I am down to building around half a dozen bows every year, give or take a couple. I donate one to my state archery organizations and the PBS, give a couple to friends, and split hunting time between the couple I have left. I have good access to hunting property and National Forest land close to home enabling me to fill my quota of eight deer tags each year, and when things come together every few years, a bear, mountain lion, and elk. When it feels right, usually mid season, I retire the bow and hang it on the wall next to the mounts or pictures. I seldom use a bow more then part of one season in order to give the new bows a chance to hunt. However, once in a while a bow will call to me from the wall and for some reason, be it the way it shoots, the therapy/emotions encountered when building it, or unique characteristics it might have, it comes out of retirement to hunt another critter or go stump shooting. Guess I shouldn’t say these bows are retired, rather they are, for lack of a better description, put into “Reserve”. I have been extremely lucky and haven’t had one “die” on me for almost ten years, so there is a good reserve available, if needed.
Walt Francis
