Going to have my first custom built

[Alexander Traditional]

Yes that's the myrtle and mango one. Very smooth bows.

[Hoosierarcher88]

I had a hyperstic. Really good shooting bow and im actually working on getting it back lol

[Dave Rice]

There are lots of great bowyers and bows out there! And, most of them are great guys--it seems to come with the job description. For me, enjoying working with the bowyer is a big part of my satisfaction in shooting one of their lethal works of art.

Most trad bows perform pretty similarly by quantifiable measures. But how they 'feel' to you will be different. And, you might prefer a feel that's different from me or your best friend. The best advice, already shared by others, is to take some time, shoot as many bows as you can get your hands on, and choose what feels right.

I'm a longbow guy. I just took delivery of my 5th Royal from Wes Wallace--Wes' bows put arrows where I look, and I can use the help! And, over several years we've gotten to know each other. It's a relationship I value. My other personal favorite is working with Mike Treadway--his Black Forest longbows are among the faster d/r designs you'll find, more importantly for me, I like the feel, and I really appreciate Mike...which gets me thinking...I just might _need_ one more bow...

I really like bows I've shot from others mentioned on this thread, too, and some not so much. The one's I'm not so fond of aren't of lesser quality, they just aren't the right choice for me.

[Hoosierarcher88]

Ive always shot recurves the best but really like how quiet a longbow is. For recurves though 50's styles seem to work best

[Longtoke]

Big Jim if you can wait 14 months for it,  Toelke if you cant.

[Hoosierarcher88]

My trip to cloverdale is most likely cancelled this year being my daughter was rushed to the hospital late last night. She was gasping for air bad and turned blue. They spent the night and today running tests on her and still have not found the cause but did find that she has a very irregular heart beat and will continue more tests in the morning. She is almost 8 months old and has been perfectly happy and healthy up until this point so i am praying that it will be something treatable with medication. Its looking like she will be staying in the hospital a few more days so ill be there with her and will have to worry about testing out different bows somehow some other time. Got to make sure my baby girl is safe above all.

[Woodpuppy]

Hoos, I sure hope your baby girl is OK! I had two go through the NICU immediately after birth, it’s rough when you can’t do anything to help them.

[Hoosierarcher88]

Ive had 2 go through nicu with 1 never making it out. Its nerve racking.

[Hoosierarcher88]

Well everything went well at the hospital with my daughter thankfully and we are back home, healthy and happy. Now im back on the hunt for my next bow. I got in some Chinese made D shaped bow today (actually looks well made and is very quiet) to get me back up and shooting. I keep looking at the more extreme r/d bows like the thunderchild or dwyer endeavor and really like the profile of those bows but i also like the smooth lines of the new forward riser crooked stick. One thing i have decided is that i will buy the wood blocks and veneers myself so i can choose the exact wood i want.

[Woodpuppy]

Glad to hear it!!

[Sean B]

Without reading through all of the posts, my suggestion would be to try a few out for yourself. What maybe the perfect bow for one guy, may be average at best for the next. If ask 100 different Bowhunters, you'll get 100 different bows.

[Hoosierarcher88]

I wish i could try them all out but its nearly impossible to.

[Sean B]

I will tell you this...I've owned or shot most of the big name bows...I've owned 3 Schafer, 5 Tall Tines, 7 Widows and a few Robertsons....they're my four favorites...I've also owned Tolke Chinook, GN Super Ghost, Morrison Cheyenne, Kahona Kurve, Super Shrew just to name a few....they were all GREAT bows!! I know this doesn't help much, but with out naming the bow, after 30 years of shooting traditional one of the first four that I mentioned is the smoothest and most accurate bow I've ever shot.  Good luck!

[Hoosierarcher88]

Ive owned great northern, morrison, crooked stic, bear, some off brand d shape and a few ilf and have shot widows, das and a few others and all have shot well but what i have found i like are the heavy r/d longbows and the 50's style recurves. I have shot several recurves with larger risers like the bear takedown, widow and bear super kodiak and i never really cared for all the bulk.

[Sean B]

That's a great point that you just made. I LOVE 50s style Recurves but I shoot bows with more mass weight a little better. As a matter of fact, my Robertson, which has one of the best grips I've ever felt,is a very light bow. I need to shoot it with a full quiver just to add weight. My choice for a 50s style recurve is either the BW PSR or a Tolke Chinook. Again I love Robertsons too. Very light in hand. Dick just made my a one piece Tribal Styk. What a beauty and shooter. VERY light in hand. He has a nice line of bows.

[Hoosierarcher88]

i had a great northern shadow that i loved and shot well but just wasnt happy with the heavy draw weight. Still shot that bow better than anything else to date

[Fletcher]

I was introduced to Toelke several years ago and have been shooting them since.  I currently have a Whip HS TD and a Chinook that are my shooters, with a Pika on my wish list.  I've been impressed with every Toelke I've shot.

[Hoosierarcher88]

How is the lead time on toelke's

[Fletcher]

Way better than most, weeks instead of months.

[Hoosierarcher88]

Lead time is going to be another thing i will have to factor in. I like the big jims bows but a 14 month lead time would put me missing all 3d season next year