I learned on a recurve bow when I was in college the first time, 20 years ago. I loved it, and ultimately wanted a bow of my own... unfortunately what I got was a second-hand compound which sent the aluminum shaft arrows right through the sheet of insulating board and the sheet of 3/8" plywood and into the tree behind it all.
The nice thing about a compound is that you can shoot great distances with it without being The Hulk. The bad thing about it is that you have to shoot long distances, or you end up blasting your target with far more force than you really want.
Were it up to me, I would get a 40 lb. recurve to shoot with. It has a fair amount of power to it, but not the absurd amount that my compound gives (I think it's about 90 lbs at the peak). The compound is hard to draw to a point, then it becomes easy... but when you release it, SSHHHOOOP! and the arrow is gone up to the feathers in the target. Which is fun if you're trying to freak someone out, but can be annoying when you destroy an arrow per shot...
Two hunters get lost in the woods. As darkness is falling one says to the other, "If you fire three shots in the air it's recognized as a distress call, and they'll come to find you."
The other hunter fired three shots into the air. They wait a while, then he shoots three times again. As darkness is about to fall, the first hunter suggests shooting again. The second hunter says, "Well, I hope they get here soon- I'm almost out of arrows."
The nice thing about a compound is that you can shoot great distances with it without being The Hulk. The bad thing about it is that you have to shoot long distances, or you end up blasting your target with far more force than you really want.
Were it up to me, I would get a 40 lb. recurve to shoot with. It has a fair amount of power to it, but not the absurd amount that my compound gives (I think it's about 90 lbs at the peak). The compound is hard to draw to a point, then it becomes easy... but when you release it, SSHHHOOOP! and the arrow is gone up to the feathers in the target. Which is fun if you're trying to freak someone out, but can be annoying when you destroy an arrow per shot...
Two hunters get lost in the woods. As darkness is falling one says to the other, "If you fire three shots in the air it's recognized as a distress call, and they'll come to find you."
The other hunter fired three shots into the air. They wait a while, then he shoots three times again. As darkness is about to fall, the first hunter suggests shooting again. The second hunter says, "Well, I hope they get here soon- I'm almost out of arrows."
Ba da boom.