[aeronut]

in reply to: Whatcha Got Going 2023? #162902

We were in Warsaw Canyon and Holden Canyon.  Some of the guys were in California Gulch for a while.  Border Patrol is in that area a lot because of the cartel drug mules.  That’s why we were there doing spot and report and disrupting their travel routes.  It is a ruggedly beautiful area but the drug mules have turned that area into a trash dump….discarded water jugs, clothes, backpacks, food wrappers, etc.

I saw several mule deer and a few turkeys while we were out in the field.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Whatcha Got Going 2023? #162854

I had a front yard midnight hunt last night after I heard a loud snarl on my front porch.  That’s where my dog takes up her station to watch what’s going on.  I grabbed a light and figured I’d be dealing with another possum but was kind of surprised to find a jumbo coon.

I have a birdbath set up by my beehives and during the summer something was knocking it over.  I set up a trail camera and found out my owls were using it as their watering hole along with deer and coons during our drought.  I believe this was one of those that turned into a porch pirate.  My last dealings with a coon was last summer when I woke up with no electricity.  Apparently my dog had chased it up the electric pole and it got crossways with the wires and blew the transformer fuse.

I would like to get some chickens  but we are overrun with coons and coyotes.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Whatcha Got Going 2023? #162795

I had a check up with my neck doctor yesterday morning.  He said everything in the xray was looking great and I didn’t need to do any more follow up visits and just contact him if I was having problems.  Whee!

We had our OSS (Oklahoma Selfbow Society) banquet last Saturday and had a pretty good turn out for it.  Now to prepare for OJAM next month.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Whatcha Got Going 2023? #162745

I was in the Coronado National Forest four years ago on a border watch operation.  That is a ruggedly beautiful area.  The bad part is the drug cartels have turned it into a trash dump.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Fred Asbell #162391

My condolences to Teresa and the Asbell family.

[aeronut]

in reply to: For those who shoot more than one bow…. #162359

I have a few, er, several of various draw weights from 35# to 55# that I shoot.  Some i have bought, some I have made.  For me, so far, it just takes a few shots to get in the groove for whichever bow I happen to grab.  That could change at any time.

One of my nephews brought out a green fiberglass bow with a 40# draw and asked if I could make a string for it.  I got one made a few days later and shot it a total of 12 times.  When he came to pick it up we went out to the turkey target and he scattered arrows around it at 10-15 yards.  I took it back to my 40 yard mark and proved its worth when I hit the 8 ring.  I told him I had been chasing arrows for over 50 years so it kind of comes natural after a few thousand shots.

I call this the Bear’s Den.  That little orange bow hanging in the back corner started all of this 56 years ago.

A few more and I have some others in the shop.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by aeronut.

[aeronut]

in reply to: The Super Diablo is still super !! #162200

Sounds like a fun day Richard.  I’ve only had one chance at a coyote that came through the timber as I was stillhunting and I shaved a bald spot off of its back.

I’ve got a racoon fight recording on my caller and have had real good luck with it.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Arrow weight specs ???? #162117

The biggest thing that affects bare shafts is humidity.  I can match a dozen shafts to within 5# and 10 grains and ship them to a location with a high average humidity or with a very low average humidity and they will not be the same as when they left my house.   The amount of absorption the shaft has depends on the grain structure of the wood.  Shafts of the same wood variety will have harder and softer grain and will be slightly different in the end result.

I agree with Stephen as I have shot a mixed weight of arrows up to 75 grain weight difference and not had bad results.

My current woodworking project is restoring my Gt-grandfather’s Slazard violin that is around 140-150 years old.  The violin and its case are made of Tiger Maple and Spruce and is/was glued together with hide glue.  The many years of high and low humidity changes in this area has pretty much destroyed the holding value of the hide glue.  The Spruce case has dried out and split but after a month of work I am finally getting it to see things my way but the violin will be a much tougher and longer work  to restore our family heirloom to the point where it will make music again someday.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by aeronut.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by aeronut.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Arrow weight specs ???? #162086

When I sold shafts I grouped them in 10 grain groups and some of the guys said that was too much of a difference.

I asked every one of them if they mad sure the exact amount of sealant, cresting paint, fletching glue, nock weight, etc.  All wood will absorb varying amounts of liquid.

One pound is equal to 7000 grains so 20 grains is very minuscule.  My personal experience is I can tell no difference in 20 grain weight.  I just try to keep them fairly close.

When you make and sell shafts you have to make hundreds to get them to match and you will wind up with lots of shafts that don’t match up.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by aeronut.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 1 month ago by aeronut.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Going to give Sitka Spruce a try. #161676

I made some spruce shafts for a guy several years ago but I’ve never shot them.  I use Poplar which, to me, is very similar.

If I’m going after a tough critter like a coyote I use my Hickory shafts.  I’ve never broken one of those.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Question ; How straight is ‘straight’ ?? #161608

Your observation about grain structure is correct Kees.  Every wood shaft is slightly different in its grain composition.  Some wood shafts will always try to go back to the form where nature had set them.

One thing you can do with one that continues to be cranky is re-fletch as a flu-flu.   I put blunts on them then toss a plastic drink bottle in the yard and shoot it.  Knock it around the yard until you are out of blunts then gather them up and start again.  This gives you a different range to shoot at every time you hit it.

Hang a bottle from a tree limb and shoot at them as the wind wiggles them around.  My granddaughter loves to do that.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Whatch Got Going 2022 #161163

I’m sure there are but I’m a little leery about using ebay anymore since my credit card got hacked through a paypal processor.  It’s not as safe as they claim.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Whatch Got Going 2022 #161152

On another note, I have started making the Christmas presents for this year.  I try to do some hand made items every year and decided to do some woodburning projects.  These are 8×10 plywood.  The grain structure makes it a challenge to keep a straight line but I think they turned out OK.

Here’s the picture I chose and copied to the boards.

And the finished picture.

One of the harder parts of this is finding carbon paper.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Whatch Got Going 2022 #161150

The farmers are starting to harvest the soybeans, what little there are.  The lack of rain sure hurt the crop this year.  There’s lots of pods but the beans are only about 1/4 to 1/3 the normal size.

With the rising cost of fuel the farmers are going to be hard pressed to harvest this year and plant next year.

[aeronut]

in reply to: Browning Backpacker I #161141

I still have one limb to finish cleaning up.  I put it aside to take care of some more pressing issues but it will be a good cold weather project.

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