After fiddling around off and on for years mostly with compounds and a couple of recurves, I finally "came home" to a longbow, and I'm glad I did.I stopped at the local tackle shop, which is mostly a wheelbow show, and there on the wall with a total of two other longbows was a 50-pound Fred Bear Montana -- just what I was thinking of buying on the Net. I got it for what I would have paid on the Net with shipping, but managed to reward a local business for stocking at least a little bit of traditional tackle. The bow is a sweet shooter, although it is quickly teaching me that consistent technique is critical.
Anyway, it feels great in the hand and I hope it leads me further along the traditional trail to building selfbows and arrows. I have some red osier dogwood shafts seasoning, and have done a bit of obsidian knapping over the years. Also have a bulletwood slat and tonkin cane backer from the fellas at Dryad to try making a backed bow.
Life is good.