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Booked my first elk hunt for next fall (2015). How many of you guys take back-up bows on a horse pack-in hunt? If not a full bow what other archery equipment back-ups (string, arrows, etc.) do you take a long?
Thanks and God Bless!
I usually pack in a multitool and allen wrenches. Thats about it. I've hunted Colorado about 13 times. Many years, I took along a Black Widow recurve as a back-up to my comound. Note: none of these hunts involved horses!
However, in all these years, I have not used the tools for anything. I ddi use my knife once to fashion a repair of a broken fiber optic sight pin (OK, more than one! :) ). I suspect that if a horse incident happens and a broken bow results, wrenches and duct taps won't help!
I doubt also that you would have room for a backup bow either....
Hope for a tame horse! :)
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If you can't bring a second bow, bring enough tools to do any basic repairs. Portable bow press and miscellaneous parts, arrows, broadheads, etc. A cheap backup sight and rest might be worth bringing too.
If multiple guys are going maybe one spare bow that everyone could shoot would be a good idea.
I would suggest packing in a small tool/repair kit...including a portable bow press.
I always take a backup bow. I have to admit in thirty years of hunting I have not had a failure that required the use of the backup, but I had it. I just can't help wonder what would happen if a broad head touched a cable, etc. just like insurance...hope you never need it.....but.
It's a long way to the nearest bow shop if something happens that you can't fix in the field. Think about that.
Never had one or needed one. We have a Caribou hunt in Sept booked, only bringing my one bow- hunts around $11k each when all is done excluding taxidermy.
Potable bow presses on modern parallel bows will do more damage than repairs.
Mathews man, please elaborate on "Potable bow presses on modern parallel bows will do more damage than repairs".
Portable. Yeah parallel limb modern bows should not be compressed just on the ends.
Thanks for the responses. My cousin is going with me and we can shoot the same bow so a back-up bow can be shared. I've used a bow master portable press on my Hoyt Alphamax many times without issue. At a minimum it and a spare set of cables & strings will be going along.
Thanks.
God Bless.
Mathews Mann
Good advice. Plus how easy is it to replace and retune a cable of even a string. Better have a good target, lots of arrows and some way to tune the arrows and and reset the bow. I just replaced a string and it took me a very long time to get perfect arrow flight. Might be easier to jog out and get that backup bow at the trailhead.
When I was doing all this stuff for a living, I always took a backup bow. I always had two bows exactly alike, set up exactly alike and took turns shooting them.
Only one time in almost 20-years did I ever need the backup.
Matthews Mann, Excuse my ignorance, but when looking at my parallel bow, when drawn, the limb is compressed from the cam axle location, which is in essence, at the end of the limb. So if my portable press connects over the limb ends (tips) wouldn't in effect be compressing the limb the same way? I could see a more standard press, that contacts the limb for compression more towards the mid-limb not compressing the same. Can you further explain your reasoning? I seriously want to learn so I don't possibly damage my bow. Thanks. To answer the OP, I take a backup when I go on a hunt out of state, but it is left in the truck. Not sure I would haul it all the way out on horse back, but not been in that situation yet.
Glad I never shot one of those compunded bows. Tools and bow press? One riser, two sets on limbs, extra string and I'm good to go.
I bring a back up bow on every hunt.
The first time I ever needed it was last month in Texas. ..instead of losing hours..of hunting I lost minutes..100% worth the effort. .
Just one of the beauties of shooting trad gear. I carry an extra string and bow stringer in my pack at the cost of maybe four ounces. I could carry an entire extra bow broke down in my pack at the cost of maybe two pounds, three at the most
If you have a backup bow, I would suggest taking it along on any hunt of distance.. whenever possible. There are times when a backup bow is not practical though.
The OP mentioned going in on horseback. I've never done that, so I'm not sure about the practicality of carrying two bows on such a hunt? Transporters in Alaska usually have a very strict weight limit. A backup bow in that situation is definitely not practical.
I don't have any experience with modern parallel limb bows and portable bow presses, so I can't comment on that. I have successfully used portable a portable bow press in the field on more than one occasion, but the limbs on my bow are not nearly as parallel as others I see on the market.
I do take an extra string and cable along in my tool kit....but there is no break in required. The trick is this...next time you replace the string and cable on your bow...keep the old set...100% in tact...including peep, kisser, nock or string loop, etc. That set is what you take along for backup on a hunting trip.
The reason I bought the bow press in the first place was a trip to Kansas for whitetails. My hunting partner had a backup bow, but decided at the last minute to leave it at home. I had a backup bow, but shoot southpaw...so he could not shoot my rig. One morning, he was pulling his bow up the tree in the dark. The bow got hung up on a limb and he horsed it anyway. As daylight arrived, something did not look right. Discovered he had pulled the string off his idler wheel and it was resting against the upper axle. Got lucky and the owner of a hardware store in the vicinity rigged up a makeshift bow press and we were back in business. I bought the portable press shorty thereafter.
I take two bows, if I have the space. Both setup to the same tune, peak bow weight, draw, rests,kisser and peep.
If I was to take one bow, I sure would have a extra set of cables/string, Allen wrench set, peep, kisser, sight, and silencers. I have a small tackle bow that I keep in the car for non planed repairs for the bow, also carbon arrow inserts, field points, BH points, hot glue and Easton arrow glue
Thanks for the replies.
God Bless.
