This is my first season hunting with a traditional bow, I have been shooting a 62" 49# Spirit Longbow by Byan Holley. The bow has done the job, it would seem to be a pretty basic bow. I am in search for a great bow. I love the stories and legends of Paul Schafer so I am greatly interested in a Schafer longbow but I know they are known for recurves not longbows so I'm not sure about them. I lived in Montana for a decade so I am definitely drawn to a Montana made bow but it doesn't have to be. I am 6'4" and shoot a 30+" draw. I shoot 3 fingers under and have been anchoring underneath my eye, if any of that information is helpful. Thunderhorns and Toelkes are also options I have looked into. Please give me some input Longbow guys!
If you want a bow from Montana, I don't see how you could go wrong with a Toelke! I have never owned one, but they are made in Montana, and get rave reviews all the way around.
My personal favorite longbow (and my goto hunting bow) is a Sarrels Blueridge takedown longbow.
Good luck in your search!
Bisch
Dont forget Centaur being where you are from. Jim's bows will accommodate your draw length.
My current personal favorite, and a very stable and forgiving platform is the TALLTINES Stickflinger. This would be similar to the Schaffer with great performance in the hybrid limb design.
Can't go wrong with a Toelke!! I am a loyal Silvertip recurve shooter, but on the long bow side I would highly recommend a Toelke Whip. Have fun choosing a new bow.
I have owned several centaur long bows. Outstanding sticks!! Lots of great custom bow makers in Montana.
Toelke!
Check Kimsha longbows.
RMSG is a great source. And you can return it if it's not just right!
JD Berry Archery Longbow... Taipan or Argos for duoflex or Vixen or Morning Star (or Heritage) for ASL. JD makes several other models that are great too...
The one you have is pretty darn good.....Check out Holm-Made, Chad Holm's Osprey and Goshawks are excellent longbows. I also like the Toelke Super "D" longbow. I like Kimsha also.....
Toelke for MANY reasons. Bill
Pronghornlongbows are excellent bows.. made in Wyoming that is close to Montana
I see your from Illinios, come to the Traditional Bowhunting Expo in Kalamazoo in late Jan. LOTS of bowyers there. St. Joe River Bows, Shrew bows, Great Northern Bows, A&H Longbows, Black Widow, Northern Mist, Zipper bows...plus many I have forgotten. This will give you a chance to "test drive" multiple bows to find what you really like.
I personally love my A&H longbow!! Can't go wrong with one of Larry's bows!
chris <><
I'm a recurve shooter but a couple or 3 guys at the Club really like their Timberhawks. However they are an IN company.
I second coming to the K'zoo Trad Expo and shoot everything that catches your eye.
Having said that, I love my Java Man Elk Heart. I only draw 28", but my bow is only 54" and no stack at all. It's a highly deflex/reflex bow and Gregg makes them in longer lengths that will accommodate your long draw well.
Much as I love my high performance shorter bows, I'm anxiously awaiting my 66" Mohawk Sparrowhawk "D" type longbow. It is SLIGHTLY deflex/reflex, but strings up to a "D" shape and just feels right when shooting the Michigan Longbow shoots.
TOELKE!
Give Neil at Bear's Paw a call in Lakeside
MT. Love my three piece, and now have the urge for a one piece from him.
Scoshe shorter than you are, but 31" draw, same anchor, 3 under. Wes Wallace Royal. Takedown.
Go 68", 50-55 lbs at your draw, bet you're a happy camper..
He's over in Oregon, but I wouldn't hold that against him.
I'm 6'4"..31+ draw.
I shoot..Pronghorn t/d(64"), Liberty Edge(66"). I Like the heck out of them.
Your best bet is to go to a big trad event to try some bows.
So many bows and so little time ...
Centaur and Caribow are two of my favorites
Caribow, Centaur, Toelke.
Toelke and Treadway is where I've ended up and I've tried more then a few. 66" Whip would be great for you.
I have owned thunderhorns and toelke longbows. The thunderhorns may be prettier but I would never ever take it over my 2 piece toelke whip. So many reasons why.
Toelke super d.
Luke,
With a 30"+ draw the Toelke Super D in its new length of 68" will suit you well. I have one tailored to a 30" draw and it is absolutely awesome! That's Dan and Jared's Hill Style that has perfect shooting manners. His 66" Whip will suit you as well if you want an R/D bow. You won't see much difference in speed between the two. Can't go wrong with a Toelke.
Toelke Whip all the way !
A vast at number of splendid offerings.
You will need to test drive a few to accommodate your own unique personal prefernces.
So many excellent offerings.
When I started I wish I'd understood the importance of a grip. You HAVE to try it before you fork over your cash.
There are many excellent offerings, but if you can try to find one that fits your hand and grip best.
It's harder to adapt to one that doesn't feel right, even if it shoots wonderfully for other people.
Marco
I have 3 McBroom bows 2 of them are reverse handle ASL. The other is a stringfollow American semi longbow with the hill style grip.. let's just say I have 2 more on order from him.
I have nothing but good to say about Toelke. I arranged a trade with him with a target date of 7 weeks from the date the deal was struck. 6 days later he called me and wanted an address to send my bow. I stamered and stuttered a bit and told him flat I hadn't even started on my end of the trade. He said no problem, have fun with the bow! I did hold up my end and we were both happy. Two bucks this season have fallen to the classic whip he sent me!
I will 2nd the JD BERRY bows. He is a master at his craft with over 30 yrs experience and an awesome guy to talk and do business with,But he is only building ASL bows.
I like ASL's. I have 5 bows from Howard Hill Archery and 2 Northern Mist Sheltons. I like them all. There are so many really good bowyers out there!
Real pleased with my Toelke Whip. I wanted a near recurve style grip and this one had it as an option.
RER the 3 piece longbow model LX is a killer bow. Great quality, fair price and now made in Montana.
New website is under construction so email, call or find them on facebook.
Centaur, Wes Wallace, Fox are others to look at.
Kzoo is coming up, I'd hold my cash and go shoot everything there. Even if you don't find "the one" you will at least know much better what you are looking for!
Thom
bigfoot and big jim are at the top of my list, a tolke or treadway are up there too. I'm saving my pennies.
Never own or shot a Whip but hear nothing but praise for them. But I have owned and do now own two Centaurs and love them, great bow to say the least!
Lots of great bows out there. Only you can decide what works best for you, and there are no magic bows. If you go custom, check out the bowyer's reputation for warranty work as well--and don't rely on message boards for that. For obvious reasons, some things can't be discussed on message boards.
No longer made, but Big River or Anderson would be my pick.
Lots of good choices and several different styles mentioned. I personally like longer mild r/d longbows the best. For me it's hard to beat a Northern Mist Superior or Wallace Mountain.
I also have a long draw at about 30.5 to 31" depending on wrist Position... I have a 68" 70lb Wallace royal takedown that's absolutely fantastic. Definitely a bow worth looking at.
I have a long draw as well, 31", depending o. How my shoulder feels. Some guys cringe when you tell them your draw length. Some guys don't. Go with the latter. If your line me your bow choices will change and evolve. I'm going thru that now. This site doesn't help, with all the bow porn on it. Kalamazoo is a good idea. If I can hold off till then I'm going.
Toelke. You can find no finer bows and no better folks than the Toelkes. Their bows are silent, fast, and beautiful. I have two of their RD Whips.
check out the stik by rich emery at stikbows....he has a fb page called stikbows. he makes a fine RD longbow at a very affordable price compared to most bowyers. and the bows are real shooters. he will be building my second in the next 3-4 weeks
Like others have said, only you can answer your own question so the best advice is to attend a shoot/gathering to demo a bunch.
If you're looking for personal opinions...
Haven't shot them all but I've shot a bunch...
My favorite...
3 pc= Jim Jones Firefly
R/D= toelke whip/ Newwood Stealth. Toss up but the whip can be a 2 piece.
Mild R/D= Dwyer Original (with your draw ask for the 68").
Mike Treadway makes a great bow plus he's a fine fellow to deal with. Also Bruce Clark in Ohio makes a fine longbow (he also makes some fine mandolins).
We make a longbow that comes in the lengths of: 62" 64" and 66". They are all three-piece takedowns. check them out:
http://legendsbows.com/id9.html
Check out the Legends bows. You will like them!
Thunderhorn
Another great option is the Raptor Signature longbow built by Ted Fry at Raptor Archery. I have two, both built to my 32 inch draw. Buttery smooth and easy to shoot. My next build will be another 62 inch bow, no noticeable finger pinch for me.
Here's a couple of pics of both.
(http://i.imgur.com/yVyDyTq.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/T5Pousv.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/aIhwJ7V.jpg)
Scott.
Luke,
My first longbow, a Toelke Classic Whip, will be here next week, if that tells you anything. I've also spent time with the Toelke Super D. Both bows were incredibly smooth shooting and to my eye, were flawless in construction. And Dan is a great guy to deal with (and he's a side-by-side shotgun freak like myself). Toelke's delivery times are unbelievable! I ordered mine a month ago, and was told it would arrive after Christmas. Well...Christmas comes early this year.
Justin
Montana Toelke hands down
RER bows are now located in Bozeman and are doing a great job building bows. Kevin has spoken highly of them and continuing the tradition and build he once has done.
A & H and Dryad
I'm a big fan or northern mist longbows. All Steve makes is longbows and he is very very good at it. Have owned alot of bows. My 2 northern mist bows are by far the best shooting longbows I have owned.
http://tbwpodcast.com/video-75-my-new-northern-mist-baraga-longbow-is-here/
Are you looking for a ASL or a reflex/deflex bow.? Can not believe no one has mentioned one of the best, look at Northern Mist website.
I've always been a recurve shooter but I have also owned a number of custom long bows and after several years of looking I purchased a Northern Mist Superior from Steve Turay. The bow is 64" and draws to 44 @ 28" with locator grip. Figured if might be just another long bow and I could sell it if that were the case.
The bow arrived and from the moment I shot it, I knew that I had found exactly what I was looking for. I liked it so much that I've ordered a 62" Baraga at the same approximate draw weight.
I have a number of great recurves and after shooting the Superior I haven't touched any of those bows.
Steve specializes in longbows and IMHO he's the "go to" guy. He'll spend all the time you need, answer your questions and help you make a choice that will astound you.
Just got in another 68" Super D in the other day. Dan and Jared Toelke exemplary work as always. Cocobolo is from a board cut in 1978 and the juniper is from a fire kill in Parma Montana. Fantastic shooter! There is a link for pics.
http://s1256.photobucket.com/user/tzolkosky/library/Juniper
Get a whip.
You didn't mention if you prefer a one piece or takedown Luke but if you want a one piece look into the Tomahawk from 3 Rivers. I've owned many longbows and the best one piece for me was the Tomahawk Diamond SS. They used to have a good test drive program too. Also, don't discount the Schafer so quickly...I owned a takedown that was a fine bow...not blazing fast but certainly fast enough and a real pleasure to shoot. Smooth and well made.
I skipped to the end without reading all the posts. It is my opinion that there are a very lot of really talented bowyers out there, any one of which can make a great bow.
Part of a bow being great to you is how it looks and how it feels, both of which are very personal things. Frankly I may hold a bow that I think is the best thing in the world and you may wonder what I just smoked.
Lots of folks will give you their opinion, but it is just that, their opinion. Your opinion may differ. Get out if you can, go to shoots, and actually touch and feel (and shoot if allowed) a lot of these bows and decide for yourself.
ChuckC
Ditto what Chuck said. Try a bunch and make up your own mind. Lots of quality Bowers out there.