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Traditional Bow Recommendations

ThomasHemlock said:
I've been shooting a 40# Samick Sage recurve and a 35# Wing Archery Red Wing Hunter for a couple years and have been hunting with the Sage exclusively this year and took my first deer with a recurve on opening day. My plan has always been to use the Sage while learning to shoot/hunt with a traditional bow and then, if I liked it, to upgrade to a nicer bow. I can't spend $1200 on a Black Widow or the other really high end bows so I'm looking at the Bear Super Kodiak, Bear Super Grizzly, Martin (Damon Howitt) Freedom, and Dryad Epic TD Recurve. I'd prefer a one piece recurve but am will to consider a take down. I DO NOT want a metal riser and I don't care about the limb options afforded by an ILF system. The bow will be for recreational shooting and hunting. I have no plans to compete at all. I plan to stay at 45lb AMO draw weight... with my draw length that puts it at 48.5lbs.

I know that everyone will recommend shooting as many bows as possible and choosing the one that's "right for you." Unfortunately that's not realistic. I can get to Lancaster Archery (it's about 4hrs away) but they carry limited brands in stock in the pro shop. I don't know of any archery shops anywhere near me that carry traditional bows (other than Samicks and cheap PSEs).

I'm not interested in a used bow.

Questions:
1) Does anyone shoot one of the bows I've listed above? If so, what are your thoughts?
2) Any recommendations on bows / bowers in the sub $800 range?
3) Do any of you VA guys know of an archery shop that carries a decent selection of traditional bows in VA? I'm in the Fredericksburg / Culpeper area.

Aside from those specifics, feel free to share what (traditional) bow you shoot and what you think of it (regardless of price).

Thanks.
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Tom- I shoot a longbow. This year a bought a Howard Hill new for $650. Last year I bought a Toelke longbow for $825. Both were new. I'm fortunate that I shoot with 4 other longbow shooters who pointed me in the right direction. This is my second year traditional. There are no dealers of traditional archery in western NY. There is a big show in Pennsylvania in July sponsored by E.T.A.R., at Denton Hill State Park. It's about 4 days long and has several bowyers there who will allow you to try out their bows on the range. As @DaveT1963 said for $800 the used market is wide open. Hoped this helped.
 
Danny75 said:
Look at Striker Bows they make a great bow and have an option to get it now pay it monthly till it’s paid off. I have 3 striker 2 recurve and and one long bow all of them are take downs all custom build to my liking

Striker Bows - Handcrafted Traditional Longbows & Recurves

Striker bows has been handcrafting traditional bows since 1997. Specializing in a reflex deflex design, with a pistol style grip. One-Piece & Takedowns.
strikerbows.com strikerbows.com


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Yeah I've been looking at the Striker Classic for a while now but haven't had the chance to shoot one. I'm hesitant to buy a bow online without shooting it first.
 
NORKALNIMROD said:
I shot the old Grizzlies for years. I had three of them ranging from 55 to 75 pounds. All three were good bows. I have experience with the old Super Kodiak and the Kodiak Magnum also. I wish I still had all of them. I have shot several of the old Damon Howatt bows and really liked the Mamba. Currently I shoot an original Stalker recurve and older Mahaska longbow both made for me and both pull 64 pounds at my draw. I believe you would be happy with any of the new Bear or DH hunting bows. I recently messed up and shot a couple of the new Bear bows and believe the mistake is going to cost me. I see a new K Mag in my future!
There are some really great buys frequently as mentioned on the Leather Wall. Also check out RMS gear. They always have a great selection to choose from.
Norkal
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Thanks! I'm gonna try to get up to Lancaster Archery soon and shoot the Super Kodiak. Do you have any stacking issues with the K-Mag? I have a 29.5" draw and I'm not sure how well a really short bow would shoot for me.
 
Yodan said:
Tom- I shoot a longbow. This year a bought a Howard Hill new for $650. Last year I bought a Toelke longbow for $825. Both were new. I'm fortunate that I shoot with 4 other longbow shooters who pointed me in the right direction. This is my second year traditional. There are no dealers of traditional archery in western NY. There is a big show in Pennsylvania in July sponsored by E.T.A.R., at Denton Hill State Park. It's about 4 days long and has several bowyers there who will allow you to try out their bows on the range. As @DaveT1963 said for $800 the used market is wide open. Hoped this helped.
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I'm definately planning to go to ETAR next year. I'm orginially from that area. I plan to have a new bow before then but may end up leaving ETAR with another one... or 2. We should get a Saddlehunter group together for those of us who are going and shoot a course together.
 
Trad hunting is my next evolution I would like to get involved in and will be looking to try a few out over the winter. Lancaster Archery is a four hour drive for me from NY which I will do unless someone can point me to a closer shop. I know I need to do my research but what type of trad bow is best for hunting (yes primarily from a saddle) or is that just personal preference?
 
I started two years ago, saddle and longbow. Went thru several, mostly used, and settled on a Toelke Pika 54" takedown model.
Shoot everyday now as opposed to couple weeks before season came in with a compound. Bought an arrow saw, learned a lot more about arrow spine, foc, heavy arrows, fixed blade broadheads etc.., no problem with practice shooting from my kestrel or JX3.

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Honestly, It all boils down to personal preference. I would take your time and shoot as many different bows that you can. You may find out that a certain length bow, with a certain size, and angle grip, will just feel and shoot great for you that just will not work good for someone else.
There are a lot of Trad events in NY. and PA. Go to a few and test as many bows as you can.
Tradgang.com is just one of a few good sites to go to for info. Go there and make friends.

As for me, Once I settled on a 60" length recurve at the 55lb. range with a smaller/ high grip handle felt the best, I picked out a reputable bowyer, and chose the woods I wanted and had them make the bow. When I realized it was perfect for me, I had them make me a twin...… different wood choices though. :)
 
ThomasHemlock said:
Thanks! I'm gonna try to get up to Lancaster Archery soon and shoot the Super Kodiak. Do you have any stacking issues with the K-Mag? I have a 29.5" draw and I'm not sure how well a really short bow would shoot for me.
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Lancaster Archery is a great place to go. I've talked with them many times on the phone and very helpful. Explain what you're looking for. They do have a range there and many bows to try. Worth the drive.
 
DanielB89 said:
1) Don't assume the sage isn't good enough for what you want. Trust me when I tell you this, If you put a quality string on the sage, it COMPLETELY changes the bow.

2) As Dave stated, almost any bow can be bought used for less than $800.

The beauty of the sage is how cheap and available replacement limbs are. For less than $75 you can have as many pair as you'd like.
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What would you recommend as a quality string for the sage?

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DaWiz9578 said:
What would you recommend as a quality string for the sage?

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Definitely a flemish twist string. They shoot quieter and allow fine tuning of brace height. Not sure if the Sage has brace adjustment so twisting or untwisting a flemish string lets you change the brace height. Brace height is important to arrow flight and noise.
B-50 strings work fine but you will pick up a few feet per second with fast flight, BUT not all limbs can handle fast flight strings.
Linda Brackenbury makes very nice flemish strings.

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What draw weight should I start out with? I've never shot a trad bow but for reference my Switchback is at 62# draw weight and 29.5 draw length. Do I start out low to practice good form and then move up in weight or can I start out at say 50# being I've shot bows for 20+ years? I know shooting a trad is different but my thought process is since I've been shooting a long time as opposed to a person just starting out in archery I feel I have the muscle strength/memory to jump to a higher poundage right from the start. What do you guys think is best?
 
slonstdy said:
What draw weight should I start out with? I've never shot a trad bow but for reference my Switchback is at 62# draw weight and 29.5 draw length. Do I start out low to practice good form and then move up in weight or can I start out at say 50# being I've shot bows for 20+ years? I know shooting a trad is different but my thought process is since I've been shooting a long time as opposed to a person just starting out in archery I feel I have the muscle strength/memory to jump to a higher poundage right from the start. What do you guys think is best?
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Ideally, 35# for developing form, but not many guys want to hear that.
But 50# is manageable and also plenty of weight for deer and do-able for almost any critter in North America.

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slonstdy said:
What draw weight should I start out with? I've never shot a trad bow but for reference my Switchback is at 62# draw weight and 29.5 draw length. Do I start out low to practice good form and then move up in weight or can I start out at say 50# being I've shot bows for 20+ years? I know shooting a trad is different but my thought process is since I've been shooting a long time as opposed to a person just starting out in archery I feel I have the muscle strength/memory to jump to a higher poundage right from the start. What do you guys think is best?
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First bow I highly recommend a Samick Sage with 30-35lb limbs. When ready to move up after form and release is on point then you could order a heavier set of limbs for same bow. Practice good form and release don’t really worry to much about hitting bullseye at the binging form and release everything else will fall into place. Highly recommend The Push Tom Clums course it’s an online course to get you shooting proper and lights out


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Just know this - once you jump into the custom bow thing it quickly becomes an obsession if you are not careful :) I just ordered a couple more of Abe's bows - luckily I have no spouse to keep tabs on my habit or id be excommunicated. Same with wool, cameras, saddles, etc.... OK I just have a collecting problem.
 
I’ve owned the Martin/Damon H Savanna longbow, great little stick for the price (I think I paid $315 used) unfortunately it was so light in the hand that I developed some pretty bad bow shock in my bow arm and could barely handle a few arrows after a while. Just my experience with it though.

Can I just mention I would be a little Leary about jumping from 40# to 48# unless you’ve shot that weight before and/or you are shooting 40# effortlessly - I have no details or idea what your situation is just throwing that out there. I’ve had past experiences jumping up too quickly in weight and then my form went down hill and I had to re-train good habits which wastes time.


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It also depends on what type of bow you like! There are all different types and designs and IME no two are the same. I have had everything from top of the line "super curves" down to production bows. In my experience they can all be good if you take the time to tune them. They can also all not be good if you don't take the time to tune them. A quality string makes a difference. Adjusting brace height, adjusting nocking point, moving silencers, etc all makes a difference in the bows performance.

Some of my favorites:
1) Primal Tech Apex 3 piece longbow. This is the quietest bow I've ever owned. It also has good cast!
2) Centaur Triple Carbon with XLT lam. - quiet, quick, a small amount of hand shock.
2.5) JK Traditions 60" R/d longbow. It is right on par with the centaur. THIS IS THE BEST VALUE AS A NEW ONE CAN BE HAD FOR UNDER $500.
3) Big Jims Thunderchild is also top notch.

FWIW: I am a longbow guy. I love a longbow and have gravitated away from curves for a while now. I loved my black river and my black widow curves.
 
I bought a 62" x 45# sage because it was a good deal on craigslist (came with tabs, arrows, quiver for $100), understanding it was a little high for starting. Im a fairly strong guy, but can tell it wears on you quickly and my consistency shows. Ill probably drop down to 30-35# before I start a traditional league in january. Going to try and get some local knowledge around me see if some of the old timers can straighten me out....and by old timers I mean experienced ;). Tried to do it with compound last year, wanted to talk about FOC, bow stringing/tuning and arrow building but turned out everyone was just there to not be home, complain about work and drink beer, which Im fine with, but didnt really give me what I was looking for. Better luck this year.

Thanks for the string recommendations guys.
 
DaveT1963 said:
Just know this - once you jump into the custom bow thing it quickly becomes an obsession if you are not careful :) I just ordered a couple more of Abe's bows - luckily I have no spouse to keep tabs on my habit or id be excommunicated. Same with wool, cameras, saddles, etc.... OK I just have a collecting problem.
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I totally agree with you Dave I started out with one have 7 and have one on order that I won’t get till 4/2021. Long time to wait on a stick and string.


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