Haven't gotten it out much this year, but here's my Hoyt. It's a fast compound that's buttery smooth...
Calling all archers.
- Thread starter tankerjohn
- Start date
simon1
Self Ignored by Vista
Ah yes...archery. I started with an old toy bow that had the suction cup arrows. Then had the fiberglass ones that I couldn't hit .... with when I was a kid. One of my Dad's deer hunting buddies had a Bear recurve at about 45 pounds. I struggled trying to string that thing as a kid.
Dad took me to an archery range that had targets set up of game animals that you shot while walking through the wooded area. They also had a deer target on a line with pulleys that a guy would send across the shooting area. I lost some arrows.
I have a PSE compound now, that I bought years ago, that's adjustable from 60 to 70 lbs. I have the sight that has the different range markers on it but don't have a stabilizer on it. I've never used a release either...I've just used fingers. I've heard that the newer compounds are lighter in the weight of the bow itself.
I'll pull it out tomorrow and take a pic. along with the slingshots that @brucered got me back into. Dang you Bruce!
I've been strongly considering getting a good recurve though. I'm going to look into the old classics like the Fred Bear, etc.
Dad took me to an archery range that had targets set up of game animals that you shot while walking through the wooded area. They also had a deer target on a line with pulleys that a guy would send across the shooting area. I lost some arrows.
I have a PSE compound now, that I bought years ago, that's adjustable from 60 to 70 lbs. I have the sight that has the different range markers on it but don't have a stabilizer on it. I've never used a release either...I've just used fingers. I've heard that the newer compounds are lighter in the weight of the bow itself.
I'll pull it out tomorrow and take a pic. along with the slingshots that @brucered got me back into. Dang you Bruce!
I've been strongly considering getting a good recurve though. I'm going to look into the old classics like the Fred Bear, etc.
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- Thread starter
- #24
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
Just do some google searching and the links will come up. I've lurked around on a handful of forums, but haven't really got involved online yet.
There's a bowhunting club out of the range I took my kids to last week. I'm not sure how many traditional archers they have, but I will reach out once I'm up and running.
My bow is on the way! I should get it a today. Its an vintage Fred Bear longbow, but I got it from a reputable source, so it should be in good usable condition.
Thanks again for the contributions. I love the pics and stories. Keep 'em coming.
I googled withouht many local results. I thought perhaps insiders had better info
I've never been involved in archery but have just recently started to consider bowhunting as a method of pest control.
Thanks for that. The pests which I am thinking about tend to be hairy and maybe 200 pounds, but I will need to learn somewhere.
Dear AbbyW2,
Actually I wasn't thinking about fora but "oldfashioned" archery clubs - around here many do not even have web sites (and if they do these are typically hopelessly outdated...).
So I am afraid you will have to look around yourself...
A lot of the clubs over here are just a couple of archers who joined together and managed to get an agreement with the local authorities about setting up a range on public land, they don't do a lot of publicity work. The exception are usually clubs that are sponsored by archery shops...
br,
ToM
Actually I wasn't thinking about fora but "oldfashioned" archery clubs - around here many do not even have web sites (and if they do these are typically hopelessly outdated...).
So I am afraid you will have to look around yourself...
A lot of the clubs over here are just a couple of archers who joined together and managed to get an agreement with the local authorities about setting up a range on public land, they don't do a lot of publicity work. The exception are usually clubs that are sponsored by archery shops...
br,
ToM
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or pigs...
- Thread starter
- #33
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
Overdue for an update...
Here's what I've been shooting for past six months:
Its a 1954 Bear Polar. Nowadays we'd call it a longbow, but the contemporary catalog just called it a straight limbed bow to differentiate it from the Grizzly, which had a static recurve to it.
You our see the "Bear" logo there. No coin like later Bear bows have.
64" long (about 60" strung) and a 49# pull. My draw is right at 28" and the 49# feels about right to me; never actually measured it.
Its light as a feather and real joy to shoot. Pretty good for an over 60 year old bow!
The vintage Bear bows seem a lot like vintage Gillette razors. For one thing, Bear dominated the archery market in a similar way to Gillette's domination of the razor market. For another, vintage bows, like vintage razors, can still be found in excellent condition for great prices that perform right up at the same level as modern traditional bows. In fact, the traditional archery community is very similar to the wetshaving community as far as dedication to an older and somewhat harder way of doing things.
Out at the range this morning. Still don't have a proper quiver. But there's plenty of time for that.
I'm not quite to Howard Hill level just yet, but I can shoot some decent groupings at 20 yards. Well, decent for me. My only goal right now is to do a 3D shoot without completely embarrassing myself, but I would like to get good enough to hunt in the future.
Here's what I've been shooting for past six months:
Its a 1954 Bear Polar. Nowadays we'd call it a longbow, but the contemporary catalog just called it a straight limbed bow to differentiate it from the Grizzly, which had a static recurve to it.
You our see the "Bear" logo there. No coin like later Bear bows have.
64" long (about 60" strung) and a 49# pull. My draw is right at 28" and the 49# feels about right to me; never actually measured it.
Its light as a feather and real joy to shoot. Pretty good for an over 60 year old bow!
The vintage Bear bows seem a lot like vintage Gillette razors. For one thing, Bear dominated the archery market in a similar way to Gillette's domination of the razor market. For another, vintage bows, like vintage razors, can still be found in excellent condition for great prices that perform right up at the same level as modern traditional bows. In fact, the traditional archery community is very similar to the wetshaving community as far as dedication to an older and somewhat harder way of doing things.
Out at the range this morning. Still don't have a proper quiver. But there's plenty of time for that.
I'm not quite to Howard Hill level just yet, but I can shoot some decent groupings at 20 yards. Well, decent for me. My only goal right now is to do a 3D shoot without completely embarrassing myself, but I would like to get good enough to hunt in the future.
When I was 16 and picking pineapples for Dole I purchased a 49# Bear Re-curve so I could hunt Axis deer or wild goat. A character by the name of Paul Pablo Libero took my twin and I out several times but I had no luck. I did have to carry out one of his kills out for him though as payment for him taking us out with him.
Pretty recently I had found an article in Petersons Bowhunting that mentioned Pablo, Letters to the Editor Jan/Feb 2007 "Glad I met Pablo".
The stories he told us, we didn't know whether to believe or not. He was definitely quite the character and a legend on the island of Lanai, Hawaii. I won't forget his generosity though for showing two 16 year old's some of his tricks and amazing skills.
After I left for the Air Force in 1968, I later found out that my twin had sold my bow. So sad!
Mike
Pretty recently I had found an article in Petersons Bowhunting that mentioned Pablo, Letters to the Editor Jan/Feb 2007 "Glad I met Pablo".
The stories he told us, we didn't know whether to believe or not. He was definitely quite the character and a legend on the island of Lanai, Hawaii. I won't forget his generosity though for showing two 16 year old's some of his tricks and amazing skills.
After I left for the Air Force in 1968, I later found out that my twin had sold my bow. So sad!
Mike
- Thread starter
- #35
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
Cool story Mike! My pop wasn't much of an outdoorsman, so I never did any hunting growing up. When Dad left for the Army, Grandma tossed out all his comic books, for which never forgave her. LOL - original Marvel books from the 50's and 60's - they'd be worth a fortune today.
A couple of selfbows I built. The longer one on the left is about 50 lb at my draw length and is pignut hickory. The other one - and the best one - is a 60-lb osage bow. Built both with hand tools and other homemade stuff - a drying box, a draw knife, cabinet scrapers, a neat little gadget called the Bowyer's Edge, tillering board, tillering string, scale, sand paper, various files, polyurethane to seal it, and some soft leather for the grip and arrow rest.
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- Thread starter
- #37
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
Sweet bows! That's some talent you've got there.
Clean lines. It's a thing of beauty. 
Nice looking bow. How do you maintain the wood? What's the finish? Some kind of varnish?
