Takedown Recurve for Hunting - Recommendations?

[wingnut]

If you are not in a hurry, ETAR in July would be a great trip to take for you.  It's outside of Coudersport, Pa and will have around 20 bowyers there with their bows.  It will give you a chance to see and shoot all of the bows.

Looks like it's about 6 hours from Ottawa.

Mike

[TheYak]

Thanks for the tip on Jack and Abe.  Will check out their catalog.  I saw a TradGang thread come up about how very few people sell their Jack Kempf bows.  Good to know.

Thanks, Mike - I'll read up on ETAR.  6 hours is within range.

[mangonboat]

I'll ditto the recommendations to find a club that has trad competitions, including 3D and "safari" shoots and ask other hunters what they shoot and why, try their bows out for feel and ask if they'll even let you shoot some arrows within your weight. Different bows feel different in your hand and and when you release.

 Also ditto the recommendation to shop used and not just used bows that were originally top-of-the line. Folks swear by their favorite bows that were "working mans" bows 30-50 years ago. You will notice far less difference between a $150 used bow and $750 used bow than you think.

On the other hand, dont pinch pennies when it comes to matched hunting arrows for whatever you're shooting. Remember...you almost never read about a hunter beating or strangling  a deer with a bow...they almost always stand back a ways and let the arrow do the dirty  work.

There are some good bows to be found  in the classified here, on stickbow and even on the auction site but be VERY skeptical,especially with "as is / all sales final" on the auction site. Ask lots of questions, look carefully at serial numbers, research each model and make and year you are looking at, ask to see more photos and check to see if that same bow has been sold and re-sold. For example, there is a 1964 Bear Kodiak that sold in September for $389, a fair price for a shootable '64 Kodiak in good condition, but now a different seller has listed and re-listed that same bow ( check the SN!) 3 times this month and is now asking only $175...and nobody is bidding because they know there must be a problem with that bow.

[TheYak]

So I've spent the last few days eyeing up the bowyers' sites mentioned by you guys and I've been lovin' it!  I feel like a kid in a candy store.  

But now that I've perused most of them once or twice or thrice, I need to start narrowing down the possibilities so that I can keep an eye out on the classifieds / talk to the bowyers themselves, etc.  In trying to narrow down the field, I figure I should try to decide on a length.  I've been shooting a 62" 35# @ 28" draw length for a long while now.  I was planning on moving up to a 62" 45# @ 28".  Does that sound alright for a "first hunting bow"?  

I've heard that it's advantageous for a hunter to have a shorter bow so that it's easier to maneuver in the trees.  As you gang are the seasoned experts, I'm wondering if you can share whether you have found lengths of 62" to be too long/ a pain in the ass for hunting or perfectly fine?  Is there a hunter's advantage for using a longer bow?

[screamin]

Originally posted by meleagris1:
I really like the Morrison ILF risers and the Max1 or new Max2 limbs.

I like em too. Extremely stable and a very accurate setup.


 

Originally posted by TheYak:
I've heard that it's advantageous for a hunter to have a shorter bow so that it's easier to maneuver in the trees.  As you gang are the seasoned experts, I'm wondering if you can share whether you have found lengths of 62" to be too long/ a pain in the ass for hunting or perfectly fine?  Is there a hunter's advantage for using a longer bow?

I draw about 28 1/2" and shoot a 58" bow, one of those Morrison ilf risers with max1 limbs. It's a tack driver and I don't feel like the 4" shorter bow is a hindrance at all.

[Mo0se]

Another vote for the Dalaa, way too versatile to ignore. It's all I need in a no nonsense stable shooting platform that grows with you and has the ability to change with you. You can't say that about some bows. The draw weight, and tiller adjustments, Off the shelf or elevated rest/plunger ability.

Wanna try longbow limbs? No big deal just swap ILF bushings in longbow limbs to DAS bushings. I prefer the Dalaa limb mounting system over ILF, for me, it's more secure and quiet. You also get 3 limb length choices and 3 riser length choices. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better option for a first bow.

It's not wood, some like it some don't but most wood bows don't give you those options I mentioned either. You can't break it, and you have unlimited options for limbs. As an example, if you were to put 40# limbs on it you can go 3 lbs either way, up or down..a nice feature for sure. So basically a range of 37-43 from one set of limbs.

You also have the ability to run a stabilizer should you choose to, Buy any quiver you want and it bolts right up to AMO mounting holes, Sight mounting holes etc.
 
Good luck on your search!

[beaunaro]

If I were in your shoes. I would do what the majority are saying.

Try before you buy.

One more suggestion besides the 3D shoots and the Kalamazoo, and ETAR shoot and Compton's, and the Classifieds here:

Google RMSG (Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear)

Their store in Denver has 250 used trad bows in stock.

They are very helpful on the phone whether you buy or not.

You may want to make a road trip if you need a bow now.

You could get a hotel room nearby and shoot for days, then come home with one or two bows you truly love and will fit you to a tee.

So much information is hard to find in one place, but they have it and they will share it.

[Michael Arnette]

Blair, welcome to the gang!
With so many great choices out there it's a tough decision. I've shot about every major brand on the market, did a lot of trading here before it required membership. Right now I shoot a TallTines and love it. I've narrowed it down to 3-4 for the best take down for me:

Schafer Silvertip
Morrison
Talltines
Dale Dye

Toelke, Bob Lee and RER make some great bows also!

I'm not a huge fan of Black widow but I think it's more personal than anything.

[TheYak]

Thanks, guys for all the feedback.

MoOse - I'll check out Dalaa, as I haven't yet read to much on that though it sounds very versatile.

beunaro - Great suggestion about RMSG - wow, they really have a good reserve of bows in stock.  I'll definitely keep my eye on it.

Michael - great shortlist.  All the bowyers have great stuff and it sounds like there's a lot of quality stuff out there.  Just by what's resonating with me right now, I'm really liking the Schafer Silvertip, Bob Lee, Morrison, and Border Archery products.  Still have yet to look into Talltines, but I will.

Lots of reading to do, and will try my best to get my hands on as many as I can.  Thanks, guys!

[Stump Buster]

Originally posted by wingnut:
If you are not in a hurry, ETAR in July would be a great trip to take for you.  It's outside of Coudersport, Pa and will have around 20 bowyers there with their bows.  It will give you a chance to see and shoot all of the bows.

Looks like it's about 6 hours from Ottawa.

Mike

Best Advice So Far!!! If you wait until you can actually get to a nearby shoot or gathering and try multiple bows from different bowyers in person, You'll save a ton of money trying bows and shipping them off to new homes at a loss.

TRUST ME ON THIS.    

BUT...

If you're like me (and a number of us here), 90% of the fun is in the search, but be prepared to lose money (I call it a rental fee) when buying bows you've never handled before, especially if you order them new. Most of the bows mentioned are excellent and most of the bowyers already mentioned are great people, so if you can't wait, it's pretty hard to make a disasterous decision.

Good Luck in your Quest,

Mike


PS - Grip position and styles are going to play a major role in your happiness too, so if you know what you like "feel" and "shootability" wise in your hand, you'll have a major head start.

[Sixby]

Don't leave out all of the Western bowyers that do not make the Eastern shoots. California, Oregon, Washington, Montana all have some good bows and many of those bowyers do not make ETAR ect.  

God bless, Steve