Many years ago, I shot & hunted with nothing but longbows for years & years, 60 to 70 pounds, but got away from it after having some bone chips in my right elbow, LH archer.
Picked up light recurves & a Fedora reflex/deflex longbow & have been having a lot of fun, as I love watching the flight of the arrow. Used it at a recent Rinehart 3-D target regional shoot and we were the only two ‘traditional’ shooters that entire day ... well, it is all about fun.
I just picked up a new self-bow by Mike, thatvhas some reflex/deflex, which he does to give performance to the shorter yew staves. This one is 68”, but the price for longer quality yew staves goes up 2X the price or more for the longer - more traditional “English” D-shaped bows.
I really don’t know what I was expecting as I got the bow for $310 shipped, & just a few months from ordering to delivery. But it has exceeded my expectations, the quality of workmanship, build & components is first rate! A value far exceeding the price!
Even better, Mike has been there all the way, sending me videos of the shaping process, then the tillering process, and then has kept in touch with me - since delivery - as I’ve been shooting in the past week.
It is smooth to draw, a little hand shock at the lowest brace height, but that’s where it shoots the best. It very quiet with no silencing at all, appears fairly fast & I have been amazed by the groups I’ve shot with it even though the bow is not center shot, plus I’m shooting off my hand (wear a bow glove). That is the biggest adjustment, as I am grouping to the right, but that will come ‘in’ with practice; “time on this string” one would or might say.
To summarize, I am extremely thrilled with this yew self- bow, especially for the price, I find this to be a TREMENDOUS value! Shooting this over the past week & I have had more fun in archery than in a long, long, long time!
Check out Mike’s other offerings, as he also makes hickory backed bows and such too. He goes by “It’s your Bow” for his website. Enjoy the pictures!
