An observation...and questions.

[Mack_S]

I was watching the Fred Bear DVD's over the weekend and noticed that he used his bow as a walking stick to cross rivers, tossed it into the bushes, tossed it onto the ground by the animals he just downed, etc.  It seems to me that he was pretty rough on it.  

I know the bow is a tool but tossing it around...  Does anybody know if he brought a back up bow or bows with him on these hunts??  It looks like he always brought more than enough arrows.  I'm currently reading the Field Notes and it seems that they were pretty remote on these hunts and that a back up would be a good idea.  

Do any of you treat your bows like that when out hunting??  I know for me when I'm out and about hunting I will use my bow to hold branches and stuff away as I'm moving through the brush and it does get the occasional scratch.  I'm careful with it but don't baby it and I sure as heck just don't go throwing it around or use it as a walking stick.  

-Mack

[bolong]

Money is too hard to come by for me. I treat mine a little better than that.

[HOWITZER]

Treat mine like gold way to hard to get another one and don't want mine to get damaged.

[straitera]

Old School allowed many ideas foreign to modern high priced archery. My bows are all well cared for part of the family although hunting tools nonetheless.

[LongStick64]

I would guess that made for good advertising on how durable the product was. I also think Fred probably had an endless supply of bows at his disposal if he wanted to.

As for me, I treat my bows as I would want to be treated, with respect. I know it's a tool, but it is a tool that I ask it to perform without failure. Therefore I do my part that it is not exposed to damage in any way possible.

[kadbow]

If I owned the company I still don't see myself tossing my equipment around.  I use my stuff but try and take good care of it.

[GMMAT]

Do any of you treat your bows like that when out hunting??

To me, my bows are simply tools.  Do I take care of 'em?  You bet.  They're expesive tools.

But...do I "baby" them?  Put them on pedestals and shine them?  No way.  I'm hard on them, just like I'm hard on my other tools.  They're serving a purpose.  They're not "primarily" works of art.  

My bow shows a temendous amount of wear from its' first season afield (with me).  I don't ever see me getting rid of it, so resale doesn't concern me.  It wears its' battle scars, proudly.

Would I stick it in the water to steady my crossing?  Sure would.  Would I toss it to the ground?  Well...yeah.  If it won't take that mild amount of "abuse", it has no business in my stable.

When I went to Dave to requistion my new bow, he told me he didn't like to put camo limb veneers on bows under 60#, because he's experienced VERY minor flaw finished, doing this in the past.  So??....lol

It's a tool (to me).  Nothing more.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Check out the bow on the recent hog hunting thread.  It looks like it got throw in the ocean for a year and run over by a Mack truck.  Yet is killed a lot of animals.

I treat my bows gently but not overly protectively.  Comes from my weapons training growing up and in the military.  If your life might depend on your weapon, you protect it well.

Plus with the amount I spent on the bow it would be unconsciounable to abuse it.

[ARCHER2]

My stuff has always been to hard to come by, not to take care of it.

[Longbowz]

Mack,

I've noticed that too.  Some of it, I believe, is the times and some may have been Fred himself.

People didn't revere objects like bows the way we do today.  Of course, owning an archery company doesn't hurt either.

[Curveman]

Like GMMAT said. I'll definitely use my bow instead of my face to block a flinging branch and I am not adverse to steadying my binoculars on my longbow either etc. I can't relate to having "safe queens" at all and I have some expensive bows. I like the looks of my well worn hunting bows better than when they had no memories attached to them. Everything I have will one day belong to someone else-use it now is my philosophy!

[Thumper Dunker]

I use them for walking sticks ect.The other day I got a ground rat and he took the arrow down the hole with him ,pulled the arrow out with him on it and realy ticked ,my recurve makes a nice driver FOUR!.If they cant take it why have it.If I want to look at somthing pretty I got my wife.If theres no dings or scratches on them your not having fun.All my bows are 25+ years old but one and still going strong .

[easyup]

Near the bottom of my priority list during a big game stalk or crossing an icy stream is watching out for my bow.  Yet I don't like any new ding and especially hate a ding during a practice session in my own yard.  But admit there comes a time in most of my bows lives when the the dings have grown into a nice patina with lots of character that I would not have any other way.  Yes my newest bow is $ but the way I see it, 10 hunts a year over 10 years is only $12 a hunt, very cheap!

[James on laptop]

Guilty as charged.    

 I sometimes toss a longbow down from the tree when coming down and never worry about laying one on the ground.They are built pretty tough and I have never been one to baby them or worry about the results.Never done any damage to them outside a scratch or ding.Nothing that I could not fix if I ever needed to.

[James on laptop]

Guilty as charged.    

 I sometimes toss a longbow down from the tree when coming down and never worry about laying one on the ground.They are built pretty tough and I have never been one to baby them or worry about the results.Never done any damage to them outside a scratch or ding.Nothing that I could not fix if I ever needed to.

[Froggy]

Ditto on LongStick64's post.  

[Crash]

Looking at the previous posts, I would be guilty of babying my bows.  Normally, the day a bow leaves my possession, it looks the same as when I received it.

[Mack_S]

Some interesting answers.  As I said I don't baby mine when out and about, but I do at the range.  Now, if it came down to me or the bow when falling crossing a stream...you bet the bows gonna get used as a walking stick or thrown.

-Mack

[jcar315]

Always good to hear when someone else watches Fred's adventures with such a close eye. Lots of little things stand out to me while watching and you bring up one of them. I am like others: I don't abuse them by throwing them around but I sure don't baby them.

Interesting question though about Fred bringing a back up bow on his trips. He was very specific about how he liked his shooting shelf shaped. Can't imagine he went across the world without a back up but I sure don't know.

[Don Stokes]

To me, being too careful with a bow reminds me of the guy I knew who bought a new four-wheel-drive and then wouldn't take it to the woods for fear he'd scratch it.

I'm rough on them. I have weak legs and a limp from polio as a small child, and I hunt mostly with a longbow because it makes a much better walking stick than a recurve. I drop them out of trees, toss them up steep hills ahead of me, use them for hooks, wading staffs, and just about any other abuse you can imagine. I've never had a bow fail because of it, although I have ruined a few strings. The only bow I take better care of in the woods is my Dean Torges longbow. It's just too pretty to abuse, and it's the only bow I really have feelings for. Most of my others have been painted camo. I appreciate my bows, but not to the point that I let it slow me down in the field.

I always take a backup, with spare strings and arrows, on a hunting trip. I'm sure Fred did the same.