Trad archery gear for a newbie

raindog101

raindog101

Joined
Jan 22, 2007
Messages
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I'm going to be getting back into archery, and have decided to go traditional. I have a nice recurve all picked out, and am looking to pick up some accessories soon. Now I know this isn't exactly knife-related, but I thought I'd ask for some recommendations on leather gear from all you trad archers over here. I'm trying to keep the cost down, so it just has to work, not look exceptionally pretty. I'm going to start with an armguard, glove, and quiver (haven't decided between side or back or bow, so feel to chime in with pros and cons). It'd be nice to get a set that somewhat matches in color, but it's not super-important. I've been lurking over on tradgang.com for a few days, and have some good ideas already. But I know you guys a little better, so thought I'd ask for advice over here.
 
Mtnfolk Mike's leatherwork is fantastic.
I shoot with one of his quivers and also own a small pouch by him that I carry my traditional fire kit in.
Everyone down at hunting camp really liked his work and was amazed at the quality.
He is also a great guy to deal with.

Great quiver.
 
many thanks for all of the kind words folks...:o

there has been some good advice given already.. www.tradgang.com is another awesome forum.. there are lots of cool folks that frequent that place.. go and check out their classifieds.. i have bought a few decent bows from there...

the key when starting out, is to start off with a fairly lightweight bow, 35-45 #'s... you need allow your body to build muscle memory, all while developing a solid anchor point...
www.tradbow.com is the site for "traditional bowhunter magazine"... t.j. conrads the founder/editor for the mag. recently wrote a really a really good book, called "the traditional bowhunters handbook"... it is packed with all sorts of valuble information and should answer a lot of questions you might have... it is available at www.3riverarchery.com or from the tradbow site.. check it out. it's definately worth buying... if you order it through www.tradbow.com call in your order and have t.j. autograph it...:thumbup:

feel free to drop me a line if you have any specific questions or if you need any leather goods...:o

cheers.. mike
 
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raindog - if you are in Colo. and don't mind the drive to Arvada, one of the best trad. archery and knife shops in the region awaits you. Also, Colorado Traditional Archers Society holds it annual shoot west and north of Glenwood Springs. If you are interested in either or both, let me know and I can get you the details.

Also check out www.stickbow.com and the leatherwall forum.
 
The best place, IMHO, to find trad archery is:

www.tradgang.com


Three Rivers is good, kinda spendy at times
FS Discount Archery has never done me wrong, they sell compound stuff also so you have to search around their site.
TradTechArchery is pretty good too

Now for options.
I prefer a quiver on my bow when I'm hunting. If I'm out stump shooting I'll carry a back quiver just to hold alot of arrows...those things seem to get lost and broken. :)
Armguard...yes
Tab or glove...I have both and prefer a tab, I used to only shoot a glove...personal preference.
Start with a low poundage bow!!!!!!!
When I was shooting compound I was shooting #70 all day, went to a #50 recurve and that was tough!!!
Now I shoot #45-#65 bows but its taken alot to get there. Currently shooting #45 because of shoulder surgery a few months ago.
Also....HAVE FUN!!!!
You're not going to be Howard Hill, Fred Bear, Ben Pearson overnight...stick with it.
The flight of the arrow is beautiful!!!!
There ain't nothing better than a day out stump shooting with the family and the dog.
Slinging arrows and killing pine cones and TRYING to shoot chipmunks sure makes a good day.
Building your own stuff is a blast also, you'll get there.
If you need help just ask.
 
Wow. Thanks for all the great recommendations, guys! I have been looking at some basic kit from the 3 Rivers site, and will probably start with a glove and armguard from there. As far as quivers, I plan on mostly shooting in my backyard, so no quiver required there. As the spring approaches, I'll be looking for something, maybe a side quiver. By then, the finances should have stabilized, and Mike, I will be calling you then.
As far as the bow, I've tentatively decided on a PSE Heritage Impala, 45# at 28". The local shop has one, and it seemed to be a very nice fit for me. Not too flashy either. And the price ain't bad.

Mike: Thanks for the tip on the handbook. I hadn't seen that on the 3 Rivers site, but I'll definitely be picking that up. And you will be hearing from me in the next 2-3 months, for sure.

MBTull: I'm not real near Arvada. I'm out in Grand Junction. But the next time I'm over on that side of the hill, I'll look it up. As far as the shoot goes, I'm interested for sure. Any idea when it happens? If it's in the spring, I may not be ready to do any shooting, but would love to go just to hang out.

Ammohouse: Hope the shoulder is holding up OK! I settled on 45#, it seemed pretty smooth in the shop. I'm sure it will take a bit of getting used to. I'm pretty out of shape for that kind of thing. Just getting over a neck thing, so I gotta take it pretty slow. And thanks for the recommendations on the sites, I'll definitely check those out.
 
raindog101 said:
Wow. Thanks for all the great recommendations, guys! I have been looking at some basic kit from the 3 Rivers site, and will probably start with a glove and armguard from there. As far as quivers, I plan on mostly shooting in my backyard, so no quiver required there. As the spring approaches, I'll be looking for something, maybe a side quiver. By then, the finances should have stabilized, and Mike, I will be calling you then.
As far as the bow, I've tentatively decided on a PSE Heritage Impala, 45# at 28". The local shop has one, and it seemed to be a very nice fit for me. Not too flashy either. And the price ain't bad.

Mike: Thanks for the tip on the handbook. I hadn't seen that on the 3 Rivers site, but I'll definitely be picking that up. And you will be hearing from me in the next 2-3 months, for sure.

MBTull: I'm not real near Arvada. I'm out in Grand Junction. But the next time I'm over on that side of the hill, I'll look it up. As far as the shoot goes, I'm interested for sure. Any idea when it happens? If it's in the spring, I may not be ready to do any shooting, but would love to go just to hang out.

Ammohouse: Hope the shoulder is holding up OK! I settled on 45#, it seemed pretty smooth in the shop. I'm sure it will take a bit of getting used to. I'm pretty out of shape for that kind of thing. Just getting over a neck thing, so I gotta take it pretty slow. And thanks for the recommendations on the sites, I'll definitely check those out.
Click to expand...

sounds good man... keep me posted.... :thumbup:

you're a lucky dog, living in CO...:o i just love it out there... it is a mecca for all things outdoors... i used to go there a few times a year, my X's mom lives in Loveland... i have also summited a few 14ers too, back in the day....:(
i would move there in a heart beat, but the misses, still needs to be convinced...:rolleyes: even though she actually has a bunch of family outside of Denver..

45#'s is a good weight to start with...:thumbup: BTW i also make custom wood arrows....:D

i shoot a cool 58 in. longbow (a.k.a. brushbow), made by a Ca. bowyer named Steve Abbott... i love it.. it pulls 47#'s @ 28 in.. i love it.. it's got a cocobollo riser, osage on the face and yew on the belly of the limbs, under clear glass.. he even uses micarta tip overlays..

IMG_3402.jpg
 
mtnfolk mike said:
sounds good man... keep me posted.... :thumbup:

you're a lucky dog, living in CO...:o i just love it out there... it is a mecca for all things outdoors... i used to go there a few times a year, my X's mom lives in Loveland... i have also summited a few 14ers too, back in the day....:(
i would move there in a heart beat, but the misses, still needs to be convinced...:rolleyes: even though she actually has a bunch of family outside of Denver..

45#'s is a good weight to start with...:thumbup: BTW i also make custom wood arrows....:D

i shoot a cool 58 in. longbow (a.k.a. brushbow), made by a Ca. bowyer named Steve Abbott... i love it.. it pulls 47#'s @ 28 in.. i love it.. it's got a cocobollo riser, osage on the face and yew on the belly of the limbs, under clear glass.. he even uses micarta tip overlays..

IMG_3402.jpg
Click to expand...

I've been digging on that bow I always see in your pics. Would def be something I could see myself upgrading to down the line. And I'll take you up on those arrows sometime soon. Maybe very soon. I was considering going aluminum or carbon, but if you're gonna go trad, might as well go all the way, huh? And if you're ever out this side of the mountains, drop me a line. We could go stump shooting up on the Grand Mesa, or just bum around Moab (about 1 hour 20 minutes away from my house). And thanks again for the solid advice.
 
I shoot alum, carbon and wood, it kinda depends on what hits me at the time. I also think some of my bows like certain arrows. My Brackenbury really loves heavy old wood shafts!!! I've started footing shafts and that really makes a pretty arrow, will kinda bum you out when you break one though.
Here's a couple bows of mine:
Brackenbury with Kingwood and Ebony, Waterfall Bubinga limbs:
brack3.jpg

brack2.jpg


A Fat Hunter bow with Zebra Wood and Purpleheart:
FH3.jpg

FH2.jpg



A great picture of Elk Camp:
Bows1resize.jpg
 
I just got into archery myself. Got a bow for Christmas, and went to my first shoot not to long ago.

Do yourself a favor and pick up that book Mike recommended, it is great and will answer a lot of questions you might have.

As far as quivers go, I really like the side quiver that Mike makes. I used his pattern to make one for myself. In my opinion it is more comfortable, and VERY easy to get to your arrows.

Do yourself a HUGE favor and place an order for a set from Mike when you are ready. He puts out quality stuff at a price that won't break the bank. I know him personally, and he is a stand up guy, and I don't think you will find one person that will say they've had a bad experience dealing with him.
 
I also have a couple books written by G. Fred Asbell that are pretty good.
If you want to borrow them just drop me a line.
All this talk sure gets you excited doesn't it!
 
AmmoHouse said:
I also have a couple books written by G. Fred Asbell that are pretty good.
If you want to borrow them just drop me a line.
All this talk sure gets you excited doesn't it!
Click to expand...

Yeah! I'll take you up on that offer. I'll send you the postage, and my address when you're ready to send them. And I love the pics, especially that Brackenbury! And I've already been in contact with Mike, and when the time comes, I'll be ordering stuff from him for sure. Just gotta have patience, until some $ frees up.
 
Ahh, money...we never seem to have enough of it!!!!
Just drop me a PM or email with your info and I'll get them in the mail.
I'll pay postage to send it to you, you pay on the way back.
Small price to pay to get somebody started.
Read them, lets others read them, get them started on Trad and when you're done with them PLEASE send them back.
I've loaned them out to 5 different people and they really liked them.
Take what info you can, learn your own style and have fun!!!
I've read them a few times, always seem to help when I'm in a slump.
 
AmmoHouse said:
Ahh, money...we never seem to have enough of it!!!!
Just drop me a PM or email with your info and I'll get them in the mail.
I'll pay postage to send it to you, you pay on the way back.
Small price to pay to get somebody started.
Read them, lets others read them, get them started on Trad and when you're done with them PLEASE send them back.
I've loaned them out to 5 different people and they really liked them.
Take what info you can, learn your own style and have fun!!!
I've read them a few times, always seem to help when I'm in a slump.
Click to expand...

Thanks a bunch! And don't worry, I'll send them back, I promise. PM inbound.
 
Raindog - the CTAS (Colorado Traditional Archers Society)shoot is June 27, 28, 29. Here is a link: http://www.colotradarchers.com/index.html

Don't worry about being ready to shoot, just grab your gear and shoot. We camp in the national forest, its the first exit west of Glenwood and then a long slow drive to the camp site. There are a bunch of 3D ranges as well as static targets. If I go, we can make plans to meet. If you want, I will give you a lesson (I am a NFAA intermediate instructor)

Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear is in Arvada. Here is a link:
http://rmsgear.com/
They usually have a vendor tent at the CTAS shoot. I hang out there with the guys. The can help you with any kind of arrow, bow or knife you want.

Close by is Golden High Country Archers, one of the best 3D clubs in the state. Here is a link:
http://www.goldenhighcountryarchers.org/
 
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