Question for the multiple bow owners.... so everyone

[Sam McMichael]

I own a fair number of bows but only regularly shoot a few of them. Several are close enough in performance that they shoot the same arrows. This makes it easy, and I have a whole bunch of 50/55 spine arrows.. Some of the others will only shoot one set of my arrows, but since I don't shoot them all that often, it all works well. I have a couple of Hill style bows  that don't seem to care what spec arrows are used. They may shoot one spine better than others but will adequately shoot 3 different sets. Honestly, though, I don't shoot several of my bows at all and don't even know if I have suitable arrows at all.

[GCook]

3 bows.  2 I shoot regularly.  Both Primal Techs.  Right now the longbow is being kinder to me than the recurve.   However until today I've been shooting poorly with all of them.  May have to string up the recurve to see if the fix is universal.
I also like having all my bows the same weight and share arrows.  So far it's worked.

So how do I decide which bow? 
My confidence in my lethality with it. 
Most of this season my kills have been with the Primal Tech recurve and one with the longbow.  That said I take them both to the ranch and whichever one is easier to shoot well gets taken to stand.
The new to me Tall Tines is a work in progress.

[M60gunner]

I have a couple bows I will use for hunting. The others I shoot when I get the urge. Tomarrow is a range day for me and wife. I will take my LB and a recurve. That is my usual way but sometimes I take 3 bows.
  I was a “one bow” guy in another life time. While it’s a good behavior for being a hunter it doesn’t suit me for the rest of the year

[thump]

I have three Toelke whips, all the same weight just different lengths and just ordered a Toelke Whistler in the same weight as the other bows. All my bow's shoot the same arrows.So depending on if I'm hunting from the ground, treestand or blind will determine what bow I use.

[Friend]

I am most fortunate to have a stable of fine bows. There are eight that are setup to hit the field immediately. I give love to the one I am with.

[TDHunter]

Have 3 that shoot the same: Mountain Monarch, Kanati and Toelke Whistler, I can pick any of the 3 up and can put the arrows in the same group. The only other bow I kept was an ILF Recurve which  shoots a bit right of the others  pbeing centre shot. 3-4 volleys and I'm right where I need to be.
 

[SlowBowKing]

I inherited a decent stable of bows when my dad passed, but I shoot one exclusively leading up to and throughout hunting season. I need to do that to build confidence. This next year I’m thinking about sticking with that one year round.

[kopfjaeger]

For just shooting targets I pick the bow I fancy that day. Some days I may even shoot a couple different bows. But for bowhunting  I'll pick one bow that I decided to hunt with for the year and I will start shooting that bow only a minimum of a month before the archery season starts and will only shoot that one bow until archery season is over.  This year it's my 1990 Bear Kodiak, 55#@28", with german spruce arrows.

[1Arrow1Kill]

I am blessed with a good number of quality longbows and 1 recurve (which hangs).  All my longbows shoot better than I.   During the months of Jan - Apr, I am shooting in my basement at 12 yards to keep my muscles strong, my hold steady, my form consistent and my aim true.  I'm inside avoiding the Michigan cold and snow.  In May, I move to the back yard and shoot 2 - 3 of my favorite longbows at varying distances until the end of July.  In August and September, I shoot 'The Chosen One' longbow I've decided to hunt with and occasionally the longbow that will serve as my back-up if something goes south with 'The Chosen One'.  During the Michigan Whitetail Archery Season, Oct - Dec, I continue improving with 'The Chosen One' and back-up longbow.  Like Most of Y'all - I Love Me Some Traditional Archery All Year Long!

[NY Yankee]

I've got, now, several more bows than I can realistically use which is something I said wouldn't happen, but it did. I started with a factory bow, had to have a custom job, got interested in a few "vintage" bows which I procured for myself and was given several bows which I have fixed up and made pretty again. Each one is kind of special to me but the custom is the one I have had the longest. It's the one I take hunting, kind of like taking your best girl to the dance on saturday nights. I'll have to say though, since I got it, I have really been enamored with a '72 Bear Grizzly. Just an inexpensive factory bow with no "bells or whistles", just a nice clean old bow that shoots great for me, even though it's not supposed to fit me. It's the one I have taken to the dance a few times this year. Don't tell my steady, ok? 

[Dave Lay]

Ive only got 3 bows, my primary Hunting bow I’ve had several years is a widow 60” SAV take down recurve, that’s around 56 at my 27 in draw. the other 2 are longbows that my good friend has built me , one is a 66” 54# at 27 the other a 64” 45@27, That he built me this year after a health scare. So they all are pretty different . I typically stick with one bow most of the season but this year I wanted to kill with the only bow that hasn’t done so, that being the 45# longbow I just got this summer. I should have shot it from the time I got it and left the others on the rack but I kept going back to the recurve that’s 11 lbs heavier , and shoots a 630 gr arrow very well, even though the longbow shot excellent and had plenty of punch with a 520 gr arrow,  I just shot the recurve more consistently and was having issues with the lighter bow and the big drop in weight.  The first week of season I shot a smallish buck with the 45 lb longbow with a less than perfect but fatal hit at 10 yards.  That bothered me, I felt I was being irresponsible shooting a bow I didn’t feel as comfortable as possible with. So I picked up the recurve and killed a buck at 15 yards with a good shot.  So now I’m gonna try to really work on the longbow and dedicate my self to it this season, 2 weeks ago I failed on a 12 yard broadside shot at a big doe, luckily missing her low rather than what could have easily been a wound . I’m finishing out our 5 month season with my recurve. I’ll work on the longbow this summer then make a decision what to hunt with and stick with it a month or so before season.
   My problem is the big difference in bows , I let friends  talk me into trying a much lighter bow after a bout with cancer and radiation this past year tnat luckily I came out ok and still in pretty good shape. I was spooked I was going to lose the ability to still shoot my heavier bow.  Sorry for the long ramble but to me hunting with a bow should be automatic and fluid, not having to think about anchors and shot sequence when it’s time to shoot like I do with a unfamiliar set up . To me, that leads to bad stuff. Its cool you guys can switch bows like ya can. I’ll do it during the summer but just don’t feel I can while hunting
       

[cacciatore]

I have the obsession so I breath I eat and think about bow hunting all day long, down to 70 bows right now but all all been shot and fine tuned.I shot as many as 6-8 bows a day not big differences at hunting distances with a pretty close GPP from one to the other,from 50# to 70#. So always ready to everyone,but before elk hunting I practice with 2 at the same specs and arrow until the end of September.

[Red Beastmaster]

I have five bows usually. I sell one to help fund the next purchase. I switch regularly but will stick with one throughout a hunting season. I have two arrow groups that cover the bows I have.

[Shaun]

Thank you cacciatore! I was beginning to think I was the only one. A few years back I was asked at a shoot "How many bows do you own?" and replied "About 30". My girlfriend standing next to me broke out laughing. Maybe I undershoot a little. How do you folks get by with only a few bows?

I pick the bow that calls to me at the time, shoot some arrows to remember it and then take it afield. Arrows matched to each bow and I pick the one arrow to go on the string as I stalk or wait in the stand at the last minute by whim or intuition.

[bluemelonchitlin]

Out of the 20 bows in my stable the one I pick to shoot is just by the mood I'm in.