wildcat junkie

What does the bow measure tip to tip straight across?

Shooting traditional, you will lose and break arrows. Stay with the less expensive options that are still consistent.

Wood has several advantages when shooting "off the shelf with fingers".

It's a lot easier being "sneaky" when shooting a traditional bow when you don't have the have the bow perpendicular on the shot.

In a tree stand I used to set up on the off side of the tree from expected approach. I would hide behind the Catquiver strapped to the trunk of the tree when a deer approached..

If you go with aluminum arrows, throw away the "spine charts" as they will have you about 15-20 pounds over spined. For a 55# recurve @ 28" draw, a 2114/217 Easton XX75 will be about right with a 125gr point. Use 5" feather fletch in a helical twist. Start with your arrows a bit long and cut them back 1/2" at a time to tune. For 28" draw with "broahead clearance" you will end up with a shaft about 29 1/2" long.

In the late 1960s and early '70s speed was selling and bows became shorter and shorter in the quest for fps. In a given draw weight, the shorter bow will generally be faster. But there's a price. The shorter the bow, the more string pinch and the less forgiving the bow will be . In other words, the shorter the bow, the harder it will be to shoot consistently. If you are over 5'9" a 62" bow will be about right. Under 5'9" and a 60" bow will be better a compromise for speed and smoothness. I would not recommend a bow under 58" for anyone. As far as quivers? A "limb attach" quiver might affect the cast of a one piece recurve bow. I ended up using a "Catquiver" II. Arrows are removed by reaching back, grasping the shaft while lifting up, pulling the point end out and down. Once you get used to it, it becomes second nature. I strapped the Catquiver to the right side of my climbing stand (strapped to my back) for access while walking and around the trunk of the tree once I was up in the stand. HERE is another source for traditional archery gear. They stock the varous versions of the CATQUIVER.

54# might be a bit much to start, but I shot a 55# recurve when I was 14 YO. It might be good to borrow something in the 45# range for the 1st few weeks until you get your form developed.. 54# is a great "hunting weight" bow. It will send a fixed blade cut on contact broadhead clean through a deer. You can get a string HERE. Go for a "Flemish" string as they have full strands in the nock while an "endless string ony has 1/2 the strands in the nock. Generally speaking, the string should be 4" shorter than the AMO length marked on the bow. (measure on the belly of the bow nock to nock) It should be about the same as the end to end length measured on the back (facing towards the target as held in the hand) of the bow between nocks in a straight line. FYI, the "back" is the front and the "belly" is the back as held in the hand while shooting.

Cheese & rice, I can buy 2 good duplex reticle scopes for those prices and who can shoot well enough in a hunting situation to need anything beyond 500yds anyway?

For 350 yds a 3" MPBR zero is effective. My 280 was + or - 3" out to 310 yds and still could be held "on hair" to 400 yds. I don't care for all of the business of the BDC reticle.

It needs to factor in the BC of the bullet and the height above bore C/L for the scope to be accurate. BC will factor in bullet drop regardless of caliber or bullet weight. The Nosler #5 reloading manual no longer lists bullets for their ballistics chart, but relies solely on BC.

If you ask me you're twisting of my statement is what is "asinine". A better way to look at my statement is that BDC reticles should not be used unless the POI at the various crosshairs is verified at the range. At least at 100 & 200 yds Let's look at some ballistic facts. Fact #1. When a friend of mine needed some quick target work to check his zero with a different brand on 180gr Winchester 30-06 ammo, we found that the actual Mv was just over 2600 fps, 100 fps below the factory spec for that load and 200fps lower that might be had with a rifle with a tight chamber and barrel spec Fact #2. The BDC does not take into account the distance above the bore that the scope is mounted. The trajectory for a high "see through" mount will be significantly different than if the scope is mounted a s low as possible. Fact #3. Not all 180gr bullets have the same ballistic coefficient and BC is the 1 & only factor that affects bullet drop (and wind drift) when all other factors are equal. A round nose .308 180gr bullet has a BC of about .245 while a 180gr Ballistic Tip bullet will have a BC of .517. The RN bullet will lose velocity at a much quicker rate and therefore will have a much more rainbow trajectory. Results of the extremes of these factors. both examples sighted in at 100yds as would be done with the top BDC crosshair. Example 1. 180gr Ballistic tip bullet at 2700 fps with high rings -13.2" @ 300 yds Exampe 2. 180gr Round nose bullet 2 2600 fps with low mounts. -20.5" @ 300yds That's a 7.3" variable and the shooter will not be aware of it unless there is verification at the range. This is only within 1 given bullet weight. What about 150, 165 or bullets heavier than 180gr? 8mm-06 A.I. 200gr .323 Speer Hotcore bullet with a BC of .411 at a verified 2900 fps. with the scope mounted at a verified 1.7" above the bore C/L, calculated with a MBR (Maximum Point Blank Range + or - 3". I sight in 2 1/2" high at 100yds and verify that the load strikes. just over 2" high at 200yds.. I will then know that my bullet will hit zero at 145 yds, 3" low at 285 yds, 4.3" low at 300yds and at 400yds it will strike 17 3/4" low Let's say a big buck appears in my hayfield near the distant woodline. I know that my Duplex reticle subtends 5" at 100yds and the fact that the bucks shoulder to brisket fills the gap. A quick mental calculations puts that buck at 300yds or slightly farther. Given the .5 MOA capability of my rifle know that my bullet will strike anywhere from 1 1/2" to 6" low at that distance. If I hold at the top of the vitals, just under the point of the shoulder blade, I will get a solid hit in the vitals. Even at 400yds, the TOP of my bottom duplex will put the bullet about 10" low so if I hold just off the hair, again a sloid vital hit. Now compare that to "Bubba" that mounts his BDC scope on his rifle without verifying anything more than the 100 yd zero for the top crosshair in the same situation with a variance of 7" or more in POI BEFORE the grouping ability of the rifle is factored in. Now, you tell me who is going to be assured of a good hit without the chance of wounding the animal. Placing blind faith in BDC reticles is akin to "Bubba" stopping into the gun shop the night before opening day to have his scope "bore sighted". Neither will assure that the rifle will hit the desired POA without "putting it on paper" and in the casr of the BDC, at the various ranges that the BDC is supposed to "compensate" for. Here is an example of BDC verification.

What broadhead are you using?

Does each BDC come tailored for each individual load as chronographed for each individual rifle? If not, I can shoot at distance more accurately with my duplex reticle knowing exactly how many fps muzzle velocity my load generates and the ballistic coefficient of the bullet.. I've seen factory ammo shoot nearly 200 fps less than spec'ed.. Furthermore, by knowing how much my duplex reticle subtends, I can estimate yardage very quickly.

No arrow is going to be faster than the speed of sound anyway. An arrow traveling 190 fps will completely penetrate a deer on a broadside shot if it has sufficient weight and a sharp fixed blade (cut on contact) broadhead. Crossbows are not archery and archers were considered superior to crossbowmen in medieval times..

My 67 year old eyes can clearly see my duplex reticles way beyond legal shooting times even in dense vegetation.

It was "designed" as a wildcat cartridge for silhouette shooting. High ballistic coefficient for better downrange energy. But yes, it is an excellent deer cartridge.

And why do you need an illuminated reticle for deer hunting? Sounds like you need to invest in better optics.

Why anyone would choose a Chinese Vortex over an American made Leupold when the price points are similar is beyond me.

Smoke and mirrors.

Pavers would be hard to anchor to.

I bolted my legs and ladder base to 4' lengths of treated 2x8. They eventually got settled into the ground enough that the stand has survived some pretty good winds without tipping over. The 1st year, before I added the bases, it got blown over.

Wrap the sides below the shooting rail with several layers of burlap, then attach conifer branches if you like, but unless it's tucked in among other conifers it won't help much once the burlap is applied. . Go to the lumber yard and ask for a "cover sheet" that is used to protect the finish of palletized sheet metal roofing. They usually give it away free for the asking. Get something gray, green or brown if you can. Here is a view from about 60 yds on the trail leading into my tripod. Since 2001, myself and 2 other hunters have taken over 30 deer from this strand, most of them bucks. An hour or so with tin snips and a screw gun will have a nice permanent roof for your stand. I left the fabric under the sheet metal to cover the white underside of the metal. And NO the small area of metal roof won't make a racket when it rains that is significantly louder that the rain hitting leaves. I initially put burlap over the roof to muffle noise but found it unnecessary after weather rotted and wind removed the burlap from the roof. I never found it necessary to go to the trouble of replacing it. The roof also helps your shoulders and head blend in because you are in a shadow and no longer "above" the outline of the stand. I do have a large ladder stand built on the same design as the tripod except it has a wide bench seat. It is trucked into a white pine next to a hemlock tree. I used the burlap/branches to blend it into the background. This picture as from about 20 yds on the entrance from the horse trail. This is directly in front of the stand about 40 yds away. This picture was taken last year. I have added hemlock boughs on either side of the slit in the burlap on the front. They are spread apart to get in and do a great job of concealing the square outline. This picture is from about 60 yds at the stand's 9:00. You have to look very closely to pick out the stand. It is about dead center in the picture and the square outline of the roof is the only thing that gives it away.

I still watch "Meat Eater" and "Western Hunter".

Ted Nugent was/is one of the worst "slob hunters" I've ever seen. I remember him doing that kind of crap way back in the 1980s on his videos.