# Do You Leave your Bow Strung?



## 9 point

i shoot 5 days a week with my Great Plains Recurve and Other bows they are unstrung everytime. Guess I thought why chance it. I have also heard longbows shouldnt be left strung


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## Elkslayer6x5

I did only to aid in streching a new string...was also taught ole school from the guy that used to own my recurve (dad) un string that thing....saw a simaler thread to this one guy said he had a bow strug forever and it was still just as fresh as it used to be... meaning bow lost little to no pull weight look at it this way..its YOUR bow.. if you think its bad..then its bad


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## bowboy09

no way man!


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## Dry Feather

Newer bows are fine to leave strung for years. Longbows should be unstrung after every use, but recurves, newer with the newer string material or fine to leave strung. Just watched my Black Widow DVD the other day, and the owner himself said it was perfectly fine to leave them strung, other than the longbows. I leave the one I am shooting strung, and the others are not.


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## playurr

Buy a bow stringer and just take the string off its quick and easy, you'll sleep beter at night, I know I do.


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## Night Wing

Both of my take down recurve bows are always strung.


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## bowhunterdave

I beleive mine to a 2007 model @ 70#
Still seems to be an equal decision here.


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## Pikkuhannu

I never ever let my bows strung! Never! :mg:

Almost same if you let loaded rifle hanging around...


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## dayrlm

As I understand newer recurves can be left strung, But I don't. The bigger question is what are the chances someone would pick it up and dry fire it?
With kids visiting my kids I never would trust that someone wouldn'y pick it up and do so even though all my kids shoot and they know better.


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## bowhunterdave

So folks, Help me understand the statements" Its much safer to leave a bow strung then to chance twisting a limb by restringing it constantly." "What exactly is wrong with stringing a bow the way my dad taught me without a stringer. "
Thanks...
BHD


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## Viper1

Dave - 

dayrlm is correct. I don't care how safe you are or you think your kids, friends or pets are, a strung bow can be an accident waiting to happen, An unstrung bow is a stick. I have to wonder what some bow makers think about their customers, is they believe they can't string and unstring a bow safely. "Safely" implies a stringer, btw. Doing it manually with either the step through or push - pull method will sooner or later twist a limb or result in injury. (I have a friend who slipped ONCE doing a push - pull stringing. He now has a glass eye, no joke. There have been a few cases floating around here about some fairly knowledgeable guys "slipping" once; the pictures weren't pretty. A bow stringer costs about $10 and should last a pretty long time.

Viper1 out.


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## bowhunterdave

Viper1 said:


> Dave -
> 
> dayrlm is correct. I don't care how safe you are or you think your kids, friends or pets are, a strung bow can be an accident waiting to happen, An unstrung bow is a stick. I have to wonder what some bow makers think about their customers, is they believe they can't string and unstring a bow safely. "Safely" implies a stringer, btw. Doing it manually with either the step through or push - pull method will sooner or later twist a limb or result in injury. (I have a friend who slipped ONCE doing a push - pull stringing. He now has a glass eye, no joke. There have been a few cases floating around here about some fairly knowledgeable guys "slipping" once; the pictures weren't pretty. A bow stringer costs about $10 and should last a pretty long time.
> 
> Viper1 out.


Good Advice..Thank You. The stringer I have for the PSE and Bear wont work with the Martin. Mine slips the limb ends into leather pockets and I cant get the string to slip by with Hunter. Guess the tips are slightly shorter with the new bow. 
I saw the newer kind but cant afford anything right now... Darn holidays are expensive.

I should be able to modify mine somhow?... hmmmmmmmmmmm


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## Viper1

Dave -

I'm not a fan of the limb type stringers (the ones that have a rubber piece that sits on the upper limb, instead of a smaller cup for the tip, but I do use them on some bows with really small limb tips. The other option is to "stuff" the upper stringer pocket with tissue or something similar, to make the pocket less "deep". As long as you don't over do it, you should be fine. Just let common sense be your guide. Yeah ... I know about "holiday bucks..."

Viper1 out.


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## bowhunterdave

Viper1 said:


> Dave -
> 
> I'm not a fan of the limb type stringers (the ones that have a rubber piece that sits on the upper limb, instead of a smaller cup for the tip, but I do use them on some bows with really small limb tips. The other option is to *"stuff" the upper stringer pocket with tissue or something similar, to make the pocket less "deep".* As long as you don't over do it, you should be fine. Just let common sense be your guide. Yeah ... I know about "holiday bucks..."
> 
> Viper1 out.


Thanks, Great Idea, I dont think it would take much. I will try and post results.


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## Altiman94

I leave my Bob Lee strung. I'm either shooting or hunting every day, so there's no use unstringing it.


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## Harperman

Pikkuhannu said:


> I never ever let my bows strung! Never! :mg:
> 
> Almost same if you let loaded rifle hanging around...


.....Hammers, screwdrivers, and big wrenches are dangerous as well....Are these kept locked up in a tool box, too??...One can never be too careful now days...L.O.L..Let's not forget scissors, or kitchen knives, either....Harperman


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## Pikkuhannu

Harperman said:


> .....Hammers, screwdrivers, and big wrenches are dangerous as well....Are these kept locked up in a tool box, too??...One can never be too careful now days...L.O.L..Let's not forget scissors, or kitchen knives, either....Harperman


All they are dangerous, but if you let bow and arrows there on the wall, someone might try. 
And i bet you shoot longer with bow than throw hammer...

Like Viper say: "Unstrung bow is a stick". Well, you can always stick or hit with it...:tongue:
Strung bow is a gun. 
I don´t let my shotgun hanging around with ammunition, they are locked in safe place.

Also i don´t want anybody to dry fire my bows...

But after all, i don´t let my knifes or tools either here and there, they are in own safe place... :shade:


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## Orion Major

I know this is the "trad" forum but I have to ask; All of you that consider a strung bow somehow dangerous, do you consider all the millions of housholds with compound bows hanging on the wall "dangerous"? You can't unstring them every time you finish shooting.


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## Viper1

Orion -

Compounds are supposed to be kept in a case, if there are kids around, a locked case. Ditto for broadheads etc. (Not sure, but that might even be the law for transport in some states.) Now we all know that people don't do that, but the next question is why not? 

My local range keeps strung bows (both stickbows and compounds) on display in the Pro Shop and within reach because they "look better" that way. Bad thing is, there isn't always an employee in the shop when customers come in. It's just a matter of time. One store did have heavy cable wraps around the cables or a lock on one pulley to prevent test firing. All depends on how seriously you take things.

Maybe if the guys who supposedly knew what they were doing treated bows like real weapons, other people would too. 

Viper1 out.


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## BowmanJay

I never leave my bows strung, just my OCD but I dont see the need and I also shoot almost every other day....


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## Harperman

Pikkuhannu said:


> All they are dangerous, but if you let bow and arrows there on the wall, someone might try.
> And i bet you shoot longer with bow than throw hammer...
> 
> Like Viper say: "Unstrung bow is a stick". Well, you can always stick or hit with it...:tongue:
> Strung bow is a gun.
> I don´t let my shotgun hanging around with ammunition, they are locked in safe place.
> 
> Also i don´t want anybody to dry fire my bows...
> 
> But after all, i don´t let my knifes or tools either here and there, they are in own safe place... :shade:


Pikkuhannu...........With the way I shoot, other folks are safer around me with a bow in hand, than than would be if I were holding a 9 Iron, or a baseball bat.......L.O.L....Jim


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## Harperman

Both of my Sons are grown, and moved out, and my Daughter is 14 going on 25, and has so little interest in bows, or weapons, that I could leave strung bow in the middle of the floor, and She would step over it all day before She picked it up and moved it...My bows are kept in the spare bedroom, along with most of my other "Stuff"........Jim


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## Tajue17

gawd


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## martha j

recurve, yes. longbow,no.


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## mick uk

I leave my Gamemaster II strung and my Kota TD longbow gets unstrung at the end of the day. 
My bows are locked away in a spare room.


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## bowhunterdave

Tajue17 said:


> gawd


Really? Why even respond ? 

On another note:
Safety is not my concern about leaving my bow strung. For most, I see the point, but I live alone and have weapons of all sorts all over my house. I sleep with a loaded weapon near me..........

I started this thread just for opinions and respect all the replies so far except this last guy Tajue17........ 
Are you just saying this to me because I asked the question? I think that's insulting. Lots of people and businesses leave bows strung. I have a strung compound on the wall behind me with a 7 arrow quiver full of Slick Tricks, So What!!! This doesn't make irresponsible, There is no law that says my bow or guns for that matter must be locked up in or on my property.


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## bowhunterdave

bump..


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## Boberau

I think all these opinions are wonderful. Viper can have all the "safety" he wants and Harperman can do as he chooses. All wonderful. ... I'm just thankful someone isn't advocating a law to make me live they way they want .... er... I mean "make me safe" ... (from myself).

I'm sure Viper is right about the "step thru method," but, frankly, I don't much trust bowstringers either... And, we had three guys fall out of their treestands this year in these parts (one guy fell asleep without a safety harness, he told the 911 dispatch before expiring... But, that's a different subject.

Bottom line, safety is always an issue - keep your head on your shoulders - and as far as I'm concerned, do it yur way... like Frank Sinatra.


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## bowhunterdave

Boberau said:


> I think all these opinions are wonderful. Viper can have all the "safety" he wants and Harperman can do as he chooses. All wonderful. ... I'm just thankful someone isn't advocating a law to make me live they way they want .... er... I mean "make me safe" ... (from myself).
> 
> I'm sure Viper is right about the "step thru method," but, frankly, I don't much trust bowstringers either... And, we had three guys fall out of their treestands this year in these parts (one guy fell asleep without a safety harness, he told the 911 dispatch before expiring... But, that's a different subject.
> 
> Bottom line, safety is always an issue - keep your head on your shoulders - and as far as I'm concerned, do it yur way... like Frank Sinatra.


I like Frank Sinatra...


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## rickstix

Opinions you want...no problemo.

_“The previous owner explained to me that its safer to leave it (the recurve) strung then to undo every night.”_ As with a multitude of statements everyone who reads that and has ever strung a bow is going to be painting their own picture. How one prioritizes and arranges the safety of their own environment aside, the question that appears to be at hand is one of “safely” stringing a bow...and it would also appear that the person who offered that statement has a measure of discomfort/uncertainty with the procedure. 

On face value I might have to agree that it is “safer” to never unstring the bow...but that says nothing about stringing it in the first place or having to remove the string for whatever reason. IMO, learning to string/unstring a bow is something in which a traditional archer should be well-versed and suitably capable. It should always be approached with caution, a complete awareness of what is happening on each end of the string, and how to back out of a troublesome situation instead of just allowing it happen. 

Personally, I have several stringers and some simply work better than others on a given bow. With most all my stringers that have pocketed ends I’ve inserted an additional piece of folded leather into the top end that allows me optimum access when placing the top loop into its grove. With store-bought stringers it seems the top pocket is the most common offender but that’s not to say that the bottom pocket is immune from scrutiny. I presently have at least one bow in the rack for which I’ll have to make its own stringer...something I’ve run into more than once.

As far as causing harm to the recurve by leaving it strung...barring exposure to excessive heat most bows will be fine. I have two vintage recurves that have been strung the entire hunting season thus far without ill effect, as with many hunting seasons before. Just as a side note, one is locked in the truck and the other locked in the garage...more of a theft concern than anything else. I suppose, if some children or accident-prone adults were to drop by I’d have to run out to the shed and pull the axe out of the stump or somehow remove all evidence that I actually do work around here...and that living is risky business. Ho hum. 

Enjoy, Rick.


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## bowhunterdave

rickstix said:


> Opinions you want...no problemo.
> 
> _“The previous owner explained to me that its safer to leave it (the recurve) strung then to undo every night.”_ As with a multitude of statements everyone who reads that and has ever strung a bow is going to be painting their own picture. How one prioritizes and arranges the safety of their own environment aside, the question that appears to be at hand is one of “safely” stringing a bow...and it would also appear that the person who offered that statement has a measure of discomfort/uncertainty with the procedure.
> 
> On face value I might have to agree that it is “safer” to never unstring the bow...but that says nothing about stringing it in the first place or having to remove the string for whatever reason. IMO, learning to string/unstring a bow is something in which a traditional archer should be well-versed and suitably capable. It should always be approached with caution, a complete awareness of what is happening on each end of the string, and how to back out of a troublesome situation instead of just allowing it happen.
> 
> Personally, I have several stringers and some simply work better than others on a given bow. With most all my stringers that have pocketed ends I’ve inserted an additional piece of folded leather into the top end that allows me optimum access when placing the top loop into its grove. With store-bought stringers it seems the top pocket is the most common offender but that’s not to say that the bottom pocket is immune from scrutiny. I presently have at least one bow in the rack for which I’ll have to make its own stringer...something I’ve run into more than once.
> 
> As far as causing harm to the recurve by leaving it strung...barring exposure to excessive heat most bows will be fine. I have two vintage recurves that have been strung the entire hunting season thus far without ill effect, as with many hunting seasons before. Just as a side note, one is locked in the truck and the other locked in the garage...more of a theft concern than anything else. I suppose, if some children or accident-prone adults were to drop by I’d have to run out to the shed and pull the axe out of the stump or somehow remove all evidence that I actually do work around here...and that living is risky business. Ho hum.
> 
> Enjoy, Rick.


Thanks Rick...


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