Primitive Bows Are Cool

[ducttapewireandglue]

Neat stuff. Beautiful bows. Seem very accurate too. Great shooting. Thanks for filming and uploading.

[PWArchery]

I like your bows! And arrows. How long do they last? I haven't done self bows yet. Thanks I learned alot from your channel ~ Prairie Winds Archery on Facebook.

[ybotn]

time and time again you re-awaken my love for paleo technics

[98Areeb]

that looks like an english long bow

[aicdethfan84]

Nice job! I'm a primitive bowyer myself and so far have found oak to be the best for bows. What woods have you had luck with?

[instert94]

ohh shit! if that apple or what ever it was, was a head! you had a kill with the first arrow already!

[avenged7x400]

ok man no more avatar for you 

[MrSTUD300]

does australia have any good woods for thiss?

[krum369]

looks like fun

[1x93cm]

I made a self bow like this last year. It was made of maple down by the creek. It was kind of low on the poundage when I first shot it but after a couple of months of drying out It shoots very nicely

[originaltbyrd]

what is a "self-bow"?

[guilemaster147]

@originaltbyrd

It's usually defined as a bow made out of a single piece of wood.

[joec123able]

love them

[celticbattleaxe]

Does anyone know how far a longbow or flatbow with a draw weight of 65 lbs at 29 inches can shoot accurately? I'm getting one made of hickory backed with bamboo for $169 (redmountainarchery(dot)com).

[jonah214]

ouch that hurt lol

[TheMateuszElwuo]

Hi all, i have a question what kind od tree you use for the production of these bows. Sorry for my English Im form Polish.

[BasketmakerII]

OH GOD TOM, LEAVE THAT POOR PERSIMMON ALONE :'(

[celticbattleaxe]

@BasketmakerII I hope he ate that Persimmon!! Best fruit in the south (besides PawPaw)

[BasketmakerII]

OH GOD TOM, LEAVE THAT POOR PERSIMMON ALONE :'(

[ujahooda]

what's your spread over 30 yards?

[MrHappyFucks]

What are the arrows made from?

[randomguyonstreet586]

the bow shooting sounds like the bows in age of empires 1

[multiutubemedia]

do u know any trees that could work for this project here in mexico

[fixdeluxe1]

I made a bow from bamboo stalks and flax,and it shoots pretty well.Nice video.

[gunslinger5854]

That must be a Harry Potter quiver that never runs out of arrows.LOL Nice bows and shooting style, much appreciation from here. Your accuracy is as good as many of the archers I've seen with big buck sight systems. Bows with no forgiveness are extremely hard to shoot well. I have several friends who make bows and there is always competition between them and their friends. Another friend makes atlatls and is always trying to show up the archers. Longest cast is about 500 feet so far. COOL!

[reeding]

do flint arrowheads work for target shooting.

if not what would make a good tip. i dont wanna break mine.

[bongcouver]

armguard??? 

[seanthomasjo]

hey do you have a bow for sell i really want one made right i made one and i need to make a few?alot of ajustments plzzz i only have like 5 bucks and a smith and wesson h.r.t knife pocket good condition i would be happy to trade. if not then ill figure something out.

[richardgerstner]

Very Cool, Like the background track!

[ironsinhisface]

great video

[ashnbrandon1]

do u have any vids on how to make these? if not can ya make one and an arrow vod maybe and what knid of wood is good to be used in the south west part of West Virginia ty :d btw awsome video

[rocco133]

he's not a very good archer, he always missed the cameraman

[MrAbram1117]

@rocco133 i dont think there is a cameraman, is either a tripod or the camera lays on something :)

[urgoful]

if not what other wood in the pacific northwest will work good

[urgoful]

would willow make a good wood for a medium sized hunting bow

[Thetruthishere11]

nice vid. next time a hunting vid!

[elipepsibook3]

i made one then broke it :(

[polerigger]

u should go deer hunting with that!!!!!

[darklordkai1]

nice shoes

[donvaskwa]

what is the length of that bow your shooting? and what is max draw length aswell?

[donvaskwa]

hello i am interested in making a short osage selfbow and was wondering if your handle is setup below the center so that the arrow sets in the exact center or is the handle in the exact center. Im not sure how i want to tiller my bow and wondered what your preference was, thanks

[Paleoaleo]

@donvaskwa These bows don't have much of a defined handle. I make them with symmetrical limbs (both equal length) and hold the bows so that the webbing between my thumb and index finger is at or about at the balance point. The arrow is shot off my hand, just a slight bit above the bow's center. Hope this makes sense! Tom

[IronNoobs]

how much u want for 1 of them

[Paleoaleo]

@IronNoobs I don't sell them. Sorry. There are guys on PaleoPlanet who do sell bows.  They are better at making them too!

[lmollot]

yeah safety-likev shooting gun at camera

[Paleoaleo]

@lmollot It's Ok...I have small children hold the camera. They are trained to duck when necessary!

[a1rsoftp0wn3r]

do u know any woods in arizona that would work for these

[Paleoaleo]

@a1rsoftp0wn3r Sure...Oak, elm, mountain mahogany, perhaps maple and just about any other hardwood I can't think of off the top of my head.

[a1rsoftp0wn3r]

@Paleoaleo thanks if you think of anymore can u let me know BTW i live in phx if that changes the wood

[MrPossable]

@Paleoaleo know any good wood in alberta???

[thoostorm4]

@a1rsoftp0wn3r beau de arc

[overstockable]

@a1rsoftp0wn3r ash wood,yew...etc but i doubt that you'd find'em in arizona



[samuski36]

Very nicely done, assuming all your equipment is self made, just simply awesome in every way!!! :D

[Paleoaleo]

@samuski36 Thanks!

[markseez]

@Paleoaleo Great video! very interesting + nice shooting, i'm still using an old Bear magnum the shooting sounds smoother with a long bow-real stuff. thx

[knight19283]

are these bows good for hunting, and any advice on how to make them?

[Paleoaleo]

@knight19283 Yes, the bows would be great for hunting. Check out the Bowyer's Bible series of books for info on how to make them. Also check various on line discussion forums (PaleoPlanet, Primitive Archer magazine, etc.). Tom

[xXWHITENINJA96X]

@Paleoaleo

did you make then.

could i buy one

[kg51596]

@Paleoaleo do you make your own arrows and if you do what do you use for the tips

[drpinto28]

@Paleoaleo OMFG thats what i use

[knight19283]

what was the average draw weight on those bows? and did you make those bows yourself?

[Paleoaleo]

@knight19283, yes, I made these bows (plus others). They are generally between 50# and 70# at 27".

[lilchesser1]

nice bows. how long it take you to make them all

[Dragging1Canoe]

I love how he hunches and squats so he can feel more primitive.

[nkBuddy321]

were do you get bow and how much do they cost?

[Pawnbroker00]

@nkBuddy321 seeing your channel and thise comment here, you are obviously a minor and you would not be able to buy one anyway, so your wasting your time by asking. These bows are homemade

[MrKlarnsLikesCheese]

I love the sound of an arrow in the air.

"fsssssssssss clack!"

[frewcc]

why do you lean over like that when you shoot? i like longbows but all the long bow shooters at the range usually can never hit anything with consistency so i had to go with compound

[Paleoaleo]

@frewcc, I developed very bad shooting form while learning to make and shoot short, Indian style bows (bows under 50" in length). This has messed up my shooting. I used to be more of a target shooter and can shoot with a straight up stance with a full draw, but it takes all my concentration now to shoot correctly! Truth is, I have more fun shooting in this crazy fashion, and am fairly accurate at short distances like this and can shoot from many positions now.

[yonderbob]

just love the sound of the traveling arrow :)

[OsmanliYurek]

Is it neccesary to use feathers at the end of the arrows? I heard the feathers are for guidence...

[taylorsls]

@OsmanliYurek For accuracy, it's necessary to have some kind of flight at the nock end. You can make them out of duct tape if you need to, but there has to be something there.

[TatankaOhitika1]

I can't sight down my arrows . Iv'e developed a mean instinctive shot . 8 inch groups at 20 yards for me . But im used to shorter wide limbed flatbows so im forced to develop it . Snap shooter .

[MrPeopleslayer]

Wow that's pretty cool, how did you make that!!! My bow doesn't shoot as straight as that one. Thanks, now I have a bow to base mine on.2

[Dagsschiller]

dude that is really cool

[jackolantern49]

nice place

[gekodude1]

i recentley started making bows and its great fun i just chil making one while my mate makes something else like a spear just to mess around with it like and we make little teepees

[SurvivalGurl]

Nice shooting, they group really well. Do you sight down the arrow, or do you shoot instinctive. It was hard to tell by watching you.

[magicdevil97]

what do uuse for arrow heads

[raimonds985]

those arows are too fat to shot> haha

[Otterfreak1]

Are those homemade Arrows?

[Paleoaleo]

Yea. Most made from bamboo tomato stakes from the plant store. Some made from natural shoot-shafts from local plants here in Southern California

[PavirryPe]

I like this bows over the modern ones. They have wheels and fiber carbon and all sorts of stuff. This is more pure, I think.

[xxmexxmidnaxx123]

do you know whats the best wood to use i made one to mess around with out of berch but it isnt very powerfull im planing on macking one out of hazzle nut cherry or willow but do you know if thers relly any point

[ybotn]

if your a beginner i would highly recomend "lemonwood" which is a verry forgiving wood.some other more advanced but nice woods are hickory,elm,osage,juniper,mesq­uite and many nore.and once you really get into it(if you do) back your bows with sinew.

[DustinM1994]

I heard maple is very good for beginners as well, because it has straight grain, as well as few knots and blemishes.

[BowskinArchery]

@DustinM1994 it's ok, but really spongy.

[Rhettful]

what is the thickness of your arrows? I started making a bow and collect all kind infomatie

[MyVictor2012]

how can they make fun of you they are awesome

[wolfgang098]

do u sell them????? and if u do how much

[Paleoaleo]

No, sorry. I don't sell any of this stuff. I like to keep money out of my hobbies. If you check out the discussion forum I run, PaleoPlanet, there are lots of guys on there who do sell bows. They are better bowmakers than me by a long shot too.

[wolfgang098]

k thanks

[TheMCBADGER]

do you make your "P" bows

[Paleoaleo]

Yea, I make them. Haven't made any in a while though...have to get back at it!

[15eshabani]

could you show a video on how to make one

[ojon25]

how do you make them?

[wolfmother8719]

Wow, I wish I could do this.

[raysteer]

You can!

[thunderair]

what kind of wood you are using for that

[Paleoaleo]

The one I'm shooting in the beginning is California Walnut. The others are all different species.

[BZZE]

This Guy looks pretty good to me, , , why don't you guys post a video response of your own flawless technique. . . peanut gallery

[rockerguy1314]

are ur arrows even fletched its an ok bow but ur arrows are wobling like crazy

[Paleoaleo]

The arrows are fletched, but they are quite mismatched. The ones used in the video were made from bamboo tomato stakes. One was made from a local native plant species. All my archery friends make fun of my arrows too! They shoot pretty straight for the most part though. I often get a bad release (bad technique and all) so maybe that makes them wobble now and then.

[drpeppero3]

his left hand technique is horrible

[Paleoaleo]

LOL...you should see my right hand technique...it's even worse! No kidding...!

[FranciscoSRO2]

They are cool, reliable, and great for hunting turkeys, and deers; When the bow is up to 46 lbs (Pounds)

[maurixiom]

nice very very nice

[jacksoncole79]

how do you make a bow have a heavy draw weight

[redviolin1231]

@jacksoncole79 well, if u haven;t already made all the decorations and stuff, on the bow, and it's still in the making process, then you can put a backing on it (just put a strip of hard,flexible wood on the back of the bow, this will make it harder to pull back, making the draw-weight higher :) that's what i would do, for this kind of bow anyway

[LotusDragon09]

The thicker the bow the heavier the draw weight, usually. With wooden bows, just shave some of the wood off to lower, measure it, then either stop or continue until you reach the desired weight. For horn bows, I really dont know.

[melonhead667]

The thicker the wood and the shorter it is, the heavier the draw weight will be. Every 2 inches you shorten a long bow will give it about an extra five pounds of draw weight. It also depends on the type of wood. Hardwoods will generally offer a heavier weight.

[BowskinArchery]

@jacksoncole79 shorten the limbs, rule of thumb is one ich off either side adds 5 pounds, this varies with design wood, and laminates, if any

[TatankaOhitika1]

I know that is a real neat trick . Had 20% or so of my bows fail from shortened limbs though . Compression frets all over !!!!

[osspanskooranice]

very

[opiumhorse]

Cool, I am checking out your other videos

[hobbs312]

dude i have a bow that looks just like the first one on the left. lol

[shadows666love]

his shots would have been more on-par if he had the right spine weight arrows.

[whyteninja]

very nice bows my friend.....very nice craftsmanship:)

[hopalight]

im only 12, and what kind of wood would bwe good, i am almost done withe a Red oak bow about 30 lbs, but what would did you use

[boi560]

hickory is good

[FishinPSJ]

man i wish i was thats good at making bows.

im only 17 and the bows i craft barley break 20 haha

[tehKoreanKiDavid]

i have a maple bow tat i made from strips of maple and some 550 para-cord and glue, its 5 inches thick and 2 ft and 3 inches tall

think it would shoot good?

[TAPICTURES]

Coole Sache das ! ! ! !

Lg.

tino

[Hunter1000100]

why don't u have an arm guard and glove on your hand. Doesn't it heart your hand at all? I have a 55 pound martin long bow, do u think it can kill a bear or deer?

[ehyojesus]

a 55# would absolutely kill a bear and deer, all you need for a deer is 40# and about 50 for a bear

[animeisawesome1]

yea it can, the more pounds your bow can hold the farther more accurate and bigger game you can catch :)

[hdansin]

you mean kill. XD

[animeisawesome1]

oh yea lol

[ardaeserbmx]

i love your bows i have made my own bow and arrows out of nise stoves but never this nice would you ever sell any of these bows

[harristonhavoc]

maple dont work tat good i trie my boow broken

[hopalight]

yes oak make a fine first bow

im not sure about maple

[Cripwalkify]

look, i have a plastic toy bow i made into a super powerful bow by using the right type of string, it shoots over 200ft, but i want a medieval primitive-ish type of bow. where can i get or how can i make this? also what can i use for arrows or make arrows out of? PLZ sum 1 help

[ariadarabi]

Just take a piece of wood, make loops on both sides of a piece of string 1 or 2 inch shorter than the wood stick n put the loops on the ends of the stick. Tada, theres ur bow. For an arrow take anything n shoot. This bow is functional but 99% inaccurate. Enjoy! =D

[shawneegeek]

Depends on what kind of arrow you want. European style or aboriginal. Europeans would cut square dowels and hand plane them round, whereas, the natives would cut slender saplings like black willow, cedar, and maple. These grow in the wild, and can be streightened by pouring boilind water over, and bending to the desired streightness. Be careful and good luck.

[hunterdanjones]

i mean longbow

[hunterdanjones]

I'm not very accurate with a recurve

[papaburger]

how to aim with a primitive bow which has no centering window ?

How to be consistent without an arrow rest ?

Thanks in advance

[demonikreaper]

Primitive for a reason.

[Paleoaleo]

I use my hand as an arrow rest. To be consistent, it's important to put your hand in the same place each time. I aim by looking where I want to hit - as if throwing a ball. After shooting many shots this way, you naturally adjust and begin (hopefully) to hit where you are looking.

[LordRecknar1]

I'm only 13 but... for my birthday (when i actually turn 13 XD) in about 5 or 6, i get my first bow! =P it's a modern day bow or however you say that... but soon i hope to learn how to make my own bow ^-^ it would be something i could do for fun =P

[Serbiannation]

Hey, i was always impressed by ''primitive'' bows beside traditional ones. Also impressed by your own bows, looks great. Pls, if you made primitive bow, could you shortly explain:Did you split one tree in two pieces and then made two bows from every piece as it is usually for Stone age bows?I plan to build similar one from ash.You are right, ash makes good bows, and there's a lot of ash tree in my area lol.

Greets from Serbia

[Paleoaleo]

Yes, most of those bows were made from saplings. I split the wood into two pieces and hope to make two bows out of one sapling. Often, this doesn't work out as planned and you only get one good bow! Ash makes a good bow. It's not the best bow wood, but it will work.

[davideli7879]

Ash, you say, makes a good bow. What would you use, if you chould only have one type of wood??? Oak, and Maple grow ever were around here would they make good Bows????

[jpmont11]

only if i knew how to use arrows

[asubjectiveopinion]

Great video, I love the look of those bows, but I did keep wincing and got quite worried that you were going to hit the camera.

:)

[Paleoaleo]

lol...me too (worry about hitting the camera!).

Tom

[Chakrada1]

what a saddo

[mrhugz1987]

what is the song in the back round?

[Paleoaleo]

Wharf Rat (kind of...was just messing around)

[Fridomfry]

I made a similar bow out of a young oak. It's 3 cm thick at its thickest part. After 4 years, it's perfectly dry and makes a decent spring. For the arrows, chestnut twigs (1 m. long) although they are never as straight as one would wish... The range is still disappointing (about 40 m). Next I will try an ash tree (usually employed for making axe handles !). Does anyone have an experience with ashwood ?

[PaulkyArcher]

my dad

[Paleoaleo]

Ash makes a pretty good bow.

[Fridomfry]

Thanks ! Next fall I'll have to reduce an ashtree to reasonable size, so New bow.

[5tonyvvvv]

nothing primitive about it..stone age man was not dumb as we think....you could kill a deer with that today.

[mabyepaulky]

i agree

but its just a name to catagorize it cuz now we think were so advanced with compound bows

[Saphiregun]

yup just shoot it in an artery or the lung.

[barefootbushcraft]

just glad im not the camera man lol

[redeyesthe20th]

I'm glad your not a tripod too =)

[Ramblin66man]

So vegetarians DO hunt...You murderer LOL!!! ;-)

[Paleoaleo]

I am a slayer of salad

[viledragon123]

how many arrows you have omfG?

[PolarisUSMC]

That is one evasive tomato.

[Cazador42265]

awsome bows, i love making my own cedar arrows, and watching them fly out of my longbow-

[5tonyvvvv]

there is nothing primtive about these bows ..they are deadly weapons even today..ancient man was very smart.

[CarbonEagle1]

How far does your bow shoot?

[Hwaigon]

primitive bows are the best

[nezahualcoyotl85]

i perfer the atlatl there simple yet poetic.

they truly are exotic

[xxkid123]

hey, how long are your arrows? they seam to work just right for you

[nephildevil]

the music is too loud, i cant understand shit of what ur saying :(

[outdoorsaaron]

what ones the best

[onimotoko]

osage, by far the best.

[WhichDoctor1]

Grate video, lovely bows. I'm interested in the way you shoot the bows, kind of bent over with your head down. When I went to archery lessons I was taut to stand ramrod strait with my head back. But I've seen primitive peoples on documentarys shoot like you. Is it better than the classical way I was taut?

[Alex231291]

The way he shoots is designed for a more spread out style of archery, better for hunting, the way you (and I) are taught is a more warlike stance, bow vertical so as to get more archers into one space, and for a faster shoot, where accuracy is less important (as in war, missing is pretty hard as there are so many men)

[Paleoaleo]

I used to shoot standing upright, etc. too. Much better for accuracy - especially when shooting targets. This is more of a hunting style I guess. Funny that when I'm shooting I don't realize how goofy I look - all bent over like that. Oh well...I guess I'll never get in the olympics with a style like that!

[WhichDoctor1]

Its interesting, I've seen medieval paintings showing archers shooting bent over like that as well. it seems like a more primitive style. I'll have to give it a try see what difference it makes.

[Luis3261]

u had a arrow rest?I sometimes do that because i feel the arrow is going to fell or something(when im shooting a bow with no rest)

[Paleoaleo]

I use my bow hand for the arrow rest.

[AlmostFu11]

fainly arrows finished :D

[onehotarcher]

nice group

[trgarner71]

Great video, very nice looking bows. Fellow bow builder here. Most of mine are hickory or red oak, Gotta ask, where did you get the yew?

[citationxbjfv]

hello there,, i am trying to build my own bow,, but,, is ok to get the hickory or red oak in a local lumber business? or has to be directly from a log?

[mabyepaulky]

as long as the grains on the wood are good u can use the wood

[citationxbjfv]

what do you mean by grains on the wood? how can know the difference?