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in reply to: EFOC without the IF? #61316
Richie,
I’m shooting basically 60 lb at my draw length of 29 1/2″. Any suggestions what spine of arrow I might want to consider starting with? Perhaps something in the 75-80 or 85 lb range? What is your GT Entrada 300 spined for?
Michael
in reply to: Bighorn Sheep Hunt #61303The ram in the bottom picture looks like a dandy!! And it looks like the ewe facing you in the center photo knows you’re there. LOL!! Look at her ears and how she’s looking right at the camera. She knows something ain’t right. Nice pictures. More pictures!! And let’s see a broken and bloody arrow!! Good luck, nice job on those pictures.
Michael.
in reply to: EFOC without the IF? #61302I really like how your arrows are built, Richie. I think that may be the basic design that I will follow when I build my arrows for EFOC. What did you say your % was??
Michael.
in reply to: Predators and A Hunter's Conscience #58508Bad joke. Bad Mike.
in reply to: Too old to hunt? #58471I’m 29 currently, and truly hope that I can maintain half as much vitality as so many of you have managed to do at twice plus my age. It’s very inspirational to me to look at all of you and know that the possibility is there, as long as I stay active and keep in decent shape. Of course, having younger children limits how much I can actually get out of the house and exercise, but I do have a Nordic Track ski machine down stairs I really need to set up if it’s not going to sell on craigslist for me. LOL!!
My grandfather will be 79 in March, and he still gets out and traps for beaver and otter. It’s his thing, much like traditional archery is ours. He got 30 beavers this fall before things froze on him there in Idaho.
in reply to: Predators and A Hunter's Conscience #58452Actually, Steve, I’m going to correct the location of the attack. It happened in Nova Scotia at the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Here’s the link to one of several articles:
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/717207–toronto-singer-killed-by-coyotes?bn=1
Here is another link to another site that catalogs a large number of reported coyote attacks on people:
http://varmintal.com/attac.htm
You are correct that most of the attacks were by rabid animals, yet some where due to the animals being conditioned to look at people as a source of food, similar to what happens with bears in our national parks.
People begin feeding the animals because they think the animals are cute. Down the road a little ways, the animal approaches a person looking for food, and when the animal is not rewarded at expected, becomes aggressive, possibly to the point of attacking. Really, it’s a tragedy caused by the ignorance that comes with being a human being.
The other scenario is that people simply tolerate the animal hanging around until the animal is comfortable coming closer and closer. Now enter the above scenario of feeding. Again, a tragedy.
Please do note, however, that I am not in any way grouping the “suburbanized” coyotes in with the truly wild coyotes we most often see while hunting. They are separate “breeds” if you will, from each other. The “wild” coyotes do avoid people at nearly all costs. Their “city-slicker” cousins not so much, as these are nearly always the ones that are found attacking people or pets.
in reply to: Predators and A Hunter's Conscience #56752I knew a guy one time that had a couple big male golden retrievers that pretty much had the run of his area, except when the coyotes made their circuit into that particular area. He was on his deck one night watching the dogs romp and chase mice in the pasture below his house, when out on the driveway along the pasture, a coyote showed up. The retrievers, of course, went running over to run off the intruder, who immediately went submissive. The dogs basically knew they were the dominant force at that point. The coyote started playing with the dogs, running back and forth, chasing and being chased. Well, the guy sat and watched until he saw movement on both sides of the driveway in the taller grass. He got his binoculars out, and started picking coyotes out of the grass. Six or eight of them. Not wanting to lose his bird dogs, he went in and got a rifle. He told me at the first shot, every coyote went from a crouch to an alert standing position, except the first coyote he aimed at. The dogs, realizing their plight, headed for the house. He got two more of the pack before they completely scattered. He said he didn’t see them back in his neck of the woods for over six months, and he never gave them a chance to “play” with the dogs again. He’d seen enough to know that when they pack up, they’re downright cagey and dangerous.
I don’t know about other areas, but it seems like around here, once winter starts to set in, they start packing up. Whether it’s family packs or just a pack instinct to get through when hunting is hardest and the game is bigger, I don’t know. But when I get into a big mess of tracks in the brush, or even out on the flats of eastern MT, I like to watch my back. What a lot of people don’t realize about coyotes, at least the ignorant non-hunting masses, is that their numbers are up from where they used to be. They are encroaching into the civilized and urbanized areas of our bigger cities. I’ve read several articles about coyotes threatening, or even nearly attacking people in their own yards in daylight. The urban areas I’m referring to that I can remember for sure are Denver and Los Angeles. The articles have been in both Field and Stream and Outdoor Life. It’s been a few years ago since I read the articles, but it amazes me that a creature that’s been hunted, trapped and persecuted as much as the coyote can rebound to the point where there’s more than when the white man first came to the Western country. Simply amazing. They’re smart, they’re adaptable. They’re here for good. Man can come and go, and the coyote will still be.
in reply to: help for Elk #52929I didn’t know that I-161 passed. Anyway, the biggest reason I suggested Montana was because the average elevation is around 3300 feet above sea level, whereas Colorado’s average elevation is well over the 6000 foot mark. But, as Jon pointed out, the deer/elk combo license here in Montana is going up starting this next year. Almost 900 bucks…WOW…that may hurt the outfitting industry here a bit. Both states have excellent elk hunting, so it just depends what elevation you want to hunt and how much you want to spend. The travel distance will be about the same, since you’re coming from PA. Good luck in your decision and your hunt, as well. Keep us posted on what you decide to do.
Michael.
in reply to: Appropriate discussion? #51361I shoot a bow that, at 28″, is supposed to be 55#. I don’t know, I don’t draw 28″. When I first started shooting, I didn’t know it, but I was short-drawing, and not maximizing my form or my draw length. I would shoot with my bow arm bent. The arrows that tuned best for me at that time were 2018’s. My draw length then was 28 1/2″. Or, that’s what it was when we actually measured it. In the beginning, I shot only 125 gr. heads, field tips and broadheads. However, I had also found that I could make a tight-fitting 2016 work for me, too, at my length, with a 125 out front. I think my 2018’s were 30 1/2″, and my 2016’s were 29 or so. But I didn’t like the lower weight. But, they flew really good for me, so I shot them.
After a few years, and lots of frustrating shooting and erratic patterning, I took a good, long, hard look at my form. I realized I was cheating myself on length. When I got my arm out there where it’s supposed to be, I draw 29 1/2″. This made me completely start over with shafting and arrow length, as well as tip weight. Now, I shoot 2117’s that are cut at 31 1/2″, and I put 145 grain field tips and 150-160 grain broadheads out front. This gives me a much nicer overall weight (roughly 585-590 gr), and allows me to optimize my draw length better. I see a much better pattern when I shoot, and much better accuracy at longer ranges.
I guess my overall point is this. 2018’s do work for a bow in the 55# range, provided they aren’t too long, and have the right tip. They could be longer and have a lighter tip, or shorter and have a heavier tip. Just my 2 pennies.
Michael.
in reply to: Good news from the Doc! #51339Great news!! Looking forward to visiting more with you, Doc. Like some of the others said, don’t over-do it too soon. Don’t want you to have any more problems.
Michael.
in reply to: Bighorn Sheep Hunt #51028Congrats on drawing your tag. Good luck on your hunt. Keep us posted how things go. And, I agree…lots of pictures.
Michael.
in reply to: She just must have known….. #51027Fairly young deer, looks like. Maybe 3 years at the most.
in reply to: help for Elk #51025If you decide you want to look for a guided hunt, you might look here in Montana for one. There are a fair number of outfitters that go into the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, and most of them use horses, which is a great way to get your game out, especially early in the season when temps are a bit warmer. Good luck. You can do DIY hunts here in Montana, as well. I don’t know what non-resident tags cost, but you can get a combination license that allows you to hunt deer and elk at the same time. Good luck, take your time researching and finding areas with high success rates, not only on drawing a tag, if it’s done by lottery, but also by calling the local Fish and Wildlife offices and talking with biologists in the area about the local elk herd and what you can expect to find. You’ll find what you’re looking for. Congrats on winning your club’s drawing.
Michael.
in reply to: Whitetail leg bone impact #50715J-Dog,
I have some of the older-style Grizzly heads, with the same overlap design as the one in the picture. Mine are painted green. It’s just how they overlapped the metal to make the head, is all. I think that’s what you’re talking about, right? The back edge of the blades being the thickness of one piece of metal instead of two? The ones I have are about 160 grains, including the glue-in insert, which I believe to be aluminum. Gonna go bye bye before too long, so I can use steel inserts.
Michael.
in reply to: She just must have known….. #49059Jon,
Mind my asking where you were at when you took that picture?
Michael.
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