[Bert]

in reply to: Merry Christmas #50860

A Blessed and Merry Christmas to all- from the state of Washington- only 7 more hunting days left for deer!
Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: Happy holidays to all #46672

A very Merry ChristMass to all and may we all shoot better in the coming year, bow-brothers and sisters!
Awesome tent, Droptine, who made it and where is it situated?- looks pretty well bombproof and does it include the optional jacuzzi?! And could Dave Peterson backpack it in?!
Happy New Year- (another tree-ring for those of us grateful enough to be on this side of the dirt!) Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: Group sizes? #36718

SteveMcD wrote: Rocks… I was taught many years ago. Look at the deer as a running back carrying a football (in the boiler room), focus on that only.. your job is to knock out the football by hitting that spot. Yes, pick the spot and focus. I have one of those giant 4 ft by 4ft block targets that I use at our club. My target is always a two inch piece of masking tape at all yardages. It reinforces Aim Small, Hit Small. I didn;t say MISS.. because MIISS should not even be in your mind.

I stand corrected, Steve, concerning our mantra- it should be AIM SMALL, HIT SMALL. I must have been pessimistically pondering our perilous political situation at the time I wrote Miss.
I do hereby resolve to not only not miss, but HIT with alacrity, HIT with accuracy, HIT with regularity the Obama
campaign sign that I sometimes use as a target when feeling peevish- the empty circle or zero or donut is indicative of
the philosophical underpinnings of the current administration IMNSHO- and besides it makes a great aiming point! Shall return anon as the Secret Service…………!

[Bert]

in reply to: Awesome Fly fishing video! #33352

I concur- Hey GTA we’re looking forward to your award winning bow fishing video- maybe alligator gar on 6lb test with your recurve!!!- Best-Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: Group sizes? #33280

Rocks- nice looking mount on the wall- rifle or bow? They must grow ’em big in Alberta! As more of a rifle shooter than bow most of my life- but mostly bow now- I agree with GTA about practice, but intelligent practice applied dilligently. With an iron-sighted 30-30 you might be confident from 0 to 150yds, with a scoped McMillan 50 cal. you might equal the 2,430 meter recorded kill in Afghanistan by a Canadian sniper. With a compound shooting over 300fps with all the accoutremants perhaps 60-70 yds- after the half an hour it takes to get set-up.
But most of us shoot non-sighted recurves and/or longbows in the field without laser measuring devices and have but ONE shot-one arrow- at a much closer, alert animal, using our fingers and backs to pull, aim and loose , in whatever condition and stance we find ourselves, and in adverse weather with no warm-up and that’s why it’s such a challenge
and why we love it so- even though we might go home empty-handed but never empty in our hearts and memories of nature and the hunt.
So, once you have your form sorted out( check out Hiram’s posts) the old saw is “aim small, miss small”- that is PICK A SPOT- not the whole animal but a hair, anything distinctive so practice shooting at a 1 inch square on that pie plate or better yet spray paint a deer’s kill area on a piece of foam and practice arrowing that from all stances, in all weather and different distances.
Good hunting- Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: Trad Bows #33243

Bow-Cephus or T. J.- Welcome to the forum! You’ll find a lot of cantankerous old- archers!- and some young guys and gals- get in touch with GreattreeArcher as he is in college also. Where is NMSU and what are you majoring in? Check out the Bowyers Bench forum, 3Rivers catalog, Primitive Archery mag and of course, Traditional Bowhunter for supplies and articles on building trad bows and arrows.
Ah, if we had but the faith of a mustard seed!- Good hunting and God Bless.-Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: Five Favorite Non-Hunting Books #32954

I, too have to add one more- you’re going to enjoy this!
From “the Archer’s Craft” by Adrian Eliot Hodgkin- page 24-

Halfway between peace and war comes private vengeance. Thus:
‘Supposing I were in yonder sloping wood opposite, and in my hand a bow of red yew ready bent, with a tough, tight string, and a straight round shaft with a well-rounded nock, having long slender feathers of a green silk fastening, and a sharp-edged steel head, heavy and thick, and an inch wide, of a green-blue temper, that would draw blood out of a weathercock. And with my foot to a hillock, and my back to an oak, and the wind to my back, and the sun towards my side; and the girl I love best, hard by, looking at me; and I conscious of her being there; I would shoot him such a shot, so strong and far-drawn, so low and sharp, that it would be no better there were between him and me a breastplate and a Milan hauberk, than a wisp of fern, a kiln rug, or a herring-net!’
That is from a fifteenth-century MS., the ‘Tale of Iolo Goch’, bard to Owen Glendower; and is quoted in Hansard’s “Book of Archery”, 1841. Is it not magnificent? Can you not see the archer, tense and drawn like his own bowstring, his fingers itching to loose that shaft that would draw blood out of a weathercock? What a passage! Only an archer could have written it.

[Bert]

in reply to: Helical..RW or LW? #32251

Jason- I’m a right-handed shooter and shoot LW helical and RW helical and can see no difference between them. Shoot mostly left because the 2nd hen feather zips my hand if RW- shoot RW also because my single-bevel 160 gr. Grizzlys are right- the time when you should match bevels and feathers. Whatever jig you get- Bitzenburger is still excellent if pricey- purchase an opposite twist clamp- you’ll be using it some time and gives you more options. Hope that helps and good hunting-Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: WANTED…Hoyt Recurve #32239

bgoode wrote: I am looking to buy a Hoyt GameMaster or Dorado. Right handed, 50 – 55 lbs. Preferrably Camo. Thanks.

Bryan

Hello and welcome Bryan- You can check out Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear- they have a huge number of new and used recurves and longbows for sale- haven’t purchased anything from them yet(there’s a Chastain 2-piece longbow I covet!)- they seem like a reputable and ethical company. Good luck and good hunting- Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: recurve/mechanical release #32232

Fellow Washingtonian- Anthony Camera in his book utilizes a mech release to demonstrate what a surprise release feels like- don’t see any reason not to use one if it causes you to more comfortly shoot.
Mike Richardson at www. primitiveways.com has a couple of very interesting articles on using and making thumb rings for use on a western-style longbow i.e. left side arrow rest for a right-handed shooter- he uses a 4mm cord tied to the string below the nock, just larger then what some compound guys use. I’m in the process of making one and will report back on the results.
Hope these couple of ideas help you.
Good hunting-Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: Cold Hands #29802

Sorry StandingBear- It’s first kill a MOOSE not a caribou as I posted earlier- mea culpa!- Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: Cold Hands #29691

Dan-I’m with you on this topic! Working as a carpenter it seems like I work inside during the summer and outside in winter- go figure. My hands get very cold, numbingly so, and necessity being the mother of invention here are some possible solutions that work for me whether in carpentry or bowhunting.
First make sure your toes are warm- Sorels work great.
Next warm head and neck- polarfleece hoody is my present choice.
I bowshoot with a glove and have found a thin liner glove will fit into the stalls either silk or nylon then over that a wool hunter’s mitten- the one where the front opens up and you can flip it back to the velcro tab on the back of the mitten. Also handy for wiping that annoying snot and moisture from mustache and beard!
If it’s really cold one of those cheap heat packets in each glove will warm you up.
If you shoot with a tab, you might try what the winter steelhead fishermen here in the PNW wear which is basically a neoprene wetsuit glove.
And if it’s really, really cold- stay inside by the woodstove with a hot toddy and make some arrows and read a good book!
StandingBear lives above the 60th parallel-BRRRR!- maybe he’ll post some methods that work for him, such as 1st kill a caribou then………..!!!!!
Stay Warm& Good Hunting- Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: New Bow…but not THE bow… #29589

Thanks for the pics, Steve, that is one sweet looking bow- what kind of wood did you use for the riser and core and where did you get them?
GTA, great idea about the braided fishing line but the last time I fired a shaft with a line attached was in Hawaii during my misspent youth. Test firing a new speargun in the backyard, aiming carefully at the hammock target, and stupidly pulling the trigger, I witnessed the barbed steel shaft whiz away at great speed- until it reached the end of the attached nylon line- whereupon, according to the inexorable laws of physics, it returneth at the same great speed, barely missing my head and burying it’s sharp point in the mango tree behind me! An experiment NEVER TO BE REPEATED!!!!! Bert ( keeping my guardian angel working overtime once again!)

[Bert]

in reply to: Winter's harvest #29565

Did you eat that delicious, mouth-watering hen all by yourself, StandingBear?
Re our conversation yesterday, when you get a chance could you show a pic of your modified BH and tell the guys and gals how to really hunt the fool hens with a tamarack pole and moose sinew-let’s see, step #1: Kill a moose!#2- get a helicopter to fly ONE-HALF the moose out at a time!
Stay warm and keep smiling-Bert

[Bert]

in reply to: A hunting season almost done. Some stories about bad luck and making good. #29548

Archer52- Ouch!- working as a carpenter, I try to keep my fingers on the end of my hands in a non-bloody state but always keep a couple of bandaids in the wallet for those, it seems, inevitable moments of stupidity! Flesh and sharp objects have a kind of fatal attraction at times.
Talking with Ed Schlief of Alaska Bowhunting Supply the other week, he related the horror story of a customer grinding or polishing an Ashby BH on a wheel and ,yes, he realized it was not in his fingers anymore but buried COMPLETELY in his thigh muscle. Fortunately, no arteries or nerve damage occured- be careful out there crew!
Might be a good idea to carry a small tube of superglue, gauze and some ducttape whilst out hunting so you don’t have follow your own blood trail!
Check out Archer52’s websites esp. if you like some non-BS,conservative commentary and insights on the issues of the day-kudos, keep posting.
Good Hunting-Bert

[Author]

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