Why do you shoot what you shoot?

the animals I was shooting at would not stand still long enough for the long recurve with sights that I was using in the late 60s, I had to come up with  a shooting style  that would work for me.   That is when I crossed paths with John Schulz, a shooting style that works and bows that allow me to shoot that way. Hill style longbows.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Longbows, I love the smooth draw, quiet shot, and the traditional look and feel of the bow.  Plus I shoot them well.

[oldbohntr]

I share all of your joy and interest in shooting the longbow or recurve that inspires you AT THE TIME!  Bjorn, I agree wholeheartedly with your advice to shoot as many as you can and make your own choice.    Dick, we’ve met at TBW shoots before, and I’ll see you in a few weeks, but I can’t totally agree with you about “traditional” archery…….and I’ve been it for almost 40 years, and collected the paraphernalia from decades before that.    My wife used to laughingly say a family tradition is something you did once, it turned out pretty good, and you want to do again.   The point there is that it becomes an excuse for the choices we made….and those don’t need to be excused.   I shot 75-80# Hill style longbows in the early 80s, as did EVERY “traditional” archer in my part of the world.   I don’t do that now, nor do I suggest that anyone else choose that route(heck, I couldn’t pull it a few inches!).   We tried it because Howard did it, Ron LaClair won the 1981(?) World Longbow Championships with a 104# bow, etc, etc.   The bows have changed a lot, and a lot of us just plain got smarter(Howard and a few others were able to shoot those bows pretty well….most mortals cannot.)   So, it was not a true tradition, nor even a wise idea.  
Brently, you choose a longer “D” shaped bow, as I did at one time.  More power to you.   Dick, I’ve shot self bows “off the knuckle”, with success….but it’s not what I’m using now.   I know I’m rambling a lot here, but the idea is that there are a lot of divergent paths we travel, for different lengths of time.  Sometimes we come back to an earlier path.   Paperengineer’s original post asked why we shoot what we shoot.     That’s what we all want when we start any new endeavor: a lighted path to the BEST way!   Of course, there isn’t a best way.  The  archer’s skills, the arrow, and the broadhead are all more important than the bow….but, the BOW is so damned seductive, isn’t it?   They get prettier every year, and the claims are so tempting.   If I only had the right bow, I’d be a better archer!!!!  
I still haven’t found it, and am still a long way from figuring it all out!!!  But, it’s still a heck of a lot of fun!  
Paperengineer, I’d suggest shooting all the bows you can, but searching for a local custom bowyer who simply says the things that make sense to you.   If you find you can shoot his bows, it’s a good start, and-like the rest of us- you will wander into the wilderness from there!

[rdoggsilva]

I still enjoy shooting my recurvers, have not giving a longbow a go yet. But been thinking about it lately.

[crotch horn]

I started with a 3 piece TD recurve. It was made by Ed Mikuta who is a great bowyer. I fell in love with trad archery & that bow. Got my first trad kill that fall, a black bear. Well, then I tried hunting with that bow from a ground blind. Had a really hard time shooting out of the blind. Also hit the rail on my climber with the botttom limb costing me a deer. Decided to try a shorter bow & fell in love with the Lost Creek RD Longbows. I have a 54" NAT that is perfect for ground blinds & tree stands. It is quiet, fast, hits right where I look, and dead in the hand. I recently bought a Lost Creek Life Ender which is a 58" longbow & just as smooth and a joy to shoot. For me I choose my Lost Creeks because I love them & they help me be the best hunter I can be by instilling confidence in my shots. Good luck.

[Winterhawk1960]

My very first bow when I made the switch back to shooting a simple stick and string was a one piece Alpha Male Hummingbird longbow. It pointed well, pulled smooth as butter and hit where I looked. Probably the most important thing to me in a bow is the grip and not having to figure out "how" the bow wants to be held, but when the grip finds it's own place in your hand when you start to draw it......is a BIG thing for me in being able to shoot the bow well on a consistant basis. The only other thing that I seem to have grown to prefer is that there is some weight to the riser......it just feels better to me.

With all that being said, there are numerous longbows and recurves that lend themselves to me being able to shoot them well. It is, as has been said a very "personal" thing that we seem to discover over time when being exposed to different bows made by various bowyers.

Like as also been said, I would try to get my hands on as many different ones as I could and learn your likes and dislikes. There are several bowyers out there today that make a riser that can be paired up with either longbow or recurve limbs.......so as far as the riser goes, if it works for ya, it will be fine with either set of limbs. Longbows are usually quieter, and if speed is what you like.......there isn't as  much difference between the recurve and longbow limbs in the bows being built today.

Winterhawk1960

[Bryan Bondurant]

The best days of my life as a kid were me, my Longbow, and a dog. When I turned twelve I got a shotgun of my own and turned loose with all the shells I could shoot but even then I still messed around with my bow. Then the big compound bow fad hit and one of my first paychecks was spent on a compound and release. I think I sold the compound for half what I paid a year later, it did not have any soul, it was just a contraption.

Maybe the mid late nineties I found a copy of Primitive Archer or something along those lines and thought "This is for me!" and got back into shooting Longbows.

I have never been a trophy hunter, I can kill what I want, proved it all to myself. Mostly I like to be alone in the woods like when I was a kid, when the forest was a mystery to me; Longbows help me get there.

[Bowjunkie]

I hunt with only osage selfbows that I make, and that I've made a primal connection with. They're usually straight longbows, but on occasion I make a recurve and/or sinew back one. I make various fiberglass/wood lam bows too, I'm just not interested in hunting with them whith all these beautiful, unique wooden bows callin' to me.

[JCJ]

I shoot both but I like longbows best because they shoot best for me.

[Bowwild]

I shoot recurves. I like the grace of the curved limb tips and the more substantial risers. I am drawn to certain bows by the lines first and then the appearance of exotic woods, waves, flares, and accents. I keep the bow if I like the grip. All my recurves are 56"-60" in length and 45-49#  in draw weight.

I shoot left-handed to match my dominant eye.

[Gil Verwey]

I shoot longbows. I have shot both recurves and longbows for a long time. My longbow is fast enough, quiet, light, is very smooth drawing and no hand shock. Some longbows can have some hand shock that to some may feel bad while to others it is not noticible.  

I recommend that you try a longbow before you buy one. People either love them or hate them. Since you are so close to Striker bow I would go there and ask if you can try both. Then you will get a better idea if you would like one.

Good luck
Gil

[Bonebuster]

I shoot both, but prefer a recurve...usually.

Any advantage of one over the other may only come once you figure out which YOU prefer.

I will say, that when I get too busy to shoot very often, I can pick up my recurve and put my FIRST arrow where I want. I have to "negotiate" with my longbow for a few shots if I haven`t spent time with it.

[paoloi]

I see you are in Ohio. Steve Wagner make a nice bow at a price that can't be beat. I don't know where you are in Ohio, he's in Grafton(North East Ohio), but he does attend all the OSTA shoots, so you could always meet him there. Plus, it would be a great place to make connections as a new trad. archer.

[Shifting Shadow]

I prefer recurves. I shoot a Samick Red Stag take-down. I shoot it because of the convenience of a take down for traveling and changing limb draw weights and its smooth draw. Plus, the Stag is inexpensive and shoots well. However, I recently bought a u-finish longbow from 7 Lakes, a new Sponsor here. This is the first time I have attempted to sand and finish a bow. I am excited to get it done and shoot!

[overbo]

Also depends on what you consider a longbow.Many of the extreme R/D,carbon,foam core,ect,are very different than the traditional longbows.Also there are flatbows and trapazoid style longbows.I've come to like a thick core w/ slight reflex and trapped limb longbows.If built well,a bow of this specs is amazing to to shoot.

[buckeye_hunter]

Before dropping major money on a new bow wait two months. Go to the Compton Traditional Archery Rendezvous in Berrien Springs Michigan this June. This is a HUGE event and you will be able to shoot more different types and brands of bows than you can imagine. You will KNOW which bow you like best before you leave. Then order a new bow.

If you have ANY questions; WAIT and shoot as many bows as possible before buying. I wish I had done that before buying my 1st custom bow.

I now shoot a recurve that I love. I went to multiple shows before buying another bow and I am glad I did.


Just my opinion,

[piggy]

I shoot a Black Widow PSR V 99% of the time, although I have other Widows and Hill's my PSR is like an extension of me it shoots where I point it so it's hard not to take it into the bush every time,,it just feels right in my hand.

[Night Wing]

I prefer to shoot a recurve, but I like 64" and 66" length recurves. I did my research on recurves and found there aren't that many custom bowyers who build 66" length recurves at the poundage I want at my 30" draw length. Some bowyers who build a 66" recurve only measure the poundage at 28" which is unacceptable to me.

When it came down to make my choices, I had settled on Blacktail and Wes Wallace and my first choice was Blacktail. I initially wanted a 64" recurve, but Norm Johnson of Blacktail, after talking with me about what I bowhunt, how I bowhunt and my dislike of "finger pinch", he suggested a 66" length for my 30" draw length.

His recommendation was spot on for me. No finger pinch, hits where I look, easy to tune, smooth drawing and absolutely no hand shock. After shooting my 42# Blacktail, I loved it so much I ordered a second Blacktail.

The two Blacktails are the only bows I own now.

[MnFn]

I started with a recurve and shot them off and on since the '60s.  About 2-3 years ago I bought a Shrew Classic Hunter and then added a Pronghorn. I prefer the longbows now.

Personally, I want a bow without much hand shock as I have recurring soreness in my wrists.

I have no desire for another bow, unless it was a three piece. I am well satisifed with what I have.

[Red Beastmaster]

I switch around all the time. I shoot recurves better but have more fun shooting longbows. Get one of each.