I have a little work around to thouse to do today and a bunch of us are shooting the IBO state championship tomorrow. Next weekend I’ll be heading up to our property in WI to see about filling a turkey tag, planting about a hundred spruce seedlings, install the well pump, and de-winterize the camper.

Well, we did laundry, went to dentist (she has diamonds in her mouth now), waiting for some guy to come and till the garden, and she is insisting she cut up my bandannas to make doll clothes, and of course the mouth hasn’t stopped since she woke up at 7:30 this morning. I MEAN SHE KEPT TALKING WHILE THE DENTIST WAS FILLING HER TEETH!!! Is it nap time yet??? AUS don’t teach those kids to talk!!!!

Am On Call 24/7 for a large Mi. utility. They got me good last night with some wind damage issues. Not worth much today. On the “re-charger” (couch) hoping to be left alone tonight.

I decided to trade in my morning view of the backyard…

For a more open and fresh perspective…

I took the new Spalted Maple bow our for her first adventure…4.5 mile hike

A break for lunch…

I am finishing the day full circle back in my backyard…Good Day!

Cameron –

Bravo! – truly a great day, wish I could have joined you —

Scout

I crossed off three bows on my todo list. Now I’m only seven behind.

Kids soccer games and weightlifting meets keeps us pretty busy around here. Turkey season is over. I went one time and didn’t have any luck. There will be another season to try again.

I’m getting excited a out this years Wyo elk hunt. Trying to put together all my gear. I got a list but don’t even know where to start there’s so many choices. I figured the frame pack and tent are top priorities.

Shawn

Just lots of practice shooting right now, and getting ready to go scout for turkeys next week…

Finished up the last of our tours this season with a tour bus of 33 seniors about the age of R2 and me. After 3 days of finishing the season will be out tomorrow Hunting turkey. May not have mentioned in my previous drivel about First Hunt- but for those of you who are interested–I am in position at least 2 hours before sunrise–and the last 1/4 mile to the selected ambush spot is reached on my hands and knees. Trust I will have some entertaining posts tomorrow evening—I see that many of you have a very low entertainment threshold:) For all have a good hunt.

Semper Fi

Mike

Ralph, in my limited capacity to soldier I was left out on a lonely sentry post at a live fire range back gate while the lads were playing army. Anywho, one rainy night I heard some very unusual animal calls… and they were onto my little camp because I could hear them boxing around me. In the morning I went out and found a heap of fresh tracks, that looked to me a bit like cattle, but maybe washed out and softened by the rain. When I got back to civilization I checked online for tracks compared to some sketches I made. I also explored some animal calls and I reckon I have may have come across some feral camels. There’s heaps of them in Australia but I’ve never heard of them being this far east.

The most exciting part of that for me is that I’ve been angling to get permission to hunt on a pretty big cattle station that borders the army range. I’ve never even seen a wild camel and the chance to hunt camel has me pretty excited. I need to find someone who knows anything about camels. Because I don’t know a thing 😕

And they could have been cows 😉

Ralph, this is a pic I took by holding my camera up to my spotting scope while I was hunting something entirely different. I’m kicking myself now for not paying more attention to the marks they left behind 😛

Oh and I’m a shameless coward mate, the number of times I’ve thought something is stalking me when I’m alone at night.. I think my 2 year old has less fear of the dark than me 😀

Ausjim-

I think you will have trouble finding someone who has hunted Camels {but you never know}Most parts of the world it would probably get you in trouble like “horse stealing/killing”. If you get a chance to hunt them, make a great batch of Articles for Tradbow. They’re pretty big, better get those efoc arrows worked up – haha.

I have eaten camel –it is OK –but like we say here in the SW you can eat just about anything with good Chile Sauce on it.

PS — Maybe Dr Ashby will chime in– he is one of the few who might have had a run at Feral Camels in his work “Down Under”

Scout

Hey Ralph I hope you’ve bagged one of those gobblers since. I was “standing” for my first godchild over the weekend, proud moment! And guess what, it didn’t rain! In fact 20C and sunny here lately, spring has finally sprung 😀 Been crazy busy with work lately so haven’t been on here much so I’m slow on the replies these days.

Been cleaning the truck off and on since Saturday youngest son has another passing out parade this Friday so the girls have all got new dresses and I got no money left!

Saturday too early driving to Switzerland 12 hours plus stops via France and Germany, factory tours and meetings all week, must be on best behavior.

Jim, my grandad was in Egypt during WWII and developed a deep hatred of camels that I knew nothing about until he took us to the zoo when I was a kid, he stood in front of the enclosure and described every kick, bite, spit and nasty bodily function he had ever encountered, took a while. If you bag one your going to need a bigger barbie.

Mark.

We’ve just finally gotten to a point where some south-facing hillsides are free enough of snow to get out for the first stump shooting session of the season yesterday.

My buddy Kevin who just made the leap from compound to trad:

Those darn uphill shots…:(

This little Kanati has really been growing on my lately:

It felt great just to get out and stretch the legs with a bow again!

Good to be out stretching the sinews and feeling the sun.

Mark.

I’ve been renovating the upstairs bathroom in our 115 year old house. *whew* What a project! Knob & tube wiring, cast iron plumbing, lath and horsehair plaster. Haven’t taken the time to do much shooting lately and I’ve missed the whole first half of turkey season. Been running quite a bit lately, too. Gearing up for some summer distance races.

Hope your leg heals up completely, Jim. If you kill a camel, post a lot of pictures. Better hope it’s good meat; you’ll have a bunch to eat.

Thanks for keeping us all engaged, R2.

ausjim wrote: Oh and I’m a shameless coward mate, the number of times I’ve thought something is stalking me when I’m alone at night.. I think my 2 year old has less fear of the dark than me 😀

You’ll have to fight me for first place on that one. 😆 I have absolutely no issue with the fact that I do not hunt until the sun has been up for a long while. 😳 I watched too many horror and nature movies. It’s either got fangs and claws or will infect me and turn me into one of the undead minions. No thank you! If it don’t walk around in daylight, I don’t want it! Can’t wait for my moose trip in September. Wake up at noon, fish until dinner time, try to spot one on the way back in the boat. And you know darn well I’ll be complaining when I get home that I didn’t get anything. 🙄 Be well.

Alex

😕

R2 wrote: Need to move that stump a yard closer. 😆

Ha. No kidding. We were “stretching out” pretty far on those shots. 😀

R2 wrote:

Nice looking bow. It peaked my interest so I went to Mr. Kendall’s website and found he his full up for 2013. Good to be busy.

Thanks. Jason makes a great hybrid, but I don’t think he makes a whole lot of them (which is good, ‘cuz I’d probably order another one…). For being 56″ inches, I’m impressed that there is no stack or pinch at all, and it flings a 620 gr. arrow with plenty of authority. After shooting my recurves exclusively for a while, it’s nice to go back to a bow that is so quiet and ridiculously light.

Smithhammer, I am constantly disgusted by the plethora of beautiful bows you trot out like a Saudi king parades his wives. Do you know there are children in Africa that don’t even own a bow? My god man, think of the children!

Incidentally, I happen to be an African child, so if you want to make amends I’ll give you my mailing address and you can change a child’s life 😉

Guys, if I kill a camel, it’s likely I’ll be sharing a camp with a few other fellas, so as much as possible will be used as camp meat. I’ve eaten camel in a restaurant before, cooked much the same as goat, so I guess that will be the go. It’s a big animal though, so I’d like to think I’ll separate the left overs into a few different piles so it’s not just the big dogs that get a scavenge. There are a number of endangered cat sized native predators up here abouts.

Of course there is every chance I just saw some washed out cow tracks 🙄

It’s great hearing what everyone is up to btw. Thanks for the thread Ralph 😀

ausjim wrote: Smithhammer, I am constantly disgusted by the plethora of beautiful bows you trot out like a Saudi king parades his wives….

I have been known to refer to them as “my harem” on occasion… 8)

ausjim wrote: Incidentally, I happen to be an African child, so if you want to make amends I’ll give you my mailing address and you can change a child’s life

I like to think it’s never too late to have a happy childhood…

Took a drive through Yellowstone last weekend, on our way to meet up with friends in Paradise Valley. Traffic was horrible:

Our humble abode for 4 days:

Other than catching up, hitting the local hot springs, mtn. biking, doing a little fishing, and blasting clays, we enjoyed a profusion of ‘adult beverages.’

Bulleit Rye, a whiskey with enough character that we decided it needed a mustache:

More local residents:

The “Moscow Mule” – a specialty in these parts, served in a gen-u-wine copper mug (warning – it is very easy to drink a lot of these…):

Another view of the homestead:

And one very tired pup:

Not much to do with archery, but I figured if I threw in enough wildlife, it would qualify…:wink:

Those were worth seeing and posting. Now I gotta Google Moscow Mule and see what that’s about:wink:

SMITHHAMMER Those pictures are great I bet that was a fun trip.

That Mosco Mule looked very interesting.I had to check it out. Found this recipe on OPRAH.com….What kind of bar did you say that was??:D:lol:

Servings: Serves 1

Ingredients

1 ounce vodka

1 tsp. sugar syrup

Fresh lime juice

1/2 cup ginger beer

1 sprig fresh mint

1 slice of lime

Directions

In a copper mug, pour vodka over ice. Add sugar syrup and lime juice. Top with ginger beer and stir. Garnish with mint sprig and lime slice.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/food/Moscow-Mule-Recipe_1#ixzz2SZYEC7hM

Maybe Robin can use this as the tip of the week:D

That’s it, Joe!

Oh, and the bar in the pic is @ Chico Hot Springs, north of Gardiner, MT. An old resort with a lot of history. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area. But don’t wait till then to have a Mule….:D

Thanks for the update, Blacksmith.

There’s a special place in my heart (and stomach) for that Bulleit Rye. I try to reward myself with a double after every whitetail. Sometimes a double-double. I’m still taking care of my kids, working on my bathroom, and running my ass off in this Kansas wind.

-Ben

Shewt! Where’d that asterisk come from?

Waitin’ (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!) on something to show up that I dumbed into on “the auction” about 12minutes after it was posted to see “how good/bad it is”.

Shouldn’t have but I CAN STAND ONLY SO MUCH TEMPTATION (broke or not!)

PB&J sandwiches for two weeks….at least. 🙄

Some high quality stumpin’ was had today! Went on a 7-mile hike back into the hunting grounds to see what sort of fresh sign might be around, and of course, to mercilessly lay waste to every stump in our path.

On the hike in:

Spring is finally coming to the high country (this is at about 7000ft):

A little lunch break:

And then it was time to get down to business:

Came across some not-too-old elk sign:

And some pretty old elk sign:

What else is there to say? It was an awesome Sunday, and good to finally stretch the legs with the Quick Styk!

I had the honor of shooting with these young archers today.

They each shoot like their posture suggests: On the left, “As long as I look good with my tackle, what’s it matter?” Middle, “As long as I get to see the arrow fly, who cares where it lands?” Right, “Stick that sumbich!”

Loosed nearly 300 arrows, lost only one.

This is a great thread. lol:D

Awesome pics…Tailfeather is right, great thread!

Ben, the photos of the boys is a classic. Looks like a pack of lads ready for adventure!

Been shooting just about every day in the backyard, still trying to decide which bow I want to use for the upcoming elk season. More and more, I’m reuniting with my Kanati:

56″ AMO

#53 @ 28″

This sweet little hybrid gives nothing up to my recurves and throws a 650gr. arrow with authority. And it’s so light and maneuverable, that I’m finding it increasingly hard to go with anything longer or heavier. Jason certainly builds a sweet bow.

Jim,

Camels have a long track that splays a lot to help with traction in the sand. And the soft pad takes up most of the space in the foot, which gives the bottom of the track a wavy appearance (instead of being a flat footprint). The hard toenails are just a little of the track at the front.

Compared to cattle, which have a hard toenail that runs down almost the entire track, they rarely splay very much, and the bottom of the track is totally flat.

Hope that helps. preston

We decided this morning, after a couple of hefty egg burritos and a gallon of java, to check out a new trail a friend had told us about, but that neither of us had hiked before. More importantly – I’ve been thinking that elk season starts at the end of next month, and I better start pro-actively working on getting my @ss in shape….So up into the Big Hole mtns we went:

Lots of wildflower action going on right now:

Getting near treeline and better views:

Hank the wonder mutt, topping out:

And me catching up (in the distance, you can see the Grand Teton)…

The obligatory couple of knives I brought along – a Great Eastern “Boy’s Knife:”

And a Bark River “Trail Mate:”

Some cool lichen on a big old spruce we found on the way down:

And that’s all she wrote.

Cool to check out a new trail so close to home.

And now it’s time to hit another cool place close to home…

Richardson’s geraniums

Injun paintbrush

lupine (the subject of a great Monte Python skit)

Mariposa (Nutall’s) lily

I like the looks of that Trail Buddy … can you post another pic showing the blade better?

I would hope that at timberline here we still have wildflowers too, but with the damn drought I don’t know and can’t bring myself to go check and be disappointed.

Yes, for those of us who start hunting the last weekend of Aug., the time in well nigh to get our acts together. I’m doing plenty of indoor exercises but not nearly enough walking thanks to the heat.

Good stuff, thanks.

David Petersen wrote: Richardson’s geraniums

Injun paintbrush

lupine (the subject of a great Monte Python skit)

Mariposa (Nutall’s) lily

Thx for the flower ID! I appreciate them, but I suck at retaining names. Well, #2 & #3 are easy, but I was pretty curious about the 4th one in particular, which I don’t see very often, and which, of course, I always forget to look up by the time I get home…

David Petersen wrote: I like the looks of that Trail Buddy … can you post another pic showing the blade better?

You bet. I love that knife – Bark River’s interpretation of the Marble’s classic “Fieldcraft” knife, dressed in some lovely bocote. 6.8″ overall, with a 3″ blade (it’s actually the “Trail Mate” – they also make a larger version called the “Trail Buddy”). Here’s a better pic of the blade:

David Petersen wrote: Yes, for those of us who start hunting the last weekend of Aug., the time in well nigh to get our acts together. I’m doing plenty of indoor exercises but not nearly enough walking thanks to the heat.

Good stuff, thanks.

Yeah, it’s been pretty hot here as well, but at least we’re getting somewhat regular afternoon thunderstorms. I hope that continues. And I hope it cools off by the end of Aug…

Bruce– Have you had the chance to field dress a big animal with that blade? Say, WalMartian size or bigger? 😛 I absolutely love the way it looks, but am also aware that looks don’t always equal utility (yes, that can be taken as a wide-ranging metaphor). The handle being longer than the blade is my first requirement for a go-to skinner, and perhaps because the handle is slender it makes the blade look “fat.” But too, it seems possible that the blade in fact is a bit too wide for max maneuverability when working on and in an animal? And what is the steel quality? Now, if Helle would just design a knife that looks that great and performs like a Helle, they could rule the world! I’m yet to find any knife that holds an edge anywhere near like a three-layer Helle blade, but for the most part they are plain if not downright ugly, IMO. If my pal Doc Dave Sigurslid was still frequenting this site I’d make an appropriately rude Norsky joke at this juncture, but poor guy has gone to the dark side and retired from hunting.

Dave –

Haven’t field dressed a large animal with it, as I only got it last winter, after hunting season. But I’ve done lots of other work with it (it has a nice patina on it since I took these pics shortly after I got it), and I think it would work great for game.

The blade is a full-tang, A2 steel, with a convexed edge. I have a number of other knives of the same steel, and same edge grind, and I can tell you that it holds up really well. I prefer a convex edge on all of my field knives now. It’s a more durable edge to begin with, imo (as opposed to a Scandi, for example), especially when combined with a good high-carbon tool steel like A2. And easy to touch up in the field with a strop loaded with some compound, which I always keep in a ziploc in my hunting pack.

Though for big game, such as elk (and beyond), it might be a toss up between the Trail Mate and its larger cousin, the Trail Buddy for something more capable of all around processing, more than just skinning. I think either could work, it just comes down to preference. Here’s a size comparison:

Bruce, great photos. Looks like a nice place to hunt. And Dave good plant ID!

I spent the weekend up in the Trinity Alps Wilderness. Took my gal “camping” to a place I look for deer too…:wink:. And here’s a few of the many flowers that were going.

Columbine

Monkey flower

Lily- not sure which one.

Arrowleaved Balsamroot

Firecracker flower.

preston

Darn my hide! I took my boys out froggin’ today and didn’t even think to bring the camera. Didn’t have much luck but we had a heap of fun skipping rocks.

Smithhammer wrote:

David Petersen wrote: Mariposa (Nutall’s) lily

Man, that Nuttall went everywhere, didn’t he? We came upon a patch of Nuttall’s Death Camas today and I dug one up to show my boys how closely it resembles wild onion. Best to start ’em young.

Put together a little bench for bow building. Makes it a little easier to chase a ring on a stave.

Why is it that those first few arrows in a fresh target feel especially good? 😀

Been thinking about scouting a new area lately, and it was cool enough this morning to get me off my butt and go check it out.

Great looking country, with promise, but much of the stuff down low is really thick, and up high I couldn’t find any springs or water sources. Still, it could be a really good place to pack farther in to, and install and spend a few days. Decisions, decisions…

Good stuff there, Bruce. Beautiful country! I’m looking forward to your elk season again this year.

R2, I have never seen folks so darned proud of their state as Texans. You folks have Texas-shaped waffle irons and bags of Texas-shaped chips. I even saw an article once on a guy growing fruit–pears, I think–that had mould clamped on it to force it to grow into the shape of Texas. Maybe you oughta haft up that Texas point and see what kind of luck it brings you.

Just ‘stretchin’ out’ on a hot afternoon…

Durn Ralph that’s a gorgeous bow! I’ve built a dumpster full of boo-backed-osage bows and some pretty ones and even a few r/d’s … but nothing that pretty and nothing that lived so long. Likely because I used osage boards rather than staves. I figure if I’m going to shape a stave it might as well be a selfbow. I must however forewarn you that it is bound to break someday. But to save you that heartbreak I’m willing to take it off your hands … just a nice guy, me. :P:lol:

Hard at work on this year’s hunting tackle, though I should probably be refinishing that wood floor. Enh. I’ll make that my next project.

River cane stalks, osage stickbow, tonkin cane stalks, wild turkey feathers.

Nice, Ben. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

When I finally got a bow in the 50 to 60 lb range, I felt a ping in my right shoulder. To make a loooooong story short, I went to the Dr., to the physical therapy, then the surgeon, and they are going to fix the rotator cup on August 18. Thus no archery, or fly fishing until after I recuperate. Six weeks in a sling. Dreading more physical therapy, seemed silly. They had me doing exercises with a 3 pound weight. Arwen was doing the same exercises with the same 3 pound weight, and made fun of me.

Arwen is still torturing me. Her latest trick is to scream in my left ear (the one that works) and whisper in my right ear (the one that doesn’t work).

footwear Saw another thread on footwear. Again I like non-skid footwear made for restaurant workers (search the web). I spent yesterday working on a slate roof, and didn’t slip once, and could feel every slate under my feet. A good second choice would be skateboard shoes. They are made to grip the top of skateboards, and work. Again you can feel everything you are stepping on. As for waterproof, put a plastic bag over your socks and inside the shoe and your feet will stay dry, sans perspiration. Or, you can make socks out of gore tex fabric to go over your socks, as I did.

As I said in BUILDING THE BOW there is not much doing here in the winter. LOTS doing in the summer, so I haven’t been here much (also getting hard to get computer time from my constant companion). Been going to outdoor concerts (cheap), trucking Arwen around (theatre rehearsals, swimming lessons, play dates, – I never had the social life this kid has) and working a lot more. I also have Audry to put a big grin on my face on rain days.

This weekend we are going to take “dirty old hat” pics for a thread. I know I’m not the only one here with dirty old hats, so you take some pics too.

I do miss you guys, but don’t want to burden you with my troubles, and haven’t worked on anything you would be interested in. Will try to stop by more often, as I have noticed I have been missed, just to leave a few wry comments when needed.

Hope the surgery goes well Grumps!My main job this year has been administering wounded warriors. One of the commonly occurring problems is motivated guys pushing their rehab so they can get back into what they love quicker. Often enough, guys trying to short cut two weeks off their rehab programs end up spending an extra month or two missing out because of reinjuries.

My small advice is to be patient and commit to the post surgery strengthening exercises. If you can afford it, Human Growth Hormones are about the best thing in the world for rehabbing, but I don’t know what legalities surround it there, or costs. Here it’s expensive, and for soldiers illegal. But it works wonders.

HUMAN GROWTH HORMONES!!!!

I wanna be 6′ tall!!!!!

More scouting this morning. One month to the day till ‘game on’….

Bruce — If that’s you in the last photo, what’s with the bandaged right hand? Did you injure it in the big jewel heist in France the other day? 😛

In about 2 hours a man is going to drill a hole in my head to anchor some kind of artificial or ‘robotic’ tooth in place. So I’m basically going to be robocop. Alas I will no longer be kocher or halal, as some portion of a pig is getting grafted onto my face to rebuild some bone as well. But seriously, who doesn’t love bacon?

Looking into my crystal ball I foresee much bed rest and ice cream in the next 24 hours 😉

David Petersen wrote: Bruce — If that’s you in the last photo, what’s with the bandaged right hand? Did you injure it in the big jewel heist in France the other day? 😛

Naw, that’s an elk hunting buddy who took a good spill on his bike a couple weeks ago. Ended up with some pretty bad road rash.

And I was never in France, just for the record…8)

ausjim wrote: In about 2 hours a man is going to drill a hole in my head to anchor some kind of artificial or ‘robotic’ tooth in place. So I’m basically going to be robocop. Alas I will no longer be kocher or halal, as some portion of a pig is getting grafted onto my face to rebuild some bone as well. But seriously, who doesn’t love bacon?

Wait – what? Yikes – good luck with it all, compadre.

Smithhammer wrote: Wait – what? Yikes – good luck with it all, compadre.

Cheers mate, all done. I’ve even got a few days off work, which I was hoping I could spend tuning some new wood shaft/head combos. Alas my face is swollen like a melon so I don’t think the string will get past my lips. Also I’m fairly heavily doped up on painkillers so I probably shouldn’t be handling any weapons 😀

Don’t over stress yourself while recoperating.

Got my ribteks, got my brew and got my safety supervisor.

Not legally Ralph 😕 Not allowed to hunt them on the public land I found them on and all the properties up there are cattle stations. Cattle farmers in my experience have always been more accepting of ferals and less accommodating for hunters, all for understandable reasons. There are some properties that offer guided axis hunts but I’ve avoided guides so far, I’d like to hold off on that still. I’ve met a few local bowhunters hereabouts now, I’m hoping I can meet someone who knows someone who’s uncle runs a station, or something like that 😉

By the way, I was out there recently and most of the cattle are brahman, but they have some Texas Longhorn as well, including apparently, the world record holder for longest horns, JR:

That’s alotta horn right there.

I’m in the slow process of making and testing cane arrows. It’s a beautiful day here, 83*F and 75% humidity; perfect for working outside. The Mississippi Kites have been flying over all day with their fledglings. A good day and good place to be alive.

Wow! Ausjim, hope you heal up soon. Thats some long horn there.

Ben, I’ve been procrastinating on some cane arrows. You make me want to get to work on them.

Well the wife has me stripping wall paper and painting the master bathroom. Gotta sand the walls and paint this evening. I’m fixin’ to make a knife sheath. More on that later.

Glad to see you got some cane, Ben. How’s it working for ya? Was working on some yesterday too. I’ll be cutting another batch this fall, lemme know if you want any.

That’s a generous offer, man, and I’d like to take you up on it. I’ll PM you. I got some medium-quality cane from SE Missouri, species unknown. It’s hollow & rather flimsy. It only makes low-spine arrows. I’m having better luck with tonkin cane. So far my knapping sucks. Might be hunting with trade points this year.

Looks much nicer than usual Ralph. Has it been a good season for rain?

More productive scouting this morning:

Trying to work off a summer’s worth of pints and tacos before my elk tag starts in 9 days…

Smithhammer wrote: Trying to work off a summer’s worth of pints and tacos before my elk tag starts in 9 days…

*Like*

Looking good, Bruce. I’m excited for your elk season this year too. 🙂

I’ve been busy getting my kids settled in to a new school routine. My youngest started kindergarten this week. Hard for this stay-at-home dad to believe. Not ready for him to be that grown up yet, I s’pose.

Spent the week cutting firewood. I’m way behind for this year but it looks like we’ll make it just fine.

Stiches out today. Itching less, down to dull pain (tylenal)

, PT starts Wednesday, same day Arwen starts school. OK, I’m going to start scouting Thursday. Know where there are deer and Turkeys from seeing tracks while fishing. I can walk with my arm in a sling can’t I??

Anyone heard from Elkheart lately? I’m sure he’s busy getting ready for the upcoming season. Just wondering.

Ben M. wrote: Anyone heard from Elkheart lately? I’m sure he’s busy getting ready for the upcoming season. Just wondering.

Got a scouting report from him a couple days ago, and it sounds like he’s been busy getting his woodpile in before the season starts…

Made a new bow form for a R/D 58″ longbow and glued up the first attempt. I have been using the Bingham form for their 62″ Hybrid. This form has more R/D and I am looking forward to seeing how it shoots…

Cameron-Looking good on the new bow. I’m interested to know how it turns out.

Smithhammer wrote: Got a scouting report from him a couple days ago, and it sounds like he’s been busy getting his woodpile in before the season starts…

I can relate. This was my haul for the day. Some of it is potential bow wood.

🙂

Ben M. wrote: 🙂

Well… Now we know where your bows really come from.:D

That’s smart, how’d you get those kids to make your bows for you? Most parents have to do the work so the kids can shoot.

Seriously it’s great to see kids doing something productive instead of playing video games. That’s good parenting! 😀 looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Troy

[quote=ausjim]Got my ribteks, got my brew and got my safety supervisor.

[/quot

Love that Rabbit Hash mug. Kentucky has some of the best place names around. Hope you’re doing well. Saw that about being all swollen up.

Paleo, Rabbit Hash is one of the little pilgrimages I do every time I go to the US. Beautiful Kentucky hills all the way down to the Ohio River. Australia doesn’t have any inland rivers quite like the Ohio. It’s filthy now but I always sit and wonder about the men who explored the river on canoes, paddling into unknown lands. It must have been beautiful pre-industry.

The last time I went though I think ownership of the general store changed hands. They used to always have a backroom full of old tools and bits and pieces. Now it’s all full of new age merchandise. The way of the world I guess.

There is a REAL General Store just west of Manchester Vt, hasn’t changed, next time you are here I’ll take you. Yup, you can get muskrat traps, .22 rimfires, trout flies, seeds, gingham, and a bridle for your horse. Only way to find anything is to ask. Not just the back room, its tha whole store. If they don’t have it, you don’t need it.

tradhunter1 wrote: Well… Now we know where your bows really come from.:D

Hmm… Maybe that’s why they keep breaking.

These kids are amazing. They just jumped right in and started working. Only downside is that I own only two drawknives.

R2, I chop wood with a pair of brothers who are in their late seventies. Their favorite, and most used, wedge was handed down to them from their grandfather. It looks like a mushroom.

grumpy wrote: There is a REAL General Store just west of Manchester Vt, hasn’t changed, next time you are here I’ll take you. Yup, you can get muskrat traps, .22 rimfires, trout flies, seeds, gingham, and a bridle for your horse. Only way to find anything is to ask. Not just the back room, its tha whole store. If they don’t have it, you don’t need it.

I bet there’s a healthy contingent of old men who sit around drinking coffee, too. Sounds awesome.

Ben, those yellow shavings are killer, good luck with em. That’s next on my list.

Pssst…..Asbell wool plaid hooded vest for sale in the classifieds…

R2 wrote: That ol’hacksaw was my dad’s, so it’s older than most of us. Even me and David!

That is really something.

That is truly remarkable!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=j6Nwdpa5PcU

I watched the movie “Epic” with my kids this evening and it was so good I can’t wait to watch it again tomorrow. It seems more and more movies being produced are weaving a traditional archery theme into the plot and this one has some great stuff. If you’re looking for a great family flick this is one. My kids raved about the archery scenes all evening till bedtime.

Out bird hunting the other day, a piece of obsidian near where I placed my foot grabbed my eye. Bent down and uncovered it and lo and behold:

Painting, has to be done…….so I’m told.

Tomorrow will be good some friends coming for breakfast and an update on their hunts for elk, whitetail and pig.

Mark.

Got out yesterday for a little hike, searching for grouse. Even lost a few arrows shooting at one…:roll:

This is a crappy pic, and the track is a little melted out, but we came across some grizz tracks up on the plateau down the road from the house:

Smithhammer wrote: Out bird hunting the other day, a piece of obsidian near where I placed my foot grabbed my eye. Bent down and uncovered it and lo and behold:

Man, a guy could spend a lifetime looking for that. Too cool! Back in from a 2 pm til dark hunt. Zilch now the last 3X out. Always fun groovin’ with Ma Nature but….there is a point to this at end of my arrah that needs work.

Scott

I hear that. Wonderful fall day, set up ambush site top of ridge bordering soy bean field, sun just setting over the ridge when two doe walk out and start feeding 80 m out. To far to stalk before end of shooting light–so I just watched through those great bino’s smithhammer put me on. What a wonderful end to the day–what the heck does anyone see in “outhouse channel”?

Good hunting

Mike

I managed to get myself on a 4 week army sea kayaking course starting next week! Not exactly hunting related but I’m keen to get canoeing and figure this is better than nothing 😉

I was thinking of packing my Sage Ralph. Put a little reel on it. Also I think we’ll be island hopping through some pig and goat infested islands 😉

ausjim wrote: I managed to get myself on a 4 week army sea kayaking course starting next week! Not exactly hunting related but I’m keen to get canoeing and figure this is better than nothing 😉

Jim–Good for you. Trust your army uses either the Klepper or Nautiraid folding kayaks and not those plastic things. Our guys use the nautiraid–filled with a weeks provisions dropped from 15 feet from helio jump in and go. Linda and I have the 17′ nautiraid–you can stand up in it–try that in a plastic kayak. Great for fly fishing or bow. And another of like soul crossed the Atlantic in one some years ago–a Brit of course.

If you have the time–Cockleshell Heroes, C.E. Lucas Phillips–There is also a 1950’s movie of the same name–good one if you can find it. I had the honor of being the XO for Col John Ripley USMC (Navy Cross Viet.) who had the pleasure of training with Lt.Col “Goldie” Hasler–while John was on an exchange with the Royals.

And just to bring it back on thread if webmom is hovering–traditional transportation and I believe there was a bow somewhere in the book to take out sentries.8)

Keep us posted on the trip and stay away from the croc’s.

Semper Fi

Mike

Don’t forget to bring a pee can!!

grumpy wrote: Don’t forget to bring a pee can!!

Not to be confused with a pee-kahn. 8)

You guys, an amazing and beautiful thing happened yesterday evening and I was there to witness it. I’ll just copy the post I made on FB because I can’t sum it up any better than that:

I’m a lousy photographer, but an amazing thing happened this evening that is truly worth sharing. I was walking out of some hunting grounds in total darkness (no flashlight, a habit of mine) and happened upon a glowing speck on the ground. While trying to locate the source of this ethereal glow I came to realize that I was standing in a small sea of glowing, pulsing hay meadow. Glow worms: the larvae of fireflies! Like their adult counterparts, these small creatures are bioluminescent. Apparently, the magic combination of moist earth, unusually warm temperature, and hatching time of this species led to their dense and active population in this one place at this one time…and I happened to bumble into it. It is one of the most spectacular things I’ve ever seen. I really, truly, wish you all could have seen it. A meadow transformed into a carpet of glowing speckles; it was like the ground became a mirror of the night sky. There is no end to the beauty in this life.

When I got home I called my friend Colin, a professional photographer (https://www.facebook.com/KansasLandscapePhotography). We went back to the meadow to get a picture (a thing I could never do myself), but several hours had passed and the temperature had dropped fifteen or twenty degrees. The meadow was not the same as it had been. Colin later posted this on FB:

This evening, Ben Miller was walking back from a deer hunt in the dark and ended up in a field of what turned out to be hundreds of firefly larvae. He called me up to see if we could go out and get an exposure. This photo was taken at 11:48pm.

Find more information on the larvae here: http://bit.ly/1bazyGq

Surely, awareness is the greatest gift of hunting.

-Ben

I’ve never seen nor heard of that . I would like to have seen it myself . When I was young the firefly was everywhere here in southern Ohio . Now we only seem to have very few in certain locales .

Guess while I on this thread I’ll answer the title question .

Started full time training on Sept. 9 for Residential Electrician . It has been some experience too . At 56 I am not so accustom to CRAMMIN’ as the young fellers say . My ol’ walnut size brain ain’t as quick as it once was .

And to make matters worse , I haven’t been able to hit the woods as often as I would like to . But , still am able to shoot every day , even if for only a few arrows , and hunt on the weekend .

Went out all day yesterday and saw the big SKUNK again:) Ah well, it’s going to take my area near home a few more years to recover from EHD. I did see 5 coyotes moving single file past me at 25′(from the ground) and a big mink (and 3 bushels of squirrels – I know dang well if I took the .22 after them I’d see a deer). With the guns set to start banging away next Fri. I fear I’m done with the bow very soon if not now. I haven’t seen but 4 deer all season so far and those on the first time out. Looking forward to heading E for Thanksgiving and the following week of deer season there. Parents are still alive and well in the 2nd 1/2 of their 70’s and I can walk right out the door and have several sq miles and more all to my lonesome. Not many deer but every year rubs as big as my thigh keep me on my toes! Good luck, patience and persistence to all those still pounding the ground!

Ben that is a spectacular photo.

colmike wrote: Trust your army uses either the Klepper or Nautiraid folding kayaks and not those plastic things

Mike, we do have and use Kleppers but this isn’t a tactical course. We have a wing in the army called Adventurous Training Wing. So this course will qualify me as an adventurous training leader and allow me to take out completely inexperienced seakayakers and give them ‘adventurous training’ in sea kayaks. We use a range of civilian plastic and fibreglass kayaks.

I am LOVING it 😀

I did a little overnight trip to one of the islands off the coast here a couple days ago and tomorrow we set off on a 10 day expedition, island hopping up the coast. The best part is I’m getting paid for it 😉

Alas we’re bouncing from Nat. Park to Nat. Park so I can’t bring my hunting gear. Can’t win em all!

Jim

Are the salt water crocs an issue where you are? I’ve seen the aerial views of those in the water and OMFG I wouldn’t want to be closer than I had to!

We’re right on the bottom of the salty’s range here. I pucker up a bit every time I wade across a creek (I waded a very dodgy looking estuarine creek about a week ago to get to a delicious looking mango grove on the other bank… I hope the crocs don’t get wise to that!), but they’re not very common here. Tiger sharks are all over the place though and the stinger season has just started (1 metre worth of tentacles on you is enough to kill a healthy adult), and we are paddling a long way north, which puts us deeper into croc country…

Should be fun! I just bought a waterproof camera so hopefully when I get back I can post some pics to help get you through winter 😉

Jim

ausjim wrote: We’re right on the bottom of the salty’s range here. I pucker up a bit every time I wade across a creek (I waded a very dodgy looking estuarine creek about a week ago to get to a delicious looking mango grove on the other bank… I hope the crocs don’t get wise to that!), but they’re not very common here. Tiger sharks are all over the place though and the stinger season has just started (1 metre worth of tentacles on you is enough to kill a healthy adult), and we are paddling a long way north, which puts us deeper into croc country…

Should be fun! I just bought a waterproof camera so hopefully when I get back I can post some pics to help get you through winter 😉

Jim

So just to sum up….saltwater crocs, tiger sharks and lethal jellyfish. Right…

I’ll take bears any day. 😀

Have fun, Jim!!

If a croc swallows the waerproof camera, will it still work when Peter Pan gets it?

Whipped up another two dozen arrows for my kids:

Not that they really needed them:

…but I had the extra supplies and, anyway, kids can never have too many arrows.

Worked up a few dozen wild turkey feathers too:

They’ll make great fletching.

Geeze Ben, make me some arrows 😀

I’m going to try and restrain myself from posting too many pics from my little adventure as there isn’t a spec of hunting in there… But there was one place that was pretty special that wanderers, outdoorsmen and romantics can all appreciate I think.

We came paddling up to this bay and couldn’t believe our eyes….

You may not be able to see it in the above photo so here’s a close up…

It was like jurassic park. So this place was a high end eco-resort to the stars. But in the last 10 years or so we’ve had some epic cyclones and there are only so many times you can afford to repair and rebuild. For the last two years it’s been abandoned. Windows are smashed, the jungle has overgrown staircases, parts are falling down, cabins have been looted and destroyed by idiots.

Right at the top (out of view in the close up shot) after an Indiana Jones style adventure including bypassing rotting stairs by climbing a cliff face, battling snakes (ok it ran away when it saw me… because it wasn’t a snake it was a goanna) and some other misadventure I found one perfect cabin, untouched by tropical storms or filthy looters.

It was a truly special night, staying in this tiny piece of civilization in the midst of destruction and decay, all framed by some of the most beautiful wilderness I’ve had the pleasure of seeing.

Here’s a shot looking across the bay..

Another expedition next week 😀

Jim

Wow, Jim. Did you have any idea this place existed before you stumbled across it?

Ben, none of the trainees (my peers and I) knew and while the old sea dogs running the course knew they gave us no hints beforehand so it was still a magical discovery for us 😀 The old fellas were quite jealous of my untouched cabin though, none of them had found it before!

Here is another pic because it is just so nice. Except all the tiger sharks. And irukandji. At least you get to see them coming in that water 😉

Befriended a goose hunter. An endless supply of feathers begins…

Hahah, your poor bow Ralph!

Here’s a neat Christmas tree I found on the Internet…

Jim

“…my true love gave to me…

ausjim wrote:

Here’s a neat Christmas tree I found on the Internet…

Jim

Sold a couple bows this fall, and I have a new one on the way shortly, courtesy of Jason Kendall (JK Traditions). He sent me this pic tonight. I already own one Kanati from Jason, and it’s become one of my absolute favorites. This one will be 58″ AMO, and #53 @ 28″, walnut riser with elm limb veneers, action-boo cores, red/black phenolic accents. Can’t wait…

Today’s wonderful archery lesson:

Hitting aerial targets when it’s 26deg. outside is not easy. 8)

I should just stick to shooting them on the ground. Much easier. 🙄

R2 wrote:

I’d probably have to be hunting along the road to find a flying one.

I usually have the best luck when I can bust up a covey, and mark where they went down. 😉

Ralph,

Do you do any hog hunting around where you are.

I’m working in Clovis, Fort Sumner area for a few months and am looking for something to extend my season.

Troy

That sounds great. I’m still looking into the area I’m going to be in for places that have some hogs that they want to scare.

I just picked up a bow too – I don’t know what it is but I take them any way. Been hunting deer above the home stead and having big fun – Merry Xmas to all

wahoo wrote: I just picked up a bow too – I don’t know what it is but I take them any way. Been hunting deer above the home stead and having big fun – Merry Xmas to all

And here Dave is giving me grief about my small “collection.” I’d love to see your entire collection someday!

I did some basement shooting today with the new Kanati, and the love affair deepens.

And then I finished up an atlatl:

Nice piece,Bruce…..Wish I were that handy! Hope you are having a Merry Christmas! Wayne::D

That is a very nice pic, the fog adds a little surreal feeling to it.

Nice one,Ralph……..we’re nearly snowed in here. Wayne

Strait-Aero wrote: Nice piece,Bruce…..Wish I were that handy! Hope you are having a Merry Christmas! Wayne::D

Thanks, Wayne. Now it’s time to fletch and mount points on the 6′ darts!

R2 wrote: At least he got close enough to my camera.

Very cool pic of a beautiful buck, R2!

Bruce

Nice work–when you get the time how about posting some details on construction, what’s the leather loops for? I understand the atlatl and concept but the details would be helpful. Perhaps a short video–now that I have the long bow figured out:shock: and the throwing stick:roll: would like to try something new. However I’m not real handy kinda like that bull in the shop–my idea of finesse is to get a bigger hammer. Any help on building one appreciated.

Mike

Mike –

I actually built this one from a rough-cut kit sold by Thunderbird Atlatl. They offer several kits of various designs, as well as fully-finished atlatls and darts.

Mine is made out of ash with a rosewood spur, and the sinew lacing provides extra strength. With the ‘kit’ version, all I really needed to do was sand it down, finish it (I chose to just use several coats of linseed oil), mount the spur and lace it up.

The leather strap allows you to get your thumb and forefinger ‘locked in’ for a little more leverage on the throw.

They also have a good YouTube channel that explains a lot of their designs, how to use them, etc:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Thunderbirdatlatl?feature=watch

Wow, great picture. I totally agree that the fog adds to the “mood”. Just knowing he’s out there waiting for you must be unbearable. Definitely would love an update at the end of the season. 😀

Be well,

Alex

[quote=Smithhammer]Mike –

I actually built this one from a rough-cut kit sold by Thunderbird Atlatl. They offer several kits of various designs, as well as fully-finished atlatls and darts.

They also have a good YouTube channel that explains a lot of their designs, how to use them, etc:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Thunderbirdatlatl?feature=watch

Bruce

Thanks great links and now another trad en devour. Great video’s—I guess they would consider us high tech:D

Mike

Down to a R2 dozen 😀 time to make a few arrows!

nice hot water heater.

Nice hot water!

My wife has been doing some conditioning to hiking with packs and today we went for a 15km hike through pig country..

A lovely morning hike with plenty of sign, fingers crossed the City Council opens this area to bow hunters this year!

Jim

It’s marshy in the wet season Ralph. Right now the wet season is very late coming so the dark brown patch just to the right of the trail is churned up mud full of wallows. To the left of the trail (out of shot) is like a lake once there’s some rain but at the moment it’s not even marsh it’s so dry.

Ninety-six handmade arrows, ready to deliver. Four dozen for neighborhood kids, six half-dozen for nephews and a niece, and one dozen for a brother in-law. Thats alotta arras.

That’s a lot of arrows Ben! Well done mate. Your neighbourhood must be cooler than mine 😉

Jim

Haha… Yah, Jim, the kids in my neighborhood are becoming more and more armed. Fortunately, there’s no sign of revolt.

Wow – impressive, Ben! An army of little archers could be extremely useful. 😀

Ha- They’re starting to sound like hobbits. Well…barefoot, eat six meals a day, avoid work whenever possible…yah, I s’pose hobbit is about right.

Too snowy to shoot outside the last few days (though I’m glad we’re getting the snow). So instead I’m playing around with filters/effects on some photos from last season. I particularly like the way this one turned out:

And I need to get started on fletching more arrows…

That’s a beauty Bruce! I remember that photo from last year. I thought it looked properly steep then and the filters have done nothing change my mind 😀

ausjim wrote: That’s a beauty Bruce! I remember that photo from last year. I thought it looked properly steep then and the filters have done nothing change my mind 😀

Thanks. My “winter coat” and a seasonal abundance of malted beverage have done nothing to make it look any less steep, either…8)

Closing the day out, good and proper. Hope you all are having a fine weekend.

After a cyclone and another tropical low in a two week period we’ve finally had some rain, which means creeks flowing with fresh water again…

Animal sign has dispersed a lot, what with the sudden abundance of water I guess.

I spotted a couple of feral dogs out today though. I tried calling them with an Ishi style finger kiss, but they were too far and didn’t hear me. Or heard me and thought “what’s that idiot human doing?” 😉

ausjim wrote: …Or heard me and thought “what’s that idiot human doing?” 😉

I get that a lot. 😥

Jim, that’s gorgeous scenery. But where’s the snow? 😛

Bruce, when I gave up my pitiful little squealing, I looked up and saw a Kite sitting high in a tree some 50 metres off and it gave off the distinct vibe of “Stop that nonsense.. Bumble around in the bush some more and spook out some rodents for me!”

So even if the dogs didn’t judge me, someone did 😳

Dave, the mini Ice age gripping North America is steering well clear of tropical north Queensland and the ‘mountain’ that these creeks run from reaches the dizzying heights of some 600 feet… a touch below snow line… 😀

So even if the dogs didn’t judge me, someone did Embarrassed

I really get that one alot8)

A fresh dozen. Feels good…

Felt like spring here today! Had to get out and close the day good n’ proper:

Heard we are getting over 20″ of snow Mon. When I made the comment in front of the girls I got a horrified look, and they said “We only have 3 rolls of toilet paper!!” No worry about food, water, fuel, just need toilet paper. Hoping to go snow showing in while it snows. Haven’t heard the snow falling in the pines in years.

Whipped up a fresh batch of stringkeepers today for friends and family:

Decided to put a leather grip on my Quick Styk this morning. Feels great, and I like the extra thickness:

In fact, I liked it so much I went ahead and put one on my Kanati as well:

I’ve been shooting my longbow almost exclusively this year, pouring lots of practice and time into it. This morning I decided to check the brace on my recurve, and once I’d done that I thought I may as well shoot a couple of arrows.

I would be lying if I said this was my first 10 yard group in months. It was my second such group and reminded me why I’m so much more confident with my recurve 😕

In other news I got certified by Australian Canoeing as a Sea Kayak Guide last week which is kinda cool. Now I just need to become competent at bowfishing and I would have one of the tiniest and most niche markets in my pocket… sea kayaking/bowfishing guide for tropical north Queensland, haha. Good luck with that business idea pal 😀

Had a nice little family hike/scout today. This bit of public land is one of the parcels set to be opened up to bowhunters in the near future.

I found a healthy amount of pig sign without trying too hard. Fingers crossed it opens up soon!

This was our end point and found some likely bowfishing spots as well, rocky outcrops and big sand bars.

The little fella was very proud of his ‘dinosaur bone’ and ignored all my suggestions that it may have belonged to a wallaby 😀

Next time I come this way I’ll have a bow and fishing rig 😉

Ah, the sun is a’shining on you Jim. Nice pics and a great time of life with little ones like that. Enjoy every minute. Ever see a Great White out there in your kayak? I hear a few of you down under get chomped on every year?

Paleo,

I’ve been wildly disappointed with the lack of big shark attention I’ve received kayaking. I’ve seen reef sharks and plenty of big sea turtles (they are suicidally curious), but never a big shark or croc that has made me poop my pants. That would be a thrill!

Whites have been gps tracked coming this far north outside of seal breeding seasons down south but I don’t think they spend much time in around the beaches, I think they are more out in the open waters near the reef. Plenty of bull sharks and tiger sharks, but like I said, none have come and said hello 😕

My wife is a marine biologist and tells me you can pretty much guarantee every time you hop in the water on Australia’s east coast there is a shark big enough to eat you that has caught your scent. That’s a nice thought isn’t it?

I paddled all around Australia’s biggest island national park, which is notorious for big salties, and not one of them was nice enough to come and scare the bejesus out of me either 😡

Ralph, yes, it does look a bit more luscious in my part of the world doesnt it? Don’t worry, the first time I walked down the track pictured, every blade of grass was brown and there was no water, just caked mud. It’ll back to that by September or October I reckon. In the meantime I’m going to enjoy the tropical feel 😀

ausjim wrote:

I’ve been wildly disappointed with the lack of big shark attention I’ve received kayaking.

Plenty of bull sharks and tiger sharks, but like I said, none have come and said hello 😕

I paddled all around Australia’s biggest island national park, which is notorious for big salties, and not one of them was nice enough to come and scare the bejesus out of me either 😡

These statements really do bear further scrutiny. Probably by a professional…

Bruce

I have seen these Aussie’s in combat. They require no further scrutiny. Other then the obvious–don’t go kayaking with Jim.:D

He is welcome in my home anytime :D:D And some one you want backing you up in the crap holes we have experienced:shock:

Mike

Mike, you’re too kind!

Bruce, one of the games we played on my army kayaking course was that if anyone saw a shark we all had to do a roll. We only ever saw reef sharks, I don’t know if we would have stuck to the rules if we saw a tiger 😉

I see a woman got chomped in Tethra in New South Wales. Is that a longs ways from where you are?

Paleo, it is a long ways. About as far as Boston is from Miami. 1500 miles or so. I imagine going into the ocean here is a bit like going into brown bear country, every time it’s a roll of the dice, but most people win, most of the time.

When I was 8 we moved to a coastal city from the country and I thought the big river was awesome. I was forever racing my brother across it after school. It wasn’t until I went to university a decade later that I found out that mature bull sharks bred UP stream of where we used to swim and would regularly be swimming up and down the river. But this bite sized snack never got eaten, not even once 😉

I know a navy diver that met a bull shark on an exercise in Sydney Harbor, a stones throw from Bondi and other outrageously popular Sydney beaches. Cheeky bugger pinched an arm and a leg off him. Roll the dice eh?

Got out for my first hike of the year into the high(er) country behind the house today. Snow is still pretty deep so I didn’t go that far, but I wanted to at least get over the ridge to a good glassing spot and see what’s out and about.

Bumped about a dozen muleys on my way up the hill.

Glassed a moose bedded down across the drainage, and watched a couple harriers doing their spring aerial dances. No sign of elk or bear at all.

Looking back toward the homestead:

Lots of snowshoe hare tracks criss-crossing my path. Gotta love it when the only tracks you see are non-human…

A few more weeks, if the weather stays like this, and it will be time for more exploring and shed hunting…

R2 wrote:

To me the beauty of things, I guess, is that which you can pull out the dark and into the light and appreciate where it all comes from.

Well said, compadre.

My son and I went out to a buddy’s place to shoot at our 3D deer…we had a hard time breaking up a new friendship. We would chase her away and get a few shots off and before long she would be back for more…

Cameron wrote: My son and I went out to a buddy’s place to shoot at our 3D deer…we had a hard time breaking up a new friendship. We would chase her away and get a few shots off and before long she would be back for more…

Ain’t that the way it goes? Just trying to have a little fun and somebody always has to stick their nose into your business.

Great looking bow, R2. Juniper limbs?

And Cameron – that pic is classic. 😉

Packin’ to go to Denver for a week on business….any good bow shops there?

Critch wrote: Packin’ to go to Denver for a week on business….any good bow shops there?

Yes. Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear:

https://www.rmsgear.com

Good folks.

Well, I had been planning on a day trip kayaking and bowfishing today…

But I’m sitting in the eye of a little cyclone right now so there’ll be no paddling 🙁

I did just watch Clay’s new vid about serving your bow string and figure I might as well give his nocking trick a go, so the day is not a complete loss 😉

Got out today with a buddy for our first stumping session of the season. Still too much snow in the forest, so we stayed out on the open slopes, picking off sage bushes and what not.

The Thunderchild, taking a rest:

We had some pretty good views along the way:

And even found a little shed:

Great to finally get out and stretch the legs, and our shooting range!

Got out scouting today amd found this. My first impression was the tire had to be cut. A closer look showed it wasn’t and the tree had grown inside of it.

A little coffee (it is an elkheart made by greg coffee)to go with the very gorgous thunderchild. 😀

Brennan

Stunning photo’s! Darn I do not need another bow:lol: I already have two of the coffee variety . Bruce will the thunder child be at ETAR this year?

Hammer and Clay–have you seen this book,” Super Volcano–The Ticking Time Bomb Beneath Yellowstone National Park.” Greg Breining.

As Lin and I downsize our business and look for another place

your area has always been my top choice, Linda wants a boat and condo in Fl. I have already cautioned against–because of all the people and rising seas8) and besides we lived aboard for some years–to much stress.

But then this book spells out the possible events in your area–and as a geologist before the Corps–I’m thinking property values will go down if this book becomes more wide read and thus affordable:D

Again great photo’s, snow still on our ski sloops and more headed this way on Wed. We have had over 160″ this year with another foot or so of the wet heavy stuff on Wed. But the daffodils are in bloom:lol:

Semper Fi

Mike

One of the things I enjoy most about sea kayaking is getting in real close to rocks, where the waves etc are and playing around with fine control skills. Well, I’ve discovered an almost analogue to that in rivers. Paddling up little tributaries until you just can’t paddle anymore, it’s not quite as exciting but it’s a fair bit more peaceful 😀

Some guys I’ve spoken to use this in what they call ‘paddle and stalk’ hunting. If you’re careful with your paddle you can be very quiet. I sense… possibilities 😉

Jim,

I have thought of that method but haven’t been able to try it yet. Maybe this fall.

Was at work dispatching an injured deer when a fellow worker said his sister in Australia said they hit kangaroos there like we hit deer. Well then the questions of legal hunting and taste came up.

So Jim can you hunt kangaroos and if so how do they eat?

Well, you’re not allowed to hunt roos with bows. You’re not allowed to hunt roos on public land. Strictly speaking, you’re not allowed to hunt roos on private property either, with one exception. That being if you’re a property owner (or his/her agent) and you consider that a population of roos is reducing your capacity to produce livestock/crops etc. In which case you can cull them with rifles.

The upshot of that seems to be that there is little government management of roo populations, no ‘recreational’ hunting of them and widespread shooting of them on private properties (generally spot lighting).

There is fortunately a legal capacity for commercial harvesting for food/leather which means we can buy it (cheaper than beef). The big roo harvesting business here says that they entered the US market about a decade ago briefly before a PETA campaign got a US federal ban on selling their roo meat in the US. Go PETA.

I wrote up a little eating guide to roo in Dave P’s recent thread ‘darned elk’. Probably safer to read that than get me writing about it again 😉

I’m keen to give the paddle and stalk a go… something that I can’t figure out is how you’d keep your rig on the deck of an exped kayak like mine and keep it quiet. It’d be easier with a fishing style ‘yak. I think maybe an unstrung longbow strapped to the deck could be out of the way and could be quickly/quietly strung on the river bank before the stalk. Experimentation required 😀

Thanks Jim…I went back to darned elk and read over you assessment of roo. Something I hope to try someday. I don’t know how I missed that very well written explanation of roo the first go around. 😳

I think boating in would be like riding a horse hunting. You have to do one at a time. That is boat then get out and hunt. Would seem to me that this method would cut down on the mishaps of unwanted baths. Not that it can’t be done but I like to keep things simple. This would also lend to keeping the bow and such secured until the hunt is on.

But again I have never done it…yet!

brennanherr wrote:

What a cool pic!

colmike wrote:

Hammer and Clay–have you seen this book,” Super Volcano–The Ticking Time Bomb Beneath Yellowstone National Park.” Greg Breining.

As Lin and I downsize our business and look for another place

your area has always been my top choice, Linda wants a boat and condo in Fl. I have already cautioned against–because of all the people and rising seas8) and besides we lived aboard for some years–to much stress.

But then this book spells out the possible events in your area–and as a geologist before the Corps–I’m thinking property values will go down if this book becomes more wide read and thus affordable:D

I have seen that book, Mike. And I’m well aware of the ‘ticking time bomb” that we live next to. Supposedly it’s on about a 600,000 year cycle, and we’re about due for another one…give or take a 1,000 years. But trust me – I do everything I can to further the rumors that this is an extremely dangerous place to live…. 8)

Jim – I used to do a lot of ocean paddling before I moved from the coast. And as I tend to do with most things, I got really into studying the history (and pre-history) of kayaking, and the cultures it came from. The Inuit were very adept at hunting from their craft, though it seems they usually used a lance or atlatl:

But they also had some interesting bows as well:

One of my biggest concerns would be the bow’s frequent exposure to moisture (and salt?) if you were paddling with it on your deck. Might be the perfect use for an old, short fiberglass bow if you can find one!

Yard work up the ying yang,a combination of rider,push mower and weed eater.Fixed a broken well water line and working on the driveway.Been too pooped to shoot a few arrows but on the plus side I’m losing my winter fat.Speaking of volcanoes,my sister and a few friends went to mount St.Helens and were going to stay the night.For some reason they decided to pack up and come home instead.The next day she blew.Lucky for her.

Bruce,

I share your concern re: exposure to salt water. I reckon the Sage will serve as a bowfishing rig as I can keep it stowed en route and set it up when I’m in location. I reckon I might look for a very short once piece as something I can keep on deck while on rivers. I saw a review Jeff Cavanaugh (sp?) did on the Bear Supermag and that may be a good option, especially if I can find a second hand one down here. I figure a well sealed one piece will be fine in fresh water. Plus the very short bow would have obvious advantages with deck stowage and shooting from sitting.

It may have been in Art Young’s Alaskan Adventure film that I saw some Inuits (I’m not clear on the right name for those folks) rolling their kayaks for the camera. I do rolls for fun here, but the water is refreshing. Those guys are mad, that water must put hair on your chest!

PS

Is that a big float bladder on the back deck on a line to the spear? That is awesome.

ausjim wrote:

PS

Is that a big float bladder on the back deck on a line to the spear? That is awesome.

Yup – typically it was made from an inflated seal’s stomach, and sealed with fat. It would then be attached to a long line and the harpoon. I can imagine that things could get ‘interesting’ real fast when you stuck a walrus…

Ralph, I can’t tell you how many hours of my life have been wasted pouring over my dad’s old collections of BC’s and Wizard of Id’s. I love it :D:lol:

Bruce, I read in an old TBM from a few years back a story by a fella (Clint Miller) who doesn’t live too far from me who took a pretty decent tiger shark and hammerhead with his recurve. As I recall he had a custom pronged broadhead with the line feeding onto a rod and reel. I’m really taken by the idea of this big float business though. Having to pursue the animal after its been shot could be a grand adventure. But I’d worry about losing it 😕

Yup – I remember that article. Pretty impressive.

When I worked in Southeast AK we would fish for halibut from kayaks with a handline. They are incredibly strong fish, and I went for a few “Nantucket sleigh rides” before the jerk at one end or the other cut the line. We would use inflated paddle floats tied to a several feet of floating line and a gaff, and when you would get one to the surface, you’d sink a gaff into the fish, and then let it fight against that for a while till it was tired enough.

A buddy of mine still holds our informal record for landing one from a kayak – 125lbs. It took a team effort with four inflated paddle floats gaffed to this fish, and over an hour, to finally drag it to shore where he killed it. He said that even with four floats attached to it, it would still dive and pull them all under.

Good times….8)

Turkey seasons opens tomorrow. Broad heads are sharp gear is all ready and in day pack. I’ll be out there 1 hour before sunrise. Thanks to my good friend David Petersen who reintroduced me to this addiction some 4 yours ago.

At least hand lining for halibut won’t result in being eaten maybe drowned nice story Bruce.

Jim, Tiger sharks with recurve from a kayak? Sounds like a prime candidate for a Darwin award:lol: What was it the Capt said in Jaws “He’s a big one” just before the shark ate the boat

At least if I get a turkey I won’t need a seal skin bladder to slow it down and haven’t heard of someone being eaten by one yet.

I believe you can still get a copy of “Nanook” black and white made in the 20’s or 30’s great flick of the Eskimo’s and their skills.

Mike

Bruce,

that Gaff and paddle float game sounds pretty exciting. 125lbs of anything would be a challenge in a kayak, let alone 125lbs of unimpressed fish!

Mike, lucky for me sharks come in all kinds of sizes and if you ever hear me brag about a shark I took you’ll notice I won’t mention how big or small it was 😉

I got out for a paddle this fine Easter morning, with a bow stowed in the yak and some bowfishing in mind. After setting off from a place I went a ways and along a lonely stretch of beach something about it made me think it was worth a look.

I just had to take this photo as I love these things… this was a LONG stretch of long beaches and I’m pretty sure these are the only human footprints laid on them today…

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Turn around though and there are signs of other kinds of life…

What was particularly exciting about that collection of tracks is the canine (unaccompanied by man) using the beach as a highway. That could be a dingo (which has just been classified by a group of zoologists in the Journal of Zoology as it’s own species..another tale) or a feral/wild dog, the latter of which would be fair hunting game.

Something about the lay of land begged further questions though so I let myself be further distracted from my bowfishing purpose and trekked in a ways to find this…

I don’t know if you can see it but leading from bottom left of shot, through center of shot and and curving back to left is fresh little piggy track leading into the mangroves there. There was actually a little piggy highway over another rise but I liked this shot of a clean single track.

Noting this spot for another time I climbed back into my yak to find a sandbar I had noticed on another little adventure. I got out there and set up my rig. I don’t know if you’ve ever put together a recurve on a sand bar surrounded by ocean but there is something a little surreal about it… My leather tab, armguard and flemish twist string seemed a little out of place.

Out of place or not I set off on a lap around this ‘archipelago’ of sandbars with bow in hand. I skewered a several clumps of seaweed but only had one shot at a real fish. Notched up another miss. I’m an Ace at that 😉 But I didn’t get stung by any box jellyfish and some pelicans came and hung out on my way back…

A nice morning in the sun 😀

Wonderful adventure Jim! Great pics as well, thanks for sharing.

Good luck Mike and be safe.

Smithhammer wrote: The Inuit were very adept at hunting from their craft, though it seems they usually used a lance or atlatl

For those interested I came across an interesting old film of an Inuit walrus hunt.

http://aifg.arizona.edu/film/eskimo-walrus-hunt

I was particularly impressed by the bloke at about 2 minutes who paddles off with a pipe in his mouth… that’s multitasking 😉

R2 wrote: Thanks Jim. That was cool to watch. It’s amazing how innovative people can be when it comes to surviving and also how quickly bad habits can be picked such as tobacco. 😀

I picked a lot of tobacco for that habit! CCC. Consolidated Cigar Corp. Dirty rotten job. I bet some of those old “straw bosses” could come close to matching the cuss outs you guys in the military got:lol:

Just got back from a quick trip down south for turkeys which opened a few days ago. Had lots of good action on the first day, including a really fired-up gobbler that we called in, but he hung up in the cover on the edge of the clearing, not 15 yards from me, and wouldn’t come out. Still, it was a really fun hunt.

And I finally got to put my Seek Outside stove to good use. Worked great for cold nights/mornings:

Our season is just getting started – more to come…

I got out midmorning for a few hours today with Dave Sigurslid, my first turkey hunt this year. Heard a couple of distant gobbles, saw lots of fresh sign, but no close action. And no matter! The grass is green, willows are heavy with catkins, the wildflowers are gorgeous, all the birds are singing their spring love songs, the woodpeckers hammering everywhere, the creek running cold and clear, elk fat with calves and standing around in grassy meadows by the hundreds and it just smells like spring everywhere. It was hard returning to the quiet empty cabin. Soon, I’m going to take the dogs up the creek on a super short backpack trip and bivouac there for a night, near a small waterfall. It’s something I’ve talked of doing for decades and just never got around to. Now is the time.

David Petersen wrote: I got out midmorning for a few hours today with Dave Sigurslid, my first turkey hunt this year. Heard a couple of distant gobbles, saw lots of fresh sign, but no close action. And no matter! The grass is green, willows are heavy with catkins, the wildflowers are gorgeous, all the birds are singing their spring love songs, the woodpeckers hammering everywhere, the creek running cold and clear, elk fat with calves and standing around in grassy meadows by the hundreds and it just smells like spring everywhere. It was hard returning to the quiet empty cabin. Soon, I’m going to take the dogs up the creek on a super short backpack trip and bivouac there for a night, near a small waterfall. It’s something I’ve talked of doing for decades and just never got around to. Now is the time.

Dave, sounds beautiful there.

Bruce, that stove looks a touch heavier and less packable than the kidney stoves we discussed :shock::D

I got out for another early paddle today, caught the sunrise while on the water…

I set out thinking more about mangrove pigs than fish, so pulled the boat up and hid it in the trees so I could go for a wander. I often think of all the kinds of things I should take when I’m exploring, first aid kits, good knife, bug spray etc. Of course, once I got there I thought bugger it, I’ll just take my binos, a brew and my little waterproof camera..

This is the kind of break, or rise, between the mangroves that’s giving me the best view of what the piggies are up to… in this approx 200m x 50m rectangle of grass was abundant ground sign that the mangroves obviously do a pretty good job of hiding. You can see some pig tracks in the bottom left of shot heading away from where I’m standing. In this single small break I found 3 distinct and well used pig crossings. Seems promising 😉

And these little doggy tracks get me excited. I’ve never hunted a predator. But there was a lot of sign just behind the beach line in the trees, with occasional forays out into the open, maybe to investigate something interesting that washed up.

5pm in SW CO, snowing and sticking. As I type this, there’s a hen turkey (a hen jake, it appears) pecking and scratching around under the bird feeder. I wish I could go out there and shake some sunflower seed down for her. Now that they know it’s here, the seed, they, or she, will be back. Turkeys are among the easiest “wild” animals to tame and yet another reason baiting them isn’t hunting. Of course I don’t have a camera out here in the office. But you’ve all seen turkeys before. This reminds me of all the times over the years when I would head up the mountain on foot before daylight to hunt elk, and almost immediately encounter a herd behind a summer neighbor’s cabin, who keeps out a salt block. How weird it felt to have to dodge around those elk and keep going up the mountain looking for animals I didn’t feel I was taking unfair advantage of. In the fall season when all turkeys are legal, a young female would be my pick every time for the table. There is no trophy value in turkeys, no matter how some try to make us believe there is. The trophy is hunting them square and fair and once in a while, winning. Whoever says you can’t love to hunt and love wild animals simultaneously, is pretty darn clueless. What a lovely spring snow!

Dave – glad to hear you’re out and about. I understand the sentiment of your last sentence, but edit out the last word. Some of us will heave if we see one more flake:D

paleoman wrote: Some of us will heave if we see one more flake:D

Don’t worry Paleo, winter is only 6 months away 😉

Paleo: You never would be able to fully appreciate spring, summer, and fall without winter. But then I do love to ski so I guess I need all the seasons.:D

ausjim wrote:

Bruce, that stove looks a touch heavier and less packable than the kidney stoves we discussed :shock::D

Just a touch heavier. It’s made out of titanium, packs flat, except for the stove pipe which rolls up to about 8″ long and 2-1/2″ high. The whole deal weighs 2.5 lbs.

Here’s the stove broken down and in the stuff sack, with a 1L. bottle for scale:

Combined with the tipi tent (150sq. ft.), the whole thing is just shy of 10 lbs. Split it between a couple people and you can carry it just about anywhere into the backcountry.

Ive looked a tipi’s a couple of times, been canoe and tentless for a couple of years might have to do something this spring, the kids are getting fed up with me borrowing their tents.

Mark.

R2 wrote: OK, puttin bow up today. So dang much wind and dirt my bow’s getting dusty while I’m shootin it.

I come in the house and my wife says I smell like dirt and I haven’t been plowing, just shooting.

On the + side you’ll have a “good” mosquito season?Sorry to say we have had so much moisture we are going to get hammered with the biting hoardes this year.

Smithhammer wrote: Combined with the tipi tent (150sq. ft.), the whole thing is just shy of 10 lbs. Split it between a couple people and you can carry it just about anywhere into the backcountry.

I’m actually super impressed. What’s that tipi like in hot weather? Can you partially roll up a side or something for more airflow?

Jim — your end quote, Yes! 😀 And politics doesn’t qualify, unless it’s necessary in service to what’s truly important, like conservation. Check Hammer’s end quote, Leopold, for something that’s truly important.

A few pics from a hike today:

ausjim wrote:

I’m actually super impressed. What’s that tipi like in hot weather? Can you partially roll up a side or something for more airflow?

Jim –

There is built-in vent at the top of the tipi which helps with ventilation, but isn’t enough on its own in hot weather.

You can also order the tipi with two built-in doors/screens (as I did). The doors are large and allow for a fair bit of airflow:

You can also pitch it high (the central pole is adjustable) so that air can flow in underneath.

All of that said, I have yet to try it in truly hot weather – just warm Idaho summers. Some friends of mine took the 12-person SO tipi on an expedition to Myanmar last year, and said that between the heat and the humidity when they were at low elevations in the jungle, it didn’t ventilate all that well, and created a fair bit of condensation inside. But I’m not sure if they had screen doors on theirs or not.

Paleo is dodging skeeters, R2 dust storms, Jim is rolling with finned fishes, mom is basking in the sun down south, and Bruce as always is beating us up with those awesome scenes and great gear=$.:D

I trust all of you feel as I do, I have only met personally a couple of this tribe, but I feel closer and more family with you then—well, you make life fun and this trad addiction, sanity in a world of chaos.

Thanks to Dave and Caroline and my short time with Larry and Belinda–and the rest of you bums–you saved my life.

Hammer when you get the time send some real estate info on your grid–you have the home e-mail–it just might happen:shock: Wouldn’t it be fun to be there when the big one blows:roll:

Semper Fi

mike

Hammer, tell us about the Indian nickel bow. If you already have, sorry but I missed it.

Mike, who is Russell Kirk? I’ve heard of Kirk Russell … or maybe it was Kurt. Guy who made that great ’50s film “Lonely Are the Brave,” based closely on Abbey’s great novel “The Brave Cowboy.”

David Petersen wrote: Jim — your end quote, Yes! 😀

My problem is Dave, I’m torn between two great passions. How can a man decide between coffee and whiskey?? They both offer so much to the world…

Bruce,

I the fly screens look like the way to go. I’m used to using a hoochy (you might call it a fly or light weight tarp) which is basically a square sheet you can use as a roof. It’s great for light weight backpacking but I’m looking at light weight family friendly options now and that looks just the ticket.

colmike wrote: I trust all of you feel as I do…

I know exactly how you feel Mike. This place draws a great crowd.

Dave

http://kirkcenter.org/ . Movie was, Lonely are the Brave–Kirk Douglas. And yes your right based on Ed’s novel and after the screen play was a hit –Kirk never even acknowledged Ed (as I remember Ed had a cameo in the film).

Why do I remember all this–first movie me and my dad went to all by our selves–think 58 or so. Good memories–one of those times when the old man said–good questions–you think about the answers.

Hammer, what darn Nickel bow I missed that one to, too, two.:lol:

Warning the link to the kirk center may be disturbing to those who haven’t spent time in the wild:twisted:

Semper Fi

Mike

colmike wrote:

Hammer when you get the time send some real estate info on your grid–you have the home e-mail–it just might happen:shock: Wouldn’t it be fun to be there when the big one blows:roll:

Will do, compadre. It’d be great to have you in the ‘hood! The Teton Valley Traditional Archery Club needs more members!

ausjim wrote:

My problem is Dave, I’m torn between two great passions. How can a man decide between coffee and whiskey?? They both offer so much to the world…

You don’t have to choose – with diligence, hard work and extensive practice, it’s not hard to transition straight from one to the other. 😉

David Petersen wrote: Hammer, tell us about the Indian nickel bow. If you already have, sorry but I missed it.

Dave –

It’s a Big Jim’s Thunderchild – 2 piece, 56″ AMO, #55 @ 28″, bocote riser and mango wood limbs. You didn’t miss anything – I’ve been keeping it under wraps…8)

Jim embeds a Buffalo nickel on both of his current models – the Thunderchild gets the Native American portrait side, and his Buffalo bows show the flipside of the coin. Pretty cool detail, in my totally biased opinion.

ausjim wrote:

I know exactly how you feel Mike. This place draws a great crowd.

It really does.

R2 looks like you guys had a nice setup for that shoot.

Looks like a fun day Ralph! I like the desertgator 😉

I hope everyone can get outside and do something FUN today, with bow in hand!!

A fine evening of stumping with good friends:

Looks like a great afternoon Bruce!

I spent most of yesterday paddling a river looking for river access to a particular piece of land to hunt on. I forgot to bring my camera but I had my first ‘croc right next my kayak’ experience! So close I could have reached out and touched him with my hand. The story is kind of spoiled by the fact that it was a a little freshwater croc, about 2 feet long 😉 But it was still pretty neat!

Ralph, I’ll be doing that same chore this afternoon 😕

Two days ago I’m sitting in a great spot 3 trail intersection turkey sign all over the place and I know there roosting about 100yds down in the ravine. Sitting in my hammock seat–thank you Mr. Smithhammer–that has to be the best piece of gear I have ever carried in the field, sets up in seconds and so comfortable you just don’t move. There I am enjoying the sunrise when a black coyote walks by 15 feet from me (measured it later) never saw one all black. He was hunting and about 20 min. later 5 turkey flush down trail and fly right over me:shock: Gave it about a half hour then went down to check it out–no sign that he had any more success then I did:( Now some may call that an unsuccessful hunt–but I figure I will remember it for a long time.:lol:

If you hunt on the ground check out that seat best $49 I have spent.

Mike

Got out looking for bear yesterday morning. It’s a little odd at this point, but I still have yet to see any bear sign at all in the usual places, and yesterday was no exception. Still a fair bit of snow on north-facing hillsides and the dark timber, so I opted to get up on a ridge with a good view and glass down into some good looking drainages.

Saw at least half a dozen moose, a few elk and a bunch of muleys, but no bruins at all. Still, it was a fine morning in the mountains, with no one else around for miles.

And then on the way out I came across these very fresh tracks on a muddy 2-track:

They weren’t there on the way in. I kept one eye over my shoulder till I got to the truck…8)

Smithhammer wrote:

That’s a good shot Bruce, but I think the idea of stump shooting is to hit the stump with you arrow, not your bow.

I always enjoy the photos of your hills mate. Keep us updated on the bears, I love reading about bears and lions and all the things we don’t have here 😀

Ralph, I’m glad you dodged the fire mate. There’s no mucking about with them.

Mike, your black coyote encounter reminds me that after numerous occasions when I had to say to myself, “I’d trade my bow for a camera right now,” I finally started carrying one in my right-hand shirt pocket (the left pocket is for binocs). I’d trade every dead turkey in the universe for a close sighting and good photo of a black coyote. It’s the unusual in nature, as with people, that has always intrigued me most. We had a black “red” fox here some years ago, but I’ve never even heard of a black coyote. Depending on species, melano animals can be even more rare than albinos. Thought I saw a black spike bull elk once, but on closer inspection he was fresh from a mud wallow.

Smithhammer,

Great pics and stop with the bow shots…The Humphrey knife pissed off the wife enough. Can’t imagine what would happen if a thunderchild made it home. I still don’t think I am out of the woods yet on the Elkheart and it has been over a year!

I would love to sit at that place in your picture just for a hour and take in that scene. But I would probably linger for days!

😳 Well Dave my camera was sitting on top of my map pouch (possibles bag) right next to my left thigh inches from my hand. Once he moved into the gloom I thought–I should have gotten a picture of that. Then I glanced down. Probably a good thing Smithhammer would have just critiqued my attempt at art:lol:

R2 stay clear of those fires–heard it on news this morning wondered how close it was to you. Stay safe

Mike

Ralph – hadn’t seen news of the fires until this evening. I’m glad you got missed. Up here seems a good year for tree frogs with all the moisture we’ve had. They’ve been making those loud chirps they do from all directions. I love the sound of spring. Even walking out to my truck in the pre-dawn to go to work on a nice spring morning is not 1/2 bad.

Yesterday’s after-work project:

Any of you Texans need ice:lol:? Here is a pic of Lake Superior ice near Marquette, Mi. on 5/13. It snowed just N of here yesterday and was down below freezing last night.

Hi, folks. I haven’t been around much since deer season. Been tending to family matters. Sure was a hard winter. We set a new record in firewood use this year; matter o’ fact, there’s a fire in the stove right now. It must be over for sure now though: the tips are worn off the feathers of every turkey wing my friends have brought me.

It’s gonna be a good summer. I can feel it.

-Ben

Glad to see you’re back Ben 😀

Hey Ben welcome back:D.

Thanks, guys. That’s very kind of you. Ya’ know, in a way, it’s nice to look back through this thread and see that life goes on without you. I ‘spect that’s a thing my dear old Grandad would have wanted me to know. Sure do miss that guy.

Hey, how ’bout a kitchen tip? I’ve tried two new ways of using wild turkey meat this week and they were both blinding successes.

1) Hamburgers. Great way to use the thigh and leg meat. Remove as many sinews as practical before grinding.

2) Fajitas. Slice the tender inner breast meat into very thin strips. Toss in a cast iron skillet with ample olive oil, thick sliced onions & sweet peppers, and spices. Add chunks of fresh tomato in the last minute of cooking. Fantastic!

Great turkeys tips, Ben. Unfortunately, it looks like my spring turkey season is over – we made another stab at it last week, but the gobblers weren’t very fired up at all, and the hens and toms we were seeing were still very separate. It felt like it hasn’t even really kicked in yet. We called a couple gobblers part way in, but they hung up in the thick stuff and wouldn’t close the distance. So I moved in on one, and got very close to him without a clear shot, and then he disappeared. Still it was a lot of fun.

Here’s the Better Half, schooling the boys with her Alaskan the other day:

Smithhammer wrote: Great turkeys tips, Ben. Unfortunately, it looks like my spring turkey season is over – we made another stab at it last week, but the gobblers weren’t very fired up at all, and the hens and toms we were seeing were still very separate. It felt like it hasn’t even really kicked in yet. We called a couple gobblers part way in, but they hung up in the thick stuff and wouldn’t close the distance. So I moved in on one, and got very close to him without a clear shot, and then he disappeared. Still it was a lot of fun.

Here’s the Better Half, schooling the boys with her Alaskan the other day:

Bruce

It appears that the better half could use a new bow and what about a side quiver:lol: A balanced inventory!

Mike

colmike wrote:

Bruce

It appears that the better half could use a new bow and what about a side quiver:lol: A balanced inventory!

Mike

I know what you’re up to, Mike.

Thankfully, she doesn’t read this forum. Yet….

Ralph, I know how beautiful the clean smell of rain can be on a dusty day, but I think what you’ve been going through is a whole all ball park. Must be a relief 😀

I’m happy for you, R-Squared. You and your folks have had it harder than I ever have.

Been making arrows here. Between soccer and baseball, I spend a lot of time at my kids’ practice sessions. I’ve taken to working on arrows while they’re working on sports. On the right are sixty-six shafts lacquered, tapered, bundled, and ready to finish.

Glad to hear you got some rain Ralph, and I hope there’s more on the way!

Got out stumpin’ with a buddy last night. It was a much-needed good time, but the skeeters are coming out something fierce in the woods right now!

R2 wrote:

Bruce I been dried and pruned too many days, the type of quiver you have pictured? I want to order one methinks.

R –

It’s made by Big Jim, and I’ve been really happy with it. Here are a few more pics:

http://www.tradbow.com/members/cfmbb/messages.cfm?threadid=9AE90C16-1422-1DE9-EDFCCB184FBBA6AA

Ben, you’ve racked up some serious fletching experience by the looks of things mate! Well done, no wonder we haven’t seen much of you lately 😀

I’ve been wheeling and dealing all week, I’m run pretty ragged (that doesn’t take much, I’m pretty lazy!), but I’ve got myself signed up to be a guide for a 700km sea kayaking expedition through tropical Queensland for Aussie veterans who received serious physical or psychological injuries in Afghan/Iraq. The best part is I’ve got my CO’s approval which means I’ll be getting paid by army for the pleasure. Sometimes I seriously love my job 😀

I’ll leave in late August and be gone pretty much all of September. One of the guys who lost his legs on the trip with me in 2012 did a similar paddle last year with the same organisation and loved it. I’m really looking forward to it!

ausjim wrote:

I’ve been wheeling and dealing all week, I’m run pretty ragged (that doesn’t take much, I’m pretty lazy!), but I’ve got myself signed up to be a guide for a 700km sea kayaking expedition through tropical Queensland for Aussie veterans who received serious physical or psychological injuries in Afghan/Iraq. The best part is I’ve got my CO’s approval which means I’ll be getting paid by army for the pleasure. Sometimes I seriously love my job 😀

I’ll leave in late August and be gone pretty much all of September. One of the guys who lost his legs on the trip with me in 2012 did a similar paddle last year with the same organisation and loved it. I’m really looking forward to it!

Fantastic, Jim!! It’s a great thing you’re doing, and I bet it’s going to be a helluva trip! Can’t wait to hear more about it – I used to spend a lot of time in a sea kayak myself before I moved inland. Such a great way to travel and explore.

Btw, have you ever heard of a Yank named Chris Duff? He was an acquaintance who was really into doing these BIG kayak trips, usually circumnavs. He wrote two books that you might enjoy – one about paddling around Ireland, and the other about paddling around the south island of NZ. The latter, in particular, had no shortage of hair-raising moments:

http://www.amazon.com/Chris-Duff/e/B001IXTP3Q/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Thanks fellas 😀

Bruce I haven’t heard of Duff but Southern Exposure is now on my reading list.

I read a story (don’t remember if it was in TBM or an Aussie mag) of a fella hunting elk in NZ. He got to the hunting ground by water and I’ve been dreaming of an NZ hunting kayak exped ever since. Stalking around Hollywood’s Middle Earth for deer bigger than I’ve ever seen with no roads or people within cooee sounds pretty spectacular to me!