# desert muley with a longbow



## Birdbow (Sep 22, 2009)

Got this little buck towards the end of the season in the southern unit. It's taken me 4 years to get a buck with a trad bow but I will never go back to the old training wheels. I built the bow myself and was shooting a custom fluted aluminum arrow with 125grn muzzy phantoms and stalked to 24 yards for the shot. I got a passthrough which broke the off shoulder and as he limped past me a plugged him again dropping him in sight. The bow is a 48#@28" hybrid longbow I designed about 3 years ago and is pretty quick for a trad bow. Mike


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## SaltLakeArcher (Feb 23, 2009)

Nice buck, congrats on realizing your dream of harvesting an animal with your traditional equipment. First post and your already catching on to the arrogance of saying "training wheels", impressive on both counts.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

There's nothing arrogant about his guy. But I will say this. I'm through saying the phrase "training wheels"... I _trained_ on a long bow from the time I was 3. Left the faith for a few years and dabbled in the foolishness of a compound, then went back to my roots and have stuck with it for the last 23 years.  Arrogant... Na, just a bit ****y may be. :wink:

Good to see you back around Mike. Where the hell ya been? I finally killed a critter with my "Birdbow" this year up in Montana. See my thread (Montana Extravaganza) Mine's not the newer hybrid bow you're shooting now, but it's plenty fast for a 49# longbow.

Nice buck and congrats on getting the traditional kill monkey off yer back! 8)


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## bwhntr (Sep 12, 2007)

Nice job Mike!


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

So, when you gonna kill something with YOUR Birdbow, Shane!


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## Birdbow (Sep 22, 2009)

Tex, I didn't know the forum was going again, since they took it down from the dwr site. I'm not being arrogant using the training wheels term just kidding around. I like shooting both wheel bows and trad bows but I have not hunted with a wheel bow for awhile. I started out with an old recurve about 10 years ago then hunted with a compound for awhile before getting interested in making my own equipment and hunting with it.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Oh ya, I think this sight was up and running less than 24 hours after the DWR forum was shut down. Welcome to the UWN. Don't worry about the compound crowd getting all worked up about us arrogant, snobby, stick bow shooters. It's a normal reaction around here. Just don't start a light arrow vs heavy arrow topic. :shock: We all just weathered that sh*t storm last month.


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## bwhntr (Sep 12, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> So, when you gonna kill something with YOUR Birdbow, Shane!


I have killed plenty of grouse with mine. They are great for wounding deer as well!

Welcome back Mike...don't mind Tex's arrogance, we have all learned to ignore the trolls!


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## SaltLakeArcher (Feb 23, 2009)

Birdbow said:


> Tex, I didn't know the forum was going again, since they took it down from the dwr site. I'm not being arrogant using the training wheels term just kidding around. I like shooting both wheel bows and trad bows but I have not hunted with a wheel bow for awhile. I started out with an old recurve about 10 years ago then hunted with a compound for awhile before getting interested in making my own equipment and hunting with it.


I'm just kidding with you, I learned to shoot with a recurve, so in essence a recurve was my "training wheel" bow. I still think they are fun to fiddle around with once in a while. I don't think any of the trad. shooters on here are arrogant, maybe just a tad insecure :lol: Congrats again on a great harvest.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Insecure! wadda ya mean? I'm not insecure! I'm not I'm not I'm NOT!!! *\-\*


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## bwhntr (Sep 12, 2007)

:mrgreen:


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

Congrats on your kill.nice buck.


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## torowy (Jun 19, 2008)

thats cool to be able to take a deer with something you made


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## Anaconda Pintler (Oct 29, 2007)

Congrads dude I seen the bow you made for Tex up in MT., nice job I may have to get one of those to go with the other thirty or so I have collected! :mrgreen:


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## coydogg (Oct 6, 2007)

Thats awesome. I have just started shooting a recurve a little. I still need to get one of my own. I have just been shooting a friends but I am hooked. I hope to be hunting with a recurve next season. I think I am going to go after deer with the stick flipper and elk with the compound. I need to practice a ton though. Instead of shooting a 2 inch patter at 20 yards with my compound I am now shooting a 10 inch pattern.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Elk are WAY easier to kill tan deer. You just gotta find em first. Just shoot enough bow. 55# Is plenty. Plus elk are usually shot at closer distances, perfect scenario for the trad shooter.


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## coydogg (Oct 6, 2007)

Thanks for the info. I will take that into consideration. My friends bow is 57# at 28''. It feels comfortable to shoot. What is a decent grouping to have for a recurve at 20 yards? I think his nock needs to be adjusted cause the arrows at kinda flying a little crazy. We shot today and I only managed to get a 12 inch grouping. Should the arrows be flying as straight as they do out of my compound?


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

They absolutely should be flying as straight as they are in any other bow. All you should see is the nock going down range. If you don't, you've got arrow spine issues, nock point issues, brace hight issues, or a combination of all of the above. Tuning a stick bow is nothing like tuning a compound. There are a couple things you need to keep track of but other than that it's pretty simple. Have the right spine arrow, have the right brace hight on your bow, and have the nock point set in the right spot. That's pretty much tuning a stickbow in a nutshell.

Shooting a stick bow is NOT an excuse for having poor arrow flight or crappy groups. :wink:


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## Birdbow (Sep 22, 2009)

Another culprit of bad arrow flight is poor form. Make sure your bow hand through your draw hand and elbow are in as close to a straight line as possible. A high elbow on your draw arm can make your arrow kick and porpoise.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

You're right Mike, but I was going under the assumption that coydogg had _perfect_ form. :wink:

BTW, Deercahtcherguy and Treehugginhunter were both over to my place last night shooting bows as they are both interested in the trad thing. I think you might be getting another bow order soon... Deercatcherguy really liked the recurve you built for my son.

The sickness is spreading... Mmmwaaaahahahahahahah!


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## deercatcherguy (Aug 26, 2008)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> BTW, Deercahtcherguy and Treehugginhunter were both over to my place last night shooting bows as they are both interested in the trad thing. I think you might be getting another bow order soon... Deercatcherguy really liked the recurve you built for my son.
> 
> The sickness is spreading... Mmmwaaaahahahahahahah!


It was a lot of fun. I am excited to give it a try!


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## Treehugnhuntr (Sep 7, 2007)

YEAH!! Thanks for the lesson TEX, Sounds like not stickin around for the movie was a good choice.  

When I get done sanding and painting your fence, can I finally touch a bow?? :mrgreen:


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## Birdbow (Sep 22, 2009)

I'll take any orders I can get, works been hit and miss with the cabinets business. When I went to Ohio a few years ago on a whitetail hunt there were nearly as many trad hunters as wheelie shooters. It is one of the fastest growing segments of the outdoor sports. Trad archery is being compared right now to the resurgence of black powder guns when inlines came out. Thanks for the free advertising up there Darin.


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## deercatcherguy (Aug 26, 2008)

Treehugnhuntr said:


> When I get done sanding and painting your fence, can I finally touch a bow?? :mrgreen:


Bonzai!!! Bonzai!!!


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

> When I get done sanding and painting your fence, can I finally touch a bow??


Don't forget wax all cars, paint the house, and sand the floor. :twisted:



> Thanks for the free advertising up there Darin.


Who said it was free? :mrgreen:


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## coydogg (Oct 6, 2007)

TEX-O-BOB said:


> You're right Mike, but I was going under the assumption that coydogg had _perfect_ form. :wink:


Yeah, I wish. Something is definately off with my friends bow (other than crappy form). When you shoot you can see the arrow nock flailing around about 3 inches. And then when you go up to the target all the arrows are not consistent. Looking directly above the target the arrows and stuck in at all different angles (if that makes any sense). His rest is just some leather stuck on with double sided sticky tape. I have heard flet rests are way better. he is shooting 30'' 7595 gold tips which are insanely to stiff I think. What arrow should he be shooting? Another question I have is where to set the nock point. Is it best to set it square off the string or level with the rest?


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

Typically you start with the nock about 3/4" above center (bottom of the shelf) and go from there. If the arrow kicks up lower it, and if it kicks down, raise it. Those arrows are WAY too stiff IMO. Try the gold tip trad arrow in a 35/65 spine. Mess around with different weight points and you should get good arrow flight somewhere in that area. The Leather strike plate and rest are fine. If the bow is tuned properly the arrow will never touch it leaving the shelf.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Sweet, congrats!


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