[David Petersen]

in reply to: Hello everybody & Bear question #35210

Another Steve! Just what we need! 😀 And just when I was beginning to think everyone is named Dave. Seriously, welcome aboard and we do try to keep out the BS — the nasty kind that turns a discussion into a hateful personal argument. Glad you noticed! At risk of blowing that image, I am always compelled when folks consider buying a factory bow, to encourage them to consider one of a great many generally far superior custom Ma & Pa (or at least Pa) brands. Although you didn’t mention money as a concern, I’m just endlessly amazed at the quality of the simple but very handsome little Bush Bows (longbows) that Great Northern offers for (last I checked) well under $300. Trouble is they top at 45#, but that’s right on for you. But maybe you’re set on a recurve. I’ve had a couple of older Bears and liked them in many ways, not others, but have heard perhaps overly many legit complaints about newer Bears. I’m sure we have some Bear lovers here who will disagree, and I defer to their greater experience. My bottom line is merely to say, Look before you leap! There are SO many pretty fish in the tradbow sea today. Best luck and welcome, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Traditional events #35206

Idabow — sorry we haven’t been of any help with this good question. Guess we just don’t have a lot of “goers” here. I did K-zoo last year and while I’ve enjoyed every trad event I’ve ever attended, most have been smaller state events and the much larger K-zoo of course overwhelms. Best ever was the TBM Expo West when it was held in Ontario, OR. Huge loss for me, as I was just getting started. I’d have a hard time with the camping events like Comptons, since I’m way west and would have to fly. Most state annual gatherings it seems are in March. Only one I’m attending this year is Springfield, IL. Anyhow we weren’t ignoring you. Just a mutual lack of info I guess. Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: A long look at fletching and EFOC #34019

Doc — What is a “turbolator,” and we’d sure benefit from similar testing with slow-shooting stickbows and the longer, heavy arrows we typically shoot here. Thanks, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: 4 wheelers, Dave Peterson #34012

Of course our personal experiences will always be different due to different hunting locations, regional culture, terrain, etc. Yet we see a resounding similarity of bad ATV experiences here, and bottom line for me is very personal: In recent years and getting worse, hordes of “hunters” on ATVs have ruined more hunts for me and friends than I can count. Many or most of my favorite walk-in hunting spots are now not worth visiting. You can’t get your full-sized vehicle 30 miles off the road on a narrow trail up a mountainside or down into the black hole. That’s the difference. ATVs and dirt bikes go where no motors should because they can. ATVs and dirt bikes rip across delicate wetlands and other habitat and tear it up because they can and to some it’s “fun.” All it takes is the press of a thumb. Not all ATV riders fit the cliche of “fat and lazy.” But keep riding rather than walking, and they will be! “Use the ‘quads’ God gave us!” One man’s right to swing his arms ends just short of where the next man’s face begins. These guys don’t get it. It’s not just abuse, but overuse as well. Who ever determined that our last wildest best places for democratic public lands backcountry hunting in America are suitable playgrounds for motorized vehicles? Like any number of things that can be OK when done in moderation, in appropriate places, ATVs are way out of control. Like an award-winning CO game warden puts it (in public): “ATVs pose the greatest threat to hunting in America today. If we don’t get them under control soon, it’s the end of hunting as we know it.” This is not bias or elitism, it’s unfortunate fact. I’ve lost thousands of acres of prime hunting grounds to these damn machines. They just don’t belong on public lands. Ya just gotta see (and hear and smell) it to believe it! Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: skeletons in your closet #34005

J2 — In no way did I intend to scold you or say this/your thread is a “bad.” Rather, simply trying to refine it to what I, whose opinions are of no more value than yours or others, consider the meat of the matter.

The “fin” of rib-like bones projecting up from the spine is called the “spinal process” and the backstrap runs along either side of it, external of the rib cage. The much smaller tenderloins run opposite the backstraps, on the inside of the rib cage. On a porkchop or T-bone, the backstrap is the bigger round piece and the tenderloin is the smaller. With dead elk lying on their sides, there is always a “void” of open space between the lungs and other organs and the spine. Thanks to this void, we are able to remove the tenderloins simply by cutting up along the back rib to the spine and sawing through a few ribs, then cutting down again and pulling the ribs back … without having to gut the animal, which with elk saves a lot of work and about a foot of blood and guts up your arms! It’s all good! dave:)

[David Petersen]

in reply to: skeletons in your closet #33657

I don’t believe that discussing numbers or percentages of bad hits and lost game — while honest questions — help us much. Truth is, it happens too much, with “too much” being a relative value according to our maturity as hunters and humans, so that while we can work and succeed in reducing it, any will always remain too much. And while it’s self-evident to anyone who’s watching that a vast majority of such losses arise from hi-tech pseudo-hunters shooting dart-weight arrows with inefficient broadheads at unconscionable distances, that doesn’t change the fact that we too screw up. I sure do and this year’s elk is an example that fortunately didn’t become a disaster. The one area we can talk about in this context that is nothing but productive focuses on primary causes, both personal and gear, that lead to wounding losses, and how to overcome these problems, at least in ourselves and our traditional community. The equipment end of this discussion is what the Ashby forum is all about. The personal angle is far more difficult to get at because it requires absolute personal honestly and admission of fault, when our instincts prompt us to deny or intellectualize. If we hunt long enough, we will suffer losses. That’s a given, period. Where the real substantive grit comes into play is in how we react. We can shrug it off, which I don’t believe anybody here is inclinded to do but is all too common in the big picture of hunting. Or we can honestly explore the causes so that maybe, going forward, we won’t keep making the same mistakes. This way leads to personal growth as hunters and thoughtful humans. The shrug-off approach leads to no gains whatsoever, for us or the world, while distancing us from the very things we should be attempting to grow closer to via ethical hunting. Or so he says, blah blah blah … 🙄

[David Petersen]

in reply to: New recurve or limbs #29451

Bedrock — I love your term “real archery.” That’s it! But don’t look at me for sympathy for having to “drop” to the heaviest weight I’ve ever shot! And I used to be a weightlifter and trainer! Not knowing your financial situation but assuming you are trying to be thrifty, I strongly suggest that you sell that old classic elephant-bow and shop for a good used recurve — or reflex-deflex longbow — in your new weight range. You’ll come out ahead on both money and shooting satisfaction. For a personal example, maybe ten years ago I blew out a shoulder from shooting too much and had to drop 10 pounds in bow weight. Yet the new lighter bow shot 10 fps faster than the older heavier bow! One guy’s thots. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Dave's bull — Ashby performance report #29130

Thanks, King. You are right about the critical importance of consistent full draw, anchor point, etc. I have never suffered target panic on targets and can’t even conceive of this common problem of not being able to come to full draw, via some sort of internal pressure, with no more pressure than a target. But on live game I have had the problem over the years on occassion and pretty much have it whipped via practice and concentration. This was a special case and I probably should not have taken the shot, which doubtfully would have worked out were it not for the extra horsepower of the arrow setup. Thing was, with just a split second when the whirling bull was full broadside, my subconscious apparently told my arm there wasn’t time for a full draw. I don’t know. I do know I”d never have attempted it if the animal hadn’t been almost on top of me, feet not yards away. It was a bad shot choice under pressure of the last day of the hunt and proximitiy to the bull. But that stuff happens once in a while for many or most of us and can never be fully outgrown when circumstances combine in unexpected ways, at least in my case. All of which is to say that a clicker is a great tool under most circumstances but it wouldn’t have helped in this one. In the end, the elk pot roast we had last night was heaven. Cheers, dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Ground Hunting Tips #29106

One more vote to feet on the ground. I’ve never fallen off a tall building or out of a tree, but I did fly helicopters for a few years and am so thankful to have survived those bolt-buckets that I don’t push my luck with gravity any more than I have to these days. What I call brush blinds are a specialty with me. This elk season (month) I built 5 new ones and averaged 15 minutes each. For elk you just don’t need that much — shade overhead, brush or limbs behind to break up outline, and that’s about it, depending on level of comfort you want. Deer are more challenging for sure, but I’ve head great luck with very simple brush blinds even with Coues bucks, and they don’t come any more jumpy than that. I always carry some garden scissors, aka hand pruners, and a bit of kite string. Also a folding saw with a bone blade and a wood blade for trimming overhead limbs, etc. Usually I’m able to use the brush and limbs etc. I trim to clear a shooting lane to “build” my blind. Knee high in front is plenty. A piece of foam pad to sit on really facilitates makesshift blinds almost anywhere. I really enjoy the process of building these things and would never consider buying a hauling, sitting up and taking down, a commercial blind. Those things also absorb human odors and won’t fit in the really tight shady nooks that make the best locations. A tree stand ties you down too much, unless you put up half a dozen as a friend does. Very productive but too much money and work involves. My 2 scents. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: 2008 Study Update just posted #25932

Hiram, you nailed it, and anyone who claims otherwise is either misinformed or tragically nasty-natured. In any event I would suggest you start by readibng all the Ashby articles posted here from previous issues of TBM, which were edited specifically to cut through much of the scientific terminology and concepts to delivery just the useful facts in a way we all can grok. Then, if you want more, you can go back and read the actual study reports. I have been bowhunting at least 50 of my 63 years and never ever before “locked on” to any archery or bowhunt gooroo. Nor has Ashby ever sought that paper-hero status. But I swear, what I’ve learned from him about how arrows kill has changed my hunting life forever, and totally for the better. So, like any converted disciple, I and fellow Ashby fans feel compelled to share the joy. Ashby’s motivation is this: increase bowhunter success and ethical standing by decreasing wounding loss. Nothing more, and that’s enough! Welcome aboard, Hiram. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Whitetail for Ashby study #22644

Hey Patrick — Steve Sr.’s the guy! I always enjoy his posts, long or short. Novellas maybe, not War and Peace. 😆 dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: bow quiver #22637

I shoot very light bows, Shrews that weigh less than a pound naked. But even with heavier longbows I find that a bow quiver adds stability and accuracy. If you’re shooting a heavy-riser recurve, that’s probably not necessary. To each his own in quivers, but I carry a 30-pound pack with fanny pack when hunting so can’t use a back quiver (which wouldn’t work anyhow for snaking through thick saplings and ducking under low limbs) and can’t imagine havine one on my side, under my arm, etc. Maybe if I did all my hunting on open tundra or prairie, but not for the mountains and forests. Again, to each his own. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Hey All! #22629

Hey Rock, we love Canucks! You might benefit from TJ Conrad’s book on traditional archery and bowhunting. Sure wish I’d had it when I was starting. Pick a spot … harder to remember without sights. Welcome, dave 😀

[David Petersen]

in reply to: 4 wheelers, Dave Peterson #21463

J2 — You can check out national BHA at http://www.backcountryhunters.org We have several active state chapters, most in the West but several small ones coming along in the East as well. If you like what the group does, please join. Study our “platforms” and if you want to start an AR chapter I”m sure it would be most welcome. You’ll have to check with the national folks on the details. I resigned the national board a couple of years ago in order to devote more time to co-chairing the CO chapter, presently the largest and most active. This is a conservation group. We work to protect roadless areas, get more wilderness when it has important wildlife and water values, stop the ORV/ATV/dirt bike ruination of hunting, and other issues related to preserving hunting and fishing opportunities on public lands. Thanks for your interest. dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Dave's bull — Ashby performance report #19589

Ironcreek: You can’t go wrong with the Tusker Concord. As I hope I got across in my brief summary report of a “not perfect” shot working out due to using an Ashby system — from that and a couple of years of “simulated” tests on all the leading single-bevels that meat my standards of MA, hardness, Tanto tip, etc., I can’t find any significant difference in “end performance” on the leading three I’m familiar with: ABS Ashby, Abowyer Brown Bear, and Tusker Concord. Grizzly right now doesn’t offer left-bevel so I’ve discontinued them until they do. I expect nothing but excellent when STOS finially gets it together, and I hope there are many others. So for now all I can repeat is that to me, the ABS Ashby is the most solidly and “best” designed and built Ashby-inspired head on the market (Ed by the way doesn’t get a penny from use of his name, or anything else to do with his pure research), while the Brown Bear is the “best head for the money” being much cheaper than the ABS yet still excellent. And the Tusker is the “best inexpensive head” available. I shot all three into this compliant bull and all performed beautifully with zero visible damage to any of them. Because they are a bit thicker, the ABS and BB heads have a wider “single bevel shelf” which technically should provide a bit more intense twist and torque through tissues than the thinner Tusker. Yet the Tusker seems absolutely adequate and comes pretty darn sharp. I’d personally hunt anything with any of them and hope to see more of the same to choose from soon. If you’re hunting deer, the Tusker is way more than enough. At least that’s my experience, just one hunter. dave

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