When I see pics of hunters with bow and arrows, I see these convoluted bows that require an engineering degree to just load the arrow into it. Does any bow and arrow hunter just use a simple bow anymore? Or an I living in dreamland? I know my ancestors didn't have those fancy bows nor did Robin Hood. Yet they managed to live off the land.
Now I realize that the arrow may not travel as fast from the traditional bow and that when in the woods it could possibly hit a tree before the animal. But isn't that just part of the sport? Not only fighting the animals, but all the other elements that come into play?
I have used recurves, straight bows, and compound bows. Each has its own strength. My personal favorite bow for target shooting is the recurve. Mine has a 50 lb. draw weight and shoots a 28 inch arrow. It is smooth, quiet, and makes me do the work.
My favorite hunting bow is the compound. It isn't as smooth as is the recurve, but is easier to shoot. The compound bow allows me to pull a greater weight, as once you reach peak weight (70 lbs. on my compound) it then stores up to 20% of the peak power in the cams located on the limb ends. Therefore, I'm only holding 56 lbs. at full draw. I can hold it longer if need be. That means that if the deer isn't cooperating, and has, say, stopped behind a tree limb, I can wait for it to move before taking the shot. I purchased that beast in 1975. I gave it to my eldest son 20-soe years later, when the bow grew too young for me. I said "Son, here's the beast." He replied; "No Dad, that's the legend." I knew many a grown man that couldn't pull that bow. I bought it when I weighed in at 139 lbs., and could pull it all day long. My very athletic son couldn't pull it until he was 19 years of age, and weighed in at 170 lbs.
I wouldn't mind having the newest hyper-speed bow. It shoots at 365 feet per second. I initially purchased my compound after I'd made a perfect shot, but the deer was gone by the time the arrow got to where it had been standing. With the compound, I still needed the same shooting skill, but didn't have to be as close to the animal, and that missed shot was only 40 foot or so away.
So yes, after shooting bows since I was seven years old, I love compound bows, and recurves. I'd like to make my own straight bow one of these days. There's a nearby community college that has a class on making them. That would be a fun class for me.
Then if I mastered that craft, I could be called an artist in bow making, as well as fly tying and cooking, and some would say, poetry and creative writing (that would be a very small group
). I certainly ain't no musical artist, unless you call putting great songs on the stereo artistic.
Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
