[David Petersen]

in reply to: Backpack Hunting Questions #25076

Right on, Bert! In fact they were both field-dressed, but even so weighed in at 340lbs!!! 😯 Mike — star of the best hunting video ever made (my op): Primal Dreams, and author of One with the Wilderness — Mike readily admits it was done as a joke and he didn’t carry those two honkers “much farther than what it took for my brother to get the picture.” Still, he DID pick ’em both up and cart ’em a ways. He’s the guy you want on your side in a pending bar fight — not only because he could throw the bad guys through the wall two at a time, but because he’s so mellow that he’d diffuse the need to do that. When I saw him recently at UPI banquet and commented that he appeared to have been lifting weights a lot lately, looking good, he came back “Naw, that’s just winter fat. As soon as antler-shed season gets here I’ll be walking 15 miles a day to burn it off.” :?:lol:8):P:lol:

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Sights #25068

I am not too proud to admit that a couple of years ago I tried a longbow sight. Can’t remember the name, but it’s a loop with no pin. You position the target in the center. Advertised to help center the eye on “the spot” and maybe does. But I found it as functionally useless as the pins back in the old days and fed it to the garbage can. Would I have kept it and used it, had it worked great? While tempting, I don’t think so. To me, trad archery is all about doing less with technology and pulling more from myself. That is not a slam on what very few tradsters use sights, but just my take on the universe. On a pragmatic level, one of the few practical advantages of shooting instinctively over using sights, is that it frees you from having to precisely calculate range.

None of which is meant to hijack or dampen your original question, which is entirely valid. Variety is the spice of life. 😀

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Backpack Hunting Questions #24749

Here is how Mike Mitten does it: :roll::lol:8):lol:

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Wood arrows and EFOC #24735

Fletcher — Are you making lead-footed woodies just for personal use, or are you selling them? I didn’t see any such listed on your website but maybe I missed it. I’d be interested! In my own experiments with tungsten rod footings, I’m having problems getting the point taper right. If I taper the shaft before drilling for the footing, the drill tends to split the narrow end and also go off-side a bit. If I drill and place the rod insert before sharpening (I use a cheap hand-held pencil-sharpener type), the rod tends to project from the end and mess up the taper/head fit. I even tried recessing the rod down a quarter-inch below the tip, and that didn’t work either. Any suggestions much appreciated. Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Most Trouble Free Wood Shaft #24004

“Fletcher” — Rick — great to see you here! We need your expertise as a top-flight arrowsmith. In my ongoing search and research for a reliable EFoC woody, my next dozen will be Sitka spruce to go with those newfangled El Grandes I got from you at UBI. Man, those things look like spear points! Or at least atl-atl points. Should open a huge hole in an elk, with the right shaft (horsepower) behind it. 8) dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Mechanical Advantage question #22353

Bert — OK, I just posted on the pack thread. 😈

Sharpster — I’ll start sharpening the new El Grandes as soon as I get another project off my worktable. Meanwhile, the Tanto tip on these heads seems almost too much of a good thing. Your thots there? dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: What's in your pack? #22324

Hunting pack with shelved Kevlar frame and detachable bags for meat packing
Layered clothing (camo and dark plaids)
Rain gear
Water filter bottle(s)
High-energy food: jerky, fruit, cheese, candy (no noisy wrappers). TP, ziplock bags for trash
Sitting/kneeling foam pad
Success kit: 2 big cloth game bags, 2 knives (medium and small), sharpeners, folding Gerber bone/wood saw, rubber gloves
Wind-up flashlight and headlamp; extra batteries
Map (in unfamiliar terrain) and compass (always)
Emergency kit: lighter, waterproof matches, first aid basics, dental floss, coach’s whistle
Hunting accessories: extra bowstring, extra shooting glove, shirt-pocket binocs, small camera, etc.
Back in truck or camp: 2 more game bags, frame pack
Average weight, 30-35lbs. (In this photo, from last year’s timberline deer hunt, the hunting packing is hanging on top the backpack.) 🙄

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Mechanical Advantage question #21232

Ron — Great to have you back discussing these compelling issues with us, thanks. In Ed’s absence, I consider you the #1 authority on what the Ashby study results mean when “realistically” translated to broadheads and lethality.

FYI, I finally scored some left-wing El Grandes in the new “seamless” 200 grain version, which last time I checked were available only in right-wing (3Rivers). I got ’em from Rick Stillman of The Feathered Shaft at the Illinois trad bow banquet. Rick says he got them from Allegheny Mtn. Archery, which shares a building with the fellow who manufactures the Grizzlies. They still are far from sharp enough to hunt with, but the finish on the bevel is a great deal smoother than the old El Grandes, almost polished as opposed to the old heads with deep grinder marks that had to be filed away before true sharpening can begin. Did they also get a 25 degree bevel this time? Your “report” on these slightly improved heads would be appreciated. I’m not going to use a file at all with these, but going right to the coarse stone on my KME knife sharpener. I have months to enjoy patiently getting a razor edge without lightening the weight 20 grains as I had to do with the old versions. Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: UBI this weekend? #21216

Thanks, Fletcher. I’ve had the privilege to attend half a dozen of these state events so far, and in every case I’ve been “uplifted” by the overall high quality of people and values I encounter. But UBI stands out by its strong commitment to speaking out and working for meaningful hunting ethics and the conservation of wildlife habitat. Too many of our trad organizations — like too many local chapters of my beloved Trout Unlimited — just want to be social clubs and duck their responsibility to give back to the resource that sustains us all. In that respect UBI is a much needed role model. It was my honor to attend. Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: PAYING FOR PERFORMANCE OR NAME? #17254

Well shucks, this could be one of those “goes around, comes around” deals. These days, many hunting-industry outfits get big names fast by buying them via heavy advertising … just look at the filthy unethical garbage being hawked to gullible hi-tech wannabe hunters by the commercial hunting media! (TBM admirably excepted, which is a primary reason I won’t write any more for any of the others.) But here in the trad world, while advertising goes a long way to establish name recognition, etc., trad bowyers and others (arrow makers, etc.) generally have to prove over many years that they have a good product and good service, worth the asking price. The downside of this scenario is that once a manufacturer — of bows or whatever — establishes a trusted name among us tradsters, it can then turn back against us with higher prices or lower quality or both. This generally only happens when a company changes hands (and not always then by any stretch; just sometimes). A lot of the selling price of any successful businesses is “good will,” aka a known and trusted name in the marketplace. I have owned several top-end custom bows in recent years, including a BW, and all were excellent bows, price aside.(Though in MHO, the very best of them all is among the least expensive). So the question, seems to me, isn’t whether you “get what you pay for” with custom tradbows, but rather, “how much would you like to pay for an excellent bow, and how important is brand-name to your personal satisfaction?” What a blessing to live in a time with so very many excellent stickbows available that we get confused among them! My best advice is to go with a Ma-and-Paw custom shop, which most often produce bows that leave me wondering: “How the hell can he/they make a bow of this quality for this price?” Perhaps this sort of insight requires building a few bows yourself! That experience sure opened my eyes. As always, there’s no replacement for actually shooting the bow you’re thinking of buying. This is a primary service of tradbow gatherings, whether banquets, shoots and tradshops.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Big Thick Soft Warm Wool Sweater #17233

I’m with RickH and George S., absolutely. Not only can you buy for pennies on the dollar, many thrift stores benefit good causes, like our local humane society shelter for lost dogs … and new wool stinks. Just ask any downwind deer! 😀 Also, as one who does his own hunting laundry, I refuse to do cold wash, Woolite, flat dry and all the other wooly-regimen BS. If a thrift shop used wool garment fits you, it has generally already been well shrunk and will stay where it is for the duration. “Cheap” and “wool” don’t usually go together when speaking of new garments. Esp. if it’s American wool, thanks to the annual fortunes in gov’t subsidies paid to kill huntable wildlife (coyotes, bears, lions) on public lands to support an otherwise economically failed sheep industry. 🙄

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Help with fletcher! #16144

The only question I believe you could ask that would get more differing opinions than this one, is “What’s the best hunting knife?” I’ve used a Blitz, borrowed, and it was great. But I bought a cheap Bohning high-impact plastic simply because it is virtually idential to the Blitz, does exactly the same work and cost a big lot less. Just another vote to confuse you! 😀

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Mechanical Advantage question #16139

I’m vague on this too. Sure wish the Doc would get cured of all his ills once and for all, so he could join us daily, as he does so enthusiastically when he can. All I can say is that I have always sensed that while single-bevel would seem to be a piece of the MA pie, I can’t recall Ashby using it that way. The standard MA formula, in my mind, applies as much to 2-bevel as to 1-bevel: Long and narrow, with 3:1 optimal; quality steel of good thickness and hardness (50 as minimum); streamlined ferrule with no big projections or “bumps”; slick finish (Teflon is a bonus), etc. In sum, I think the Doc examines the advantages of single-bevel in his research separately from the advantages of high MA. I like both! Recently, an old rude “dating” saying comes to mind as an appropriate justification for “going to all this unnecessary trouble” of testing for ourselves what Dr. Ashby has tested for three decades: “Why take a sandwich to a banquet?” dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: A REGRESS FOR MS BOWHUNTERS #16127

msarcher — your good luck! Were I you, and were I/you concerned that this might rear its ugly head again, I would find out why the Senate chair wouldn’t bring it to a vote. Maybe it has nothing to do with his feelings about right or wrong. But maybe it does, in which case you should get all your trad buddies to join you in writing the chairman, thanking him for killing this garbage, reminding him of what is fair and right, and encourage him to hold the line if it comes back again. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” still works. Best luck. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: A Tip of the Cap to Larry O. Fischer #14712

Patrick, I didn’t know you ever took your hat off, to tip or otherwise! 😛 That used to be me for a long time, until I finally “came out” as a closet skinhead. Still, in winter a guy needs a cap. The short-brimmed TBM camo cap is a real good idea, as I can’t wear a standard ball cap while hunting or shooting since the string hits the brim. A bandana works pretty well too and makes it appear that I can afford to own a Harley, which I can’t. 8):wink:

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