I have always been a bear bow guy, whether compound or traditional I have had a fondness for the man, the company and the bows they produce. With that said, I wanted something unique and built to my specs using the woods I wanted. Thanks to a resurgence of traditional archery there are many amazing bowyers to choose from and I looked at a ton. I settled on a Maddog bow for many reasons including wait time, wood choices, warranty, and price. I do not think that I had it in me to wait a year for a Big Jim bow or the money to get one of Dan's amazing Toleke bows (I personally like the super D). I talked to Mike several times before ordering and he was patient/kind and spent several hours talking shop with me over the phone before I'd even ordered!!! I eventually told Mike that I wanted Black Walnut and a Red Elm riser and gave him creative license with the design. I asked that the bow be 56" long and have a 42lbs pull at 26 inches (my draw). I wanted this specific draw so it would use the same arrows as my 45lbs at 28" draw bows (approximately anyway). I wanted the bow to be short because I am rather clumsy with longer bows and occasionally hunt from a tree stand. At the same time I just happened to win some idaho kurt mango veneers on tradgang, which he shipped direct to Mike.
Approximately 8 weeks later a suspicious package was on my doorstep and the bow I pulled out looked like a beautiful toy....... I have never felt such a light bow.... At first, I was concerned and thought to myself..... well this cant be right.... this is a toy not a bow.... but everyone says they are awesome. All these thoughts disappeared with the first arrow I let loose. Mike has an excellent limb design and it shows with blistering arrow speeds. Now the bow feels like it has a little stiffer draw than my grizzly of equal weight, which I attribute to a couple of things.... One the length of the bow and two Mike uses Red Elm Limb cores. According to Mike he is allergic to bamboo and is unable to work with it. However, Red Elm has a crisscross grain making it incredibly strong and excellent at storing energy. The handle to the bow felt unusual (to a previous all recurve guy) at first but sets you up for a perfect longbow grip.
I wanted to wait to do this review until I had shot the bow for several months and I can say the more I shoot this bow the more I love it. I even ordered a matching one for my Daughter, which for $100.00 is the best kids bow I have seen. I will say the finish of the bow is where the lower price tag comes in. (I put a wax finish on all my bows when i get them so no big deal there). The other thing to remember is that this bow was $330.00 to my door, which is less than an entry level bear bow. Mike stands behind his product and told me he once replaced a bow that was left in the snow all winter and not found till spring. (at no cost) Mike told me if the bow breaks in a year he offers a refund or replacement. Years two through five he will replace it and after that he told me to call him and would do it for the cost of the materials. Now that is a warranty!!!! Mike really surpassed my expectations with this one especially how he put bloodwood accents between the walnut and elm! It might not be the fanciest of the custom bows, but neither is the price. This is a getter done bow that is meant to take out in the woods. Everyone should have one of these in their collection! Some of the following pics have been posted before when I first got the bow and some are new.
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Five shots on five different bulleyes
