Hi gang,

I have been looking around for some time now to find a new hunting bow. I currently shoot a Mongolian horse bow made by Toth Istvan that is 45# at 28". I'm thinking of switching over to longbow, but I have yet to find one that feels right.

What's most important to me is that the bow be made here in America by a bowyer, not a factory.

Next most important is design. I'm looking for a reflex-deflex longbow with a decent sized riser and not much handshock. I have a short draw length, 26.5", so the bow must be tillered for that. I don't want to get a bow made for tall people that won't give me all the potential energy it can generate. Length of bow I would prefer to be as short as possible for easy use in brushy terrain, but I leave that up to the bowyer.

Next up is materials. I want American woods. The best bow I've ever had was made by a fellow named Hank Pruitt, and it was a hickory selfbow. Extra points for those willing to work with hickory. I like Osage and walnut too. I also want antler tips.

Another important thing is handgrip fit. As you might guess from my handle, I'm a lady bowhunter. I have large hands for a woman, but they're still smaller than nearly all men. That means I need a scaled down grip. Sadly I don't have any preferred dimensions to give you. I just know that some bows I've handled are fine, and others are too big (for example the Diamond Woodland Hunter by Tomahawk).

As for the draw weight, I'd like to move up a bit from what  I currently have. I once measured my bow and I pull about 38#. I'd like to get up to at least 45#, perhaps 50#. I can pull bows rated up to 60# at 28" with relative ease.

Basically, I need good speed and power for hunting. I primarily hunt eastern whitetail. I plan to hunt elk, turkey and wild boar. Maybe some other birds if I get hungry. I use wooden arrows that I make myself, and have no plans to switch to aluminum or carbon.

If all this sounds pretty specific, it's because I'm just like most of you on this forum. I've been shooting all my life and I know what I like in a bow.

If you're a bowyer, or you know of one that makes what I'm looking for, please reply with your thoughts. I'd appreciate any input!

Check out Mike at Maddog archery bows he is a sponsor and makes some nice bows at great prices.

OOF!!  There are so many here that can easily handle your requirements.
You should have no problem. Trouble is, a lot of top notch bowyers who are sponsers here barely have time to read and post.
Each trad person here has their own favorites, so you might end up with a LOT of choices!

Just curious, what made you consider changing from the horsebow?  I've never shot one.

Jan, Go to ETAR in July and shoot hundreds of bows if you want then pick a LEON STEWART Slammer. Great guy, great bows... just what you described above.

Centaur

That sounds like a fun project to me. I love building something for a customer who knows exactly what they want.

i build an assortment of different long bow design from a 52" hybrid to a 66-68". all of my bows i take pride in the craftsmanship and performance, I will custom fit the grip to your exact specs.

I have Osage, hickory, and walnut in stock.  Please contact me if i can be of service to you.

Kirk.  

The ebony bow here was built for a lady bowhunter in Colorado. She named this bow "Godess of the hunt"

Kirk that is some STUNNING ebony. Another incredible bow.

QuoteOriginally posted by YORNOC:
OOF!!  There are so many here that can easily handle your requirements.
You should have no problem. Trouble is, a lot of top notch bowyers who are sponsers here barely have time to read and post.
Each trad person here has their own favorites, so you might end up with a LOT of choices!

Just curious, what made you consider changing from the horsebow?  I've never shot one.

Hi David, I know, there are tons of bowyers around. But I felt like my research was stalled, so the more the merrier!

Hmm, why do I want to switch? Well, mainly because my horsebow has a twisted limb. It's still shooting ok for now, but I'm trying to put a successor in place.

But also, I had a longbow once and loved it. Unfortunately, it broke. I've shot many that belong to friends and think I would enjoy the challenge of hunting with one.

You may want to check out Mike Ballenger of 7 Lakes Bows in Pinehurst, NC. That way you can feel the bow and shoot one before deciding if he's the one.

As already mentioned you wont find any problem with good bowyer sponsors here.check us all out,im sure one of us could build your the longbow of your dreams.if I can answer  any questions feel free to contact me.Good hunting! Mike

Check out Striker Bows, one of the sponsors here. The bows that Rick makes seem like they'd be right up your alley.  Very smooth, light bows. Rick is easy to talk to, check him out!

A Great Northern Bushbow would definitly be worth a look. They won't break.

QuoteOriginally posted by Kirkll:
That sounds like a fun project to me. I love building something for a customer who knows exactly what they want.

i build an assortment of different long bow design from a 52" hybrid to a 66-68". all of my bows i take pride in the craftsmanship and performance, I will custom fit the grip to your exact specs.

I have Osage, hickory, and walnut in stock.  Please contact me if i can be of service to you.

Kirk.

Those are beautiful bows, Kirk! I'll reply to you privately, but this reminded me that I didn't mention that I'm looking for a one piece longbow.

Beautiful bows Kirk.Love that ebony

You should give Ben and Linda a call at Hummingbird Bows Thay can set you up, and thay are great folk to deal with, Thay are in Mt. Pleasant NC. you could stop by and shoot some bows, It helps that Linda is a World Champ. so thay know a little about female shooters.    Gary

One of the bowyers you need to talk to is Nate Steel at Bama Bows.  I'm sure he would like to make you a bow exactly to your specks.  Like most of the bow builders, he is really a good guy and will want to make the perfect bow for you.

my hunter bow is a greaet shooter, very nice.

my economical archery bow is also great, extremely fast at my 26" dl and very accurate. also price is great

Check out the new Signature bow at Raptor Achery, it is very close to what you described.  I have shot it and it is smooth and fast and also has smaller grip.

Did you say one piece?   Well... i didn't notice that...

I built this one for my wife. She's another Mac Ebony fan....and this was a rare piece at that.





here's another one that i actually have in stock.

Lost creek Life ender!