Newbie bow selection

[Krex1010]

Question for anyone who wants to lay some knowledge on a newbie.  I'm looking to buy my first traditional bow, most likely a longbow, probably a bear Montana, haven't ruled out the grizzly though. I'd like to be able to hunt with the bow I get, but I also want to keep the draw weight downs bit since I'm just starting out. I'm probably going with a 40 or 45 lb bow. I've taken a couple shots before with both weights, both seem comfortable but I'm sure after a couple dozen shots I may feel te difference more. So to the folks with much more experience than I.....does 5 lbs make a considerable difference in learning proper form? Does 5 lbs make a considerable difference when it comes to hunting whitetails? For reference I'm 36 years old, 5'9" in decent shape, reasonably strong, 28" draw length.

[DanielB89]

If  I were you I would get the #45. The reason I say the #45 is that you may get tired, but with more practice those muscles will get stronger and #45 is still a very capable hunting weight.  You will be thankful for that poundage on cold mornings! It also shouldn't be too much to learn proper form on, but be sure you aren't just "feeling out the form" and that you actually have a practice regiment or goal to obtain.  not just going out and shooting.  There is a forum that is all about form, etc.Here is a link to it:

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=6

I would also be interested as to how you measured that draw length?  If that is what yours is with a compound, forget it.  You will usually lose an inch or more when converting over to trad.  I am 6'1" with a 75" wingspand and draw right at 29".  I had a 30" draw with a compound.  

I think either one of the bows will be great buys.  Know that when you ask for peoples opinions about bows, they are just opinions.  Don't let someone else tell you a bow sucks or not, try it for yourself.  Lots of great bows out there.  If you are on some kind of a budget I would look for either an older bear bow(usually less than $200) or get your a Samick Sage, the best bow for the $$$ as far as I'm concerned.


I hope this helped.

[Krex1010]

Thanks for the advice DanB. I'm leaning more towards the 45#. And I do plan on shooting a lot and getting into organized shoots, my daughter has some interest so I want to encourage it and shoot with her. And yeah I respect peoples opinions generally but when it comes to brands, people seem to like and recommend whatever they have. I'm not looking for a custom build or anything, an off the shelf bow that I can try is what I'm after at this point.

[dbd870]

I agree with DanielB89. Another thing is I firmly believe you can go too light as well. I like enough draw weight to help give you a clean release. I've been off the compound and shooting a recurve for a year now and even starting out I found I shot a 45# bow better than a 35# one. I was drawing 59# with the compound and I had no trouble handling a 45# Grizzly when I switched; I'm also 5'9" & 20 years older than you.

[Krex1010]

My draw length is an estimate based on the wingspan divided by 2.5 formula, it's an estimate I know, but I'm pretty sure that gets me pretty close. Or am I offbase there?

[Krex1010]

Also anyone care to weigh in on longbow vs recurve in regards to learning and getting started? Seems like there's differing opinions on whether one is easier to learn on than the other...also it seems recurves tend to be a bit faster in general...at 45# draw weight is the difference in speed worth thinking about when it comes to shots on deer inside of 30 yards?

[Bladepeek]

I know for a compound shooter, 30 yds sounds like a "done deal", but I think you will find it a bit more of a challenge than you think once you take away the flatter trajectory and sights. I would concentrate on getting your 15 - 20 yard shots solid and for that, either bow would work. I'd say try a few if you can get your hands on some and buy the one which feels best to you. If you find two that you like equally well and one is a 45# and one a 40#, I would also take the 45#.

Draw length is easy to measure. Just nock an extra length arrow of any spine, draw it to your anchor and have someone mark the arrow where it meets the back (front, not belly :-)of the bow. Then measure the arrow from the valley of the nock to the mark. That will be your current draw length and it may change as your form changes/develops.

I've never been a compound shooter, but my friends who are converts or still shoot both trad and compound assure me the trad bow is a far greater challenge. I'm pretty sure they are right because I'm sure as heck finding it a challenge. Fun, though  

[DanielB89]

Originally posted by Krex1010:
My draw length is an estimate based on the wingspan divided by 2.5 formula, it's an estimate I know, but I'm pretty sure that gets me pretty close. Or am I offbase there?

the best way to measure your draw length is with an arrow.  Draw the arrow with some type of something on it.  It can be a leaf a piece or paper anything.  Simply draw to where you would normally shoot and let it down.  Now measure the distance from the nock to the paper and it will give you a very close estimate of what your draw length is

[Muttly]

There's some good info in the FAQ section here as well. With a longer draw, a longer bow will give you less string pinch. You might not notice it with a couple shots, start shooting regularly, it will start to get your attention..

[Krex1010]

Bladepeek...believe me I didnt mean to infer I'd be shooting at a deer at 30 yds, 25 yards is my limit with my compound and for where I hunt, past 20 yards is not generally feasible due to the thickness of the cover. I do like to practice at 30 yards though, even if I never will let an arrow fly on an animal at that distance.
I fully understand that traditional archery is much more of a challenge, it the reason I'm drawn to it. I don't overly enjoy shooting my compound anymore, too many moving parts, too gadjet oriented. And call me a goof, but there's no romance to a compound bow, hook the release aid, anchor my kisser button, look through the peep, center the pin, pull the trigger....bullseye. Very efficient tool, unless one of the gadgets fail in the woods, then you might a well trade your bow for a camera. At least with a trad bow I'm limited only by myself and my own skill, which is how I prefer it anyway.

[warbird]

There is gonna be trade offs with both. I shoot both. Longbows are more forgiving,less pinch, and quiet. Many claim after switching to a longbow accuracy was improved. The recurve designed with more stored energy in the limbs. Making them more compact and most would say a little faster out of the gate. Faster like compounds relates to form and release specific. The string also rests in a groove below the tip makiing a slap noise after release. Shorter amo lengths make recurves easier to shoot from a treestand. Personally at a 29" draw many of the shorter recurves will stack and finger pinch is intolerable for me. I find a 58"- 60" recurve doable. Over the last few years I have been shooting hybrids. Many say the best of both worlds. I feel they are closer to a recurve than a longbow. Whatever you decide as with anything else you have to put your time in to get good at it.

[dbd870]

Yep I was loosing interest in archery as well and that's why I switched.

[monkeyball]

Krex,
        If you are looking for an "off the wall" bow get to one of the shops here in Pa. where you can see it,handle it,and preferably shoot it. I am not sure of your location,but there is a very nice shop in Lancaster that will allow all of the above.

 The Bear lineup has been having some issues with ..let's call it "quality control" of late. If you go with one of there bows check it out well.

                               Good Shooting,
                                                    Craig

[meatCKR]

Welcome to Trad! You will love it.  I know I do. There are lots of choices so be patient and take your time. I think that's what I love most about trad, the way it forces you to slow down and enjoy the total archery experience.  There's just nothing like it.  I started with a recurve but then shot a longbow and knew instantly I was a longbow man.  Now I shoot a mild deflex\\reflex longbow that braces to a classic D shape and I love it. The only way for you to know what you like is to get to a shop with trad bows, a trad expo show or a trad shoot.  The trad expo show in Kalamazoo Michigan in January is an excellent one.
Get ready for time of your life as you figure out arrow spine for you bow, point weight and a host of other things - like I said, the total archery experience.  Use this site with questions. Lots of great folks here that will help you.

Welcome to the Trad Family!

[TGbow]

I will be hunting with a Samick Sage and an older Bear Grizzly this season.
As mentioned above, the Sage shoots way  better than the price reflects, better than some bows costing 3 times the price.
I would go with the Sage, 40-45 lbs. For 70 bucks you can add heavier limbs later if you wish.
Many deer have been killed with 40-45 lb bows.

[dirtguy]

Welocme!

Either 40 or 45 lbs is OK.  Both are fine for hunting deer.  

Here is the deal:  You are likely going to love trad archery and you will have to shoot a lot of bows to figure out what you really like best      But in the mean time you need something to shoot.  Buy a well known bow, but used.  Any Bear or Damon Howatt  that is in decent shootable shape will do - and they easily re-sold.  Actually, buy two - a recurve and a long bow - of about the same draw weight.  Then shoot any bow you can - friends, at shops etc.  The start trading, buying, selling and enjoying the great variety of bow out there.

Oh yeah...buy a bow rack too.

[Bladepeek]

Krex1010, sounds to me like you are already a credit to the sport of bow hunting and I would bet you will be as thoroughly hooked as the rest of us poor tradbow devotees.

And dirtguy's final comment is especially valuable advice.

Like you said, the compound bow is very efficient and totally without heart. That sure is not the case with a stick bow. Each one will have its own personality and some of them will become close friends.

It's nice to have lots of friends    

[DeCurry]

Originally posted by TGbow:
I will be hunting with a Samick Sage and an older Bear Grizzly this season.
As mentioned above, the Sage shoots way  better than the price reflects, better than some bows costing 3 times the price.
I would go with the Sage, 40-45 lbs. For 70 bucks you can add heavier limbs later if you wish.
Many deer have been killed with 40-45 lb bows.

+1 on the Sage. It is an affordable takedown recurve, and new replacement limbs are around $77 on most sites nowadays. You can find complete Sages and replacement limbs in the used classifieds on many archery sites if you don't want to go new, but some of the sponsors here, such as 3rivers, offers these as a package nowadays which includes some basic setup features along with accessories you might need.

You can probably start at 40-45# and be okay, but if you get a takedown like the Sage, my recommendation would be to also get a 30 or 35# set of limbs and use those to learn proper form. If you're struggling to simply pull 45#, it's not likely you'll be using proper form and you can end up learning bad habits. I don't see this as a waste of money (and certainly not time); many shooters have lightweight bows they use to practice with on occasion to work on form, it's a useful tool and a good investment (I still own my first bow and in fact was practicing with it last night because my current hunting bow is right at the limits of what I can draw, making it not a lot of fun to shoot over and over while working on trying out some new techniques).

[Tradcat]

give Mike Mecredy at maddog bows a call. Custom made longbow for under 300. I just ordered a 60" Prairie Predator Longbow 52# @ 27". Bubinga riser, Red Elm cores under Black Glass... 274.75 !
Maddog Archery 208-436-5997

[Diamond Paul]

If I had it to do over again, I would start with a 40lb bow, but that's just me.  40 will kill deer fine; it might be a bit light for elk, depending on what your draw is, though.  The lighter bow will help you learn to shoot correctly; I'm still trying to overcome bad habits I acquired with bows in the 60lb range starting out.  Note, I shot a 72lb compound, my competition bow, about four hours a day when I switched, and still it was too much weight.  5lbs seems like nothing, but it will feel like a lot when you first make the jump to it.  45lbs, however, is not a bad weight to start with.  Only you know for sure.  In my opinion, if you are new to trad archery, the recurve will be easier to learn to shoot with, but others will disagree with that.  If you've never shot any kind of bow before, it might not matter, but it will if you are coming from compounds.  Recurves will seem more familiar, especially the grip.