[David Petersen]

in reply to: GrizzlyStik questions #12429

Kegan — I have bareshaft-tuned GrizzlyStiks and it’s no different than other shaft materials. Nothing special to watch for. The intense taper sets them up weight-forward to begin with, making the job easier if anything. Do try turning the nock a quarter-turn at a time as you shoot each shaft to see if it makes a difference in flight. If you have to cut them it has to come off the back and be done with a high-speed saw. I use a fine-tooth blade on my bandsaw, rotating the shaft as I cut, and it’s still a bit “thready.” But it works. I personally think this remains one of the toughest and best designed carbon sticks on the market today, but for the reasons TTF mentions above, they no longer dominate the market as they once did. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: TBM's Ol Dave Petersen got his Coues #12419

Thanks T, and other friends, for your kind comments. A nice part of getting older is that you get congratulated for simply doing normal stuff. Average becomes above average. The fact that it took me so long to get it done is not heroic, but rather pitiful. 😕 And yes I will be writing about this years-long crusade someday, but not in any “me and Joe” self-congratulatory way. Rather, what sticks with me is all the mistakes I made along the way and all I learned about this “new” species and landscape and especially about my own shortcomings as a hunter. We’re never good enough to not make mistakes, and we’re never too old not to learn from them. Thanks again. I am now thoroughly hooked on whitetail hunting, which unfortunately is a nonresident species for me. Ol’ Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: off the shelf #11287

Greg — you should definitely read “The Traditional Bowhunter’s Handbook” by T.J. Conrads. It will clearly answer questions you didn’t even know you had. (And no, I don’t get a commission :D) dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Some Old Photos #11282

What great luck to have had a toxophilic parents and upbringing!

[David Petersen]

in reply to: My Dad's Old Bear Bow #10719

I think you may have a collector’s item there and would check around for details before performing any modifications or further repairs even. Cool, indeed. I’ll give you $50 for it right now. :twisted::lol:

[David Petersen]

in reply to: short longbow recommendation #10204

David — I pull 28″, which a 52″ Shrew handles well and a 54″ feels like 62″. Someone mentioned that the “long wait and price” work against Shrew. As thoroughly discussed in this thread, indeed the wait is excruciating. But price? Please see my earlier post to refute that. I’m sure there are used Coffey Shrews already selling for more than their new cost and that will be the norm in future years. Among the many blessings of the reborn traditional archery and bowhunting movement brought about by TBM over the years is that today we have SO many superb bowyers and arrowsmiths working, that who and which is “best” comes down mostly to personal preference. My preference for Shrews does NOT imply that other bows are inferior, but only that I personally prefer these “hot little redheads.”

You should also check out Java Man Bows, Gregg Coffey’s own line of unique and excellent custom sticks.

“Shrewyer” … I like that, Gregg. 😉 dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Don Thomas Deer carry method? #10194

Don is away from the computer the rest of this week. I’ll let him know of your question. My own first suggestion would be to “shoot a really small deer.” 😛 dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: what arrow #9056

Apache — you are drawing 29.5 with a 52″ bow? Amazing! What bow, what about finger pinch, and do you get good accuracy? dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: I discovered the ultimate quiver.. finally #9032

Ray — what would you decoy with this? Other coyotes? If it’s on your back, won’t they sneak up behind you? :P:lol: Just joking of course … it’s cool. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: backpack hunts #7901

As much as I love backpack hunting, as as essential as it is sadly becoming to escape the ATV hordes on western public lands, it takes a huge amount of planning to get everything you need into a workable load. My most recent trip, with T Downing, was at timberline in CO and I humped about 65 pounds and T even more. A big problem is that you need two separate sets of gear and packs: one for camping and one for hunting. I wound up with my hunting packed stuffed full and strapped atop my backpack. Happily, though we were high it wasn’t a long hike in so it was doable. Then if you succeed (we were after mule deer) you have the meat and maybe horns to deal with in addition to your gear. It’s worth thinking all of this out ahead of time. That said, I personally find going into real wildness, with a friend or solo, to be the purest and most rewarding form of hunting, if also the most demanding. Beyond the mountains and at lower altitudes it would be far easier. Just do it and sort it out as you go along. 😛 Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Goose (Big Game ?) #7888

Good shooting, John. Great arrow placement and that Big head would be just the ticket for turkeys. I also ground-sluiced a Canada goose once, in fact twice, by creeping along a cottonwood-lined creek adjoining an alfalfa stubble field on the Navajo Rez in NM, where hundreds of birds were feeding. With all those wary eyes they are indeed hard to get. Maybe a ground blind would be a good set-up in areas where they spend lots of time on the ground all year. But in the end I’ve not been able to enjoy eating them so gave it up. Tastes differ. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: first game kill #7885

If you ever do get caught out with a fresh dead bunny and no knife, there’s no problem though it gets a bit messy if you’re squeamish about blood and guts. The skin is so fragile that you can simply pinch up a bit of it anywhere on the body and use a fingernail to rip it open, then simply peel it off. I start by twisting and pulling the head off then stincing a finger inside the hide at the torn neck and working from there. For the innards, likewise you can open the belly with a fingernail (and mine are never long or sharp), rip it wide open, then grab the bunny by the hind legs and “whip” toward the ground and the guts go flying out, clean as a whistle unless you get ’em on your boots. Takes a bit of practice but no more than learning to skip a stone. Only part I find I need a knife for is to cut off the tail, which can wait until I’m home. All that said, I wear at least a Swiss Army knife at all times except in bed and the shower. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Gerilla arms #7874

The Carbon Express shafts I’ve bought come at 32″ if I recall. If you need longer shafts and Easton doesn’t make them, seems you’re stuck with switching brands. That’s a lousy answer but the best I can offer. Others will chime in I’m sure. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: stain/sealer/cap dip/crest paint/glue compatibility #7869

Hi Mr. P, and glad to see you here. You might get a better response for this good question from the Bowyer’s Bench forum. For what it’s worth, I long sprayed my shafts with Minwax Spar Urethane, which I’ve also used on selfbows. It works but it’s really wasteful and thus expensive. I finally broke down and bought a shaft dip tube, available from most trad mail-order outlets for a few bucks, and use one of the standard shaft finishes, as sometimes advertised in TBM. I’ll leave it to those more experienced than me to suggest specific products. Another advantage to dipping over spraying is that you can even out the weights of a dozen shafts by repeatedly dipping the lighter ones, adding as much as 10 grains per dip. I’ve even increased FOC by repeatedly front-dipping. It couldn’t be easier, and it’s fun. Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: The Werewolf #7864

I just returned from Boise and the ID trad event, where I got to handle these wicked-looking new heads and enjoyed a long chat with Blake. The Teflon coating brings up the common human inner-battle between flash and function. The blades are just gorgeous, like polished silver, so from an aesthetical pov it’s a shame to dull ’em with a coating. On the other hand, from a practical pov, that same pretty glint works against us in the field, so I’m with you on the coating, Blake. So far as I can tell, the Werewolves incorporate several improvements including a 25-degree bevel (for the single-bevel option), upgrade to 52-54 Rockwell hardness (my personal preference range since any harder is unnecessarily hard to sharpen and any softer, IMHO, is too soft and risking failure on elk-sized heavy bone strikes). The Tanto tip looks great too and I love the heavier weights these offer. I hope that some of these upgrades, after a shake-out period of user field testing, can be adapted to the classic Eclipse and/or a glue-on Werewolf. Best luck and thanks Blake for your unrelenting innovation. Folks will be impressed, to say the least, to learn that the ferrules are attached to the solid blade with tiny screws and Blake inserts every last screw by hand with a tiny driver. Talk about TLC! dave

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