The Bow That Started My Traditional Journey

[tippit]

Back in 1980 I attended my first deer camp.  Growing up in Ohio, I shotgun bird hunted but there wasn't a deer season in the entire state of Ohio!  My Dad's family was from northern Wisconsin, so Dad and I bought compound bows and headed to my uncle's deer camp on Red Cedar Lake, WI.  My cousin was in Optometry school at the time and invited his classmate/friend Ed Sandifer to camp.  He was the only guy with a stick bow...Dave Johnson longbow.  I didn't get a deer that first year but I fell in love with that longbow. When I got home I ordered a Tim Megs 60# longbow (kicked like a mule but I didn't know any better) from a young guy...Ron LeClair.

Then I started collecting old bows.  I purchased this Dave Johnson 68" 61#28 longbow from ebay...to my surprise it was The Longbow that started my Traditional Journey.  About 10 years or so ago, I reduced it to 50#@28 so I could shoot it.  Today I reduced it again to 41#28.  It still shoots great and takes me back to the beginning each time I shoot it!  The funny thing is I've never harvested an animal with a HH style bow.  That will change this winter on the Paradise...watch out hogs
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Through reductions of glass & wood, the only inscriptions remaining on the bow is Ed's name, the original poundage and serial #.
Reduced & re-tillered...

[Deno]

Great story and nice bow.  Good luck   


Deno

[Orion]

I had a similar experience at my first elk camp.  One of my older brother's friends was shooting a one-piece Schafer.  He let me shoot it.  I couldn't get enough of it. Did some fast research when I returned from the trip and ordered a Bighorn TD. Though I had hunted with a few Wing and Bear recurves as a teenage, I did jump on the compound wagon a few years when they first became popular. Have come full circle several times in the past 40 years from recurves to longbows to self bows, etc. Am now gravitating back to ALSs again. That's what I'll be hunting bear with this fall.  Maybe deer as well. 

Looks like you're becoming an quite an expert on bow weight reductions, Doc.  Another fine job.   

[ron w]

Nice old bow......well done.

[Irish Girl]

Love the story Doc!  Nice looking bow!!

[Sockrsblur]

Thanks for sharing Jeff... That's good stuff there !   

[Wannabe1]

Neat story to end up with the bow that started you on your journey! May she remain with you to the end.

[tippit]

Well Wannage1,
I reduced her weight as far as I can go.  That's why I'll be hunting the bow hard this coming season on Georgia hogs.  When I can't pull her anymore, there will be a special resting place on the wall.  I'll never sell this bow as she goes all the way back before I even had a traditional bow.

[Joe2Crow]

Good story and I suspect that statement about "then I started collecting old bows" is an understatement.  I've seen a few of your bows, Frank SanMarco longbow, rosewood Red Wing Hunters...  God only knows the treasures you have stashed away! Thanks for sharing.

[tippit]

Jeff,

"I suspect that statement about "then I started collecting old bows" is an understatement."

Back in the those early days, my partner & I were starting our veterinary clinic and covering emergencies for 6 other practices.  Time off was very scarce.  So my hunting consisted of one week in November back in Wisconsin with family.  Collecting and just shooting bows in the back yard was my outlet.  I've started dispersing some of the real nice collectable bows to keep me from trying to reduce their weight.  I've probably reduced weight on at least 50 bows that I can now shoot again.  Still have a couple hundred to disperse or take to my grinder.  My one rule is I never sell a bow that I drastically reduced weight and I don't do the weight reduction on other people's bows...too much liability.

[Bisch]

That's cool how you are making those bows work for you and getting that much weight off of them.

I ordered a bow way outta my league years ago before my first trip to Africa. I thought for sure I could work up to it. After trying for months, I finally admitted that it just wasn't going to work for me; that I just couldn't handle the weight. I had that bow reduced 5# by the bowyer who built it. Tried again, and it still wouldn't work for me. Went back to he bowyer, and he advised that he might not be able to take 5 more pounds off without ruining the limbs. I made him try anyway, and the bow came out perfect!!!! I have probably killed more critters with that bow than any other I have ever owned!!!!

Bisch


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[Cyclic-Rivers]

Good stuff Jeff. You must keep a detailed inventory of your collection lol. Good luck hunting hogs with the bow that started it off for you

[Hud]

Neat story.  I have my first ASL, made by Howard Hill Archery and bought in the early 60's.