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in reply to: Propeller Twist #144654
That’s more propeller than you are going to want to deal with. I’d look for a different piece of wood.
For info on self-bow making, check out the Bowyer’s Bible books. Lots of helpful information.
Good luck! There is nothing like working a stave down into a working bow.
in reply to: Looking for ideas for a kids archery class #132424Great idea. Thanks Steve!
in reply to: Spreading the Word #17054Great idea! I’m going to do the same.
in reply to: Lars Andersen–a great Dane! #17704Some good points J. Thanks for sharing that link.
in reply to: Home page article #51956Thanks for the reminder. It is a good article.
in reply to: A little stumping video. One stump…8^). #9213Video doesn’t seem to work???
in reply to: Wisconsin deer politics #46403I found this in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I live in WI and frequently read this writer’s column. In general I find him very level headed.
Paul Smith | Outdoors Editor
Cries from left groundless on deer hunt review
May 26, 2012
EMAIL PRINT (53) COMMENTS
Deer hunting in Wisconsin occupies a special place.
Virtually all of us know about the nearly 700,000 deer hunters, their crucial role in managing the state’s deer herd and the $1 billion economic impact of deer hunting to Wisconsin.
And as many will tell you, deer hunting transcends ecology, culture and economy – it’s religion.
When you add politics to the equation, it tends to spin into a new orbit, ever further from science and reason.
That has happened in recent months.
When Gov. Scott Walker decided to hire an independent panel to review the state’s deer management program, he engaged in political calculus.
On the heels of several years of declining deer kills, there might be enough anti-DNR sentiment and dissatisfied hunters to make political hay out of deer management, he and his advisors concluded.
When Gov. Walker appointed James Kroll, a university professor from Texas who has cultivated the persona of “Dr. Deer” on television hunting shows but who is also called “Dr. Dough” for his many and varied commercial activities, the political risk increased.
As the recall election date nears, the anti-Walker forces have seized on a decade-old magazine article in which Kroll was quoted as saying “game management is the last bastion of communism.”
In recent days, bloggers have posted articles stating Gov. Walker intends to “privatize” deer hunting in Wisconsin.
I have been asked by a dozen readers over the last week why the public “isn’t being told the truth about the scheme” by Gov. Walker and Kroll to “charge people to hunt on public land.” Several have implied this newspaper is providing “cover” to such plans.
There is a point at which rumors become news.
To be clear, neither Gov. Walker, the governor’s spokesman nor Kroll has ever said he intends to “privatize” deer hunting in Wisconsin.
And it’s not the direction Kroll and his fellow reviewers – Gary Alt and David Guynn – appear to be going.
A primary recommendation will likely be for the state to embrace the Deer Management Assistance Program used in more than a dozen states to help landowners and hunters manage their properties.
I have interviewed Kroll four times since October and attended four stakeholder and public input meetings this year as part of the review of Wisconsin’s deer management system.
While he is a controversial figure among wildlife professionals for his extensive work in high fence deer management and captive deer breeding, at no point has Kroll advocated for privatizing deer hunting in Wisconsin.
He has stated several times “Wisconsin isn’t Texas.”
In a phone interview on Friday, Kroll maintained his comments in the 2002 Texas Monthly article were “distorted by a liberal publication.”
“I’m neither a Democrat or a Republican,” Kroll said. “The last thing I want is to make it harder for hunters to participate in the great sport of deer hunting in Wisconsin on public land.”
It should be acknowledged that Wisconsin has been undergoing a decades-long trend toward more private landowners with smaller parcels. The amount of land leased for hunting, and the price per acre commanded for good hunting land, has also increased.
Such changes make Wisconsin more like Europe, where the “haves” are more likely to hunt than the “have nots.”
None of which, however, is the result of the current deer review.
It must also be stated that while wildlife is a public resource, the DNR needs private landowners to cooperate with state biologists to help manage the deer herd.
There is ample room to criticize the white-tailed deer review process initiated by Gov. Walker. The reviewers held public input sessions after they issued their preliminary report, for example.
And it’s wise to be watchful for changes to the North American Model of Wildlife Management. But the statements flying around about deer privatization in Wisconsin are politically-motivated hyperbole.
The deer review should be judged by its results. A final report is due to be released in late June.
The Public Trust Doctrine underpins the success of fish and wildlife programs across America and deserves protection. Here’s hoping Wisconsinites of all political stripes continue their vigilance for the doctrine even after the election.
in reply to: Eastern (hops) hornbeam #30707I have made some bows out of Eastern Hop Hornbeam. It can make a wonderful bow, many would argue the best northern wood. If it has been sitting with the bark on, you most probably will have significant insect damage. With a “white-wood” like this, the back of the bow is right under the bark. Scrape down to the cambium and see what it looks like. Be careful of getting into that first layer of sap wood. The other issue with hop hornbeam is twisted grain. Watch for bark “barber poling” around the trunk. This would be difficult to work with.
Overall, get your hands on the Bowyers Bibles, especially 1 and 4. -
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