[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: ID Traditional Day — come if you can! #52611

Looks like I’ll be able to make it down. Lookin forward to it.

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: ninebark shafts #47071

I figured it may be a little light in spine. I’ll see what they spine when they cure out. May make some good kids arrows. I do have redosier dogwood growing around the place, quite a bit actually. I’ll have to cut some before spring.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

ch

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: ninebark shafts #43607

Yea, I’ve been pretty busy for the past 6 months or so (new job, new location). Not much time for hanging around the campfire. Things are settling down a bit now though. Maybe I’ll put together a arrow build along using shoot shafts before too long.

ch

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: Other woods #30456

Yew can, and does, get rather large. The problem is it grows so slowly and most of the bigger stuff has been logged off or just cut and pushed aside to reach the more marketable timber. 👿

I’ve recently moved up to north Idaho and we’re supposed to have some yew around, though I haven’t had time to look around much yet. When I do, I’ll let you know what I find.

For the time being, you could use some locust if you can find it, or cherry, or just about any fruit tree that has a semi straight section.

ch

ps, don’t hold it against me if I don’t respond. I don’t have internet access at home yet.

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: Mega Morchella! #27938

How do you measure a morel for the books anyway? I think the one in the last pic may just make it.

Just to make you all jealous, we had grilled elk filets and sauted shrooms for dinner that night:lol:

ch

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: Ever find yourself not watching the bowhunting shows? #18559

In my opinion, the outdoor channel and the popular “hook and bullet” magazines are one in the same. You’ll never see an article in Field & Stream that questions the ethics of using one of their sponsers products(ATVs come to mind). TBM is a wonderful exception. TJ and the crew have high standards for advertisers. Long may it be that way.

The traditional DVDs are more equivocal to books. These guys can say whatever you damn well please and don’t have to watch your tongue for fear of offending a sponsor. Small time producers of trad type films are making some very good stuff these days.

My family has a TV but it’s only hooked up to a DVD player – no outside programs, so I haven’t watched any of the outdoor programming in about 7 or 8 years. Most of it was crap then – mostly infomercials trying to pitch some gadget. I can’t imagine it having improved.

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: Turkey Feather uses..? #51935

I make all my fletchings with wild turkey primaries.

I sometimes carry a wing while turkey hunting to simmulate a fly down at first light. Especially if the birds are finicky and call shy.

ch

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: HOW SHARP IS SHARP ENOUGH? #42586

OLDSALT wrote: I HAVE WATCHED SERVERAL FRED BEAR VIDIOS AND SAW HIM TAKE A FEW SWIPES AT HIS BEAR RAZORHEADS WITH A FILE AND THAN DECLARE THEY WERE GOOD AND SHARP.

I can get a broadhead shaving sharp with just a file. The trick is to raise a bur then cut it off.

And, no, you don’t need them that sharp to kill a deer. You need them that sharp to kill a deer quickly. 😉

If you have trouble sharpening a particular type of head, try another. I can’t sharpen a 4 blade very well, and a grizzly is harder for me to sharpen than a magnus or zwickey, but it can still be done. It just takes a little more time.

The broadhead is what does the killing. Don’t slouch in this most important, yet often neglected, area.

ch

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: National Archery in the Schools Program #31931

I’m not sure, but I think one of the major pluses for the Genesis is that they are the same poundage, no matter the draw length. Correct me if I’m wrong. I’m pretty sure our hunter ed program uses them.

I too started with a compound. That’s just what you hunted with if you wanted to bowhunt where I came from. I never knew anyone that used trad equipment. It was a great day when I found Traditional Bowyers Bible. 😀

ch

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: Most Admired Predators #31921

The first thing that poped into my head when I saw this thread was the coyote. For all the reasons Dave mentioned. I watched a pair hunting cooperativly this past winter. It’s amazing how they seem to read each others thoughts. It’ll make you question our assumptions on such things.

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: Help with dogwood self arrows #31468

Duncan’s advice is great, but I’ll add a few things. I’ve never worked with dogwood but have used many others such as sparkleberry, arrow wood, yaupon, etc. All are more or less the same in what it takes to make a good shaft.

I usually cut mine pretty big because they tend to shrink a little when they dry. Also, the bark makes up a good bit of the diameter so you loose a lot when you scrape that off.

I’d do a little pre straightning before bundling and drying. It’ll make it easier later.

ch

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: Saponification #31461

Steve Graf wrote: I should have taken some pictures and made a soap along.

Hmmmmm, that sounds a little shady:shock:

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: Wood Arrows WithOUT A Sealant #24258

I’ve hunted with woodies that weren’t sealed. Unless they’re burnished really well they get kinda fuzzy. You know the way wood does when it gets a little moisture on it. Fuzzy shafts don’t penetrate as well as slick ones.

If you wanted to go more primitive you could burnish and wax the shafts. I think that’d work well but I’ve never tried it.

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: Turkey Feathers #19765

just cut them off with some shears. I don’t grind mine(too much trouble). I just strip them. This leaves no quill and they lye close to your shaft.

ch

[Clay Hayes]

in reply to: Ghilli suit #17109

Dave, agree whole heartedly with your comments about additional and unnecessary gear taking the place or acting as crutches for poor woodsmanship. But we’re not talking about range finders and electronic game calls. We’re just talking about a type of camo that breaks up the human shape and gives a little more leeway in setting up on turkeys. I have no desire to sit in a popup blind and wait on a bird to come to me. For me, that’s just not turkey hunting. That’d be like jumping ducks off a pond and calling it duck hunting. More like duck shooting. I want a little more flexibility while I’m out hunting turkey. I want to be able to plop down beside a tree the way I did when I was hunting with a shotgun. I want to be able to move and plop down again without having to limit myself to the perfect setup. I think a ghilli suit or bushrag will help me do that.

BTW, I’ve got mine done. I’ll post some pics a little later.

ch

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