# "naming your recurve/ longbow?"



## TheOldNewbie (Mar 31, 2012)

Never even thought of naming an inanimate object.


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## soflanut (Nov 28, 2006)

Only have names for mine when it doesn't shoot straight


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## Hank D Thoreau (Dec 9, 2008)

Nope, and I do not name my cars either. I named my children. Does that count?


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## Easykeeper (Jan 2, 2003)

soflanut said:


> Only have names for mine when it doesn't shoot straight


:chortle: Me too...


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## bowhuntrmaniac (Jan 22, 2012)

Man! maybe I'm too old or just too much of a nostalgic kinda guy, but know one names their favorite bow any more? I guess i'm alone here.


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## ChukerHunter (May 10, 2012)

bowhuntrmaniac said:


> Does anyone name their bow? I was reading some books recently about Howard Hill and other long gone famous archers , and more than a few had names for their bows onthe bow (ie Whisper Stick ) or some such. I thought it would be kinda cool to name mine. I just got my first harvest withit this spring, a nice gobbler. Need some ideas for a name? Thanks , bowhuntrmaniac



Thank you for referring to your successful hunt as a "harvest". 

Don't even have my first bow yet but I'm already thinking I will name it something like money stick, or money hole lol.


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## fotoguy (Jul 30, 2007)

just call my bow by the manufacturer/bowyer...Schafer, Foley, etc,,,,

and I harvest crops...I kill game animals......

Lee


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## bowhuntrmaniac (Jan 22, 2012)

Man , I have heard that you need to shoot your trad. bow enough to become "familiar" with it or "bond" with it , (no not make love to it), so why all the making fun of "naming your favorite bow? I must be gettin' old as I thought that was part of the fun of shooting traditional like the "Great Ones". Even the old cowboys named their favorite guns (ie ol' betsy,etc.)


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## fotoguy (Jul 30, 2007)

didnt think anyone was making fun..you asked a question and most stated they don't name their bows.....that's not making fun...if you want to do it...by all means go ahead....some folks do.....some don't....I just name them by the type of bow....but I don't shoot "trad", whatever that is...I just shoot stickbows cause I like it.....the fun of shooting them for me is just the fun of shooting them....not because the "great ones" did......I shoot my Silvertip enough to get familiar with it....I don't bond with an inanimate object..it is a tool I use to shoot arrows to kill animals.....

different strokes, I guess......


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## bowhuntrmaniac (Jan 22, 2012)

fotoguy said:


> didnt think anyone was making fun..you asked a question and most stated they don't name their bows.....that's not making fun...if you want to do it...by all means go ahead....some folks do.....some don't....I just name them by the type of bow....but I don't shoot "trad", whatever that is...I just shoot stickbows cause I like it.....the fun of shooting them for me is just the fun of shooting them....not because the "great ones" did......I shoot my Silvertip enough to get familiar with it....I don't bond with an inanimate object..it is a tool I use to shoot arrows to kill animals.....
> 
> different strokes, I guess......


Lee,
I have been shooting compounds with fingers for 30 + years, and have just recently started seriously shooting a recurve . Part of the reason for that was I was getting, I guess kinda bored with compounds , and thought of the days of Fred Bear, howard Hill and others and how the nostalgic days of "traditional " bows had kind of a less stereotype bowhunting that is prevelant today (ie nothing matters but getting a big buck) rather than having fun as in the hunt itself, enjoying nature, maybe getting a shot at any deer, maybe not. I just thought that it was interesting that some archers back in the day named their favorite bow.


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## GEREP (May 6, 2003)

I call mine the *"Titan."

*I figured what the heck, the name was already on there.

:wink:

KPC


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## bowhuntrmaniac (Jan 22, 2012)

GEREP, I'm with you there as mine is a Titan 1 also. I just figured that name was already taken . (I was right!) I was thinking of something more Native American ( i have a great respect for Native Americans as my grandfather was). Maybe like Silent stick ,vision quest, etc.


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

I wouldn't name a bow anymore then I would name a wrench or hammer. A tool is a tool to me.

-Grant


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## bowhuntrmaniac (Jan 22, 2012)

grantmac and fotoguy, 
I understand where you are coming from , that a bow is just a tool , true but I guess know one has the "romance" of archery that it seems to have had in the days of old . It is just a tool to get a "Job'" done and nothing more. The reason I got into "tradtional" archery was that I thought it wasn't quite so (who could get the biggest buck) as so many of the T.V. shows (outdoor channel) seem to think is most important. It seems that that is all that matters anymore. I thought that traditional was more (if I get a shot at an animal the hunt was successful, or I had a great hunt with my companions, enjoying nature ,etc. No pressure to succeed other than what you put on yourself. Even a doe was a trophy back then. I guess I will keep my fantacy to myself . Sorry to bother anyone with my ramblings I will quit this post. Thanks bowhuntrmaniac


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## Dsturgisjr (Aug 20, 2004)

I've named a few of my longbows for diferent reasons. Mostly for what they were involved in or where they were going; seems to bring on good luck, juju etc. The one I'm shooting now is BBF. Short for Bob"s Best Friend; my taxidermist's name is Bob. 

How about 1.feather duster or 2. gobble stopper or 3. longbeard


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

Until the advent of modern fiberglass construction bows have always been a disposable item. You might get 5000 shots from a selfbow, maybe less. Few of the advanced archery cultures ever named their bows, its not like a sword or armor that would be passed-down. Similarly bows don't preserve well, usually when they left service they went on to be tomato stakes or stirring sticks.

The bow I shoot most was made by the very best masters of the craft in two separate workshops, it represents the best Trad equipment available. But it doesn't have a soul, it doesn't need to be bonded with. It needs time spent tuning and practicing to be sure I can use it to the best of my potential.

Now the selfbows that I make have a feel to them, they are unique and lovely in their own subtle ways. But they don't have any permanent aspect, they are wood and will one day fail. It makes naming them seem kind of pointless.

I guess I've been shooting recurves and longbows long enough that there just isn't any mystery there, its a bow like any other.

-Grant


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## mitchell (Mar 5, 2005)

I think naming a bow you are fond of and confident with is great. I'm not creative enough to come up with a cool name though. I'm gonna give it some more thought.


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## thorwulfx (Sep 26, 2011)

I call my Omega "Czernobog" sometimes.


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## benofthehood (May 18, 2011)

I have longbows named 
"lil Longshot" after my favourite horse 
"Billy" after my dog 
"Shaved Knuckle " after a book reference 
"Hood " coz its a yew longbow and I am die hard Robin hood nerd 

Its kinda dicky for sure but I need all the extra juju I can get ..... 
..... then, maybe, I can name one after my taxidermist .............


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## unkieford (Jun 7, 2010)

Haven't given any of 'em a name, as such, but I have been calling my Omega bow 'the rocket launcher' for a few days now. 

---Ford---


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## jbw59 (Jun 27, 2010)

I named my bow Jenny. It's the most beautiful name in the world...Gump


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## JimPic (Apr 8, 2003)

Never named a bow, I just call them what they are....Super K, Grizzly, '59er, Wasp, Necedah, Pinnacle, etc. I just recently got the Pinnacle and we are "bonding" quite nicely so she might get a pet name


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## voodoofire1 (Jan 24, 2006)

I've got a couple I've named, well not names really but numbers, I call my first Elk bow #1, and another #2, not because of the sequence, but because they are my #1 and #2 test dummies, and I have another that was given to me named the "Voodoo Queen" by it's builder James Parker, and use to have one of Denny's Old bows named "Yellow Dog" it was I believe 94#'s and shot extremely nice, probably should have kept that one.........


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## fotoguy (Jul 30, 2007)

Bowhuntermaniac,

Please don't take what I said as derogatory! I have many friends who give their bows names, and certainly respect them for it. You asked a question, and many of the answers disappointed or surprised you. Nobody was making fun of your desire to name bows, etc, they were merely just answering your question.

People come at this sport from different ways...there are those who are in it because of the history...Hill, Bear, St. Charles, etc...and that is fine....some go back to the English longbow, and that's cool...some go to native americans, and that is great too...although I am not sure that the English or native americans actually named their bows...they were mostly tools to survive...native americans sure dropped their bows when introduced to firearms! 

I love studying history, and enjoy reading about the early archery legends...and am in awe of what they did.....but that is not the reason I shoot stykbows....I shoot them because I enjoy it...NOT because I feel it is the right way, NOT because I feel it is the hard way...but because I enjoy the heck out of them.....maybe I'm shallow....I respect those that pioneered the sport...but it did not influence my decision.....

Sometimes I feel the term "Traditional" was the worst thing that could have happened in archery...labels do nothing but create a divide and cause dissention at times...to me...compound, recurve, longbow....all archery....classification and separation for competition is necessary...but other than that.....pointless to me.....if something were to happen to me that I could not draw and hold a stickbow....and the only choice was a compound..I would go back in a second....

I take my bow into the woods because I want to hunt, and hopefully kill something....I enjoy it...I enjoy nature when I am there..but my main focus and purpose is to hunt and kill...I don't trophy hunt....my time for hunting is limited, so I do try to take advantage of that time..if I want to go out and just enjoy nature..I have plenty of time during non hunting seasons to take my camera out and enjoy...and I do that often.....but I certainly would not fault anyone who comes at it in a different way.....

Once again...I am not making fun, or dissing anyone who shoots stickbows for the romance and history and nostalgia....but please recognize that there are those who come at it from a different perspective....

My Schafer Silvertip is a beautiful bow....but I just call it the Schafer....my longbow made by Ron Foley is amazing...but I call it the Foley....just seems easier...but I appreciate and respect those who name theirs.... 

That is why I detest the label "Traditional"...it has different meanings to different people, and in most cases only serves to cause arguments and silly statements....

Hope I explained myself a little better....I love the history...but it is not the main reason I shoot recurves and longbows....it's just cause they are so much fun to shoot! I do admit, when I am having a bad day....the bow does get names thrown at it.....names I cannot post on a public forum!ukey:


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## bowhuntrmaniac (Jan 22, 2012)

Thanks Denny for your suggestions on names , and the rest of you for sharing. i thought there for a while that I was all alone in this thinking. I realize that a bow is an object and has no "soul" but sometimes it is kinda fun to let out that "inner kid" and do things that are considered childish for a grown man. I'm 57 years old and do not live in a fantasy world, but when I read a book about Fred Bear or Howard Hill, I'm "transported" back into a simpler time ,as opposed to this hectic , rush ,rush world we live in today. i guess it is my escape for awhile in that I feel like I am right there with them on their hunts. Call me crazy, but it is better than drugs, etc. for your escape to relax in this crazy world. I think that this is one reason I finally have decided to go the traditional archery route after all these years with a compound.


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## bowhuntrmaniac (Jan 22, 2012)

fotoguy , Thanks for writing back and explaining your thought in more detail. Your initial response did seem to be a little critical. Thanks again.


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## mitchell (Mar 5, 2005)

bowhuntrmaniac said:


> Thanks Denny for your suggestions on names , and the rest of you for sharing. i thought there for a while that I was all alone in this thinking. I realize that a bow is an object and has no "soul" but sometimes it is kinda fun to let out that "inner kid" and do things that are considered childish for a grown man. I'm 57 years old and do not live in a fantasy world, but when I read a book about Fred Bear or Howard Hill, I'm "transported" back into a simpler time ,as opposed to this hectic , rush ,rush world we live in today. i guess it is my escape for awhile in that I feel like I am right there with them on their hunts. Call me crazy, but it is better than drugs, etc. for your escape to relax in this crazy world. I think that this is one reason I finally have decided to go the traditional archery route after all these years with a compound.


Well said. Ditto.


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## dielectric (Oct 17, 2011)

When I take my recurve out of the sock, I usually think "Hey Beautiful". Does that count?


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## MI_Darton (Aug 8, 2005)

I like this thread...as I have named all of the traditional bows I have. The list from oldest to newest is "Hawkeye" (had the bow with me when I got attacked by a hawk) , "Helga" (homemade hickory which turned out kinda ugly), and "Hanna" (which is a Bear Montana). Earlier in the year I bought a used Palmer recurve here on AT. I asked the seller if he had a name for it and to my suprise he said 'Yes, I call her Betsy', so I kept her name the same. BTW, the curves on "Betsy" feel really nice. LOL


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

GEREP said:


> I call mine the *"Titan."
> 
> *I figured what the heck, the name was already on there.
> 
> ...


That's fantastic!

I name all of my bows. If nothing else, it gives me a mental tag to remember their shooting 'personality'.

In terms of choosing the name, I'd say, let the bow tell you.


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

grantmac said:


> But they don't have any permanent aspect, they are wood and will one day fail. It makes naming them seem kind of pointless.
> -Grant


Kind of like people, huh?


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## bowhuntrmaniac (Jan 22, 2012)

Thanks guys again for the nice responses. I'm really enjoying the feedback and getting more ideas for my bow name. Keep 'em comming!


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## AngelDeVille (May 9, 2012)

dielectric said:


> When I take my recurve out of the sock, I usually think "Hey Beautiful". Does that count?


I do that when I pass a mirror.


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## bowhuntrmaniac (Jan 22, 2012)

Hey AngelDeVille, You just cracked me up ! LOL


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## bowhuntrmaniac (Jan 22, 2012)

after a little research this weekend , I think I will name my bow "Kohana Poloma" . Kohana is Sioux for swift and Paloma is Choctaw (my grandfather) for bow . So "Swift Bow". Granted , I'm sure there are other bows out there that are faster, but I just like the name. Thanks guys for all your input and thoughts! May the wind always be in your face.


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## ashleycarrigan (Dec 11, 2014)

You aren't alone! As soon as I received mine, I started thinking of a name. Not so much for a compound, but at least for my Native American traditional longbow. I feel as though it deserves a name!




bowhuntrmaniac said:


> Man! maybe I'm too old or just too much of a nostalgic kinda guy, but know one names their favorite bow any more? I guess i'm alone here.


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## rickstix (Nov 11, 2009)

I just look at my bow and say, “Okay, Chit-for-Brains…time to go outside”…but I might just be talking to myself.  Rick.


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## jakeemt (Oct 25, 2012)

I usually name my bow after a hunt or some other thing that makes it stick out in my mind. My last bow I named "stalking fox" because the first game I stalked with it was a fox squirrel. I like to name my bows it gives them more a of a personal feel to me. I haven't got a name for my new bow yet but I will.


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## JINKSTER (Mar 19, 2011)

Sometimes I do...but then the dementia passes and I realize there's a 5 in front of that 6 of my age and go back to calling them...

The Bushmen...The Herters...and....The Widow. :laugh: 

yep....that's how I roll.


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## Joe Hohmann (Oct 24, 2013)

If I had to name my bow, I would call her Annie Oakley. I just viewed a one-hour American Experiance video on her, and was moved and impressed. So what if she wasn't into archery.


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## Bowsage (Apr 29, 2008)

I was thinking... a lot of people aren't calling deer , deer.... anymore. So I guess people will call their bow something else


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## Captainkirk (Sep 18, 2014)

Never thought about naming my bows. I've named all my motorcycles, so I guess I can see it. Have to give it some thought.


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## Hasty (Mar 23, 2009)

I have names for some of my gear. Usually stuff that gets a name have something about them that when I have it in my hands adds up to more than just a guy and a weapon. Almost like a band, sometimes the whole is more than it's individual parts.

I have a rifle that never needs the sights adjusted, not once since 1995. It fits perfectly and everytime I've pulled the trigger on a game animal they just drop. Distance or speed of the game doesn't mean anything, if I decide I want it, it goes in the freezer. My dad bought it for me as my first real rifle and it's killed my first and best scoring deer. To me it's more than just an anonymous tool.

I have other stuff that is close in form and function but they just don't have that mojo or intangible connection that makes me better in the woods. I've tried to build a clone of that gun and it just isn't the same.


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## Hank D Thoreau (Dec 9, 2008)

Jinx, what about Zeus?


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## Greenjoytj (Aug 10, 2013)

bowhuntrmaniac said:


> Does anyone name their bow? I was reading some books recently about Howard Hill and other long gone famous archers , and more than a few had names for their bows onthe bow (ie Whisper Stick ) or some such. I thought it would be kinda cool to name mine. I just got my first harvest withit this spring, a nice gobbler. Need some ideas for a name? Thanks , bowhuntrmaniac


My longbow is Bear Montana so I call it Monty or Montana.
My Martin Savannah stays as is "Savannah" is a fine name.
The Hoyt Buffalo is called "Buffy" most appropriate I think.
Martin Vision hybrid LB is called "Diana" from the goddess of the hunt. I couldn't think of a feminine name close to vision.
I have some other bows that I have not named, I just refer to them by the bows model name.


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## beazyears (Sep 26, 2013)

I name the bows I make.
Tiger maple under clear glass...Tiger Shark.
ipe, maple R/D longbow....Polar Bear. After my youngest boy. The name was given to him by his Granddad.
Ipe, Maple under brown glass... Brown recluse.


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## Azzurri (Mar 10, 2014)

I sail and windsurf also, and I didn't follow the "process" when I renamed my most recent racing sailboat that I bought used. That thing is the most unlucky piece of _____ I've ever sailed. It can be an expression of endearment. It can be a curse.


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## Robert Carter (Apr 2, 2014)

I name a lot of my bows. I have one longbow I made years ago. I killed a pig with it when it was less than a couple weeks old and a good friend John Cooper said "Man that bow has Mojo". I named it Mojo. Since it has killed a half dozen deer and around 20 pigs and a Turkey. I had a Hill Bow I named "Blue Sky". I was hunting on a beautiful blue bird day on foot in the swamp. I took a nap under a big pine and My Buddy John Pardue came walking in behind me and flushed a group of turkeys that flew over me. I was laying down and looked up in time to see one glide over me. I had a Mohawk longbow I named T-Bone. Lance Coleman and Chris Spikes bet me a steak I would not hunt with all season. They lost. I killed 11 deer , 5 pigs and a Gobbler with it that year. RC


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## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

I name my tools too, at least some of them.

My wheel barrow is named 'Spartacus', spade shovel 'Mountain Spoon', flat shovel 'Scrape'. I might have named other tools, but I can't remember, so I might have to rename them, and tell them they've been born again, baptize them one way or another, etc.

I also named the first and only deer I've shot, Bucko. The one I had originally intended to take, Elmer, has so far eluded me, but Bucko has made some kick ***** chili.


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## Captainkirk (Sep 18, 2014)

I've named many of my tools as well, mostly unprintable names thought up in a burst of inspiration as they became airborne.....


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## centershot (Sep 13, 2002)

Hank D Thoreau said:


> Nope, and I do not name my cars either. I named my children. Does that count?


How I roll also........I know others that name all their cars, etc. Doesn't bother me, to each their own.


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## centershot (Sep 13, 2002)

Captainkirk said:


> I've named many of my tools as well, mostly unprintable names thought up in a burst of inspiration as they became airborne.....


Naming and calling names are two different things! HaHa.


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## rogbo (Jan 2, 2004)

I've named almost all of mine. Zip, snap, sarabelle, laci jo, Mack and currently queen Bianca. Too much time on my hands I suppose


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## barebow52 (Nov 7, 2007)

I seem to call mine dam it alot


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## Paul68 (Jul 20, 2012)

Absolutely. 

I have a 67# longbow that I call "Pig." It's a tough and cantankerous bow to shoot at that weight, but worth every shot. A Dwyer I call "Lean" because of the lines - Very clean and thin. 

Ironically, I have on '03 Hoyt Protec LX Pro (forgive me for mentioning wheel bows on the trad forum) that I call "Longbow." The name came long before I got back into trad gear (no pun intended), and borrowed from Hawthorne's The Last of the Mohicans "Long rifle" which is a personal favorite. The old Protec's are nearly 48" ATA, which is forever in terms of modern compounds, and shoots like Nathaniel. 

The bows seem to name themselves, I guess. I have a Black Widow SAIII that I haven't spent nearly enough time with to get to first names, but I'm anxious to learn what it will be. Like getting to first base with the girl you had a crush on in High School, with more performance anxiety.


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## Stub (Aug 13, 2013)

barebow52 said:


> I seem to call mine dam it alot


lol, I like that


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## cab207 (Oct 29, 2013)

I have a Bear Grizzly so I call it Grizz sometimes


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## ghostgoblin22 (May 3, 2013)

i call mine Mother Fu%&er at times


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## Captainkirk (Sep 18, 2014)

ghostgoblin22 said:


> i call mine Mother Fu%&er at times


I'm thinking there are probably a good number of bows nicknamed "Mom" out there. (Isn't my Jimmy sweet? He calls his bow Mom...or Mother")


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## flygilmore (Aug 23, 2011)

fotoguy said:


> just call my bow by the manufacturer/bowyer...Schafer, Foley, etc,,,,
> 
> and I harvest crops...I kill game animals......
> 
> Lee


Word...........


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## bowhuntrmaniac (Jan 22, 2012)

WOW! Did not realize this thread would still be kicking around!! I have since got 2 more bows I have yet to name. One is a 17" Dryad Epic17" riser with TT BM Extreme limbs that I got a nice 5 point with this year , and a Toelke Whip 62" that I just got.


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## meatCKR (Sep 29, 2011)

I give mine names. I like doing it. I had a Toelke whip once that had Yew limbs. I called her "Yewnis". I currently have an all Osage Great Northern Critter Gitter special that makes me feel good when I shoot it. I call that one "Good Medicine".


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## reddogge (Jul 21, 2009)

There's nothing wrong with naming bows....and guns. I had a .22, a very accurate .22. It was a Remington 541S I bought new in 1973 and my brother in law named it "The Nevermiss" because it never missed. Perhaps I'll name my Titan III riser and BF Extreme limbs "Sweetlips".

My friend calls my Wes Wallace Mentor "Wes". He always asks "Did you bring Wes today?"


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## trevorpowdrell (May 8, 2012)

metal risers and limbs are things
a self yew bow is work of art and deserves a name


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## UbiKaNoobi (Oct 24, 2014)

I recently got my first bow, a Samick Sage. So thought a good name would be Gandalf. Hope to learn how to shoot bow with it. And look forward to using it for many years to come :teeth:


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## Turnipseed (Jul 14, 2014)

This is a fun thread. I don't name my bows or motorcycles but maybe I should start. I like the names for swords that I see in Lord of the Rings and have a replica of "Sting" that I use as a letter opener. Maybe I'll call my recurve Sting if I ever get proficient with it.


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## MGF (Oct 27, 2012)

I don't name my tools or my food but to each their own.


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## reddogge (Jul 21, 2009)

trevorpowdrell said:


> metal risers and limbs are things
> a self yew bow is work of art and deserves a name


Yes, metal risers and limbs are things that shoot better than anything I've ever shot in my long archery career.


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## Beendare (Jan 31, 2006)

*names*

I've called this one names that I can't repeat here.....

Do they really make those risers strong for the minor stresses of an archery shot....or so you can't break them over your knee? Grin


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