Recurve and conventional bows

[crm3006]

Does anyone still use a bow that is not a compound, or a crossbow? I wasn't thrilled when every state started allowing compound bows, because of the easier operation and supposed greater effective range, which seemed to result in more deer wounded but never recovered by bowhunters. Now that the crossbow has been legalized almost everywhere, has this resulted in more or less wounding and loss?
I will admit to being old-fashioned and a traditionalist, and probably stick with my old 55# Bear Grizzly forever. The thing has speared hundreds of fish, and a deer or two.

I just threw the pump guns in for BH75R. He said one time he liked pumpin' guns.

[bowhunter75richard]

Does anyone still use a bow that is not a compound, or a crossbow? I wasn't thrilled when every state started allowing compound bows, because of the easier operation and supposed greater effective range, which seemed to result in more deer wounded but never recovered by bowhunters. Now that the crossbow has been legalized almost everywhere, has this resulted in more or less wounding and loss?
I will admit to being old-fashioned and a traditionalist, and probably stick with my old 55# Bear Grizzly forever. The thing has speared hundreds of fish, and a deer or two.

I just threw the pump guns in for BH75R. He said one time he liked pumpin' guns.

I have been a recurve shooter most of my life. Now shooting a 52# Brackenberry, down from 62# due to age. Will never accept crossbows in the archery season, but all to their own ! I do have a model 12 16ga. that I used when there were a few pheasants around.

[crm3006]

From bowhunter75richard: "I do have a model 12 16ga. that I used when there were a few pheasants around."

Top gun is a Model 12 16 gauge, bottom gun is a Model 42 .410. Expensive to feed , but two of my favorites.

[fitch270]

My first bow was a 35# fiberglass longbow that I can’t for the life of me remember the make, where it came from or who ended up with it. I can say it was previously used, green and gone before I started hunting small game. It wouldn’t have been legal
to hunt deer with anyway.

I got into bow hunting in 1988 just when compounds were taking off. In 1996 I started working for a guy with a sideline archery shop and learned a bunch about the equipment of that time. Still, it was 1999 before I took my first deer with a bow.

I’m not wild about the use of crossbows during archery season but I’m tired of the constant arguing over it, I’m at the point where I don’t care anymore. In NY archery season in the southern zone runs about 6-7 weeks depending on how the calendar falls and for now crossbows are only legal the last two weeks. It also happens that those weeks are generally when pre rut chasing is typically in full swing and bucks are on the move.

I was just talking with my old boss last week. I asked if he had a crossbow yet and he said he did but had never hunted it. A few years ago he had surgery after breaking his upper back over the summer and wasn’t sure he could draw a bow. (He was lifting one end of a long 6x6 with his shoulder when the other end fell off the beam it was sitting on.) Turned out he was able to pull back his bow with less problem than cocking the crossbow so he never hunted the thing. I believe a lot of guys who think they can’t use a compound anymore don’t realize how smooth drawing and hard hitting new bows are, even down around a 50# draw.

That all said I can understand the arguments about the differences in equipment but haven’t totally bought into the whole wounded deer angle. Fact is I’ve never found an unrecovered deer shot with an arrow but have found a number that were lost due to bad bullet placement or at least a lousy recovery effort. I know it happens with archery gear but I believe a higher percentage of bowhunters are more serious about what they do. Have to admit though that may not apply to as many new crossbow users. I do know some fellows that bought them simply because they wanted the opportunity but didn’t want to put the effort into getting proficient with a vertical bow.

[PigHunter]

The crossbow has been around for over 2500 years. In broad terms, using one can then be considered traditional.

I had a recurve in high school but never hunted with it. Just shot into haybales. 25 years ago, I bought a second-hand compound, using it to take a few deer and pigs. 8 years ago I bought a second-hand crossbow and with it started taking deer out of my yard.

I've since upgraded to a better crossbow with illuminated reticle scope. It has proven to be deadly accurate and I'm easily comfortable to 40 yards but will stretch to 50 in the right conditions. I only practice about 1 hour per year, shortly before the season starts. That's mainly to check functionality.

In my experience, the crossbow is easier to shoot accurately than a compound. No surprise there. That alone should result in fewer wounded game. In general, crossbows will fling the arrow faster and it takes much less movement That should make spooking game less likely and resulting in greater success.

I'm ONLY using archery because of the special season (or when I don't want the neighbors to know I'm shooting deer). If not for those reasons, I'd sell it and just stick with firearms. So, I've got very little interest in vertical bows.

Here's a picture of my bow from last November, while hunting in Kentucky.

[crm3006]

PigHunter: Nice looking armament. From the looks of that, you might as well be shooting a rifle! I don't really think that is comparable to your middle ages traditional weapon. LOL
Still a good looking rig!

[PigHunter]

Thanks! In a lot of ways it is like shooting a rifle. Just cumbersome and needing to have enough clearance for the limbs sweeping forward at the shot.

I have a friend who only uses a longbow. He shoots in meets but just hunts 5 or 6 times a year. He's more into the culture of making his own bows and arrows... Interesting fellow.

You've inspired me to get that old compound out for practice. I had it re-strung and carried it to Kentucky last November as a backup...

Thanks for starting this topic. But this kind of talk leads me to consider buying a new vertical bow. Dang it!

[jhjimbo]

I have my Bear Grizzly from 1970 and target shoot with it a little, one pin sight. My compound is a Jennings Buckmaster and my X-bow is a Barnett. I hunt on my own place so put the X- bow on the ATV to get to my spot. I would not want to carry it very far.
The sight on the Bear is a 1 pin.

[DakotaMan]

I started with a 60# re-curved bow in high school. I literally had to lift weights and practice for about 3 months before deer season to be proficient with it. My hunting buddy continued shooting his of the same model until he died a couple of years ago. Archery hunting is exciting because of the anticipation and large number of deer you see that aren't quite in range.

When it comes to crippling deer, I consider a shotgun and all forms of archery to be pretty similar. They all require a good shot to the vitals and deer that have an adrenalin rush often don't stop for a while, even then. They are all low on shock so they don't tend to put deer down as quickly as a rifle.

I have seen more shotgun cripples than I could imagine. I also see way too many archers with compound bows cripple. I see that as lack of hunting skills and poor shot placement. It is way too easy to get accuracy from compounds so often the archers do no preparation and they have no hunting skills so they often make bad shots. Most archers I have seen however are more concerned with taking good shots than shotgun hunters. Just my personal observations among a few hundred hunters I have seen over the last 65years or so.

The cross bow is similar to the compounds but I believe they appeal more hunters that have little training and limited proficiency. As an example, a few years ago I was hunting near a young high school girl with a cross bow. She was having a wonderful time shooting and loved the sport. She crippled 7 deer in one morning and found none of them. She was shooting at everything and didn't know how to track. I tracked two of them for her that appeared to be the hardest hit; one I tracked for three miles and the other four miles. I never found either.

Deer tags are made available to mange the population and health of the herd and I don't mind what hunters use to harvest their deer. I just want all hunters to be respectful of the animal and ensure a quick, clean kill. I really don't like torturing animals for sport and I see that happening way too much with all kinds of hunting implements. I prefer seeing rifles above all, because even a bad shot usually dispatches the animal quickly or keeps it in range for a follow up shot. I admire archers who know what they are doing.

[crm3006]

My Grizzly recurve isn't really conductive to installing a sight system. Shooting fish, I shoot instinctively, and aim low, to defeat the refraction in the water. I may, if the situation comes up, either invest in a middle range compound, or borrow one from one of my nephews for the archery season that is coming up. Will be rushed to rig out a compound and practice, or re-rig and get sighted in, and practice. Still haven't decided. Probably just end up using the Grizzly, and keeping the shots very close.

[Amflyer]

She crippled 7 deer in one morning and found none of them. She was shooting at everything and didn't know how to track. I tracked two of them for her that appeared to be the hardest hit; one I tracked for three miles and the other four miles. I never found either.

Wow, busy morning. At least she kept trying. Good thing she had a lot of bolts.

[MattM37]

I started with a 60# re-curved bow in high school. I literally had to lift weights and practice for about 3 months before deer season to be proficient with it. My hunting buddy continued shooting his of the same model until he died a couple of years ago. Archery hunting is exciting because of the anticipation and large number of deer you see that aren't quite in range.

When it comes to crippling deer, I consider a shotgun and all forms of archery to be pretty similar. They all require a good shot to the vitals and deer that have an adrenalin rush often don't stop for a while, even then. They are all low on shock so they don't tend to put deer down as quickly as a rifle.

I have seen more shotgun cripples than I could imagine. I also see way too many archers with compound bows cripple. I see that as lack of hunting skills and poor shot placement. It is way too easy to get accuracy from compounds so often the archers do no preparation and they have no hunting skills so they often make bad shots. Most archers I have seen however are more concerned with taking good shots than shotgun hunters. Just my personal observations among a few hundred hunters I have seen over the last 65years or so.

The cross bow is similar to the compounds but I believe they appeal more hunters that have little training and limited proficiency. As an example, a few years ago I was hunting near a young high school girl with a cross bow. She was having a wonderful time shooting and loved the sport. She crippled 7 deer in one morning and found none of them. She was shooting at everything and didn't know how to track. I tracked two of them for her that appeared to be the hardest hit; one I tracked for three miles and the other four miles. I never found either.

Deer tags are made available to mange the population and health of the herd and I don't mind what hunters use to harvest their deer. I just want all hunters to be respectful of the animal and ensure a quick, clean kill. I really don't like torturing animals for sport and I see that happening way too much with all kinds of hunting implements. I prefer seeing rifles above all, because even a bad shot usually dispatches the animal quickly or keeps it in range for a follow up shot. I admire archers who know what they are doing.

So, did she think that was just the way hunting was, i.e. you simply shrug it off and reload when you hit one but it runs off? Just curious about how she explained what she was doing?

[FirstBubba]

My first bow was a bright yellow recurve with about a 20/25 pound draw weight. I was just a kid, maybe 10.
Didn't hunt much with it, I was only allowed field tips! 🙄 It was probably better that way.
Finally talked my mom into ONE broadhead, cedar shaft arrow.
I promptly stuck it in a utility pole and broke the shaft trying to remove it! 😥
Didn't mess with bows much until the late 70's. Compounds had become the rule rather than the exception and a recurve in the store was an anomaly. Recurves were a dime a dozen at Bill's Pawn down on the square. LOL!
I did very well with even a compound until the store manager insisted I use a site. I couldn't hit a barn door.
Ok, I wasn't THAT bad! I did manage to finally kill one deer with my compound.
Bad left elbow, bad right shoulder and I gave up the 60# compound back to a 45# recurve and began instinct shooting again.
WOW!
I was absolutely deadly.... until the right shoulder finally gave up the ghost!
I don't mind x-bows, I just don't like x-bows.
I think they have as much right in the archery season as a compound, recurve or longbow.

[bowhunter75richard]

I started with a 60# re-curved bow in high school. I literally had to lift weights and practice for about 3 months before deer season to be proficient with it. My hunting buddy continued shooting his of the same model until he died a couple of years ago. Archery hunting is exciting because of the anticipation and large number of deer you see that aren't quite in range.

When it comes to crippling deer, I consider a shotgun and all forms of archery to be pretty similar. They all require a good shot to the vitals and deer that have an adrenalin rush often don't stop for a while, even then. They are all low on shock so they don't tend to put deer down as quickly as a rifle.

I have seen more shotgun cripples than I could imagine. I also see way too many archers with compound bows cripple. I see that as lack of hunting skills and poor shot placement. It is way too easy to get accuracy from compounds so often the archers do no preparation and they have no hunting skills so they often make bad shots. Most archers I have seen however are more concerned with taking good shots than shotgun hunters. Just my personal observations among a few hundred hunters I have seen over the last 65years or so.

The cross bow is similar to the compounds but I believe they appeal more hunters that have little training and limited proficiency. As an example, a few years ago I was hunting near a young high school girl with a cross bow. She was having a wonderful time shooting and loved the sport. She crippled 7 deer in one morning and found none of them. She was shooting at everything and didn't know how to track. I tracked two of them for her that appeared to be the hardest hit; one I tracked for three miles and the other four miles. I never found either.

Deer tags are made available to mange the population and health of the herd and I don't mind what hunters use to harvest their deer. I just want all hunters to be respectful of the animal and ensure a quick, clean kill. I really don't like torturing animals for sport and I see that happening way too much with all kinds of hunting implements. I prefer seeing rifles above all, because even a bad shot usually dispatches the animal quickly or keeps it in range for a follow up shot. I admire archers who know what they are doing.

Dewman, there are good archery hunters and bad ones. Just the same as good firearm users and bad ones. Both acquire their users from the general populace and there is no guarantee as to their ability or hunting ethics !

[jhjimbo]

My first bow was a bright yellow recurve with about a 20/25 pound draw weight. I was just a kid, maybe 10.
Didn't hunt much with it, I was only allowed field tips! 🙄 It was probably better that way.
Finally talked my mom into ONE broadhead, cedar shaft arrow.
I promptly stuck it in a utility pole and broke the shaft trying to remove it! 😥
Didn't mess with bows much until the late 70's. Compounds had become the rule rather than the exception and a recurve in the store was an anomaly. Recurves were a dime a dozen at Bill's Pawn down on the square. LOL!
I did very well with even a compound until the store manager insisted I use a site. I couldn't hit a barn door.
Ok, I wasn't THAT bad! I did manage to finally kill one deer with my compound.
Bad left elbow, bad right shoulder and I gave up the 60# compound back to a 45# recurve and began instinct shooting again.
WOW!
I was absolutely deadly.... until the right shoulder finally gave up the ghost!
I don't mind x-bows, I just don't like x-bows.
I think they have as much right in the archery season as a compound, recurve or longbow.

Your first bow was a toy, probably had a suction cup on end of arrow.