[richard roop]

in reply to: elk scull #147133

Several ways ………………………… some less good than others.

Boiling, actually, simmering for a long time. Don’t submerge the antlers and watch for teeth that fall out.  De-greasing and rinsing afterwards required.

Ant hill. Put the skull on an ant hill. Probably need some form of cage to prevent problems with stray dogs. Doesn’t hurt to wrap the antlers with something to keep them from getting sun-bleached.

Decomposition. Pretty much the same as simmering ………… just takes a lot longer and stinks to high Heaven.  If you know a canine trapper, they would likely love to have the water when you’re done.

You Tube probably has better instructions.

Best option; Find somebody with a Bug Box, pay the fee and let the beetles do the work.

[richard roop]

in reply to: Fletching application order #147048

rgrist;

This whole straight fletch / helical fletch thing is one of those mysteries of archery.

Spoiler alert; There’s no difference with field points and probably no difference with broadheads.  There’s a thread around here somewhere that covers it fairly well with reference to a couple of articles that cover it very well.

It makes no sense but just to be sure, I took a matched set of 6 straight fletch / no off set and 6 helical / max twist and shot for distance.  At aprox. 180 yards they impacted into one mixed group.  At that point I got a head-ache thinking about it and went off to hunt dirt clods.

I still use helical on my arrows, mainly because that’s just the way all of my jigs are set up and it just seems ‘right’ to put broadheads in front of helical.

YMMV.

[richard roop]

in reply to: Fletching application order #147022

I had to do the same thing with all of my Bitzenberger Jigs. Never did understand why such a well designed tool would not accept an 11/32″ nock. A couple of passes with the Dremal and all is sunshine and lollipops again. Until I drilled them out, I would just twist on dry a 5/16″ nock, fletch the shaft and then swap the 5/16″ nock with an 11/32″ one & a spot of glue.

[richard roop]

in reply to: Fletching application order #147017

Somewhere, I seem to remember mention of Mr. Hill glueing a small white glass bead on or just above his nock back before index nocks.  Might work on carbons ??

I’m shooting off of a Bear Weather Rest and have found that it don’t make no never-mind which way it’s nocked.

[richard roop]

in reply to: My Broadhead Choice #147006

Those Tuskers look pretty good. If I ever run out of Zwickeys I’ll give them a closer look. (I found a close-out deal on Zwickeys at $24 a dozen and bought all 10 doz.)

I like that ‘Arrows with no strings attached’. Mine are marked at the nock. No mark is a number one, suitable for hunting or tournaments. Two lines around the shaft at the nock means an arrow that has a slight defect but is still a very shootable stumper. Three lines and the ground squirrel sitting on a rock is in more trouble than it thinks.

 

[richard roop]

in reply to: Fletching application order #147005

I’m the complete opposite of Stephen on this one. Dipped end caps, cresting, mega-crest / bare shaft under the feathers,  spliced feathers, cresting under the feather splice or prismatic tape wraps (Bad idea for hunting arrows but really cool at flashlight shoots.)  Even my bowfishing arrows are dipped, crested and spiral camo-ed Making inside barreled aluminum shafts back in the compound days was a hoot.  Wood shafts ?? Tapered w/ purple heart footings. Then there’s the physical arrow itself; F.O.C. % over-all weight and spine considerations.  I just really enjoy building arrows.

Sign in my work-shop …………….. Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Over-Doing.

[richard roop]

in reply to: Fletching application order #146997

What kind of fletching jig did you get ???

[richard roop]

in reply to: My Broadhead Choice #146923

Hey Guy,

I was actually in Rawlings Wy. once and the wind was NOT blowing. Nobody believes me but it’s the honest truth.

Speaking of wind, before you go hunting it’s not a bad idea to check your broadhead flight upwind, downwind, & crosswind.  Things can change from a still day to a windy day. Aiming can be a little trickier too.

[richard roop]

in reply to: Okay….Stump Shooting..? #146921

This might be sacrilegious but I usually carry a range finder while roving. I’ll take a shot or two and if I’ve misjudged the distance badly, I’ll check it with the laser.  Uphill, downhill and some side hill shots can be a bit tricky sometimes.  Estimate, shoot & confirm.

Also …………….. As long as it can be done safely and there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find your arrow(s), there’s no such thing as an un-ethical practice shot. Point on and beyond if for no other reason than to just watch the arrow arc up and then down into (or close to) the target. Teaches consistent draw length and proper back tension, too.

[richard roop]

in reply to: My Broadhead Choice #146910

Hard to go wrong with a Zwickey two blade. I like the Eskimo.

Note; One of the Zwickey heads is considered ‘barbed’. Check your hunting regs.

[richard roop]

in reply to: Okay….Stump Shooting..? #146909

Ahhh…………….. Stump Shooting. Also known as Roving. One of archery’s simple pleasures, alone or with some friends.

Gather up some expendable arrows and find a place that’s not too rocky or high grass. Somebody picks out a ‘stump’ that could be a leaf, dirt clod, or even a rotten stump. Everybody shoots for bragging rights and on to the next shot. Could be 10 yards or 60 yards.  Blunts that group the same as your broadheads are an asset for realistic hunting practice. Everybody takes turns picking the shot.

Great way to spend the day.

[richard roop]

in reply to: Competition vs Hunting Arrows #146901

When you place your order, you might want to get a set of those cards that show the scoring areas on different 3D targets.

Some of the kill placements will make you wonder and then there’s the 12 ring. One would think that it would be in the center of the 10 ring. Ain’t always so.

And……………… if allowed at the shoots you attend, a decent set of optics depending on just how serious you want to get.

[richard roop]

in reply to: Small game hunting, Ace Hex Head or The Hammer..? #146900

First off ……..Even with my 60# recurve…………….. I wouldn’t use a blunt on anything larger than a jackrabbit. Turkeys & such I go with broadheads.

Close range stuff, (5 to 20 yards) I have 6 fletch flu-flus with the big black rubber blunts up front.  Very accurate and they hit like Thor’s Hammer.

Long range stuff, (25 yards to infinity) I like the Judo heads set up to group with my broadheads.  Accurate, good small game head and I can usually find them in the grass or brush when roving.

[richard roop]

in reply to: Am I a Trad shooter…? #146848

Greetings from S.E. Arizona.

Are you a Traditional shooter ??? Well …………….. Kinda, sorta, somewhat, in a way. Who am I to judge ?? I once had a ‘purist’ tell me that what I did with my recurve ‘didn’t count’ because I shot off of an elevated rest. 25 years later and I’m still shooting off of a rest.

Think of Traditional as a journey with a compound at one end and an Atlatal at the other. In between you have recurves, longbows, selfbows and lets not forget our Kyudo friends to whom the pursuit of perfection is more than just putting the pointy end of an arrow into a target. Along the way, there are side roads into building bows, making arrows and twisting up strings.  How about flight shooting ??? Traditional, yea or nay ???  I hunt with a six inch stabilizer…… am I a bad person ???

Shoot what makes YOU happy.  Now, if you show up at a tournament with a sight, (or a stabilizer) expect somebody to cry to high Heaven.  Just register as Non-Competive  and have a good time.  Talk to people about what they shoot and why.  Most traditional folks are happy to help. Sometimes too happy. Take all advice (including mine) with a grain of salt.  But, sometimes, a single nugget of information can be well worth the registration fee.

Actually, you’re fortunate in that you have a valid excuse to buy another bow.  Wouldn’t want to mess up the one that’s sighted in but need one to learn gap or instinctive shooting.  I like eBay, but then, I’m into retro recurves  although they have something for everybody.

[richard roop]

in reply to: Competition vs Hunting Arrows #146832

Well, if you can keep the two separate in your head, more power to you. I never could.

Best suggestion I can offer would be to contact the manufacturer of your bow, ask if he has a few minutes to chat and tell him that you want to wring every last bit of performance out of your set-up.

Good luck & let us know how it works out for you.

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