OT: Vertical toys?

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DuckHunt
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OT: Vertical toys?

Post by DuckHunt »

A shoulder injury in 2006 brought me into the crossbow world. By 2009 I had recovered enough to use a compound bow again, or so I had thought. I bounced back and forth between vertical and horizontal throughout the next few seasons. I harvested my last vertical bow deer in 2012. In 2013 I had to hang up the vertical bows. My issue was at the back of the draw cycle. I had no issue pulling the draw weight, but holding anything at the anchor point was painful, even with 80% let off.

A few weeks ago after a decade absence from the vertical bow scene, I picked up a PSE 50# recurve bow. I've never shot traditional archery, so I was hoping just to be able to piddle around and get good enough to harvest a few targets in the yard. The first few dozen shots went about as you would expect as I began to learn a whole new world. But I noticed that the pain that drove me away from vertical bows is gone. Maybe the lengthy recovery was just what my body needed. I noticed that the strength of those muscles improved daily and the muscle memory came back quickly. Fast forward, and today I tossed my first arrows at 30 yards with a compound bow in a decade. And my aim with the recurve is approaching passable at 20 yards. I can see myself flinging a few thousand arrows with the recurve before next season.

For those that are still capable, do any of you have some favorite vertical toys you like to mix into you hunts?
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janesy
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Re: OT: Vertical toys?

Post by janesy »

For the past month, I've been drastically suppressing the want for a vertical compound. Todays RTH kits really make it look enticing. But I'm a 2 feet in guy... It will get spendy fast and I'm supposed to be building a house🤣
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Carnivorous
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Re: OT: Vertical toys?

Post by Carnivorous »

They look like they would be challenging and i always wanted to give one a try.

Unfortunately now that I'm older I have a bad shoulder. My eyes aren't what they used to be and I'm maintaining 3 houses so the time to practice is not there... lol
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Re: OT: Vertical toys?

Post by longbow joe »

I got a lot of enjoyment out of my longbow l shot it about 20 times this summer.
I'm shooting about 75 percent of what l once was.
I'm really enjoying shooting these deer with the crossbow that for 20 years ( were out of my 30 yard self imposed range )
I am also enjoying the power of the crossbow and the very short bloodtrails with the large expandables.
I liked the stickbows because of the simplicity but I'm finding my excalibur crossbows to be just as reliable and actually very simple with the recurve limbs.
I feel the 60 pound weight was kind of a loosen up for my body and back so that's why I still shoot it and totally enjoy it but I'm still having fun with the crossbows for now.
I miss the super light weight of the longbow but totally enjoy the way I can pile on the clothes in the cold and not worry constantly about my bowstring hitting my sleeve.
In short it appears I have gotten a little comfortable with the crossbow but totally respect those who delve in the vertical bow and its fun.
There was a time about ten years ago my brother and l got into a little not talking pissing match and didn't talk for a year or so basically about nothing . Crossbow hunting basically brought us back together better than before so a lot of good things came about a bum shoulder and some nice bucks too.
I'm at the point where having fun is more important than equipment choices it's all good
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PaulSpain
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Re: OT: Vertical toys?

Post by PaulSpain »

I love the vertical and I admire people who master it, and I was tempted to buy a vertical before I started with the crossbow but in the end I backed off, you have to practice a lot to get decent results and I was never a good shooter...
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DuckHunt
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Re: OT: Vertical toys?

Post by DuckHunt »

longbow joe wrote:
Wed Feb 08, 2023 2:39 pm
I'm at the point where having fun is more important than equipment choices it's all good
That's really what's is all about. We won't do it for long if we're not having fun. For me, it's all about the challenge. Any archery flavor is more challenging than hunting with a gun. Though primitive guns certainly come with their own challenges. I hunt with all of the above, but really love sending an arrow downrange. If I had to choose one form of archery over another, I'd pick up a crossbow. A crossbow doesn't have some of the challenges of a compound bow, just like a compound bow doesn't have some of the challenges of traditional archery.

My problem when hunting with archery equipment is that I think every deer is a trophy. If I ever harvest a mature buck chasing a doe, it will be because he was following her real closely. :lol:

The challenge of a traditional harvest has me interested. If I'm lucky, it will be one of the first few doe that step into my limited range this fall.
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Re: OT: Vertical toys?

Post by longbow joe »

In 1991 was hunting with my recurve for 3 years l actually was a good shot but the gremlins were at me good.
I had a perfect shot on a nice 9 point but my zwickey just didn't pennitrate the extra 3 inches to exit the bottom of the deer and make him die.
Another hunter killed the deer a month later with a shotgun and my arrow in him.
I had many mistakes and screw ups l was ready to give up until l killed a button buck believe me he was a trophy indeed!
After that l killed 8 pointers every year sometimes 2 bucks hunting Another state and countless doe.
All it took was the confidence l gained from achieving success with it one time .Hunting and fishing will humble you every time as l often say .
I never was part of the crossbow/ bow debate team.
A modern compound has massive let off you have a modern site device and a release..(another name for a trigger as I see it) the modern compound and crossbow are not that far apart in my eyes..but a stickbow is in a planet of its own.
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Re: OT: Vertical toys?

Post by papabear1 »

My first bow was a Ben Pierson recurve i bought in 1960, with Easton 2217 arrows and Fred Bear razerhead broadheads,
I started practicing hunting on groundhogs, and believe me they will teach you a lot of lessons
when i shot my first whistle pig it was my confidence builder ,and it was a trophy to me, :D
My first deer was also a button buck but it was as if i killed a 12 pointer,
after that i hunted grounghogs in off season and it kept me sharp for the upcoming deer seasons.

Dave :thumbup:

Shure wish i could get those days back. :wink:
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Re: OT: Vertical toys?

Post by nchunterkw »

I got hooked on the recurve bug a few years back and I really enjoy it. It takes a lot to get good enough to fling an arrow at a deer. But I enjoy shooting t and all the tinkering that goes into getting a good hunting arrow. Have fun!

I bought a Timberhawk bow and absolutely love it. Grip fits me really well and it is very dead in the hand
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flinthead
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Re: OT: Vertical toys?

Post by flinthead »

I've spent crazy amounts of money on Stickbows over the years.... I would hate to know how many recurves and longbows I've owned. I still have an old Jeffery Royal Hunter recurve made by Owen Jeffery here in Columbia, SC... I still shoot it from time to time... need to take it hunting!! Here are a few pics from a much younger and less jaded version of myself... :wtf: :wtf:

Image

Image

Image

Image
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longbow joe
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Re: OT: Vertical toys?

Post by longbow joe »

Like Mark l had spent thousands of dollars on "wood" stickbows l had a silvertip,Robertson,wapiti,bear takedown,many many bows only to figure out that a regular store bought martin savanna was the best fit for me lol.
After 3 shots you will know if a stickbow is good for you if you don't love it after 3 shots.....its not for you! Keep on a lookin.
I had much better luck with the longbow rather than the recurves simply because of the tell tail slap of the recurves limb tips ...the silence of the longbow is killer
Not worth the trouble of the recurves in my opinion on more than one occasion l got another shot and off and redeemed myself because of because of its silence
Vixen 2, metal ibex,Phoenix,sapphire,matrix 330 ,matrix 355 ,vortex and baby grand piano y25 relayer.
Trigger tecs,leupold crossbones and nikon bolts.
Zombie slayers and mostly swat broadheads.
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