Take the Trad Plunge?

[Ryan K Sanpei]

Thank you for contributing and sharing your insight elkstabber!!!

 

[GLB]

Lots of good advice here. I can't stress enough that it is very important NOT to over bow yourself. Shooting a stick bow is like working out, don't over do it. I was totally obsessed with shooting for many years and totally wrecked my body physically. I loved the flight of the arrow and pride myself that I rarely missed and that cost me to give it up for years. So go easy, it's a wonderful sport and understand that it will be a love/hate relationship. Tuning the stick bow can be almost as frustrating as the compound especially if you use wood arrows which is all I used and made my own. Once you make your first stick bow kill there is noting like it.

 

[Beendare]

My take;

start with a cheap [samick sage is good] very light bow- one that goes from 35#-45 is even better...consider a 70# compound is holding 14 pounds. 80% of the guys I see at the range on the weekends are overbowed. Once you build up your strength and form- you will have tried many bows and have a better idea of what you want
You can buy a cheap bow on AT classifieds that you can sell for what you paid in 4 months. Then you can get something like this

Key to trad is grooving in good form...you can't do that with a heavy bow

Masters of barebow3 great video with about everything you need to know form wise to shoot correctly

A mentor is a big help

Developing an anchor close to your eye is important...its more accurate...and a double or triple anchor is best. You still need to "Aim" to be accurate/ consistant

Once you get the feeling of back tension....you will be better than 60% of the trad guys just flinging arrows "Instinctively"

Tuning is tricky since you can't do it without decent form

Trad shooting saved me....I got my love of archery back. Drilling stuff with a compound is too much of a layup.

 

[gmajor]

I was going to start a new thread, but there is such a wealth of information on this one I thought I would just bring it back up.

I'm in grad school, and right next to my apartment there is an archery range for the university archery club. I'd always been envious but being a muzzleloader/rifle hunter and barely having time for that, I'd just stayed on the sidelines. Well, I recently joined up (for free, I was surprised), and 4 days a week there is a 2 hour shooting session. Recognizing that an opportunity to shoot regularly with instructors (olympic recurve competitors) for free will never come my way again, I think I'm going to take the plunge and jump into archery - and I've never been drawn to compounds.

The bows provided are olympic style recurves (I shoot ones without the sights, however, to mimic hunting), I've been using 30# (their heaviest) and can pull that all day. However, I still don't want to overbow with my first purchase and wreck any form I'm fortunate enough to develop (this is my first foray into archery period). So I'm thinking a Samick Sage 40# is the way to go, primarily for blacktails and turkeys.

-Is 40# enough?
-Any thoughts on a bear arrow rest? Seems pretty straightforward to me.
-Favorite string silencers?
-Favorite bow quivers?
-Should I just order the ff flemish at the onset and avoid the dacron completely?
-Allen company carbon arrows and their grizzly broadheads - I literally know nothing about arrows and these seem to be fairly common. Thoughts?
-Target arrows? What cheap ones would you pair with the Samick Sage for a new archer?

Excited to be in this part of the forum.

 

[Rizzy]

What a great opportunity!

I went from a 35# to a 40# and then to a 45# all within a year and it felt like a smooth transition each time. I can't shoot the 45# all day without compromising form though. I'm basing that on an interesting quirk I have developed. My first 3 shots are always great, then my consistency starts to go downhill from there until I rest...

 

[SHTF]

Been Shooting traditional off and on for many years, Just in the last 2 years did I get really serious about it. Its been a great ride. I started with an ILF bow first. Something I could switch out limbs on I think my first set once I decided to get serious was 38# at 31" Draw (Monkey Arms) I then got comfortable and started moving up went to 44# on my next Limb swap and shot those for a good 6 months steady at least twice a week then moved to 53# and now am shooting right at 62# at 31 inch draw. The transition has been effortless. The first week shooting the new weight Id concentrate strictly on form to make sure I didnt develop any bad habits from the gain in weight. Once I settled in I would start focusing on my arrow placement. Its been a great ride and now Im comfortable shooting out to 30 yards at my weight which from what many have said is probably the most you'd want to shoot a recurve in a hunting situation maybe 40 yards if your really good.

I use a trade tech titan 3 riser with dryad epic Limbs its a 64" long recurve bow which for my long draw fits perfectly. I use a Traps feather rest off the shelf which has been a great arrow rest. Its made of 5 rows of turkey feathers that are glued to leather that you glue to your riser. Its worked flawless for 3000 or so shots and doesnt show any signs of wearing out.
Some photos for a visual.



Traps feather rest







And some Zombie slaying at 25 yards



Ive had a blast at making the switch. You can definitely tell when you shoot traditional when its time to step away. I think the biggest challenge for me is the mental game of instinctive shooting. I started out gap aiming and found much better consistency from visualization and muscle memory by moving to instinctive.

The biggest piece of advise I could pass on is get to know your bow how it shoots and the arc of your arrow. once you have these down and your confident in them your shot placement will increase 20 fold.

Good luck.

 

[camelcluch]

I have been kicking this idea around for a year or so. I finally bought a bow and hope it arrives next week sometime. So I say, yes and take the plunge.

 

[Ryan K Sanpei]

-Is 40# enough?
That's a good weight to begin with. Just remember that many production bows are marked 40# @ 28". So you need to find your draw length to figure out what your pulling.

-Any thoughts on a bear arrow rest? Seems pretty straightforward to me.
Are you talking about their rug rest? If so, they work well with the Samick.

-Favorite string silencers?
I prefer cat whiskers or wool. I'm currently using cat whiskers because I hunt in wet weather and the brush here holds a lot of burs that get stuck to the wool. Here's how I prefer to tie them. http://youtu.be/5SyMi9IOfNs

-Favorite bow quivers?
http://rysanpei.blogspot.com/2014/12/bow-quivers.html

-Should I just order the ff flemish at the onset and avoid the dacron completely?
If it's FF compatible, I'd go with FF.

-Allen company carbon arrows and their grizzly broadheads - I literally know nothing about arrows and these seem to be fairly common. Thoughts?
Many good carbon arrows these days. If you prefer carbon, I'd start off with some gold tips. You can can find some "blemish" shafts at some great prices. Grizzlies are good broadheads. Here's my take on broadhead selection. http://rysanpei.blogspot.com/2014/12/broadheads-whats-your-choice.html

-Target arrows?
What cheap ones would you pair with the Samick Sage for a new archer? For me, I'm primarily concerned with hunting, so I use the same rig for everything.

Excited to be in this part of the forum.
Great to have you here!

 

[Jazzdog]

New here but glad to see a trad forum-
I've been shooting traditional gear for going on 25 years beginning with a sky archery longbow. As much as i wanted to i never could get consistent with a low wrist grip and eventually ordered a brown recluse recurve from E.T. Williams. for the past 5 or 6 years i've been shooting an acadian woods treestick and find it to be just about perfect for me.

If i was just making the switch today to traditional gear, and i was shooting 70+ pound compounds i think i'd be looking for something in the mid to high 50's for a draw weight. if you don;t know someone else shooting traditional to learn from i've always found that most 3D shoots are a good place to start-not for the competition but there is usually a practice range and you can see people shoot and ask questions. build up slowly shooting a few arrows at a time until your strong enough to shoot 12-15 without being tired before you worry about tuning arrows. As much as i love cedar and prefer to shoot arrows i make, i have to admit that i have slowly made the switch to carbon and am having great luck with the heavy hunter shafts that are sold under Byron Fergusons name.

Arrow rugs? use the soft side of a piece of velcro, for $3 you can have enough to last a lifetime.

Silencers-I like fur, either beaver or otter.

once your form is good and your comfortable shooting i recommend ferguson DVD "Ultimate arrow tuning". a real simple, common sense to getting the best flight available.

 

[Beendare]

Hey SHTF,
Is that rest of yours trad legal in the tourneys? Thats a slick setup, but I would be afraid the trad police would classify that as not being ' off the shelf'

 

[gmajor]

Thanks guys, really good feedback.

 

[tenth1]

I've been shooting a longbow off and on for 10 years and just learned a lot! Thanks for information

 

[gmajor]

Well, plunge taken! Although I suppose it's not completely "trad", so forgive me. I'm shooting off one of those small Bear Weather Rests and using an old school single pin sight. Traditional or not, I like it. I've shot a tiny amount with olympic recurves and my university's team. Not enough to say I have experience shooting, but enough to know the basics and what good form is. New to bowhunting, so starting with a 40# Samick Sage with a ff string, Gold Tip traditional carbon arrows (3555) with 125 grain field points and broadheads (just have some allen broadheads at the moment, will probably try some muzzys). Just a simple straightforward economical setup. Also made a cheap insulation board target that came out well.

Set it all up and took it out yesterday for the first time, shot decently (for me, that is) considering. Feel like I could have easily gone with a 50# but this way my form should stay sound. At 20 yards I had garbage can lid groups to begin with and was finishing with pie plate groups. Need to tweak the pin to get it just right, but it's definitely more accurate then when I shoot instinctive. And I care more about effectiveness on game than shooting a specific way, so I think that sight will stay on. Anyway, going to practice a bunch and try to improve.

Love all the info in this thread.

 

[larryschwartz]

gmajor,

Welcome to trad bowhunting! Good advice here, but I want to add one thing. You are doing it right by starting with a lighter draw weight, bad habits and form are hard to get rid of. Just make sure that you check with where you are going to be hunting to ensure that 40# @ 28" or 40# @ your draw length meets their minimum draw weight. Some states have a 45# minimum.

I would also suggest that you take your states bowhunter education course, which should be based on the International Bowhunter Education Program. Shot placement is different with an arrow because a broadhead works differently from a bullet when it comes to dumping blood out of the circulatory system. Also, make sure your broadheads are kept razor sharp so they will be able to do their job effectively.

 

[gmajor]

gmajor,

Welcome to trad bowhunting! Good advice here, but I want to add one thing. You are doing it right by starting with a lighter draw weight, bad habits and form are hard to get rid of. Just make sure that you check with where you are going to be hunting to ensure that 40# @ 28" or 40# @ your draw length meets their minimum draw weight. Some states have a 45# minimum.

I would also suggest that you take your states bowhunter education course, which should be based on the International Bowhunter Education Program. Shot placement is different with an arrow because a broadhead works differently from a bullet when it comes to dumping blood out of the circulatory system. Also, make sure your broadheads are kept razor sharp so they will be able to do their job effectively.

Thanks Larry, appreciate the input. I'm legal in CA with my bow at my draw length. I've hunted with bowhunters before, but I'm going to look into one of those courses nonetheless. Lots to learn without a doubt.

 

[chorpie]

This thread is full of awesome. It just answered a bunch of questions I had, with my Martin Jaguar Elite showing up today So... thanks!

 

[Nick Muche]

I always wanted to shoot a bear with a recurve. So I learned how to shoot and did it this past spring. It was fun. Hoping to try again next year. For now, everything else will be with my compound but that may change in a few years.

 

[dangerousD]

I always wanted to shoot a bear with a recurve. So I learned how to shoot and did it this past spring. It was fun. Hoping to try again next year. For now, everything else will be with my compound but that may change in a few years.

That's awesome! Nice job Nick! I took a doe with my recurve last fall for my first traditional kill. Taking the compound with me elk hunting but want to focus more and more on traditional as time goes on. Again, congrats!

 

[cap4382]

Been following this thread awhile and contemplating making the switch as well. I completely agree with the concept of compound bows being pretty much a layup as someone else stated. My question is about arrows. I've got an old Ben Pearson longbow I've played with in the past. Last time I shot it with some carbon arrows(which were most likely way over spined) I ended up with a bunch of carbon slivers in my hand, not fun at all. So with that being said, how many of you guys shoot old school aluminum? Seems a little safer for of the shelf shooting to me, as well as easier to cut if needed while tuning. Anyone else experience this with the carbon? Very informative thread for me. Thanks all

 

[Takeem406]

This is an old one but... A few years ago i sold my training wheels for the same reasons, tuning, weight and having to actual range find targets. With a longbow once your arrows are tuned your set. Plus with my stick I can drop it, throw it and nothing will break. And it's a lot lighter. I do miss a compound for its added range especially mulie hunting, one of my last deer with a compound was at 65 yards after shooting 60 all summer. Also a longbow sucks in a ground blind. I might buy a Bowtech, but if I buy any training wheels it will be for the wife to enjoy time with me.