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in reply to: Forward Riser Design and Short Draw Length #23282
I had a BW longbow and now have two Shrews, all forward-riser designs. Indeed, in my case they all shortened my draw to about 27.5″ while it is an inch longer with a straight longbow and longer yet with a recurve. But I don’t see any real difference in arrow performance. But if you’re starting with a short draw, it could matter. With the short Shrews it really makes a positive difference. With longer bows, I don’t know. I defer to someone else out there with more direct experience. dp
in reply to: First Time Bowman #23281Sotex — Can you give us more info? Any idea what weight you want to pull, or your draw length? What’s the biggest game you’d be hunting? If there’s a traditional archery shop within reach, that’s the best bet to try different weights, etc. Or someone in your area who is experienced. Lacking that, I suggest you do some reading before you start buying. There are many great archery and bowhunting books but for a beginning, for my money, I’d start with T.J. Conrads’, advertised in the magazine and somewhere on this site if you fish around. Welcome and best luck. dave
in reply to: PAYING FOR PERFORMANCE OR NAME? #19918What Patrick said! My own personal experience is that BW is a superb bow … but several other models at more or less half the price are as good or better from a purely practical point of view … for me. As P subtly suggests, there are so many superb trad bowmakers out there today that judging one top-end from another based on physical performance alone becomes impossible in any meaningful way, since how a bow “fits” a particular shooter is such a personal thing. So here kicks in either “I want the same bow all those other guys are raving about,” and/or “I can afford to pay extra for 458 varieties of gorgeous exotic woods all packed into a single great-shooting bow.” If money is a consideration, you don’t need a BW. If money is no object and you’re in love with the way BW’s look, well they shoot as good as they look! That’s a sloppy answer, just saying that I agree with Patrick here. For what it’s worth, I currently own two near-twin Shrews. One close hunting buddy owns two twin BW’s, while another owns one Shrew and a Bear. They’re all great bows and great looking. We’re talking art and personal preference here! But DON’T make the mistake of overlooking lower priced bows simply because they’re lower priced. Yes, we get what we pay for. But in these times, far too often, we pay for a lot we really don’t need. “Need vs want” is a tough one and has to be a personal call. Geeze, did I get carried away with that or what? 😀 dave
in reply to: Well I went and did it… #19910Patrick — first I’ve heard of the Kidwell book. Very intriguing, judging by the sample you offer. Tell us more, please! Like, where can we get it? Dave
in reply to: How Time Flys…. #19907Steve Sr. — (And we still need to hear about Steve Jr.) — You clearly have been blessed with a good life, reflected in your good ethics and attitudes, but I doubt better than you deserve! For myself, I want desperately to believe in karma as an active pysical force — when we do more good than harm in life, we are rewarded with good luck; and when we are jerks to others and the natural world, we are punished with bad luck. (Other terms for karma include “just desserts” and “the receiving end of the Golden Rule.” But alas, the proof is overwhelming that no such “law of the universe” is in action insofar as applying to everyone. Restricting this conversation to hunting, just look at all the “good luck” that comes to real s–theads! So at least karma, by any name or believe, doesn’t work to punish bad behavior. But on a very personal level, I believe in reaping what we sew, which helps to keep me on the straight and narrow. So far and we must hope always, you and most everyone else who’s bothering to “stand and deliver” on this uniquely positive website is on the good side of karma and the lucky side of life’s blessings. Happy holidays, all! (And I sure wish I had a hunting season left here in CO, rifle or otherwise … of course I wouldn’t carry a 10-pound rifle when I can tote my 1-pound Shrew!). Blessings, dave
in reply to: Autographed book #19612Yep, like Pothunter says, don posts here irregularly, when he’s not gone off hunting and fishing. Send him a p.m. but don’t feel slighted if he doesn’t get back to you immediately as he’s hunting whitetails and birds daily now and works a week a month on an Indian reservation with no internet. TBM sells many of Don’s books, some of which are signed, if that’s all you want. If you want it personalized, best to contact Don. Indeed, he spins a good yarn and is never short of fresh stories and experiences! dave
in reply to: Well I went and did it… #19594Right on, Rocks! One in the bag, another in the mail! Now that’s excitement! I’d expect that sporting good store will be selling more bows soon — to your work pals there who see you shooting! Mark’s puppy analogy is perfect, and his practice advice is good. Expect some string stretch as you break the bow in, which may require putting in a few more twists to keep the nocking point at the same elevation in relation to the arrow shelf. Think I’ll go outside and sling a few myself! dave 😀
in reply to: Hunting Knives #18435Snuffornot — gorgeous antler and leather work! I’ve done a few antler handles but nothing that nice, and I”m clueless how to deal with leather that thick. Any field gear we make ourselves always increases the satisfaction of the hunt! dave
in reply to: The "older" Bowhunter #17737Hiya Ralphs — You’ll get a lot better response to this question if you post a new thread, probably in the bows and arrows forum. Good darn question! dave
in reply to: Take down vs one piece #15609Dave — you’re able to change limbs only on a 3-piece takedown, which limits you to mostly recurves and heavy handled (thus not the traditional norm) longbows. So don’t overlook two-piece takedowns, mostly the excellent hybrid “reflex deflex” longbows, of which there are a great many excellent brands from which to choose. My Shrew takedown weighs less than a pound! But 2-piece or 3, the primary advantage to a take-down bow is — that it takes down! 😆 As you suggest, the suitcase option is essential in today’s insane airline world, unless you don’t mind paying an additional $50 bucks each way for a bow case, and have no worries that when you arrive in AK or Africa the airlines will have sent you bow to Hawaii or China. Takedown is also a real boon to backpack hunting and horse-packing. I’ve owned several and made several more and frankl see zero practical disadvantage to well-make take-downs compared to one-piece. Except they cost a bit more. From my experience, which is more than limited but far short of complete. Dave
in reply to: Tamarack Shafts? #15602Hey Steve, I suspect that if you’d bop this question over to “Bowyer’s Bench” forum you find a lot more focused and experience audience. The search for viable alternatives to cedar has definitely found its time, for better or worse. dave
in reply to: ammo selection #12960Konrad — The ABS folks are far more familiar with compound set-ups than anyone here is likely to be, and they’re anxious to spread this important info to the compound community. So go to their website and either email or call Garrett or Ed with your questions. They have a shaft that’s right for you. I also advise you forget 19 percent as a goal and try for 25% or better, which is where I see the greatest “upward pulse” of penetration advantage. With synthetic shafts and heavy heads you can attain it easily and will be happily surprised at how good the flight will be, even with vanes, out to reasonable yardage. dave
in reply to: Intentional Shoulder Shot #12955SlowBowInMO wrote: If a deer had no bones at all, the best shot is still not in the shoulder blade area. I’m all for tuning a set up for maximum penetration, but I can’t for the life of me see a good reason to intentionally shoot a deer in the shoulder regardless of the set up.
Lots of truth and good points in what many are saying here, but the above from SloMo pretty much sums up my own views in the fewest words. As posted elsewhere, on this year’s bull elk one of the test shots I took on the just-dead animal was a 45-degee shoulder shot from 15 yards. Ashby-designed arrow (680 grains total, single-bevel head, 26+ percent FoC) blew a big hole in the scapula and penetrated 18″. 55# bow. This and other tests of my own and other hunters I’ve heard from, plus Ashby’s research, says that yes, with a good solid Ashby arrow setup and a bow not too weak or slow, you most likely can get good penetration on a deer shoulder (I know nothing about the penetration dynamics of steep-down treestand shots). Yet, that physical fact is not ethical license to purposely do it, because as SloMo and others have pointed out (I really love J.’s “moving” deer anatomy diagram), it’s not a high-odds shot, so why take it? That shot –highest odds — will consistently be level with the game, broadside, low behind front leg. We should stop occassionally to recall Ashby’s bottom-line motivation in doing this work (and it’s the same motivation that inspires me and most other “Ashby disciples”: NOT to allow us to take low-odds shots and get away with it, but rather to supply solid insurance when “good” shots go bad, increasing odds for fast humane kills and prompt game recovery. Thus, to me, this knowledge allows me to aim a bit farther forward, right over the heart, doing my best not to hit bone but knowing that if I do, I have a setup that will handle it. Insurance, pure and simple, as I believe Steve Sr. is also saying. Good discussion, amigos! Dave
in reply to: Public, Private or both? #63004Steve, this “choice” is most often, I’d guess, a matter of what’s available where we live and hunt. Throughout much of the Midwest and East, it’s private land or nothing. Throughout much of the West, it’s public land or nothing, unless you can afford to pay to play on private land. I too am blessed with access to both, but I pay dearly for the public by sacrificing all promising career/income opportunities to live where I do, and I pay dearly for limited private access by acting as caretaker for several adjacent absentee owners year-round (running off a growing onslaught of trespassers( in return for hunting September alone. Here in the West, private land is often the best easy-access big game hunting, esp. for trophy animals, because it has fewer hunters and a growing body of research shows that massive early season public land hunter numbers — archery and black powder — combined with excessive use of ATVs, drives elk and other big game off public lands and onto private, where they are relatively safe because the average Dave or Steve can’t hunt there. And so here we are again (or “here he goes again”) when it comes to public lands hunting: there are too many of us out there, and too many of us have far too big “footprints” by running around on ATVs and in the case of elk blowing on bugles as if they were the Piper’s pipe. Time is coming soon — and already has in parts of many western states — where there can either be lots of hunters and all the motors we want, but very short and low-success seasons … or fewer of us with no motors (beyond “system” roads) and long seasons with high success, as in large parts of Idaho. CO does almost everything wrong regarding big game seasons. So far, the “bull market” CO big game “Wallstreet” hasn’t crashed. But if they/we continue offering unlimited tags and no meaningful restrictions on ATVs, it WILL happen and to those of us who live here and pay close year to year attention, it already is.
Sorry to wander off topic, Sr. but your question was rather open-ended! 😛 Cheers, dave
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