First Buck with Recurve
Whitetail Deer
I've been wanting to hunt with traditional equipment for quite some time, but every time fall arrives, I bail out on the idea and switch back to the old reliable compound. Well, this year I took the plunge and hung up the compound and committed to hunting with a recurve all season.
I picked up a new 58" RER Arroyo earlier this year, spent A LOT of time getting comfortable with shooting it instinctively, and discovered that I was having quite a bit more fun practicing. I had been shooting a Hoyt Nitrum Turbo, so I figured the decrease in speed would be noticeable, but the Arroyo is fast, quiet, and doesn't have any pins to drive my bifocal-needing eyes crazy!
Anyway, this morning I was fortunate enough to shoot my first traditional buck. I would recommend that anyone on the fence about trying a recurve should just do it. Shooting one is tons of fun without sacrificing nearly as much performance as you'd think....
Yes sir!! Congrats! Very well deserved and a great buck
Beauty Buck and a nice looking bow to boot!
What an icebreaker for you! A huge congratulations. Well done.
Super! It can be tougher with trad gear for sure but a lot of the fun and satisfaction from bowhunting comes from the challenge. Up the challenge, up the fun and satisfaction. None of us are going to starve if we have to pass few shots waiting for a close one. I have watched quite a few very nice bucks and bulls walk out of my life that would have been in serious risk of wearing a tag if I were shooting a compound. I don't regret a single one.
Congratulations, superb buck!
Congratulations on fine buck!
Fine job, great looking buck, congrats.
Amazing accomplishment! Congrats and beautiful buck.
What arrow/broadhead combo are you using? Great Buck !
That's a nice one!
Congrats!
Beautiful buck and beautiful bow. Congratulations on your accomplishment.
Thank you, everyone, for the nice words!
Carcajou, I ended up using Gold Tip traditional classic XT shafts. They include a ballistic collar on the front and 74 gr insert, so the FOC can be pretty high. I also replaced the stock nocks with nock bushings and g-nocks. The broadheads are VPA 3-blade unvented. This setup flies really well for me.
Deer with a stick is a very special accomplishment. Nicely done. my best, Paul
Great deer.
Nice job with the recurve.
And that my friend, is what "Archery" is all about... Well Done.
Good job! If you really want to be successful with your traditional bow you have to hang up your compound and dedicate yourself to using the trad bow only. Otherwise you go back to the compound each time you miss something or have some other setback.
That's an awesome first. Congrats, I gotta give it a try.
Congrats! Welcome aboard, mate. I've been a stckbow guy for decades and you're right...there's nothing magical about about them, just a little effort and patience through the learning period.
My wife and son both shoot a longbow, as I have also for the last few years. My wife doesn't hunt but enjoys shooting. My son's a seasoned hunter who took up sticks 4 years ago after watching me shoot his entire life.
He got this one last Saturday. Good job, mate!
That is a beautiful bow and a great buck. Congrats!
I switched ten years ago. I've shot quite a few less deer, but much more fun. Once I lost interest in the compound, I gave it away. Congrats on a great buck.
Congrats on a great buck and accomplishment! I hope to join you next year!
Thanks again for the nice words, everyone!
Stick n string, you asked for the story, so here goes: The place where I hunt has flat topped, wooded bluffs with rocky outcroppings and farm fields in the surrounding valleys. The deer tend to bed on the tops of the bluffs, and as afternoon rolls around, they browse through the wooded hillsides down to the fields, where they spend the night.
My favorite stand is on the edge of a bluff, right up tight to a bedding area of goldenrods and white pines. I've shot my three best deer there, and I only hunt it one or two days max per season. Wind and weather in general have to be perfect. Sunny, upper 20's or low 30's, and some variety of north wind. I only hunt it in the morning, because afternoon hunts end up bumping all the bedded deer out on the way to the stand.
Right at this time of the year, by mid-morning, the does and fawns filter back into the bedding area, and bucks sneak in from the downwind side and cruise back and forth on the edge of the bluff--right under my stand. Yesterday, conditions were perfect, so I went in very early in the morning, and got to see 6 different bucks chasing does and fawns around. Before I got my buck, I actually intended to shoot a couple of smaller bucks, but they went by too quickly for me to get a shot.
This guy came by at about 9:30 on a fast trot, I voice grunted to stop him, and let the arrow fly. Turns out he was farther than I thought....almost 30 yards away, but the arrow trajectory was perfect. One of the really weird/amazing things about instinctive shooting is that even though you can consciously misjudge the distance, the subconscious mind seems to do just fine, and the arrow just goes where you look.
So I shot him, and he took off and fell within sight, about 75 yards away, so not too much drama in the recovery.
I m with you, for several years shot my recurve with intentions of hunting with it, season came and just didn't have the confidence so stuck with compound. Man he's a dandy, congrats!
congrats on your first recurve kill! Be careful shooting n hunting with traditional equipment can become addicting!
Nice buck, no matter the weapon. Congrats !
Great thread! Congrats. Beautiful deer, glad you shared. I’ve been on the fence. Bought a longbow this summer. I’m gonna shoot it all winter and go for it next year. Thanks for posting.
Congrats. Job well done. Beautiful buck.
Outstanding... congratulations. Ed F
Now you need to go traditional and hunt with the longbow
Congratulations! Very nice buck with any kind of bow and fabulous first with a recurve!
Nice buck. I have an RER LX longbow that I have been very happy with.
Congratulations! I remember my first deer with traditional equipment it was a doe but I was completely jacked! Nice buck!!! Every deer with a bow is special it is just a little more special when you switch over and try something new to challenge yourself.
Nice job! I love to see a convert. In my opinion, the traditional bow is much easier to hunt with. No pins, range finder, no release trigger to slap, no need for a plum bow, its just like pointing a finger. Please don't misinterpret me, I am not a "tradbow elitist". I have great admiration for those who can make everything involved in a good compound shot work in a hunting situation; I am just not one of them.
