During 2023, the author will spend much of his time pursuing whitetails with a Bear Archery takedown recurve.
I’m sure my circle of bowhunting friends is similar to your own. Some of my buddies tinker with their gear for several months a year, with the testing and tweaking ramping up during summer. Other buddies don’t change a single piece of their setup. Their choice in arrows and broadheads hasn’t changed for a decade.
Me? I fall between the two camps, though I’m much closer to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy. That said, during 2023 I plan to make a major equipment change. But it’s likely opposite of what you’re thinking. Instead of switching to a newer compound or more feature-rich movable sight, I’m returning to my bowhunting roots by dedicating myself to shooting a recurve (no sights).
I started shooting a toy fiberglass bow (above), then graduated to a Browning recurve (below) at age 11. This was 1976. Over the next 5 years, I hunted with it regularly, but took only one shot; I missed a big doe at 12 yards while still-hunting a hardwood forest. I shot just in front of her chest.
I jumped on the compound bandwagon in the early 1980s and shot a wood-handled Browning Deluxe Nomad for a handful of years. The bow was set for 50 pounds and had 50 percent let-off; no stabilizer, no peep. That bow had three bowsight pins; black metal pins with high-vis orange paint on the round tips. I shot with a finger tab. With pins set for 10, 20 and 25 yards, I was arrow-stacking deadly. I can’t imagine how many hours I shot in my driveway during my high school years. I’m not exaggerating: I was more accurate at 20 yards with that simple rig than any modern compound (with release, peep, etc.) that I’ve owned since.
During the mid-1980s (college), I went back to shooting a recurve (a custom-made Robertson Stykbow) with no sights. Why? Because shooting my compound had become too easy. I wanted more of challenge in the whitetail woods.
Long story getting longer, I’ve hunted with a compound for the past 30 years, mostly because my various jobs in the outdoor publishing world demanded it. As a result, my recurve from college has sat in its case. Because of various shoulder and elbow injuries as I’ve aged, I can no longer draw back my 54-pound-draw Stykbow comfortably.
So, which recurve will I be shooting in 2023? A 40-pound-draw Bear Archery takedown, specifically the Mag Riser (handle A) matched with #3 limbs, which combine to make a 60-inch bow.
I can’t begin to explain how excited I am to take on this new (old) challenge!
