Stinkman and Blue runner

[willy]

I'd like to take her, that bow and a dozen broadhead arrows and make like Jerimiah Johnson for awhile.

[nipper]

Beautiful Willy. Hey, I know nothing about bows, so forgive me for asking, but what are those little furry ball things on the string?

[reelapeelin]

Originally Posted by willy

I'd like to take her, that bow and a dozen broadhead arrows and make like Jerimiah Johnson for awhile.

"Skin that one, Pigrim...an I'll brang you anothern!"

[Blue_Runner]

Willy, it sure sounds like a beautiful work of art. I'll have to check it out this weekend. Probably a good thing I can't see it. I'd just get all worked up

[Blue_Runner]

When you get to NC you are going to have to show me the basics of bow-making. Maybe I'll have a shop built by then.

[willy]

Blue I don't think I can build one like this, take a look when you get a chance.
And the things on the string are a type of string silencer, these are made with mink fur. Used to silence any vibration of the string which can produce noise. Noise is no good for hunting when you shoot. This bow does not really need them it is kind of overkill.

[Mac_Attack]

Willy that is a beautiful bow. My son and brother in law are getting into bow hunting and have compounds. They talk of arrow speed. Tell me about hunting with a recurve or long bow, I think that's what they're called. I still have the one I got as a kid. Billy Mac

[willy]

Mac for about ten years I owned and ran a traditional archery shoppe called Renaissance Archery. It has been a great love of mine since I was 12 years old and my father bought me a fiberglass longbow to strengthen my broken arm.
Most of my customers were gents who shot compounds but felt something missing. They never looked back.
There is nothing wrong with compounds, I have owned one for two and a half years. I had a major surgery on my neck and have a titanium plate running across three verterbrae. I could not hunt with my son shooting my beloved bows and for the first time in my life I shot one and used it the last two seasons but am now trying(forcing) myself to shoot my longbows and recurves again.
With a compound since literally the first time at the targets I was shooting fist size groups at 20 yards and farther.
With a compound I feel like a sniper in the woods, they are fast and accurate and easy for someone who does not want to really practice and become an archer to pick it up a week before the season and be shooting decent.
But you are holding a metal machine with highly developed pulleys, sights, weights to balance them and it feels like, like a machine.
When you pick up a longbow or a sweet recurve they are things of beauty, they are alive, they weigh mere ounces, they feel like a fine fly rod in your hand.
To be good you need to shoot fairly regularly, practice and develop a good archers form, and you shoot instinctively just like you would shoot a basket or throw a baseball.
In the end after you shoot for awhile that is how it becomes, instinctive, natural, and a joy to behold when you see the arc of the arrow strike what you are shooting at.
It is a connection back with men thru the earliest of times, it is romantic in that sense but also very practical and extremely deadly.
Recurves are a little easier to shoot well, due to their mass weight, slight pistol grips, larger cut sight window and they are generally a little faster with a normal weight arrow.
Longbows, well longbows are light weight in the hand, this requires you as an archer to develop good form, especially with the steadiness of your bow arm. Most are not cut past center on the shelf so they are a little more sensitive to arrow spine but in reality not really in most cases. They generally not as fast shooting as a recurve but are more forgiveing of shooting from different positions and usually much quieter than any other bow. I have shot deer feeding in front of me from tree stands and from the ground still hunting that heard nothing and only reacted to something touching them(the arrow passing thru them) and go right back to feeding and within seconds lay down, put their head down and go to sleep. Longbows will also shoot very heavy arrows which other bows do not handle well.
They do require you to be an archer, to practice at least a little all year to keep a decent form and usually the guys you see hunt with them are men who have made that commitment to be a good archer.
Of course like all sports there are slobs in every endeavor but I have found very few at the archery butts and in the field who were tradtional archers.

If you have any specific questions give me a pm and we can talk about it

" And the Lord thy God said unto him, take thee thy bow and arrows and bring forth some game"