[David Petersen]

in reply to: Time Well Spent….. #50945

Duncan — Nice to find another Berry fan! That poetic old farmer wasn’t a sportsman, but he sure understood our loves and losses. My all-time favorite, for its poignancy as well as beauty, is “Knee-deep in Its Absence.” All that was here once and now is lost to “progress,” Wendall reflects while walking a long-familiar but much-changed landscape, “I walk knee-deep in its absence.” Either we’re on that bus or we’re not. So much less painful to be not, yet too great a loss of engagement with life to contemplate. Stay warm, be well. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: AZ Coues hunters? #50941

Thanks, my friends. I am home and glad of it. This is the sort of hunt that after, we with we hadn’t boasted about before, so we don’t have to disappoint our friends who want to hear the good news.

Good news: Lovely place in the northern range of the Coues in AZ, nearly 20 miles from the paved road and in the 5 days I was there, not a single other vehicle came in that far. Most wisely stop at the sign reading “Do not attempt to drive beyond this point when roads are wet, under penalty of law.” The boot- and tire-sucking mud in this place is infamous. So, I had it all to myself.

Except the first day when my AZ friend Christian was there to help me choose a good camp and hunting area. We scouted with shotguns and C’s German shorthair, and had a blast with Gambel’s quail and cottontails. Coues tracks were everywhere but unfortunately so were watering places, this area having been blessed with 2″ rain a week before. Next morning C left and I spent the next 4 days and nights alone and hunting hard in gorgeous country — no moo cows, no other humans — but alas, no deer sighted either, nary a one. “Buckbrush” was head high on a basketball pro and the little whitetails just didn’t come out in daylight hours. So when rain and snow joined the howling winds Wed. morning I pulled camp and drove home, the last 2 hours through a snowstorm in the dark with snowpacked roads, only to get stuck a quarter-mile from the cabin, to which I postholed most gladly.

Last year, by comparison, I spent 12 glorious night and days camped and had to suffer no more than a bit of wind a few days and saw deer and pigs everyday. That’s the nature of the game, ain’t if fellers? Sorry to disappoint you with such a sad tale, but frankly it was an adventure in itself and I’m at once grateful to have gone and grateful to be home. Already thinking about an Aug. Coues hunt to the same lovely area.

Now, let’s hear YOUR winter hunt adventures! Warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday for you and your families … and esp. to those of you who are alone, as I have been so many holidays in the past. Cheers, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Beautiful last day of the season in NY #50003

Hey Alex — Great to see you relaxing with good hunts after all those months slaving over “Going Home.” We just gave it a second listen tonight and it’s soaking into the ears and seeping into heart real good! All my favorite, most meaningful and lasting music (like books and friends) has grown on me gradually — while the flash-bang stuff was mere passing entertainment. You do great work, making the world a happier place, brother music! Not a bad bowhunter, either. We just finished eating the last of your last year’s perfect elk in time to make room in the freezer for my this-year’s elk. Guard those fingers, Alexandre Bugnon, essential for both piano and bow! dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Five stages of a deer hunter #49992

Alex! Brother, looks like you had a really hard night just before that photo was taken! 🙄 Another late double performance? On “hunter stages,” this of course assumes that the hunter/person is not so stuck in “true believing” that they can’t open the mind and heart to learn and grow. Today, so sadly, most “hunters” seem stuck in permanent immaturity. By studying the stages — how we should progress as hunters and humans — it becomes painfully obvious when we encounter poor souls stuck in permanent immaturity. By asking the hard questions of ourselves and not lying to ourselves, we can work through the stages to “wisdom.” I’m still working on it! 😀 dp

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Intentional Shoulder Shot #40339

Thanks, Mudfish. Doc Ashby will be delighted to have you to talk shop with when he returns. 😀 dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: More Whitetails for Study #40335

That’s one heck of an exit wound! Thanks for taking the inside hide shot, which demonstrates Ashby’s “twisted cloth” effect of a single-bevel that’s still turning when it exits, “winding” the hide around itself so that the exit hole is large and ragged. From the photo, it would appear the buck was shot from almost straight above? Congrats and thanks for sharing. Doc is still mending from multiple ailments but will be back to catch up with us soon. Cheers, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: AZ Coues hunters? #40324

Muddy — happy to, if it ever happens. Had to delay a week due to major snow here at home and big rains in AZ. Now rescheduled to leave this Friday and return Christmas day. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Weight forward guestion #36893

That’s what I’d do, and have done. There really is no down-side to adding more and more weight up front until you reach a point either where your shaft is underspined or the overall weight of the arrow is so heavy that you can’t shoot it accurately at hunting distances (out to 20 yards for most of us). Before Ashby clued us in, we thought a 145 was a heavy head. Manufacturers are now racing to come out with glue-on heads in the 250 range. Brass inserts are cheaper than broadheads and you can work with those if you want — pop up to 100 and see what happens. I think you can get brass inserts in 25-grain increments up to maybe 175. I’m shooting head/adapter combos in the 300 grain range with 100 brass inserts with light carbon shafts. Accuracy is superb, bow is solent, FoC is 26+%, but the total 680 grain arrow weight may be more than you want or need if you don’t plan hunting anything bigger than deer or pigs. We all owe it to ourselves to start stacking weight on the front to see how high we can go. Good luck, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: what bow for long draw length #36881

In fact lots of bows, both recurves and longbows, can easily handle a 32″ draw, esp. at a lighter weight like 50#. I’d simply start shopping for bows that you like and check with the bowyer to make sure it’s up to it. What you want to avoid of course is stacking that last couple of inches, and that’s where the bowyer’s craft and/or a longer bow will make the difference. Keith Chastain, in Colo. is a long-tall fellow himself and makes bows especially for long-draw archers. You might try googling him. The one shorter bow I know of that can handle that long a draw is the Shrew. Check out their website and give Rob a call. A really long bow is a hindrance to many types of hunting, from tree standing to sneaking through brushy country or low-limbed forests. It also requires that you have some sort of seat to raise you off the ground enough to get bottom limb clearance in a ground blind. At your height, if you can find a 62″ bow that shoots well for you … well, that’s a starting point. Good luck, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Anyone else hate gun season? #35665

Hey Alex — great to see you here. Glad you’ve come to dance with us! 😆 Don’t you have a new jazz CD about to come out? Tell us about it. Where can I order copies for me and my friends (all 3 of them?)! After all, we don’t have many top-end jazz-pianist/composer trad bowhunters out there. Is there anyplace online yet where we can sample your latest? So you and Steve Mc are still hunting out there in the Far East? Steady on, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Apache BARR bows #33208

JC, if you don’t find help here, maybe someone in the Collector’s Corner forum would be more likely to know? You didn’t say outright but it sounds like an older bow made by a long defunct outfit? Best luck, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Posting Pictures in the Forums #33206

Uh Larry — ain’t we already double post-millenial/ium? Sorry, I’m easily confused but as a lefty who writes “upside down” I can relate to the slanted lines in your journal — the lines, not necessarily the words! 😛 dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Chasing Whitetails in the season's first snowfall! #33205

STeve — Is that old guy in the last photo your father? :P:lol: dave “the younger”

[David Petersen]

in reply to: AZ Coues hunters? #24408

Thanks, traddad! I appreciate the tips and will check out the website. Leaving next week and I have a full week or more to bowhunt Coues and quail (the latter with a 12 bore but no dog). Leftover tag from last January. A benny of living in the SW! Dave 😀

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Bear Kodiak Magnum-a good choice? #23284

Steve’s advice is objective and sound. My own is more subjective: I’ve owned a couple of Grayling Bears including a KM … and loved ’em! My general advice on Bears — based far more on the experience of others than my own — is Graylings are great but since then, including now, it’s iffy compared to most custom bows. If the price is right and shew shoots goods, that’s a collector’s item as well as a good hunting tool. While I’m settled into Shrews for the duration, I’d scoop up an old Grayling Bear, at a good price, in a heartbeat, just for the nostalgia if nothing else. My 1 cent worth. dp

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