Is Cow Sinew just as good as deer?

[bigcountry]

I see cow sinew for sale.  Was wondering if its as good as deer for wrappings and or even bow backings?

[adb]

My opinion is no. Cows don't do much running about. If, for no other reason, I think deer sinew is better because it adds extra medicine to your bow, especially if you've harvested it yourself.

[bigcountry]

That makes sense.  Just never seen it for sale before. 

[Far East Archer]

I think it was Chinese and or Korean bow maker who use the cow sinew from back on hornbow.
Must not be bad, Ive used before, back sinew seemed better than leg~(did not have quality leg sinew available)

[billy]

I don't know if cow sinew is as good as deer sinew or not.  I can't see that much difference honestly, although there may be.  But if cow sinew is all you can get, then by all means use it.  Cow sinew is better than no sinew!! 

[sailordad]

i cant see it being bad,it serves the same purpose in either animal
it makes the legs move.its the muscle that is used in running

[Marc St Louis]

Cow sinew works quite well.  It's a bit harder to separate than Deer or Moose

[Hillbilly]

It's also a lot greasier than deer sinew.

[Marc St Louis]

A test was done several years ago in one of the European countries, don't remember which one. These test, which I don't believe by the way, found that cow sinew was actually better than Deer sinew.  I do know that it is just as good as as Moose or Deer or Caribou sinew but as Steve says it is quite greasy.  When I have used it I washed it with dish soap and warm water before using it.  The leg tendons are what you want to use.  The big neck tendons are useless

[bigcountry]

Thanks guys for the replies,  I see folks say they degreased it.  I wonder if they degrease before they pound it?  I assume they do. 

[shikari]

Here is a link to processing the sinew http://www.turkisharchery.info/?p=videos.also  if you can texas longhorn sinew it would be better as they are 99% fat free cattle.

[Marc St Louis]

Actually you have to degrease after shredding the tendons

[bigcountry]

Actually you have to degrease after shredding the tendons

I didn't know that.  I never degreased deer sinew.  Wonder if I should be? 

So you wash off in dawn liquid and then rinse and dry out again? I guess it makes sense to leave it attached to a small piece of the tendon.

[Marc St Louis]

When you start pounding the cow tendons then you will see what I mean.  They are quite greasy.  Washing the tendons before pounding and shredding wouldn't do much for the fat that is inside the tendons and it would do much to the lumps of fat on the outside.  Once you have shredded the tendons, separate them into bundles.  Then you can wash them just before use with the dish soap and rinse well with warm water.  That way you can just dip them in the glue right after the wash and then lay the bundles onto the back of your bow

[Don]

This is good to know. I was wondering the same thing.
The cow tendons would be much longer then the deer.