Ok, so I have a lot of bows now...I"m probably addicted. But I often wonder if I should sell all but 1 or two. I consider myself a bow hunter, not a bow collector, but then again I find so many neet and fun bows to shoot...

I dont know, but my shop space is starting to look like a "shop"

Anyone every go "screw it" I'm hunting and shooting this bow and the rest are jsut in the way!

3

You could do that,but I would have the same bow for a back up.That means 2 of same.I have well over 60 combined bows that I have made or bought. Still building, and still buying , or trading.Still playing Bass in bands, and at church, still tournament Bass fishing.Time will only take those passions away from me.Only you can decide what is best for you.Good luck what ever you decide.Bob.

My mistake 5 is too many. A recurve and backup, a longbow and backup, and number 5, the too many one.

Nope, bows are like guns, no such thing as too many.

Now if you shoot 5 or 6 different bows on the same day all the time it may interfere with your form and accuracy somewhat, but you'll still be having fun.

I have to many & am gonna sell some & get a set of 38# big hook limbs. at least that's the plan. iv got a friend that has a lot of bows & guns but hunts very little & I only have a few bows & guns but hunt almost every day of the season so it's kinda like he's the hardware store & I'm the carpenter. I much prefer useing what little I have

One.........if it's a lefty!

Since I don't drink, smoke, do drugs, gamble, chew tobacco, hang out in bars, or cheat on my wife I believe the money I spend on my bows is well deserved. My wife thinks so also. But I did down size some. At one time I had thirty-six bows, now I'm down to fifteen. Life is to short to not enjoy somethings.

If they just sit there, they aren't bows...they are objects. If that makes you happy, then it's none of our bidness. ;) I had quite a few one time but I also had a shop and sold them. It's just a personal choice, that's all. Right now I have two longbows, one hybrid (semi-recurve) and one recurve. I do shoot them all.

George, thats exactly my problem. I dont want them to be "objects" they're cool and I like them, but objects just complicate life for me most of the time. I'm thinking I need a 1 piece recurve, a takedown recurve, a 1 piece longbow, a takedown LB(or hybrid) and a shorty for the blind. Oh, and 1 for each of my sons when they start trying to take over my stuff... ut oh...this is tough..

All you really ever need is just one more.

I know having a couple spares isn't a bad thing. In 1998 my Dick Robertson Montana Falcon recurve's upper limb broke on me around two weeks before I was to leave on a Colorado elk hunt. Dick Robertson replaced the limbs at no charge and didn't even charge me return shipping but he couldn't get the new limbs to me in time for my elk hunt. Lucky I had a few extra bows laying around.

yeah....I write this as I'm bidding on another one...

I have 5. When I feel the urge to try something or re-stock with something I once had, I make everty attempt to trade for it. That way, one goes out and one comes in. That's just what works for me.

I think if you have some that could be shot but just sit on the rack all year, you have too many. Unless you have one that is there for sentimental reasons. Whether that is a problem for you, well, that's up to you and your wife. Not necessarily in that order.

When you don't know how many you have.

3. only need 1 to hunt with and a backup.

I have as many as my wife let’s me have! Right now I am at my limit but I have always found a way to raise that limit. I have been pondering moving some. Just would prefer to do it at a “trade blanket” setup rather than classifieds.

I'm down to four. I need one, I want lots.

Oh, and NOT ONE is right handed. ;-)

Here's my list, I think I" have 13..if I can remember them all: 1-Pearson cobra TD 2-Pearson bushmaser TD 3-pearson glass TD 4-bear polar 5- Elburg Falcon 6- The kentukian half breed hybrid TD 7-browning cobra 8-browning nomad stalker 9- pearson ambusher 10-Pearson MAch 1 11- Magna flight 12- Brown Recluse 13- 1930s pearson lemonwood

I usually hunt wiht the recluse. The polar has been in the family for ever. Everything is unique enough(other thanthe brownings and pearson mach I) there isnt a ton of overlap...

Years of testing and analysis have convinced me that 12 classic recurves as keepers, with half a dozen extra on hand as trade bait, and a few other non-working but historically-significant recurves is the correct number. More than that is too many.

Beware the man that shoots one bow, for he will know how to hit with it.

Quote: Since I don't drink, smoke, do drugs, gamble, chew tobacco, hang out in bars, or cheat on my wife I believe the money I spend on my bows is well deserved.

Frank you don't sound like fun!!!...Ha!Ha!

Vtbow, what do you mean how many is too many, that ain't possible to have too many.

Look out for the person who only has one bow for he can definitely out shoot you.

I go between two bows and am working on building two more. I probably will stop when that happens and pick one as my daily shooter and probably give the other two away which will leave me with two. PS: I may still build another Yew bow, will have to see.

When your wife notices you have a lot of bows.

I've got too many, but it's better than none. They don't eat and they aren't worth what I have in them, so they just hang on the bow rack. Kind of a waist, really. I just don't have the drive I used to.

Uh.....Live2hunt, that happened at "why do you need 2?"... :-/

Thirteen.....I need to buy at least one more, I'm supersticious!

You need ONE in each shoe and ONE in your hand = 1+1+1= THREE!

Got 12. Need more never enough

Other wall..

You guys arent helping.... Ok, now its 14. Just bout a browning backpacker 55#...damnit.

The Backpacker is a cool looking recurve. If have to buy one, if I found one! Let me know how you like, if you get a chance.

Will do, I've heard nothign but good things about the backpacker, and really like my other brownnings.

Optimally, you need one bow - perhaps a riser with two, maybe three sets of limbs, limbs for different purposes.

Bows are like guns - I have more than I need, but not as many as I want.....

Vtbow, why 2....you always need a backup, just in case, plus I'm old and I couldn't use too many more bows...Ha!Ha!

I have more than I want to admit.

I've often thought about stringing everyone of them, grabbing a pile of arrows, and shooting each bow. the top 5 shots I keep....

When you dig through the “bow pile” and find bows that you forgot you still had

No such thing as too many. Just not enough time to shoot them all.

I had 31......decided to sell a few and thin the herd. Now I have thinned the herd down to 53..........

I have three that I shoot regularly. I have smaller/lighter ones for grandkids to shoot when they come. That's really enough, but someday I think I'd like to have a Widow in the mix.

At the moment, I own ONE traditional bow. It is a Bear Kodiak Magnum and it is the first traditional bow I've ever owned (bought it this past year). I was warned by many to beware, once you get one you will want more. They were right. I thoroughly enjoy seeing the pictures of all the different bows here and think to myself, yeah I'd like to own that bow LOL. I guess coming from a compound back ground it was hard for me understand at first why guys would want so many bows, now I know why lol. Now, I just have to explain all this to the wife. Hopefully she understands, she's pretty cool and I can always use the shoe analogy on her.

Beware the man with 1 bow!

I'm down to a dozen--really proud of myself.

:^)

I have only 9. 3 longbows and 6 recurves. Still feel I don't have enough.

Ive got two wheel bows from my youth, my Darton recurve from when I was five, and my Dads Kodiak Hunter he bought new in '71 when he got home from vietnam. The Kodiak hunter needs and will be restored as its a special bow to me. Im on the hunt for another hunting bow here after I get off sickleave to replace my SK I lost.... I agree with the above hard to put a number on how many to have.

There are : - longbows - modern longbows - recurves - ILF recurves and there can be shot of the hand, of the shelf, of the elevated rest, of the elevated rest and plunger and you want to limit yourself to just one? Crazy people with crazy ideas ...

I have had too many at one time, I say too many because I'm not sure how many it was. But I am not a collector and many did get shot often. I have kept a recurve and a longbow although not necessarily the same two since about mid 2015. I just don't have a need anymore to have a pile of stuff to look at and handle, just what I'm using. I may have up to 4 again but there will never be a room full again.

You don't need more than two. That being said, and judging by this site, I don't know anyone that only has two bows. Personally, I have bows in the house, bows in the garage, and bows at my office. The majority of mine just don't get used. Currently I am shooting three of them somewhat regularly. I would like to get rid of some, but I've had no luck selling any of them. But then, there are some out there that I would still like to find and acquire. I see how some of you have really built up a "herd". lol

To think those bows run 500 to 800 dollars. Kind of makes you think... The I have 3 longbows , and now a recurve that grows on me by the day as my favorite. Feel guilty sometimes.

Right now, I actually do have too many and I really want “just one more”. LOL

It’s like fly-rods or shotguns; you may believe (as Gene Hill once suggested) that a 9-foot, 9-weight is, like an 870 pump in 12 gauge, a perfectly adequate solution for everything you’d ever really need to do.

And he had a point, but I’m living proof (at 5’ 4”) that One-Size-Fits-All never actually does.

Which is why I have a 9-wt, a 4-wt and a pair of sixes.

On the Bow Rack, I’ve got a 52”/#46 Thunderbird, a 64”/#50 Bamboo Viper, a 62”/#55 RER LB, a 62”/#55 Howatt Hunter and a 62”/#55 Bighorn TD recurve.

The Thunderbird is looking good for creaky joints and tight spaces; the Viper is pretty much it’s ballistic equivalent, but it’s the longest bow I own and very different to shoot.

So what am I doing with 3 bows, all 62” and #55@28”??? I guess I could argue that one is a longbow, one’s a 1-piece and one’s a TD, but I’m out of room on the rack and I have my eye on one that would amount to a meaningful increase in horsepower.... so one of the #55s may have to find a new home...

I have well over twenty. Divided between recurves, longbows and selfbows. I get around to them all and find pleasure in recalling why I bought them in the first place. I’m always looking but as I age I’m getting real picky. Once in a while one gets sold. Currently I’m shooting a new acquisition, a self bow made by Will Harrison and enjoying it immensely. My wife says, if you like it buy it.

Started like everybody else in some archery clubs I belong to by with having a short hunting bow and a tall target bow. That was about right for then and it's about right now.

Answer: 3 (is too many).

I only have eight. Two good'uns and the rest are backups.

That’s a very personal question...but if you ask me, one dozen bows is the number.

I have 7 bows and have fun shooting all of them.

I gave up trying to keep track of the number.Is that too many?

Beware of the man with one bow ......until it breaks. Then feel sorry for the man with one bow.

To find the BEST bow for you, it is important to try them all.

I have no safe queens! I just rotate shooting my bows.

I started counting and got up to 13, those were just the ones that were in sight. I stopped counting after that. I'm not a collector, I'm a connoisseur of bows. Lol!

I have five Hill style longbows, 2 of my own tillering, 2 JD Berrys, and 1 Nate Steen. They would all qualify as the best bows that I could get. I hunt with two, the duo shooters. I judge bows by how the arrow can find a pheasant or a rabbit with a fluid shot. Once you find such a bow, the time to keep looking for a better has passed. Ah, but duplicates can't hurt.

NO Comment! I plead the 5th! Lance

That's funny, I cinsider myself a beer conneseuer, but I always seem to drink it all :-)

Ha, come on lance. I've seen pictures. Your bow closet is the size of my bedroom!

One is enough. Two is too many. Mind you I haven't followed my own wisdom. I should spend more effort getting good at one bow than I do trying others, keeping them, and putting them away for someday.

I did have in the twenties, now I’m down to 5. I shoot one of them 95% of the time. The other 2 of the other 4 have sentimental value and the other 2 are low poundage bows that I use in yard when my shoulder gets inflamed or my wife shoots. I used to love trying different bows every chance I could and buying lots of bows. I guess I finally figured out what I really like and just stick with it. I would like to have a two piece for travel , but other than that I’m very happy with my main bow. It’s a 66 inch Freeman with a touch of string follow.

I have two because having just one would be too much pressure if I was expected to know how to hit with it!

I believe that I have limited out...……..27.

The problem is not too many bows, but too many conflicting concepts about how many bows you "should" have, vs. how many you enjoy having. Get rid of all the ideas and just do what you enjoy. For someone like George who has spent a lifetime trying many bows, having a small number may be just right. I've been at it less than 5 years and I've now got over 100 bows. I've been on a crash course to find the bows I love best, while I'm still young enough to enjoy them. I went through various number limits until I freed myself from conflicts. Now I have almost all the models and weights I want, and am starting to get rid of the bows that are not a perfect "10" for me. If I shoot one bow that's similar to another and think, "I'd rather be shooting the other one", the one I'd rather not be shooting, goes. I love having all the bows I love most. It's the bows I don't want to keep that are a problem. It takes time and effort to move them out.

If you're married, just one wife at a time. There are no rules for bows, as many or as few as you feel happy having.

I think of it like food. Would you limit yourself to one, two or three dishes for the rest of your life? Pretty boring. There may be a food or dish you really love, but you only eat it once or twice a year. Does that mean you should give it up and never eat it, because you don't eat it all the time? Who does that?

One last comment. I disagree that shooting only one or two bows makes you a better shooter. I learn from all the bows I have, and they all make me a better shooter. If I don't shoot a bow well, I don't keep it. I usually shoot from 30 yards or more, and I have lots of perfect shots with all kinds of bows. This pic is from the first day I shot a Super Kodiak, 30 yards. I've done that with a lot of bows. It's not the bow, it's the shooter.

One is the winning number. One is all we need. Any more than one is too many. So just to be very clear...one room full of bows is all anyone needs.

I should add, that in my case one reason I have so many bows is b/c I shoot bows from under 30 to over 50#s now. If I find I love a certain model, I try to get it in as many weights as I can, 2- 3# apart. Back problems dictate that on some days I can only shoot certain weights. So, my excuse is that I can shoot the same bow on more days, in different weights. If I didn't have this excuse... I mean, "reason"... I would have far fewer bows. I think for most people, one heavier weight and one light weight bow of the same model is all that's needed.

Shandor, I agree with everything you said.

I will let you know when I have too many!

Shandor pretty much covered it all.

I am keen interested in the history of vintage bows and wanted to experience each models attributes and faults and be able to comment with an informed opinion.

I have a limit what I will pay for a particular model and everything in my collection is a quality recurve ready to shoot.

I cycle through all of them each year. Some come and some go...some belong with other folks who collect.

I am reducing the number now but most of them are interesting in their own way so will stay. I just love looking at them and shooting them.

I'll go with a more recent picture...this is rare birds like Westbow's, Howard Gamemaster, , Shakepeare's, Root's, Wing's and a couple of 50's Kodiak's.

Short bow's 54" and under, Browning's, some more Wing's and Wing copies and a bunch of San Diego and Southern California bows like Drake's and a Dick Green and 1950's Root's. A couple of mystery bows here as well.

Here's a wall of Howatt's, some FASCO's, Sanders, more Wing's and an old BW. And some more unknown's and rare birds.

Shandor, Paul and Peter summed it up nicely for me too! I was just at a loss of words to explain it any better. Thanks guys, Lance

Right on guys! all good words of wisdon, I appreciate it. I guess I'm just always looking and going "I've never shot anything like that" and want to try it and see if it is the perfect match for me! I guess the truth of it is, Anything I own may be the perfect match if I shot it exclusively, but where's the fun in that?

I"m gong ot have to restrict myself from the auction site through the holidays though... bonus at work went toward the backpacker....

When you get over 100 then worry.LOL

Peter, thank for showing your beautiful bows!

Im an addict and Id be the first to admit two good ones is enough, but what fun is that? Besides, as a married man a little danger can spice things up? :D :D :D

pdidly makes me feel better about how many i have:). but i find with good form i can switch from one to another with ease. surprisingly easy. ive shot 4 different bows in one session and could hit with all of them. doing that really helps you pick out which ones are really your favorites. i would love to have two bows but i like ine pieces alot and they dont plane travel well so i ‘need’ two takedowns plus 2 one pieces and one cool bow. so i guess 5 but i always have way more lol

Brian, there are bows that are perfect matches but the match doesn't depend on just shooting one bow. It might not be a good fit no matter how much you shoot it. I love it when a new to me bow is a point and shoot bow from the first arrow or group. But sometimes it takes a few days to find the right combination of tuning factors to see if a bow is a great match or not.

I think most of us who keep getting bows, are looking for the next one that will be a joy to shoot, and easy to shoot well. That's the main part of the addiction, IME. I've been totally surprised by some bows that I avoided getting but eventually tried. Like a 63 dogleg Kodiak... didn't like the looks at first. Or a Bear Tamerlane... too big! But both those bows are among my best shooting bows now. I made a mistake above when I said it's the shooter, not the bow. It's the combination of the bow, the arrows and the shooter.

I don't think of myself as 'having too many bows'; I think of myself as 'having the means to give one away now and then.'

Luckily the urge to be generous doesn't kick in that often! ;-)

18

Never enough!

Shandor nailed it!

How many you have is a matter of merely calling yourself a collector. i am a purist stamp collector, I only have one at a time. Problem is, as soon as I get rather fond of my stamp, my wife licks it, puts it on an envelope and brings it to the post office. I know, you are thinking, 'why not just get a whole book of stamps'. No one ever gets emotionally attached to a whole book of stamps. I do wonder if the urge to get more and more bows comes from not being able to shoot any of them properly and hoping the next one will push the magic 'go' button. I also know that when a person just has one bow, the chances of damaging that one bow goes up, or at least that is my fear. I remember like it was yesterday, when I slipped on patch of ice on a boulder and my trusty Schulz Hunter jumped to my defense and broke my fall.

The definitive "too many" number is set in stone the moment one of the triple-parked bows stashed on top of your double-parked rack falls off at 2 AM, hits the hardwood floor in the next room, the dogs start barking like lunatics and and your one and only wife jumps up and screams, ' What was THAT!"

When there is no more room in the house, garage,shed(s) and vehicles to hold them all.

I have two, any more than that and I would get confused.

275....

There's a limit???

I'm a builder. I make one that turns out better than the rest and I set off to do it again or make it even better. They all have their own characteristics.

3 is too many. One primary and one back up.

I refuse to be drawn in to such shallow conversation.

Always 2 more than I have.

Too many must a number over 22, because that's how I have!

My personal limit is three. Big River recurve, MOAB longbow, and Big River longbow (21st Century style) I like them all, but right now am getting to know and love the Big River LB.

Well, I've been in a rant on another thread defending cutting timber, property rights...capitalism and find this thoroughly enjoyable thread where folks love/live to own things made from wood. I only have three but wanna have a couple more and that surely won't be enough

Got 9 and one more on the way I would think you really only need 2. One for your go to bow and the other is your back up.

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