Bow hunting with a traditional bow
 

hey folks. Haven't been on here in a while. However I have lately been getting into archery. My issue is that I'm starting with a recurve bow thats above my strength at 55 lbs. Im thinking of picking up a traditional horse bow link below. At a more reasonable weight closer to 30lbs. I know big game is off the table with a bow this power. But what about small game and birds? I looked and there was nothing saying you could but nothing saying you couldn't. Just wondering what you guys think. Another question besides my own skill is there anything wrong with a full strength bow like the one below for big game hunting?

https://traditionalbowshop.com/en/bo...-horsebow.html

I have never shot a horse bow before, I thought most of them have no arrow shelf and are ambidextrous. I’m not sure if that would or wouldn’t be an issue for shooting hunting arrows. Obviously they are designed to be shot off of a horse but maybe would be ok for hunting. I was signed up for a mounted archery clinic but it was postponed cause of the rona

There’s nothing wrong with it but...of the people I’ve seen shooting them not one has been even remotely accurate enough to hit anything with certainty. I’d get a lower poundage recurve if I was interested in hunting.

Something else to think about most people should be able to draw 50 lbs.
take that bow and shoot it a few times a night and you’ll work into it faster than you realize.

Agreed. You need to be an experienced archer to get accuracy with this bow.

Trad Shooting
 

Hi, I would hope you will take the re-curve out and shoot it alot, this would become a strength training opportunity and will really help with draw, stance, and release. That style of bow has no center shelf for your arrow to rest on and shoots off the hand or knuckle, it can be a very accurate bow, but most of my experience says not if your just getting into bow hunting. A center shot bow has alot less arrow paradox and is easier to tune your arrow too than a bow shooting around the left or right side. Hitting power aside shot placement and vitals are key, as well as the distance your shot is from the animal. I shoot a longbow at 48 pounds and have taken Moose, Elk, Deer, Black Bear with it over the years, not to mention hundreds of gophers and rabbits, and grouse, It can be done all it takes is practice.
Good Luck, and remember take your shot, where the arrow lands is the target.

Save your money and build up your practice.
 

You would be surprised how your body adapts to shooting a bow. I started with a 55 and it took some time to get proficient but less than i thought. At first, i started with just half drawing the bow and letting it down 10-20 times per day with both hands. I started to add a few inches to the draw using an old arrow i marked in increments. It helped to wrap a rubber band Around the arrow at the length i was going for. The important part was not to rush and use a good technique. Within 2-3 weeks i was able to draw and hold the weight comfortably. From here I started to shoot at a close target (max 20 arrows).

I protected my joints with a good warmup of 3 minutes of arm circles of various sizes and in both directions (thanks Tony Horton from the p90 craze). Building up technique with a routine helped me more than shooting a light bow. Lower # bows helped accuracy but also allowed some flaws to develop in my technique because I was less conscious of my draw. Seems counterintuitive at first but i had to be patient to speed up the process.

Stick with the 50.
My 17 year old went from a 30lb OMP recurve last fall to a 50lb Stryker longbow. For the first couple months he really regretted it, but now with perseverance and spending 20 minutes a night with one of these https://www.lancasterarchery.com/sau...r-trainer.html
He is doing quite well. At the range if he does more than 1/2 dozen ends he is starting to tire...but he definitely feels ready for hunting.