Can I carry my T/D recurve in my carry on bag when traveling by plane?

[Michael K Miller]

Leaving for a hunting trip next weekend, my bow fits perfectly in my carry on bag when broken down.  I checked rules and can’t find anything saying that it is a no no???   Anyone have any experience with this?  Thank you in advance!

[Jon Stewart]

My guess would be no as it is a weapon. Stop by the airport you are leaving from and ask them.  I flew out to Tucson to the rock show with another flintknapper and he had 4 Ryker box frames full of stone arrowheads and knife blades that he knapped in his carry on back pack and they never even looked at them when they went thru the xray machine.  He had them out in flight and was showing the points to the gal sitting next to him.  It is a crap shoot nowadays.

[M60gunner]

Call the airline and ask them. And beaware what works at one TSA location may not fly at another. You can also check on the TSA website, there’s lists.

[Bisch]

Nope!!!!

You have to check it.

Bisch

[cacciatore]

NO WAY.

[sneakybow]

I can't believe this is even a question.  I wouldn't even think of trying to carry it on.

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[bendack]

Good luck on the trip

[Joeabowhunter]

No you cannot have it in your carry-on.  It must be in your checked bag. 

[David McLendon]

I've always packed my main and back up in separated checked bags and usually Fedex arrows ahead in plenty of time in case there is a problem, there never has been.

[McDave]

No, you can’t carry it as a carry on.  While you might slip through, if you are caught you might miss your flight, depending on who catches you and what their attitude is.  I have flown many times with my bow packed in a properly protected case and have never had any problems, other than sometimes TSA doesn’t put it back in the case the way I would like it.  One time it didn’t come up on the baggage carousel when I arrived and I got worried that it was lost, but a baggage worker came out with it separately, saying he wanted to make sure it got picked up by the right person.  Also, I would never show anyone a handmade stone knife on an airplane.  You never know when someone walking down the isle would see it, nervously report it to the airline employees, and the next thing you know you have been diverted to Chicago or some place and are being hauled off the airplane by the cops.

[Jon Stewart]

McDave the knife blades and arrowheads were in frames. He had probably a total of 30 pieces.  I agree, I wouldn't take a chance either but we went thru two xray checks going out and coming back and not a word was said. Buddy said he has done it before with no issue. It is a head scratcher for sure.

[Michael K Miller]

Thank you for the reply’s fellas.  I will just mail my bow to my friend that I will be hunting with. 

[GCook]

Good plan.

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[drewsbow]

That's what I did usps priority with insurance ahead of time

[DGW]

We had our Bighorn T/D recurves in our carry on, with trips to Canada and Alaska but that was in mid 90's  before 9-11.

[2wfstlhunting]

I absolutely remember my first trip out west, with my new takedown recurve in my Kathy Kelly soft carrying case which I carried aboard like it was the crown jewels. That was the early 90s, and the world went to hell pretty fast shortly thereafter. 

[John Cholin]

Last year I was hunting with a Bear Cheyenne one-piece recurve.  I made a crate for it and shipped it FedEx to myself to be picked up at the FedEx office in Billings.  I did the same on the flight back home except FedEx to my home address.  It worked well.  I had the FedEx AWB so I could track the package on both my phone and computer.

This year I hinted with my Fox Archery High Sierra take-down recurve.  It never occurred to me to try to take it as a carry-on because the arrows are just as important as the bow and there is NO WAY I could get a broad-head arrow onto a plane in Newark NJ!  I packed the bow and arrows in my duffle bag and checked it.  Having a take-down bow made it so much easier to travel!

Best Regards,

JMC

[acolobowhunter]

2 trips to British Columbia I put my bow in my carry on without any problems.  However as others have already said - NO MORE.  Just returned from Africa and took two bows, but had to put them in checked luggage.