Thinking about a new purchase.

[WhitewaterDuck]

I’m thinking of picking up an Oneida Phoenix for at least my archery elk hunting. I’ve hunted elk for the last two years carrying around a sinew backed Osage primitive stick…which in hindsight is pretty silly at best…possibly utterly ridiculous seeing as I’ve yet to kill any big game creature with it.

First year…I had a 32-35 yard frontal shot on 320 ish bull then a ~50 yard shot at him quartering away.
Last year…I had a 20 yard frontal opportunity that I chose to pass hoping I could slip one behind his shoulder as he turned to leave…happened too quick and I shoulda taken the frontal…maybe…I think frontal on a likely whirling bull with a 170-175 fps arrow is asking a lot.

So, the Oneida’s look like a great option to get 500grain arrows moving at 260fps, and they are designed to shoot instinctively with fingers. Anyone on here have experience with the lever bows?

If I decide to do this, I will be selling a very sweet, one of a kind compound rig. New Breed Lycan with SKB case, custom Spot Hogg Hogfather slider with 0.19 and 0.10 pins (top pin is 20 and bottom is 30 and use the bottom pin/slider for longer distances) so you don’t have to screw with the slider for 90% of whitetail applications. Bow is tricked out and will come with some black eagle arrows. PM me if any interest in the rig, and if I decide to pull the trigger on the Phoenix, I’ll let you know when it hits the TP.

[SCWOODROW]

All I know is Tim Wells hunts with one and has killed pretty much every animal on earth with a bow, shooting instinctively

[trkykilr]

This has nothing to do with your decision, but I was talking with WY elk outfitters several years ago. One of the guys I talked to said that they love to have southern whitetail hunters because “we” are the best bow hunters they guide. He said the biggest problem they have is convincing “us” to take a frontal shot on an elk. He said at ground level it is a very lethal shot, and often the best and closest opportunity you will get.

[WhitewaterDuck]

This has nothing to do with your decision, but I was talking with WY elk outfitters several years ago. One of the guys I talked to said that they love to have southern whitetail hunters because “we” are the best bow hunters they guide. He said the biggest problem they have is convincing “us” to take a frontal shot on an elk. He said at ground level it is a very lethal shot, and often the best and closest opportunity you will get.

I won't disagree with any of that. If you can kill a whitetail in SC with archery equipment, you can hunt down and kill anything. I think chasing eastern turkeys is a big plus also as far as elk hunting goes. No way in hell was I taking the 35 yard frontal on the first bull with a primitive stick, and I thought I could get in front of and get a better shot than the 50 yard quartering away. Last year, I was so damned shocked and pissed at myself on top of being extremely jacked up that my brain malfunctioned. I'd bugled back and forth with that bull for an hour and was convinced it was a hunter the way it was cutting me off, answering every bugle, and trashing trees on the opposite mountain side. I was leaving when the bull broke and started coming. I made some cow calls and quietly moved up to cut him off at the theoretical "hang-up spot." I was in perfect position and would have had a 10 yard quartering away shot as the bull came up to the shelf I was on had I just stayed put...but I outsmarted myself and had to move 10 yards to shoot him when he was below me walking up the mountain...and we came face to face at 20. I was so pissed at myself and surprised..and it was a true Area 7 GIANT...and I was taking in his wet, snotty, flaring nostrils and listening to him breathe...I just froze and immediately got ready to shoot when he turned to leave. I should have just shot him frontal, but the thought never crossed my glitching brain. When he turned to leave...it looked like slo mo, but he was gone in the blink of an eye. I know that there is a much greater chance at getting a good frontal shot during the rut than a good broadside or QA shot. While a 500+ gr arrow at 170fps will probably get in there and do the job, I'd feel a lot better if it were a 500+gr arrow zinging along at 250-270 fps. Its a soft target, but there is a lot of bull to get through to get the tip of an arrow to big bull's heart and lungs from the front.

[SCWOODROW]

550+ grains with a sharp single bevel, it might come out of his @$$hole on a 20yd frontal shot.

[2thDoc]

i love a full frontal

[winyah]

I had a Oneida Strike Eagle, back in the day. I hated mechanical releases and preferred a finger tab. I loved mine, wish I'd never sold it.

[Palmetto Duck]

There’s a video on YT of what looks like a 13 year old killer who smacks one in the front with his bow at spitting distance. That elk stands there bleeds out in less than 10 sec and falls right over.

[WhitewaterDuck]

There’s a video on YT of what looks like a 13 year old killer who smacks one in the front with his bow at spitting distance. That elk stands there bleeds out in less than 10 sec and falls right over.

550+ grains with a sharp single bevel, it might come out of his @$$hole on a 20yd frontal shot.

Damn...I kicked myself for not sticking that freaking bull and was just about over it...now y'all be rubbing it in?! Fuggg!

[WhitewaterDuck]

I had a Oneida Strike Eagle, back in the day. I hated mechanical releases and preferred a finger tab. I loved mine, wish I'd never sold it.

This is pretty much the consensus from what I can find. I think I remember Tom Jeffery being fond of the lever bows back in the day. I think I'm going to go with it. It's a little weird jumping into a 1,400.00 bow purchase never even having held one...let alone having shot one.

[Tha Dick]

I just remember the Oneida's back in the late 80's being really loud. Hopefully they've fixed this with all the new technology.

[FLS]

I have an older Mathews Conquest Apex set up to shoot with my fingers. I shoot 3 under with a tab, no sights, just a rest. Bare shaft tuned my arrow like I would my recurve started long and trimmed a little at a time till it was flying true. I’m solid with my recurve out to 30 yds, with my bare bow compound I gain another 10. I get a lot more speed and penetration with the compound.
I tried an Onieda and have an older one in the shop set up for bow fishing. Only real complaint is they are loud, even with a heavy arrow.
There used to be several guys that shot Barebow division at 3 d shoots. I think equipment tailored to finger shooting got so hard to find they migrated to traditional.

[WhitewaterDuck]

The new ones are reportedly a pile quieter than the old ones, but they are probably not as quiet as the new compounds. I'll likely only be using it for elk, so super quiet isn't necessarily a priority...but I don't want to be buying an annoyingly loud bow either.

[FLS]

You will be pleasantly surprised how well you can shoot a compound instinctively after shooting a trad bow for a while.

[Tha Dick]

I'd look around and find an older model Matthews or similar that fit me and just try it out before plunging into the new Oneida. Just my

[WhitewaterDuck]

I started off shooting and hunting with a Jeffery 44mag fingers and instinctive. Then switched to one of his classic hunter recurves and killed my first 6 or 7 archery deer with that. Went to modern compounds when I started hunting Ohio, and I’ve shot pretty much everything out there and owned half of them. Went back to longbow for my last archery deer kill…now shooting the primitive stick I made. I don’t like shooting a modern compound with sights, and I absolutely hate shooting a modern compound with fingers…too much let off. I just want the extra energy of the mechanical advantage of the Phoenix for elk without it feeling a ton different than shooting a recurve. If I go with the Phoenix, I’ll likely be shooting the 50% let off mods.

[FLS]

Look at the Mathew’s Conquest or Apex. About $400 on eBay. 40-41 axel to axel. You can get the super soft cam 60% let off for the Conquest. They’re on eBay all the time. That’s what I shoot.
A Hoyt Aspen or Montega makes a really good finger bow.
Archery Republic still makes a finger bow for the NFAA crowd. It’s a copy of the Barnesale bows.

[Duckman#1]

550+ grains with a sharp single bevel, it might come out of his @$$hole on a 20yd frontal shot.

I’d say your draw length and draw weight would factor into that

[Tha Dick]

31-3/4” @ 75lb. I’ll try it in September if I have too…..

[Duckman#1]

31-3/4” @ 75lb. I’ll try it in September if I have too…..

No one was talking to you. You’re a freak. Lmao