exercise routine?

[k-hat]

So I wanna hear about y'alls warmup routine after stringing your selfbows.  Do you take a few pulls to work it to brace while on the stringer?  How much and how do you work it up to the first shot?

What about hunting?  Say you're sitting for an hour or two waiting on that deer to appear out of nowhere, do you keep it strung, exercise a little while you're waiting (I would think this may scare'em off?).  Haven't been hunting with a selfbow so just want to know what you all do.  Thanks!

[DVSHUNTER]

I string mine up give it a few half pulls and then hunt with it. When I get back to the house I unstring it.

[Stiks-n-Strings]

I do the same thing as DVS

[vanillabear?]

[StoneAK]

I do the same as DVShunter and sticks no problems yet

[Eric Krewson]

I have some first shot bows and some that like to be warmed up. By first shot I mean string it up pull the bow a couple times, it is good to go and will shoot accurately with the first shot. These rare bows are an exception to most of my bows.

Most of my bows need a fews shot to really be dialed in. My current BBO will throw the first arrow a foot high and a foot right on it's first shot but after three shots I can drill dimes with it. One of my osage bows needs a dozen shots to stretch out and be ready to hunt with.

When I am going hunting I string my bows, take a few shots then leave them strung all day and know for certain any deer that comes by is in deep trouble.

[Diamondback59]

string it up pull it a few times to check thing s out at the same time exercising it  if it s real cold i make sure warm it up pullin it a few time lil more each time to full draw espically with my yew bows brock

[k-hat]

Wow, sounds like i've been pampering mine WAY too much     I was worried about adding set by going to full draw without warming the bow up well(or breaking), but sounds like it's not a problem.  I've yet to leave a bow strung all day, just scares the heebejeebies outta me.  I  didn't think about the accuracy thing though, so I'll pay attention to that as i'm practicing with my bows.  

thanks guys!  Good to know what works   :D

[Adam Keiper]

If it's one I've been using regularly, then I string it up and go.  No warmup.  If it's one that's been on the rack for couple of months, I string it and give it a few progressive tugs first.  If it's gone longer, 6 months, a year, whatever, I like to leave it braced for a little while, then give some tugs, then shoot.  I've never had a problem in any case.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

My muscles need some warming up before they are ready to go, so I will string it up and take about 6-8 warm up shots before I hit the woods.  

[George Tsoukalas]

I do some shoulder rotations and stretches. In cold weather I give the bow a few minutes to acclimate. The I shoot it.  Jawge

[Eric Krewson]

Had an osage bow I shot in tournaments and took hunting for years. I never put two and two together when I started a shooting session and thought I was off a little on the first few shots but as I warmed up and could really shoot the bow well. I thought the first shot corkscrew arrow flight was a form error on my part.

I killed the biggest buck of my life with the bow but the shot was only 5 yds and I didn't hit where I was aiming.

I didn't see the light until a doe stepped out at 15 yards, I took the shot and my arrow corkscrewed to a bad hit and a lost deer.

I went home and tested all of my bows, one cold shot just after being strung. I found it wasn't me that needed to be warmed up but most of my bows did.

I guess about now you guys are thinking"this guy makes a lousy bow" if you can't string one an drill dimes with it.

My bows have won at least two national championships, dozens of state championships and finished first in more big tournaments than I can remember, unfortunately I wasn't shooting them, someone else was. I do shoot well enough to recognize slight differences in bow performance between the first few shots with a cold bow and the smooth, flawless performance of a warmed up bow.

Although never discussed, I feel this trait of needing a warm-up is inherent to wood bows, at least if you want them to perform to the max.

[Art B]

You got it right IMO Eric. Wood being what it is, it's fibers needs to be limbered up to perform at it peak.........Art

[Eric Krewson]

I also found that just pulling a bow back doesn't equal a warm up, it takes the snap of a shot to really stretch things out.

On the same line, while tillering a bow near target weight, pulling it on the tillering tree will NOT register the changes in the bending limb completely, shooting a bow at a short draw will. I shoot my bows in as I tiller them, short drawing them to not go over target weight.


Had a guy on another forum tell me I was nuts to imply that one had to shoot a bow to register a change in the limbs while tillering. Don't guess he had made as many bows as I have or just didn't know what a properly tillered bow looked like.

[k-hat]

Thanks Eric for your insight and experience, and i really appreciate you giving your actual experiences and tests/results to back up your advice.  Believe me, i for one do not doubt your bowyering abilities!
I was wondering about shooting to help tillering adjustments take effect, guess you answered that one.  
Glad I asked this question, learning a lot!

[Roy Steele]

String mine up give it a couple pulls to stretch and hunt. I practice that first shot a lot. You don't get to shoot a few shots when the time comes.
 All my bucks have been with no warm ups. I beleive if your shooting better at a few shots it's not the bow.

[Eric Krewson]

Well, I really was shooting one of my self bows to win a couple state championships and dozens of large tournaments.

Believe me, it's the bow, like I said I shoot well enough to know the difference.

[Cambow]

Arizona is so dry.. I have blown up every self bow I have ever owned...  :(  Any ideas on how to have a self bow in a state with average humidity of about 7%...?

[Eric Krewson]

Have you blown up a hickory bow? Hickory likes 7% MC.