Posted: 2/19/2010 4:50:33 PM EDT
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I would like to get into some bow hunting and am drawn to the simpler styles. What are the pro's and con's of Recurves and Long bows? I think the Long Bow is "longer" of course and someone told me they have more vibration after the shot than a recurve.
Anyone shoot without a rest using a glove or just off the shelf? Do you use sights or not? Its the simplicity that I think is interesting me. Just the bow and arrow. |
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I started making my own bows late last year. So far mine have been bows made from lumber instead of raw bow staves.
Long bows tend to be more forgiving accuracy wise. Recurves can give you speed increases, but may be less forgiving or variations in how you shoot them. I've finally got one bow that is fit for hunting. It's a pyramid style bow made from red oak purchased at Lowes. It is 68" long with a draw weight of 55lbs at 28". It has a leather wrapped handle and a bulbous grip with a smal leather wedge that acts somewhat liek an arrow rest but is more of an indexing point so my grip and arrow placement are the same. It's been accurate enough to bag a couple squirrels and a opossum at ranges out to 15 yards. Tomorrow evening I'll try to find some hogs before the season ends. Second squirrel I took was with a home made arrow as well, using a small broadhead made from an old kitchen knife blade attached to a ramin wood dowel. No sights. 
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Check out Trad Gang. They have a bowyers bench section that has good tips and some build alongs. In fact it's where I followed the build along for that pyramid bow.
Also Primative Archer has good tips and folks that get serious about making primative bows and are full of useful info and tips. The Traditional Bowyers Bibles volumes 1-4 have tons of info in them. Vol 4 has a good article on making a simple D bow that a buddy of mine followed and came out with a nice 40lb bow that shoots great off the hand. It was shootable in less than a day. The whole bow weighs 14 oz and is a joy to carry around compared to a compound bow with sights, and stabilizers, and arrow rests. It's kind of funny how bows that were once capable of keeping tribes fed, and even provided tactical superiority enough to build nations and empires on seem to leave modern bow hunters surprised when they see them take game, and place arrows in tight groups. I have also become enchanted by the simple bow, and it's capability. Is it as easy to take game with as a store bought bow with a large draw let-off, and peep sights, shoving the lates space age composite shaft with a springloaded expanding head? Nope. But taking game with a bow that I made out of simple wood, and made to bend in an even arc, and throw an arrow of my making into a predictable path, with enough energy to make a clean kill, gives a different level of satisfaction that I never got with plastics and pulleys. If I just wanted to kill game instead of hunt it, I'd just as soon get my rifle. |
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I thought I would chime in as well.
I just received my first bow lesson. (brother), and I liked the longbow more than the recurve. He has 15+ bows, and no compound bows. He sold them because deer hunting here with a compound bow was "too easy". I'll agree with the other posters; go shoot someone elses first. Many guys have more than one. He bought many QUALITY bows at yard sales and garage sales for as little as $20. You just need to get a bow-shopping lesson from someone, and keep their cell-phone number if you see one for sale, so you can ask questions. Good luck. |