what do I do???

[bjohnson]

I am looking to buy a new bow or even a new to me bow but have not shot much variety in the way of custom bows. a fiend of mine has a brack "old timer" longbow but the grip is not for me. other than that I have not shot any others that are custom. no one in my area seems to shoot trad so cant seem to shoot and see what I like. would like to shoot some reflex deflex longbows as well as some different recurves but everyone always says their bow is the best... so how would I go about being able to see what I like without shooting one first? lots of pretty bows out there but want one that fits and shoots well also. any ideas guys?  

[Squirrel Bait]

bjohnson, you need to go to a big shoot. That way you can see and shoot what you want.

[bjohnson]

the only problem is that the big shoots around here end up having 2 trad shooters and the rest are wheelie shooters.. quite discouraging..

[kadbow]

One option is to buy and try.  By buying used you can usually get out of a bow what you pay.  Buying and trying new bows gets expensive.  Shooting bows is really the only way you are going to figure out what you like and dislike.

[Weekend Warrior]

Like Squirrel Bait said..

Try a mikuta bow if you get the chance..

Lots of good bows and bowyers out there just finding one the right one for you!

[HATCHCHASER]

A few bowyers do a try before you buy program.  Be ready to shell out the cash when you find the grip that fits you.  Don't wait after you find the bow that just feels right you may never get it back.

[Kevin L.]

Give JD a call at  www.whisperstik.com  and get on the list for one of his demos. He makes a great bow and if it's not for you, all it costs is the shipping.

[bjohnson]

whew.. who would you suggest to start with? looking to a bow thats about 58" or in that range.

[Killdeer]

Did you look here?

 TG State Bowhunting Orgs  

Or here?

(Well, I tried to link you to my search results in the Trad Events Forum. It won't work. Go there, click on "search", and type in Arkansas as the keyword. There are a lot of hits.)

You live kinda near some state lines, so you might peek at what your neighbors are up to as well. I think a shoot would do you a world of good.

Killdeer

[Jerry Jeffer]

It wold be worth it if you could road trip to a nice trad shoot this spring or summer. Lots to try and choose from. Plus, think of all the fun you'll have.

[BMOELLER]

Go to the events forum and look up Flat Rock Shoot.  Its outside Springfield, Mo. And usually (I heard) there are up to 300+ trad shooters. Its Trad only of course. I believe its in May and is a 2 day shoot.

[bowless]

Had the same problem when I started.  Lots of good advice here.  Basically it's either go to one of the shoots or go the buy and try root$$.

[bentpole]

Well Mr. Johnson here's my 2 cents.Yes you can go to shoots ad try to find a close by Trad Shop. See if a bow meets your fancy call or e-mail the bowyer. He will tell you if he has a try before you buy policy. Some will even mail you the bow and tell you if you don't like it mail it back.You have to decide what looks appealling to you first. What I used to do is look in the classifieds if I saw something I was interested in I bought it at a big savings[less than new] and shot it for a while. If I liked it I kept it or sold it and ordered another to exactly my specs.OR sold it and moved on to another bow.The first step is yours..What are you looking for first.Then check the classifieds.Good Luck in your quest. Oh it is fun and very addictive though.