Need some advice from traditional archery hunters.

[Rubberfist]

I want to evolve from compound to traditional.

I want to go straight to a longbow. My reasoning is that a longbow is less forgiving and therefore more challenging than a recurve, and if I accomplish my goal with a recurve I will then wish that I had used a longbow.

Regardless of whether I use a recurve or a longbow, a takedown design is essential.

I'm looking for comparatives on recurves versus longbows. I'm also looking for reviews on the various manufacturers of said bows.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Coyote]

The biggest mistake people make when they move from compound to recurve or longbow is too much draw weight. With the right arrow/broadhead combination a 50 pound recurve or longbow will kill anything in North America. Remember there is NO letoff with a stickbow. You will learn a lot faster if you start with a lighter bow.

I highly recommend trying a few recurves and longbows before you buy. Most trad shooters are happy to let you try their bows. This is also a good way to try various draw weights and will give you an idea of what fits you.

Read a bit before you jump in. Two good books are "The Traditional Bowhunters Handbook" by T.J. Conrads and "Shooting the Stickbow" by Anthony Camera. Conrads' book has more bowhunting content while Camera's book deals more with shooting technique. Both are excellent. Traditional Archery by Sam Fadala is also good. This will shorten your learning curve tremendously.

There are a lot of really good bows out there and some of the best are made in Canada. ChekMate, Cari Bow, Rodney Wright Archery and Jack Kempf are a few Canadian bowyers.

Why is a takedown so important???

'yote

[The Hermit]

I know the recurves are supposed to be easier to shoot but my go to bow is a longbow. I suck equally with both of them...

Chek-Mate takedown hunter 2 is a sweet shooter. Most of the guys I know hunt with one and I really like mine too. Made here on the Island, great value for the money.

[slovakien_12]

Through the great wine I have heard that there is a guy on VI who services Chek-Mate. Long story short 3 months and I have not heard a peep or seen my bow. I talked to him just as he received it.....hmmm..maybe he's busy?

[Coyote]

ChekMate is located on the island and Marc is very busy. You should expect to wait at least 6 months for your bow. This is not at all a long wait for a custom recurve or longbow.
Hermit is right. ChekMates are great bows and excellent value

'yote

[RoscoeP]

Through the great wine I have heard that there is a guy on VI who services Chek-Mate. Long story short 3 months and I have not heard a peep or seen my bow. I talked to him just as he received it.....hmmm..maybe he's busy?
I know a guy who is a personnel friend of Marks and that didn't help him get his bow any sooner, he waited a long time. Cheers Roscoe

[Rubberfist]

Thank you for the advice and suggestions fellas. I like the looks of the Chek-Mate bows, and they are Canadian to boot.

Coyote:

I plan on using the bow to hunt goats. The areas that I hunt are very steep and choked with undergrowth and the alder that is very thick, to say the least.

Attempting to carry or sling a 60+" bow through the alder is not practical, and when climbing or descending, I like my hands free. Hence a takedown would allow me to stow it in my pack when it isn't needed.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?73778-Region-6-Solo-Mountain-Goat-Hunt-1-simple-step-to-kicking-your-own-ass!

I appreciate the reading suggestions - I need something to chew-through over the coming winter months!

Thanks again.

[islandarcher]

The argument that a recurve is more forgiving than a longbow may be up for debate. Howard Hill was known for saying that he was not good enough to shoot a recurve. A recurves limbs are much thinner and not as fogiving of errrors in form or release. A recurve is not more forgiving of form or release inconsistencies but is more tolerant of a range of arrow spines.

Personally, I shoot a longbow because a very influential person that intorduced me to bowhunting shot a longbow. I am looking at a Bama Bow Royal takedown for next year chasing goats and sheep. My go to bow is a 69" Sky Trophy 60 pounds at 28 inches. I shoot a glove, favour a back quiver, except when sheep and goat hunting, and prefer heavy wood arrows finishing at around 11-12 grains per pound of draw weight. Shoot a few different styles, differnt limb designs, grips. See what works for you.

[greybark]

Hey Rubberfist , with the rescent rush of new Hybred longbows the the playing field has prety well leveled out . I suggest you stay away from the D style (older design) as not only are they slower but also very light in the hand(reduces stability) but have a recoil tendancy .
Cheers

[downsouth204]

Abe Penner at www.cari-bow.com (http://www.cari-bow.com) makes some fine longbows and recurves. He's also a great guy! Shoot him an email, I'm sure he'd be happy to help you out!

[35 Whelen]

I bought myself a wonderful bow a few years back and have not regretted it one bit. I would argue that a recurve can be harder to shoot that a long bow. Recurves can have tremendous string slap. Some argue they are faster, but I haven't found it with this bow. Incredible workmanship, and a wonder to shoot. Give Dennis a call and he can set you up well. He is good to deal with.

http://git-r-donearchery.com/Hillcountrybows.html

Cheers

[Tack243]

I have been lucky in my life to be able to shoot with the Alberta Longbow Champ for more years than I need to count, I was fortunately able to have a custom bow built by two of Edmonton's greatest bow makers. One was built by Dennis Sorenson the man that supplied my friends bows that took him to the top of his game and one from Jack Kemp, that one I won in a Longbow tournament when I hit the x on a Elk at 35yds and being the only one to do it. I have always thought a take down would be nice but have never found a reason to buy one. Just my 2 cents on this one. By a 45 or 50 Lb bow to start with .....it may be all you ever need.
Cheers

[Coyote]

Howard Hill said he wasn't good enuf to shoot a recurve over 60 years ago. Todays recurve is an entirely different animal than those of that era. There is also nothing wrong with todays longbows either.

'yote