any archers?

[fouronesix]

I did a lot of it in a previous life. Had several Grove's recurves- no sights, only instinctive shooting. Currently have one of the Grove's and one longbow.

Now much more interested in the art, craft and history, including military history of the bow.

For anyone interested, here's a link to the UK History Channel's series on the medieval longbow. Also added a link from the UK History Channel on the legend of Robin Hood- using a bunch of the clips from the Russell Crowe movie (good movie IMO). Both documentaries dovetail nicely. These type youtube links get taken away frequently, so watch them soon or you'll have to do another search for a link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tuJvei2Uw8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsaUJpPoFm0

[troy_mclure]

My first compound was a bear whitetail 2. 15yrs old when I got it and 3 previous owners. Still shot great.

[Multigunner]

I have a solid fiberglass Black Fox bow and a laminated recurve bow marked 35# but apparently having a much stronger pull than that.
I have one of those cheap pistol crossbows which are fun to play with but not very effective.
Its been years since I used the bows but I occasionally take them down from the wall and clean them up and string them to test the pull.

I have a few arrows but need to get a lot more if I start shooting these again.

I also have a compound bow that I picked up cheap at a junk shop but haven't found it very interesting despite its high velocity. Not much to shoot at around here that the arrows won't zip all the way through and tear off the fletching.
Last time I fired the compound bow the store bought foam filled target stopped the arrow but the aluminum shaft was bent six ways from sunday.

[375supermag]

Hi...


Like a few others here, I used to hunt with a compound(Hoyt Raider) but a couple of cancer (saliva gland cancer on my tongue spread to the lymph glands on both sides of my neck/throat) surgeries and more than a few radiation treatments have really limited my strength and mobility in my neck and shoulders.

I hope to acquire a crossbow eventually, so I can attempt to bow hunt again when I retire in a couple of years.

We will see...I'll need to try one first and see if it is even possible for me to shoot it.

[bassnbuck]

Dagger Dog, we have something in common. No one gave me any pointers when I was a 5-6 year old kid. I shot and hunted with right hand bows shooting left handed til I was 28. At 28 I bought my first compound and made up my mind to only shoot right handed. It took months shooting every day to get use to it. I still bowhunt and shoot right handed [61 now.] Also grew up in Indiana.

[Multigunner]

For those who prefer bows to crossbows but have difficulty drawing a bow due to injuries theres a modern solution. Its a vertical cross bow that you grip and aim like a bow but it has an extension that comes back to the drawing hand with a triggering mechanism.

The feel is much like firing a bow, but without much if any stress on the shoulders and hands.

[fouronesix]

It's amazing, that the human brain can place the arrow where the practiced archers eyes sees !

True instinctive shooting requires hours with your bow and tackle, no sights, no mechanical releases, rests or shelves, just practice.

Yes, absolutely. Hard to describe how that works. For most it takes endless hours of shooting and some never get there no matter the effort. I spent that time and more but never felt 100%. From what I understand, Howard Hill was one of those few who had the "stuff". Of the hundreds of "archers" I've met or watched shoot, I've known one person who had the gift. Once you see a truly gifted and skilled instinctive archer shoot, you understand. But as said in my previous post, all in a past life. oh well

[winelover]

I have loved archery since I was a young lad. Prefer hunting with a bow over a gun. Season is longer and fall foliage is another perk. At 63 years old, can just barely draw my compound bow, especially when the weather turns cold. Don't know how many more years I will be able to do it. Here is yesterday's harvest. Minimum legal Arkansas buck. Three points on one side, one on other.



Winelover

[shooter2]

this battle: http://www.longbow-archers.com/historycrecy.html
Was perhaps the most decisive in history showing the superiority of the longbow. Some great books have been written about the era and are well worth taking the time.

I have a love affair with the longbow, even though I no longer shoot one.

[gwpercle]

No wheel weights, no powder but I still got my Bear Polar LTD compound bow and dozens of wood and fiberglass arrows I made. I used to be a decent shot with it....lets go to the archery range!

Now I'm glad I kept it.

[waksupi]

A guy I got started in traditional archery a few years ago, sent out this picture today. His first buck with a longbow. He is deliriously happy!

Attachment 119482

[fouronesix]

I have a small collection of points dating from late bronze age to modern (about 100 BC to recent), so thought I'd post a group here. I'm sure many will recognize a few of these. There are: Scythian, Roman, English, Viking, Mogul, American Indian, and post-WWII US. None are reproductions.

[troy_mclure]

Dropped my bow off to get a string made for it. Ill get my draw length and some arrows when I go back wed.

[fouronesix]

I always shot instinctive "bare" bow. Used mostly cedar shafts and fletched and nocked my own arrows with a simple single fletching jig. Tried a few broad head types including: super Hilbre, bilobe Delta, a couple of the trilobes like the Hi-Precision and MA-3, Pearson Deadhead and Bear Razorhead. The simple Delta and Bear Razorhead proved to be the best at that time, IMO. The secret with the Bear RH is to put a small rounded chisel point on them.

I guess in order to gain credibility on a forum, obligatory dead stuff has to be posted. I shot this pronghorn in 1977, the Bear Razorhead used is in the plaque.

[butch2570]

Have a bear # 50 grizzly and #65 super kodiak , there is nothing on earth as satisfying as traditional archery, if you have the time to dedicate to learn it. But I am finding my self short on time anymore, so I have taken the easy route the last couple years. I can tell you the way I learned instinctive was to take a large roll of hay and place a 99 cent flashlight , the little cheap ones from the dollar store, and place them into the roll of hay for my target and shoot at it in the dark. TOTAL DARKNESS , You will be surprised how fast you can pick this up shooting this way and a large roll of hay gives you a big backstop to catch any stray arrows , start close ten yards or under and build your skills and move out...It works... And use a longer bow to start with it's more forgiving and doesn't stack like shorter bows, get shorter after you gain experience if you want.. and the old bear razorheads are getting harder to find now , but they put whitetails down!! Oh yeah look up a guy named Jeff Kavanagh on you tube, he is an amazing archery shot with a bare bow , some of his shots are unbelievable..

[fouronesix]

And use a longer bow to start with it's more forgiving and doesn't stack like shorter bows, get shorter after you gain experience if you want.. and the old bear razorheads are getting harder to find now , but they put whitetails down!! Oh yeah look up a guy named Jeff Kavanagh on you tube, he is an amazing archery shot with a bare bow , some of his shots are unbelievable..

The point about stacking vs bow length is spot on!

[bruce drake]

I have four 145gr Bear Razorhead glue-ons left from a box of 24 (8 3-packs) that my Father gave me 20+ years ago from an archery store closeout sale. I hope those last four last me another 10 years. And yes, they cut a beautiful blood trail. Although lately most of my shooting for game has been with Zwickey Eskimo 4-blade 125 gr glue-on broadheads, I always carry 2 of the Bears in my Quiver (Yellow Nocks to differentiate from the lighter Zwickeys who have red nocks) for closer (<35yards) shots. The Zwickeys give me another 10 yards of confidence in my shots with the same four fixed blades to cut deep and bleed out the deer quickly. And yes, the oldest boy was tearing up the practice butt in the backyard with my bow and my Zwickeys today getting ready for a hunt on Monday with his uncle. He doesn't get my Bears until he bloods a Zwickey...

[bruce drake]

And before anyone says something...equal weight bullet points DO NOT fly the same as a Broadhead so I'd rather take the cost of 8 hay bales over the cost of having to deal with the boy trailing a wounded deer because the arrow didn't shoot true to where he expected the arrow to fly.

[butch2570]

If you can buy yourself a roll of hay you can shoot it thousands of times , even with practice broadheads , they are much less troublesome than shooting bales.. about $40 for a roll here while a bale is about $4 . lots more shooting to be done in a roll and a roll will stop the arrow where a bale just won't do it for a compound bow, my 2 cents. And I also am shooting the zwickey 4 blade now, because I only have about 8 of the Bear Razors left and I want to keep them for keep sakes , as they belonged to my dad. I can't find the picture of the 6 point I took with the Pearson Spoiler, but Iv'e killed several Doe with the Bear Grizzly, and they were all trophies with a bare bow ...

[Cornbread]

If you are looking for a cheap way to stop broad heads here is how I do it for my longbows when I want to broad head practice. Take a burlap bag and stuff as tight as you can pack it with all your leftover plastic shipping bags wadded up. If you pack it tight enough it will stop a crossbow bolt at 30 feet inside a garage. The old geezer who showed my the shopping bag trick did the crossbow thing inside his garage to show me how well it would stop an arrow. When you wear a burlap sack out just transfer the bags to another one. You can keep reusing them for years. The more tightly the bags are compressed the better it works. Shrink wrapping that goes around pallets also works for this.