Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
Hey Alex, you hadn’t told me about the new Shrew! Afraid of making me jealous? 😀 In fact, I owned a Li’l Fave for a while not long ago and it’s 100% another great Gregg Coffey Shrew. Yet, I soon found that sweet as it is, at some point I’ve gone over the line and am purely a longbow shooter. Nor can I afford or justify owning three Shrews. So I let it go on a good deal to another tradbow member and he’s as pleased as you are. Do the LF and CH shoot the same arrows to the same point so that they’re basically interchangeable? That’s what I need from all my bows today. Anyhow, whichever one you bring this year, or both, the elk will be waiting, if reluctantly as always, to donate blood for the initiation. Dave
in reply to: Woodsmanship….. #59806Woodsmanship equals all the skills, nature-knowledge and attitudes I learned back in the Boy Scouts. But that was long ago and “country,” with scout leaders who mostly had been farm boys and served in WWII and/or Korea. It was so thorough that when I went into the Marines, even though I was a skinny weakling, I had major advantages at the rifle and pistol ranges, map and compass reading, camping, survival, and more, all learned through years in the Boy Scouts and Explorers. I worry that today, with the lack of highly qualified leaders, it ain’t what it used to be, at least not in the big cities. It’s like a major problem recruiting young people to hunting — where opportunity to hunt, fish, camp and hike used to be just a short bike ride away mid-century, now it’s a major and expensive travel proposition for most. It’s like a narrowing funnel, this gradually decreasing knowlege or and interest in wildness and woodsmanship among adults, and shrinking with every generation. I know there are exceptions and more power to them. dave
in reply to: Shrew in Sherwoo.. huh, no, Manhattan Forest #59791Alexandre — great to see you posting here again, a good sign that life has mellowed a bit for you. Your 5-yard practice may not be as pointless as it seems when you recall that a couple years back I kilt one at six feet. 😀 You are fortunate that you naturally smell like an elk, which seems to bring them to you. 😛 Looking forward to Sept. as always.
Alex, for those who don’t know, is a world-class jazz composer and pianist, which may be why his finger control in the shooting glove is so precise, or vice versa. As a hunter and human, he is a welcome antithesis to that loudmouthed guitar playing wheelie-shooting canned killer whatizname. Turn on your speakers and google Alex Bugnon (say Boo-No) and fish around the many links and you’ll find some great music and a few live video segs. Only things I have against Alex are that he uses sugar in his coffee and likes it warm, prefers wine over bourbon, doesn’t shoot flaming arrows during his concerts, and consistently outshoots me. 😛 dave
Good info from both of you Steves. You guys are among the mainstays of tradbow.com and have been from the start, a wealth of info and experience and always willing to take a minute to share with others. Much appreciated and enjoyed. Dave
in reply to: Interesting Waste of Time #57544Patrick — Doesn’t most everything “sound funny” to you? 😛
in reply to: Woodsmanship….. #57535Well I mostly agree with all your boozy suggestions, except I’ve never had the op to try several of the high-end names mentioned here. And I have to agree with Homer re Beam, from painful personal experience back in my ragged youth.
Now back on topic: It seems clear that one distinct marker between trad bowhunters and the hi-techies, is that we cherish and want to maintain traditional woodsmanship skills, while they mean nothing to the “get ‘er done asap” modern crowd. They are out to kill, while we are out to embrace the fullest possible hunting experience and the more we do for ourselves using the least possible technology, the happier we are. I don’t resent “modern” hunters so long as they are ethical and fair chase. I mostly just feel sorry for them because they’re missing the heart of the matter. To use a couple of slightly risque analogies and risk getting edited (indeed, I too am moderated and that’s a good thing):
“A young man fears that if he doesn’t hurry, he will miss out on something. An older man knows that to go too fast can lead to missing out on everything.”
“An old bull and a young bull are standing in the pasture when a group of heiffers appears at the far end of the field. The young bulls says ‘Let’s run over there and make love to one of them.’ The old bull responds, ‘Let’s walk over there and make love to all of them.'”
Or, “Take time to smell the roses … especially if you’ve spilled Tullamore Dew on them. 😛
in reply to: Okay, here's the pics #55228Indian, PA — birthplace of Edward Abbey and “that actor.” And now Readyhawk. 😀 The home of celebrities. I never could get Ed into archery, but he really respected trad bowhunting, if no other variety. Good shooting. I’m jealous. dp
in reply to: Prehistoric stuff from indigenous people. #55223George — Your “fire drill” looks to me like an axe head, hafted for a handle. Double-duty, maybe? Such artifacts remind us that we don’t own this earth and it was not made just for us. Rather, we are merely the current audience in an endless series of passers-through. I have never found a perfect, gorgeous arrowhead in my life, like some of those in your photo. Thanks for sharing, dave
in reply to: Scents for Hunting #54097And provided you have a campfire before daylight when you go out. Steve’s note about boots is significant. Think about how much concentrated scent from your hands you are putting on your boot laces each time you lace ’em up. Hands and boot laces are the two biggest depositers of scent to your surroundings. I keep one hand on my bow and the other tucked under a pack shoulder strap or in a pocket when walking, to avoid the natural habit of moving brush and touching trees with hands as we go along. If you are upwind or downwind of game, well there you have it. But it’s temporary. If you walk through an area and leave your scent trail behind, and do it repeatedly, soon you’ll be out there all alone, even with elk which aren’t so spooky as deer. That, in my experience, is where scent control really counts — avoiding applying it to your surroundings for the long-term.
in reply to: New B.B.O… Meet Ol' Sage. #54089That’s one clean machine, George. Congrats to the bowyer. Most of my bows have been osage backed with either pignut hickory, or bamboo. I found the hick-backs to be faster and have less string follow, but to break too often for my tastes. A well-made boo-backed osage stick will last forever. Or close enough. dp
in reply to: It has been a while! #54087Hey Joe — Yeah, sometimes we just have to slow down and scale back and recapture our lives. I’m working on it myself, with mixed success. Welcome back, dave p
in reply to: first elk hunt! #51905You could easily spend that much in an hour on a mediocre meal out for one person. I buy every resident tag I can get my hands on. Money well spent whether used or not. The biggest muley I’ve ever killed, nice 4×4 buck but no monster, I was able to pack out in a single load of boned meat, around 60lbs, about the same as one bull elk hindquarter. The only downside to killing a deer during elk season is that it will take time away from hunting elk. dp
in reply to: New guy..sort of #51097Welcome to a new guy from an old guy. It was a pleasure meeting you at dinner a few years ago … where was that? K-zoo maybe? You make funny videos. 😀 dave p
in reply to: TBM Aug/Sept 2011 issue #51091X3, and I raise you one: Not only is TBM the only magazine I subscribe to (outdoor or otherwise, save those that come with group memberships)but also has been the only commercial “outdoor” rag I’ve written for, for many years now, even though most others can afford to pay more. Why? Because they’re the only ones who care more about the activity they represent, traditional bowhunting, and about their readers, than about personal profit. The are not owned by some Mad Ave. corporation but are a good old-fashioned family business. They are honest, the genuine article, and way beyond, insofar as willingly turning down tens of thousands or more annually in potential hi-tech and ATV ads. TBM promotes trad bowhunting, not themselves. How great America could be if more media and businesses attempted to emulate TBM. I am proud to be associated with these exceptional folks. dave petersen
in reply to: Info on tuning your bow #50064Eric — you’ll need a fine-tuned bow indeed to consistently make stickbow shots at 30 yards. I’ve been trying for some 50 years now, since I was a teen, and still can’t do it! But maybe it’s a “personal problem.” 😛
-
AuthorPosts
