I'm more of a traditional man myself, however, flashy is fun as well and in the spirit of the bow swap my vote goes towards whatever your heart desires/you find the most fun to build!

Made a good shot on this sow, pirogue and stalk hunt!

I hesitate to saying anything about this as you have gotten a lot of suggestions already.
But here goes. Before my first trip to Stickflingers, I found I wasn't shooting very consistent. I tried about everything.

And now I have come to the notion that I agree with whoever said tuning the shooter is more important than a perfect tune on the bow.

I like a balanced arrow. Spine for me shoots best when it is 5-10 pounds over the ACTUAL bow weight.

I thought I was drawing about 28". Then I marked an arrow at 1/2 inch increments above and below 28".  I had my wife stand to my side and watch me shoot. I tried to just shoot a normal draw length. When I was relaxed and not trying to reach maximum draw, at the point of the arrow being released, I was repeatedly at about 26.5"! So I weighed my bow and when drawing 26.5" I was actually shooting a 45# bow. For me, 50-55# spine shoots the best with a 27" arrow. Broadhead weight - nothing crazy heavy. 130-150 or so.

I talked with and read Sunset Hill Longbow and Leathers blogs. And just like Ryan Rothhaar's suggestion, Nate recommends just shooting hundreds of times. Get used to the bow. And smile when you are shooting-relax. It's supposed to be fun.

I also am a proponent of shooting up close to the target (blank bale shooting). Now is the time to pay attention to your draw, release etc. not trying to hit a specific dot.

Then just go out and shoot with judo points at dandelions, leaves, stumps  whatever. Forget about the technical stuff -just shoot and have fun.

That is the best-looking piece of Myrtle I have ever seen!  Very Nice!

  Exceptional accomplishment for sure! Tough hunt, for anyone. Congratulations.

Chicken and chorizo burritos are outstanding.  Add a little rice, avocado and tomato.

If that doesn't work, you could throw it in a cooler with some dry ice and ship it to NJ.   

It's coming up fast!

Have you ever tried a bear weather rest ? I found them very reliable and forgiving of my many release issues over the years. I tried many brands but found this one best for me if I wasn't shooting off the shelf. It was also the quietest.

Good idea, better than a knot in string...

Quote from: Ryan Rothhaar on February 11, 2026, 08:41:51 AMI think you are way over complicating it. Get an arrow that shoots good (enough) with feathers and go shoot your bow a couple thousand times before May. You are going to be shooting a bear at 8 yards. You are not competing in the Olympics.  Killing that bear isn't about perfect bare shaft flight, it's about not $hitting the bed when he's standing there 8 yards away and blowing the shot.

Traditional equipment isn't a compound that you "tune" then only need to shoot 6 arrows out of a week before season. You won't have "perfect form" after buying a class and shooting a couple weeks.

Go shoot that bow a bunch with decent flying arrows and kill a bear.

Folks been doing it for a really really long time without all the drama!

 

R

Very well stated... Don't know the specifics about all the bow, draw length, arrows, etc., but basic calculators, advice from similar knowledgeable folks, will get you to the target, as you progress, you can polish the stone, diamond etc...