Survival Bow: A Versatile Tool
I am a big fan of the Bow & Arrow for many reasons. I personally think that anyone who has an interest in primitive survival skills or modern urban survival should seriously consider purchasing a good Bow & Arrow and become proficient in using it. There are 100s of bows to choose from. My Bow of choice is an October Mountain Blue Ridge Hunter Take Down Recurve Bow. Below are 6 Reasons why I think you should consider owning a Survival Take Down Bow.
1. PORTABILITY
“Take Down” means that the bow comes apart in 3 pieces: the middle grip section & the 2 limbs. It is super simple to ‘take down’ – just the twist of a couple lug screws and voila. The fact that it comes apart makes it very portable. You can stash the bow in your pack or Bug Out Bag. It’s perfect for a Bug Out Vehicle or BOL (Bug Out Location) cache. And, it weighs very little. My bow weighs only a couple of pounds – if that.
Creek's Survival Take Down Recurve Bow
Takedown Recurve Bow & Arrows in the WillowHavenOutdoor Utforska Bushcraft Pack
2. AFFORDABLE
A good Take Down Bow should only cost you a couple 100 bucks and if you take care of it, you can expect it to last your lifetime. Not only is the bow itself affordable, but the ammunition (arrows) are cost effective too. Once you hone your shooting skills, you should be able to retrieve your arrows after shooting….and reuse them over and over again. With a little practice, you can easily make your own arrows using wooden dowels or even natural found wood and plant shafts.
Take a Survival Skills Course at Willow Haven this season – Click HERE for the Course Calendar
3. VERSATILITY
Modern arrows have come a long way. Most new carbon fiber arrows (ultra light weight) have a tip that accepts different screw in arrow tips. I have an extensive selection of tips to choose from: small game stunner tips, broad head razor large game tips, standard practice tips, hook tip and line for bow fishing, etc… I’ve killed both squirrel and deer using my Take Down Bow with different arrow tips. A good selection of arrow tips can be easily kept in a pack or vehicle. I practice flint knapping regularly so that if I was ever in a situation when I need to make my own arrow points I would know how.
Some modern arrow points as compared to flint arrow-heads
Variety of Arrow Tips: Offers hunting versatility
4. LAWS, RED TAPE & PAPERWORK
Legal limitations and laws are much more lax on the Bow & Arrow than they are with guns and bullets. You don’t have to mess with paperwork and permits even though in the right hands the Bow & Arrow is equally as deadly. The less you have to deal with this stuff the better – especially if things get messy.
Take Down Recurve Bow: A Great Survival Bow
5. SILENT
The bow and arrow is very quiet weapon. You never know when you might need the convenience of a weapon that is silent & deadly.
6. MULTI-USE
Some pieces of a Take Down Recurve Bow Kit can be Multi-Use items – this is always a plus. I like for everything I pack to have at least 2-3 other uses. The first and most obvious is the Bow String. Bow strings range in length from 4 feet to 6 feet and are incredible strong. You could use a bow string in a variety of ways. Below is just a brief list:
- Bow Drill for Fire
- Snares/Traps
- Cordage for Shelter Building
- Trot Line Fishing
If you are packing a bow then you are probably packing a few arrows as well. Arrows can be used as spears and gigs for small game & fish. They can also be lashed to a longer shaft and used as a larger spear for big game such as wild pig. This larger spear can be used in self defense as well. Imagine a spear with 3 Arrows lashed to the end and each of the arrows had a razor broadhead on the tip – you can’t even buy a spear that effective. I’m sure there are some more multi-use features but these are the few I could easily think of. I would love to hear any ideas you have on the subject of Multi-Use with a Bow and Arrow Kit.
My Final Thoughts:
Positives:
- Very Portable for such an effective long range weapon
- Silent
- Affordable
- Multi-Use
- Can reuse arrows
- Can make arrows in the bush
- Lax laws
Negatives:
- Requires practive and skill to be effective
- Arrows can be a little cumbersome to pack
A few good movies that feature a Bow & Arrow in a Survival Situation are:
- Book of Eli
- Red Dawn
- Rambo – pretty much all of them
What I enjoy most about a Bow & Arrow is that it requires skill to use. It is a weapon that carries a certain amount of respect. 99% of being able to effectively use the Bow & Arrow is the skill itself – not the equipment. The skill will always be with you. Even if your bow is damaged or broken in a survival situation or stolen in a bug out situation, you can make a bow as long as you have a nice strong piece of cordage. In the photo below I made this bow from a hickory sapling using only my knife. I also made the arrow. Making a bow and arrow in the bush is definitely an option. However, it will do you know good if you don’t know how to shoot it. Preparation is the key. Practice now for the situation later.
Creek with Home Made Hickory Bow
Hopefully this was useful content if you are thinking about getting a Survival Take Down Bow. If you have any questions on the matter – just let me know. Would love to hear your thoughts…
Cheers-
Creek
Similar Posts:
- 4 Reasons To Add a Pellet Air Gun To Your Survival Gun Arsenal
- How To Make a Wire Small Game Snare For Your Survival Kit
- Turn Your Stainless Nalgene Water Bottle Into a Hunting Tool
- How To Choose The Right Machete: Your Machete Style & Function Guide
- How your underwear and a pop can COULD save your life?!
I have always thought a bow wood be a good addition for any survival situation, I own a compound bow and a break down bow both would be in my arsenal, though if I had to walk the compound would be a bit harder to take. but with a bug out vehicle its perfect to keep it.
yeah… compounds arent that great for survival. u need a bow press, extra-strong arrows, and you can’t use the string again. But other than that, a great hunting bow
Ideally, if you can have more than one bow,and it is legal where you are from,a crossbow is the way to go unless you are an archer.It requires no real training, only on how to arm it.Aim it at the target, even at a distance and pull the trigger.It’s like a rifle but without the noise.A bang in a survival situation involving rivals (anyone hungry) means only one thing.Someone in THAT direction most likely has fresh meat now.Avoid discharging a firearm in that situation,unless absolutely needed.A shot can be heard easily, from 10 or 20 miles away.Snare,fish or bow hunt if you can.Stay hidden. Amateurs are desperate.And YOU will be a source of meat to them,one way or another!Survival is THE grand ‘no holds barred’ situation.The only way not to be one of the desperate, is by educating and equipping yourself.
LOL, are y’all waiting for a zombie apocolypse or somethin?
(btw, crossbow firing does definetly need practise, since u have to take arrow drop and arrow fly time into account when firing. and if it is critical to stay stealth a missed shot WILL get you killed)
After Hurricane Katrina, the police and National Guard came around and disarmed everybody, leaving them unable to protect themselves. Then, unprincipled cops, gangbangers and the unprincipled robbed and murdered innocent people made vulnerable by the storm and the government.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-08-19-1ANOcops19_CV_N.htm
I have a business in Gary, IN. I remember the Martin Luther King riots in 1968 when the zombies burned a hundred buildings and tried to get into everybody’s house. The city was destroyed. I’ve got half inch bars on the windows, cage reinforcing on the doors and a gun within 3 seconds of my right trigger finger at all times. The population has shrunk down to 75 thousand people and the scumbags leave at the rate of 4000 per year.
Every businessman in town, has his fingers crossed hoping that nothing ever happens to Obama and a defense battle plan if something does.
It’s unbelievable to me that half the country believes I shouldn’t be able to protect myself.
Do you recommend any specific brands or models?
Samick Phantom.
Creek,
Again an excellent article! I recently built a handmade take down bow much like the one you feature and killed my first whitetail with it this year. Excellent tool!
I do take one small exception to your post You said : 4. LAWS, RED TAPE & PAPERWORK
Legal limitations and laws are much more lax on the Bow & Arrow than they are with guns and bullets. You don’t have to mess with paperwork and permits even though in the right hands the Bow & Arrow is equally as deadly. The less you have to deal with this stuff the better – especially if things get messy.
My thought: As far as I know all 50 states DO require a hunting permit for hunting with archery equipment (even primitive models). However, you are correct in that they are readily availble and almost always have them for sale over the counter, so that you don’t typically have to put in for a draw or lottery to get them. There are a few exceptions to that rule though, elk, ram, bear, etc in some states.
Just thought i would point that out so folks would know that purchasing a license is easy, but needed to stay legal.
go to youtube and look up “slingbow”. possibly even better than a take-down bow.
i’m in the process of making one right now because i like the idea and the portability of it.
i’m not much of an arrow shooter but i plan on becoming proficient with this.
i want to use a small backpack as a bugout bag and this would fit nicely
it can also be used as a slingshot with small bearings or marbles(or even pebbles)
and i totally agree “not if-when”.
A bow also has greater penetration than a .45 caliber hand gun. It can penetrate body armor. You can fish with a bow as well as hunt. Not a very good defensive weapon but, a great offensive one, especially in certain situations such as a silent sniper in the forest– absolutely deadly up to 100 yards. One shot with a gun and you give your position away. You could get off half a dozen shots with a bow and escape unnoticed. And lastly, if you could manufacture a highly illegal explosive head… yes you could pull off a Rambo and knock a helicopter out of the sky.
I wouldn’t want to depend on a bow for survival anymore than I would want to depend on a hand gun but, if I could supplement it with a Glock 23, then I would choose that combo over any single gun.
You are absolutely right about a well placed arrow.
I did an experiment in the 50s that shocked a few people in a college classroom.
Using a sealed box filled with sand with paper at each inch I fired a 38 cal pistol and then a 60# bow with target tiped arrow and the difference was about 4x more penetration than the pistol. About 3″ to 10-11″
I have often thought about how cool it would be to become proficient in using a bow and arrow but have never known where to start. This post has given me some information to start with but it would be awesome to be able to see and learn more in the future.
Any quality hunting or archery store can help you in right direction. Charlotte N.C. has one of the best with great instructors at Barefoot Archery. My kids take lessons there.
Some good articles here and I’ll agree with most of it. There’s a lot of talk about take-down recurve bows for survival. A straight limb take-down bow would be a better choice for survival. It’s much easier and compact to backpack. You don’t have to deal with space taking large sweeping curved limbs that can also be difficult to handle, Plus, straight limb bows are more accurate than recurves. Recurves like to twist on you if you’re not careful.
One advantage that you forgot to mention is a bow will go right through body armor.
I keep a “SlingBow” in my BOB with take down arrows.
What brand/model is that knife /sheath that Creek is wearing. What is the strap around the shoulder?
Corey- Thanks for visiting. This is a shoulder harness rig from Sunrise River Knives. You can see it here: http://www.sunrisecustomknives.com/sheaths/adjshoulderharness/adjshoulderharness.php
Just thumbing through your older stuff and checked this out, good reading.
If you don’t know about them, look at bowstring silencers. I have one on my old York recurve, it cuts vibration and noise a lot. Mine was purchased a long time ago, but you could probably make one easily with some yarn and leather strips.
Cool – I will look into this… Creek
I am new here but what about a sling bow instead? They are definitely more compact but I don’t know about their accuracy.
If you are proficient with a bow sure it would be nice to have as you can gather large and small game with it. But if you’re really looking to survive a crisis as described don’t forget trapping/fishing (by fishing I mean trout lines, indian fish traps etc. not using a rod and reel). I would say that active hunting in the begginning would take too much of your time and trapping/fishing would provide around 90 percent of your meat. Also get a book on medicinal and edible plants for the area you plan to be in. Go out and know how to find and process those plants. My grandfather made it through the Great depression utilizing meat harvested in the mountains of Tennessee. He said within a month you rarely saw anymore deer. Their meat mainly consisted of squirrel, rabbit, fish, and frogs as they reproduce often and do not require as much area as 1 deer. He traded .22 cal rounds for various things he needed during that time and that was his weapon of choice. He is dead and gone now so there is no worry when I re-state that he did kill on a couple occasions deer with .22 cal rifle, as did many during those times. A bow is different but I do not argue that is better or worse, that is largely dependent on the shooter. A bow in the hands of someone who is not practiced is as useful as a monkey throwing poop. Sorry for such a long post.
Hey I have a traditional longbow i use for hunting, it is only at a 40 or 45lbs draw weight and I do not believe you can take it apart and when I’ve taken it deer hunting ive had to get very close to get a good kill shot, so would you recommend keeping it with a 40 or 45lbs draw weight or get a more powerful bow?
Pioneers and Indians hunted with bow and arrows and they still do today it’s a very good choice to have 1 in case you need to survive if shtf good luck
Creek, you mentioned that a take down bow ought to cost about $200.00. Your choice is about $450.00. Do you have any suggestions for something more within the $200.00 range? Thanks
so my uncle just gave me a bow from when he was younger, but I know virtually nothing about them besides what I learned in archery in hs. are there different sizes of arrows for specific bows or is it based on your drawback or what?
Yes! Here: http://willowhavenoutdoor.com/store/products/3-piece-take-down-arrows-qty-3/
I have a stupid question- Is there a such thing as take down arrows?
Yes.. xpectre.
Hi. just found a takedown survival bow.Xpectre.. I use to hunt with compound bow.
Very cool picture of you with the bow and arrow that you made yourself! Thank you for sharing this information. It is thought provoking and sure makes alot of sense. God bless.
I WANT ONE!
I am from South-Africa.Thanks for the good info.
awesome! Now I want one! XD
I have an old bear compound bow I bought years ago. I’m not sure if I should even draw it, much less put an arrow in it…are those things ok? or should I have it checked out…I know so much more about firearms than this simple tool, I’d loove to make my own recurve long bow, but I’m pretty disabled, Spinal issues, M.S. etc. But, I would love to know where I could pick up a good bow, when I was a kid I had a fiberglass bow, and it worked great. No idea what happened to it, but what’s the best bang for your buck in an affordable bow? And is making one within the reach of someone with disabilities. I’m not chair bound, but not great. Also I’m very tall, all in the torso, 6’5″ and a 32″ inseam. My dad was 5’8″ and we wore the same pant size, so I’m part sasquatch.
I got my recurve here: http://www.mcssl.com/store/oldtownarcheryshop
They are super nice and very accomodating. I got the PSE Mustang Takedown Recurve bow and LOVE IT! Their number is 207-827-9489, give’m a call