Need some advice

[MediaGuy]

So I have been giving a little thought to bowhunting recently, and I am looking for a little advice.
I really do not plan to get big money serious with this yet but saw what I think may be a deal on a bow today.
What is the general opinion on a Bear Cat TD recurve bow? Is $75 too much or too little for this bow with a quiver attached?
Is it a bad plan for a novice to try to start with a recurve rather than a compound? [img]graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[tradorion]

No- it is not a bad idea to start with a recurve or a longbow over a compound... it is however easier to learn to hit consistently at longer distances with a compound due to sights, release, etc...

The price is fine for the bow if it is in decent (limbs not cracked, etc) shape...

Think about what you want to do with a bow, what sort of time you have to give to it, etc and go from there. I shoot trad and modern and love both. I PREFER trad but often find life does not leave me the time it demands (some people do better with less shooting- i have a buddy who practices much less than me but shoots much better...).

Bottom line thought- if you think you might like it- buy the bow and play- but don't buy the bow as a pre-compound choice. buy it for its own reasons... or go with a compound if that is your end goal.

Either way you will have much fun shooting or hunting.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is nothing more than my opinion and worth no more than the next fellows!!

T

[CWPINST]

Media Guy,
Traditional or modern is OK, but I would strongly recommend that you be "mentored" by someone who is experienced. When I started bowhunting in 1981, I had no idea of what was right and what was wrong in regards to bow setup and shooting form. Owen, Tom and Mrs. Erin helped me out tremendously. It is a LOT better to learn correct form and setup from the outset rather than having to "unlearn" the bad stuff then learn the right stuff.

I think that many bowhunters don't learn by mentoring as much now as they used to years ago. Videos have taken the place of the mentor to some degree. While videos are great and can be a good learning tool, I don't believe that there is any substitute for personal instruction.

The good news is that there are quite a few old school bowhunters out there who remember the sacrifices that their mentors made to help them learn and are more than willing to return the favor to new bowhunters. This honors their own mentor(s) and helps to preserve the ancient and honorable art of bowhunting.

[Stripa Swipa]

Also, keep in mind most compounds can be adjusted to fit about anybody. Recurve draw length and weight may not suit your physical attributes. I'd look into that too before you buy a bow even if it's cheap.

[LabLuvR]

How patient are you? How dedicated would you be to practice and how much time would be available? Not patient, not much time to practice then the compound may be more for you. With a compound you will surely become proficient in a quicker period of time.

Back in the early 70's when a teenager, I started out with a recurve shooting instinctive.My performance was pretty good, but man it took a long time. Then I put the recurve away for a long time and went with a compound. Then....at another point in time I picked the recurve back up. Needing a good refresher and not having much time I went to Owen. The man had me shooting pretty dang good in short order. He made it seem so simple and shortened the learning curve tremendously.

I know I promote those two guys a lot. The reason I do is because they know of what they speak and you can TRUST them not to give you some bullshit spill just so they can sell you something.

Now, on to the bow you are considering to buy. Is the draw length correct for you? What pound is the bow? Is the poundage what you want? While I don't know about that specific bow, it must fit, if it doesn't fit you well, there will some issues that are gonna cause a lot of headaches. Even if you by that bow, drop by Jefferey and ask Owen or Tom to give you some quick pointers. They will be more than happy to.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[deadriver]

Owen Jeffrry coached olympic archers in the 60's. A recurve today is recurve of yesteryear. Use the resource of his experience that is available to anyone who walks in his door. I know of guys driving over 8 hours to buy a bow from him in person. Anyone in this state is within driving distance of intermittant instruction from him.
Why go traditional? Do you want to be a real archer, then learn to shoot a "bow" before you settle for cables and pulleys. I shoot both, been shooting a recurve since I was 4, a 1977 Browning youth recurve. I usually hunt with the compund and probably would not out shoot half of the guys on this page with it. But, I can still hit the vitals at 20 yards with any bow I pick up. So if my sites mess up, or forget a release. I just shoot where I look.
Put the time into learning the bow itself and you will be an archer no matter what you shoot. If you want to be able to kill a deer quick, shoot the compound.
Nothin like the freedom of a recurve, just look and shoot....

[MediaGuy]

Thanks for the info so far fellas. I am just wanting to start playing with a bow for now... thinking about huntin' a fairly small tract next season, and the price on this bow sounded rght for the name attached to it. Shot a long bow growing up... targets but instinctive shooting... no siights prretty good for a kid. Is it a decent bow overall? I got time before 8-05

[MC]

I think what the guys above are trying to tell you is it is a decent bow if the draw weight suits you, if the overall length of the bow is something you are comfortable with, and if the recurve is something you feel will suit your style and personality. Somebody mentioned it on another post, and you can read it between the lines in any bow hunting forum, but bowhunting doesn't have a lot of hard and fast rules. It's not like rifle hunting where anybody can tell you that such and such rifle in such and such caliber is the best rifle/caliber combination for hunting in SC. It's just not that way with the bow, it's much more personal preference. A 20 year old recurve in the hands of an archer perficient in it's use is every bit as deadly as a brand new Mathews outfitted with every gadget in the book. It all comes back to the man behind the bow, rather than the bow in the man's hand.
I don't know of the bow that you mention above, but for a used recurve the price sounds about in line with what I've seen on other such bows. But you'll have to decide if it's a good bow for you. Regardless of what you decide to get, the others make a good point to get some instruction on form as well as general bowhunting instruction and then get you some blunts and get out and shoot some stumps.

[longbow]

What they said. The Bear Cat T/D is a 60" bow with fiberglass-reinforced epoxy limbs. the riser is drilled and tapped and the whole bow is pretty hard to tear up. I looked on a couple of on-line stores and saw prices from 140.00 to 180.00

[MediaGuy]

I saw about the same thing when I shopped around. I will have plenty of time to rig it up and learn to shoot it well before next deer season if I decide to get it. Thanks for the info fellas... I will plan to take it by Jeffery and get some lessons and advice on what I should do with it.

[CWPINST]

Before you spend your money(if it is not too late) I would suggest that you check pawn shops. I got several older but in good shape, Bear recurves for almost give away prices a number of years ago. I once paid about $40 for a Kodiak Magnum. You do need to know what to look for and what to look out for though. A solid fiberglass limb tends to be harsh and slow, but to each his own.

[Briar Buster]

good luck

[Briar Buster]

good luck