2008.09.02
Deer hunting with a recurve: Taking the plunge
A few weeks ago I was looking at the list of items that will be up for auction at the Hunters for the Hungry banquet Sept. 27 in Salem. There are a few bows on the list and I was thinking it might be time to upgrade to something faster than my old (but quiet and reliable) Parker Hunter Mag.
Well, I just bought a bow. But it's hardly an upgrade. It's a recurve, a bow even slower than my compound.
But I am seriously thinking it could be my hunting bow this fall.
It's not that I think bowhunting with a compound has gotten too easy. It hasn't. I still consider every deer I kill with my compound to be an achievement.
I just love shooting traditional bows. And I figure if I can shoot it well enough to hit a deer (well) at 15 yards or so, why not hunt with it?
The bow is not fancy. It's a Chinese-made Samick Deer Master take-down. New, they cost about $200. This one was used so I got it for less. Sure, I wish I could afford a Black Widow or other gorgeous recurve. But I have to admit this thing shoots great.
In fact, the guy I got it from had several bows for me to try, including a few high-end bows he didn't intend to sell. For me, this thing shot the best of the bunch. I was really impressed.
One thing I like about this bow is the draw weight. It's 45 pounds at 28 inches, which means it's probably about 50 pounds at my 30-inch draw. So, unlike when I'm shooting my dad's old Bear Alaskan (which is more like 65 pounds at my draw length), I can acutally shoot this thing more than 10 times without killing myself.
I'm shooting decent groups already at 15 yards. So unless something strange happens in the next few weeks and I lose all confidence, I think I'll be ready to haul this thing out there on Oct. 4.
When one of my buddies started shooting traditional he sold his compound so he wouldn't be tempted to revert. But I'm not ready to go that far yet.
