If there is one thing that every traditional bowhunter thrives on, it’s the feel of a quality, well-built custom bow in the hand. That is what makes reviewing the Super Shrew Scout Deluxe Gold recurve, built by Ron LaClaire’s Traditional Archery Shoppe, a truly pleasant experience.
The first thing that stands out about the SS Scout Deluxe Gold is its beauty. The wonderfully figured osage limbs and matching riser with leather grip are a site to behold. The addition of spectacular stag antler overlays on the limb tips and riser make this bow a marvel of both form and function.
Bracing the bow reveals a highly deflexed, foreword handle design with a significant degree of reflex in the limbs. This geometry lends itself to two things: speed and stability. Clearly, the SS Scout is a bow designed to point well and generate significant energy to transfer to the arrow. While some consider these elements of design to be mutually exclusive, it is obvious that in the SS Scout, Mr. LaClaire has brought them together to build a user-friendly and lethal hunting companion.
My Scout recurve is a one piece bow that it 60" from tip to tip and 46# at my 27" draw. It is light in the hand and the grip is designed with a thumb rest that facilitates consistent hand placement and minimizes bow torque.
In drawing the bow, there is obvious pre-load in the limbs as energy is stored. Although this quickly tapers into a smooth and comfortable draw to anchor, the pre-load effect does require some getting used to, particularly if a shooter switches back and forth between other bows during the hunting season.
The shelf on the SS Scout is typically cut 1/8" from center, but I asked that my bow be cut to center in order to provide a wider range of arrow spine tolerance. As a result, I had no problem tuning my bow to 35-55 Gold Tip Carbon shafts with a 225 grain point and a total arrow weight of 465 grains as well as a heavier set of Carbon Express Heritage 150s weighing in at 633 grains.
After shooting several arrows through the Scout I was more than a little impressed with the bow’s performance. The SS Scout propelled arrows as quickly as any of my other custom bows and faster than several of them. The importance of such performance can not be overemphasized for those of us who shoot bows that are in the lower poundage range. The reason for this is that by shooting a bow with excellent energy storage and transmission capabilities, a heavier arrow can be used without sacrificing performance. This is critical for optimal penetration on game animals from low poundage set-ups and the SS Scout delivers on this essential element and more. Clearly, it is a superb traditional bow and worthy of any serious traditional archer’s consideration.
Not unlike most high-end custom traditional bows, the lead time on the SS Scout from order to delivery can be long and the price can seem lofty. However, unlike modern compound bows, a custom crafted traditional bow harnesses the beauty of natural woods into a tool for hunting utility that can be handed down through multiple generations. It is an investment worth making.
For more information about the Super Shrew Scout or any of the other bows in the Shrew line, their web address is www.shrewbows.com.
