[David Petersen]

in reply to: Merino wool pants #57426

Ireland — I have already checked that site and their Silent Predator line of preshrunk wool looks top-end, with a top-end price I can’t afford. And it’s not Merino. I have found that even with pre-shrunk wool, it continues to shrink throughout its life. Even Merino shrinks a tiny bit, but only maybe a half-size over its life if laundered according to instructions (wash cool or warm, line dry or machine dry low). You guys may be right that affordable heavy-weight Merino is a pipe dream. Maybe I’ll try finding some military surplus whipcord wool pants and order 2″ too big in the waist and 4″ too long, if they offer such choices. Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Merino wool pants #57358

Thanks, Thomas. If I don’t find some soon I may have to borrow yours. But beware: All I have to do is look at wool and it starts shrinking.

The LL Bean 6-pocket Guide pants have precisely the “look” I prefer. But they’re regular wool, so no thanks. When Alex was here hunting he had the Bean “Technical” wool pants, which are advertised to be treated to allow machine washing and drying and to enhance waterproofness. But they too are quite thin, and I don’t like the zippered leg pockets. Cabela’s sells “treated” wool stuff also, but I saw a shirt, Pendleton no less, that shrunk two sizes on first washing according to instructions. And the material was paper thin, not at all like the “good old” Pendleton quality. My fear is that if I do find Merino wool pants in medium or heavy with the pockets I want, they’ cost $300 or more and I won’t even be able to afford one leg. 🙄

Steve Sr. — You must perspire easily. 😀

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Mechanical Broadheads #56005

It’s for good reason that mechanical broadheads are outlawed in several states and limited in others. I came within an inch of single-handedly getting them outlawed here in CO a few years ago and had I received the support of CBA it would have sailed through. But of course, that group is generally on the wrong side of every ethics issue and strongly opposed me, including one rep claiming that Dr. Ashby’s studies were all designed to help sell “his” ABS Ashby broadhead. Even so, if I could have made the finaly meeting where the vote was taken, in Denver (a full day’s drive from here) I believe we could have gotten rid of these animal-torture devices. In that regard — giving a damn about the animals we hunt — the modern hi-tech bowhunting marketplace, including the magazines that bristle with ads for all this junk — well it just makes me sick to even be peripherally linked to it by association in the inexperienced public mind. Sorry, but it’s a sore spot. We owe the animals we hunt the cleanest and fastest possible deaths, and anything that works against that is wrong wrong wrong. From a “practical” pov, these things exist thanks to the obsession with the hi-tech crowd for faster, flatter-shooting arrows for longer and longer shots. With slower moving trad set-ups they are absolutely pointless since only the biggest and poorest designed broadheads will wind-plane at trad speeds. To sum up Ashby’s test results for open-on-impact heads — no other broadhead design even came close to suffering as many mechanical failures, and even when they “worked” they provided the poorest penetration of any design. Get a nice proven two-blade design and simplify your life. And this is NOT a personal indictment aimed at anyone who is unaware of the problems with these things — but rather an indictment of the hi-tech marketplace. Cheers, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: fast flight and selfbows #53919

Thanks for all the good, guys. Don’t know where Clay stands at this point, but I’m convinced that my initial instinct remains sounds: It’s not worth the risk of losing a special bow in the quest for a tiny bit more speed. In my case I could set up some arrows that weight less than 835 grains and likely gain several times more speed than any string could offer. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Draw weight shenanigans #53684

If you’re going to use a floor scale, at least get a digital rather than old-fashioned spring model. I picked one up yesterday at a big box store for $18 and it reads down to 1/10th pound, steady on.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: fast flight and selfbows #52541

It seems that to get the most from this topic we should start at the beginning with the question: What force is it, precisely, that causes FF string to be harder on limb tips than, say, the ubiquitous B50? My understanding is basic and may or may not be accurate: FF has less stretch/elasticity, thus the loop servings “slap” the limb tips with more force. I trust that others here can explain the forces more precisely. I am highly interested in Clay’s initial question, as I have a gorgeous osage selfbow with B50 that I’m currently hunting elk with and I’d love to put a bit more speed to, but not at the risk of damaging the bow. Somewhere a long time ago, maybe in one of the Bowyer’s Bibles, I seem to recall having read that unless a limb tip is underbuilt, FF is generally OK for selfbows … it’s the older glass lams that are most in danger. I hope we can get enough informed input here to sort this out. I recently switched to an 8-strand Silent But Deadly FF string on my Shrew; very impressive. Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Help with instinctive shooting #51929

Thanks, Daniel for your kind words. On the Wild Edge happens to be my own favorite book (that is, among the ones I scribbled; certainly not in the big picture)but disappointingly gets bought/read less than most others. Maybe because it’s not a hunting book, not a natural history (that is, about bears, elk, etc.) but a memoir merely including the above. But come to think of it, hunting’s a lot more interesting than my personal take on life. 😆

In the big picture re this thread, just look at how many “lurker” hits this straightforward question about how to become a competent instinctive shooter has already gotten. This interest in that question tells me there are a lot of folks out there thinking about making the trade up. Please, all you folks come on in! Ask your questions unabashedly! There’s a wealth of very experienced folks here who really enjoy helping others learn the special and inimitable joys of trad archery and bowhunting. Wile we may poke fun in general at “training wheels,” etc., we never make fun of an individual and here you’ll never get a snide or dismissive remark from anyone. (When they very rarely do show up, they don’t last long under the watchful eye of our beloved Web Mother.) This is the friendly place. 😀 Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Bamabows Hunter Expedition (Pic's Update) #50797

Randy, questions about specific model bow, arrows, whatever, always get the fewest responses,logically. Plus most of our members are out hunting right now. Hang in.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Whats you FOC? #50794

An old pilot’s saying: When in doubt, go higher. 😀

[David Petersen]

in reply to: I hope my dreams never come ture #50793

I once had a dream that a big bull came in to the spot I most often hunt. He looked at me and for some reason we “clicked” and I put my bow down and got up and walked to him and put my hand on his back and he led me through the woods to a clearing … where sat a brand new trophy home. Psychology calls these “anxiety” dreams. Alas, in my case it (the trophy home part) came true. ::(

[David Petersen]

in reply to: She's been dry, but we're cooling off. #50790

Here’s hoping the cool energizing weather holds for you. Even my old dogs get perkier when the summer heat leaves (this old dog especially included).

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Now here's something we all truly need #50788

You said it, George!

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Let's see your fall hunting set up! #50347

Duncan — That’s a unique and interesting-looking knife handle, appearing rectangular rather than oval in cross-section. Make it yourself? Let’s see a pic of the entire knife if you don’t mind. Looks like my kind of hunting knife, with a handle at least as large as the blade for a good solid grip to provide max torque.

I hope I’m not snatching the thread, as the topic is fall hunting set-up, and knives are a part of that. 🙂

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Rookie Bamboo Longbow shooter #50344

Troy, at your stage in the game, the very best thing you can do is buy and read T.J.Conrads’ “The Traditional Bowhunter’s Handbook.” You can order it from the magazine. In clear language, it covers every aspect of selecting and tuning arrows, and so much more. I consider it a must-read for folks new to traditional archery and hunting. Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Draw weight shenanigans #50340

Two points worth remembering here, as a postscript to a happy ending:

1. I’ve never had a bow string material that doesn’t stretch some, and B50 seems to never quit stretching — I’m talking hundreds of arrows and weeks later, still needing to check it occasionally. When hunting or shooting a lot, I check brace height at least weekly.

2. The scales most of use for weighing bows are notoriously less than state of the art — most commonly they are spring-controlled; the same scales used by outfitters to balance the weight in panniers. Consequently, the same bow on several different scales may show several different weights.

[Author]

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