Experience hunting with a recurve

[TxRcrvHunter]

I am new to archery and was immediately drawn to using a recurve bow to the point where I am eager to get to the range and practice as often as I can.

I would like to hear from experienced hunters who use a recurve and hear their experiences, lessons learned and any tips they can impart!

 

[ZBB]

I would say to start slow and work your way back to a decent range. I mean shooting at only a couple yards just so you can build your form. I have been doing that for the last several months and it has really helped my accuracy. Also I did the whole pick a spot on a block target and it worked well, but once I got a 3-d target a lot of things really fell into place. Clay Hayes on YouTube has some great videos on aiming and form and just general trad archery. Also make sure you get good arrows. 3 rivers archery sells test kits with different spines arrows so you can find the right one to use. They also sell a field point test kit that has different weight points. If you start shooting like shit, walk away for a little bit and come back to it. Have fun in the rabbit hole you just jumped in.
Edit: there is a lot of contrasting views within trad bows, do what you want, if you want to put a pin site on it try it, but I can tell you it does nothing if you have bad form. If you want to use carbon arrows use carbon, if it’s cedar you want go at it. All I’m saying is don’t get bothered if someone wants to look down their nose at the way you're doing things.

 

[TxRcrvHunter]

I would say to start slow and work your way back to a decent range. I mean shooting at only a couple yards just so you can build your form. I have been doing that for the last several months and it has really helped my accuracy. Also I did the whole pick a spot on a block target and it worked well, but once I got a 3-d target a lot of things really fell into place. Clay Hayes on YouTube has some great videos on aiming and form and just general trad archery. Also make sure you get good arrows. 3 rivers archery sells test kits with different spines arrows so you can find the right one to use. They also sell a field point test kit that has different weight points. If you start shooting like shit, walk away for a little bit and come back to it. Have fun in the rabbit hole you just jumped in.
Edit: there is a lot of contrasting views within trad bows, do what you want, if you want to put a pin site on it try it, but I can tell you it does nothing if you have bad form. If you want to use carbon arrows use carbon, if it’s cedar you want go at it. All I’m saying is don’t get bothered if someone wants to look down their nose at the way you're doing things.

That's great information ZBB, thank you for that. I'm shooting with a 45# recurve from Cabela's that I really like. I'm also using Carbon arrows that are 400-500 spine and using 150 gr field points. There's an archery range that I go practice at and they tweaked my bow and made sure the arrows fly true. I've been practicing from different ranges, I am up to 20 yards and am grouping my shots fairly close (See Image). I feel my instinctive aim is good, but have not used it on a 3-d target outside.

 

[JTHOMP]

Disclaimer - Not an experienced bow hunter much less traditional hunter

I was big into it for about a year. Took it on one hunt for pigs. I thought I was ready but the first time I drew back on an animal at 25yds I had no idea where the arrow was going and shot about 4 feet over the sow's back. So even when you get good at targets try target shooting in the woods or stump shooting. One thing it did though was make me a much better compound shooter if you ever decided to put the training wheels on.

Best advice I can give is to not start with a heavy weight. 45lbs max and thats plenty enough to hunt with as well. Start at 10yds or less and do not step back until you are proficient and focus on form. Also if you can find a local group of people to shoot with that will help as well. I made a lot of friends in the trad community. Some have made some great trad bow accomplishments and others like myself it was something fun to shoot. My recurve is now my go to bowfishing bow. Best of luck to you.

 

[TxRcrvHunter]

Exactly JTHOMP. I need to practice outside on 3-D target so I can learn how to aim while learning how to judge various distances.

 

[wytex]

You'll learn to judge that wind also by getting outside . Stump shooting is a great way to practice judging distances, every shot is a little different.

 

[BrentD]

It is hard. You earn everything you get with it. It is immensely satisfying, if you have the time to devote to it. Go for it but go slow like others have suggested. 45# is plenty to kill anything. Have fun!

 

[gouch]

I killed my first deer 50 years ago this fall, using a 50# recurve. It's been my favorite weapon ever since. One of the biggest problems people seem to have, myself included, is that they shoot at the animal. When your using a compound with sights you force yourself to shoot at a spot on the animal. Without the sight it takes a lot more discipline to pick a spot to shoot and way to often you end up shooting at the whole animal. I had a friend that would always tack a matchbook to any target he was shooting at, then when he shot at an animal he would imagine that matchbook on the vitals. It seemed to work for him, he killed enough critters until he left his bow strung in the cab of his pickup on a 100 degree day and it snapped in half.

 

[Greyman]

I have hunted with a recurve off and on for about 30 years. I don't shoot instinctively, I use a pin sight. I've been told every so often that using a pin sight is not "traditional" , whatever the hell that means. Pin sights have been in use a lot longer than almost all of the gear folks label as "traditional" . I figure, I owe it to the critter I'm shooting at to make the shot as accurate as possible

 

[Pucky Freak]

I made more mistakes than I can count learning to hunt with recurve. Here's the best I can offer from my share of headaches:

1. If you get tired, sore, injured, frustrated, or start to break form, quit for the day and come back only when you're ready. Even if you just fired one arrow, be ok with quitting.
2. Develop good habits early on and then reinforce them. Breaking bad habits is hard
3. Shooting instinctively is a true pleasure of trad bow hunting - well worth the patience in learning
4. Master shooting at 5 yard targets before moving on to 10 yard targets. This seems tedious, but it's easier to detect mistakes and correct them at short distances
5. If you're arrows don't fly straight for whatever reason (see your far right arrow in the pic), figure out why and correct. Get consultation if you get stuck - there are many causes for this, and there is a lot of different physics involved. A very straight flying arrow is necessary for adequate penetration. Otherwise, the arrow will stick about 2 inches into the game and only wound it. I have sadly lost two animals due to this
6. If you hunt from a treestand or other elevation (up or down), it's a whole new game. Make sure you master these shots on a target before taking one at game
7. Know in advance that the hardest part to making a killing shot on an animal is having to draw back the bow with the animal being close. It's not like you can sit there for a minute holding #50 back. Be prepared to pass on lots of shots that you could have easily taken with a compound
8. Take a great hero pick after taking down your first beast - you gain eternal bad-ass status once you finally pull off this feat

 

[Deleted member 28227]

^8. Is the most important

I would also add that you can draw and fire a lot faster that a compound bow, so use that to your advantage. I killed a turkey a couple of years ago that would just not give me an opportunity to draw, finally I just went for it... the arrow was in flight before he could even react to me drawing.

This isn’t to say you drawing on an animal isn’t difficult just that it’s totally different than a compound bow.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I would also add that you can draw and fire a lot faster that a compound bow, so use that to your advantage. I killed a turkey a couple of years ago that would just not give me an opportunity to draw, finally I just went for it... the arrow was in flight before he could even react to me drawing.

This isn’t to say you drawing on an animal isn’t difficult just that it’s totally different than a compound bow.

Yes, just like Legolas...

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Yes, just like Legolas...

Long hair helps your shooting tremendously... my abilities, like Samson’s, cratered when I cut my locks... sad

 

[Pucky Freak]

That settles it. I'm growing mine back

 

[BrentD]

#8 times 10!

 

[Mtnhunter1]

TxRcrvHunter,,,,, Some folks have given you some very good responses to you questions. I will add these tips that I have helped me throughout the years.

#1: Concentrate on the mechanics of each shot you take. This will include the way you draw the bow, the way you hold your bow, how your fingers are positioned on the string, how you are anchoring on your face, how you are viewing the target and how you are releasing the sting. It doesn’t matter what your personal mechanics are as there is not a right or wrong way to shoot a bow instinctively. But, with that said, your mechanics have to be repeatable, shot after shot after shot! This can only be achieved with a whole lot of practice flinging arrows. Shoot your bow as often as you can but always stop shooting as soon as you feel that your shot mechanics are being affected by fatigue. Shooting a stick bow requires that your build up repeatable muscle memory for your shot mechanics to stay consistent. Once your muscles start getting tired, your shot mechanics will start to breakdown. Also, while drawing your bow, do not look at your arrow! Instead, concentrate on a very small spot on the target as you draw. Focus on the spot throughout the draw process. Once you reach your anchor point, while still focused on the spot, relax your fingers to send the arrow. Once your personal mechanics are sound and repeatable, you will notice that your arrows will want to go to the spot. Shooting instinctive requires repeatability. Your peripheral vision will see your arrow as you draw. Your brain will take over and complete your shot mechanics, sending the arrow to that small spot that you are concentrating on.

#2: Once you are comfortable with your shooting mechanics, start adjusting you distance from the target. No need to figure out the yardage when shooting instinctive, ever! If your shooting mechanics are sound, again with practice, your brain will learn how to adjust for the yardage. Remember to always concentrate on the spot with each and every shot. You will find that as the distance increases, your ability to concentrate on the spot decreases.

#3: Your ability to always hold your focus on a spot will dictate how well you will shoot.
TIP-I: Go buy a bunch of ping-pong balls and golf tees. Glue the ping-pong balls to the golf tees. The golf tees will stick into about every target made, from straw bales to blocks. Use the white ping-pong ball as your spot.
TIP-II: Shooting at the ping-pong balls at or near dark will help you with your instinctive shooting. This will force you to concentrate on the little white dot and the low light will make looking down your arrow more difficult. Remember, your brain will handle your shooting mechanics, just keep your focus on dot.
TIP-III: Stick multiple ping-pong balls on the target. Then walk away from your target, dropping arrows as you go. When you are down to one arrow, shoot at a ball. Walk forward, pick up the next arrow and repeat at a different ball, repeat forward. Then change it up, close then far then close.

#4: Once you are starting to master your shooting mechanics, go buy a few Judo points. Find a place that you can walk around and pick out various things to shoot at, like tuffs of grass or a small rock on a soft hill, rotten stump. Pick softer targets but your targets must be able to stop your arrow! Hard targets and arrows skipping into the beyond will get expensive real fast. This, stump shooting, will become invaluable throughout your life as a stick bow shooter.

#5: When you think that you have the shooting mechanics thing down, go hunt! Just remember to pick that spot to focus your concentration on! An odd tuft of hair or a spot of mud on the shoulder crease will work. Use anything in the kill zone to concentrate on but pick something before you attempt to draw. Your brain will figure out the rest and everything should be automatic. HINT: If you are having trouble concentrating on a spot? Your target is probably beyond your comfortable shooting distance.

I’ll end with this; shooting a stick bow instinctively takes a lot of practice time and patience. If you have the patience, your shooting mechanics will come around. Also, once you have your shooting mechanics dialed in, it’s like riding a bike, you will never lose it. You might have to knock the rust off a bit and get your muscle memory back in shape but your mechanics will come back very quickly.

Good Luck to you and shoot straight.

“Elkfever2 QUOTE: 8. Take a great hero pick after taking down your first beast - you gain eternal bad-ass status once you finally pull off this feat”

Not my first! Not a beast! But also, not nearly the size of a big fat turkey!!



Again, Not "Beast" worthy! But a whole lot of fun with my kids along and tasty to boot!



Hard to get any serious loper hunting done with the kids along for a long weekend in Eastern Montana but we had a whole lot of fun and ate real well on birds and bunnies....

Now, 20 years later, this one might be "BEAST" worthy! Like I've said before, "I'm all in for the hunt", and this was a good one! 4 yards as he rose from his bed in the big wide open and then came out on my back.....my perfect hunt!

 

[TxRcrvHunter]

I killed my first deer 50 years ago this fall, using a 50# recurve. It's been my favorite weapon ever since. One of the biggest problems people seem to have, myself included, is that they shoot at the animal. When your using a compound with sights you force yourself to shoot at a spot on the animal. Without the sight it takes a lot more discipline to pick a spot to shoot and way to often you end up shooting at the whole animal. I had a friend that would always tack a matchbook to any target he was shooting at, then when he shot at an animal he would imagine that matchbook on the vitals. It seemed to work for him, he killed enough critters until he left his bow strung in the cab of his pickup on a 100 degree day and it snapped in half.

I've been reading about gap shooting. I'm not sure I should attempt this approach as I still learning form and developing muscle memory for my draw and aim.

 

[TxRcrvHunter]

I made more mistakes than I can count learning to hunt with recurve. Here's the best I can offer from my share of headaches:

1. If you get tired, sore, injured, frustrated, or start to break form, quit for the day and come back only when you're ready. Even if you just fired one arrow, be ok with quitting.
2. Develop good habits early on and then reinforce them. Breaking bad habits is hard
3. Shooting instinctively is a true pleasure of trad bow hunting - well worth the patience in learning
4. Master shooting at 5 yard targets before moving on to 10 yard targets. This seems tedious, but it's easier to detect mistakes and correct them at short distances
5. If you're arrows don't fly straight for whatever reason (see your far right arrow in the pic), figure out why and correct. Get consultation if you get stuck - there are many causes for this, and there is a lot of different physics involved. A very straight flying arrow is necessary for adequate penetration. Otherwise, the arrow will stick about 2 inches into the game and only wound it. I have sadly lost two animals due to this
6. If you hunt from a treestand or other elevation (up or down), it's a whole new game. Make sure you master these shots on a target before taking one at game
7. Know in advance that the hardest part to making a killing shot on an animal is having to draw back the bow with the animal being close. It's not like you can sit there for a minute holding #50 back. Be prepared to pass on lots of shots that you could have easily taken with a compound
8. Take a great hero pick after taking down your first beast - you gain eternal bad-ass status once you finally pull off this feat

All great tips indeed! I am focusing on develop muscle memory in my draw. I would like to develop a repeatable set up to my shot, like a golfer has a pre-swing routine.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I've tried it. The best I've done is a couple of grouse. Besides that I shot an arrow right over the back of a little whitetail and another time had a cow elk at about 35 yards but didn't take the shot because it was "too iffy". I went away thinking - I'm not sure I understand what's so easy about hunting with a compound bow. So I shelved the recurve at that point. They're fun to shoot and I certainly see the appeal of the challenge, I for the most part I think bowhunting is hard enough.

But I've shot traditional archery a lot. One thing I can tell you is you really have to be dedicated to staying in practice. Its a skill that is strangely more perishable than most.

 

[JohnCushman]

What helped me the most was small game hunting. Rabbits and squirrels are fun to learn with and keeps you judging distance and snap shooting. Plus, you get some tasty table fare for your success.