Hey everybody! It's been a few years since I've posted to these forums, but my traditional bow spirit was merely dormant, not gone.
In the years since Walt helped me build my little
Osage shortbow, I graduated college and started dating a guy who is a compound bow and rifle hunter. I was pretty much a lost cause from the moment he fed me bacon-wrapped antelope backstrap - it was only a matter of time before I started hunting with him. As someone who loves to cook, going into the field to acquire meat is just as natural and sensible to me as gardening for my vegetables, and I'm lucky enough to live in Montana where my choices to spot-and-spook include black bear, mule deer, whitetail deer, elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, and my arch-nemesis, the cottontail rabbit that lives in my neighbor's hedgerow.
After a successful fall with the rifle last year (antelope and a young mule deer buck), I'm looking to get back into traditional archery for hunting, for a few key reasons:
- I learned volumes upon volumes more about game animal behavior and hunting technique while following my boyfriend on stalks during archery season than I did during rifle season. Bow season is for learning animals, rifle season is for avoiding people. Even if I don't poke any critters, I know I will learn a ton.
- I have no romance with or interest in compound bows, but the stick and string is still magic to me.
- Hunting opportunities and hunting pressure are much more optimal during archery-only season, the highlights of which include elk hunting the rut, and the 900 series antelope tag that allows a bowhunter to hunt any region or district for antelope in the state.
For the past couple months, I've been shooting a tidy little boo backed hickory from Rudderbows, a 30#er to build up strength. I can now shoot 60 arrows or more without getting fatigued, and I'm continually refining my technique and consistency (at 10-15 yards), so I think I'm ready to jump up in weight.
So, with all that in mind, I'm looking for some suggestions on what sort of bow I should be building. I've been thinking about knocking out a board bow just to get back in the groove, but I think I might be up for a stave bow if I could find the right stave. What I
think I want right now looks sort of like this:
- In the neighborhood of 40#
- Takedown in the handle*
- Backed???
- Longbow or reflex-deflex, probably don't want a recurve
- Sturdy, reliable
- Can be made with hand tools. What I lack in bandsaws, I make up for in patience.
*
Takedown bow, mostly because I don't wear camo and it would be nice to pack bow and quiver together for the approach so that people at trailheads don't know I'm hunting. I like to keep my spots on the down-low. I may have some items for trade if someone has a decent stave. Also, if there is anyone in SW Montana who wants to get together and geek out on traditional bows/hunting, I'd love that too. My boyfriend and his friends are some phenomenal, accomplished compound hunters and target shooters, but I would love to talk/shoot with someone who doesn't give me the side-eye because of my stick and string.
As always, thanks to you guys for listening and being such an awesome resource!
And here's a pic of me and my antelope, first successful hunt ever, even though it was with a rifle:
http://m.imgur.com/SwAScqP
