Thread: Recurve help

Haven't shot big game with recurves, but I've flung sticks at targets and rabbits/wallabies.

Best bet would be to go along to an archery club (i.e the canterbury bowhunters society) - think they're shooting out at Living Springs now - and actually try a few bows out, and watch/chat to those who've mastered the game.

If traditional archery is what you're thinking of getting into, it's best to take it slow and do it properly from the get go. Otherwise you'll likely develop bad habits, and you'll have to work twice as hard to 'un-do' the bad habits, and then re-learn everything.

I.e choosing a bow with too much draw weight can encourage you to short-draw the bow and 'snap shoot', instead of pulling the string all the way back to your face; anchoring the string at a specific/consistent point; building muscle tension in your back; and letting the string gently roll off your fingers (and doing all of those things each and every time). Snap shooting can eventually lead to target panic.

Most people overestimate how much they can pull. It's not just about 'pulling the string back', but pulling it back and being able to focus completely on the shot process as opposed to "shit, my muscles are getting tired, I've gotta let go NOW". And like any exercise, if you haven't used a group of muscles before, it'll likely take a bit of work to develop some strength.

The best way to begin would be to buy a cheap and reliable bow (someone else in this thread mentioned the Samick Sage - good option) that allows for the limbs to be changed. Buy some medium weight limbs (i.e 30lbs) and practice your shooting. Start at a short distance (i.e 5m) and once you can get all the arrows into a fist sized group, slowly increase the distance.

Once you're shooting pie plate groups at 20-25m, and you're considering hunting game, buy a second set of limbs (on a cheap bow, it may only cost you $150-$200, as opposed to, say, $1000+ on a higher spec model) at a higher poundage (45-50lbs).

A cheap riser (bow handle) + two sets of limbs might cost you $700-800.00.

It may take a year or more of daily practice to develop your skills to a level where you're 100% confident of hitting small targets at unmarked distances.

If you're just after the challenge of getting close, but don't want the fuss of having to practice constantly to keep your skills sharp, just get yourself a compound bow. They're the superior option if hunting is the goal.

If you look at most of the top traditional bowhunters in the USA, most of them are big on target archery (either Olympic style or 3D). There's a reason for that. Traditionally, bowhunting and target archery went hand-in-hand. Not quite like buying a rifle and going off hunting the next day.