What was your first recurve/longbow, the one that started it all?

[Danny Rowan]

50# Ben Pearson "Ol Ben" longbow. About 1963 or 64. Went up to an 80# a few years later shot that weight for many years. Now prefer 55-60# at 65 years old. and mostly recurves now.

[BWD]

'71 Bear grizzly, 45@28, and 3 bent aluminum arrows started it all for me.

[nek4me]

First commercial bow was a 25# Shakespeare Parabow 50 yrs ago followed by a 1969 Little Bear and then a LH 45# Black Bear for 29.00 new. Still have all three and recently started shooting the Black Bear again - his time with both eyes open vs closing right eye back then.

Remember shooting field goals with the Shakespeare at a new off campus athletic field a local college had built about a mile away through the woods from my house. We would shoot whatever, whenever!

[glass76]

Ben Pearson Puma, 40#@28". It was a new 1967 model.

My first trad bow was a Bear Kodiak Hunter recurve. My first custom bow was a Palmer recurve. My first "custom for me" bow was a Sarrels Sierra, one piece longbow.

Since 2009, I have been shooting "THE bow", a Sarrels Blueridge takedown longbow!

Bisch

[Napi]

1971 Kodiak Hunter, 40# with micro flight arrows. I still have the bow... wish I still had the arrows.

[dbd870]

My first was an early 70's 40# Ben Pearson. Think it was a Gamester but don't hold me to that.

[Don Stokes]

40# Bear solid fiberglass longbow, ambidextrous grip, in 1963. Looking forward to my 54th year of bowhunting this year, shooting a 63# recurve.

[CRM_95]

My first was a Samick Sage. Last December, at 37 years old after being a lifelong hunter with a compound. Since then I've bought a custom longbow from Mike McCready and have another one being made now.

[bunyan]

I still remember getting my very first on black Friday when I was around 5 or six years old. It came with suction cup arrows! I kept shooting regular arrows from it after loosing the originals and constantly remaking strings for it from twine. Then around 10 or 12 I got a red bear recurve kids bow. I terrorized the rabbits on my grandparents' farm with that one. Still remember buying some new arrows at the sporting goods store with my grandfather. While we were there we looked at a bear compound and he was really close to buying it for me but changed his mind. When we got home that evening there was a rabbit by the house. I took that red recurve and one of those new arrows and shot my first animal! Never did buy a compound and I think my grandfather never thought id actually hit one!

[smokin feathers]

I was 12 n had saved my money n bought a compound n was shooting it but was so captivated by all the stick bows n the magazines ar that time n had to have one n saved up more lunch money n bought a howatt hunter, overed bowed myself with 50lbs but took off from there both working n a bow shop as a jr n sr n high school n having my own bow n gun shop latter.

[deerhunter_w]

I started off with a compound back when I was a teenager. After shooting a friend's trad bows one evening, I was hooked. I bought a used tall tines recurve off of Kentuckytj and haven't looked back.

Jeff

[8upbowhunter]

Shot compounds since the late 70's then Jan 2015 my son bought a 60# bear Grizzly so in Feb I bought one also. I've since sold my 60# Grizzly and bought a 45# one. I have only shot 1 arrow (probably my last one) from my wheel bow since buying my first trad bow.

[Captain*Kirk]

Dad bought me a Ben Pearson Super Jet 35# glass bow to keep me occupied in the woods as he and my uncles built a cabin in the North Woods. I was 9 or ten at the time.
I still have it and still shoot it on occasion.
 

[Stump73]

A Bear Grizzly  that I wish I still owned for just sentimental reasons.

[Pine]

My first real bow was a 1954 Bear Cub , 36#@28" .
Still have that bow .
My next bow was a 1973 Bear Kodiak Magnum , 45#@28" . Still have that one too .
In fact that K-Mag is still my favorite bow .

[sagebrush]

I was 8. I got a fiberglass recurve (can't remember the brand but think it was Bear). I would get up every morning about six and chase black birds around the neighborhood. I finally killed one after a couple of months. Then I just quit hunting them and started shooting other stuff. This was in 1963.

[TKO]

I made my first bow from a sapling around 1977 or 78 or so. I had one arrow made from what I cannot remember except that the fletch was a loosely spiral wrapped tail feather I pulled from one of our roosters. It was fun when the bow and/or string wasn't broken.

I didn't actually really get into archery until about 1986 or 87. i bought a compound bow with the sole purpose of extending my hunting season. Period. It was just supposed to be a tool.

I ended up working in a pro shop and got really caught up in the latest, greatest, most high tech bow hunting equipment for a couple years. But, I never really got the satisfaction I thought I would.

I don't remember where I found it but, I came across a Groves Spitfire. It seemed to call out to me so, I bought it for a little bit of nothing. That was the bow that sank its fangs into my soul and revealed which path my archery journey would follow.

I still have 6 or 7 compounds that I haven't looked at in years. Unfortunately, the Groves Spitfire fell victim to the South Florida sun in the back seat of a friend's car after he borrowed it for a trad 3D shoot.

There wasn't anything particularly special about that bow, at least not physically. However, without it, I wouldn't have discovered the true joy of archery/bowhunting.

[elkhunter45]

My first real bow was a 45 lb Pearson recurve that I bought at a pawn shop for $20.00 in 1980 when I was 14 years old. Before that I had a 20 lb green fiberglass Bear recurve.

[smokin joe]

My first trad bow was a Grizzly. I sold it a few years ago to a young fellow who was just getting started in bow hunting with trad gear. Good to know the old griz is getting someone else started.