Broke a bow this morning

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Jamesh76
Posts: 2019
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 6:05 pm

Broke a bow this morning

#1 Post by Jamesh76 »

Some of you probably know I work night shift. Sleeping a normal schedule with n my days off can be challenging. I often find myself up around 1-3 am and head to the garage to piddle and hopefully not wake the family up. I had been getting stuff ready for my Antelope hunt but I’m pretty much set on that for now. I haven’t been shooting or building any bows due to my elbows still giving me issues off and on. Today I had a piece of Osage ready for tiller. Got going good on the long string. I was 40# @22. Figured that was close enough to brace it. The wood did have a few spots which looked dry. Not thinking about the lack of moisture we have had I went ahead and broke the bow about mid limb stringing it up. Broker multiple directions and appeared too dry. Good thing, I didn’t hurt my elbows any with the limited amount of work I got in. I had a piece of hickory calling my name but I decided to clean up and organize my workbench some. Ended up putting quite a bit of my bow building tools up. Gotta give it a break. However, it will be a challenge finding something quiet to do. Waiting for 530 this morning so my son and I can go to the archery range and tune his bow shooting distance out to 70 yards. I’m not real excited shooting a different method right now but it at least keeps me in the game until I am physically ready to shoot sticks again.

Captainkirk
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Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:19 pm

Re: Broke a bow this morning

#2 Post by Captainkirk »

Yeah, don't rush it. There will be time enough for trad shooting when you are properly healed.
Aim small, miss small!

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Elkman
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Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2011 10:11 pm

Re: Broke a bow this morning

#3 Post by Elkman »

Hope your back to your tradbow shooting and building soon. It's hard when it is such a big part of your life.
Sounds like your on the right path. Like Kirk said, don't rush it. I rushed my shoulder injury years ago and now it pops up and bites me when I over do it.
Calling Elk - Awesome! !€

Carpdaddy
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Re: Broke a bow this morning

#4 Post by Carpdaddy »

Sorry about the lost efforts! Got to do whatever you can to stay in the game, best of luck with whatever you use, your a trad hunter at heart! Have you thought about using a Xbow? May be easier on you than a compound. I look forward to hearing success stories from you this coming season!

Jamesh76
Posts: 2019
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2016 6:05 pm

Re: Broke a bow this morning

#5 Post by Jamesh76 »

I think I would quit archery all together before I went X bow, in my mind, it’s just like a center fire. I haven’t had any pain or issues with the alternative method. I did go down in weight however. I can still shoot a stick bow just not long enough sessions and accuracy I feel comfortable hunting with it. It just hurts too much. I think a lot of the issues I have came from
Building so many and prepping so many staves in a short time. It is definitely addictive and I certainly enjoy building bows. I have quite a few staves in my shed. Probably enough to last a lifetime as I probably could make 70-80 bows. As of now, my plan is to get trough this season with my current method. NOT BUILD BOWS FOR AT LEAST A YEAR. And evaluate again next year. If I feel I cannot build and produce bows with low hand shock and maintain a good hunting weight I will probably look at a Hoyt Dorado or Satori and get something 40-45# and see how it feels. The way I am currently feeling, I believe I may need surgery on my Left elbow at some point.

Captainkirk
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Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:19 pm

Re: Broke a bow this morning

#6 Post by Captainkirk »

You might give a thought to an ILF style bow (like the ones you mentioned) in a very low draw weight (20-25#) which *should* have a similar effect to an 85%+ letoff compound. Nice thing about that setup is you can go up in DW with different limbs as your shoulder and strength improves. I can tell you, right now I'm feeling the effects of jumping back in too quick after a year+ layoff, even with my 45# bows. Thinking about doing the same using my Sage and low # limbs.
Aim small, miss small!

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