06/11/2014
I was reading a very interesting article in a traditional archery magazine... and several topics in other forms about "traditional" and what was traditional... some of you on here are recurve or longbow shooters, and probably have a definition... What was made very clear to me as the authors who were much older than I said something that made a lot of sense, back in the day for me my first bow I picked up was in 1980. That there was no such thing as "traditional" these bowhunters and archers stated that they would shoot with whatever they wanted, recurve, compound of the day.
They said the difference was at a shoot there was Barebow or Sights, period. and many shoots they shot side by side none the wiser or problems with it. So it got me thinking... my first hunting weight recurve was a fiberglass 50lb ben pearson recurve rubber handle and I remember reading in Archer's digest that Howard Hill (my hero) made a sight by taping matchsticks to his bow... and then Doug Kitteridge had an article where you took a LARGE rubber eraser taped it to your bow then went and got hat pins to make sight pins... when I started doing that my shooting got better, homemade sight, articles like this were everywhere in magazines anything a young boy could get his hands on.
Now forward and its 2014 and I decided to get a new bow, I have been shooting compounds for hunting since 1986, but decided a couple a years ago when I found my old Bear Kodiak Magnum to get back into shooting a recurve.. (not traditional) so I tried barebow... not my style between a different set of eyes and muscles, it was okay,, but once you are used to excellent accuracy out to 60 yards, you get humbled by shooting a recurve bare bow...
This may seem like a cop-out, but I decided my next new bow would be a recurve and not a compound I was due for a new bow (about every 7 years) so I decided on a Martin Panther take-down 62inch bow and I have been shooting it and I love it. However, I am a bowhunter first and foremost so I decided to get set up with sights,
because that's how I shoot and I am more comfortable shooting that way.
So my current bow is not what I call barebow but its traditional in every sense of the word to me. Great Limbs, awesome riser, but I can add to the great tool, so I am outfitting it with the Excaliber Stabilizer by Trophy Ridge, and a Trophy Ridge Firewire 5pin vertical Sight and a HindSight Magnum. I am shooting with a glove, and that is my set up simple and takes down easily.
I have been watching the oldest of archery competition I believe Olympic Style archery tournaments, and although its not bowhunting, I was amazed and forgot actually... that the distances 74.95 yards was what they shoot at. Amazing stuff you really should take a chance hop on youtube and watch some of the tournaments.... [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC_JzNiI9VA&feature=share[/url] its very cool to watch. I decided that if I could practice out to those distances, it would help my form at the short distances. I do the same thing with my compound and practice out to 60 yards. But I think I will stick to 50 yards with my compound.
My hunting distances will most likely be limited to 25 yards because where and how I hunt I pride myself on getting very close. My week since I got my bow has been spent researching arrows strings and a case for the takedown bow. I love the lightweight of the bow, I love the fact I am shooting a recurve even if many think its not traditional. Soon as I am sighted in its groundhog season here in Iowa.
Recurve individual finals competition session live from the first stage of the Archery World Cup at Shanghai 2014. See news, schedules, results and more at h...
