jetboy 

So I know sometimes the mods allow for other vintage hobbies to be posted: often involving musical instruments or cameras- but recently I have gotten back into Archery after a 30+ year hiatus.
The Bicycle connection is that before the Pandemic hit, I was able to ride my 83 stumpjumper up to the Redwood Bowman archery range at + 1500ft from my house, shoot some on the practice range and maybe a round on the course, then head back down. near killed me but made a great afternoon (into evening at my speed).

Here is my latest bow: (ignore the target in the back, that was for my daughters arrows.. but made a nice backdrop for the picture..)
I have been learning to shoot right side/asian/horseback style.
this is my nicest bow by far- Just like bikes its so much about sizing- this little bow has a 34+" draw, and with my freakishly long arms its a wonder to draw and shoot.

bobwysiwyg

​​​​​​Frequently think about taking up archery. Never used a real bow but despite they recommend compounds for beginners, I'm attracted to recurves.

JustinOldPhart

I always thought archery would be a fun sport to get into. If it can be kept simple and low-key I think it would be immensely enjoyable.
When I was in junior high we used to shoot in the gym during PE.

TinyTiff

Nice bow jetboy. I shoot an olympic recurve from Hoyt.

unworthy1

Funny this came up cause my friend's son just got the archery bug big time and I gave him the only surviving bow I seem to have anymore...and he's hooked! I used to have some nice recurves (never got a compound) but sold or gave them away (some were really too high a pull weight for me, anyway) so all I had to start young Leo with was an ancient fiberglass beginner's recurve like all the school kids used in my youth (might be a 20lb. pull at most!). I bought him a 6-pack of Easton aluminum arrows and he's shooting up a storm! Wonder what the next bow "upgrade" should be assuming he sticks with recurve?

Russ Roth

Was just discussing this today. I take the neighbor's daughter with us sometimes when we mountain bike, my daughter wants to head off with the neighbor to shoot some arrows which we haven't done since moving to LI but there is a public range nearby. Hers is a basic fiberglass recurve, I've got a compound that's set to 55lb. I can still pull it multiple times but I somehow remember it being a lot easier 20 years ago.

Bill in VA

I use a recurve and a l,ongbow. We traditional archers have a saying, "My bow does not need training wheels".

Kilroy1988 

I haven't shot in a while, but the osage self-bow I use was made by Jaap Koppedrayer of Yumi Bows. He made all of the Japanese yumi used by the archers in The Last Samurai film and both Jaap and his wife are lifelong practitioners of that ancient sport. They also host a very popular international gathering for a traditional Chinese archery competition on his bamboo farm in Georgia every year. I got to visit him there once with a mutual friend. The lifestlye Jaap and his wife lead is very admirable, deeply connected with the craft... This is his site:

YUMI BOWS - Where Art and Performance Meet

I have a degree from SFSU in early European history, and was heavily involved with historical reenactment for a time and attended big events and such, and archery was something I fiddled with due to all of that, though I'm much more of a craftsman than archer. I've made a few quivers and bracers for the activity, as well!

-Gregory

bark_eater 

I was pretty deep into archery before I started rideing again. I over did it and got injured and kept re-injuring my self trying to get back to it, so I quit cold turkey. I've got a 15 lb bow thats been on the wall waiting for 4 years now. It might be time to see if everything knitted back together enough.

PS. inspired, I spent 20 minutes flinging arrows. The bow and arrow's are not that well tuned together but muscle memory served enough to not be discouraging. A little sore here and there from just holding position and a little complaint from the scar tissue, but promising. I'll try again in a couple days.

jetboy 

They Re-Opened the archery course in the park! So I went today- I did not have a ton of time but did the 28 targets, 2 arrows each, and it felt ok. I was getting sort of sloppy by the end but it sure felt good to get out in the air! it just rained so the air was clean - not to hot nor cold. just about perfect if a bit windy.

First timing shooting the new bow & arrows at a range over 9m (my back yard)-> the arrows I have for that bow are 35" long, have weighted tips - about 4x what a normal western target arrow uses. Bow is around 50lbs at 34" draw. works for me, I was having some trouble with the longer ranges.. still hard to do the 50m+ but I was getting in the area at least. Bow is good, arrows could be better- these were a compromise and now I am thinking I should have gotten the proper bamboo shafts-- too much flex in the CF. much like bikes!

I did chop a branch off a pine tree with one though..The rain had dropped it into the branch down low and I cut it right off on the way to the target (which I missed...I blame the branch ). it was very satisfying actually.

bark_eater 

I think "Jinkster" is on bike forums somewere. He was a pretty prolific archery writer/poster when I was initialy fascinated with archery. I really want to rig a mongolian saddle to the back of my big dummy and get my son going on mounted archery.

jetboy 

Hey, thanks for the link and the pics of your work! very nice! I really wanted to get a proper traditional Kyudo glove for myself and daughter, but they are 100$+ just for one glove... so I am saving up for that- cutting off the fingers of a $10 set of work gloves from ace hardware is working for now.

I only recently got inspired to do some Asian style archery... today I did all thumb draw with my Tang "Dunhuang" Long from Alibow- It was a recommendation from an active Chinese bow enthusiast in the Bay Area who also has a much longer draw than most bows, asian or not, are capable of- for $300 you get a 35" draw. amazing deal (but you got to spend some extra on arrows that long). So far I love it! right side draw feels more natural already- as well as sighting, I feel I am more accurate than ever. *but the practice range is still closed so was not able to really test it.

Alibow is great, he is very responsive and answers questions and his craftsmanship is really top notch. I ordered a bow for my daughter from him for her birthday-

the next bow I am eyeing is: from Mariner - qing dragon

The Cinnabar Bow - Traditional Chinese Archery Equipment

a bit more money but its exquisite. plus I may want to go up to 60lb and keep it as my long range bow, while the Tang is my quick close bow as it is smaller- more of a horse bow (but I don't ride a horse).

Pompiere

Before my son was born (he's 23 now), I wanted to try bow hunting. The season in Ohio starts a lot earlier, before it gets cold and rainy. I'm left handed, so I ordered a compound bow from a local shop that was run out of a guy's basement. I never took a shot at a deer, but I enjoyed the target practice. Like a lot of peoples' bikes, I used the bow for a couple years and put it away on the shelf.

OldsCOOL

I used to deer hunt with a Browning Cobra compound back in the 80’s. The past 10yrs I have switched to crossbow for deer. It makes for exciting hunting with bears, cougars and wolves running around when they smell blood.

jetboy 

I am from Oregon - rural as it gets- so I grew up with hunters and hunting- But frankly, we used guns. As a kid I only hunted grouse with a bow- I had one family friend that hunted deer with a bow, but my family went with a basic 30-30. But one day my father went out on a hunt (we are not sport hunters- we lived 8 miles up a river from a tiny town, no electricity, no indoor plumbing, no phone, sometimes running water, in a log cabin my father built- so hunting was about living) and he came back and put down the rifle and said he would not hunt deer again. F if he would not fish again as that was full on! but somehow, he would not kill a deer. something happened out there.. my dad was not a big talker and died young..

Kilroy1988 

Those are lovely bows, indeed! I like the simple elegance of the curves in many of the far eastern designs. One of my college roommates regularly shoots some similar bows that he actually purchased over eBay direct from Chinese craftsmen, I believe. I pretty much settled in with Turkish style bows and thumb draw when I was younger and more active. I had a beautiful painted Turkish recurve from Csaba Grozer out of Hungary. He holds a number of world records for horse archery and also leads a school to teach about the art. If you really want to see some fancy stuff, as well as many models that are made using totally traditional methods (horn, sinew, etc)... Check this stuff out:

Grozer Traditional Recurve Bows Hungary

The prices for the base models (made with fiberglass reinforcements, etc) are very competitive. Cheers!

-Gregory

davester

Here I am shooting at Chabot archery range, probably the same one jetboy shoots at. I'm using a Damon Howatt Ventura bow that I bought in 1971 while in high school. It's a beauty with a Bubinga core. No sights or stabilizers for this archer!

archery

garryg

Archery is a I lot of fun.I don,t mean to offend but it has also put the venison in the freezer for me for thirty years, It is a weapon,

jetboy 

Oh yes, I used to hunt and I would like to do some bow fishing when I get a chance! For me its mainly a recreation now, sort of like a bicycle is really for transportation, but its also used for recreation. - bow is a weapon, but also recreation.

Went out today with my daughter - I think no one has realized they have opened as we were one of only 2 groups on the whole course. My daughter is only 8 so she prefers the target range which is still closed, but we had a good time. Like cycling its definitely a sport that one can do 6'+ apart.. mostly groups are more like 150' apart even if its crowded.

for my hunting total today my daughter and I winged a squirrel, killed a cougar, wounded a bear in the paw (not a good idea), killed a duck and a turkey. and scared a lot of other cardboard cut-outs.

The Golden Boy 

I used to have my uncle's old Fred Bear bow from the 60s- I seem to remember it being about as tall as me.

I really sucked at archery. No idea what happened to the bow. There was a time around 10 years ago that I tried out one of those bows with the pulleys- I did it without an arm protector thingy- and I gave myself a bruise that lasted a month or so. I sucked at archery.

squirtdad

not the same, but grew up in a tiny town in Montana....but not as rural as yours....my dad quit hunting once they were financially stable enough to not need a deer to supplement.... but he did love shooting and we were all well trained (he taught marksmanship in the marines during korean war era) and so was my son...highlight of visitng granpa

jetboy 

Something of the same- it came at a point we also did not need the dear, we were raising pigs and goats by then, and chickens.. man do i hate chickens... But just two pigs a year means a lot of meat. goats give milk and also meat, chickens eggs and meat, plus a garden. but by then my mother had a good job and we stopped using S&H green stamps so much(different from food stamps..like crazy coupon stamp books we used a lot when I was a kid).

Truth was we were gun kids- we had 2020's before we could read properly- and used to practice shooting holes in the center of quarters. These days, and for my daughter, now living the city.. a bow is better. ;_)

She is 8 now and only shot a bb gun. but that may change next oregon trip.

but I have to say-- archery is a good sport that i suspect many vintage rider types would appreciate-