Ok, I am a relatively new trad archer. Been shooting 100% trad since Feb. Should I stop fulling around with bows? Should I find one I like and just stick with it? I feel like I switch bows WAY too much! I never shoot a bow for more that a month, then on to another. I really think I should just stick with one. Opinions?

Welcome to the addiction! I have over 20 bows, some of these guys on the wall have way more than that. I shoot one more than the rest but still mess around with all of them. When you find the right one with the right arrows it will just feel right and you'll know it when it happens...just like finding that perfect woman.. Most guys gotta go thru a few before they find the one! Lol

If you're going to hunt I would recommend you settle on one for at least that season. Not that I don't switch around during season but my concentration is with one bow for hunting.

If you've been shooting a bow a month since Feb. You probably didn't know the difference between the first six bows. On the the other hand a couple a year for 2-3yrs, will teach you allot about what works for you. P.S. I could take the 8-10 that didn't work off your hands for a small fee.

If you are new, then,IMHO, yes stick to one bow and learn how to do this. Speck

Keep shooting different bows. You'll know when you get your hands on one that feels and shoots way better than the others. Skeet

Life is to short to shoot only one bow. I currently have 10 longbows and recurves and enjoy shooting every one of them. But thats me. can't say whats best for you. Have a great day

Sounds like you're having fun trying to find "the one". Like every one else. :o) Regards

Thats up to you, maybe one until you get the basics down

Right now I'm down to 4 longbows and 5 recurves; shoot which ever I feel like that day

I usually stick with 1 or 2 through hunting season, but after that, all bets are OFF;- )

I have been shooting traditional only for little over 2 years, shot on and off about 10 years. I am always looking for that next bow to buy. I have 3 longbows and 3 recurves. 3 of these I have had since I switched over and will keep from here on. I have bought and sold 17 others , some kept for a little while and some did not like after the first dozen arrows. A month before deer season I shoot only one bow until season ends , then start switching up. I love them all and just love to shoot.

Depends on how well you shoot, and how well you shoot after you switch. If you don't shoot real well I'd stick to one for a while.

I shoot my primary hunting bow about 80% of the time. My back up hunting bow and my 21st Century longbow take up the other 20%.

I try to switch from feb.to June if I'm going to. Sometimes you get a bow and it doesn't shoot for me so I change.

The only thing I can add is that shooting multiple bows just to say you shoot several different bows is not for you..you're still trying to find the first bow that feels right. So pay attention to details with each bow you try..how the grip feels, how it comes on point, how it draws, how it feels at full draw, at release, on the 1st shot, on the 20th shot. When you think your close to right, shoot that bow for a while and prove to yourself that you have your form in good shape, then you can start looking for an even better bow.

Beware of the man that shoots one bow:)

You'll find what suits you,enjoy!

Learn to shoot them all its only form.Thats what you need to work on it isn't the bow its you.LOL

Steady at the shot.

Yes shoot one bow.

I always stick with just one bow, the one I have in my hand...then I grab another one and shoot that one...I am getting pretty close to having a bow for each day of the month...life is short, enjoy the ride...I am hoping the Robertson Wolfer I am buying will be the last hunting bow I buy but I doubt it

DDave

If you have good form it doesn't matter. Just have fun

I have not quite worked out how to shoot 2 or more bows at once. 1 at a time works well though. Each and every bow handles differently. They can all be fun in their own right. Over time you may like 3 or 4 or more styles of bows.I have my long bows my recurves my horse bows self bows you name it.Over the years I played with all of them.No one says you need to limit yourself to just 1 Most people here own a few bows. Buy and use what ever takes your fancy. I reckon the only pre recquisit is to have fun. Enjoy OSR.

You've just taken the first step. Unfortunately, you're already beyond help. It's too late. You've already thought about the next bow you should probably try. There is no 12 step program for us. It's just on to the next bow, and what kind? Longbow, recurve, self bow, hybrid, flatbow, semi-recurve, T/D, two piece...hah,hah, hah, hah,hah, hah,hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah., hah, hah, hah, hah,hah, hah, hah!

On the plus side, you won't be here forever and someone will look at all your bows and think "what am I supposed to do with all this junk?" And throw them into a dumpster or roll-off, depending on the size of your collection.

As someone others have already stated is not the bow is how good is your form and how good you are to fine tune your equipment. I have 100 bows ans sold at least that many,all are as good as my form is,when I do my part all of them shoot good(with some exceptions, few!) when I make mistakes there isn't a magic bows. Said that I love to have and collect bows,it is my hobby,my love,I give up any other interest but not my bowhunting/archery passion,it isn't a passion it is an obsession.

Soooo many bows.........

Enjoy yourself : )

Here's my take on it. Stick to one bow and practice as much as possible. Most properly tuned bow/arrow combinations are capable of outperforming most archers. Steve

Enjoy the ride. It's a great sport!

I have my go to hunting bow but I like to shoot a large assortment of bows, my draw is 28 1/2" but I can shoot a kids bow with 18" draw or my wife's 26" bows pretty well. After many years of shooting longbows and re-curves (got my first real bow around 1954) I think it makes you a better archer.

James

If your going to shoot different bows develop a system. I chose to go alphabetical.

I shoot a couple different ones sometimes in the same day,but about august I know which one I want to hunt with & stick with it till end of season, by the way welcome to traditional archery its a blast, I own over twenty bows most are vintage bear recurves& a few custom longbows

Form and fit trump everything else, if you have good form, you can probably get into a bow in a dozen shots. Life, as they say, is too short already, so enjoy all you can. Just make sure you have a few you shoot very well that you can always defer to in a pinch.

I have sooooo many favorites!

Beware of the man who only shoots one bow at a time.

I cant get enough archery,,,i shoot a bunch of different bows,...one thing ive found out is there is a lot too tune a bow too shoot good, and it takes some [trial + error] ,brace hieghts/nock-point etc,...but most importantly arrow spines, point weights etc,......arrows matching bow, style, and weights is what makes it all come together, and when it does and you find that special combination and you see that perfect arrow flyte right where you look,.....then magic happens,....archery is soooo coooool,......as said many times, an addiction,..... have a happy turkey-day everyone...snake

I shoot two or three every time I go to my club's range...I really like trying different ones and getting them in perfect tune with the right arrows. That process is deeply satisfying.

Mr. Stout is right in his statement " Form and fit trump everything..." and I would add proper tuning.

If you have the right arrows for the bow and have consistent form you can change bows without issue...it's become easier for me once I got away from gap shooting and went to pure instinctive...just stare a hole in the spot I want to hit!

I have one primary bow (64" Root Gamemaster 57#) that I'm hunting with this year and two back ups...one backup is lighter draw and shorter for colder days and tight spots. (Browning Cobra 1 51#) The other is a bow I can always pick up and shoot good groups with right away. (58" Hi Speed 48#)

I pretty much setup all my bows to shoot basically the same. Inside of 3 arrows I've adjusted the brain to hit the mark at 20 yards, after having picked up a new bow. The reason for this is that there is actually very little difference in performance from one bow to another. If I was relegated to just one bow then this guy would become very bored, very quickly.

Being new to trad archery it may be good to stay with a one bow.I have been shooting for about 20 years+ and shoot many different bows from Hill's,R/D longbows,recurves and ILF bows.With good form and well tuned arrows you can shoot many different bows.I switch bows weekly in the summer and have a lot of arrows.

yes stick with one,,,

One roster in a hen house....Try them all!!! When you decided this is the one, then get married!

A real rooster marries the whole hen house.

My new to me Northern Mist 'Baraga'.

I shoot one for a while and then I'll rediscover how much I enjoy shooting one of my others and eventually rediscover one of my others. Currently, I'm back to shooting my 72' Bear takedown. It's like meeting up with an old buddy!

One bow that is madness or is madness owing 21 bows and looking for one more? To this question I cannot give an unbiased answer but thru my many years on earth I have enjoyed archery the most throughout my life. To quote Plato "What is good Phaedrus and what is not good need we as anyone to tell us these things."

So many bows, so little time. - lbg

While I have always owned(collected) a lot of bows, I have always committed myself to using one bow(and arrow configuration) for hunting, I used the same Hill bow for over 15 years until I had to back off the weight. Been back to a recurve for the last several years. Interestingly, I have come full circle. My first bow,a Bear Grizzly, was used for over 10 years. Been hunting with a Slvertip for quite a while now.

Jason, if you still have all the others, and are still trying to decide, bring them over some Thursday eve to the "Sticks" clubhouse. Set them up as you normally would, with the arrows, points, etc, that you would use for each bow. Then, shoot each bow under the same controlled circumstances. Make notes...really, on paper, writing down the plus and minus for each bow...and then look at your notes after.

It might be a helpful way to figure which bow, or bows, has an overall better feel for you.

I shoot the best when I stick with one bow, but life is too short to only have one. I shoot the same bow 95% of the time, but have several others that I shoot regularly. I've bought and sold quite a few to figure out what I liked. I kept a few of the used ones, ordered a few new ones made just for me, and am about done with the bow trading, at least in genera.

One of the best things about this sport is all the great bows out there. Even though I feel pretty well set, it's fun trying different ones. I still check the classifieds everyday and wouldn't hesitate to pounce if the right bow and disposable income came together.

It's supposed to be fun, if you are having fun you're doing it right.

I have 8...... I try to use them equally or they get jealous.....

The one bow advocates are probably right, but it's my hobby and I like playing with different bows. Do what you enjoy, don't worry and be happy.

I guess it depends on whether you’re happy with how well you’re shooting. JMO, if you can’t group well with at least ONE of them, you can’t really judge ANY of them… So my advice would be to focus on ONE. Personally, I’d suggest either the one that you shoot best or – if no clear winner emerges – go with either the one that just somehow “feels” best or simply choose the lightest one of the bunch and focus entirely on that one until you’ve got good, consistent form and are shooting some nice, tight groups with it. And yes, I would definitely advocate using some kind of conscious & deliberate aiming system to improve those groups. That and do take the time to tune it well, because you’ll never hit much if your tune is lousy…

FWIW, I don’t think there are any “perfect” bows. Some are going to feel smoother and/or deliver less hand-shock than others, but that often has as much (or more) to do with your own shooting style as it has to do with the bow itself. So.. FIRST, develop a style that works for you, then find a bow that works for your style. And don’t be surprised if you end up right where you started…

Bows of Power

Three bows for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men seeking always to buy, One for the Camo Lord on his tree stand throne In the autumn forests where the Shadows lie. One bow to rule them all, One bow to find them, One bow to bring them all and in the darkness bind them In the autumn forests where the Shadows lie."

(slight re-work of J.R.R. Tolkien's epigraph to The Lord of The Rings)

I have five bows (2 recurves & 3 longbows) that I switch regularly. About a month before hunting season I decide which one I'll hunt with. I shoot no other bow until the season is over, unless I decide to switch mid way.

Many times over the years I toyed with the idea of only having one bow and getting really good with it. Life would be much simpler.

No way! It ain't happening!

Have fun on your journey Wojo14.

Do what you do best. If switching bows doesn't affect your accuracy, there isn't a problem. I switch, and it usually takes only a few shots to adjust. All depends on you.

So many bows...,

SO LITTLE TIME!!!

It's fun to have and shoot different bows HOWEVER if you want to be really good and you are an instinctive shooter, then you will be much better if you use only one bow!

If I had to shoot only one Trad bow- would go back to the compound[which gets shot during field shoots]. Enjoy shooting different bows[Hummingbird longbow , Widow recurve, ILF bow] Like them all. Keeps life from getting boring. Do more 3-d and stumpin' than hunting now anyway. Thanks, Roy

Well, I love collecting and shooting many bows. I am going to narrow down and shoot one 95% of the time just to get very comfortable with it. I will shoot the others on occasion. Hell, it is fun to shoot a new bow!

I`ve been planning on shooting one bow for near 35 years. Sometimes I make it a whole deer season without trading out. RC

I just brought up this old thread and noticed my post...I ended up not buying that original Wolfer...but I have bought two lefty bows since...I will likely never even be a 20 bow guy again...I think I currently have 22 or 23

DDave

i agree with red beastmaster . i just like bows some guys like sports stuff hats footballs etc bricks from old stadiums .i see this all the time so what the hay .

Come September , their can be only one. Well, until February anyway.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here