Yea I know I have more bows than one person needs :banghead: .....but for you that also have a bunch, how do you decide what to hunt with any given year. Do you go with old favorite, something nostalgic :cool: or new one you just got to try it out. How about one you had success with in the past......or do you just flip a coin. Maybe take a different one each time out...... :dunno: Most of my bows are about the same poundage and like the same arrows so that's not an issue. Hard to choose....... :rolleyes:
I carry at least a dozen in my backpack and few houndreds of arrows and bhs. Then when I see the size of the animal that is approching I decide wich one to choose. If a Elefant is coming I take a 90 pounder, for a whitetail 45# will be enough. Sorry I can't help myself. Lol
Only a dozen Felix.......... :biglaugh:
Wish I had this problem... :thumbsup: At the beginning of the year, assign them all numbers. Then role some dice, add the numbers and there is your winner. :dunno: :dunno:
Hmmmmm. Good question. I don't have a bunch, bunch, but i do have several. I've been using my ACSs a lot, but I'l be giving a Bear Green Stripe a fair amount of use this fall. Also have a Liberty Chief that hasn't seen action in a few seasons that i plan to get out, and a Hill. Will also need to take along my Bear A riser and short limbs for blind hunting or a particularly tight tree stand.
I take several bows to my cabin with me and will hunt with them throughout the season. Might take one bow in the morning and another in the afternoon.
You know Ron , it's kinda like going to the ice cream store , depends on the mood .
Sometimes I feel like a longbow and sometimes a recurve .
I have them from 52" to 68" , poundage from 43# to 62# . :dunno:
With me...it is a matter of which bow has the best combination of accuracy, smoothness, speed, feel, and fits me the best. Honestly the others are collecting dust, but in my growing process, Ive learned better then to let them go...just too many memories attached to them. Id rather knock dust off now and again, as to never seeing them again...
I try and use a bow I haven't killed a deer with.
QuoteOriginally posted by Jon Stewart:
I try and use a bow I haven't killed a deer with.
:biglaugh: That would be all of mine......I did kill a bear......but deer seem to elude me....or I just plain miss...... :dunno:
Missing deer....much easier to do then what most are willing to admit ron. Guarantee you are among many many people...
Don't know if this fits here but I was going to shoot my favorite longbow this evening and the arrows for it are in a different closit , so I shot my K-Mag because my quiver had the arrows for that one already in it .
I have 9 bows. I have three favorites. There is one I shoot really well, its a newish stalker long bow, I have been hunting that all season. But, when the freezer is nearly full, I will take out my 68 Bear Cub because it is lucky and I feel good when the compound shooters giggle at my old ugly recurve while going up the mtn, and I come down the mtn with meat.
I also hunt Fred Bear's birthday every year with a 74 K-mag my brother gave me for my birthday. Just a tradition.
In sum, I have a favorite, a lucky, and a tradition. The others get used for targets and stumps mostly.
Since i have reduced my stable to 2 bows, for now, i pick the one that suits my fancy at the moment.
Its all mood and what I feel good with at the moment. With a little bit of " I haven't bloodied this one yet..." thrown in.
ChuckC
Well my answer will be nonsense to anyone but me but...
I've whittled down to about 1/3 of my peak numbers.
Except for a couple, the ones I've kept are those that feel good and perform well. I've owned some bows that didn't feel good, 1 that was SLOWWW, one that was too rare to hunt with (1 of 2 LH Custom Kodiak Signatures without the gold), and three that had gloss finishes I couldn't bring myself to sleeve. These all found better homes (3 of them with the same fine fellow).
I've kept one that doesn't look like much but it was given to me. I have another that is really forgiving and high performance, but it has a black metal riser and is nothing to look at.
This year I have been and will continue hunting with my best "looker". I ordered it for its exotic beauty (because performance and feel were a given). So, I'm going to spend my tree time with it.
Of course I will be among the majority who admits my final criteria has zip to do with filling a tag. But, while I thoroughly enjoy and desire to fill my tags, that hasn't been my #1 objective since I was 16 years old.
Easy Schafer recurve fits so good it hurts- Stewart longbow I just shoot it well. I do have others lol but they don't get used to often.
i have kept every bow i've ever bought, and slowly have worked my way down to my go-to, most comfortable rig for hunting (my Retro). but lo and behold, i got a chance to do something different the other night (frog hunting), and so i pulled out the Maddog. it was the perfect combination of maneuverable, light, and dead-on that i needed, so i took it with me. it performed great! i've thought several times about selling one or more of my bows, and I always end up glad i didn't.
that doesn't help you in deciding, i guess, haha! the short answer is, "whatever does the job".
Been hunting with the same bow for around 8 years. I have taken others. But it's just hard for me to take other bows hunting. Feels like leaving an old friend when I don't take it.
I have more bows than I can count in a variety of ages, weights, lengths and styles. My current #1 is a TD Toelke Whip Classic, and what I will carry when it is important. I will start this season with a 1960 Grizzly, because I want to shoot something with it. I also have a 67 Grizzly, a Hoyt PH1 and my first real laminated bow, a Shakespeare Necedah that I hunted with in my mid teens. These three will be hunted within the next few years when I retire and get to hunt more.
How do I choose, Whichever one speaks and feels right.
I have a Holm Made River Runner that has been my go to bow for several years......I have missed 2 deer with and hit and lost another. I love it but it seems to have confidence in me......lol! Shot several today just seeing what feels good......still undecided.
RonW the one I will be using this year is an osage selfbow that I made. Used it last year but did not get a deer with it. I did shoot a dog fish with it this spring while carp shooting.
Actually used all primitive equipment, wood arrow and stone head.
QuoteOriginally posted by Jon Stewart:
RonW the one I will be using this year is an osage selfbow that I made. Used it last year but did not get a deer with it. I did shoot a dog fish with it this spring while carp shooting.
Actually used all primitive equipment, wood arrow and stone head.
Very nice. I would be very interested to know the size and weight of your stone points.
They very but I like to make them around 100 grns.
I use my Kodiak Magnums, a 69 and a 73 "greenie." I have 22 other bows, mostly recurves, some wall hangers, a few nice longbows, but I'm most comfortable with my mags.
I have one particular silvertip that always gets the call. The bow just fits me better than anything else I own. Good luck to all this season!!
Hard decision for sure. I try to make up my mind by August 1st each year. Whatever bow I select, I try not to shoot anything else until after the hunting season. My final decision is based on what I am hunting, where I am hunting, and if I've taken anything with that particular bow. I normally lean toward a bow that has not been used during the hunting season and taken game. All of my bows are shooters and deserve to be hunted with unless they were purchased specifically for target or 3-D shooting. If I am fortunate enough to take a game animal early in the season I reserve the right to switch to a different bow for the remainder of that season. I guess you could refer to me as an equal opportunity bow owner. :banghead:
We have a saying here in AZ "If you cant shoot at least have good looking gear" so ialways hunt with my Schafer.
I have 4 bows, out of about a dozen longbows, that I prefer for hunting, and, except for one, they will all shoot the same arrows. Therefore, it all based on today's whim. Two are from Howard Hill Archery, and two from Northern Mist.
I usually shoot a different bow every time I go out. Even my selfbows are tuned to shoot like my longbows and recurves. Now that I have 30+ bows all at 40#, it doesn't seem to make a difference which one I pick. I'm still reducing weight on different bows at almost one a day.
I used to go with the mood and whether I was hunting tree stand or ground blinds. Lately in my golden year's :D I have narrowed it down to just a handful of bows. When I am home I use mainly my two Shrew's. When I am at bow camp in Grayling I mainly use my Bear Kodiak's!
I have more than a few bows and like to shoot them all for fun during the year, but when deer season arrives only two get used and practiced with...a primary and a backup.
Critters hereabouts are scarce and you're allowed only one deer per season. In fact, you may only SEE one per season. So, becoming familiar with and practicing with one or two bows, under hunting conditions and practice positions, is a good idea.
I've owned 250+ bows over the past 16+ years. I've sold, traded or given away every one of them. A couple of weeks ago I bought a Groves Flame. I've yet to shoot it, but it will be my go to bow this year, since it's my ONLY bow!
Bill
Whatever I feel I am shooting the best with or at the very least
The bows I am competent with. So far that is a recurve, but I have a couple of long bows that I like so far.
I dont have that many. But they all have a purpose.
My take down for travel, Lighter-longer recurve for 3d and an extra "lender" bow.
For hunting, I have a recurve and a longbow. They get to alternate each season.
I try to put more thought into what tree I will sit in based on the wind or how a different spot may be better for a specific condition. It leaves little time to think about what bow i will hunt with lol.
With that being said, I think you could probbaly hunt with 3/4 of your bows Ron. I think you should take 2 or 3 down to the practice range and hunt the one you are shooting best in that session.
Been doing that Charlie.......got it narrowed down to a couple.
I keep saying it's time to use another one (probably have over fifty), but my selfbow Pigger keeps putting critters down, despite the inept dude pulling the string back. Most times she seems to shoot herself. Think I'll keep hanging onto Piggers string until one of us is no longer able to get it done.
The bows I use to hunt are more about the arrows I want to hunt with...my hunting arrows are 250 and 300 spine...I have 2 bows that work really well with the 250 spine arrows that I use for moose or elk...then I have another 2 or 3 that work great with the 300 spine arrows...I also make a daily choice about whether to hunt right or left handed...some days one works better for me than the other...the nice thing is a couple of shots in my yard will tell me a lot...try doing that with the trusty 25/06 somtime
DDave
If it isn't blooded yet, that is the one I hunt with until I kill with it. Course it does not matter all my Schafers shoot the same for me but I may hunt with my Cari-bow Silver Fox this year just because.
LOL......Danny, I have 45-47 bows.....I killed a bear with my ILF Zipper last spring, the rest have never been responsible for a kill.....ever. I am doing some testing and narrowed it down to 3-5 bows that seem to work for me right now.
I've only got 2, but have a 3rd on the way. I hadn't shot my first bow in a couple months since I got the second, but I shot it today just for grins. I actually shot it good after a few arrows to readjust. I think it's pretty cool that I can switch back and forth easily. Hopefully when the one I'm having now gets here I'll be able to shoot it well pretty quick too. If so I'm hoping it'll be my primary hunting bow for years to come.
QuoteOriginally posted by TSP:
Critters hereabouts are scarce and you're allowed only one deer per season. In fact, you may only SEE one per season.
Poor Fellow....you need to move :bigsmyl:
I hunt with what ever bow fits the bill for the terrain I'm hunting, or situation....they are all tools, just like Bheads...I don't shoot just one.....or the same pair of boots in the mountains as in the swamps.
I've even killed animals with two different bows on the same day and/or hunt...being hogs, and pheasants. Many times I've swapped during a hunt and killed stuff. Also, when following up on an animal that goes into the REALLY thick stuff that I or someone else shot, I'll take a much shorter bow.
Its a fun game we play, and lots of different fun toys also.
:campfire:
I know where TSP is coming from. I have had seasons where I never saw a deer. BUT, that's one of the many reasons I'm moving closer to my Grand-kids in the near future........Georgia here I come and it won't be soon enough.
Ron,....what part of GA?
My Daughter lives in the Lawrenceville area, so right now I'm looking between there and Gainesville/Braselton area. Hopefully in the next year or so. I have to be a short drive from her family......not 1000 miles like it is now.
I love trad bows and have all kinds. Here is my insane way of working out their rotation. I like to hunt treestands with recurves, but I don't like to hunt treestands all the time. I decided years ago to alternate each year. Last year I hunted on the ground with longbows. This year I am in the sky with recurves. I usually have a midweight bow I use all summer, a heavy weight bow I use during the early hunting season, and a light weight bow I use in late hunting season. Since I started the light weight in cold temps I don't have near as many injuries.
I grab my trusty Sarells. It's the first adult trad bow I've had. I've had piles go through my hands over the years looking for a take down that I like as much so it would be easier to travel. However, when the boots hit the dirt, my Sarells is still my best shooting bow in my hands, I have a history with it, and its the one bow I own that is just so absolutely perfect for me that it's my go-to. All the others are always in and out of rotation in the off season and being sold when they can't compare to my true first love.
I've owned so many I can't remember them all...now I have only one custom bow..a Robertson that was made for me 7-8 years ago. I own a bunch of stock bows and they shoot just as well for me. I generally stick with one from mid August until the season ends but I do shoot a couple others that are my back up in case a bow fails on me. This year it may be an old Howatt Hunter or Wing. Just because I haven't used them in a while.
Got to have a bow for specific occasions. Bought a '61 Kodiak just for hunting, or that was my excuse to my Mrs Boss. Just lik when we were young and many of us had a field archery bow and a hunting bow before takedowns.
However, My last real work boss, who collects recurves, gave me a Head Ski Red Wing Hunter, so now I feel obliged to use it for hunting. It is not as ggod looking as the Kodiak so it can tolerate a few dings.
Ron, there are numerous places in GA to hunt. Middle Georgia does not have as many really big deer as a lot of places, but we do have a lot of deer with generous limits. So, you have a chance to get a bunch of bows bloody. Check out Traditional Bow Hunters of Georgia and meet guys from all over the state who can help you get the lay of the land.
Sam, I intend to do just that when I get down there. Thanks.........
Yes....generous limits with generous season length......Middle Ga, Macon line(true middle GA), there's some big deer in that 100 mile perimeter for sure. Seen enough myself....and even got a couple mounted even though I'm a N GA resident.
Not to mention, hogs, turkey and bear, and hogs are open year round,....there is always something to be hunted if you want to go.
Maybe I'll get to meet you someday....Braselton is a nice area.