i'm new here and looking for some... well alot of advice. i have shot trad bows before but never had my own. i used my dads recurve(unsure what kind) the most, but it is warped or twisted at one end. i've read alot of posts relating to getting into trad hunting/shooting and here are some of my ?'s that i'd really appreciate some help on, thanks

basically it is for whitetail hunting and practice, i'm not in any leauges for shooting so it's basically fun/practice/hunting deer

#1 is buying a new recurve a foolish purchase
? i noticed the general advice is to buy used for awhile and then get something you really like. can't i find out if i like the bow by shooting it before i buy it, just as i've done with other bows(compounds)?
#2 my concerns with used is that, 1 previous wear and tear or handeling could cause the bow to break. 2 if i buy a new bow i would i be wrong in thinking i could use it the rest of my hunting life, where as a used will most likely not make it that long.
i have limited funds, so buying multipul bows is probly never going to happen.
#3 if in fact buying used is the way i decide to go, how would i go about it? i see many bows for sale, but i'm sure as heck not going to buy a bow based on looks over the computer, i want to shoot it first.
these may be foolish newbe ?'s but i really want to do trad hunting alot. i like gun and compound huning, but i'm sure i'd love trad hunting even more

Buying a used bow for your first is a better idea than buying new, as time goes on your preferences for bows will change and you don't want to tie up a lot of money that you can't recoup. There are plenty of used bows out there at a steal of a price, some of the older Bears like the Grizzly, I like the 1970's version they made a lot of them and they are still good bows till this day. If you buy a common bow and something happens to it you can replace it in short time for not a lot of money. Keep your poundage down at first so you don't pick up bad habitats.

Welcome !

#1 - if you can find a trad shoot or get together; and go to it; you can usually get to shoot all kinds of bows. If I were starting without that input; I would start with a 55 lb bow; and start with that. Do not buy a twisted limb bow; start with an older bow if you have too. Get arrows matched for the bow; and do that with our help if you need to- because miss-matched arrows are of little help. Some bow shops will have trad bows you can shoot. Hopefully someone will steer you to one if you don't know where a trad outlet is.

2. Bows last a LONG time if you don't damage them; and that can most often be by stringing and un-stringing them. By a bow stringer and use it.
You only need one bow - but you will have opportunities to buy trad bows along the way.

3.I really would find a trad club; and go to them; and try others bows if they will let you; and they most probably will. Decide then what bow you want; and arrow type. When you shoot an arrow and it flies an arrow the way you thought it should; well you will be hooked.
I cannot say you will love trad hunting more; but I will bet the chances are: you will.  

welcome from me too.

i would also recommend to buy a used one. you wont really be able to decide wich bow you like the best by 3 -10 shots. i started with a longbow and bought it new because of the same reasons you have in mind. well, it was a good bow, but after some time the will to increase my draw-poundage and to try a recurve was there. so i bought a cheap used but good working recuve. now i worked into that draw weight and want to increase again. Also after the first shots i was sure a recurve was way better for me, now i am sure i want another longbow........

you see, youll never be able to find the ultimate bow for you with the first buy, so go cheap / used at first!

Oh, and keep in mind, finding and gatting the right arrows will cost some money too. In my case i spent more money on arrow experiments than on my bows, but it is worth it, as said, the wright arrow is even more important than the bow.

Brian Krebs, i think 55# for a starter is a bit much. I dont know of ths stature or the compound history of hunterace but for average men i would think 40 - 45# a good starting point so not to get a wrong movement into the process, Just my 2 Cents.

Living in Wisconsin is a good start since your state has a bunch of Cheesehead trad-archers. Here is a place to begin finding out who they are.
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum&f=78&submit=Go

You've been getting good advice. Remember you won't start out perfect but if you're like me it'll be a fun road to wander down.
"The Journey is the Destination!" Welcome to the tradgang family!
God bless,Mudd

so even though you say shooting a bow a few times won't be enough to decide if i like it, you really think it's better for me to buy something i've never shot and only seen pics of?
i understand that spending 300-500 on a bow and finding out i don't like it would be a bad place to start my "trad life" . but i don't know how i can convince my wife that a used bow is the way to go, especially since from the sounds of it i will need to buy another bow soon after or sell the one i have and get another. if that makes any sense.
also going to a shoot i'm guessing wouldn't be too much of a problem, but i'm not to sure about other guys letting me shoot their bows. also isn't that the same difference as shooting a few times at a shop. i doubt some newly met guy is gonna let me use his stuff for an hour.
mabey picking up trad hunting/shooting is too expensive for me then  :( . from what i've been reading on here i guessing that i will go thru at least a dozen arrows a year. not too bad but considering a dozen arrows lasts a long time with the compound.
i'm not making any decisions today, i have time( even though i want one bad    ) i'm just sorting thru everything and trying to get started in a decent position vs. jsut getting something and hoping for the best

QuoteOriginally posted by saumensch:
welcome from me too.

i would also recommend to buy a used one. you wont really be able to decide wich bow you like the best by 3 -10 shots. i started with a longbow and bought it new because of the same reasons you have in mind. well, it was a good bow, but after some time the will to increase my draw-poundage and to try a recurve was there. so i bought a cheap used but good working recuve. now i worked into that draw weight and want to increase again. Also after the first shots i was sure a recurve was way better for me, now i am sure i want another longbow........

you see, youll never be able to find the ultimate bow for you with the first buy, so go cheap / used at first!

Oh, and keep in mind, finding and gatting the right arrows will cost some money too. In my case i spent more money on arrow experiments than on my bows, but it is worth it, as said, the wright arrow is even more important than the bow.

Brian Krebs, i think 55# for a starter is a bit much. I dont know of ths stature or the compound history of hunterace but for average men i would think 40 - 45# a good starting point so not to get a wrong movement into the process, Just my 2 Cents.

not sure what you mean by "wrong movement" but i like i said i shot my dads bow the most. it was a 50# and is was pretty easy for me after a few times. i won't go below that as the bow i want is for hunting. not that you cannot harvest deer with less, just i prefer something with more

Welcome

There is nothing wrong with buying used bows; they will last as long as a new bow. After all, a new bow is used after the first shot. I've bought seven bows off this site and all of them have been in great shape and will last me a lifetime. If there is an imperfection the seller will disclose this information in the ad...their reputation, within the traditional community, is at stake and dishonesty would get them booted off this site. The bows that are being sold aren't being sold because there is something wrong with them, they are up for sale because of numerous reasons such as... someone may have too many bows, or maybe they need the money, they don't shoot the bow anymore, they dropped or want to go up in bow weight, etc. etc. etc. Some guys will buy a bow just to try it and sell it a few weeks later.

There are guys on this site that are regularly shooting bows from the 50's and 60's so yes, a bow new or used will last you a lifetime.

Best way to try different bows is to go to traditional shoots and get to know some of the people attending them. Trad people love to talk about bows and they love to bring new people into the sport.  Being handed a $1200 bow, a collector bow or a homemade selfbow and be allowed to shoot it is not unusual.

Good luck

You will notice on this site the vast differences in what individuals like in bows.After you get the feel of it and some experience,you will start to discover what you like and what works best for you.It is probably impossible to settle into the perfect bow on the first one.

I think the point everyone is trying to make is,don't spend too much on the first one,new or used.If you buy a new one,the resale may be 1/2 or 2/3rds what you pay for it.If you buy a good used one,you might be able to sell it for what you paid.

This is a great time to buy a bow.Custom makers are running some sales right now and some of these are a lot of bang for the buck,before sale prices.

There are also some great used bows for sale and with the economy like it is,they just aren't moving as fast as they would have a few months ago.

There are some great custom builders on this site and members can answer questions about their dealings with them.There are also a lot of active members that buy and sell bows,know how to take care of them,how to descibe them and how to pack and ship.

I have bought from some of the custom builders and also several used ones from individuals.All experiences were good.Some of the used custom bows were about $400 and in like new condition.

I have seen some great,like new custom bows lately in the classifieds for under $4oo.I just recently purchased an older Bear grizzly for $175 shipped.

Shoot as many as you can,have someone help you determine your draw length,this may help you decide the minimum bow length you should start with.Once you get an idea what length and style you are looking for,check the sponsor list and see what sales are on and check the classifieds.

Don't be afraid to ask more questions.This is the place.

Hey Jay, I'm not far from you at all. I spend a lot of time in the North Kettles and have a few different longbows and a couple 60's Bear recurves you can try out if your interested. Let me know! There are a bunch of us from SE Wisconsin on here!

I've bought new and used, short bows and long bows, recurves and longbows. It took me a little while of shooting different type bows to find what I like  The best way to do this is go to shoots, they are a lot of fun and you get to hang out and shoot with some great folks! I enjoy this as much as hunting!  I was able to shoot every bow that caught my eye and found out if they were for me or not! Most of the shoots have bowyers there with new bows for sale and to check out and shoot!

ok you have all convinced me to search for a used bow first, or i'll get the newer bear grizzly($330) insted of the more expensive super kodiak(500ish) .
joe...i'd love to try out any bow i could Joe, so thanks for the invite.
been looking mostly at bear recurves, but i'm not ruling out long bows either. i feel that i would probably benefit from a slightly shorter(a recurve) bow vs. the long bow because i will tree stand hunt 90% of the time.
gatekeeper... i would hand that 1200 dollar bow right back to the nice guy   , i would feel way to uncomfortable to shoot someone elses 1200 dollar bow. even a 400-500 dollar bow i'd feel leary about shooting, i'm a worrier and i know how much i care about my bows and rifles so not sure how i'd handle that situation.  

hunterace  Welcome to the site....

Just another oppenion here, If you have money saved up, or on a budget for a bow spend less on the bow and more on arm guard, quiver, and 3 doz arrows.  You can take all those to a shoot and try other bows. I personally wont buy a one piece bow any more,however there are some great ones out there and for a first bow I would reccomend it.   PM me if you like I will tell ya what I know is avaliable

Again most of all have fun on the journey and enjoy the site

Blueline

Hi there-Hap

My first thought is... 'You pay your money, you take your chances'. There is no possible way that anyone but yourself is going to know what is best for you. The best you can expect is good advice based on other's experience. After that... you just have to take the chance and be willing to try everything. after all, you can't go to a reputable consumer report type forum and ask, "What's the best automobile for me?'. Anyone you ask is going to have their own opinion based on their own experience.

My second thought is, I remember going to my first fly-fishing workshop. I knew absolutely nothing about the sport. I asked a lot of 'stupid' questions and everyone was glad to answer them. I had people offering to take me out and practice with their own equipment. Some of it being extremely valuable. Some folks love their sport so much that they don't consider the risks, even for a moment, of introducing a newbie.

Go find clubs in your area. Ask 'stupid' questions. If you find people that answer those questions, probe further.

The greatest limitation to your enjoyment of any particular sport will be your will to learn. This, unfortunately, often means parting with some 'dead presidents'.

I'm a firm believer in buying used bows.  An important question is, "How heavy of a bow do you think you want?"

One of the biggest reasons for buying a used bow is that learning to shoot is done best on a bow that you can handle with almost zero strain.  Most healthy adult males that are reasonably fit can pull a 50 or 60 pound bow but the catch is that being able to pull and being able to shoot with proper form are two different things.  I'd suggest something around 45# to start.  This is heavy enough to hunt with but light enough to learn on without developing bad habbits.

The bonus is that if you look online, you can find a lot of 45# bows for under a hundred bucks.  In fact, if you can browse for a couple days, you could probably find a couple good deals on solid, good shooting bows for about $75 plus shipping.  If you go ahead and get one of those, you can then get the rest of the gear you'll need/want.  The accessories can really add up!  Things like a back quiver(about $100) or bow quiver (about $40) (maybe both?), some arrows ($25 to $30/dozen for unbuilt cedar shafts, $60+ for carbons), points(couple bucks/12 target points), glove ($15-$30)or tab(around $10), arm guard ($10 to $30)etc. and still be under the price of a new bow.  Then, once you've shot a while and built up your archery muscles, maybe gone to a couple shoots, tried a few other bows, decided what your really like, you can sell the first bow you bought and get something more custom.  Problem is, if you are like me, you will never part with that first bow.  It may be nothing fancy but it will become something special.

Welcome,
I'm fairly new to trad archery as well.  My love of archery started with an inexpensive 3Rivers take down recurve bow.  Not the best looking, not the top of the line, but a great bow.  I use it to this day.

My only suggestion on buying a used bow is to buy one from a hunter or passionate archer.  They are more likely to take care of the bow than not.  You want one in good shape, not too many dings on the limbs and check for stress cracks in the finish.

A 50lbs bow with matched arrows will blow through a deer and isn't too hard to draw and hold.  The other thing too is that when you're old and gray, #50 still won't be too hard for you to pull.

I've since purchased a Navajo long bow and absolutely love it.  These are the two bows I will die with though I'll probably pick another one up to my wife's discontent....

Happy hunting and good luck!

Just wanted to say welcome. Im fairly new here also but not new to traditional archery. After 25 years with the compound craze i have decided to get back to my roots and after finding this site i can say that there is no better anywhere. These guys will give you straight up good advice so listen up. As far as buying a new bow i would look on the classifieds here, there are great deals and reputable people you can trust. I have in the past few months bought two great bows,videos and broadheads with not a hitch so dont worry mate. Browse the classifieds, although i must warn you it is addicting!