Do you leave your bow strung during the whole hunting season or do you unstring it after the hunt of the day??
I keep mine strung all year as long as I shoot it 2 to 3 times a week. If not I unstring it.
I leave mine strung all year
X2 with she'd hunter
Unstring after every shooting. Then again, I hunt with a horn composite, and they get weak if you leave them strung.
If I'm not hunting or shooting for a handful of days I unstrung 24/48 Hrs I leave it strung
leave it strung... all year... I shoot a few times a week all year
I unstring every time.
Strung all week as long as I'm shooting.
Unstring my longbow after use. My Recurve I'll leave strung for longer periods of time.
As others have said I leave mine strung as long as I'm shooting pretty regular.
I leave it strung during season. When hunting season is closed I unstring it if I don't think ill shoot in the next few days.
My recurves stay strung. I've seen more recurves damaged by stringing and unstringing than any other cause. Longbows, I usually unstring unless I know I'll be using it the next day.
It wont hurt a glass bow to leave it strung for long periods if its hung up properly ..... More recurve bows are damaged stringing them up than any thing else....
I hate stringing and unstringing my recurve. scares me every time
KirKll, what is hung up properly? I'm asking because I don't know.
Leave mine strung unless I know I won't be shooting for a few weeks. String/unstringing is where most problems can occur. In fact, Norm Johnson with Blacktail bows recommends leaving them strung.
I unstring every day. Not necessary, but a habit born when everything I read told me it was.
mine all stay strung all the time. modern materials can take it easily.
recurves and longbows with glass are fine for it.
recurve and longbow, I keep them strung...as I shoot just about every day.....only time I unstring, is to adjust brace height..
Bob
I leave my bow strung while I am hunting and camping. I usually unstring my bows when they come in the house. My bows are hung vertically by their strings on either end of a bookshelf, so it is a space thing. I think i also learned that they should be unstrung when not in use years ago.
There is less potential energy looking for a place to happen when unstrung.
I leave most of my bows strung most of the time...never have seen any negative consequences
DDave
A thick cored narrow tipped bow with less glass like a Schulz longbow can take a temporary set if left loaded for long periods. most of the time it will come out of it. A thinner cored bow that is wider, will not show much change if left loaded. Leaving a bow loaded will reduce string wear. I did see a Bear Super Kodiak that had been left loaded for several years, that weighed 4 pounds less than its stated draw, they tested the scale and it was accurate.
It's your bow do what you want. How can someone learn to shoot a stick bow and have problems stringing or unstringing a bow.
It is so simple to do with a stringer.
Depends on witch bow. My primitives are always unstrung when not in use.
QuoteOriginally posted by bear bowman:
KirKll, what is hung up properly? I'm asking because I don't know.
You can hang a bow on a nail or even a wooden dowel verticly that can put lateral pressure on the limb, and possibly cause limb twist if it hangs there long enough. especially in temps above 90 degrees.
Hanging a bow properly would be hanging it from the string resting on two pegs horizontally with no torque on the limbs at all.or the bows limbs resting on the pegs evenly like you see on bow racks.
You can hang a bow for short periods of time vertically on a peg from one end no problem. If the pegs are 90 degrees from the bow and not torquing the limbs you could let them hang this way no problem....
check out this rack
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u301/kirkll/Bows%202012/Flatliner/SANY0046.jpg) (http://s171.photobucket.com/user/kirkll/media/Bows%202012/Flatliner/SANY0046.jpg.html)
These are kind of cool and hold the bows weight from the top limb gently with rubber grips. they are made for garden tools. They also hold your bow whether its strung or not.... very cost effective too. i use this rack daily as i work on different bows.
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u301/kirkll/Stock%20Bows%202014/IMAG0259.jpg) (http://s171.photobucket.com/user/kirkll/media/Stock%20Bows%202014/IMAG0259.jpg.html)
right now I have 3 bows I'm hunting with depending on my mood and what spot I'll be in and they all will stay strung until the season ends,,, if any of my recurves are unstrung right now chances are they won't see the woods.
longbows are so easy to string I leave them un strung for more hanging space and just push/pull when heading into woods.
Hmm been thinking back and forth about this. I un-string every time though...... Seems like it could put unnecessary stress on the loops of a string sliding down and back up again.... Also wondering if there are long term effects on the bow......Still not sure.
I was the same way. but as much as I shoot there is more chance of me damaging by stringing and unstringing the recurve than just letting it be. now if for some reason I won't shoot for 2-3 weeks I will unstring, maybe. but I really don't think it is all that necessary with modern materials.
Yeah there is that. But if you are using a stringer it almost "knock on wood" doesn't seem like there is much chance of damaging it if you just string it properly. We will see need to do more research.
My regular bows only get unstrung for maintenance.
I unstring my bow after every time I shoot!
Bisch
I never unstring my hunting bow unless I absolutely have to (like when riding a horse). But I shoot it at least a few times every day. The ones I don't shoot stay unstrung.
The one I'm shooting a lot stays strung all the time.
this question comes up at least twice a year.
with modern trad bows, made with modern materials, such a bow can be left strung until the string needs replacing ... and then the cycle begins again.
the only caveat will be the strung bow's environment, where any abnormal heat is to be avoided for extended periods of time. if it's too hot and/or dry for you, it's no good for the bow.
my bows stay strung up all the time and only get unstrung for travel or a new string.
My selfbows I leave unstrung except when actually shooting.
My fiberglass backed longbows and recurves are all unstrung and hanging on hooks...EXCEPT the one bow I pick to hunt with for a particular season.
That bow stays strung the entire time after I get brace height back where I want it after being relaxed on wall. The only thing I defend against is leaving it in direct sunlight strung and I dont leave it in vehicles in heat either. If I am comfortable my bow is comfortable.
Glass bows I leave strung and hung properly.
I do unstring my if my brace has changed just to get it back to where it needs to be. sometimes I see that it has changed 1/8" or less so I bring it back again to where it shoots best. I assume it's string stretch.
Don't know why folks think stringing and unstringing a bow is such a chore. I've been doing it for nearly 60 years now without a mishap.
Anything under stress/tension for a long time is affected by that tension. It may not be immediately noticeable, but the stress does have an effect. I unstring my bows after I'm done shooting them.
with "modern" glass, let alone carbon fiber and ceramics, and epoxies, combined with any genus of wood ya like, and a good heat lamination system, a bow that's been left strung for 20 years in a moderate climate of both temperature and humidity, will show absolutely zero negative effects whatsoever. correct brace tension is negligible.
QuoteOriginally posted by Orion:
Don't know why folks think stringing and unstringing a bow is such a chore. I've been doing it for nearly 60 years now without a mishap.
Anything under stress/tension for a long time is affected by that tension. It may not be immediately noticeable, but the stress does have an effect. I unstring my bows after I'm done shooting them.
I think the problem lies mostly with what type of stringer is used on an RC bow. Those are the bows that get damaged using a tip to tip stringer. Long bow are going to be more user friendly and rarely get damaged stringing them.
A properly executed step through method is safer than a tip to tip stringer for a recurve bow. Its very difficult to get even pressure on a recurve limb without it twisting using a tip to tip stringer.
But the problem that arises with stringing bows using a step though method over 50#'s is not having the strength to bend those limbs far enough to get the string seated without twisting them.
All it takes is one wrong move, and you can ruin a limb.... If you are inexperienced with stringing bows, and have a heavy draw weight that makes it tough to string, leave the dad burn thing strung up. and use the proper type of bow stringer when you do need to take it down or string it up again.
Rob: I'll believe that when I see it. Yeah, I've read the anecdote about the BW that was left strung in a shop for years, and the owner says it didn't lose a pound of weight, etc.
Problem is, no one has ever truly measured a bow's draw weight before and after a 20-year, or even 10- , 5- or 1- year sit with the bow strung. And even if the effect isn't measurable, it still occurs. All of the materials used in building a modern trad bow have some elasticity, some more than others. Over time, under stress, there's going to be some compression of that elasticity. It may or may not be noticeable or measurable, but it occurs. Of course given that the effect is so minor, it's probably not worth worrying about.
But what about all the old recurves that have been sitting in closets for years that end up with bent/warped lower limbs? I suspect most of those were actually caused by improper stringing, but the popular belief is that it's caused from the weight of the bow acting on the limb over the years of storage. How would a strung bow be any different?
Agree with Bigfoot...I dont like the tip to tip stringers. Longbows and Selfbows I do the push-pull....recurves I only use the Selway Stringer as it has the deep pocket on one end that is NOT coming loose...and then the flat rubber stop to pull down evenly on the upper limb...and wont slip.
I can measure my my Habu has it has been strung and hanging on my rack for two years.....and my Wolfer has been strung ever since I returned from my bear hunt in June with it as I am shooting it this deer season as well. :)