Wood arrows?

Pat B · March 03, 2017, 11:34:00 PM

Why does it seem that wood arrows are considered such an exotic option on a traditional archery site? I don't get it. First off, wood arrows have successfully been used for more than 12,000 years, worldwide. Wood arrows and shafts are pretty inexpensive and readily available, easy to build with simple tools and supplies, can be very accurate and every animal ever killed by archery has been killed with wood arrows, probably more animals than with any other arrow shafting historically.
Just the warmth of the wood, the smell(especially POC), the feel, the pride for the beautiful arrows you built and especially the way wood arrows fits with traditional archery, modern or primitive.
Is it the extra work that goes in to building wood arrows? To me, that is a great part of the experience. I'd assume most of us mess with our gear a lot anyway. Maybe it is just the times. With our fast paced lives maybe there is no time to mess with it all.
I've been on the opposite end of the spectrum through my archery career of 30 or so years ; as primitive as I can be and still be effective. I love knowing I can make it all myself, too. None of it is difficult, even a caveman can do it. :rolleyes:
I wouldn't hunt with an arrow that didn't fly well whether it be cane, hardwood shoot, store bought or homemade dowel arrows, stone, trade or commercial point, 3 fletch, 4 fletch, Eastern Woodland 2 fletch or tangential fletching. If it doesn't go where I'm looking at 15 yards and doesn't fly like a dart it don't go hunting.
I am seriously curious why some folks consider wood arrows such an exotic choice with their traditional archery gear.

durp · March 03, 2017, 11:55:00 PM

could be we have a lot of compound converts that want to stick with what they know.

been shooting wood for 54 years and thats what i know so im sticking with em

Pine · March 03, 2017, 11:55:00 PM

They just behave better .
I have a Bear Takedown that is louder with aluminum but is nearly silent with wood .
Yes there is some glamour with wood , I don't think people will caress aluminum or carbon arrows like you will do with wood .
I do believe that there are some people that don't " Get It " but that's OK .
Different strokes for different folks .
Wood is more personal .

Deno · March 04, 2017, 12:09:00 AM

Never shot anything else but wood arrows and longbows. Plenty of guys opt for more modern equipment siting durability and speed.
To each his own.
Deno

Captain*Kirk · March 04, 2017, 12:20:00 AM

I think a lot of folks are converts from the compound era and started out shooting compounds and carbon, or for some of the older folks, compound and aluminums. I started out shooting glass recurves and woodies so it's not new to me, but for the persons raised on aluminum/carbon it seems awfully exotic to them.
I think it's great that they take an interest; they will soon discover why we love our woodies so much!

Pat B · March 04, 2017, 12:27:00 AM

Don't get me wrong...as long as folks are participating in true archery I really don't care what they shoot. Shooting any bow is cool! I'm just so surprised how many folks think wood arrows are so foreign or difficult or not the most accurate. With a properly set up bow/arrow/archer combo it's the archer that is the inaccuracy.

Zwickey-Fever · March 04, 2017, 05:04:00 AM

I started out with an old fiberglass Indian bow and killed my first deer with it with a Game getter II arrow. But like a lot of others, I went to wheelie bows, aluminum and the carbon arrows was soon to follow. But I never seemed fully connected with archery. I felt as if something was missing.
Then I went back to traditional archery again in the mid 1990's, a Martin recurve. But like a lot of others here, I went with carbon arrows. But again I always felt as if something was missing. With that, I went with wooden arrows and never looked back.
It takes time, patience and care to make up a batch of wooden arrows. I can whip up a batch of carbons in a blink of an eye. Not so with wooden arrows. There's no instant gratification i making wooden arrows. For me, shooting and making my own wooden arrows are being truly traditional. Its a huge satisfaction taking game with a wooden arrow that I have crafted myself.
And one more thing, I see a lot of people stating that wooden arrows lack the penetration and performance of carbon arrows. Sorry but, I don't buy that. I shot a decent whitetail buck this year right through one rib and his shoulder blade with a Sitka wooden arrow tipped with a 2 blade Zwickey Delta.. A complete pass through. That's enough penetration for me. Just my opinion.

Zwickey-Fever · March 04, 2017, 05:09:00 AM

And one more thing, wooden arrows are a lot quieter!

Rough Run · March 04, 2017, 05:21:00 AM

I think it primarily about ease and speed. If you need arrows and already have aluminum or carbon tuned to your bow, it is much easier to order/build another dozen shafts to previous specs, rather than start the learning & tuning process over again with wood shafts. And that after a longer, slower build process.

Cost for pre-finished shafts are high. The arrow builders earn every red cent of it, with the time and skill the put into the shafts. But, that cost is a big factor, especially considering the durability.

And finally, for me anyway, space is/was a big factor. You need undisturbed space - work area - to build your own. A place to leave everything laid out, or shafts drying, etc. It happened for me when my oldest son moved out, and I was able (allowed!) to convert his room to an "archery" room for housing all my gear, and working on shafts.

Chain2 · March 04, 2017, 08:41:00 AM

I'm coming over to wood. When I started shooting traditional I was drawing 31". Being a new guy I was trying to absorb all the info like FOC, UFOC SUPER DUPER FOC and inserts and broadhead design, all the minutia. I've evolved to a Hill style bow, my draw is dropped to 30" and now I feel it is possible for me to shoot wood.

frank bullitt · March 04, 2017, 08:57:00 AM

Maybye, like you stated Pat, Time seems to be Exotic!

Wood is Good!

dnovo · March 04, 2017, 08:58:00 AM

I'm with you, Pat. Making wood arrows is an enjoyable experience. It seems a lot of guys want an instant set of arrows, hence arrow wraps, fletch tape, etc. I see where guys make up a set of arrows in 20 minutes or so.
I take a week or more to make a nice set of wood arrows. I think they spend a week bareshafting, cutting , tuning carbons.
I make up a set that is cut to length I desire and go shoot. They shoot just as accurately as the carbons my friends shoot. They kill everything just as well, but look better doing it.

Pat B · March 04, 2017, 09:47:00 AM

Most of my arrows these days are either hardwood shoots(sourwood) or hill cane. I don't make arrow sets anymore, I make them individually and can spent 2 to 3 hours on each one. Over the course of a year I can have more arrows than I could need.I don't need to make them all today.
When I started making wood arrows years ago I would call 3Rivers and order a dozen POC shafts in the spine range I needed and with a little inspection first make up the arrows. They always shot well. There was nothing difficult about it. Even with shoots and cane there is time involved but nothing difficult about it plus by doing them myself I learned all about arrows...IMO the most important part of the bow/arrow combo. It seems to me folks are more interested in how things look, whether it be the wood combo in the riser of the bow or the crown, cresting and fletching color of their arrows but not how well the bow is tillered or how the arrows fly.
Also, if you learn the trajectory of your arrow it doesn't really matter if it is flying at 160fps or 200fps the arrow will still go where you are looking, will still kill that whitetail, elk or pig. All of this gives me a closer attachment to the archery I love so much.

2fletch · March 04, 2017, 10:26:00 AM

Pat, At one time I spent some time making wood arrows for myself as well as to sell. Id buy several dozen shafts of a certain spine and then weigh and recheck the spine. After dipping them several times, crown dipping,cresting,installing points and nocks, fletching,and then weighing again, I could get a really nice set of arrows that were within plus or minus 5 grain. The problem was that I don't believe that I could sell them for what they cost to make.

Convenience is why I believe that most people use carbon or wood. I have seen wood arrows that flew as good as aluminum or carbon, but it takes more time to sort and match them. As for me, I have Japanese Arrow Bamboo, and Tonkin Cane growing within 30 yards of where I'm sitting in the shop, but the Gold Tip shafts are only about 20 feet away, and they are ready to fletch.

Those who make most of their own equipment have my respect. I personally like all aspects of traditional and primitive archery.

Matty · March 04, 2017, 11:27:00 AM

Ok I'm going to drop a new level for you...
...FEAR... FEAR roots itself in the un knowing.
Do I need a taper tool?
I don't know which spine to get..
I don't know which weight to get...
When I get them.... I don't know how to straighten them....
Are they straight?
How Do I stain and seal them????
Once I stain and seal them which glue is compatible??
Now that they're made I might break them...
I say this as a recent wood convert and the questions I had...
Carbon is quick convenient and modular. Sold everywhere...

Gator1 · March 04, 2017, 11:32:00 AM

Marty I agree with your statement straightening is my biggest apprehension

It is nice you can get pre tapered to length arrows st least.

Shadowhnter · March 04, 2017, 11:45:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by Pat B:
....I'm just so surprised how many folks think wood arrows are so foreign or difficult or not the most accurate. With a properly set up bow/arrow/archer combo it's the archer that is the inaccuracy.

I have thought about this same thing more then a bunch. Im not saying its completely impossible for a certain archer to tell, but any little "defects" wood might present comparing to other materials, is such a small difference I doubt one in a thousand archers are actually good enough to rightfully be able to complain about the woods "inconsistencies". We are shooting weapons that are either primitive or direct dirividents of primitive, and at that, it doesn't even consider the human error factor as if it doesnt even exist in the shot or shot placement. I dont know about anyone else, but I can count on 1 hand how many archers I know of period, that are/were good enough to make that kind of differential call, and do it with any kind of validity. So what if a wood arrow is not perfectly straight? I have shot thousand upon thousands of shots with wood arrows that I know for a fact that were not perfectly straight. Ive always cleanly taken my game animals, and torn the center out of my targets even so. Sure, straight is great, but not to the point of making you worry or fear about it. I hand straighten only, as I have always done, and I know they arent perfect, but they still hit where im aiming, fly perfectly, and kill when I ask them to....and it never has been any different.

Captain*Kirk · March 04, 2017, 02:06:00 PM

LOL...we are discussing the intricacies of "straightness", while the indigenous peoples of our (and other) culture used whatever looked the straightest to them right off the tree or growing in the swamp (in the case of cane arrows), rather than a machine-milled shaft with no defects, matched spine and .002 runout! And they killed far more game than we ever will in a lifetime, or starved trying! Sometimes I thing we overly obsess and get too involved in the details.

March 04, 2017, 05:41:00 PM

Either I am just lucky or my shaft providers are very good, I do not have a bent wood arrow problem.

KevinK · March 04, 2017, 07:24:00 PM

QuoteOriginally posted by Captain*Kirk:
Sometimes I thing we overly obsess and get too involved in the details.

This is why my compound is hanging on my basement wall and hasn't been shot since labor day weekend of last year. And yes, I shoot carbon and aluminum. I just got a dozen pre-finished POC shafts from 3R and will tune them to my new bow next week. As an engineer, I get hung up on details and it's stressful. That is why my hobby is traditional archery and why I am going more primitive. I enjoy simplicity. I think I'm really going to enjoy wood arrows.