I've been bowhunting for 15 yrs with compounds. Thinking about trying recurves sometime soon. How far would there killing range be and what poundage would you recomend? I hunt deer and elk. And what kind of shafts do I get, could I use carbon.

Forfot to ask what grain of broadhead. Right now I use 100gr.

Nov of 1972 I killed a big ol doe at 60yds with my Herters Sambar and a Bear razorhead. I've only killed a handful of deer with a recurve and all the rest were 15yds or less. They're kinda tuff to shoot between 15 and 30yds, what I call the stringjump zone.

Killing range with a recurve is the same as a compound....as far as YOU can shoot accurately on an animal that will stand still till the arrow gets there.

In a practical sense usually half what you can do with a compound. 95% of my kills over the last forty years have been inside 20 yards, on Alabama Whitetails. Western hunters average longer I'm sure.

Poundage? Start with something around 45-55 pounds. Holding a recurve isn't the same as a compound. For elk I use something in the 55-60 pound range.

Carbon is a good choice for shafts, but get some good advise for YOUR set up. Carbons don't spine like wood or aluminum.

I shoot Gold Tip 35/55's, 200gr broadhead, 650 gr total weight out of a 57# longbow.

troy

These days I mostly shoot a longbow but I used a recurve about two years before moving up to the Lb.A recurve is actually shot similar to a compound because the handle puts your bow hand in the same position which has a lot to do with shooting instinctively.I'd suggest getting something used to start.It's best to learn with a light draw weight.You can use any head weight and arrow.I use 125gr Magnus two blades with all my bows.Carbons look out of place with trad bows but they shoot best so that's what I use mostly.That said I have taken quite a few deer with woodies as well.For the most part I don't think you give up much if any range plus you will gain big time on the fun factor.Good luck!

I have killed a hog at sixty yards witha longobw, unluckiest hog in the world and I should have not taken the shot, but it worked and I made a note to self to not try that again.
Now with that said if I am practicing at least several times a week then forty yards is extremely doable and effective.
Concerning carbons, if you are dead set on using them them you will need a bow that has its shelf cut for a center shot as they will not give you the archers paradox , or flex around the riser that you need.
Personally I cannot see using carbons to hunt with a traditional bow.

"Concerning carbons, if you are dead set on using them them you will need a bow that has its shelf cut for a center shot as they will not give you the archers paradox , or flex around the riser that you need."


That's absolute hogwash!!

Carbon flexes just fine during the shot and in fact it comes out of paradox nicely after the shot too. you do have to use the correct spine though to make it work. Most peoples shooting problems can probably be attributed to overspined arrows. If it's underspined then you can build out the shelf a bit to make the arrow "work more"

Take a look at O.L. Adcocks site for info about tuning your arrows.

I think a 20 yard shot is nice for most animals, but 15 is nicer and 10 is better yet! Trad hunting isn't about how far you can shoot but how close you can get.


the chef

Carbons will work just fine with any bow.With non-center shot bows you will need to use a weaker spine than with center shot bows.I match arrows to the bow by bare shafting with a field point of the same weight as my Bhds.Works great with any arrow type.

what diameter of shafts would i need if i chose wooden arrows. i probuly will end up shooting my brothers recurve, since he don't shoot.its like 55# need to take it to a shop to make sure. Don't know what make it is eithor. It looks like it is in good shape.

It won't be so much the diameter of the shaft that you will need to determine so much as it will be the weight of arrow that you want to shoot and the spline or stiffness of the arrow.
I personally really like shafts made from Ash wood, they have good weight and are tough as hell, which is something that you will find is very important when you start learning how to fling arrows.
Traditional archery is a journey, and you will learn a lot, and have a great deal of enjoyment.

For wood I like tapered shafts.They narrow towards the nock end.Some say barrel tapered shoot even better but I've never tried them.Softer/lighter shafts like Sitka Spruce,Port Orford cedar shoot flatter but you lose some strength.Hard woods like Maple,Ash are considerably tougher but like bucko said they're heavy.I like Maple more than Ash.I found it stays straighter/less effected by weather conditions but either is a good choice.Though PO Cedar shot great they just broke to easy no matter how careful I was when stump shooting which is my favorite way to practice.Haven't tried other soft wood's but I hear Sitka is tougher than Cedar.Your best bet to find the right spine is to contact a good seller like Kustom King Arrows.They'll help you determine the best spines and you can order several of each to find the best for your bow.DONT waste your time/money buying those cheap shafts some outfits offer.You'll be very disappointed.Good luck!