[David Petersen]

in reply to: short bows #52919

SB — Is this an all-wood longbow at 52″ or does it have glass? What’s your draw length? What about stacking? dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: 4 wheelers, Dave Peterson #49595

Eskew, as in Lane? Must be, as who would dare to pretend to be you? 😀 And of course you are right. Aside from the long-distance noise and long-lasting habitat damage, what ATVs do to harm hunting is deliver too many people, too easily, into what used to be prime backcountry wildlife habitat and happy boot-power hunting grounds. We can add bush planes to that problem in places. But like it or not and I don’t expect that many of us like it, hunting has become Big Industry, as Lane points out. In that light a second big bad hit to hunting is the GPS and all the digital maps and info that now come with them. Now anyone can go anywhere in the backcountry with no navigation skills, no experience and thus no fear of getting lost so long as the batteries don’t run out. (Before GPS, the average hunter never got more than a half-mile away from the road.) That of course is a very mixede blessing but definitely adds to backcountry crowding that didn’t previously exist. And horses — there’s an outfitter for about every square mile around here it seems. Just too many hunters with increased access to former backcountry, from a combo of causes. Yet we all get too easily co-opted to support the industry-inspired call that “Hunting is dying! We need to recruit more new hunters!” Sure we do, if we have something sell to them! Some well-intended folks are even taking their kids to game farms to execute captive animals for their “first blood” because they have no better way or place at hand to “intruduce kids to hunting.” But that ain’t hunting. If you know of a place with lots of game and not enough hunters and no ATVs — a place that “needs more hunters,” please let me know so I can move there! Here on Colorado’s public lands we are overrun with hunters and because muzzle-loading season is piled on to of archer, the easy season is quickly becoming more crowded than rifle seasons. Part of the reason is, as Lane states: it’s a business. The other part is that we’re losing habitat like crazy, both private and public lands that were uncrowded and still wild enough to be a huge adventure just half a century ago, when I was a kid. And we, the “common” hunters, not only don’t get nearly involved enough in stopping this trend, but are all too easily suckered into helping the enemies. WE DON’T NEED MORE HUNTERS. WE NEED MORE BETTER HUNTERS! Darn Lane, you knew this would happen — set me off! — didn’t you old friend? Anon

[David Petersen]

in reply to: short bows #49231

I started bowhunting in the early 1960s with a Ben Pearsson Bobcat. Can’t recall the length but it was 48-52″ — very short and I did just fine shooting competition with it also. A few years ago I bought a vintage Bear KM Blackbear (the cheap version) and really enjoyed it too but it was lighter draw so I only hunted turkey with it (sold it to a Ute Indian girl, which was cool). Most of the wood bows I’ve built are around 58″ but do stack tremendously. I now own two near-twin Shrew Classic Hunters, 53# and 55# at 28″, both 54″ long, one a take-down. While these bows weren’t literally made in Heaven (in fact, in Gregg Coffey’s shop), they sure seem to be. With short bows that shoot this beautifully with no stack, I can’t imagine why anyone hunts with a long longbow unless you’re building your own. Several issues back, TBM ran an article by Fred Asbell extolling the virtues of short bows. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: God's Dog… #48523

Steve — You’ve really hit on a “heart spot” for me with this! No need to demonize those who choose to hunt predators; that’s not the point here. The point is that I’m not alone in feeling a strong hunter’s bond with fellow predators. Too late in the evening now and I’m too tired to tell it in a way to give its due, but we’ve had an amazing relationship here in rural CO with coyotes over the years, from them pretending to want to play with our dogs and trying thus to lure them into the woods where the rest of the family awaits (a coyote “pack” is almost always a mother and young adult pups)in ambush for dinner. Can’t blame ’em either! That never worked, and this past summer we’ve had “Lonely,” who began as aggressive to my small wife and our dogs (one Golden, one half that size) on their morning walks and I determined he must be rabid and figured I had to kill him. But I wasn’t very enthusiastic about it and he was smart enough to stay hidden when I came around with the .22. Within a couple of weeks of every-morning encounters Lonely had become as close to a pet as we want wild animals to be. He’d come out and play tail chase with the dogs and bark like a dog but keep a cautious distance from my wife. Some morning he was waiting for them at the top of our drive. When he disappeared a month or so ago, we all were heartbroken, esp. the dogs.

But all of that aside and to each his own, it really gives me a boost when hunters reach a point of maturity and self-restraint that they can sit back, let the bow down, and enjoy the experience for what it is. There is no argument here with those who feel differently and I won’t go there as it’s pointless. This is how I see it and have long been convinced the long-term rewards to us are greater this way. Sure, there are situations that differ. We’re talking the rule with predators, not the exceptions. I flat-out admire them and don’t at all begrudge their fair share of the game. A coyote, after all, can’t just stop off for a pizza on the way home. More power to you, brother Steve. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Hickory Self Bows #44943

Snuffornot — I really like the snakeskin look you get by burning. Wish I’d thought of that a long time ago. I’ve built about three dozen wood bows and some of the longest-lasting and all around best have been of hickory. I switched mostly to osage because it’s so much easier to work. By slicing a 1/8″ lam of a hickory board, reversing it and gluing back on as a backing, I was able to up the speed a bit, get shorter bows and a lot better survival rate. But when it works there’s nothing more satisfying than a true self bow. Scrape on! Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Coming out of the hunting closet #44939

I swear we’re going to have to start giving all you Steves numbers to keep you straight! 😀 To your question of whether to start with a stickbow or recurve … it all depends on what bottom line you’re hunting for. There is no argument that in many cases, especially at the starting level, “training wheels” offer advantages. For one thing, once you get it sighted in and arrows tuned, you don’t really have to practice much if at all to be accurate at known distances. So if it’s your primary goal to kill an elk with a “bow,” and you don’t have a lot of time to practice and you understandably need some self-confidence building, nobody can criticize you for taking that half-step. The major personality quality required to be a traditional bowhunter, in my experience, is the ability, as Snuffornot says, to enjoy hunting without always killing. It was easy for me since the compound arrow-launching device was years away from being invented when I took up bowhunting. Took me 4 years to kill my first deer, hunting alone and with no support structure whatsoever. I don’t think I’ve ever been a better hunter than in those years. Just a wonderful experience spending tons of time in the woods alone, studying nature and trying to figure it all out for myself. But if you can keep ’em in a foot or less consistently at 20 yards with a stick, it might prove easier than you think. Deer may seem like supernatural beings at times, but if you put in enough time and try hard enough, you’ll always have opportunities. It would be great if you had hogs there as well. I politely differ from any and all advice that says you need this or that, 3d, a blind, or any other special gear. This stuff can wor, no argument. But you don’t need any of it to succeed and too much of it becomes an anchor. Wear blend-in clothing including gloves and face mask, stay in the shade, don’t move when a deer may be looking at you and move slowly always, try not to spread scent walking to your blind with smelly clothes and fabric boots and by touching trees and stuff with your hands as you go along. One of the greatest joys of traditional bowhunting for me is seeing how much “stuff” I can get by without. Turns out, that’s most all of it aside from bow and arrows! And don’t get too hung up on what others say, including myself. Making your own mistakes and figured things out independently is tremendously satisfying. I’m envious, as I don’t get to hunt again until December. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Opinions and advice on arrow setup #42363

Rocks — The ABS Ashby is arguably the premiere big game head on the market. Its “downsides” are cost and extreme hardness of the steel, making sharpening a challenge for many of us. Check out Dr. Ashby’s advice on sharpening hard-steel single-bevels here in the Ashby Library. I shot one through a bull elk scapula this year. It blew open a big hole with a hinge of bone and went on to penetrate 18 inches … a 45 degree angle shot from 15 yards. The point came through without a scratch. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Carbon Arrows: A Stiff Side #40442

Patrick — uh, what video?:? dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Question about Cresting Paints #40438

Fellers — you might get more response on this one over on the bow and arrow forum. I can’t help as I don’t crest. But I do have cresting tape on some arrows and now am inspired to take if off and see how much if any it affects FoC. Certainly, if changing fletching a little bit can alter FoC, 6″ of fletching tape, and perhaps a lot of fletching paint, can logically do the same.

Now, someone please remind me the best way to remove fletching tape!

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Carbon Arrows: A Stiff Side #39901

Steve — sorry. 😮 When I say cheap I always insert WalMart. My assumption is that CE makes a whole line of shafts and those sold at WalMart are the bottom on the line or even seconds in some way. Just referring to those particular shafts (all they say is 4560) not necessarily all CE’s. They shoot great and the extra lightness is a real advantage for getting EFoC. But indeed, they split and/or break right behind the head when shooting heavy heads as I do. If they work for you, you sure don’t need my blessings. 😀 I try always to make clear that my opinions and my experience are only that and nothing more. One guy’s take, not “the way it is.” Cheers, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Carbon Arrows: A Stiff Side #39089

Patrick — Unique to Grizzstiks so far as I know. And while I do admire your inventiveness in super-tuning to the stiff side, I can’t even find the darned stiff side and so have for now given up on these otherwise superb shafts. I hear they’re coming out with a new generation with no stiff side, for club-fingered goof like me. Maybe they’ll give you a screaming deal on the remaining stiff-siders. Truly, that is a good suggestion, yet I just don’t have the touch for it and it shows in arrow flight. On the other hand, I hunted this year with WalMart el cheapo Carbon Express, straight shafts that require no stiff-side tuning. But they also don’t have that great Grizz taper and strength, and tend to split behind the head more often than cedars break off there. I have 11 months to determine a new combo for next year, and hope to heck it can be back to woodies again. But frankly the quality has plummted in recent years, in my experience, so that no matter how much you spend on woody shafts they tend to be wide-ranging in spine and weight per dozen and hard or impossible to keep straight. At some point tradition has to give way to reliability. That’s all I ask, reliability. Glad you’re happy with your Grizzstiks. ABS folks are seriously into quality. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Abowyer Brown Bears #37742

Patrick — I’m with Steve Sr. in my surprise at your experience with a bent-tip BB. Where did it bend? The very tip of the Tanto, or farther down? Doesn’t seem possible that a wood block could bend 50 rockwell steel. Absolutely not doubting you (is this why you’re dumping your BB’s?), just really surprised. I”d take Steve’s advice and send the offending head back to Abowyer for replacement and explanation.All I can say is that I shot them (along with ABS Ashby, Tusker Concords and others) all summer into a dirt pile that has a lot of big gravel. Not once did I experience any bending from rock contact, and after countless shots all any of the heads needed was a few strokes with a mill file to get ’em ready for the KME and hunting. I also have done a lot of experimental shooting into trees at angles, with no bends or breaks. Mosgt recently I shot through (live, soon to be dead) elk bone with not the slightest dulling. Very strange. Anyhow, I use only 2-tube epoxy on all carbon fittings and have never had a problem with steel adapters, only with brass inserts coming loose. Also, please don’t use aluminum in any way shape or form for carbon or alum shaft fittings — Doc’s well-researched advice. I still say, at this moment and in my admittedly far from complete experience, the ABS Ashby is the strongest and best-build broadhead available today. The Abowyer BB is the best value for the money, while the most head for the least money is the Tusker Concord. Still awaiting the new STOS and Grizzly, alas. d

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Anyone ever break their bow hand? #37732

Jarrod — I once broke my left wrist, my bow hand, rock climbing. Simple fracture. Fortunately it was fall, after hunting season, and by summer it was history. At that time we had no turkeys here so spring wasn’t an issue. I also broke my right ankle on April’s Fools Day (night), and within two weeks, with a boot cast, was out hunting turkey on crutches. Within a month, by which the last snow had melted and the ground dried enough that my crutches didn’t sink in 2′, I was able to do a slow 2-mile circuit. “How long until I can, say, jump over a small creek and land on that foot?” I asked my doc (Dr. Dave Sigurslid). “A year,” he replied. I’ll try to get Dave on here to offer expert advice. With a broken bow hand (where, exactly?) you’re talking about applying push-pressure. With a broken string or drawing hand, you’re talking about pull-pressure. The sort answer from my experience is that you can do remarkable things real soon if the break is only a simple fracture and it’s correctly reinforced and you know what you’re doing and are careful. But for full “forget about it” healing it takes about a year. A friend in AK pushed his luck and now will likely limp flat-footed the rest of his life. Just not worth it. dave (not doc).

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Performance Report: A successful failure #35231

For those watching but not commenting, I would like to point out here that Dr. Ashby and “we” in general have no interest in, and no reason to attempt to demonize certain brands while boasting on others. This is simply “it is, what it is” stuff. What works, works. What doesn’t work, doesn’t. For the benefit of the animals we hunt, ourselves and the image and reality of modern bowhunting, we want to know what works and what doesn’t even when “stuff happens” we hadn’t planned on. In this ongoing examination there are no “favorite” broadheads based merely on personal anecdotal experience or manufacturer affiliations. We want data far and wide, win or lose, which is why Dr. Ashby and we so appreciate those who have printed out his field report forms and thereby entered their experiences into his records and study. What happens to individual bowhunters is only that. If the same things happen to a hundred or a thousand bowhunters, that is reliable information. Please keep it coming, both here and by way of the forms. You know, on a personal side note, I’d much rather be able to say that 3-blades are the most lethal under all circumstances, because they look so lethal and more importantly, they’re a snap to sharpen, which counts for a lot with many of us. Yet, shucks, both in my long personal experience and in the data, it just ain’t so. Shucks, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: 4 wheelers, Dave Peterson #35220

Jason, believe me we appreciate law-abiding motorized users. Just like every time I come alongside a Harley rider who actually has mufflers on his bike, I thank him! But I must repeat that the ATV (and in places, increasingly, dirt bike) problem is not just abuse, but also and mostly “authorized” overuse. For a couple of decades now the agencies totally ignored this growing threat, having no experience with it. The result is that the very rich ORV industry and many very dedicated users (most of the straight-arrows, but still in the millions and growing faster than cancer cells) pushed and pushed for more and more until now it’s entirely out of control and the FS itself rates ORV “use” as a top threat to public lands. And what threatens public lands threatens habitat and wildlife, thus hunting. You are viewing this, quite reasonable, from a personal-experience point of view. Many others of us have had to view it in the big picture. They just never quit coming. And coming. So far as ATVs vs. full-sized vehicles (and I think I noted this someplace here before but what the heck) — an elk researcher who is studying road, trail and motorized impacts on elk movements during hunting season coined the term “vehicle spawning.” That is, in older times one or two vehicles would come in and set up a camp. Today those same trucks are pulling ATV trailers and so suddenly you have 4 or a dozen. Used to be we figured ways to do drop-offs and get by with fewer vehicles. The convenience of ATVs puts far more motors out there. Used to be, with far fewer vehicles out there, we could walk out of camp and hunt with no need to drive. Thanks to a gross overreliance on ATVs, that’s no more the case. Thank God for wilderness! Yet, should the majority of hunters and other backcountry users be banished without a whimper to only wilderness, because we’ve allowed a minority of motorized users to take over the rest? We see your point of view and understand. We hope you can likewise see ours. This is a motorized world and even in wilderness we can’t escape airplanes. We go hunting, many of us, in large part to escape the sounds and smells of motors and the huge crowds they bring. Without demonizing anyone, we still maintain — motors don’t belong in the backcountry! Thanks for listening, dave

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