PETE WARD

"WELCOME TO MY OUTDOOR WORLD

Review

Bearpaw-Products
Bogensport-Bodnik GmbH
Hannebach 30
96269 Großheirath / Rossach 
Tel: +49 (0) 9565 61688-0
Fax: +49 (0) 9565 61688-21

 Bodnick "Dakota Longbow"from Germany

Kustom King Traditional Archery

www.KustomKingArchery.com
5435 75th Ave
Schererville, IN 46375
Toll Free: 1-877-566-4269 (1-877-LONGBOW)
Local or International: 1-219-322-0790
1 (800) 769-6644 or 1 (219) 322-0791-Fax
email: info@KustomKingArchery.com

All Bodnick bows  now have a 30 year warranty!!!

This warranty is good for all subsequent owners of the bow, not just the original purchaser.

"Our guarantee applies to 100% on the bow because our quality has nothing to do with the owner of the bow. Our guarantee also applies to subsequent owners of Bodnik Bows and does not lose its validity for a full 30 years. The choice of material and the weight of the used arrows do not limit our guarantee."

Click here for the details.

http://www.bearpaw-blog.com/?page_id=730

From the Bearpaw web site:

Longbow Dakota

Plain, Fast, Handy
The best description for this short athelete. We used dark walnut together with black glass to get an attractive combination. The short limbs produce an astonishing performance and can be drawn softly and comfortably up to 30". This bow can only be shot with a Dacron string. {All Bearpaw bows now come with Modern Fast flight type Whisper String.}

Bow length: 64 inches (approx. 163 cm)
 Bow weight: 20 - 55 lbs 
Handle: Walnut 
Limbs: Tapered maple with black glass
Tips: Hard wood{now with Mycarta} 
Grip: Locator 
String: Traditional Flight  {Now with Bodnik Whisper string}
 Brace height: 7 inches 
Warranty: 30 years Bodnik Bows warranty

Review

The Dakota longbow from Bearpaw is a nice to shoot entry / intermediate level longbow with some good shooting quality. It has black glass limbs with proven Maple cores, a walnut riser and a classic look to it.  The tips are now reinforced to allow us to shoot with modern fast Flight type strings, and the dakota comes with the bearpaw modern Whisper string.

 The amount of shock or buzz is very light, and you may have to be looking for it to notice it. The workmanship, fit and finish is typical Bear Paw, that is very good. Compared to many bows of this style/profile it is a joy to shoot. We need to remember that the Dakota is not a fancy high dollar bow, it is a well built and good performing bow at a moderate price.

This style bow is not known for being a high performing bow, however it certainly performs very well for this style.I think it will be well liked by the person that wants a longbow in a more traditional look than the popular highly reflexed models  that are pushing the recurve performance levels today.The Dakota is not a sports car, so don't expect it to perform like one. You can expect it to perform very good for the type or style of bow that it is. The Dakota is a slient shooter, and this is something we  demand in our hunting bows.I would have no concerns hunting with the Dakota for Moose or Elk in a 45# / 50# weight bow and most likely will hunt with this bow on  some days. It is light to cary, and shoots well for me, and certainly has adequate performance to do the job.

The common feedback I received from people that shot the Dakota has been good. One thing that does come up often is the grip size. I have to agree that I find it a bit large for my taste, however this concern is short lived. Henry Bodnik has started the process to make the grips smaller for us. This will be a big improvement for those of us that found the grip a bit on the large size. I hope to be able to shoot the smaller grip models later on and report back here with my thoughts .

All arrows were shot from a static release, by hand at the same session. Actual draw lengths are confirmed / coached by Pat my wife. I use a constant power supply, and a light kit on the chronograph.  Every bow in all of my reviews are set up to be hunting quiet, with minimal vibrations, shock etc. They are not set up for the fastest speed possible.

To sum up my feelings and thoughts about the Dakota is easy. It is a well made quality bow with good looks, performance, and shooting quality.The Dakota should be even better with the smaller grips that are being produced now. It has simple  and clasic lines that appeal to many shooters, and it is priced to be afordable to anyone. I do not see any reason to think that this is not a good bow to own. If you like the clasic longbow look , black glass , and a well manered bow the Dakota has all of this. It is backed by the incredible 30 year transferable warranty,which for most of us will cover 2 generations or possibly 3 generations of shooters in your family. The Dakota is aproved for modern strings, { it comes with a modern FF type string} and has Mycarta/Phenolic tips to ensure long limb life. I like the Dakota and have no concerns recomending it to shooters that are interested in this style  bow. The Dakota is a nice bow to shoot.

Pete ward

"Welcome to my outdoor world"

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