This is my first hunting season with a traditional bow. I am using a 65" osage self bow. I am banging it around in my stands and while hunting off of the ground. I am used to a 32" long compound bow I guess. Does anyone have any ideas for a shorter bow for next year? I would use osage and I should be able to sinew back it. I would like for it to be 50-60 lbs @28". I have some nice staves with good growth rings to use.
I love the trad hunting, just not the noise of my bow hitting everything around me.
You might try the same thing I'm about to try. A D-shape osage bow. From what i know (and please jump in if anyone knows better :bigsmyl:
I sent this bow to a friend in Texas, he is shooting it at a 27" draw. The stave was marginal, with a good stave you could go even shorter than twice your draw length, that's an un-backed bow.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001714
The recurve in my avatar is 60" t/t selfbow, pulls 56#@26" and has a stiff handle and static tips. I don't own the bow anymore but I'm guessing it is about 1 1/4" from fades out to the recurves and tapered to 3/8" tips. If you sinew back a bow don't get much longer than 62" for 28" draw. A 60" straight limbed osage bow, sinew backed or not will make a good stand hunting bow.
I have hunted with 70" bows from tree stands without any problems. You just have to prepare for the longer bow and be more careful.
QuoteOriginally posted by talkingcabbage:
You might try the same thing I'm about to try. A D-shape osage bow. From what i know (and please jump in if anyone knows better :bigsmyl:
The 65" bow that I am using now is a D style bow. I guess I could have made it shorter.
QuoteOriginally posted by Dano:
I sent this bow to a friend in Texas, he is shooting it at a 27" draw. The stave was marginal, with a good stave you could go even shorter than twice your draw length, that's an un-backed bow.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=125;t=001714
Thanks Dano. I remember that bow now. I saved a picture of the tips when you first posted it, I really liked how they looked. If I were to try something like that, but sinew backed it, do you think the draw could go up to 28"?
No doubt, I only tillered that little bow to 26, I'm pretty sure it would have handled 28 just fine, osage is tuff stuff.
First off congratulations on moving over to the traditional side of archery!
Here is a little bow I made. Not yet 100% completed though.It came from a stave I took a belly split from. I was left with no wood for a handle on this one. It was a very unruly stave for a beginner such as myself. A little snakey and both limbs rollercoastered. Glued some shoe leather on for the handle. (per Pat B's advice) It is 1 3/8" at the fades with a continuous taper to 1/2" tips. It's about 1/2" thick just off the fades and tapers to 5/16" a couple inches from the tips. It measures 58 1/2" ntn and pulls 52" @ 27". I was outside shootin a few different bows one day and my wife was watching. When I shot this one she commented on how much faster it seemed to be. It really is pretty quick. I've managed to put a 100 or so arrows thru it with no problems. I think I'm gonna go ahead and finish this one up and make it my treestand bow. I said all that to say I was surprised at how it turned out. I was expecting to wind up with a much lighter pound bow.
(http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu205/pmills1956/1-1.jpg)
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(http://i648.photobucket.com/albums/uu205/pmills1956/3-1.jpg)