The usually beginner trad help post

[Kevin G]

Hello everyone,

After reading a number of these beginner trad question posts I have a few questions of my own. I shoot compound now and I am looking to add stress to my life by hunting with a trad bow. I've done some research and have some questions about a few specifics. Firstly I am looking to get a Hoyt Satori as my riser, I was looking at potentially getting a black hunter but I would like to use a springy rest and so I need something with a burger hole. I did look into getting a "clone" of a Satori but they don't make one in left handed that I can find, along with I would prefer not to support a business like that. I know that VPA and DAS make USA made risers but they are most likely out of my budget for a riser ($275ish used). are there any other options that I am missing that are out there? Secondly I was looking into arrow velocity/ arrow weight and I wanted to know with a draw length between 28"-29", pulling 45# and an arrow weight of 475gn or less would it be reasonable for me to achieve a point on distance of 30-35 yds as I hunt in Northeast Ohio and that is on the outer limit of distances I encounter deer, or will I have to rethink my set up to better achieve that goal?

Thanks.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

You're putting the cart WAAAAAY before the horse with point on distance/arrow velocity questions. A ton of that depends on anchor point, string hand and bow hand pressure. It takes several years of shooting and tinkering with a stickbow to start to develop much sense of what you personally prefer in a setup. Then something in your form will change and it'll be back down the rabbit hole.

Plus you may find that you prefer a different aiming method! I gap off the side of my riser, rather than the arrow point. Makes life much easier if I wind up with a bow that has a point on at 45-50 yards.

Long story short... get something you can afford and like the look of, and shoot the piss out of it for a while.

 

[nnmarcher]

Picking up a trad bow is a lot of fun, welcome to the club!

Nothing wrong with picking up a Satori, but I may suggest starting with an entry level set-up and deciding what you like before upgrading. If you stick with the ILF system, it is really easy to swap limbs/risers play with different combinations. I'm sure being left handed limits your options, but a bow like this will get you shooting at a fraction of the cost:
WNS Black Elk Riser
WNS Black Elk Limbs
My advice is to start with light draw weight limbs, like 30-35 lbs. It makes focusing on your form a lot easier as you learn. Once your form is consistent, move up to some heavier limbs for hunting. To get you started, get your arrow weight around 10 grain/pound of draw weight and see how it shoots.