Confession of a Failure at Bow Collecting

[mangonboat]

I was perusing the big auction site yesterday and a bow popped up literally as I clicked on "newly listed", a bow described as a "vintage bear hunter bow", listed by a buyer and seller of estate items who knew nothing whatsoever about bows, and the four lousy photos made it clear that the bow was a 62 Kodiak, 45# which looked to be in very good shape with a BIN price of $200 and free shipping!..and I resisted to urge to hit that BIN button.It disappeared seconds later. It is probably a beautiful bow and probably shoots like a...well..like a 62 Kodiak shoots. I could have been promptly resold at a good profit, but the thing is , I just sold a gorgeous 62 Kodiak 45# because it wasn't what I wanted; it just didn't shoot as well for me as any of the other bows I shoot on a regular basis.  I really wanted that 62 Kodiak to be my turkey-hunting bow but it wasn't meant to be.

 I just did a quick count and I have sold, traded away or gave away , boxed up and sent on to other archers, 10 bows in the past 6 months. Folks send me photos of themselves with the bow I've just sent them and the 2" groups of arrows sticking out of their targets.  I love  learning about and trying new bows, but having a bow that I don't absolutely love to shoot just gnaws at me. I literally  lie awake at night trying to decide which bow it's time to send on its way. Maybe its my way of internally offsetting the time I spend and enjoyment I get from looking for and learning about bows I don't have / haven't shot.

Anybody else out there suffering from fear of commitment?

I have my eye on a couple bows I'd love to dance with and I will probably take my search for a 50# , 63" 1962 Kodiak Special to my grave,but, in the meantime PM me anytime day or night and I'm sure I will have a bow that's got one eye on the clock and the the other on the door. Alas.

[reddogge]

I have three bows I use for different types of hunting and 3-D, one's a custom take down and two are ILF. I have one indoor ILF bow, one classic Tamerlane tournament bow I shot in the late 60s and 70s, several grandkids' bows and 6 or 7 classic hunting bows I keep for nostalgia's sake. I don't bounce around a lot when I find something I like to shoot nor do I feel the need to add a lot of bows to the flock.

[NIGEL01]

I have your affliction, but have cut back to one bow a year now.  Generally I take a loss on anything I try to sell.  I've bought a couple of Bears new offerings, and as I think they're beautiful bows they just don't "feel" right.  Funny thing is I've got a 69 grizzly I'm borrowing from my dad and it's my confidence bow.  The weight and length is perfect for me and it'll shoot just about any arrow accurately.  Yet it seems I'm always looking, and by the time season rolls around I pull something else off the wall.  Why I just don't sell everything else and get dad a nice custom bow he's been looking at for years?   :confused:

[warpedarrow]

I guess that I am the opposite.  I bought a new "59 Kodiak" two years ago and haven't got around to stringing it yet.  

My house just would not look like home without fifty or so bows decorating the living room.  I hate to sell them, but have given some away.  Most of them will never be used again while in my possession.  I have my favorites for playtime and just don't think that switching around on bows makes my poor shooting any better.  I have no quest to find the perfect bow for shooting so I buy them for their beauty, I suppose.  I would have jumped on that Kodiak in a heartbeat.

[Steven E Milbocker]

I'm just like you Mark, it's a terrible affliction!!:)I fight the urge to "try" a new one everyday. Always looking for the Holy Grail  

[cacciatore]

Brad x 2

[Loon]

Got into this last November. I now have 5 Bears, 2 Wings, 2 Black Hawks, and a Darton. Almost pulled the trigger on a Super Diablo yesterday but stepped back from the brink. I think I need an intervention.

[Blackhawk]

Loon, you are safe for now.  You are only picking up about 2 per month, but watch out.  

When you have your postman delivering 3 bows on the same day from different sellers, an intervention could be in order. (I have personal experience with that one.)

[eidsvolling]

I found out this week I'm a shooter, not a collector. Stopped bidding when a gorgeous '59 Grizzly, 62", 47#, topped $250. Did I mention it was GORGEOUS?  It just went for $455, which truth be told is probably somewhat below its worth if enough people got a chance to see it first.

I have a '58 Kodiak and a Kodiak De Luxe, plus a Dave Paxton Talon Swift that was built on the lines of the '59 Kodiak. To see a gorgeous Grizzly with that configuration, in such good condition, in that weight, set my heart to pounding just a bit. But there has to be a line somewhere, at least for us mere mortals.

If you're that lucky person and you don't kill something this year with that bow and show us some pics afterward, may Papa Bear come visit you some night and scare the you-know-what out of you.    

[warpedarrow]

I forget whether
I bid on that bow or just dreamed about bidding on it.  I know for sure that I was bidding on a very nice 62 Kodiak Special that went for a bit more than I felt the current market dictates.  I also was bidding on the 48/49 aluminum lam bow.  It went for something like $675.  I don't think I have ever paid over $150 for a Kodiak II.  Maybe there is some fresh money in the market!

[mangonboat]

That  was a gorgeous 62 Grizzly, but  I  was surprised at how high it got after some other nice bows went for less than I anticipated. I saw from other posts that other TG members picked up most of those bows. A 65 zebrawood Grizzly was the shocker..north of $450!

[mangonboat]

I think I'm cured. For a full week I watched a really nice 1959 Kodiak Special,64", #60 ( the heaviest KS I have ever seen or heard of) come and go on the big auction site and sat on my hands.  http://www.****.com/itm/Bear-Glass-Powered-Kodiak-Special-Recurve-Bow-/251977209348?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2047675.l2557&nma=true&si=li44rR82AiHWpF7aJczskpP7Bt8%253 D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc.
Somebody should be really happy with that bow and I hope the winning bidder shoots that bow like it was made to be. In the meantime, I'm re-discovering just how well some of the bows I already have can shoot an arrow.

[Blackhawk]

Mangonboat,

I watched it too but did not bid because the weight was just a bit much for me.  I have had my eyes open for a 64" around 52# for years.  

On a visit to NW Archery years ago, I bought my first 59 Kodiak Special which was a 66" in 46#.  Mr. St. Charles felt this model was the best shooting bow from Bear and told me that if I could find a 64" at 50# or more that I would have the ultimate hunting bow.  

I have owned 4-5 of these since and every single one has been a smooth shooting tack-driver.  My Holy Grail has not yet appeared, but I keep on looking.

p.s.  If you could handle 60#, here's something for you...  

[warpedarrow]

I wanted that bow but common sense prevailed.  I have four of them already.  I have one out on the rack in the barn where I keep my practice bows.  I believe it is 49# and 68".  It is a sweet shooting bow.

I do have a 64" at 48#.  i have never even strung it up.  I'm dealing with a strained lumbar muscle right now or I would try it out tomorrow.

It looks like someone listed a 59 Kodiak today but pulled the listing within minutes.  The message I got was that the listing ended on June 10.  I thought that a bit odd.  I wanted to look at the pictures.

[mangonboat]

I have to admit that part of my willingness to watch that one come and go was that I really like the grip on the '62 KS better than the '59-60 ,and if I find a 62 KS 63", 50-60#, I wont be so zen about it .

[mangonboat]

There's a 59 K Special on the 'bay, 66", 36#, overlays on the undersides of the tips..a real looker.

Also a nice '60 Grizzly that is all original @46# and a very pretty '62 Kodiak @45#. There's also a '67.5 K Hunter that is only 35# and looks like it was used pretty hard..but its a zebrawood, and I've only seen pictures of those. I could rationalize that it would be nice to put away some classic bows for when the shoulders tell me its time to back down a bit, but I'll probably just watch. On the other hand, a 1960 Alaskan @48# could be a back-up bow for whichever side I'm shooting    :D . One of the coolest rigs I ever saw was a '60 Alaskan with a missing coin that had replaced with a Buffalo nickle and a hawk feather dangling from a leather tip protector. Match that up with a nice set of woodies in a leather back quiver and deer would come close just to admire it.  

The buy of the week may be a mid-60's  67# Ben Pearson 709 Hunter , zebrawood with the green glass. A ready-to-go elk hunter if I ever saw one.

[Sarge5706]

I know this is an old post but the bow collecting bug has bit me recently.
I have a Bear 76er which was my first bow
Bear Take-down Hunter with screw on limbs
Bear Super Kodiak
Damon Howatt Diablo
Shakespere Kaibab, Seirra Darton
American Archery
Herter's Perfection Sitka.
And I pick up a Shakespere Ocala tomorrow.  I shoot them all and have managed to split arrows with the Bear Super Kodiak and take down hunter and with the Damon Howatt.

[warpedarrow]

Sarge,

You really need to focus or you will be collecting anything and everything.  I decided about six weeks ago to finish my nearly complete Kodiak Special collection .  I started selling bows that didn't fit with my plan.  I put twenty on the market and have sold thirteen of them.  I did manage to trade for a '55 KS so I am making progress.  The problem is, while searching for the bows that fit into the collection, I fell in love about six times with bows that don't fit.  I bought all of them plus a couple that were super cheap on the auction site, the kind that should make a easy hundred if you buy them for the low bid.  So, don't follow my lead. Once you figure out how to resist a pretty bow, let the rest of us in on your secret.

[crazynate]

I am the same way. You are not alone. I only have 17 different Bear bows which is still a lot but it's almost like I enjoy hunting for them as much as I do shooting them. As soon as I find a great deal it's like I'm not satisfied anymore lol. It's what I live for though. My wife thinks I'm weird but oh well. Sometimes I sell one I find then regret it for a long time. Or when I find one I want to buy I start thinking what I can sell. I recently sold 4 st croix tournament bass rods that I love to buy a 67 super k and a beautiful 59 grizz. I'm sure come spring I'll regret it but oh well lol

[Captain*Kirk]

I have been slowly picking up vintage Bears (for no other reason than they appeal to me).
I find it in my best interest to NOT watch the big auction sites because once I home in on a particular bow, I feel I have to have it (if it stays under my personal limit) whether I need it or not!