The Traditional Corner

 

For the traditional archer and bowhunter out there were are proud to offer the Traditional Corner. Here we will periodically provide you with articles, tips, and stories just for the traditional archers among us. Our Host is Bill Giffin, of American Whitetail Trophies and Bullseye Archery. Bill, the 2000 IBO Long Bow Champion will provide his years of expertise and knowledge to bring us the very best in traditional Archery info.

 

 

The Right Bow for You

by Bill Giffin

If you wish to shoot traditional archery with any success you must first make sure you purchase the right bow for you. To do this you must find out at your local archery shop if they have a traditional pro there that can set you up with the proper equipment. Because chances are, if you go for it on your own, just shooting without the right equipment for you, it will only become frustrating at best.       There are a couple of important things to know about yourself so that the bow you choose fits you the best. First is to measure your draw length, this is the distance between the front of the shelf that your arrow rests on and your anchor point when you are at full draw, it is very important to have the right measurement. My draw length is 28in. yours might be 29 or 27 etc.. it is different for a lot of shooters. Then you have to decide what poundage of pull is comfortable for you. For target shooting it's good to start off with a lower weight like 35 to 45 lbs. For hunting you should shoot from 45 to 60 lbs or higher. I shoot 40 to 60 lbs, it depends on if I'm hunting or target shooting.       Here are some basic things to check about a bow when you inspect it. First, find out what brand it is and how old it is. An older wooden bow ( over 30 years old ) no matter what kind it is should be on a wall, unstrung and admired, as with the passage of time they weaken, breaking down and can be really dangerous to shoot. ( It's not worth the risk of serious injury if it blows up on you.) Always choose a bow with a handle that fits you, the grip is very important as it has to comfortably contour to your bow hand not being too big nor too small. Find out the overall length of the bow, remember, the longer the bow the less finger the pinch is for the target shooter, however it's easier to move on the hunt with a shorter bow. I have a 66in longbow 60lbs at 28in.       Here's an easy tip. When you look at a bow it has marks on it that tell you what it is (usually inside the bottom limb ).it looks like this, (AMO 66") that would be 66 inches for the overall measurement. For the weight and draw it looks like this ( 60#@28" ) 60 being the weight and 28 being the draw length. Now you can tell how long and what weight, at what draw length, the bow is.       It's up to your individual taste ( and budget ) as to which kind of bow you shoot, Longbow, Recurve, etc.. but the bow length, grip, draw length and poundage have to fit you exactly to get the most out of it. Perhaps the finest teacher is experience, and with the right bow in your hand, you will only get better at hitting what you're aiming at. In my next article I will discuss some shooting basics and traditional archery fundamentals including form and technique, until then keep your eye on the target.