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in reply to: Great Books for Shooting #63933
DWC — I for one have never read a how-to book on traditional shooting in my life. Maybe I’d be a better shot if I had. 😛 Thanks for sharing this info. dp
in reply to: Favorite two-piece take-down longbow? #63925Thanks everyone for the good hints, from me and my friend Jody. In the end, after shooting several bows, he bought a Navajo “Apache” and is quite pleased with the looks, performance, and price. I personally had fun checking out some of your favorite bows. dave
in reply to: DIY Bow Stringer #63922Swamprat, you don’t really need a bow stringer for a longbow. Just place the bottom limb tip inside the instep of a boot, grasp the handle with one hand and slide the string up to the top nock with the other hand while applying pressure to bend the upper limb forward with the palm of that same hand and pulling out on the handle with the other. dp
in reply to: Building up to heavy draw weight #60450Bruce — There was an article on this very thing not too long ago in TBM. Basically, you shoot at a backstop with no target, not trying to hit a particular spot, but working purely on form. It’s one way to go after curing problems of form, whereas if we’re concentrating on “the spot” we’re more likely to go lax on form. Last winter I realized I had somehow started short-drawing, and likely had been for quite some time, which explained various problems in accuracy and lethality. So I put a target up in the loft, range maybe 20 feet, and practiced in short sputrs several times daily for weeks purely on re-integrating an absolute full draw and solid anchor so that when I next need it in the field, it will once again be automatic. In this case, since you’re actually releasing arrows, it’s a more interesting way to build bow muscles than drawing and slowly letting the bow down — although, the resistance of a slow let-down is superb exercise in itself.
in reply to: Hunting & Spirituality #59308Beautifully said, George. In so few words, you explain it perfectly.
in reply to: TBM's Ol Dave Petersen got his Coues #57444Seldomseen — Neat pic of old Ed and his old blue beater Ford truck. He and I and my wife traveled more than a few hot miles in that machine, down along the Colorado River and up through the Abajos near Moab, and I almost got it after Ed died. It had a blown clutch and his wife wanted me to come take it away, but his eldest daughter blocked it (like she did a book deal that could have brought the family some big bucks). Later it sold at auction for a small fortune, but not as much as his red Cadillac convertible netted. So I have his silver and turquoise belt buckle, his rain jacket, a hunk of granite dug out of his secret grave in the AZ desert, and a bunch of books to remember him by. I wish Ed Abbey had been a trad bowhunter; we could use a hero like that. 😀 While he detested hunting in general and thought poaching by people who needed the food was more honorable, he always blessed my and other friends’ bowhunting, which he considered sufficiently difficult and low-odds to make it honorable. Glad to see he’s still remembered by some, and my apologies for wandering so far off topic. dp
in reply to: Favorite turkey slate call? #57056Thanks, Bruce. The leg strap definitely sounds like a bonus. I’ll check it out. Alas, 2″ of snow this morning and falling fast, so I won’t be chasing turkeys today. It’s supposed to be an Easter egg hunt, after all, not a winter survival ordeal. 😀 dp
in reply to: Recurve setup #56073My first “real” bow was a Pearson Bobcat recurve. It braced very high, but was really short, like 48″ if I recall. I’d follow Brennan’s advice. Also, while there is no such thing as a “dead” string, a fresh string could help things along, but that bow is not made for fastflight. Finally, inspect for a twisted limb. Those older recurves with their very wide limbs were prone to twisting because everyone used the step-through bracing method back then. And ebay bows are famous for twisted limbs. Maybe Jawg or another vintage collector can be of more help. dp
in reply to: 55 Yards behind the shooter. Plus another. #54922Great shooting, George. Especially for an old fart. 😛 (We are the same age.) Seriously, you should be leading shooting clinics. I’m especially in awe of folks like you who can shoot with consistent accuracy while release the instant you reach full draw. I have always had to hold a second or two at full draw to check my form before releasing. But then, I sure wouldn’t want to have to mow your lawn! Good stuff, thanks. dave
Bruce — I don’t know if this is your problem or not, but some folks including me have trouble maintaining form and accuracy when jumping between bows, esp. when the draw weight varies considerably. For most of my archery life I owned only one bow at a time and my shooting was consistently pretty good with no ticks or flaws obvious. Then I took up bowmaking and soon was shooting radically different bows with a wide range of draw weights and my form just went to the bottom of the bucket. So I took a break from that and went back to shooting just one bow and things improved greatly. I now own two near-twin Shrews that draw the same, shoot the same arrows and are readily interchangeable. I also have a lovely osage selfbow given to me by a friend that draws the same as the Shrews but of course shoots differently. Anyhow, a longwinded way of suggesting the perhaps you, like me, are meant to be a one-bow guy. In any event good luck working it out. dp
in reply to: Shooting in the side yard. #52729George — I can’t open either of the links???
in reply to: Backyard Wildlife #50743Update: My morning turkey walk started with frontyard wildlife: 15 elk on the lush green fertilized lawn of the trophy house where I parked to start the hunt. They were reluctant to leave and didn’t scoot until I got out of the truck. I felt bad, but life is real. A ways up I got onto 7 more and very close; could have gotten some good pics if I’d had my “shirtpocket” cam in my pocket rather than my pack. I sat in the shade and watched them for 20 minutes until they finally drifted off, undisturbed. Then a single, and later another single, and the butt-end of a very big black bear going away, my first this year. But nary a peep from any alleged turkey. Brush is starting to leaf out and it will only get harder. When regular midday temps hit 80 I generally call it quits and start dreaming of fall elk. Another week of this spring fun, maybe.
in reply to: Backyard Wildlife #50433Mike — Where do you live? Here in SW CO the big winter cow herds are visible daily in bright green grassy finger meadows on north-facing slopes, in some cases a hundred and more at a time. And they’re moving up to calving grounds, where I live. Judging from the elk I’m seeing and tracks, the relative ease of last winter has allowed a strong calf survival, which means an abundance of the best-eating elk there is, yearling cows (aside from spike bulls, which aren’t legal here in CO). No bear sign yet, and our mountain Merriam’s have yet to recover from a couple of recent tough winters, so are few and far between. All the usual birds and circling bands of vultures easy-riding the mountain thermals … waiting for this old hunk of meat to get out there for his lazy midmorning wild turkey chase with hopes I’ll croak and provide a meal. Best get out there now and do my duty. dp
in reply to: Tapered Sitka Spruce Shafts #49436Bounty Hunter — have you tried heavier points and determined 160 is your limit? It’s easy to glue on various weights and check it out. I’m always amazed how more FOC improves arrow flight without notably lowering point of impact. It’s all fun. dp
in reply to: New bow wait has started #47581David — As one who has experienced the long Shrew wait a couple of times, I well understand your excitement. I too have a Classic Hunter takedown, which I will probably have bured with me I love it so much. I have an almost twin except it’s not a takedown. I’m curious why you’re getting rid of one Shrew because you’re getting another? In any event I’ll check your ad for specs as I usually know someone looking for one, or already on the wait list but ready to jump to instant gratification should an appropriate used one show up, which is very rare since few owners sell them, and when they do they usually know someone ready to buy without going public. Congrats and let us know how you like it. ‘nuther Dave
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