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Rain continues to plague us here, including this morning, with the general archery season ending Sunday. Like last year I may have to go into overtime to make meat on a cow tag–bowhunting in rifle season.
This is a particular tough season with rain setting elk free of waterholes and now that they’re all herded up the bugling has stopped, so ends my stalking buglers. But on nice days it’s still a joy to be out there as something interesting is always going on, if only we look closely enough. Last evening this doe and big fawn came in where I was sitting in a hillside ground blind and hung around well within range for half an hour, allowing me to get a bunch of photos and learn a few more details of deer behavior when they’re relaxed. I love having non-target animals come in while I’m hunting, because it tells me I’m doing good work. For example these deer are right where I walked through a couple of hours before, so I obviously didn’t leave a scent trail. When I’m sitting I always have a camera right beside me, and if I’m able to use it to take pics, then I’d also be able to get my bow up and draw if it was a target animal. And of course it’s always fun and a privilege to be able to observe wary wildlife in a natural setting. Notice how much scruffier these prime muleys are than whitetails. I have a buck tag but much prefer eating elk. Good luck to all. I’ll be back at it soon’s the rain and wind move on.
Paleo– The story of the spear point I found early in the hunting season and posted a pic of here, continues to unfold in interesting ways. First opinions from the pros are that it’s either Plainview, around 10,000 years old, or–Clovis! That would put it much older yet. In either case it could be the oldest point ever found in these parts. It’s on it’s way to the U. of NM for examination by the leading expert on stone points in the SW. Now, every time I pass that spot I can’t help but circle around for a while looking for the rest of it. But the standard situation with spear points is that the broken off points are found in hunting areas, and the rest, which tends to stay attached to the spear and so is retrieved by the hunters, are found in camping areas and generally have been reworked into another tool. It’s one thing to “know” that hunters thousands of years ago covered the same terrain that I’m covering now … but an entirely more real and personal feeling to have found evidence that you can hold in your hand of their hunting here, which makes their spirits so virtually palpable that I can almost see them at times, wispy shadows slipping through the dark woods. I could spend eternity like that, the happy hunting grounds.
Here’s the best I can do for now. Reddog, as I have no more shafts so can’t do a step-by-step. In the left arrow you can see the thin red line which is the spline. In the right arrow I’ve highlighted it with a felt pen for better visibility, which is why it’s a bit wobbly.
Using either a tapered or blunt-end shaft, measure back the distance you want to spline to extend and mark–I used 4″ from the tip. Longer would be even better but I just don’t trust myself to make a straight cut much longer. Now use a straight edge to draw a line–and some eyeballing is required–parallel down the center of the shaft from tip to stop mark and aligned so that the cut will be 90 degrees, perpendicular, to the shaft grain. I have an el cheapo Craftsman bandsaw and the table has a gap, or slot, running straight into the blade that’s perfect for using as a guide to feed the shaft in. I really don’t think you could do this with a hand saw. Carefully feed the shaft into the blade to the stop mark. Now turn the shaft over 180 degrees and feed it through again to clean and slightly widen the slot. I used 11/32 and wouldn’t care to try it with anything slimmer, though it likely can be done with a steady hand. A spline no thicker than the width of a wood matchstick is about right, any kind of hardwood. I took a sheet of bow lam wood and marked it to 4″ length and 11/32 width and cut out all the splines I needed for the job ahead of time. Now use a piece of new stiff medium-grit sandpaper to smooth the interior of the notch on one side and then the other. After a while you can move to a doubled sheet so that you’re widening the slot on both sides at once. When you have a snug fit with the spline wood–not so tight it bulges out the shaft–coat the spline with waterproof wood glue (I use TiteBond3), insert and align and clamp lightly till dry. (I learned right off that a C clamp can easily dent soft spruce and now use padded-jaw spring clamps.) When dry, use a razor to trim any excess spline then smooth with fine sandpaper and refinish that portion of the shaft and you’re set to go.
This by no means turns a softwood shaft into a carbon shaft, but it definitely makes it significantly less prone to breaking, sufficient so that I now feel, after meaningful testing, that I can ethically use them on elk (after I had one break last year behind the head). It’s tedious work, rather like fletching or tying flies, and offers the same sort of satisfaction if you’re in no hurry. But if you set up like a factory line — cut all the shaft notches, sand ’em all, etc. it goes pretty fast. Good luck, Dave
Alex–bring your best rain gear absolutely waterproof boots and use all your connections to get someone to turn the tap off. Dave and Bruce, thanks amigos. I’m still around but have had some issues to deal with, like stewing in my own juices thanks to torrential daily rains and some annoying personal issues keeping me from hunting. Forecast looks better next week. Good weather and good hunting and good health to you all. Dave (aka crazy old man)
Thanks guys for all the good info. Thanks to a tip from Steve Graf–one of those “Now why didn’t that occur to me?” deals–I used 4″ long hardwood splines inserted across the grain to strengthen the fronts of the shafts. In stumping with Ace blunts I was unable to break a single one. I did lose some FOC by removing the 20-grain aluminum collars, but I’m still over 20% with total weight just over the minimum 650 grains. This is what I’m hunting with … or would be if the rain would ever stop, plus I’ve been annoyed by a combo of minor med problems. So basically, it’s been a non-season for me. I heard the first three bugles the evening of the 7th and the rain began the next day. It’s raining buckets this minute. In such prolonged conditions the elk go to ground and their voices go silent. So I may, or more likely may not, get a chance to try the new arrow setup on an elk this year.
And most importantly, good health to Larry Fischer!
