I just had to send a big thank you and high praise to Dan and Jared Tolke. I had a Kestrel that took a tumble off my truck cap this last fall. After contacting Dan about it he gave me a terminal diagnosis. Besides the mental butt kicking I gave myself all winter, I was bummed because I love the bow. So I ordered a new one from Dan this last March. I sent the check on the 30th and I had a beautiful bow in my hand in a month. It is a piece of art. The Bocote' backs and bellies are not only mirrored but bookended. It shoots sweeter than it looks. I present my Kestrel II.
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/kestrel_2.jpg)
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/kestrel_1.jpg)
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_04525.JPG)
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/kestrel_3.JPG)
Congrats on your new Kestrel. Dan and Jared are top notch!!
I must hate my Tolke whip. Everytime I leave the house I take it with me and bang it against trees, drag it along the ground and through brush. Conversely, I must love all my other bows because they stay on the rack where no harm can come to them!
Beautiful bow.
Looks elegant and graceful like a hawk in flight.
Awesome. Dan and Jared are among the best in the business. A Toelke bow is ALWAYS a good decision.
Nice........what are the specs.....???
Sweet.
Congrats.
That is a beautiful looking bow!!!
Steve Jr
Sorry, I asked for a bow between #45 and #50 at 28". The bow is #47 at my draw, which is right around 28. It shoots the same arrows I shoot out of my #57 long bows. Like all the Kestrels ( or Trolls as they now call them) it is a 52" bow.
Wow, what a stunning looking bow! I am hooked on them now, not sure where else you can get that kind of turnaround time and recieve that beautiful of a bow that shoots so damn good! Bought a used Whip last year and my other bows just sit there now! A friend of mine has a Lynx and it was just like wow, so I recently ordered a66" lynx Longbow similar specs to my whip and then I saw a used Lynx recurve on the classifiedsv right after I ordered and it was too good of deal to pass up and I bought it too! So I have about a month to wait impatiently for my very first custom "to me"(always bought used) bow! Toelke's definitely have it going on!
Good looking bow !!! Congrats
I presently own three Chinooks and two Pikas. I've never had to wait more than 6 weeks for any Toelke bow. Two weeks ago a 56" Chinook Dan built for me arrived. He does make that 56" length if you request it. Total wait time.......27 days! The Toelkes know their stuff, fit and finish are second to none,and they are quiet and easy to tune. I shoot three under and Dan tillers the bow for that, but the crazy thing is, the nock set he ties to his strings have always been dead on for me when I bareshaft. I requested a 45# draw weight for all my Toelke bows, and each bow is between 45# and 45.5# of draw. Talking to Dan about building a bow is like talking to a friend. He listens and suggests, and over the years I've learned to listen to what he suggests!
Dan and Jared are currently building me a t/d Pika after this my next Toelke will be a t/d Chinook.
Great looking bow. I have had dealings with Dan. He is an incredible person.
Was the Kestrel and Troll name a name change only or were there design changes as well?
Can never go wrong with a Toelke! Congrats on the new bow...its a beauty!
There were some slight design changes from what I understand. I have not put the two bows side by side, but I still have the other one hanging in my shop. I will and let you know what I notice.
That looks like a smoooooth ride....very nice!
I am absolutely so in love with my Whip, I cannot imagine being without it. That had to be very depressing you lost your prior bow. I plan on just sticking with mine, for a few years more.., like the rest of my life!
Last night I pulled down the older Kestrel. The major difference I could see without stringing it was the grip. The older Kestrel had a much thicker and flatter grip. That was a attribute that I really liked. It made for a very stable shooting platform for me. My bow hand and the bow felt locked together and stable. The new version has thinner ore rounded feel to the handle, more in line with the other Tolke bows (though I can't say because I have only shot a Whip). It is still thicker than the Whip. I can't say it seems to be having any real effect on my shooting, as I am happy with the groups I am getting. I would love to be able to shoot them side by side, but that is not possible without risking the old bow blowing out a limb during a shot.