I have been interested in getting into Archery for sometime now and I just bought my first bow. Its recurve and is 60 inches with a 30 pound draw weight. I know 30pds is not much but like I said im new at it and I want to learn how to shoot. Athough 30pd draw would problably get some wild game if I can learn to shoot it. I am left handed so I had to order a lefty. Actually it will shoot left or right handed. My daughter has one and she wants me to shoot with her. I figure Bow hunting would be a good skill to have. I wonder what the Indian bows were in pound wise?
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I orderd my first Bow
- Thread starter Wildone39
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Excellent advice. Archery has been my love since the 1960's (constructing, competition shooting, hunting, instructing, etc). Solid form and technique will help to build consistency which is the key to successful and enjoyable archery. Starting with the lighter bow is the only sensible way to achieve these goals.
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I believe each state has their own regulations on this. I know in Ohio, that we cannot legally hunt deer with anything less than a 40# bow However, some states are 35#. Although, I do not doubt if you had to that you could take a deer with a 30 pound bow with the right shot placement. (Although I do not believe it is legal in many if any places in the US)
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Yeah, typically 40# is the legal minimum draw weight. But, you could definitly kill a deer with 30#, shot placement is key though with any weight. I thought I remember hearing that Indians used surprisingly light bows, like around the 30# range. Someone else would probably know better though.
30# is a great weight to start with, so don't worry. You can always upgrade to a 45 pounder when you get consistent with the 30.
Congratulations, on your purchase, archery is a great sport that I just got into myself.
P.S. If you're in the market for some leather (quiver, armguard, etc.) Our own MtnFolkMike does some killer leatherwork. If you do a search you'll find some examples of his stuff.
ETA: survival wise, you would probably be fine, but legally you need to check the regulations for minimum draw weight for each animal you plan to hunt in your state.
30# is a great weight to start with, so don't worry. You can always upgrade to a 45 pounder when you get consistent with the 30.
Congratulations, on your purchase, archery is a great sport that I just got into myself.
P.S. If you're in the market for some leather (quiver, armguard, etc.) Our own MtnFolkMike does some killer leatherwork. If you do a search you'll find some examples of his stuff.
ETA: survival wise, you would probably be fine, but legally you need to check the regulations for minimum draw weight for each animal you plan to hunt in your state.
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30 # is enough of course check out the legal issues. Keep your shots to 15 yds or so, not much more for deer sized game. I would recommend training with the bow you have and moving up to a 45# or so before trying to take any big game.
But yeah 30# is enough. Your kit needs to be well tuned and matched, arrows will need to have perfect flight and your broadhead, should be so sharp itll shave sunlight. also youll have to pick your shots more carefully, Id be a little squemish about taking a shot on a deer sized critter if he was quartering towards me, quartering away or broadside given all of the above requirements , sure.
From what I understand Native Americans (southeast) used bows about that weight for hunting 30-40 ish #. And longer heavier bows for warfare 50-60+ to shoot longer distances.
Concentrate on getting close with that little bow, like an Indian
Have fun! most of all and pull with your back muscles!! not your shoulder. When your doing it right your forearm will make somewhat of a straight line with the arrow. Watch the high elbow.
Hope I didnt just come off all know it all
Here is a site Ive learned loads from, from shooting techniques to making your own equiptment. http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/TF/lw/THREADSX2.CFM
I hope you enjoy traditional archery as much as I used to!:thumbup:
But yeah 30# is enough. Your kit needs to be well tuned and matched, arrows will need to have perfect flight and your broadhead, should be so sharp itll shave sunlight. also youll have to pick your shots more carefully, Id be a little squemish about taking a shot on a deer sized critter if he was quartering towards me, quartering away or broadside given all of the above requirements , sure.
From what I understand Native Americans (southeast) used bows about that weight for hunting 30-40 ish #. And longer heavier bows for warfare 50-60+ to shoot longer distances.
Concentrate on getting close with that little bow, like an Indian
Have fun! most of all and pull with your back muscles!! not your shoulder. When your doing it right your forearm will make somewhat of a straight line with the arrow. Watch the high elbow.
Hope I didnt just come off all know it all
Here is a site Ive learned loads from, from shooting techniques to making your own equiptment. http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/TF/lw/THREADSX2.CFM
I hope you enjoy traditional archery as much as I used to!:thumbup:
Last edited:
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I dont know about hogs with that setup. Someone else may could say better as my bow is 46#. Hogs have that shoulder plate to contend with thats a little harder to slip an arrow into.
Hella yeah on the rabbits though. Heck if you try hard enough you can SCARE a rabbit to death,
should be great hunting with a lite short little bow!Ill stop hijacking now
Wildone - you did the right thing to order a 30# bow. I actually started with a 25# bow and worked my way up to 40# which is right for my shooting style and interests. In Colo. 35# is the minimum draw weight for legal hunting. This is deceptive as draw weights are measured at a standard 28 inch draw. Also, the only accurate way to measure poundage is with a bow scale. Add about 5 pounds of draw weight for each inch. For example, I draw just over 29 inches. My 40# bow scaled at 43#. Adding 5+ pounds to that for my extra draw length, I was pulling about 48#.
You also have to consider energy efficiency. My 25# recurve is a lot more efficient than my 35# replica longbow. In other words, an arrow shot with the 25# recurve goes a lot faster then one shot with the longbow, even though it is 10 pounds heavier.
Arrow selection and tuning play a large part in this as well. The best advice I can giveyou is to consider what you want to do with the bow first and then work backwards from there. For sure, you are not going to kill a hog with a 30# bow. If you hit it, you will wound it and it may charge.
I would not worry about hunting just yet. Like everyone says, practice and concentrate on building good form. You will increase your ability to pull a bow as you do so and then get yourself a hunting weight bow. You will want to shoot a lot of arrows and the only way to do that without injury is a light bow. Hunters train for 1 shot and can pull a heavy bow for that one shot. It is very tiring to shoot a lot of arrows with a heavy bow. Your form will suffer.
As far as Native American bows, in "Hunting with the Bow and Arrow" Saxton Pope has a great description of various museum bows that he and Ishi tested 100 years ago. The average draw weight was 40 pounds if I recall correctly. None of them were very efficient. Add to that poorly spined and un-tuned arrows and you have archery equipment that would make a very poor showing when compared to what a modern recurve can do. Ishi relied on his stalking and calling skills to take game. According to Pope, he got real close.
For sure check out the Leatherwall forum. Lots of good info there.
You should look to see if there is an archery club or an instructor in your area. It can be a big help for a beginner.
Most of all, shoot a lot of arrows and have fun.
You also have to consider energy efficiency. My 25# recurve is a lot more efficient than my 35# replica longbow. In other words, an arrow shot with the 25# recurve goes a lot faster then one shot with the longbow, even though it is 10 pounds heavier.
Arrow selection and tuning play a large part in this as well. The best advice I can giveyou is to consider what you want to do with the bow first and then work backwards from there. For sure, you are not going to kill a hog with a 30# bow. If you hit it, you will wound it and it may charge.
I would not worry about hunting just yet. Like everyone says, practice and concentrate on building good form. You will increase your ability to pull a bow as you do so and then get yourself a hunting weight bow. You will want to shoot a lot of arrows and the only way to do that without injury is a light bow. Hunters train for 1 shot and can pull a heavy bow for that one shot. It is very tiring to shoot a lot of arrows with a heavy bow. Your form will suffer.
As far as Native American bows, in "Hunting with the Bow and Arrow" Saxton Pope has a great description of various museum bows that he and Ishi tested 100 years ago. The average draw weight was 40 pounds if I recall correctly. None of them were very efficient. Add to that poorly spined and un-tuned arrows and you have archery equipment that would make a very poor showing when compared to what a modern recurve can do. Ishi relied on his stalking and calling skills to take game. According to Pope, he got real close.
For sure check out the Leatherwall forum. Lots of good info there.
You should look to see if there is an archery club or an instructor in your area. It can be a big help for a beginner.
Most of all, shoot a lot of arrows and have fun.
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Archery is a lot of fun and a very family oriented activity. My kids used to go to the local 3D shoots with me. I'd do a "serious" round then a bunch of us would have "family groups" really funny to watch former ASA World Champs hanging out and talking smack with a 6 year old (my 6 year old daughter talking smack, not the former pro. 
)
Depending on the legality of the equipment in your state, small game is fun and you can use old rifle casings instead of "blunts". It's a great way to really sharpen your instinctive shooting skills.
Being able to judge yardage is a vital archery skill, more so using primitive (meaning non-compound) equipment. A good way to work on your form without worrying about a target is the "blind bag" drill. Set up a raised target bag and shoot from about 2 yards from it with your eyes closed (once you come full draw.) It's a very good way to work on proper form if you use video cameras and stuff...... probably more than you want to do but I used to probably shoot 100+ blind bag shots every day when I was shooting competitively. I found it very relaxing.
)Depending on the legality of the equipment in your state, small game is fun and you can use old rifle casings instead of "blunts". It's a great way to really sharpen your instinctive shooting skills.
Being able to judge yardage is a vital archery skill, more so using primitive (meaning non-compound) equipment. A good way to work on your form without worrying about a target is the "blind bag" drill. Set up a raised target bag and shoot from about 2 yards from it with your eyes closed (once you come full draw.) It's a very good way to work on proper form if you use video cameras and stuff...... probably more than you want to do but I used to probably shoot 100+ blind bag shots every day when I was shooting competitively. I found it very relaxing.
You guys are great! Thanks for all of the info on this. I am happy that I ordered the 30 draw weight. I need to hone my skills. I really appreciate the info guys. I am just amazed of how a man can take a stick and string and make a weapon or tool to survive. To me, this is a fascinating thing. Im gonna learn with this bow and get really good and then Ill go from there with larger bows. All I have to do now is wait till it gets here.
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Check out your state's game laws. Usually, the 35+ pound draw rule is for big game. Meaning small game, like rabbits, can be taken with a lighter bow.
Like the others said, 30# is a great start weight.
Like the others said, 30# is a great start weight.
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Be happy you chose a 30# draw!
My first recurve was a long, low draw weight, cheap Ben Pearson Colt I picked up at a yard sale. I had no intentions of hunting with it; I just wanted something to mess around with.
It was a blast! I had a lot of fun with the bow and launched a LOT of arrows. When I started becoming dependably accurate with it, I decided I would want to deer hunt with a bow, so I bought a shorter, heavier draw weight bow for hunting. And suddenly, the pure joy and fun of shooting was gone.
There's nothing like a light bow to build your confidence and skill with. Enjoy it!
Stay sharp,
desmobob
My first recurve was a long, low draw weight, cheap Ben Pearson Colt I picked up at a yard sale. I had no intentions of hunting with it; I just wanted something to mess around with.
It was a blast! I had a lot of fun with the bow and launched a LOT of arrows. When I started becoming dependably accurate with it, I decided I would want to deer hunt with a bow, so I bought a shorter, heavier draw weight bow for hunting. And suddenly, the pure joy and fun of shooting was gone.
There's nothing like a light bow to build your confidence and skill with. Enjoy it!
Stay sharp,
desmobob
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I had this Linky in my bookmarks for reference... I kinda suspect that a lot of bows this guy talks about may have been kids bows as generally bows were reasonably well made but I haven't checked him out so wouldn't swear to it either way.
Just happened to notice that the author says the information comes from several books so I suspect I am right about the kids bow's.
The Southeastern tribes, Cherokee, Creek, and others made their bows out of several different woods depending on what was available in their particular area. When Mulberry is talked about being used for a bow wood a lot of folks make the mistake of thinking it was the sap wood that was used when in reality it is the heartwood, same as Osage Orange, Hedge apple, Hedge, Bois D' Arc, all the same tree.
Bows could run from 40 to 80 pounds draw. There's a Creek Osage Orange bow on display at Mohawk Park here in Tulsa that I'd estimate at about 60 # draw, I'd give my left pinkie for it, no questions asked.
In case anyone didn't check the link at the top of the page in the first website above this Linky is the index page to the whole site. 
I understand from some of my Lakota buds in So Dakota that it wasn't unknown for some of the old Lakota bow's to be well over 100 # draw and I don't have any reason to doubt it. It's gonna take a pretty heavy bow to sink even a 24" arrow up to the fletching in the side of a buffalo you're riding along side of on horseback!
Just happened to notice that the author says the information comes from several books so I suspect I am right about the kids bow's.
The Southeastern tribes, Cherokee, Creek, and others made their bows out of several different woods depending on what was available in their particular area. When Mulberry is talked about being used for a bow wood a lot of folks make the mistake of thinking it was the sap wood that was used when in reality it is the heartwood, same as Osage Orange, Hedge apple, Hedge, Bois D' Arc, all the same tree.
Bows could run from 40 to 80 pounds draw. There's a Creek Osage Orange bow on display at Mohawk Park here in Tulsa that I'd estimate at about 60 # draw, I'd give my left pinkie for it, no questions asked.
In case anyone didn't check the link at the top of the page in the first website above this Linky is the index page to the whole site.
I understand from some of my Lakota buds in So Dakota that it wasn't unknown for some of the old Lakota bow's to be well over 100 # draw and I don't have any reason to doubt it. It's gonna take a pretty heavy bow to sink even a 24" arrow up to the fletching in the side of a buffalo you're riding along side of on horseback!
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Yes, if you are proficient enough, small game such as rabbits are legal for a 30# bow. Or, at least that is what I have heard aroun here. I also started with a #30 and right now I shoot a #40 pound. When I go hunting I tend to go toward a #45 for deer. (Which is odd in my family - dad uses 75# and brother uses a 55+ pound)
Hogs I wouldn't go with a 30#. They are some tough little critters if the shot isn't perfect. If you slightly are off aim, you could hit the shoulder plate which, to my knowledge is rather thick.
Hogs I wouldn't go with a 30#. They are some tough little critters if the shot isn't perfect. If you slightly are off aim, you could hit the shoulder plate which, to my knowledge is rather thick.
Oh, Im not going to hunt with this bow. I have mainly got it for target and sport shooting. Now on the flip side, I will get a larger bow for the future. I want to stay with traditional type of bows, not compound. I would like to get into hunting with a larger bow in the future but right now, I couldnt hit the broad side of a barn with one so this is a hole new way of sport for me. I think Im gonna like it though.
I'm glad to see you got a #30 bow to start with, sometimes our egos keeps us from doing the right thing.
Take it slow and learn good form and your range time will become enjoyable.
Too much weight leads to bad form and missed targets, lost arrows and not much fun.
I've had recurves up to #70 and to be honest, my #45 bow still gets the most use. I need to order lighter limbs for my nicer takedowns so they get some play time, they just get to watch right now.
Have fun and post pics when you get your new bow.
Take it slow and learn good form and your range time will become enjoyable.
Too much weight leads to bad form and missed targets, lost arrows and not much fun.
I've had recurves up to #70 and to be honest, my #45 bow still gets the most use. I need to order lighter limbs for my nicer takedowns so they get some play time, they just get to watch right now.
Have fun and post pics when you get your new bow.