each his refinement.

[Orion]

Widow eater:  I must say I'm confused by your post as well.  Never owned a bushbow, but have owned a bunch of critter gitters and ghosts and have a critter gitter on order now, with bamboo limbs.  Compared to a lot of other mild r/d bows, the hand shock on all of the GN's I've shot has been mild.  All bows have hand shock, of course.  No bow is 100% efficient, and the extra energy in the limbs has to go somewhere.  GNs have very small, physically light risers, so there's not much weight to absorbe whatever excess limb energy there is.  Some are more sensitive to hand shock that others.  I simply don't notice it on most bows, GNs included.

Part of the attraction of the bush bow and critter gitter for me is the mild r/d design that strings up into the classic D-shape.  The trend/fad nowdays is the super r/d hybrid bow, often times with chunky, recurve type risers.  They have more in common with a recurve than a longbow.  They're faster than the mile r/d design, of course, all other things being equal.  I've been there, done that.  I'll take the stability (and looks) of a mild r/d bow.

I'm an experienced archer as well.  Been shooting sticks for more than 40 years, and I'm also pretty good at it.  If Great Northern bows have any flaws that require the shooter to compensate, I've yet to discover them.  IMO, they're about as close to perfect functional design as one will ever see.

Re bamboo.  IMO there simply isn't a better limb core material.  I've converted entirely to bamboo cores.  Every bow I own from several different bowyers have bamboo cores.  In my opinion, bamboo is smoother drawing, it's a bit faster than wood cores of the same weight, and because it's physically lighter, there is less weight in the limbs compared to wood to contribute to hand shock.