"A rifle hunter's hunt is over at 200yrds, a bowhunter's hunt is just beginning at 200yrds."
"Train Hard, Hunt Easy."
"A bow hunter in a week will learn what a rifle hunter learns in a lifetime."- Fred Bear
I picked up My Take-down Hunter sometime in the early 90's. It still has the original string and I never unstring it. I take it apart and wax the string before heavy use and confirm the brace height. But those bows are a workhorse. I've hunted hard country with my bow and it has stood up to the test. Maintenance free. it's a good friend. Great walking stick and I've killed many an animal with it.
I have a Chek Mate 'wannabe"- some take down, black widow type design that CM was trying out in the late 90's. It's been on pack-in trips, winter trips, through the swamps and rain of Van. Is., been to Africa, hunted goats, been left strung for a year... It's got it's share of dings and scratches and still shoots as good today as it did when I first got it and still draws the same poundage.
If you can find a used CM you will not go wrong (or a new one!).
RC
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Depends if you want to be competitive or just fling some arrows. That will drive the choices you make.
There are many decent hunting bows being produced by fairly small domestic boyers, but there are no really competitive ones.
-Grant
REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab on --
Group Memberships.
Traditional Bowhunters of BC
Abbotsford Fish and Game Club
BCWF
United Bowhunters of BC
If the black widow style checkmate is called a firebird, i have one and they are an awesome bow. 56" takedown riser forward design. Filled the freezer lots with that one.
In the past sure, but I highly doubt you will see any of their bows compete on a National level successfully these days. Kind of like Black Widow, they haven't exactly kept-up with technology and instead have rested on past success. You have to look at whats being used to win in the big shoots down south. IBO Recurve Unaided and NFAA Trad class is being dominated by Bernardini, Best and Spigarelli risers. I've got a couple (Bernardini and Spigarelli) and there is no comparison. I compete across the border in Washington and I have seen every Trad shoot (indoor, field and 3D) absolutely dominated by modern equipment.
I believe the FITA World 3D Instinctive class was just won by a Canadian shooting a Tradtech riser, seems odd that he wouldn't take a Canadian built bow if it was a winning design?
Not saying that CM build a bad bow, but they are nowhere near what you can get for the same money elsewhere.
-Grant