Wood or carbon for the mnts.

Kebler

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 15, 2013
Messages
220
What you back country guys prefer, been shooting wood here in the Midwest love woodies. But thinking of carbon for my bck country hunt.
 
OP
K

Kebler

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 15, 2013
Messages
220
I be throwing cedar this fall here in the Midwest, gonna build up a new set for the deer season nice and pretty.
 
Joined
Mar 5, 2013
Messages
418
Location
MT
I like my carbons. Tougher, cheaper, more consistent, and I dont have to worry about warping and all the other hassles that come with wood.

My longbow is MUCH quieter with wood shafts though. But I still shoot the CX Heritage carbon shafts (hey, they at least look like wood!).
 
Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Messages
1,135
Location
Texas
I shoot carbons because they are cheaper for me than wood arrows would be. I am all about keeping the cost down, so I have enough gas money come hunting season. I don't think the arrow material really makes a difference in the back country. Only thing that might be an issue would be a heavy downpour while using wood arrows. But in that situation you should probably be hunkered under shelter anyways.
 

LostArra

WKR
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
3,435
Location
Oklahoma
Backpacking in the mountains I shoot carbon's because they are either broken, lost or perfect. (John Havard quote).

In the local woods which is never too far from the truck I shoot wood because I like the whole experience of wood arrows. Making and shooting them.
By most standards my finished arrows are ugly but wood arrows have a soul. Have you ever noticed how one may just shoot better than the rest in your quiver even though the "specs" are almost identical?

Carbon's are definitely cheaper in time and money.
 
OP
K

Kebler

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 15, 2013
Messages
220
I agree with the wood having a soul, they just fell good.
 
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
Messages
73
Location
Colorado
I always take woodies to the Mountains for my hunting arrows.. I also bring a few carbons equipped with judos for stump shooting and grouse when in season.

Regards
 

Huntfun

FNG
Joined
Apr 24, 2012
Messages
95
Location
Michigan
I have tried carbons and just cannot bring myself to use them. If you are meticulous you can get woodies very straight. Having properly spined shafts is also important to good arrow flight. I use tapered shafts and make my own arrows. For me, as a traditional shooter, getting close to the animal I am hunting is part and parcel to traditional hunting so a super straight carbon does not bring any benefits. If you make your wood arrows properly, they will stand up to the weather as good as any carbon. When I back country hunt, I bring a dozen arrows and carry at 3 or 4 when hunting. I have yet to be in a position of arrow panic or envy. The advantage of carbon shafts, outside the fact they are really straight, is they require no work...just buy, crown, crest, fletch and hunt/shoot. There are advantages to wood too...like weight, which is important for hunting and they sure smell good (cedar) when they do break. To each their own. I'm sticking with wood.
 

G Posik

WKR
Joined
Mar 1, 2012
Messages
522
Location
Houston,Texas
I just got a new dozen in the mail the other day. They are POC and are as straight as can be. The guy who makes my wood arrows is beyond meticulous. I still have about 4 dozen FMJ's but do not shoot them.

Glenn
 
OP
K

Kebler

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 15, 2013
Messages
220
Well I dolled up some easton axis trad shafts they shot great, but it just is not the same. I'm back to wood, carbon thru my longbow just don't feel right or look right. I noticed no difference in accuracy, it's like putting a scope on a flintlock gun.

I think I'm nuts.
 

Eagle

WKR
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
1,069
Location
Western Kentucky
Question for some of y'all? What kind of drawlength do you have to be able to shoot wood? I'm 30" and shoot a 55# longbow and recurve at that length, and if I go to woods, I have to go up towards a 75-80 to get it to spine correctly at a 31-32" length arrow. I'm a gap shooter, and I've become accustomed to the gaps for a bow shooting in the 180 fps range, if I went with wood, it would drop my speed drastically compared to my cx heritage shafts I'm currently shooting. I enjoyed shooting wood when I first started shooting my longbow, but the durability wasn't there for my novice level at the time and they didn't last long. A lot better now, but wondering if y'all just simply don't care about the speed, don't shoot gap or do you just love wood that much.
 

tater

WKR
Joined
Dec 9, 2012
Messages
436
Location
BC
In response to the OP, the only wood i've trusted in the backcountry has been lam birch. I found cedar too fragile and warp sensitive for the places i hunted. Plus i found it really hard to get the GPP i needed from cedar. I did build up a set of hickory shafts at one point, but good hickory has become hard to find these days.

I shoot carbons as well, but wood really is where the magic is.

In response to Eagle above, 9-10 GPP is 9-10 GPP. Doesn't matter what the shaft material is. Most 31" cedar shafts with 125gr. point should come in around that 550-600 gr. mark.
 

LostArra

WKR
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
3,435
Location
Oklahoma
Question for some of y'all? What kind of drawlength do you have to be able to shoot wood? I'm 30" and shoot a 55# longbow and recurve at that length, and if I go to woods, I have to go up towards a 75-80 to get it to spine correctly at a 31-32" length arrow. I'm a gap shooter, and I've become accustomed to the gaps for a bow shooting in the 180 fps range, if I went with wood, it would drop my speed drastically compared to my cx heritage shafts I'm currently shooting. I enjoyed shooting wood when I first started shooting my longbow, but the durability wasn't there for my novice level at the time and they didn't last long. A lot better now, but wondering if y'all just simply don't care about the speed, don't shoot gap or do you just love wood that much.

What is your arrow weight with the CX Heritage shafts?
 

Eagle

WKR
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
1,069
Location
Western Kentucky
Lostarra, they are 520 grains. They allow me to have a relatively "flat" trajectory. My gap is essentially the same from about 17-24 yards, point on is just over 40.
 

LostArra

WKR
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
3,435
Location
Oklahoma
I've never used 75-80 spine shafts but I would think you can get a 31-32" wood arrow in around 520g.
Tapered cedar shafts maybe or sitka spruce.
That said, I don't know why you would go back to wood. Long arrows with a lot of spine are easier to come by in carbons.
I just like building wood arrows and some 3D traditional classes require wood but I do a lot of hunting with carbons.

I also build and shoot selfbows and carbons are sacrilege.:)
 

Eagle

WKR
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
1,069
Location
Western Kentucky
The carbons are fine, but don't seem to be as quiet as the woodies I've shot in the past. I think for backcountry hunting, where you could fall and damage or bend your wood arrows, but your carbons will either be straight or broke, carbon is the best plan, for me. There really is just something about wood though.

And to add, I don't think there's any way to get a 520 grain wood shaft in the spines I would need it, based on my research, given a decent FOC for hunting. GPI is just too high with a 31" arrow.
 

LostArra

WKR
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
3,435
Location
Oklahoma
>>And to add, I don't think there's any way to get a 520 grain wood shaft in the spines I would need<<

You're probably right.
I've got some 30" sitka spruce arrows (spine 65-69) with 125gr broadheads that weigh 495.
 
Top