Traditional bows return bowhunters to a nostalgic era

What’s the most powerful force in nature? Is it sex? Hunger? Thirst? The desire for love and to be loved?

As I grow older and more philosophical, I feel a longing for the good-old days. Call it nostalgia.

Those of us who have reached the ripe old age of 50 or 60 (I turned 60 on Sept. 3) have had many experiences, good and bad. We’ve seen some amazing things, especially in the natural world.

We’ve had some achievements (big bucks, limits of ducks or walleyes, special times with hunting buddies or maybe lasting memories at deer camp), and maybe we’re still in the race for a bigger buck, a faster bow, a bigger boat. That’s what keeps the economy humming and keeps us feeling young.

But at some point, some of us reach a point where those goals change. We lower our sights, so to speak, and decide that the latest carbon wonder shooting 370 feet per second doesn’t make you any happier. The constant search for a bigger buck doesn’t give you as much of a thrill as watching your child or grandchild shoot a doe. The old Alumacraft or Lowe still floats fine and you really don’t need to get to your favorite fishing hole any faster.

The bucket list has changed, and that’s OK.

Sitting in my ground blind Sunday morning, a nice doe approached quickly from a blind spot. I had to set my bipod down, slowly turn toward the right window, swing the crossbow into firing position and cant the limbs slightly because of the window.

That was my mistake. At the shot, the doe didn’t shrug. She just kept walking. At 350 fps, I never saw the bolt fly. Later when I found it, I realized I’d shot just over her back. Even a 20-yard shot is not always a gimme. I think canting the limbs meant the red dot was not in the correct spot.

If I had a vertical bow, I could have shot again. Maybe. She was well past the window at that point.

Then I started thinking about recurve bows. You know, those relics from the heady golden days of bowhunting. I cut my bowhunting teeth on a beautiful fiberglass-and-wood wonder called a Bear Grizzly, and when I carried it from about 1974 to 1979, its whisper-light magic made every step in the woods and autumn afternoon in a homemade tree stand feel like I was Fred Bear himself.

Bear archery equipment was the gold standard for bowhunters, and it’s still sought after among collectors. Those old bows (as well as those by Ben Pearson, Wing, Shakespeare, Herter’s and others) still shoot well, too. With care, they will last multiple lifetimes.

Although I have about a dozen traditional bows (mostly Bear), I’m always searching for that perfect traditional bow that shoots smoothly and fast. A recent bow competition at our Fox Valley Muzzleloaders Club helped renew my interest in these classic weapons, but what really spurs me on is the simple fact that I’ve never killed a deer with a recurve or longbow. But I feel that nostalgic tug return.

A visit to my favorite recurve enthusiast was in order. He runs a sporting goods store with his brother in Oshkosh, and even though he mostly sells compound bows and crossbows, he has a few traditional bows for sale, too.

In back, he eagerly shows me a few of his 80 or so recurves and longbows. He hands me a Bear Au Sable longbow, and it feels feather-light in my hand. But longbows are a bit awkward in the woods and even more awkward in a ground blind.

He then shows me some of his takedown recurves, including an old Bob Lee three-piece takedown with two sets of limbs. Let the salivating begin.

Bob Lee founded Wing Archery and was the inventor of the three-piece takedown recurve. His bows are ranked on a par with the legendary Black Widow bows, and are still built in Texas.

“If you asked me yesterday, I would tell you this bow’s not for sale,” Dean said. He’s not interested in any of the bows I brought for trade, suddenly realizing how many he already has. Holes drilled in bows for sights, arrow holders and other accessories kill the value of those old relics, and a few of mine have been drilled.

But he offers me a very good price. More talk of a gun trade, or cash. He’s saving for a riding mower. I don’t really need the gun. I don’t really need the bow either, but that’s not the point.

Nostalgia. It’s a powerful force of nature. And an expensive one.

That Bob Lee bow is still in its 3-foot-long case in Dean’s shop. He’s going to let me shoot it next week. I can already see it hanging in my collection. But I’m really not looking so much at buying a bow as I am attempting to buy a time and a place and a feeling that I really can’t return to. But I can certainly try.

Ross Bielema is a freelance writer from New London and owner of Wolf River Concealed Carry LLC. Contact him at Ross@wolfriverccw.com.

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