New to bows, got the bug
Iowa
Hello Iowa archers! I recently got a hold of a Ben Pearson Palomino recurve bow that was hiding in a basement for years. Remembered how much I enjoyed archery class back in high school, and finding that bow made my "maybe I should try shooting again..." into "I need to string this sucker up and get shooting!" Brought it in to Jax's Outdoor Gear and the guy there set me up with a stringer, a string, and a few arrows to start. Since I like working with leather, I made a full arm guard and a pull tab and was set to go.
Funny thing is, once I got a hold of the bow, I found out three other friends of mine had bows as well and just haven't had the chance to shoot! So I set up a (probably laughable to anyone serious about archery) shooting range in my yard. It's pretty lame, but it's allowed my friends and I to have some fun shooting feed bags and balloons.
Well that did it, now I have the itch to take it further. I've been debating on taking a class and signing up for a hunting license for small game. I like the idea of hunting rabbit, especially since the fluffy jerks have been growing fat on my gardening! I've been reading a bit and it seems like recurves are pretty good for rabbit, and it doesn't need a super powerful draw for a chance at success. Plus rabbit is manageable, I'm pretty sure I can learn to dress them out fairly quick and from what I've heard they cook much like any other lean meat.
I hope to learn a lot more, and would be grateful for any tips, advice, pointers at books, or anything else!
Whoa, people, not all at once! You'll overwhelm me. ;)
Anyways, had fun with friends this weekend with our respective bows. Have a friend with a compound, another with a longbow, and myself and another friend have recurves.
Two of the targets we have are sunflower seed bags stuffed with dried grass. So for they've done a pretty fair job of stopping arrows (except the compound, that thing is a beast) and it has the added bonus of having small targets on it. Here's a grouping I'm pretty pleased with, not too shabby for a fist-sized target and a newbie to the bow.
Sounds like you are having a good time rediscovering your love for archery. You may want to join a local club where you can meet more people that are interested in archery, participate in organized shoots, and hopefully learn more from their experiences. Johnson County Archers has a range just off Mehaffey Bridge Road near Lake MacBride. Range is open to the public. You can google their name for more information if interested. Best wishes.
check out Traditional Bowhunters page on Facebook-lots of info there many here have gravitated to there.
Ollie-your herd recovering? Big buck pictures yet?
I hunt northcentral Van Buren near Birmingham. Have not noticed a major reduction in deer numbers. Minor EHD losses. Found two medium sized dead bucks in the creek last fall as well as one doe. Seeing plenty of deer in the fields when walking around late afternoons. Just put trail cameras out last weekend and will check them when I go down this weekend. Crops looking really good. Ample rain but no flooding problems during he summer. Apple and pear trees have a lot of fruit this year. Should be a good season.
