One bow for survival?

[Morgan]

So I’ve been watching Alone and am on season 7. All but one contender chose a bow as one of their items and I wondered how much thought went in to the bow of their choice. This got me thinking about what I would want, and I’m very curious about what others would take with them and why.

Durability would be paramount in my book. I believe anyone who puts in the time can get killing proficient with any bow. For myself I would want a very low stressed D bow 64-66” long made from the straightest hickory stave I could find and sealed as good as I could possibly seal it. My wood of choice comes strictly because the bow could take damage to the back that severed the back ring and still possibly still have a viable weapon, not sure if that is possible with any other wood without having to back it.
What would y’all take with you?

[Dances with squirrels]

A trusted straight standing osage selfbow... same kind of bow I've been hunting with for many years.

Arrows to me seem just as important and I'd want to have plenty so I wouldn't be hesitant to shoot.  I think you're only allowed to take a few, 6 maybe? so as soon as I got settled, I'd start gathering arrow wood.

Maybe keep an eye out for a Yew tree too 

[BowEd]

Yep a good old piece of osage is what I'd take.Making more arrows is a good idea too.Making arrows does'nt take much physical energy.

[Stixnstones]

I would have to go with a nice overbuilt osage bow as well, my experience with hickory is limited. 66" ntn #45 @ 26" would want an easy smooth drawing bow for the lean times. And yes gather materials to make arrows is a great idea, I'm sure those are some long nights with nothing else to do

[HH~]

Any HedgeHunter would do it. Hey, bring an extra string. You never go in high country without one.

HH~

[Mafort]

I’d take a nice flatbow. Cherokee style bend through the handle. Hickory or Osage. No frills no bs no fuss.

[HH~]

Yep, no bling, no baby tips, nothing hanging off belly. Some good heavy shafts and two blade BH’s.

GTG

HH~

[airkah]

I think in a survival situation I would choose ultimate durability. I would choose this low 40s lb 66inch hackberry bow I have that is a pretty average performer. Its a bit longer and a bit wider and not as dead in the hand as I prefer, but I am convinced if the world were to end, that bow would survive like the cockroaches.

[boomhowzer]

Can we see some pictures of these bows? If they're real, of course.

I think I would go with a super short, low draw length, average weight bow. Let's say 40" NTN and 43# @ 22". That way, you don't have to draw the thing all the way back to your cheek when you're staring dinner in the face and you haven't eaten in 5 days. And the woods are filled with 40" bows, no matter where you are in the world. Same with shorter arrows. My only question is whether or not 40" NTN and 43# @ 22" draw is even possible without sinew? Has anyone made a bow like this that you could post a picture of?

[Del the cat]

The bow is the easy bit... string and arrows are more of a problem... and of course the hunting skills.
Del

[Morgan]

Can we see some pictures of these bows? If they're real, of course.

I think I would go with a super short, low draw length, average weight bow. Let's say 40" NTN and 43# @ 22". That way, you don't have to draw the thing all the way back to your cheek when you're staring dinner in the face and you haven't eaten in 5 days. And the woods are filled with 40" bows, no matter where you are in the world. Same with shorter arrows. My only question is whether or not 40" NTN and 43# @ 22" draw is even possible without sinew? Has anyone made a bow like this that you could post a picture of?

I don’t know that I’ve made one single bow that I’d intentionally stake my livelihood on, I think every one I’ve made I’ve found flaws in and those flaws eat at confidence.  I’m not sure you could pull off 22” out of a non sinew backed 40” bow. Maybe with flipped tips, but that’s asking a lot.

[Woody roberts]

I too have watched most of the seasons of Alone and have given some thought to my ten items. You are only allowed to bring 10 items besides your clothes.
I would be very hesitant to go into this situation without a proven bow. Hence it would have to be a bow I had shot a lot for a long time.
If I was building a bow for this it would be hickory or Osage, 64” T-T and 40 lb at my 26” draw.

Your bow and 9 arrows count as 1 item. I would want 3 broad heads and 6 small game, flu flus. One big game animal is all you would need. However Grouse, rabbits etc are more likely fare.

While most of the contestants take a bow I see very little use from most of them. They spend more time building their shelter than finding food. I noticed that the better shelter they build the sooner they tap out.

[George Tsoukalas]

Isn't Alone shot own a moist, humid environment. I wouldn't want hickory because it absorbs moisture easily and quickly

I would want a no frills osage or black locust bow and hickory arrows...3 or 4 broad heads and the rest blunts.

Jawge

[Woody roberts]

It’s shot in different places. 2 seasons on Vancouver island. Very wet! 1 season in Patogonia, 2 in the Arctic. This season ( is in northern BC.
The contestants don’t know where their going. They only know it may be cold.
While the temp is below freezing a good bit of the time hickory may not be the best choice. However a little set wouldn’t put you out of the game.

[organic_archer]

Well... I’m Correy from Alone Season 7 . I took a slightly overbuilt hackberry selfbow — 68” long, straight-limbed, rectangular cross-section, 53# at 27”. The bow performed great. I trusted its durability, and the weight was good for me even in a calorie-restricted state.

If I could do it over, I wouldn’t take anything other than a straight-limbed Osage selfbow. 66” long, 50-55 pounds.

I went crazy sealing the hackberry bow in preparation for the Arctic. Probably 12 coats of modern sealer and a couple thick coats of hand-polished beeswax. I was the only contestant with a selfbow made of “other than osage” and the constant moisture was definitely an issue. The humidity was above 90% with some sort of precipitation almost every day.

One day after hunting, I unstrung my bow and it pretty much still looked strung, haha. I smoked it in the roof rafters of the shelter that night and luckily, it returned to its flat profile. Smoking the bow while sleeping became a nightly ritual after that.

I still shoot the bow fairly regularly 2.5 years after crafting it, and it still pulls 53#, but that was an eye-opener for sure. I vowed to carry osage in survival situations from that point forward