[David Petersen]

in reply to: New member saying hello to all. #50309

Welcome, Matt! Sell that wheelie and the old Bear (the latter you can list on the classifieds here) and you’ll have the bucks to buy a good stickbow. Better to start with a good custom bow used, than settle for less in a new bow. Gonna be fun! 😀 Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: difference in shooting a take down vs, one piece #49625

Moose — No worries. My wife doesn’t realize “who I am” either! Nor should she. Nor do I. Who I am is simply a trad bowhunter like you and all our other bros and sisters here. Only difference is that I have an opinion on most everything and no fear expressing it, plus a big mouth, leathery skin and I type fast. My biggest worry here is that I post too much and because I’m a moderator others may hold back expressing opinions and sharing knowledge that runs opposite to my own. Worse yet (and I didn’t say this in my first response to your questions), while I admire old, really old Bears, I’m not a fan of later models, which is anything post Grayling. And I think the BW, an excellent bow, is way overpriced. But what matters in life, not just archery and bowhunting, is what we as individuals think (for ourselves) and like, not what others think no matter “who they are.” And bottom line: I didn’t kill an elk this year, so take that book with a few grains of salt. Time to walk the dogs … they are the real bosses around this joint. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Where to start…EFOC bound #49219

Nick — these questions regarding precise shaft brands and weights, etc., can be answered only by those who have the same gear, which really limits your feedback as you can see. You should read “redtape’s” thread above, “Help me get EFOC,” and Dr. Ashby’s response, as it’s close to your same question. Good luck. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: What Broadhead weight is better #49213

I practiced and hunted this year with the ABS Ashby primarily, but also carried the new 200 El Grande. Both fly great with the same carbon shafts because the 100-grain screw-in adaptor used with the El Grande brings the weights very close. Last year I killed an elk with a Brown Bear, which is very close to the Ashby but a lot cheaper. Also had good luck with Tusker Concords, and here again you can balance all these heads to nearly the same weight with inserts and adapters. I shoot them all from the same bows on the same shafts with very little if any difference in accuracy. If you’re hunting elk etc. with that 50-pounder, the heavier heads are important. If just deer you don’t need that kind of weight. That’s my experience. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: difference in shooting a take down vs, one piece #49205

Depends. Are you talking two-piece, like most longbow takedowns, or three-piece, most common with recurves? I’ve had recurve takedowns but so long ago I can’t comment on that. I’ve had a BW 2-piece takedown and it shot beautifully, though I didn’t have a one-piece to compare to. I currently own identical Shrew Classic Hunters (short r/d longbows), one a takedown, the other one-piece. They feel and shoot identically. With slim-handled traditional longbows, the grip will often be larger to accommodate the takedown hardware.

In any event, indeed, if you think you’ll ever fly with your bow, get a takedown. I see zero drawbacks. And unless you’ve already explored the market thoroughly, why limit your choices to just two brands? Enjoy the search and decision process. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Predators and A Hunter's Conscience #45043

MTS — good point there about letting the dogs play, etc. It was my wife who let that situation develop, and not much she could do about it, even with dogs on leash. Thanks for pointing out my hypocrisy here. We thought it was fine and “cute” so long as all were getting along, but when the new coyote/mate showed up and it got aggressive, and bear spray failed and I feared my wife would get bitten and her walks became an ordeal each time, well you know the story. In any event I missed, the second coyote with pups moved on and now we’re back to “Lonely” again who has learned to keep his distance and just bark to annoy our dogs.

And true also about coyotes “playing” to lure a dog to where the family/pack can kill it. No coincidence perhaps that it’s always the little dog (35 lbs) they want to play with, until the golden retriever runs ’em off. At night we put barking collars on both, as they won’t run off chasing stuff if they can’t bark. All quite complicated, and my sympathies alternate between the wild and domestic dogs! dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: arrow tuning…point weight to shaft spine #45032

JJ — you’re lucky to find such stiff shafts in long po cedar. Every woody shooter should have a “test kit” of a couple of glue-on field points in 125, 145, 160 and so on as high as you might ever want to go. I currently shoot 190 and 200 points on wood shafts but they’re not cedar. Cheap and easy to test this way. Better bare-shaft, but work with what you have on hand. I’d start by trying 145 heads on your current shafts and see if that knocks them out of spine. Until you try you can’t know for certain that you even need stiffer shafts to get more weight up front. It’s all fun. Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Needless to say, the arrow did not penetrate #44593

Ed — You’ve hit here on a, perhaps the, central ethical problem of contemporary hi-tech bowhunting: the addiction to light arrows (and though it wasn’t mentioned in this post, crazy-long shots) combined with broadheads that in many instances are so ineffective they should be illegal. For a quick cross-section of some of the worst heads on the market, just check out your local WalMart offerings. So how to cure this disease of ignorance and lack of personal engagement on the part of hi-tech shooters? “Easy” — we simply reform the bowhunting industry, the American way of doing business, and personal laziness! Right. Bottom line is that industry steers most bowhunting magazines via advertising dollars (same with ATVs), and the media and tin-horn “bowhunting heroes” steer well-meaning but willfully lazy wannabee bowhunters in unethical directions. Ed, your work to educate hunters and reform this problem from the ground up is singularly admirable. And some are getting the message! But so long as magazines are in business to make maximum profit (TBM is a golden exception!), advertisers’ dollars will continue to lead them around like spineless slugs on short leashes. Meanwhile, my attempts to use your work to get CO to outlaw mechanical broadheads came real close to succeeding and would have had I had the support of CBA, which is a mixed trad and pully group, mostly pullies, whose positions I almost always disagree with. Next time I’ll develop a coalition before going to the state game commission. That’s my recommendation: Since we’ll never be able to reform the media or force hunters to seek the truth and act on it, we have no choice but to organize (assuming we care enough) and work through the regulatory system. Our deer, elk and other game, and our public image and self-respect, demand it. Dave p

[David Petersen]

in reply to: New Member #43530

Welcome Catfish and good luck with that Bear stick. dave p

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Four wheelers… #42364

Stalkinelk — You know the term “nonsequitur?” No argument with your argument here, but it’s not what we were talking about. I am very careful in picking my fights these days–I go after enemies who I’m forced personally to deal with. I don’t think hating the wolves there will do anything to solve the ATV disaster here. Now, if we could just breed a subspecies of wolves that eats ATVs, we’d all be happy. 😛 dp

[David Petersen]

in reply to: New member, saying hello! #42357

Howdy Chris. Come on in, the water’s fine. Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Help me get EFOC. #41182

Could go either way, as carbons are extremely accommotading in spine. I can shoot 125 up to 315 heads on the same shafts without retuning. Guess I’d go with the 500s as you can always add more weight to the front if they’re too stiff, but if they’re too weak and you have no shaft to cut off, you’re stuck with light heads. I am currently working to get some overspined Viper carbons that a friend gave me, to shoot well after being cut to my length. Have fun, dp

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Four wheelers… #41174

I disagree that lazy motorheads who have no regard for others or the shared resource, have any “right” at all to be on public lands. You need to organize and take it to the state legislature and media before it grows any more. Check out what Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (www.backcountryhunters.org) is doing in other states. The longer the motors are allowed to run wild with no control or organized public outcry, the more damage they will do and the more “tradition of use” they will claim to have. I see ATV and dirt bike abuse and over-use as the number one threat to traditional-access hunting on public lands. Motors deny our access by making it so awful nobody else wants to go there.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Arrow combination-elk #39949

Not too much weight at all. You can tune to accurately shoot most any weight and have to determine for yourself when the arc of trajectory becomes too high for consistent accuracy at your max personal range. I would personally start with a lighter shaft and add more weight to the front. So long as you’re over 650, increasing FoC gains more penetration and has less affect on arrow flight than increasing overall weight. The Eclipse is a good head. I would go with single-bevel. In any event you’re in good shape where you are now. The real trick is finding a willing elk to stand broadside at under 20 yards! Good luck, dp

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Oklahoma Pronghorns #38643

Congrats on your goat, Jason! And thanks for posting these pictures. That little rocky canyon looks huntable, but the rest … oooh! That last photo of the buck — he’s a dandy! What county is this? Can’t beat that prongy doe meat. dave

[Author]

Posts