What was your first bow?

[Buckeye1977]

My first was a John Jordan stalker recurve. Shot that bow better than any I've owned since and can't believe I let it get away from me

[Tradcat]

Indian archery 25 lb fiberglass recurve

My first "real" hunting bow was a Browning Nomad Stalker recurve.  I shot more whitetail deer with that one and a Nomad stalker II than all other bows combined up in the Manistee National Forest in Northern Michigan.

My first homemade was a Beech (as in tree) sapling that I stripped the bark off from and fashioned a string from jute twisted and finished with shallac.  The strings did not last long but got me through the week.  That was back in 1960..

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I had a  lightweight fiberglass bow. I think it was Red, then I used saplings before I upgraded to my dads old gray fiberglass bow.  he still has it.  then I used his 1969 Bear Grizzly until my little brother broke it. still have that one too.

[Stumpkiller]

Mine was a little 3 ft bamboo self-bow that, as I recall, had "Niagra Falls" painted on the back.  Rubber tipped fletchless arrow (may not have been original to the bow).

After that a gray fiberglass bow much like that Shakespeare Parabow.  I think it was Shakesphere; of maybe 20 lbs.

[wooddamon1]

My first "real" bow was a 45# Shakespeare Necedah. Killed my first deer with it. Ended up selling it to a lady in Los Angeles of all places.

I still remember making sapling bows at my Gramp's cabin in northern MI. Don't recall anything dying, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

[Red Beastmaster]

In 1986 the local sports shop had all recurves on clearance sale for $25. I had no idea what I was looking at (Bear bows) and just picked one. It was a 45# Black Bear.

I gave it to the neighbor kid several years ago.

[ron w]

In 1967 I got a Browning Nomad Stalker with money I made washing dishes at the local Diner. That bow cost $37.50, I wanted a Bear Grizzly but it was $47.50 and I didn't have the money and could not wait a week........lol.

[BRITTMAN]

Bob Lee takedown recurve

[ksbowman]

My first was a Plasti-steel bow in 1970 and I was 20 years old. That POS only lasted 2 weeks before I got a Ben Pearson 52" but, I don't remember what the model name was, just remember with my 29 1/4" draw it had super finger pinch. Loved the way it shot and looked, but blew the top limb within a year.

[Blueridge]

First was a yellow/white fiberglass bow I terrorized the local woods with , I was about 6 or 7. First real bow I bought in high school a 1972 Bear Kodiak Hunter.

Originally posted by ron w:
In 1967 I got a Browning Nomad Stalker with money I made washing dishes at the local Diner. That bow cost $37.50, I wanted a Bear Grizzly but it was $47.50 and I didn't have the money and could not wait a week........lol.

Ron...that's funny!!....same year I bought the Nomad..I worked at a small restaurant washing dishes in Holland Michigan...I made a whoppin .65 cents per hour.

Small world....good memories!!    

[styksnstryngs]

As a millennial, my first bow was a cheap cast aluminum ilf riser with basic maple/glass limbs. I soon upgraded to a kayak tropics machined aluminum riser with kaya tropics carbon/wood limbs, 28#, and then with kap winstorm ii carbon foam limbs, 32#. I was gifted a greatree deerslayer, 40#, from a friend of the owner of greatree, whom I also knew. It was supposed to be a cosmetic defect, but I cannot see any defect, cosmetic or otherwise. Sweet shooter.

[Trenton G.]

My first bow was a red fiberglass compound that was given to me by my parents when I started school. Still have it and it has been used by every one of my siblings.

My first trad bow was a PSE Blackhawk. It pulls 40 pounds. I don't shoot it a ton, but pull it out every now and then. Although kind of a mass produced bow, it's one of the prettiest I've ever seen.

[joe ashton]

A red fiberglass 15# bow, 56 years ago.

[joe ashton]

Whoa time flys....

[Longtoke]

an old bear minute man, green riser and white limbs

not a speed demon by any means but still one of my favorite bows that I own

[rainman]

Orange and white fiberglass Ben Pearson at 20lb.  First big game bow was a 42lb Hoyt medalist.

[ShrtRnd]

Robertson Stykbow Peregrine #65@29" was my first traditional bow.

I happened to notice it in the rafters of a guy building some cedars for my hunting partners Wapiti way back in the early 90's. Nothing fancy wood wise, some days I wish it had Dicks' pierce points built into it, but I've grown on the simplicity of this build over time. The Chastain Wapiti pictured is from the same era and is my hunting partners first trad bow.

 
 

[Bow man]

In 1975 I bought a Bear 76er It was an olive  drab and brown model 45@28. I was 12