What's the important point for you guys. Is it important to have a bow like a Dale Dye that is a real good looker or does a bow like a GN Ghost do it for you.
I'm kind of caught in the middle, I'm really not sure that a Dye, Morrison or Roberston work any better than my plain jane Ghost. Do the sexy bows perform any better ?
Only reason I ask is I have a chance to pick up a Dye or another Ghost from a good friend, boy I hate these decisions.
Ghost.
It's in the eye of the beholder my friend.
the ONLY thing that matters about a hunting stickbow is - does it work for YOU. nothing else matters one bit. 'hands on' is the only way to tell, to some degree. everything else is a krap shoot.
asking which of two bows you should purchase is totally meaningless to you, but yer gonna get a ton of 'this bow is best' replies and NONE of that is gonna be of any help to YOU.
see my point?
good luck.
I catch flack all the time about my "Mossy Oak" Widow. Most don't like the camo and ask why I still own it or why I prefer it over a sexier bow.....plain and simpe it's because the bow feel natural to me and it's a proven killer. When drawn it shoots where I look. Ugly or not I can't imagine not owning it or hunting w/ it.
In what we do if you have confindance in what you're carrying...1/2 the battle is won.
I'm shooting a GN Critter Gitter so I guess that's my answer.
Sexy on the dance floor is great but it's how you work together when you're alone that really matters.
"Sexy on the dance floor is great but it's how you work together when you're alone that really matters."
Love that Fletcer
I hear ya Rob, spot on.
My hunting bow is always gonna be the one I shoot the best, PERIOD! You owe that to the game we hunt. I have been on both sides of the fence in recent years, first got into trad wouldnt look at a metal riser/or ugly bow, wanted pretty wood. Then I tried an older alum. riser bow and found out I shot it way better than my high dollar, purty wood bow. In the last 3 years, I have ended up getting rid of most of my wood bows, and shoot mostly small metal handles, ie., older BW's, Quinns, and Bear Minutemans and takedowns. I have small hands, short fat fingers and the slimmer risers make it less of a struggle. I shoot better, take game regularlly, and dont care what other people think of my ugly bows,they are beautys to me! Dont get me wrong, beautiful bows/woods are part of the lure of trad archerye, I love cury maple and walnut on my trad. muzzloaders too, but if they didnt shoot good, I would go another way in a minute.
If it can kill by it! the deer don't care what it looks like.it's what you can do with it that matters.A 900.00 bow will not shoot any better than a 200.00 bow if you cant shoot(form and such).don't deprive your family or over extend yourself just to look good in the woods.
I have owned losts of "sexy" bows - still do. When I go to the woods, my camo never matches (if I even wear camo) and my truck is dirty most of the time. Not sexy - I would never make it on TV. My hunting bow is not the nicest looking, most sought after one out there. But I shoot it well, when I do my part, something dies. You know, for me, that might be kind of "sexy"! Shoot the one that works best FOR YOU!
and with a "old ugly" bow you wont have that much problems if it gets a scartch or something, wich will improve youre hunting too.
I really like a bow with clean lines and good wood...as long as it shoots well. On the other hand I find some of the "Woodland Getto" bows to be just hideous...like antler pieces stuck all over the riser, or the riser itself,antler burr bolts, and snakeskins on anything but a selfbow. Was looking at a Wes Wallace takedown at Denton hill and the owner was bragging about paying 50.00 for the antler burr limb bolts, I told him keep the bolts and knock off the 50 but he wouldnt do it... I didnt buy it. Just my 2 cents on the issue.
No reason you can't have BOTH! That's what my Rose Oak T/D is, Sexy and Functional. Hap
I think the GN Ghost is kinda sexy.
A bow that looks good and doesn't shoot is worthless to me; I would rather have an ugly one that shoots great. Life is short so I like to have both when I can. No reason not to. There are a lot of great looking and great shooting bows so you can have both. Shoot them both and if the sexy one performs then great get it.
Bows, guns, fishing poles, golf clubs, golf balls, cleats, basketball shoes...they all have something in common. A large part of sports is mental. If your equipment gives you confidence and you sort of create a relationship (many guys name their bows) with your equipment, then you begin to trust that it makes you better. I have both types of bows, and I prefer the sexy ones. With that said, things can be sexy and fully functional, too. Haven't you seen Angelina Jolie? She is very functional.
Only you can find the perfect bow for you but with that being said i love my fancy high end bows. There just something that moves me while holding one of these works of art in my hand.
Its kinda like an ugly girlfriend. Sure she warms your heart in the dark but during daylight you want to leave her at home and hide her from your buddies.
Hi All,
I've always liked the horsebows, like the Saluki (salukibow.com), but I bought a Tomahawk r/d from a fellow Tradganger, and liked it so well that my wife also got one!!
I have been fortunate (as I see it) to purchase each one of my bows (but one - bought a older browning here on the gang) AFTER I shot it. The shootability (is that a word?) and feel of the bow for me was the most important.
What is it that is said? "Perty don't kill". Having said that my bows are easy on the eyes IMO.
I've never seen a really ugly bow, and it has no bearing on what your girlfriend looks like. There are those who have to look good holding a bow that they think is "in"...I suppose. You can tell because some of them drop those names in about every conversation. Great shooting bows can be any design and any combination of woods...depending on personal taste or who you want to out-do 8^).
Nothing wrong with owning fancy, schmancey bows. If you shoot them well, they are the ones you should use. The fancy woods and high cost doesn't make them any better than what some would call ugly bows (I'm still not sure what an ugly bow is). So only you can really decide.
The bows I shot best, bar none, were the metal risers....but mine weren't ugly...they were beautiful 8^).
I've never seen a really ugly bow, and it has no bearing on what your girlfriend looks like. There are those who have to look good holding a bow that they think is "in"...I suppose. You can tell because some of them drop those names in about every conversation. Great shooting bows can be any design and any combination of woods...depending on personal taste or who you want to out-do 8^).
Nothing wrong with owning fancy, schmancey bows. If you shoot them well, they are the ones you should use. The fancy woods and high cost doesn't make them any better than what some would call ugly bows (I'm still not sure what an ugly bow is). So only you can really decide.
The bows I shot best, bar none, were the metal risers....but mine weren't ugly...they were beautiful 8^).
QuoteOriginally posted by Izzy:
I think the GN Ghost is kinda sexy.
And: No reason you can't have BOTH! That's what my Rose Oak T/D is, Sexy and Functional. Hap
Fully agree...there are so many bows to choose from that are both beautiful works of art and equally good shooters that you will never be forced into selecting one characteristic over the other. I could come up with at least 10 different bowyers without breaking a sweat. ;) I am sure there are far more.
QuoteOriginally posted by Rob DiStefano:
the ONLY thing that matters about a hunting stickbow is - does it work for YOU. nothing else matters one bit. 'hands on' is the only way to tell, to some degree. everything else is a krap shoot.
asking which of two bows you should purchase is totally meaningless to you, but yer gonna get a ton of 'this bow is best' replies and NONE of that is gonna be of any help to YOU.
see my point?
good luck.
My sentiments exactly!!! Price doesn't mean anything. Buy whatever bow you like and shoot well. All the other stuff is hogwash.
Well, I hunt with my bows, so they gotta be good and quiet, and tough as nails. they gotta blend in so as to not be seen by the deer I hunt, so I guess being real pretty is not very important to me. If it is quiet, and shoots a heavy enough arrow wher I look, that is gonna get the job done. So, my bows ain't that pretty but very functional. That being said, any curve in a bow is real sexy to me.
Bo.
I like good lines in a bow but could care less for putting pretty wood or clear glass on them any more.It does not help as far as shooting goes.If I hunt with it much I most likely will spray paint it camo or have it dipped anyway.It is all about shooting qualities to me.
I like sexy bows. I really like bows that shoot straight where I am looking. I got lucky and my first longbow purchase ( Wes Wallace Royal - custom ordered ) is sexy and shoots where I look.
If I had a plain Jane that shot better than the Royal. The royal would get sold pronto.
QuoteOriginally posted by KentuckyTJ:
Its kinda like an ugly girlfriend. Sure she warms your heart in the dark but during daylight you want to leave her at home and hide her from your buddies.
Tom, I think you even got George to smile on that one!!!!! :biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
QuoteOriginally posted by Fletcher:
Sexy on the dance floor is great but it's how you work together when you're alone that really matters.
Great answer, I love it. And he's right. On the other hand, sometimes you get lucky and sexy on the dance floor works well with you when you're alone. Don't assume you have to go homely to work well together; experiment until you find what works for you then hold on tight (with a relaxed grip of course).
Function can't be sexy?
My MOAB in basic black disagrees.
Slender, curves in just the right places...
When you find a sexy bow that starts killing some animals. Ya better keep it.
My first trad bow was a Robertson, and that of course is what I learned to shoot with. It is a simple bow but shoots where i look. I have owned Roy Hall bows (very $$$) Bear bows alike. When I go hunting, I take the Robertson that I have confidence in. Plain Bow but it works great. By the way I sold all of my "sexy and expensive" bows and shoot my Robertson.
QuoteOriginally posted by leatherneck:
quote:
Originally posted by KentuckyTJ:
Its kinda like an ugly girlfriend. Sure she warms your heart in the dark but during daylight you want to leave her at home and hide her from your buddies.
Tom, I think you even got George to smile on that one!!!!! :goldtooth:
There's something about the beauty of practicality that always seems to rise to the top with regards to equipment and me. Fancy is nice but if it causes you to worry about it, what are you really gaining? My bow is simple, of simple design with simple materials that are simple to maintain and durable. I've plastered the bow with Johnson's furniture wax to help it resist rain, and it gets a fair deal of whacks and abuse while afield. If it ever broke I wouldn't be out a month's pay to replace it (though getting laid-off next month might change that) and I don't think anyone would go out of their way to steal it. In other words, BEAUTIFUL to me.
You can definitely have both with all the choices out there. That being said, if I found "the magic bow", I wouldn't care what it looked like.
I once owned a bow that was so pretty I had to get rid of her.I know everyone wanted her and all I did was worry about loosing her.
My collection is growing,but plain Jane fits me better.
If your basic bow, Black glass, Maple cores and basic riser dont preform it isn't going to preform any better with all the exotic woods, accent stripes,carvings or snake skin and veneers added.
If the basic bow does preform and you shoot it well and you want all the goodies, that should be personal thing for you, not to impress others.
Our basic bows shoot the same as the decked out bows only cheaper. The only options I see make any differnce are the foam cores and carbon.
Not all sexy bows shoot good. Those that I can't shoot well don't get shot no matter how good they might look.
But on the other hand, a good shooting bow doesn't have to be ugly. Nearly all custom bows being made today can be ordered in some beautiful configurations! :thumbsup:
I raise and train bird dogs. Just as my dogs I like em purdy, but they do have to perform well for me to keep them.
Longstick64
Your thread is based on the premise that the 2 are mutually exclusive.
They're not.
Otto,
Not really, more of since my Ghost performs at a level I'm completely satisfied with, would spending twice as much for a Morrison make much sense. As luck will have, I acquired two Dale Dye recurves, both have impressed me with the looks as well as the shooting characteristics. In fact it's how these bow feel like when I draw them.
Quillian used to speak disparagingly about "cabinet-maker bows", from bowyers that were more concerned with looks than function. His bows were basic where looks were concerned, but they all performed like a good bow should. AND they were reasonably priced.
Not dissing pretty bows that work, but be careful that looks aren't deceiving. Personally I have little use for the pretty ones if it raises the price, because a bow for me is a tool, and I'm too rough on them anyhow. My prettiest one now has a coat of camouflage paint.
It's kind of like picking a wife. If you are lucky, you can get one that performs well AND looks good. But I'll take the sweetheart that can cook over the drama queen running up my credit card anyday!
I think there is a happy medium. If I had a $1000 bow, I would not take it into the field. My arrows are shooters (no cresting or splicing) and not works of art. The exception at the other end of the scale for me is bowfishing, where I only want a $100 bow to drop into the lake.
There is absloutely no reason in the world you cannot have both. The best bow builders build sexy bows that shoot awsome. The two, both take good workmanship, knowledge , experience, and artistic ability. If you are talking about materials , most good bowyers also build a lesser priced bow with same quality workmanship and shootability with lower priced woods. Good bowbuilder do not sell bows just because they are works of art. They have to shoot and they have to shoot noticibly better than any bow the buyer has ever shot or they just refuse to pay the price. Most of us cannot build a business on one shot sales. We want repeat over and over customers.
Sixby is right on....$500 or $1500 with a customer bowyers, it pretty much up to you what you spend.The lower end from a bowyer pretty much has the same preformance as the high end. The only exception I have seen is in the cores, not alway speed, but positives and backing can make some difference. The base bow is a real good way to go.
Thanks Bob, that's what pretty much what I was thinking. Always good when you hear it from the master.
Peter,
I could not imagine NOT hunting with any bow that I would own. You originally mentioned Dale Dye bows. I have three and I would venture to guess that Dale never builds a bow that isn't intended to be out in the woods. Sure some are definitely easy on the eyes, but they are all shooters.
Of course, if I had one of Norm Johnson's Blacktail Snakebit bows, it might get displayed somewhere conspicuous so it could be eyeballed quite often, but I would no doubt give serious thought to flinging an arrow or three with it. At some point, it is a tool (albeit a fine looking tool) that needs to fulfill its intended purpose.
Shoot and hunt with those Dale Dyes.....you'll appreciate them even more.
I have a couple of bows I won't hunt with. I'm not enamored with clanging a either of my Copperhead Widows against a couple of screw in steps while dragging them up a tree in the dark or slipping in the crick and smashing them against the rocks. I have plane jane Widdows I use for that.
Otto, then what good are the copperheads? I got a Morrison recurve with copperheads and for two years it went into the elk woods with me, I didn't throw it over any fences or out of any blinds. I didn't use it for a walking stick and when I fell down Bob will be glad to hear that the bow always came out on top. However When I shot my Sentman with black glass limbs I treated it the same way. I heal up. funny but Iregress to caveman or indian when I get in the woods. The bow is my life lol. I protect it because I depend on it. Funny but self analyzing that is the truth. Same with the fancy bows, Bows do not get fancier than the bows I build. Hoever every one of them is first a killing machine , a weapon,. meant to hunt with,. Then it is beautiful. in that order. I know from haveing owned Morrisons that the same concept is there. I also believe in building a lesser priced bow with same shooting qualities and workmanship. Again a funny thing. I never sell any of them. Its like we get pidgon holed into a certain bracket by archers. Either real expensive or the other. I bet Morrison sells more fancy bows than standard models too.
Sixby
What good are copperheads on any bow? They are strictly for adornment, even on a hunting bow. Some guys take pride in taking a $1500 bow and dragging it through the woods. I'm not that guy. I don't haul dead deer in the trunk of the BMW. I have a truck for that. Likewise with over and under shotguns. I own a couple that cost more than some folks make in a year. I don't drag those through the briars rabbit huntin either.
Just because a weapon doesn't go hunting doesn't make it useless nor does it mean it doesn't get used at all. The Copperhead bows get the daylights shot out of em year round. The over and unders bust clays like nobody's business, and the BMW hauls ass and handles like all good sports cars should. But when it comes to huntin, they all stay home.
Not trying to be ugly but this thread seems to be based on the premise that beautifully made bows tend to be poor shooters, which is ridiculous. I have a number of custom bows from the same bowyer and every one of them look great and shoot better than I can! They were made to my specs. of woods that I chose and that is how I expected them to shoot.
Otto, My point is only this. Taking any bow into the woods does not mean its going to get all scratched up. Thats all. I Elk and deer hunted the Morrison with copperhead skins and In all kinds of Northwest weather for two years. Not a couple of days but full 40 days plus a year. When I sold the bow I got more than I origonally paid for it. Not a scratch you could find anywhere. Granted I guess I could have fallen into some rocks or something but I'm pretty careful in the woods cause I'm out there where if I got hurt bad no one would ever likely find me.
I agree certainly that not all bows are hunting bows. I like to shoot targets too. When I take any bow into the woods its not pride , no matter the cost. I do like to look at a pretty bow though. Even in the woods.
Hey, If being pretty kept someone out of the woods my daughter in law would not have called me and told me she just killed a 5 point bull a couple of hours ago. (Grin)
Jim: you hit the nail right square on the head.
i only keep thngs that work / but beautiful things can work better than poorly finished things / my fav is a beautiful piece