Hunting bows

[Jon_W]

What does everyone hunt with for wooden bows? Reflex, recurve, straight? Pyramid style, parallel limbs, sudbury? Osage, hickory, yew? Backed? Also, what weight arrow are a lot of you pushing? I find myself with 700g arrows for practice but I haven't gotten good enough at making bows yet to head out hunting with one. Hunting season is nearly upon me here in Michigan!

[Bob Barnes]

I hunt with different bows every year but they are usually osage selfbows...some with sinew...some not... usually right around 50# and always shooting 500+ grain arrows.  Designs don't matter much, but something that isn't likely to break or be hard to string, and I prefer a minimum of 62", even though I have killed deer with a 50" sinew backed osage bow.  Just be sure to shoot one that you are confident with and shoot well...then it's all good.   

[bownarra]

Doesn't really matter what design you use. Any of the good bow design will shoot within a few fps of each other.
If you are new to making bows start with a pyramid design around 66" long. Easiest bows to tiller and are they very effecient.

[Will B]

I hunt with osage recurves with straight pyramid design. I like from 55-60# for my hunting bows. My favorite hunting bow is rawhide-backed and 68” in length. I shoot a 685 gr arrow. I recently completed a 62” sinew-backed osage recurve that I also plan to hunt with, especially out of my blind.

[Eric Krewson]

Been making bows for 26 years, I have 7 or 8 hanging in my shop at the present, I may not bowhunt this year because of health issues but if I do it will be with the bow I shoot the best.

[Jon_W]

I like the responses, I am more curious to see what everyone is hunting with! I have a laminated recurve for this year (due to my inexperience making bows) and I'll be trying out some larch arrow shafts from 3rivers as well. Soon all I'll need is a deer in range!

[Pat B]

Hunt with the bow you are most comfortable with and that you shoot the best. I don't hunt much any more but during my peak I would pick the bow I shot the best and a back up bow that shot similarly. I would try to practice with that bow exclusively for the last month or so before the opener. I'd shoot a couple of dozen shots each day, morning and evening and the week before the opener I'd only take one shot and make it count. Sometimes this was early morning, sometimes late afternoon and sometime one each.

[gutpile]

this year I am using my osage recurve take down sinew backed. 58" 52@26.5.. rivercane arrows foreshafted , abo stone points ...gut

[boxerboxer]

I'm still hunting with a glass bow, but as soon as I've made a hunting weight bow that holds up I'll be taking that with me. I have a bunch of ash and some elm, all cut this summer, as well as a red oak board bow. The oak is probably the only one that's in danger of being used for hunting this fall, but I'm not sure I'll be able to make that heavy enough, so we'll see. Might be next year before I'm hunting with a selfbow, and probably longer yet before I'm doing it with wood arrows. I promised myself I'd kill something with my dad's old 2117s before I use any other arrows.

[Woody roberts]

I currently have 3 bows I’m comfortable hunting with. They all shoot very similar to each other. 2 are pyramid, 1 Osage and 1 hickory and a hickory Sudbury. All in the neighborhood of 40 lb at 26”

The Osage is the fastest at less than 10 FPS more than the hickories.
I shoot all well enough but the Sudbury seems to be the most forgiving. I’m finding I shoot it more than the others.

Arrows, I can’t seem to make a cane arrow that shoots as good as my carbons. I’m still trying though.

[WhistlingBadger]

I'm finally taking the plunge and hunting with a home-made bow this year!  Now if I could just find a critter that was just a *little* more cooperative.  65" rawhide-backed hickory sudbury.  45# @ 27".

I've got a pyramid roughed out that I plan to get back to work on once I'm done hunting.  I know pyramids are more efficient shooters, but dang these sudburry/meare heath types are easy on the eyes.

[Stixnstones]

I hunt mostly with selfbows of different species, but hunyin with osage this year. Same bow as last year, its still holdin up just fine.... I'm in Michigan as well.

[bentstick54]

My main go to hunting bow is a 11year old Osage selfbow, 50#@28”, 63” ntn. I am going to start out with some DF shafts, with some old HH 3/1 broadheads, 3 fletch 4” wild turkey feathers. Later in the season I may switch over to one of my other Osage selfbows 45#@28”, 66” ntn. I will switch over to GT500 woodgrains with 125gr Magnus Stinger 2 blade broadheads.

[StickMark]

Hickory, sinew backed. 55inches ttt, about 45#....heat and humidity dependent. 1.25 width.
Carried douglas fir shafts this velvet season, 460 to 485, 133gr Zwickeys. 12 strand B55 string.

Border issues, rain galore and water everywhere, no harvest this velvet season...
Come October, I am carrying the same bow in lieu of a rifle for a tag I drew, and I might go back to cane and mulefat primitive shafts, heavier, 520 grains, and a rawhide or sinew string.
Hunting a big one this year.

[PaSteve]

I'll be hunting with my 50# fumed Osage bow I made a couple of years ago. Bamboo shafts tipped with Tuffheavd broadheads. Pennsylvania whitetails.