How many of you are like me ? I would say many. How many times have you bought a new or used bow with the intent of I will sell some of the ones I currently have to pay for the next one but just can not cut the cord. I just picked up a recurve signed by Fred Bear which was my dream to own. Thoughts of selling my sunset hill to help pay the tab. Just shot it and nope no way this one is leaving !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How about you, what is your story.

That would be all twenty-two of my Bear bows. I just couldn't bring myself to sell any of them. But I did gift one of my 1972 Bear Super Kodiaks to my friend Supernaut. I'm the old man on the left.

I certainly have a hard time selling bows. I keep telling myself I don’t need more bows but I keep coming across bows that are of an interest to me . So many out there I’d like to own that I probably will never be able to stop buying.

At one time I had 40+,, it was fun for a while, was able to shoot quite a few really nice bows, didn't need them. Now I have a recurve and a backup, ASL and a backup. I get having a big bunch 'cause it's fun.

I’ve got 3 young boys, so that’s all the excuse I need to hold onto bows, arrows, broadheads, gear etc. even if I didn’t think my kids would use my bows one day, I still am haunted by stories I hear where people regret getting rid of this bow, or that bow. I don’t want to be that guy!

I have done that several times. The good thing about Bear bows is they are easy to come by, even the “rare” ones. All you need is deep pockets which I don’t have. I have owned a few bows signed by Fred, I kept one. I have sold other bows to justify buying a new one as well. Here in Michigan Bear bows are not hard to find. At one point I had 80+ on my wall now it’s half that. I keep the ones I shoot the most. I regularly sell items for my collection to pay for other items for my collection lol. It’s fun.

Wait till you have the same habit with sxs shotguns.

I don't like to sell bows or guns that I'm attached to.

Here is my beautiful 1972 (birth year) Super Kodiak that my good friend Nemophilist gave me. This bow will definitely not leave my possession as long as I'm on earth.

I'm down to about 2 dozen, and selling is always an option, but not for nothing.

Nemo I'm always seeking out generous friends, lol!

These two bows will never leave me until I'm planted in the ground. One is a 1969 Bear Green Fox all fiberglass bow and the other is a 1974 Bear Grizzly. Both bows my Dad bought me them years. They are very sentimental to me.

I'm kind of the opposite. I've sold a bow or two that I never thought I'd part with. I guess when I moved two years ago and had to basically pack my life up into boxes I asked myself how did I ever accumulate so much stuff and what am I going to do with it? The bows I've sold I could no longer shoot because they were too heavy. That made my decision easier. If only I wasn't so stubborn and realized 40-50 lb bows are plenty as long as I'm not hunting dangerous game. Hey, everyone is different.

I'll >never< part with my 1966 #55 Grizzly.

The only bow I ever got rid of I sold back to the fellow that originally sold it to me, when he asked for it back. I don’t buy lots of bows, but over the years one here and there add up.

R

I'm similar to PA Steve. Ive owned literally well over a hundred bows. Many I thought I'd never get rid of. Then I aged and could no longer shoot the 60# bows, then I couldn't shoot the 55# bows, then 50. I'm not a collector and my son only likes longbows plus the realization that I'll be moving in the not too distant future pushed me to unload much of what I have.

I have three ASLs to keep and one EXE Scream that will be going away and some Black Hunters for the grandkids. After cleaning out my parents and in-laws houses I don't want to leave a lot my wife or our kids have to deal with.

And what I found along the way is that bows are just things. If you have one or two that you shoot well the rest are just extravagance. Some may have with sentimental value but that's mostly meaningless after you are gone. Seems sad but it's reality.

How about some pics of that Fred Bear signed bow?

If I don't care for the bow or have some sentimental attachment to it, I have no problem letting go of a bow. On the other hand,the bows that I really like, even the ones that are too heavy for me now,I have a hard time letting go. I traded off a 55# Kodiak Magnum last year. I have a 40# and 45# just like it, but that bow was hard to get rid of because of all the years it was my only short bow.

"Some may have with sentimental value but that's mostly meaningless after you are gone."

That is true, but I'm not gone yet. :) My nephews will get my bows and guns when I'm gone. They want some of it now. "LOL"

Also, my wife knows if I bite the dust that my two-factory camo 1980s Bear Kodiak Takedowns go to Supernaut.

Not me, I'm down to 5, about 3 too many.

it has come down to what I can shoot, The bows that I valued for myself have mostly gone to family. The progression in lower weight bows is not what I had in mind but it is what it is. I hope to one day add a Kodiak Hunter and maybe a Grizzly (at 35-42#) to my own personal collection. I no longer need a heavy bow or one over 60", as I hunt closer and usually in a blind or a ladder stand. My Kmag is now my bow of choice...I wouldn't turn another Kmag down to be a back up bow. I had other bows that I loved but could no longer shoot them, so why shelf them to not be enjoyed by someone else. To be gifted a bow is a different matter to me as well, they get kept. I have in the past given away a Grizzly and a Kodiak Hunter and then totally regretted it. The KH went to a good home, the Grizzly ended up sadly buried in storage shed.

I hate advertising & selling. I hate parting with the ones I like. I don't have any family interested or deserving. Perhaps I should start making a list of deserving members on this site. I will have to find someone that would take on that much packing & shipping. >>>>------>

I am very particular about what I buy. I rarely sell anything that I have purchased. Trades once in a while. Gifting something to someone who can appreciate it is nice to do as well.

I've bought, sold and traded a lot of bows over the years, mostly to just try different models. Some I liked and stayed with me quite a while. Others I quickly parted with. But, like Phil, as I've aged, my bows became too heavy for me, and I'm not one to just hang them on the rack.

In recurves, I'm down to one model, a Bear TD. I can trade for or buy lower poundage limbs as I age. I've settled on ASLs for my longbows. Unfortunately, I have to trade or sell those to acquire lighter weight versions. I look for bows from the same builders as those I traded or sold. A pretty small group.

It's a sickness or an addiction. Or both LOL. Better call the shrink.

Supernaut's magazine cover photo upright:

that is a great picture,,,,,,,,,,

I'm not looking for any more bows. I have a bear A riser I keep thinking about selling then I shoot it and think man I like this bow. I have three JT traditional archery bows and two bear takedown bows. I'm satisfied.

I'll buy the Sunset Hill from you!

Would u take two grand for the Nate Steen bow? What are the specs?

I sold a Hollenbeck r/d longbow almost 25 years ago that I wish I still had. I wonder if "Sly Fox" is still alive & kickin'.

I’ve probably had about 80 bows. I sold em all except 3 I made and my Schafer Silertips. I’ve given some away to kids and donated some to be raffled off. By daughter doesn’t hunt and I didn’t want her to have to deal with them. To me they are just bows.

I was lucky to get a Chaparral Kaibab in a trade some time ago. Having had two custom bows made in the past year and recently adding a BH Elite and another set of Sage limbs for the BB risers I hadn't shot the Kaibab for a while and was thinking about selling it. So last week I took it out for a spin and it felt and shot so well I quickly nixed that idea and will continue to enjoy it even if only occasionally. I'm sure others know this feeling.

I have done the same thing with guns and bows. I’ll buy one because it’s the IT one for some reason. I’ll play with it and if it’s not all that a year or so later out it goes.

I almost always keep what shoots well for me, is really hard to come by at a good price, or has some sentimental relevance.

I never know how many I have and am often surprised when I take a count.

Supernaut that is the best picture I have seen this year.

I think you should hold true to yourself and sell the Sunset Hill...to me! :D hahah keep it. they don't eat much, but if you don't... lol

The latest Bear bow I got a couple weeks ago. My 52"amo Bear Black Panther Hunter recurve. It was an economically priced bow I believe that Bear Archery made for other retail stores like Kmart, Montgomery Wards, and Sears. It shoots really nice. I've been hunting with it this late archery season.

Thanks for the compliments on the picture gents.

Nemo, your new bow looks good! Hope you get a shot at a buck with it before the season ends.

I've spent the past decade getting to know recurves, and in that span about 250 of them (mostly used bows from eBay and Craigslist) have passed through my orbit. All have been inspected closely as to their craftsmanship, and almost all have been flight-tested against other models of the same draw weight. I've kept a journal, which is titled Tracing the Arc, and now has more than a million words written in it. My current collection of about two dozen bows gives a pretty good through-line of the golden era of recurves.

Most bows would stick around for 4-6 months, and then get moved on in the world...and the proceeds would then get reinvested in a different bow. When a bow would stand out for one reason or another, it would become a keeper.

When I target shoot (2-3 times a week now) it's usually a 55-60# bow...and it's almost always either a Howatt Hunter or a Tice & Watts; with occasional turns for the Jack Howard, St. Joe River, and Browning Medallion. But the others--Groves, St. Charles, Wings, Brownings, and a couple that Todd Scherrinsky made me--are safe on the wall, and probably won't be sold. Still hoping to try out a Sovereign Ballistik before I call it quits!

Jim, I'm still bowhunting hard. Bowhunting the late season is a challenge with the temperatures being in the teens and all the snow we been getting. I've been seeing deer, mostly does. Yesterday I seen ten deer, eight does and two bucks. Unfortunately, the bucks were a spike and a four point which are not legal by the antler restrictions in my unit. I'll be back out there this evening. If anything, I'm persistent. "LOL"

Great thread thekunk! I have 6 bows, 4 of which I rarely shoot or hunt with. I was thinking about selling the 4 and reducing my “inventory” a bit. That was a year ago……..I’ve still got them all! LOL

I’ve had quite a few bows but have decided now when I buy one, I get rid of one. There has been a few I’d like back tho.

I think my best shooter was a Blacktail VL, but I have very high hopes for a new Black Widow PTF. And I still have a Tall Tines recurve hanging on the wall, that I like quite a bit.

I’ve had quite a few bows but have decided now when I buy one, I get rid of one. There has been a few I’d like back tho.

I think my best shooter was a Blacktail VL, but I have very high hopes for a new Black Widow PTF. And I still have a Tall Tines recurve hanging on the wall, that I like quite a bit.

I’ve had quite a few bows but have decided now when I buy one, I get rid of one. There has been a few I’d like back tho.

I think my best shooter was a Blacktail VL, but I have very high hopes for a new Black Widow PTF. And I still have a Tall Tines recurve hanging on the wall, that I like quite a bit.

I like that short bow Nemo. May look for one for my blind

I do a lot of entertaining at restaurants, banquets, weddings, taverns etc. and the day before yesterday I bought my 6th guitar...My wife said "Do you really need 6 guitars" ? I said Not really but I don't need 10 recurves and a long bow either but I have then !!!! Luv 'Ya Honey !!!! :) :) :)

I look at it the same way as I look at fishing. If you're really into fishing you don't have just one or two rods and expect them to do everything.

I'm thinking there will come a time in the near future when some of my bows will need to find a new home. Was just thinking that this might be the year some make the trip to Kazoo. Sold a couple last year and a couple this summer at the shoots. Maybe sell a few more this year. But if I do............I'll be 90 before I'm done!! lol

I'm too new to have sentimental attachment to any particular bow yet. But their value to me is worth more then to other people so unless I get an offer 2-3 times what I pay for them, its not worth selling because I'm going to spend the money on another bow anyway....

Which also made me really picky in purchasing any new bows unless its really unique. I'm done with mass produced bow simply because I hate color glasses. Nothing wrong with them, just aesthetically I like clear glass over a nice wood.

Someone said this to me once and I totally agree with this. "Life too short to shoot ugly bows!"

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