What used to be the "bow everyone wanted"?

[72highboy]

Being relatively new to traditional archery I was wondering what used to be bow that everyone lusted after? I know that way back your options were pretty much limited to Bear, Wing, Browning, Martin and a few others.....but I think that there was an in between time when most companies starting making compounds and when names like Morrison, ACS, Habu, Blacktail, Centaur  and Shrew did not exist yet. What was the "bow to have" 15-20 years ago? Were Bob Lee and Black Widow the biggest competitors back then, or were there others?

Thanks,
Jon

[centaur]

Bighorn, when G. Fred had it, Robertson Stykbow, Howard Hill, Heritage (Rocky Miller) were some that immediately come to mind.

[R H Clark]

21st Century

[toddster]

I have loved and always wanted another bowcraft.

[Biggie Hoffman]

Seems like since the early 60's it's been Black Widow. Others have had their spurts, but BW is still one of the best

[loco_cacahuate]

In the early 80's when I got into trad, there were Assinheimer (sp), Chastain. Rocky Mountain Recurve and Bighorns. that I recall.

[shick]

I believe in the early 80's if G Fred sold bighorn underwear we would have bought them. In 84 I felt I was 'the man' with my Bighorn TD.....Shick

[Dave2old]

My first custom bow was a Robertson "plain stick" longbow, let's say late '80s. Before that I always longed for Grayling era Bears, which I could never afford when they were on top; had to settle, in the early '60s, for a Pearson, also a good recurve, which was $40 rather than $70 for a Bear. My how times, and prices, have changed. And frankly, no matter how expensive custom bows are today, having built a lot of bows myself, I can't understand how the small operators can make a profit at it. Passion over profit is what runs true traditionalism. Dave

[Quill Flinger]

The poor folk back then, like me, lusted for the best production bow around, Damon Howatt bows. Still have 3 of 'em & shoot 'em from time to time. Still smooth & pretty quick even with dacron strings.

[WESTBROOK]

When I got into it in the early '90s Earl Hoyts "Sky" bows were very popular, and for a good reason!

Eric

[Biff]

when I was young, hunters wanted Bear bows, target shooters wanted the Hoyy pro medalest. Jack howerd bows got hot as did Harry Drakes bows. Then came widows, Robertson etc. etc. etc.....

[Ian johnson]

well I have been only trad for a few years and since I started I always wanted a sheepeater and a morrison, now I have sheepeater on the way, so my next bow will be the morrison

[GregD]

I remember contacting rocky mountain recurve in the early eighties and about passing out when he told me the wait was a year and a half to two years! Real nice guy, told me he could put me into elk even after I told him I couldn't wait that long. I remember after continually seeing Barry Wensel with something called a silvertip I just had to get one. I think with a few options he was charging the ungodly sum of 400.00 or so I remember thinking I had to be crazy spending that much for a bow. Times change   Greg

[Brian Krebs]

I think most people that had a Bear Kodiak were looked at as being well set - bow wise.  

[Blackhawk]

When I began to realize that bowhunting was serious business (early to mid 60's), it seemed to me that the Bear Kodiak was the bow to have...and then came the Super Kodiak.  

All others were just bows, but the Kodiak was THE BOW.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

We should pattern this because I think it Depended on were you lived.

Around here Black widows was the big dog but you always had factory bows like Bear,Browning,Hoyt,and Persons floating around at some shops(Very few) and at garage sales.

This will be fun to watch, Thanks Jon        

Tracy

[Cherokee Scout]

I always wanted one of the Black Widow metal riser bows that looked similar to the present day TF model. I saw one two years ago at Jackson Ohio event, tried to buy it, but the guy would not sell. I thought that was the bow to end all bows!

[rainman]

Herter's Perfection Sitka with a brazilian rosewood handle.

Semper Fi,

[Daddy Bear]

Bow hunters were well satisfied w/ this:
http://www.archeryhistory.com/recurves/pics/bearkod62.jpg

Archery target shooters were well satisfied w/ this:
http://www.archeryhistory.com/recurves/pics/hoyt60.jpg

I wanted these:
http://www.archeryhistory.com/longbows/pics/artyoung.jpg

http://www.archeryhistory.com/longbows/pics/howardhill.jpg

And the single All-Time Best magazine advertisement of any bow manufacturer in the history of archery was this one from Bear Archery:

PARENTAL WARNING
(This Nude Bow Advertisement contains artistic material which may not be suitable for anyone under the age of 18)
http://www.archeryhistory.com/ads/pics/beararcheryad1.jpg

That pretty much sums it up. By the way, what is a Black Widow...is that a bow??

Daddy Bear

[centaur]

Daddy Bear,How did I miss THAT Bear Ad??