Got The Longbow Out Today

[Ohio Joe]

Well the weather is very nice here today (I'm wearing shorts) so I decided to clean up my side yard Archery Range and get some bow & arrow shooting in from 15 yards. I can go out to 25 yards, but first outing this year - 15 yards is fine for me. 

I hadn't shot any of my bows since last Fall so I decided I better not start off with to heavy a pull, so I took the 35 pound bow out and shot 30 arrows.  I like about a 42 to 45 pound pull on my longbows, as that's comfortable for me once I get my arm & shoulder back in shape after a long layoff (about 5-1/2 months) - I'll be back up into those 40+ pound bows in no time.

Anyone else have a similar routine? 

[Nessmuk]

No, but I  should have. I pulled out my 45 pound recurve out last week and fired about 50 arrows, really felt it the next 2 days. I'll  be  going back to the 25 pound on Monday.


Thank goodness for Ben-Gay. 

[Ohio Joe]

Nessmuk, I read your post about a half hour ago and thought I better up my arrow count for today, so I went back out shot 12 more arrows and it started raining on me. Well, I'm still shy 8 arrows of what you shot last week... And maybe that's a good thing. 

I really hate to start such a long lay-off with my top pound bows. I can feel your pain, 'cause I've done the very same thing before as you described in your post. 

[Nessmuk]

I won't tell how bad I  shot. 

[Hawken]

Fellows I shot a longbow for onto 40 years. When I was ten years old Howard Hill put on a demonstration in our local theater and I was hooked! Up until 5 years ago I shot an 80# bow pretty good; killed quite a few deer with that bow...and a 70# that I still have. I shot Louie Armbruster bows and they are good! Now....after undergoing 44 sessions of radiation for prostate cancer and having to take the estrogen shots....I can't even draw the dang bows! I am a miserable speciman of the man I was...but my eyes are still great and I can make up the difference by shooting these BP rifles I have!

GOD BLESS to all1!

[Ohio Joe]

Nessmuk, I got 40 more arrows in today from 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards, (10 from each station)... Arm and shoulder feels pretty good... Used the 35 pound longbow again today. Sometime next week I should be ready for the 44 pound longbow. (I think???) 

Hawken, there's no way I could even think of pulling back to 70 or 80 pounds, even in my prime. 65 is my limit (and that was with one of those "wheel" bows)...

[Nessmuk]

Joe, I  took the 25 pound bow and my .45 Hawken with the new green mountain barrel to the range today. Shot a few flights to loosen up the shoulder and it felt pretty good. Maybe one more light session  before I  step up to heavier  bow again.

I did manage to shoot my April postal match targets, too. That GM barrel is worth every penny I  paid for it.

[Ohio Joe]

Joe, I  took the 25 pound bow and my .45 Hawken with the new green mountain barrel to the range today. Shot a few flights to loosen up the shoulder and it felt pretty good. Maybe one more light session  before I  step up to heavier  bow again.

I did manage to shoot my April postal match targets, too. That GM barrel is worth every penny I  paid for it.

They certainly are good barrels for sure! 

Tomorrow is my last day of decent weather for a week (maybe a tad longer) according to the National Weather folks. They are actually reporting 5 to 6 inches of snow in our area starting Wednesday morning. I sure hope they're wrong. This kind of news cuts into my muzzle loading and archery plans,,, the ol' buggers...

[Winter Hawk]

I've been flinging arrows also, for a couple of weeks.  50 lb. Bear Montana.  I'm shooting in the back yard every other day or so, start at 5 yards, then 10 yards, 7 1/2 yards, 15 yards, 10 yards again and finally 20 yards, six arrows at each distance.  I can squeeze 27 yards out if I go beside the house to the fence; otherwise my furthest shot is 22 yards from right in back of the house.  I was pleasantly surprised that, after a winter layoff, I was at least hitting the bag and most of the time within a 9" circle.  Consistency isn't there, though so I'm trying to better that.

My target, and this is not something I came up with as I got it from the folks at Tradrag (now gone), is a feed sack I get for 50 cents stuffed with plastic bags, then stapled shut.  The aiming spot is a piece of black duct tape.  I have this backed with three hay bales and the shed, just in case I miss the bag.   This stops the arrows dead and they are still easy to remove.

~Kees~