Bow as a Backup?

[Mr Evilwrench]

Not an expert by any measure, but though I don't Robin Hood the first one with the second one, they're real close neighbors. Over the years I've picked up a couple of decent compounds and a really nice 45lb recurve, which I always go back to. I have a cheap crossbow to play with until I can learn enough to select one intelligently. I can certainly see some brownshirts being surprised in the wrong circumstances. If they're going to bite it off, I want to see them chew it.

 

[Hookeye]

My bow would come out in a SHTF situation, strictly for hunting. Save the bullets for targets that intend to hurt you back! I have a compound bow, and am good enough to take small game at up to 30 yards, and deer out to about 50. The bow would be a personal defense backup, only if I'm out of ammo or low on ammo. It'd be in line after my .22, and just before my Ka-Bar!

Again, in a SHTF scenerio why would you HUNT for food?

I'd use what would previously be considered POACHING methods.

The longer one stays out and about the more chance there is of running into danger in the SHTF scenerio. You'd want to get what you need and get back to hiding, and if discovered by those who would do harm, something that offered a bit of protection.....if only taking one item.

That to me screams silenced rifle, be it a .22 rf or .300 blackout.

Deer with bow? OK shoot it and then track it. Yeah right.

Head shot with silenced rifle. Much easier to do and affording longer range capability. No tracking.

Pop, zip out the backstraps, boogie on home.

 

[philbert001]

Again, in a SHTF scenerio why would you HUNT for food?

I'd use what would previously be considered POACHING methods.

The longer one stays out and about the more chance there is of running into danger in the SHTF scenerio. You'd want to get what you need and get back to hiding, and if discovered by those who would do harm, something that offered a bit of protection.....if only taking one item.

That to me screams silenced rifle, be it a .22 rf or .300 blackout.

Deer with bow? OK shoot it and then track it. Yeah right.

Head shot with silenced rifle. Much easier to do and affording longer range capability. No tracking.

Pop, zip out the backstraps, boogie on home.

I agree with the poaching. I am simply talking for the sake of ammo conservation, A bow would be handy!
I'm not much for hiding! I'd get my hunting done, and back to the compound! Generators running, guard towers manned!

 

[6mm Shoot]

You can get a compound bow for around $300 to $400 set up with sights and such. Then you have to get arrows, they cost around $100 a dozen. Then you have to pick up the heads. They run from about $3 to $20 each depending on what you want. Then comes the extras like a quiver. Do you want it on the bow or on your back? There are all sorts of extras. I would guess that you could end up spending $200 more on extras such as bow case, gloves, string release and counter weight.

A bow is a good idea but it isn't cheap. They were talking about a re-curve. They are fun to shoot but are less powerful and bigger. Also if you have a fifty pound re-curve you will be holding that fifty pound draw weight till you release the string. On a compound if you are holding a fifty pound draw weight you will only be holding back half that till you release it. That is due to the cams.

 

[380guy]

A xbow is a great tool to have. Mine's deadly even at 50-60 yards and from 50 yards and under deer dont have enough time to react before the bolt is through it. Some of these xbows are 415 feet per second! Mine is a Horton Team Real Tree Ultra Lite, it weighs 6lbs and shoots a 20" bolt at 335 ft per second and came with a sweet scope! Bought the complete package for 600ish. Funny thing, before I started buying my reloading equipment, components, and a bunch of rounds I bought "a few extra" bolts just in case. Broadheads can be expensive but the bolts usually come with field tips and a well placed shot with a field tip and its lights out!

 

[Hookeye]

Thank God no deer ever ducked a 200 FPS arrow at 25 yards

BTW, I have shot the PSE Tac 15, it does run over 400 FPS and is pretty quiet for an Xbow. Powerstroke is decent too.
Not a cheapy though !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Hookeye]

19 yards, 199 FPS GT55/75 with 18% FOC arrow (480 grains) from a Blackwidow SA2, 57# @28" draw, 58" limbs.

Deer was spooked by yotes and blew past, was sneaking back when I shot her.
The arrow hit in the rear ham, on the OPPOSITE side I was shooting at. Yup she completely swapped ends at the shot (shouldn't have shot at such a spooked deer but figured with her walking it would help hide the sound of the shot- nope), BTW my recurve was tuned very well and pretty quiet.

Had to find her and put one through her heart.

Shot a doe with my Hoyt protec compound, 72#, 420 gran arrows @ 272 FPS. Played it for a heart shot and she ducked so fast that the arrow blasted her spine. D was 35 yards. That bow was pretty quiet too.

Deer can move fast and time of flight sucks with arrows. Even seemingly unalert deer may move enough to take a bad hit, or get away unscathed. Closer and quiet is better, even when shooting bullets. An animal can move just as the trigger is breaking.

Serious food gathering= minimal time in recovery, minimum time of flight for projectile (more chance it will hit where aimed)...........bullets win.

And I say that being a bowhunting/archery lovin' fool.

 

[Hookeye]

Current hunting rig is a 53# Hoyt Dorado. Samick Blackmax wood/glass short limbs.
Have not run it through a chrono. Am shooting 530 grain arrows (100gr brass added to insert). Not a bad rig, but certainly no Blackwidow. Limbs way cheaper too

And yeah, I like compounds, this one bow was my fave (21 yards on the trot-grooved the heart, and called it previously on another forum)
Got a Mathews single cam (Switchback XT) after selling this boat anchor and killed deer with it. But I like the feel of twin cams better, and subscribe to the old P&Y rules of 65% letoff or less. Which kinda sucks on some of the newer rigs, can't get cams like that (could on most top end bows a few years ago).

 

[Hookeye]

I paid $50 for this Bear Grizzly (bow only) with twisted limbs. Straightened them just fine, slapped on a $16 string and it shot pretty well. Problem was limb resonance (noisy). Ended up putting dampeners on it and it was much better after that.

Old classic, not a hot rod, even by recurve standards, and a bit of handshock. Not bad for a production bow, certainly usable, but most of the mid priced newer stuff I think to be much better all around.

Years ago I snagged a nice tiger maple Bear recurve in an antique store, twisted and no string.........for $15 Redid it and it came out sweet (sold it to a bud for what I had in it, his GF has it).

I prefer takedowns. Not for the compact packable nature, but in case I blow a limb (can replace it at a cost savings compared to whole bow).

 

[Hookeye]

In the archery/bowhunting stuff, most bows are "out of date" in a couple years.
Guys lose their butts constantly trading/selling to have the "latest and greatest".
There are very nice bows only a few years old, and some sweethearts even older.
The problem with too old a bow is replacement parts.

Most folks are snagging the $100 +/- $25 clean but older rigs for bowfishing. They blow it up, they simply get another, not worth the effort or expense to fix.

So cheap but decent used compounds, are kinda in demand depending on what type they are.

Be careful, there is a lot of old JUNK for sale too.

 

[ViperJock]

Works for Daryl.

Daryl is the man. By far the best character in the show. Two words; re-usable ammo. oh, and silent. Ok three words, re-usable ammo, silent, and awesome. Four. There are four words; Re-usable ammo, silent, and awesome.

 

[Hookeye]

And he shoots zombies dead through the head.............with field points. Mmmmm, ok. While doing that may help in retreiveal from hits, a fieldpoint doesn't do much damage (contrary to the show). The tip, by design, is to do minimal damage to the target, making targets last longer, it pushes material aside, doesn't cut it, and hunting arrows kill through hemorrhage (bladed tips called broadheads).

Re-usable ammo. Maybe.

Arrows get lost easily, take up a fair amount of space, get easy fletching damage, and if hunting need to have broadheads resharpened/replaced as needed.

They are not indestructable projectiles. I've blown through deer and had them step on the arrow under them, breaking it (aluminum), or not blown through and had them roll over and break them (even carbons- spine shots). I've also blown through and skipped off stuff, lost the arrow, or had the broadhead smack a rock after going through.

Sometimes I missed and trashed or lost stuff

 

[Hosshauler]

Recurve or Longbow FTW... Proven, reliable and once you get the hang of it... deadly accurate with just instinctive shooting.

Yes I like the recurve or long bow for a survival scenario. Very light weight, quiet, and very accurate with practice. Arrows are reusable and you can make your own arrows out of wood or man made materials. Yep for me a big handgun and a bow is a great pair.

 

[Hookeye]

OK folks, see a lot of for recurve/longbow, but who here shoots the stuff, I mean 3D and hunting of deer (or other big game)?

Flipping sticks into the straw bale at a paperplate, 4 out of 5 might be "very accurate"......for what distance???

What's your indoor IFAA score (it's only a close 20 yards)?

What # you running?

 

[onetwoonetwo]

i am a firm advocate in having a bow as a back up.
i currently have a Bear Archery compound bow with 4 dozen arrows.
i am in the lay away process of a crossbow as well.
plus, it(the compound) is fun to shoot and very quiet.
by the way, they (Bear) is an Indiana company.

Bear Archery Corporate Headquarters
817 Maxwell Ave. Evansville, IN 47711
800-694-9494

Bear Archery | Hunting and Archery Products
link if anyone wants to check it out who has not.

they also have a plant in Florida.

yes, bows are good for many reasons.
may look into a fishing bow, been watching some of those bow fishing shows. some of those guys are good at it.

 

[Archer46176]

HOOKEYE- I have hunted almost exclusively with a Longbow since 1994. It is a custom 60lb @ 28" longbow by David Miller who used to hang out and help out down at Vans Archery before they closed. I do shoot 3d as well and have since I bought that first bow. It was a graduation present to me from me along with 2 dozen port orford shafts.

I have made my own arrows from planks by cutting them to stock sizes, planning them out by hand with a jig and have even done some tapered shafts. The consistency of wood SUCKS so I now shoot aluminum from it. I made a few dozen cane shafts for some of my self bows but that is an even bigger pain than plain old wooden shafts are. I crest and fletch most of my own arrows as well as the ones the wifey will be shooting. I also make my own flemish strings as well as the continuos loop strings for the compound the wife has. I have yet to take David Miller's one on one bow makjng class but it is on my to do list. I have made a few revurves and longbows as well as some self bows frkm a variety of woods. There were some failures with the self bows but they were learning experiences.

I actually started out shooting a black fiberglass bear recurve when I was around 8 years old which makes my shooting experience and learning experience go back nearly 30 years now. I have owned compounds but never cared for them they were more for amuzing people than anything as I was a VERY good shot with them.

I have 3 different longbows the Miller, and 2 of my own making along with a Bear recurve, a Shakespear recurve and 2 I have made one being a takedown model. There are currently 2 hickory, 3 Ash and 2 elm selfbows in my rack as well. I have yet to tackle Osage (hedge apple) though as it intimidates the snot out of me.

I used to come home from grade school nd shoot until dark everynight and that continued up until I joined the Army in 2004. I don't shoot nearly as much now because of the 7 month old but once it warms up enough that she can go outside with me then I will shoot much more.

I shoot into a block target and also have one of the throwing targets for field/ stump shooting so you have to guess the range instead of knowing what the yardage is. I have even built a small launcher to throw foam disks jn the air to shoot with flu flu fletched arrows to practice for quail and pheasant hunting. So no straw bale and paper plate here. I am softball size group accurate to 50 yards with any of my traditional tackle and used to shoot up to 80 yards with my compound tackle.

I have taken atleast one deer a year with my Miller Longbow every year I have had it except the first year(learning) and the 4 years I was in the Army(Italy thenIraq then Afghanistan and Italy). I have also taken truly ferral hogs not fenced in and javelina but nothing larger than the higs or deer.


I dont have an IFAA score because I dont shoot indoor league or match shoots.
So that makes one guy here who shoots, hunts ect...