How many archers do we have in here?

**s_ribs** · 10-06-2008, 07:50 PM

Well??

I haven't touched it in a few years but will always love it (dare I say even a touch more than shooting guns).

I'm curious who here shoots sticks and would enjoy hearing what you do (i.e. targets for fun, competitions, hunting, all of the above, etc.). And then whatever other bits you'd like to throw in here.

I'll start-

I started shooting when I was 13 years old with an old Darton dual cam bow. I love the behind the scene aspect of things almost more than the main event. So I taught myself how to work on it, tune it, serve strings, and eventually got into building my own arrows (not making wood arrows, fletching and painting etc.)

I think my favorite thing to do is make the arrows. It's a lovely slow process! I liked dipping them to get a nice two-tone paint scheme. I need to rig up a cresting jig to spin the arrows. As much as I like all the new technology, the traditional aspects like building arrows is something I hope people never forget how to do and enjoy. Anyone that wants to get into it - do yourself a favor and don't skimp on the jig! The cheap ones just don't cut it and will always give you sub par results.

I can't remember every single bow I've owned (or at least the particular models), but here's a few-
1) Darton something or other

2) Browning I dunno (split limb, dual cam). I never ended up shooting it and sold it shortly after buying it.

3) PSE um.... Single cam, super short brace height. My goodness was that thing a fast shooter! With my carbon arrows (what I hunted with) it shot around 280 fps. I regret selling that bow to this day! It wasn't for everyone, but it shot excellent for me.

4, and current) Jennings Buckmaster 360. I like it just fine, but don't love it either. Single cam, love the shorter axle length, but I do wish it had a bit more speed to it.

One of these days I'll pick up a Mathews or similar. They feel absolutely perfect to me!

Always been a carbon arrow guy. Aluminum is too heavy, not nearly as stiff, or as good at penetrating.

Unfortunately OR, and I believe WA as well, does not allow expandable broadheads. I always used them in WI and had fantastic results with them!

Archery for me was always for the enjoyment of shooting and also for hunting (which I still vastly prefer to hunting with a gun). I think every once and a while that getting into some competitions would be fun though.

**CaseyPod** · 01-11-2009, 10:02 AM

Howdy!

I am a fellow stick shooter! I have been a target shooter since I was in high school. My Dad got me my first bow- a browning compound dual cam. I recently got my wife shooting too and we have been shooting her 'starter' bow- a very inexpensive PSE takedown recurve. She loves it! I have gotten her all decked out with bow gear and now she is a fanatic!

I have just recently gotten back into guns. When I was younger I lived on a military base most of the time and we always had good ranges- and gun lovers! I have been so busy working the last few years that I hadn't thought about it in a while. I recently started shooting both my bow and new guns.

I love 3D target shooting. It has been a long time since I have been on a good 3D range though.

Nice to meet ya!

**wildcard97** · 01-11-2009, 10:17 AM

Well, I don't shoot "sticks", but have a compound I used to shoot all the time, but have not shot now in about 5 years. Used to belong to an archery club when I live in Centralia, WA years ago, but after they went Tango Uniform I kinda lost interest.

We used to shoot 3-D animals in competition. Did a little target shooting, too.

**Bend** · 01-11-2009, 01:55 PM

I might start again for elk instead of rifle. Its getting very crowded out there with gorebol warming the last few years

I'll have to knock the dust off both the Bear glass carbine recurve and Browning 2 cam. Both are over 30 years old. I've never shot a carbon arrow.

**finch6013** · 01-11-2009, 02:29 PM

I used to shoot every single day a few years back. I only shot compound bows. Once in a while I would mess around with a long bow a friend had. I mostly shot target. Placed well in many competitions and even won a few. Did a little deer hunting with little luck. I might get back into it someday. Only reason I quit was the fact that houses got built in the forest behind us so I no longer had a safe backstop in the rare case of wild arrows.

**s_ribs** · 01-20-2009, 02:03 PM

Nice!

Very glad to see that there are other archer's on here now.

**s_ribs** · 01-20-2009, 02:04 PM

Anyone have any interest in learning how to fletch/paint their own arrows?

**Ryan** · 01-20-2009, 09:31 PM

Somewhat like my gun shooting, I haven't shot a bow since I was a boyscout. But I really gained an interest watching the archery during the Olympics last summer. Anyone have any recommendations on gear for a noob?

**Zhivago** · 01-20-2009, 09:56 PM

My dad taught me how to shoot a bow when I was younger. Havent touched it in many years but I'd love to get back into it when I have $$$

**Jaybo** · 01-20-2009, 10:06 PM

This was my first year archery hunting... I drew back on a doe.. but didnt release. (um... the trigger was against my cheek.. and I couldnt get it and still look down the peep sites.. DOH DOH DOH)... Oh well.... Next year!!!!!

**parsons_12b** · 01-23-2009, 07:31 AM

Ive bow hunted my whole life and would not do it any different. Plus it is a much better time of year to go camping.

**shooter** · 01-23-2009, 08:40 AM

I've played around with bows over the years. My dad was big into archery, owning an archery store at one point, and got me started at a young age. I grew up in the midwest and hunted Whitetails for several years with a bow...managing to shoot a couple here and there, along with an occasional coyote or fox that ventured below my stand. I have shot both recurves and compounds, and actually prefer to hunt with a recurve. I was taught to shoot instinctively and have always struggled with all of the sighting mechanisms on compounds...peeps, pins, levels, etc. It was fine when shooting targets, but never helped when in a tree stand shaking wildly with buck fever!
I sold off my bows before moving out to the Northwest. It's been eight years now and I have yet to replace them. I would enjoy getting back into it, but I don't currently have the time available to practice and scout like you need to be a successful bow hunter.

**gunluvver** · 01-23-2009, 09:21 AM

When I lived in San Diego, I started shooting archery so I could keep hunting my favorite areas along the Mexican border. The area was full of bunnies and I grew up hunting bunnies. My cousin and I would walk opposite sides of a canyon and do cross canyon shots at milk jugs and stuff for practice. I started my 3 boys on archery, and my oldest boy really got into it, shooting bare bow in local competition and doing well. The local archery shop was owned by Rube Powell, and it was great shooting the bull with him before he died. I moved to Spokane in 1995, and picked up an Alpine Teton Lite at an NRA auction. I took it to the local dealer and got it outfitted with sights, arrows, release, bag, etc. I shot it for a while then crushed my left thumb at work, and I haven't shot it in 8 years. Now that I'm in Portland, I need to get back into it. I also have a collection of older recurve bows that I picked up from a co-worker in Spokane. I also find old bows at yard sales for $5-10 and add them to my collection. I need to re-align priorities!

**RVTECH** · 01-24-2009, 10:10 AM

Browning 2 cam

Ha! thats what I started with about 30 years ago - then I upgraded to the then, Hi-Tech-for-the-time, Hoyt Pro Hunter which I still have. At the time a great bow but now with all the mini-bows and carbon arrows I wouldn't know which way to go if I got back into it - which I have been thinking about for a while.

**daddio** · 01-30-2009, 09:08 PM

I was given mt current bow as a Christmas gift from my uncle. It is a Hoyt 2006, 75th anniversary edition with Hoyt multi-pin sights. I run Muzzy 100 grain, 3-blade broadheads on Easton axis carbon 340's. I love it! I've shot a few different manufacturers bows but this one is by far my favorite. Especially at the price!

**Just Jim** · 02-03-2009, 10:36 PM

I picked up an old fiberglass 50# longbow at an estate sale and have been buying stuff to go with it as I go. Found a box of 25 mostly new aluminum arrows for $25 along with six hunting broadheads and 25 target tips. Ya it's old stuff but better to learn on old cheap stuff than throw away big money.

jj