One of the most celebrated acronyms in all of bowhunting is “NBD”. Second only to “BBD” (Big Buck Down) in importance, these three letters will make even the heftiest of archers do cartwheels. Yup, there is no denying it, a “New Bow Day” is an event worthy of celebration. I’ve had several and every, single one of them was special.

Imagine the following scenario. You order the bow. You spend weeks waiting. You get the tracking number and decide to stay home the day it arrives so you can sign for it. The tube comes in and you massacre it with a knife that is far too big in order to open it quickly. You slide it out of the package, remove it from its sleeve, and discover it is better than imagined. You string it, give it a quick setup, and launch your first arrow.

Magic.

Out of all of the NBDs I’ve had over the years, this one is by far the best. I wanted a custom longbow and I wanted my friend’s Tracey and David Balowski of St. Joe River Bows to make it for me. I already owned one St. Joe, but I wanted something longer and heavier. Something special. Unfortunately, I had no clue as to what woods I wanted to use. My indecision lasted several months as I sold some things and raised the money. After several hundred Facebook chat messages I decided to let Tracey do whatever the hell she wanted. As the head bowyer, she was the artist, and every single bow I’d ever seen her produce was better than the last. My one requirement aside from length and draw weight, was that the grip be similar to my other bow.

Not knowing what I would be receiving was absolutely brutal. I am not someone that enjoys surprises. I know all of my Christmas presents ahead of time and have never been surprised on a birthday. I almost broke down and begged Tracey to show me the bow on several occasions, but somehow stood my ground. I’m glad I did. The not knowing kept me from interfering, and perfection resulted. There isn’t one thing I would change about this bow. I love every aspect of it and it shoots like a dream.

If only I could think of a name…



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