How many here hunting with primative bows?

[razorsharptokill]

Recently got back into selfbow building. It serves as a type of meditation to me. Here is a 62" Osage Orange selfbow that I am working on. It has a natural reflex/deflex on one limb and I heat induce the same on the other. So far I have it pulling 47lbs at 20" of draw. I'm shooting for 55 at 27"

it is a slow methodical process. Scrape the belly, restring, flex, unstring, scrape, repeat. Over and over until you get the limbs bending like they need to be and hopefully end up at the weight at the draw length you desire.

In the pic with it on the tillering tree you can see that the right limb is stiff midlimb. This must be corrected the next time I am able to work on it. In the pic with braced you can see that the tiller is off on the lower limb. I corrected that last night. I hope to have a bow that I can Elk hunt with. If the process continues to be successful I will post progress pics. Thanks for looking.

 

[sveltri]

Very cool!! I've got a pile of staves that have been curing in the garage since last November, I plan on getting started on one soon.

 

[LostArra]

Looking good Jim!

I've made selfbows and still have 10 year old staves of osage, hickory and pecan aging in an empty room much to my wife's displeasure. I've got one longbow that just needs final sanding and a finish. I'll try to post some pics of my best hunting selfbow that is now too heavy for me to shoot much.

 

[LostArra]

Osage with bull snake skins. I wouldn't ever kill a bull snake but my neighbor did thinking it was a copperhead so I skinned it so it wouldn't be a total waste.

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[razorsharptokill]

Like that bow! I skinned one I did with bull snake once, very nice pattern. This bow came from a stave that is about 10 years old. I'm hoping its going to be a cannon!

 

[razorsharptokill]

Very cool!! I've got a pile of staves that have been curing in the garage since last November, I plan on getting started on one soon.

Check out Clay Hayes on youtube. Very good videos on the whole process.

 

[wyodog]

I haven't hunted with a self bow for a few years now but I still shoot them a fair bit. I have been wanting to build another bow and I have a couple that have been roughed out already so it wouldn't take me long to get one done.

 

[Beendare]

I hunt with some of the most technically advanced ILF limbs a guy can get.... and at 15 yds On a hunting shot there probably isnt a whole lot of difference between my setup and a guy that practices with his hand hewn osage stickbow.

other advantages sure: Arrow speed,,,,,and being able to keep mine strung for a long time without it taking a set.

...

 

[Shawn Hultquist]

BBO. 50@28. Came out a little on the lite side. I’ll try again


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[plentycoupe]

Gorgeous bow!!
I haven’t hunted with one in years. When I started the archery path and took a class in OK I learned that Osage grew there. Got in contact with a farmer and cut an 8inch log, hauled it back to my hotel and managed to stuff it in my car when headed home to CO. That got me started. Never had much success but I kept at it.
Started making them with a hatchet and rasp.
I finished one I could shoot well and took it hunting one evening.
managed to kill my biggest whitetail buck that night. I still have the bow and the buck!
Very very rewarding experience

 

[Cedarsavage]

BBO. 50@28. Came out a little on the lite side. I’ll try again


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That’s pretty slick

 

[Newtosavage]

Never went full-on primitive, but I hunted with a longbow and cedars for years. You fellas that make your own have tons of respect from me.

 

[Lonald]

Amazing

 

[timmyd]

Love building self bows. Went totally primitive this year for deer..self bow cane arrows flint heads and turkey feathers. Just a cool experience sitting in a tree looking at it all

 

[bline]

BBO. 50@28. Came out a little on the lite side. I’ll try again


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Beautiful bow! Is that bow from one of Tom Turgeon's classes/kits? I took a bow building class from him a few years ago and really enjoyed it, but unfortunately haven't made shooting and practicing enough of a priority to get good enough to feel comfortable hunting with it.

 

[Cedarsavage]

Finished this last weekend. 60 ish pounds hickory with a rawhide back, walnut riser, deer antler rest, cherry/walnut/antler tip overlays. Shot it a bit today

 

[Felix40]

I wanted to bump this thread up since I have a serious interest in primitive bows lately. I would really like to see some animals you all have harvested with some info about your equipment and how it performed.

 

[Stillkickin]

Great photos of some beautiful bows, my hats off to all of you that can build and hunt with your handcrafted works of art.

 

[SliverShooter]

I have been building and hunting with selfbows for over 20 years. Some of the Critters taken using selfbows include mule deer, whitetail deer, mountain lion, bear, bison, and moose.

 

[WellStrung]

Same pic as avatar. Hickory board bow. Sinew backed, pyramid profile. My best whitetail. Also killed a doe with another unbacked hickory board bow.