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Recurve, longbow, or compound?
I own a compound bow that I like to shoot, but the extra maintenance with all the technology is irritating when it's not all set up correctly, and I never have enough continuous time to set it perfectly. the other day I shot a Fred Bear Montana Longbow out of curiosity and liked it quite a bit, it felt really good to shoot, but I also like to shoot my compound a lot also. I liked how light the longbow was, and the simplicity of it made everything else simple. I like the compound's power and accuracy. Are compounds inherently more accurate, or can longbows be as accurate with practice? I'm seriously considering selling my compound and getting a longbow, but should I look into recurves first? I've only been shooting seriously this summer I don't really have access to a longbow except to test fire at the local sporting goods store, so should I just stay with the compound, or make the switch?
Do you have a dual cam compound? It can be somewhat of a pain getting and keeping them in tune. I love my single cam Diamond Black Ice. I'm old enough to remember when compounds first compounds first starting showing up in the woods (circa 1970-71). I shot a 45lbs. Fred Bear that was a thing of beauty. I took my first deer with it in two feet of snow in Michigan. Those were the... BAD old days! I still shoot longbows and recurves with friends as we get ready for deer season or just mess around. Dragging a long piece of strung wood (lighter than a compound though) around through brush is a pain. You always have to think about it snagging and making noise. My Black Ice goes on my back and hides behind my 6' plus frame. Speed--speed! The compound can't easily be "jumped" (mine never has--a reason I don't go to a crossbow although it's legal here). The modern dampening stops and frames make so little noise that I've seen poor shooting hunters get a second chance shot. That doesn't happen when a recurve goes "whaaannnnggggg". I can shoot out to 60 yards with my setup without a thought of being an unethical hunter. I could boil an egg waiting for the same shot to hit from a longbow or recurve. I don't like wood in the freezing cold where I grew up. Glock ka-boom and Bear snap are two things I don't want to experience. How about aiming? What comparison is there between compound sighting and non-compound sighting? And you can add magnifying reticles to most compound sights now (or so I've heard... OK, I'm over 50). How about hold time while you're waiting for prey to clear an obstacle or turn to give you a shot? I'm loving 80% let off at those moments.
Recurve and longbow advantages? Well, throw them in the trunk unstrung (DON'T FORGET THEM for a day in the heat or... oh yeah, advantages). They take up very little room. No huge case. Tube quiver and a stick with a string. And you can fish cane pole style with... I digress again. The wood is truly beautiful. There's a charm to shooting a primitive weapon for game. If you love musket hunting for turkey or black powder only for deer, the wood is good.
I think the Montana is a charming longbow. I waxed nostalgic with a guy with one Saturday. Then I shot the fool out of a Mathews R7. I'm not going back. I'll grow a beard for the Stanley Cup if the Red Wings are still in it. I'll drop a ball in an old-fashioned barrel loader and risk my life. But wrapping my ankle with some wood while I torque a recurve to wrestle the string on is not my cup of nostalgia. Compound 10, woodies 1 with Mathews and Bowtech each having hat tricks.
