Need Recommendations on a Recurve

I owned and shot a recurve for a while, but that was 26 yrs ago. I always hunted with my compound, then went to a crossbow after a shoulder injury. Shoulder is better, but not 100%. For some reason, I'm getting the recurve itch. Have been looking at them on-line. I'm not looking to break the bank, but any recommendations on a decent recurve to shoot a few critters would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Depends on what you can draw and how much you want to spend. If you can't draw much (25-35 pounds) and are on a real tight budget, then something like one of the galaxy or sage take downs would probably be the way to go. Then as you built strength you could buy a set of heavier limbs in the 45 pound range and go hunting. They are good shooters, but my least favorite option. Not that they are bad, there is just something about them that i am not crazy about

For a little more money and the option I like best is pick up a used bear or Howatt in the 45 pound range, if you can't draw 45, you can always bu a lighter weight one and have it for a form/ target bow the rest of the year.

Whatever you buy get one long enough for your draw length and remember that most stock bows are listed weight @28", so if you draw longer or shorter than that the weight will not be what is printed on the bow.

Good luck

For getting into the game Samick Sage is not that expensive take down bow and different # limbs are easy find. To me They shoot pretty good and I know people that hunt with them and are successful.

Of course there are many others.

Cabela's Warden is a decent shooting one piece bow for not that much $

Thanks fellas. Up until I tore my shoulder, I was shooting my bow at 68-70 lbs (not going that high now). 45 will be no problem. I'm going to look at the bows you mentioned, thanks again.

I picked up a used Samick to play with small game only, it has better capabilities that I do, one blind eye messes with distance and perception. I also came across a used cheap import, in my opinion it is a $40 import 30 pound pull. Both shoot better than my eyes can aim. At 30 pound pull I can handle them, my old Bear recurve at 45 pound pull has become a wall hanger. At about $65 for both, I am satisfied.

Good stuff Sir. Guess I'm in a story telling mood, so I'll go ahead and tell a story about an old man and his bow.

When I was a boy, I met a man named Floyd Jones. My dad was a Police Officer at the time he met Mr Jones. Dad got a call about a suspicious person creeping around the Aransas Pass High School one night. Dad loved catching people. He parked his car down the road and walked to the school alone in the dark. He saw this old man shooting what appeared to be a recurve bow, and was creeping & staking from light to light, tree to tree. Dad said, WTH is he doing? I'm gonna watch for a little while....long story short, Mr Jones was killing skunks. At that time, everyone said skunks were rabid and were biting kids & giving them rabies, so Mr Jones decided to thin the population as a good Samaritan. When my ol' man finally approached Mr Jones and asked him WTH he was doing, Dad said he didn't hesitate and said that he was shooting skunks through the eyes, trying to thin the threat because of rabies. Dad said BS you're shooting skunks through the eyes with that stick & string at night.....Mr Jones then told my Dad to "Come Here" and showed him a pile of skunks all shot through the eyes/head. Mr Jones said if you shoot them through the brain, they don't spray. Dad said show me. So he did. Mr Jones found another skunk with my ol' man behind him, and shot it right through both eye sockets with his recurve on the school grounds. Dad met a new best friend that night.

They soon started hunting together all over Texas and made a trip to Utah bowhunting. I remember Mr Jones well and what he could do with a recurve bow. His skills were truly amazing, have only seen skills like that on TV. We went dove hunting together and Mr Jones always got his limit first shooting his bow and "Flu Flu" arrows before all of us shotgunners. I don't ever remember him missing a dove. I had a 4/10 sitting next to him and wasn't hitting squat at 7 yrs old, but remember well Mr Jones hitting dove in the air every shot with that bow. Later, I watched him do all sorts of trick shooting that you wouldn't believe. We would drop styrofoam cups from 25-100 yrds, and that old man would put a freakin' arrow through all of them with his old recurve bow like it was nothing and just grin.

I was a young man/17-18 when he died, my Dad & I were there at the very end trying to help him and his family. He had a big collection of harmonicas. If he wasn't shooting his bow, or doing his job as an underwater welder, he was just sitting there alone playing a harmonica. At the end of his life, I sat there next to him just trying to communicate. He was losing his mind, and wasn't very receptive. I asked him, Mr Jones, how is it possible that you are such a good shot with your bow & arrow?

He said this.."I've never shot a gun in my life, I've shot my bow every day since I was a little boy. You have to practice all the time".

Those were his last words. RIP Mr Jones. A legend that will never be known.



Sorry about the long story, but IMO he deserves to be remembered.

Good Story, thanks for sharing

Thanks for sharing Skinnerback

+ 1 on the Samick

Excellent story about a great 'known to you' man. I sure enjoyed it - thanks! Makes me want a Sage as well and I don't even need it, as if that's a requirement.

Some great story, thanks for sharing.

Another for a Samick Sage; I have a lot of bows in all price ranges sizes and draw weights. I shoot every day even if it's only 25 or 30 arrows mostly with my competition bows and a few with my hunting bows. A couple of times a week I'll fling a few from my 50# Samick Sage. Shoots as well and smooth as some of the more expensive bows I have. Hard to beat for money, I'm always looking on Ebay for a sleeper, never know when you run across a gem, there are some pretty good sage deals on Ebay.

Thanks for all of the advice, I'm going with the Samick Sage. Now just need to figure out arrows....

Not sure what poundage or length you will need but these are made by Goldtip and not bad priced now. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/beman-centershot-traditional-carbon-hunting-arrows?rrec=true

Gracias Senor.

I might go ahead and order a dozen for myself. They il keep in my closet as well as they would in their warehouse. 600 for my setup is a little light on one but great on the other. The 45lb Bear Lodiak Mag in 45@29 inches 600s with 125gr head works well. with the same bow and draw length but poundage is 53 at 29 inches 500s with a 150 head and 75gr inserts works very well for me.

Good info, thank you.

Skinner, traditional riser/grips differ with every maker, best to find a place that has a traditional guy on staff and go try a bunch.

I have a Sage Samick. I was shooting a 70 pound browning compound and every year I'd have to work into it, until I could pull it back no problem 10 times in a row. The only thing I don't like about compounds are they are sort of heavy. I use a peep sight. In any event I went back to a recurve. I got a 40 pound all fiberglass just to shoot and practice and I was sort of surprised how hard the arrows hit. This guy told me with heavy arrows they'd go through a small deer standing broadside. In any event I got a 55 pound Samick recurve and used that two years ago. It was a little hard to draw, hold steadfy and shoot than I thought. Shooting the 70 pound recurve I just assumed I would be able to hold the Samick rock steady. I bought a couple of more limbs at 45 pound and that I really like. The arrow speed is a little less than the 55 but there is a curve, you have to proportionally go much high in draw weight to get just a bit more in speed. Fred Bear once wrote that if the broadhead stays in the rib cage and the deer runs it will tear up the lungs and cause a quicker harvest. In any event for the time being I'm happy with 45. If I went after elk I'd use the 55.

You are right, he does.....and now he is