Been shooting bows since the mid 60's where I started with the simple wooden bow as a kid and then the Ben Pearson fiberglass. tried making bows even then and did, just junk. Been bow hunting since mid 70s. Have shot just about everything, did the compound thing but the stick n string always called to me. So been shooting recurves and longbows since the 80s. did some 3 D shoots for a year or two but went to bowfishing hard and bowhunting. 1st bow build was a red oak board bow. 2nd was a not so great piece or actually 2 pieces of osage that I backed with bamboo from behind the house. those two were a little too light and so are the wife's. The last and best one (for me) was a red oak board bow backed with bamboo, it is actually a little heavy for me at 50lbs. I have a couple of Osage staves that I haven't started yet. Am a little crippled up in one foot and get shots here and there in one of my eyes plus just got a cornea transplant that is slowly healing and very cloudy right now. made river cane arrows for real this summer. made them as a kid with the homemade bows. just an older guy that loves trad, both shooting and hunting, just had some really hard milage on the body and can't get around as easily. 45 lbs is about my max now. For me, I have to slow down and take my time more in the tillering. I have and shoot recurves and longbows plus self bows. about 5 years ago my eyesight began failing me, Macular degeneration. plus as I found out a few months ago, a sagging cornea. this threw my depth perception off and I didn't think that I could shoot again. I shoot 3 finger split and instinctive. but, the eye sight is getting better.
