Howdy fellas.....new owner of a bear Montana and a few questions on storage and care. First hanging horizontally is ok right? If I was to have it on a rack or across antlers? Secondly any issues with a bow being out in the cold all day and then brought inside a warm house? Or vice versa? If it's cold and unstrung is there any issue with bringin it into a warm house and stringing it right away?

I'm sure there are a lot of other guys here that can give you some better knowledge, but my rule is that if it makes me nervous - I'm going to sleep better knowing my bow is in a safe spot or position.

The only thing you should be worried about is leaving it strung in a hot car or enclosed area. As far as I'm aware, bringing it between cold/hot areas shouldn't have any negative effects on the bow.

Alex

That's a nice, durable bow you have.  You can hang it basically any way you want.  Temperatures shouldn't affect it too much either, barring the above mentioned hot car, but that should be obvious.  There isn't much that enjoys being in a buttoned up vehicle in the summertime.

Copy that on the car, I was just curious, my other passion is guitars and I know change in temp and humid can affect guitars. Just want to make sure I'm treating my bow properly

I also have a question. I know you should wax your string ever so often and when it looks fuzzy. What do you all do to take care of the wood?

a good furniture polish or wax

My favorite is Butcher's Wax. Anything beads up and rolls off this stuff. A pro wood finisher led me onto it. Great for applying over snake skin backing once a year to keep it protected.

Great! Thanks David!

I've been looking for that same answer, thanks for this post! But let me make sure I understand, as long as the temperature is livable or colder and that I use it at least twice a week, leaving a bow strung won't be a problem right?

If your using your bow a couple times a week. Leave it strung....

Ok good deal, thanks Mike

The more you string and unstringing your bow the more chances for it or you to get busted. At least that what my Black Widow owners manual says in so many words.
You will want to wax your string. String wax is cheap and a few sticks and a few small pieces of leather to burnish the wax into the string does not take up any room. It has other uses as well, like a little bit on the threads of screw in points will keep them in place. I also put some in string nocks of bow. Helps keep friction down and any noise.
I second the butchers wax, or "Howard's Feed and Wax" .

Long term storage in very high or very low humidity levels will effect the moisture content in the wood in your bow. Not so much the limbs, but the riser.

Good rule of thumb is to store your bow in the same heat, cold, and humidity levels you live in.

Storing a bow in the same room as your furnace is bad news. Hanging your bow in the basement up in the ceiling joist can be really bad in the winter if your furnace is in the basement. All that heat rises and it cooks your bow & can dry it out.

Short term hot to cold, strung or unstring shouldn't make a difference on a fiberglass or carbon backed bow..... just use common sense and treat it like you would treat your family....

QuoteOriginally posted by mike g:
If your using your bow a couple times a week. Leave it strung....

I leave mine strung for months at a time.... no worries.  Just hang it from the limbs or the string  horizontal... or use a bow rack.


More bow limbs are ruined stringing and unstringing than any other reason..... number 2 is car & truck doors....

So most of y'all leave your bows strung for long periods of time? I've always unstrung my bow after every hunt and shooting session. So I could have just left it strung this whole time??

My actual "go to" bow is always strung the whole time it is my "go to" bow, sometimes 6 or seven month, never had Problems:)

Unstring it to clean it or change string, otherwise my go too's are left strung hanging on bow rack, they get shot a lot.

Ok thanks for the advice. I was worried since my bow is a solid recurve, I didn't know if it'd react differently than a bow with removable limbs

My old guitar teacher once told me to never leave a guitar anywhere you don't want to be. Same goes with bows.

The bow I'm currently using stays strung. It could be a weekend, or several months, but it stays strung. The only mishaps I ever had with a bow were during the act of stringing. I don't unstring if I don't have to.

I always thought you were supposed to only keep your bow strung for short periods of time.