Bow of Choice

[thphm]

For the many of us that have started with a long and or a recurve bow and threw the years updated to a compound bow and  then a crossbow what would be the bow that you would chose for a nice clear day taking a slow walk threw the woods on some decent cleared trails, during the legal archery season and you are in good health. No treestand or ground blind hunting.And not take into account the means of careying extra arrows.

Here is what I have found since I now have at least on of each. the Long bow and the Recurve bow are the lightest of them all, they take a little more pre season practice but they get the job done ( if you miss it is your error ) The compound is a little more forgiving and you can hold a full draw a little longer , they are a little heavier but can be a lot shorter, they take less practice time as long as your pins, or other sights have not moved. The Crossbow is heavier then the Long and Recurve and can be about the same as a Compound.,It is very accurate as long as the scope has not moved.but to me seems akward to carry, I would have to use a sling for it.

[wildcat junkie]

My 62# J. D. Berry "Yahweh" with my cedar arrows tipped W/Bear Razorheads carried in a "Cat Quiver" on my back.

[jjb4900]

I only have my compound, I no longer shoot recurve, and haven't the need to get a crossbow (yet)..........but in my opinion a recurve / instinctive shooting is best for that type hunting.

[Jeremy K]

I stopped shooting a recurve when I was 8. Dad got me a bow with "wheels" on the ends.

[ATbuckhunter]

Well I only have ever had a compound bow so is have to go with that. Maybe I'll get a recurve this year or next year.

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[Robby]

Sounds idyllic OMG, and ideally I would be carrying my hand made osage longbow and ash wood arrows.

Robby

[NFA-ADK]

Compound, it is easy to adjust for different ranges, lighter than the crossbow and more accurate than the long or recurve.

[dbHunterNY]

my Bear Super Kodiak recurve.  sunny day won't worry me about harsh weather getting at it.  it's so quiet i might just get a couple shots if need be before something figures out what's going on.  sounds like a day to just enjoy the woods and not worry about success.  if you said i had to fill a tag then one of my compounds would be in my hands.  it'd mean strictly business at that point.... enjoyable but business.

[wildcat junkie]

my Bear Super Kodiak recurve. sunny day won't worry me about harsh weather getting at it. it's so quiet i might just get a couple shots if need be before something figures out what's going on. sounds like a day to just enjoy the woods and not worry about success. if you said i had to fill a tag then one of my compounds would be in my hands. it'd mean strictly business at that point.... enjoyable but business.

I killed a deer on the 2nd shot back in '87 with my 55# Howett Hunter recurve. After I missed the 1st shot on the walking deer at 15 yds, the deer ran about 10yds & stopped in the only opening to look back to see what the noise was. The 2nd shot took him through the heart quartering away.

[dbHunterNY]

I've sent an arrow from it with several deer under me within 10 yards.  i had a ladder stand set into a late blooming apple tree.  i shot just over the back at a mature doe that was at 12 yards and had the arrow hit and sink into the muddy trail they'd take to leave.  they were startled a bit but never moved a foot.  i was dumbfounded.

 

I've made 1" diameter and 3" long wool yarn silencer "puffs" I've got between the strands.  then the loop ends of the string are wrapped with the same wool yarn to quiet the contact with the limbs at the ends.

Edited April 2, 2015 by dbHunterNY

[gfdeputy2]

Love my compound & will stick with it for as long as I can. I think my new crossbow is going up for sale as we will be a while here in NH before we see them being able to be used in an archery season or have there own & I am not getting a permit to use for gun season. We only hunt NY for a week so not woth paying the extra for a muzzleloader license to go with  my archery license

[grampy]

This year will be my 30th bow season. started out traditional then switched to compound and last year the crossbow. With the conditions the OP stated,I would use my crossbow. At 6.5 pounds and balanced very well,with a sling,it's perfect for walk and stalk hunting. And very accurate to my max bow range of 30 yards. Although I did not kill a deer with it last year,I did have opportunities hunting this way that I chose to pass.

 

My heart and soul will always be my compound bow. To me,it's an extension of my body and nothing feels more comfortable in my hands. Over the years,I could have many times,bought the latest and greatest new bow. But my old Mathews MQ-32 has always done it's job flawlessly,when I did my part right.

 

But over the last couple of years,shoulder problems make shooting my bow painful. So I bought the crossbow. I see it as just another tool to hunt with. And just plain fun!

[sweet old bill]

At 73, and past owner of a archery pro shop. I have to say the bow I always just walking thru the woods with and shooting at stumps with was My Checkmate recurve bow,wood arrows with blunts it is 45 lbs at 28 inc and I draw 29 inch.. I have about 5 recurve bow, 1 long bow, 6 compounds and lots of arrow from wood, alum and of course Carbon. I currently am shooting Alpine Concorde target bows one green and black the other red and black. They are 41 inch long, setup with Tox slider sights and fiber optic scope. I am one of the old school that goes by the kiss way of doing archery and that is Keep it simple stupid. So I use WB rest on all the compound bows. I also have a bowtect commander  and a Hoyt setup for hunting. All the same setup as with the target bows.

[nyantler]

60# Martin Recurve and cedar arrows with Zwicki 2 blade broadheads... 20 yards and in!!

[thphm]

SOB just curios what is the overall length of the target bow ? .

Many years ago during the winter while in the local archery shop that had a 30 yard range a young lady came in  who came from Greece was looking for a target bow all set up,She was with her uncle that lived here. They had one in stock.If I remember it was the length of a Long Bow.

[dbHunterNY]

SOB just curios what is the overall length of the target bow ? .

Many years ago during the winter while in the local archery shop that had a 30 yard range a young lady came in  who came from Greece was looking for a target bow all set up,She was with her uncle that lived here. They had one in stock.If I remember it was the length of a Long Bow.

 

most of your compound target bows these days are between 35-41" axle-to-axle length.  most being 37-40".  unless it was a recurve target setup, I'm not sure as if I've seen one more like 60+" end to end.

[LI OUTDOORSMAN]

your bow of choice should be a fairly recent model that fits you well and your budget and that you shoot often enough to be deadly at 30 yds and under out of a treestand or a ground blind...

[Buckstopshere]

My first bow back in 1971, killed my first 8 pt. was a Bear Kodiak recurve, but by 1980 it was a Howard Hill custom bamboo longbow. Many deer fell to those two bows through those decades. In 1996, after buying compounds for my boys, I got one for myself...and what a lethal treestand hunting machine. Last week I picked up my newest bow, a Bowtech Carbon Icon. Can't wait to test it this year. So light, so fast and so quiet!

 

Favorite...?  Bows are like kids, or dogs, no favorites, all different. The new Carbon Icon only weighs 3.5 pounds (bare.) It is so light, I am going to go back to my old still hunting days when I killed all my deer with the recurve and the longbow, including two 135 class bucks.

[Lawdwaz]

Like others here I've used and killed with all three vertical bows but I'll be sticking with the compound for the foreseeable future. 

[Doc]

I never was real big on still-hunting with a bow. I just can't do it. Can't get close enough because basically, I'm clumsy. And the older I get, the worse I have gotten. Whatever little amount of "sneak" that I might have ever had, it's gone now. Gun hunting is different, because I don't have to get up on them so close, but with a bow it is strictly stand hunting. And that is done with my Matthews MQ-32.

 

[sweet old bill]

SOB just curios what is the overall length of the target bow ? .

Many years ago during the winter while in the local archery shop that had a 30 yard range a young lady came in  who came from Greece was looking for a target bow all set up,She was with her uncle that lived here. They had one in stock.If I remember it was the length of a Long Bow.

 

the target bow is a Alpine Concord  and it is 40 inches in length. I got another one this spring on a close out from Alpine and had it set up for 50 lb limbs and 29 inch draw. The limbs are black and the riser is red and black.

 

My hunting outfit are:

 

a Hoyt 2007 that is 34 inches long and is 50 to 60 lbs  limbs and setup at 56 lbs and 29 inch draw.

 

My newest bow is a 2014 PSE drive compound bow that is 30 inches long and setup at 56 lbs and 29 inch draw.

[Hock3y24]

Hoyt charger 2014, 31" length, 27.5 draw at 67 lbs

Edited April 24, 2015 by Hock3y24

[Nomad]

27 years of now hunting , two bows. A Golden Eagle Turbo Hawk for the first 18 or so and now one from Hoyt's cheaper line it starts with an R I believe .

[dbHunterNY]

27 years of now hunting , two bows. A Golden Eagle Turbo Hawk for the first 18 or so and now one from Hoyt's cheaper line it starts with an R I believe .

 

they don't make Reflex bows anymore similar to Mission (Mathews) or Diamond (Bowtech).  Now they're all Hoyt but they do have a cheaper bows offering like the Charger now which was a reflex model back some years ago.

[bowslinger]

recurve i shoot bear kodik mag 55 at 29 inchs ceder arrows magnus 135 broadheads compond alpine f 1 fireball 29 inch draw carbon express pile drivers full length 100 gr muzzys