Bearpaw bows?

[Sadler]

I'm brand new to trad bows and was thinking about getting the bearpaw slick stick in #55 for future hunting and #40 to practice form. Has anyone tried out these bows? Is this a good bow to start out with? If anyone has recommendations, I'd appreciate it. I would like to keep it to a one piece Longbow though. Thanks in advance!

 

[Arctic Hunter]

I would recommend shooting several trad bows before you buy one. If you go to a trad shop near by or a traditional shoot, you should be able to shoot a few. I've mostly been a recurve guy, and really like widows. But their longbows did not shoot well for me. I had a Morrison Dakota that I really liked. Shoot as many as you can if possible before you buy one (or especially two). There are some great bows out there these days. Check out the classified section on the leatherwall.

 

[oldgoat]

I got to shoot one of those bows the other day, had read about them and their testing etc and was intrigued and finally got a chance to shoot one. It shot very nice, I however think starting out that a three piece bow with my more mass in the riser would be a better plan! The light mass weight bows are not very forgiving of form issues. I also wouldn't buy two at once, get one of whatever you get and an ILF bow that you can change limbs on would be a really good way to start! Watch"The Push" video on YouTube if you haven't already and seek out some lessons from an actual qualified instructor if you can before you even buy a bow if possible! Good Luck!

 

[6mm Remington]

Toelke Traditional Archery: Inventory Longbows

Toelke builds a great recurve and longbow. I just purchased my son a Toelke Whip longbow and I shot it quite a bit before I shipped it off to him. It's a sweet bow and Dan Toelke is great to deal with. My son's bow is 52# at 30" draw length. It does help to shoot a variety of the bows to see what fits you just right. Best luck with your choice.

 

[oldgoat]

Toelke Traditional Archery: Inventory Longbows

Toelke builds a great recurve and longbow. I just purchased my son a Toelke Whip longbow and I shot it quite a bit before I shipped it off to him. It's a sweet bow and Dan Toelke is great to deal with. My son's bow is 52# at 30" draw length. It does help to shoot a variety of the bows to see what fits you just right. Best luck with your choice.

They are my absolute favorite bows, bought a used Whip last year, now I own it and a lynx longbow and a lynx recurve. And for the OP, you can usually get 2 used bows for the price of one new one, I've owned around twenty trad bows or more in the last 8 years, with the exception of the lynx longbow, they all have been bought used with no issues except for one Trad Tech bow that a glue bond broke on and it got warrantied even though I bought it used!

 

[wytx]

Find an archery shop or local bowyer and shoot some different bows. Many great longbows out there and many styles of longbows. Find one that feels good for your shooting style. A 50# bow will work great for hunting and you won't need 2 for practice. I'm betting there is a good archery shop somewhere close by that carries trad bows, go shoot some.

 

[Beendare]

^good advice on trying different bows as there is a huge difference between the stickbows- huge. A one piece longbow is the hardest bow on the planet to master...though of course it can be done.

I get that a guy wants what he wants but just a heads up; The teeth rattling hand shock and light mass riser with those longbows is something you want to experience before purchase.

I would highly recommend buying a used or cheaper light weight bow as a rookie...spending $1000 on a bow you don't know you will like is insane. At least if you buy it used, you can turn around and sell it for appx what you paid if you don't like it.

If you are dead set on a new longbow, I would look at Omegas [inexpensive, good performance] before I buy something from Germany.

 

[Seeknelk]

All great advise...the Omega longbows get great reviews. Also check out maddog archery...custom bows at a great price for either. Oh and starting with 40# is a GREAT idea! You want to be able to dominate the bow, not just yard it back.

 

[Beendare]

All great advise...the Omega longbows get great reviews. Also check out maddog archery...custom bows at a great price for either. Oh and starting with 40# is a GREAT idea! You want to be able to dominate the bow, not just yard it back.

^^welcome to the forum...good input.

I think those Mad Dog bows are a 1-2 year wait....I've heard nothing but good things about them...but I'm happy with my ILF bows.

 

[LostArra]

+1 for Mad dog.

I think a new trad shooter is best served by a good simple bow of modest weight. The adjustability and options of an ILF just adds too many variables that really aren't needed to get started. Why spend the $? Spend time learning to shoot and not be tempted to start tweaking things. Besides, if the traditional bug does bite you there will be other bows in the future and the metal riser/ILF system might make more sense as a second or third bow.



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[bhylton]

35# samick sage take down, shoot it for months then look at getting a hunting weight bow. as you build form you can try different bows to see what you like. you probably wont be able to tell what you like bow wise until you get comfy with some basic form stuff.

 

[Superkodiak38]

All very good advice above ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

40 pounds is a great weight to learn how to shoot and you can hunt with it too, I've hunted the last 8 years with a 45 pound long bow. A 400 grain arrow with a sharp cut on contact broadhead in the right spot will do the trick. Shoot as many as you can, I HATE a pistol grip, I love low wrist on my long bow. As mentioned above a light weight one piece can be twitchy especially if it is a Shorty. The Samick Sage is a good option and the newer Bear Montana is another one, both you can get used, learn how to shoot and if you want, sell it without taking a beating.

 

[Sadler]

I live in BFE down in southern Arizona so it's hard to go shoot them BUT I talked to the guys at RMS and they told me that since I'm out of state they have a one week testing period. If I don't like it for any reason whatsoever, they'll take it back. That's pretty awesome for new guys like me that are new to the sport. It'll almost be cheaper for me to pay the shipping than to drive to the Phoenix area to test a very small selection.

 

[wytx]

One thing I'll say is the cheaper, not necessarily cheap, longbows may have a great deal of handshock. A well made custom longbow will not. My Predator Longbow , out of Texas, has carbon in the limbs and is very smooth to pull and shoot with NO handshock. At 51 # it is surprisingly fast and quiet. A decent learner bow is a good idea but if you go shoot some well made custom longbows the difference in the way they shoot is night and day.
I would not judge all longbows based on an off the shelf bow. If possible shoot some custom ones, even used bows are great ones to start on. Most custom bowyers have several bows on hand for you to shoot with different draw weights.

 

[oldgoat]

I live in BFE down in southern Arizona so it's hard to go shoot them BUT I talked to the guys at RMS and they told me that since I'm out of state they have a one week testing period. If I don't like it for any reason whatsoever, they'll take it back. That's pretty awesome for new guys like me that are new to the sport. It'll almost be cheaper for me to pay the shipping than to drive to the Phoenix area to test a very small selection.

They will also shoot bows for you and give you a comparison between them.

 

[brownbear]

Looks like Bearpaws went up in price a bit from when they first came onto the US market. Same price as intro Bear and Martins, and higher priced Samicks. See if you can try one and comparably priced models and go with what you shoot well and feels best. Any rendezvous or 3D shoots nearby you can attend? Some of the higher-priced bow companies will let you "test drive" bows ahead of time, and send them right to your house. I would suggest starting with the minimum draw weight that your hunting area allows and learn how to shoot it, rather than buying two bows of different weights now. If you really like shooting the LB, you'll upgrade to a heavier weight anyway. "They say" that you should be shooting 15-20 (maybe more) lbs less than your compound bow. A nicer (subjective term) bow could be found used for the same- maybe cheaper price as well.

I started with a Samick Sage longbow that cost me about $200- just checked LAS and it's still the same price. I joined a club that had a large trad archery contingent and was able to try a few bows from members ahead of time, then decided what I wanted and made it happen. I started low poundage, outgrew it, and upgraded later. I still have the $200 bow hanging on my rack. I don't shoot it anymore, but its nice to have as a loaner for friends and family if we loose in the backyard.

I sold off my compound gear years ago and wen whole hog into trad- I'm hooked and won't be going back...

And I'll put in my plug for Leon Stewart's "Slammer"