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First Archery Hunting Setup?

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First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 05 26, 2020 •  [Post 1]

What was your very first archery setup? Timestamp and equipment please.

Mine was in the early 80s. Darton Archery SL50, 55-70 lbs, 50% let-off, laminate wood/fiberglass limbs. It came in shiny black so I gathered a handful of grasses and leaves for patterns, and....., painted/camo'ed up my bow with OD green and flat black :-). Sight was a Cobra Double slot (pins painted white); arrow rest was a riser mounted flipper; and a couple of the rubber cat whiskers were tied on to the strings to silence that beast. I mounted a Quickee quiver loaded with five Easton XX75 2219s (tipped with Wasp cam-lock 4 blade BH's; one arrow had a judo point on it for in-between-hunts practice/stump shooting and grouse) and I was after em! It was a very accurate and forgiving bow if memory serves.
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby saddlesore » 05 26, 2020 •  [Post 2]

About 1959 or 60. Straight long bow,55 pound pull if I remember right. It was a Ben Pearson. Cedar shafts. No sights, instinctive shooting. It had a feather type arrow rest of some sort. My brother was shooting one if those fancy new recurves.When I moved to Albuquerque, I bought a recurve, 55 pound pull from Harold Groove Archery in the mid 60's. Aluminum arrows were coming on to the scene then,but I stuck with the cedars. That bow got stolen out of my camper in 1974 after I move to Colorado while I was on a business trip. Grooves was one of the first to start making laminated recurves I think .He later moved to Colorado Springs.

Noting until this past year and I am starting to hunt with a Ten Point crossbow
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby 7mmfan » 05 27, 2020 •  [Post 3]

I had a 55-65# draw Browning Spectrum. Came with a 3 pin brass sight. Not sure what rest we put on it, but it was a basic 2 prong spring loaded deal. Put a vinyl wrap on it to make it quiet. Shot Easton arrows with muzzy broadheads. Killed a blacktail buck on the very first archery hunt I ever did. Took me close to 10 years to kill my next one. Missed plenty though :)
I hunt therefore I am. I fish therefore I lie.
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby Elkhntr08 » 06 06, 2020 •  [Post 4]

First bow was a Bear Whitetail. First hunting bow was a Bear Flare. Shot Easton XX75 2216 with 125 Thunderheads. That old setup killed deer just as dead as any bow that followed.
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby Swede » 06 06, 2020 •  [Post 5]

My first archery setup was a Browning recurve about 1971. I instinctually shot cedar arrows off a carpet rest.
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby >>>---WW----> » 06 07, 2020 •  [Post 6]

My first bow was a limb off of an osage orange hedge row with a carpenters chalk line for a string and horse weeds for arrows.
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby Lefty » 06 09, 2020 •  [Post 7]

My very first setup was a souvenir Indian bow with a river tipped arrows
She 10 a bunch of us for fiberglass bows just like the ones at school
But my first real Bow was bought for me by my neighbor, he was was on the Olympic archery team.( never competed in the Olympic s) and was a rep for Eastons so I was shooting aluminum arrows before they existed
Gene took me to Herters in Waseca Mn. He was in the warehouse a long time and (1971?)I had just turned 13. I had $35 and they came back with a bow that took every cent. 43# drraw and I was a little guy I had. I would shoot twice a day 10 rounds of 10 . I had incredible instinctive shooting abilities 33 yards every arrow in a 6 inch paper plate
Still have that bow. I haven’t drawn it in 20 years
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby Lefty » 06 09, 2020 •  [Post 8]

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9CAA48A4-0B99-479C-98AB-B668C195F04D.jpeg (84.41 KiB) Viewed 4127 times
And here it is
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby Elkhunttoo » 06 13, 2020 •  [Post 9]

Great topic!

My first bow I got out of my neighbors garage can when I was 7-8 (1988 ish). It had a crack I the fiberglass below the handle. Took that bad boy home and with a little duck tape and bailing twine for a string I was read to go. Grabbed my dads wood arrows (2 blade broadheads :o ;) ) and I shot that thing for hours and hours.

First hunting bow was an old PSE, no clue on anything else but got it around ‘92 and it was “old” when I got it. Never did kill anything with that bow but I’m guessing if I add up all of the arrows I’ve shot since that bow it still doesn’t equal the amount I shot out of that old pse.
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby GoGriz1234 » 06 18, 2020 •  [Post 10]

Funny enough I just bought mine tonight. The stories you guys tell pushed me over the edge. I went to Straight Six Archery in Missoula and they set me up with a PSE Response. I never realized how many moving parts and different items there were to consider and understand. I am going to get to practicing right away and see how far I get. Thanks for a push in the right direction guys!
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby Trumkin the Dwarf » 06 19, 2020 •  [Post 11]

GoGriz1234 wrote:Funny enough I just bought mine tonight. The stories you guys tell pushed me over the edge. I went to Straight Six Archery in Missoula and they set me up with a PSE Response. I never realized how many moving parts and different items there were to consider and understand. I am going to get to practicing right away and see how far I get. Thanks for a push in the right direction guys!

That's awesome! You just might fall in love with it.

My first bow was a 55 lb Toelke longbow. I grew too tall and the bow couldn't handle my draw length anymore, or I'd still be hunting with it.
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 06 19, 2020 •  [Post 12]

GoGriz1234 wrote:Funny enough I just bought mine tonight. The stories you guys tell pushed me over the edge. I went to Straight Six Archery in Missoula and they set me up with a PSE Response. I never realized how many moving parts and different items there were to consider and understand. I am going to get to practicing right away and see how far I get. Thanks for a push in the right direction guys!


Welcome to the dark side Jeff! Enjoy your new/first bow, its a dang Cadillac compared to what many of us started off with :lol:.
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby Swede » 06 19, 2020 •  [Post 13]

Jeff, it is always good to have another bow hunter here to converse with. I have always liked PSE bows, and have bow hunted for years now. I have taken many elk with a PSE bow. You can do well with one, but remember you are bow hunting and it is different than hunting with a rifle. It is not just taking shorter shots. The whole hunt is different. Many people don't make the adjustment in their mind and they struggle. To get a close broadside shot at a relaxed animal is a whole different situation than you need with a 30-06.
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Re: First Archery Hunting Setup?

Postby GoGriz1234 » 06 19, 2020 •  [Post 14]

Thanks guys! I can’t wait to get out in the woods! I picked up a Sage Reed today (met the guy who makes them in Hamilton Montana at Bob Wards) and I bought a target and send around 30 arrows down range while trying to dial in my site. I can see how this is addicting. Sorry if I ask you guys a million questions as I get into things. I think I might setup a tree stand for a few whitetail does (I can get OTC tags for 5 for 260 in Montana), so they are not elk yet Swede, but I need to start somewhere. There is a growing elk heard in 260 down here that I might try to figure out how to chase. P.S. other than the giant bruise on my forearm from my first test shot at the archery shop, I think this is going to be one heck of an awesome adventure!!! Thanks all!
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