I'm thinking about bow models. If you look at the most desirable bows out there, what year do you feel produced the best models from various companies? For example, would it be 1960? Would it be a year in the 70s? Would it be 2015? Tell us what year produced the greatest bows and why you feel that way.

Joe

Mine this year! Lol Arvin

Well, this year's bows pretty much have not withstood the test of time, so I dismiss most of them.

Joe

I believe the best year was somewhere between 1960 (when the Living Legend was born) to 1962 when the Grail was likely made.

Joe

Good question Joe, and very tough and somewhat subjective.

I'm with you on 60-62, especially Howatt's around 1958 to 1962. 61 and 62 was when they made the gorgeous rosewood risers with the knife edge and earlier they made the beautifully laminated riser bows as well, like the Del Reys, Catalina's, Montereys and Super Diablos. I also love the curved stripes around 72-74 but the earlier bows were cooler.

For Browning the pre-1970 recurves were striking...I like the 64 Safari's and Nomads and the 66 Explorer. I have some made in the 73-75 period and quality control was slipping.

Earlier Roots rocked and my favourite of that era was the '56 or '57 Gamemaster or Fieldmaster. I also liked the 1967 Kaibab with the zebrawood sight window and green glass limbs.

For Wing and I have a bunch of them, the first year production 1967 Thunderbird and also the 1965 RWH with the tiny tips...classics.

Tough to choose a year...

2004

Depends on type of bows. 1962 for the production bows for Bear, Wing, and Hoyt. 1961 for Black Widow because the '60 to early '62 bows with their painted risers won more field tournaments, both nationally and regionally than any other bows at that time. Hoyt was right behind, even though Wing and Bear had more shooters, those two companies (Black Widow and Hoyt) attracted the champions.

Don't know about longbows, but they sure look good enough now to consider trying one when that extra money come around. Of course that will be after I acquire another '62 Bear or two.

Don't know about the Hill style D bows either but don't care for them too much. My best friend I grew up with had a collection of them when he was alive, but they did not influence me too much. I am just an old recurve guy.

The best time for a self bow would be when I go to OJAM and make one someday. It is held just 4 miles from my former house in Stillwater, OK, before I moved to the Adirondacks, so I will probably go home and make that the year of the self bow someday.

I base my opinions on just what I like. Do like the '62 Bears with their fine textured dark and interesting. The rosewood I saw after 1963 was not as good looking as the rosewood from '59 to '63. Looks are important to me because bows are like dogs. Need one you can sit on the porch with and be proud.

2000 BC(I'm just guessing) W/out the advent of the bow and arrow, man may have never evolved.

Any year Mike Steliga makes me a new one, or a set of limbs...love Bruins!

1954__Mid 60's production guitars especially Gibson and fender, Winchester ,Remington rifles were in their hay day. 70's companies were sold and to many a decline in quality. I thought I saw someone say the same about 70's Bear bows don't know enough to offer an opinion about bows. I do know guitars use to own a music store dealing vintage guitars and arch top guitars . The wood has a huge effect on the tone and of course the curb appeal on the guitar . I realize this might to drifting off point just a thought , maybe a connection?

I agree for the manufactured bows probably the early Howatt's, I have a couple early Bill Stewart's that are very nice! However I hope it's 2015 the Wes Wallace "Mentor" as I will be receiving mine in October. Finest bow I've had the pleasure of shooting as of yet. DJ

Many sources place the first bow at 64,000 years old... which makes the greatest year for bows(and arguably all of mankind).... 61,895 b.c.

I believe it was mid October when it actually happened.

Tough question. I felt the late 50's-early 60's produced limb/bow designs across the various companys that were fast, efficient, and stable. Through the early 60's, the beauty of the risers, fancy wood, and meticulous workmanship evolved to combine the two, I have always felt that the this "perfect" combination peaked with the bow manufacureres somewhere in the 1966-1970 time period. The 70's, as with most manufactured produsts in this country ushered in cost controls and mass production processes that traded off the exquisite character of products in the prior period, thus creating the vacuum for the custom and semi-custom bow makers which persists to this day. Just my opinion.

Impossible to say a specific year, more like a time-period. I'd say, 1958 to 1968 was a pretty magical 10 year span...

not all but, nearly all bows were produced more than one year. this would make it hard to pick just one year.

there were some years where manufacturers used only certain wood, which might make a bow more appealing than other model years.

'59 & '60 were great years for Bear bows. as posted above, Browning had some lookers and shooters.

even though some of the great ones are no longer produced, the choice of stickbows and quality today is as good as it has been at any time, imo.

Classics or custom's Joe? Say it aint so? LOL

How could anyone ever determine this? They are all good years for the most part and some run concurrent years too with models, right?

Every year had a best bow, no one year had the best ever. I have some favorites but could never pick just one year. For instance the Browning recurves didn't show up until the early 60's, so I guess you would have to pick a year for each model and manufacturer.

"Best" is a funny word..

Couldn't possibly pick one year, but my favorite all time bow is 59' Kodiak. But it is impossible to dismiss the fine bows being made today. We are very fortunate to have the many choices of great bows ( production & custom) to choose from. That being said, Frisky, you are dismissed .

1066

Whats the most important play in baseball? The next one.

I am going with next year

Whatever the best year was, I feel more comfortable in my conclusion that the years of the wheelie bows for the masses, maybe 1979 to 1995 ,were not the best years. A lot of cost-cutting in the face of a dwindling market for mass-produced trad bows. Necessity being the mother of invention, some fantastic new custom bowyers came on line during that same time.

1415, demonstrated on October 25th of that year. I think it was a Friday. After that was a long wait until the late 1950s.

1962, just squeaking ahead of 1959 and 1967; but the Hoyt PM of 1961 feels like the most important bow... and is probably the reason why everybody had to put their best effort forth in 1962.

Wait one minute here! Don't be so fast to dismiss me or my question. We need to arrive at ONE SPECIFIC YEAR and tell why and agree on it. Only one year. What is it and why? You guys are the experts and should be able to answer this question.

Joe

Ok, 1969. Why? Bear super K peaked w/ phenolic/rosewood - probably the best of the super k's, good years for griz and Kodiak Hunter, and top offerings from Wing, Shakespeare, Browning, AND Pearson hadn't gone to crap yet and still had some ok offerings. Browning explorer peaks around this time, beautiful woods. Good year for beautiful target bows too. Not necessarily the best of anything, but a lot of good stuff from all manufacturer's that year. And, I think first year of the Bear take-down?

Anyway, there you have it -if I could get in a time machine and go shopping for new bows (not allowed to buy used on the time-machine shopping trip!!! otherwise I call no-fairsies), 1969 would probably be my pick.

No expert here, just an old bow hunter . But if you must have a year, I pick 59. Simply because it was the first year they Bear made my favorite bow. BTW Just pokein fun.

I'd have to go along with goldentrout_one on this one. If you had to pick only one year it would probably be 1969, for all the reasons he mentioned. My '69 SK is a good offering from then.

Bernie

By default and Frisky's own "born on" date, it won't be, can't be, 1960.

I'm going to have to go with 1962. Around 62' the Holy Grail of bows was made and many companies were using Brazilian rosewood. There was a burst in beautiful bows, leaving behind forever, the crappy bows of the 50s, and paving the road into the future, a future that failed to produce anything much better.

Joe

Going with the non fast flight string era....I loved the bows produced in the late 70's and 80's. Bowyers like Fedora, Steglia, Rocky Miller, Schaefer, Dale Dye, all built quality, smooth and fast hunting bows....with Dacron Strings.

hummmmmmmmmmm bd

Some how or the other I just knew that Joe was going to weasel the grail in somehow.LOL

1953 is when Cat was patinited.LOL

BD they are sweet.

1967, 1968, and 1969 Bear Super Kodiak. The pinnacle of Bear bows.

Best Wishes.

In 1960 Bear produced the Kodiak, Kodiak Deluxe, Kodiak Special and Kodiak Special Deluxe...with one of each of those I would be pretty content...I just need the third and fourth ones to finish my collection

DDave

Still opinion based Joe, so I'm afraid you are S.O.O.L. 8^).

LOL! No opinions allowed. This is scientific.

Joe

2015, Aesthetically and performance wise and I think we are living in the golden age! Something better coming out every year......

For bows I really could not pick one particular year.Maybe one of the years when the English give those French knights a good whooping during the 100 years war. Now if you were talking a golden age I would say mid 50 ' to late 60 's.Frisky could be right though 62 was good as my wife's Sabo hunter shoots superbly .fast 'n' smooth.Yeah it's a 1962 bow. OSR

2015

And next year will be better ;-)

2014

Border Covert Hunter

For me 1969

I like 1965, particularly for Bear (Zebrawood Grizzly, Rosewood/Bubinga Kodiak Magnum, and Bubinga Kodiak), Browning (Rosewood Safari and Explorer), and Wing (Rosewood Red Wing Hunter). Howatt also had some fine bows that year.

OH yeah Ken 69 was a great year bd

1967 1/2

the fastest of all super K's is the 1967 1/2 and they may be the best looking bow ever built bd

It's hard to argue with 1967 1/2. However, that was just one bow.

Joe

Bowdoc I am sure you remember a few of the bows in the picture. Hope all is well with you.

1970 fred bear takedown

As long as there garage sales and I can make new one's it is a never ending quest.

Wow ... I've never seen bows used as wall insulation. Some day, when the sheetrock comes off, a remodeling contractor will discover this treasure and think he's in heaven!

Kelly can correct me if I have my dates wrong, but I also associate 1967 1/2 with some great Wing bows-- Chaparral, the Slimline Red Wing Pro and Vantage, and a slimmer-gripped Thunderbird... and maybe the Browning Explorer II is from the same year? So it was indeed a good one.

Tossup between 1960 Bear recurves and 1970 Bear Takedown.

PD your a sick sick man ....... Norm I gotta go with you on this one.Best one piece bow is the later model of the 2 models of 1960 Kodiak best take down by far the 1969-1970ish-1971 Bear take down bd

Frisky.... the one I built about 3 years ago and time will not test it... it will test time :)

Let's see it Hal!

Joe

Those are on the ceiling, when I'm laying down in my recliner I can look up and see them it's a great site. These are on the wall

for me 1960-64 the old catalogs are filled with killer bows with wild designs and construction

From an English perspective ... 1854 was a vintage year for English longbow makers

1492 .... just that the 'poor native Americans' didn't see what was coming. Shame on them (and us)....

Let's face it - native Americans had TERRIBLE immigration policy! Actually, I just got back from Mesa Verde a couple of weeks ago, and learned that back in 1200 AD the Anasazi had a pretty rough life, average expectancy for a man was 35 yrs old, average life expectancy for a woman was 22 yrs old (because girls generally got married and started having children at age 12, typically had 8 babies if they didn't die first). 50% infant mortality rate, all your teeth were gone by age 18 due to eating corn ground-up with sandstone (sandy grit wore away your teeth asap), sanitation was terrible and everyone was riddled with worms and parasites from an early age due to water sources contaminated with human feces, lots of gall bladder and kidney stones due to lack of water in their diet, constant warfare with neighboring tribes and sometimes even neighboring clans of the same tribe, periods of starvation and drought, what a mess!!!

Also, just another FYI, on the way home, we were driving through Navajo tribal lands, and the name of the local Jr. High School football team was - wait for it, the REDSKINS!

Anyway, I digress - maybe 1854 or even 1492 were good years for arrows, but I think not that great for bows. I still say 1969 is the best year, IF I ONLY GET TO PICK ONE YEAR. Lots of good years in the 50s and 60s though...

Native Americans had a terrible vaccination policy.

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