Unless money is no object, I would highly recommend a used bow for your first bow. After shooting it awhile, you may want to go lighter OR heavier OR longer OR shorter OR to longbow from recurve OR recurve from longbow OR different grip shape, etc. This is why the traditional shoots are a good idea--to try various bows. The bow that you can easily draw when it is 45 degrees outside may be too difficult to hit full draw on if it is 10 degrees and you've been sitting for a few hours. Mid to high 40 #'s AT YOUR DRAW is probably the minimum you would want to go for deer. You probably shouldn't start out higher than low 50#'s or risk developing bad habits.
i need help with traditional archery
hi, my name is doug and i have been trying to get into traditional archery. The problem is that all the places to get archery tackle in my area only carry stuff for compounds and crossbows. I have been hunting with a compound for years but i can't shoot it instinctivly, like i can borrowed traditional i shot recently. So i turned to the internet only to find so much to choose from but not a lot of info. So if anyone could tell me what draw weight is needed to harvest whitetails. If PSE recurve bows are a good start for traditional hunting. Or if there is any good literature to read to help me on my way. if anyone can help me out i would appreciate it greatly.
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Ryan, it sounds like we do agree on priniciple of not being over-bowed and the risk of developing bad habits. I totally agree with your points regarding becoming discouraged. Doug's original question was related to hunting weight. I suggested a maximum weight for a beginner to start hunting with not a minimum weight to start practicing with. I did not say a person should never start light for practice, but I was assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that Doug was going to purchase just one bow.
Can a person start with a hunting weight bow? Often times not, but it depends on the individual. This is the time to set macho aside. You list some great guidelines. Different people will have different draw weights that they can pull comfortably. I let a friend borrow a bow of mine to shoot. He was new to archery. I started him out with a 46#@28 since that was the lightest bow I had with me at the time (he has a pretty short draw but we did not measure it--he may have been pulling 40). He wanted to try a different bow--53#@27"--I thought he would be WAY over-bowed but thought I would let him shoot a couple of arrows just to try the different style of bow (longbow vs recurve). He is a strapping 20 year old army recruit. He could come to full draw, hold anchor and release smoothly without strain. He shot that bow all weekend and hit what he was aiming at. I was shocked. This it NOT typical for a beginner. I would not normally recommend starting that heavy for anybody, I am only pointing out that there are individual differences that dictate just how low a draw weight a person needs to start.
Can a person start with a hunting weight bow? Often times not, but it depends on the individual. This is the time to set macho aside. You list some great guidelines. Different people will have different draw weights that they can pull comfortably. I let a friend borrow a bow of mine to shoot. He was new to archery. I started him out with a 46#@28 since that was the lightest bow I had with me at the time (he has a pretty short draw but we did not measure it--he may have been pulling 40). He wanted to try a different bow--53#@27"--I thought he would be WAY over-bowed but thought I would let him shoot a couple of arrows just to try the different style of bow (longbow vs recurve). He is a strapping 20 year old army recruit. He could come to full draw, hold anchor and release smoothly without strain. He shot that bow all weekend and hit what he was aiming at. I was shocked. This it NOT typical for a beginner. I would not normally recommend starting that heavy for anybody, I am only pointing out that there are individual differences that dictate just how low a draw weight a person needs to start.
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