I believe you would be more than happy with a Predator Takedown recurve made by Ron Pitsley (spelling). It's one of the best performing traditional bows on the market, great hand placement, and are very smooth drawing and shooting.

I shoot BEAR bows. A 52lb Grizzly that I hunt with and a lighter pull 35lb. Kodiak I get in shape/practice with. I also have my dads old bow, that is around 40lbs., that I love to plink with.

If I was just starting out with "primitive" bows I would most likely get a SAMICK take down. They are a "grow as you go bow" and inexpensive. I have shot a few of them and they exceeded my expectations. Especially for just shooting and learning they are fine.

I found a bow that seems to have rave reviews everywhere I looked. Black hunter take down recurve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbKa9UIOvDA

I got it for about 100 bucks shipped, should have it monday. I know its a chinese knock off of something but I like the looks of it. At the very least I can pass it off to one of my kids and let them tear it up cause thats what they seem to do with things. I looked at the SAMICK bows and they seem to be about the same thing. I am still in the market for a good bow. Im looking real hard at a couple used bear grizzlys. I will probably end up with one of them before its over. Im gonna play around with this black hunter and see where i want to go from there.

A longbow or recurve for hunting is shot like a shotgun- you point more than aim, as there are no sights. And like a shotgun, one that feels "right" when u shoot it, it the one u want. For example, I've shot dozens of different bighorn recurves, and all were fine. But there was one I never should have let leave my hands. Felt just like an extension of myself. But, I know who has it, so I'm watching the obits daily. He can't live forever...

Please let us know what you think of it after you use the Black Hunter for a while. I liked what I saw in the video clip.

Looks good !

Sure thing I will keep yall informed. I will be shooting it the day it comes in and i figure after about an hour I will have a few thoughts. I have spent the last couple days digging out all my old archery equipment and i have found about everything i think. Had to reorder some fletching glue and got a set of string leeches for the new bow. Im excited to have a bow with a shelf designed to be shot off of. I think that was the biggest thing with the bow that i have on top of it just being very heavy.

Shooting cedar arrows or Sitka spruce ?

Neither. I may buy some one day but right now I have a bunch of gold tip traditional 3555 cut to 28" with 125gr field points. I have them fletched with 4 or 5" feathers. I doubled checked the chart and i think these arrows should be spined and set up right for the 45lb bow. I can adjust the field point to get them tuned if I need to. Ive had these for years so Im gonna keep using them till their gone. Im sure the next time i need arrows and such im gonna go more and more primitive with them. I have a few jigs and a stash of feathers in my archery box and I enjoy working on arrows. If i can get good enough to warrant all the extra work I would eventually LOVE to make my own self bow, my own arrows, fletchings, and knap my own flint heads. First step is a whole bunch of practice.

Give it heck Possum Man. Been doing it since 15 years old (and I don't want to tell my age). You're on the right path. Best wishes.

Don't be afraid to try various point weights up to 200 grs or so.I'm guessing that at 28",it may need a little more than 125 grs..Nothing wrong with carbons on that bow.

Neither. I may buy some one day but right now I have a bunch of gold tip traditional 3555 cut to 28" with 125gr field points. I have them fletched with 4 or 5" feathers. I doubled checked the chart and i think these arrows should be spined and set up right for the 45lb bow. I can adjust the field point to get them tuned if I need to. Ive had these for years so Im gonna keep using them till their gone. Im sure the next time i need arrows and such im gonna go more and more primitive with them. I have a few jigs and a stash of feathers in my archery box and I enjoy working on arrows. If i can get good enough to warrant all the extra work I would eventually LOVE to make my own self bow, my own arrows, fletchings, and knap my own flint heads. First step is a whole bunch of practice. [/quote]

Do it.
I have wanted to do it since before I was a little kid. Now ,as an old man, I have gotten no further than splitting out some hickory a few times. My middle son split a couple more piece from our woods when he was 14 and they have been drying in our attic since. He is now in his third year of college.
I have a shaving horse, spoke shaves, draw knives and about every other old wood working toll there is. What's lacking now is the motivation and the time.... Put stuff off and they have a way of never getting done.

When i was deployed I used to read traditional bowhunter magazine. Our Lt used to get them mailed to him and i would read them when he was done. Its been a long time dream of mine to do all this. I even cut some osage trees and hauled them all the way back to alabama to let my grandad cut some staves out on his sawmill. No idea what happened to those, he passed before I got home from the army and I havent been able to find them. When i was in kansas I stuck with my compound for deer hunting as i didnt want to miss if a big buck finally did get close enough. I know modern archery pretty well and have always done all my own work short of things i need a bow press for. That is about the time period I got this pos i mean PSE bow I have now. I didnt fully understand that bow was built for bowfishing and thats about it. Its meant to shoot off a rest and doesnt have anything close to a proper shelf. Pretty sure that was holding me back when i was shooting it. Maybe this attempt at traditional archery will be more successful than last time. I know fiberglass limbs and carbon arrows are a far cry from traditional but its a start.