[David Petersen]

in reply to: What to do with an old Bear #27616

What to do with an old bear? Well, it will predictably be tough, so I’d marinate it a long time in BBQ sauce then cook it very slowly and eat it like shredded pork. Bear jerky?

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Sitka spruce and EFOC, failed experiment #18911

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

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Sitka spruce and EFOC, failed experiment #16715

Reddog — Things are in an uproar here right now. Give me a few days and I’ll get a photo and explanation to you. It’s not a footing, but just a thin spline of hardwood inserted into a slot cut with a band saw and glued in place. I’m no engineer but guess it at least quadruples the strength of the business end of the wood shaft.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Colorado '13, from concrete jungle to aspen jungle! #14370

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)

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Sitka spruce and EFOC, failed experiment #14166

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!

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Sitka spruce and EFOC, failed experiment #40451

Thanks Troy, but no helps since I’m not set up to taper shafts like that. I do have a couple of compressed hickory shafts from many moons ago after I first read Ashby’s Natal Study, which got me started on the heavy-arrow trail from which I’ve never flinched since. But they weighed in the 840s with 125 grain heads so we’re looking at 940s with 225 heads and well over a grand with the big tough 300s I prefer! And I was shooting a 64# recurve back in those days. Don’t they’d they get very far very fast from my 54# selfbow … but I may give a try just for the fun of it.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Is 10 GPP enough for elk? #40445

I suggest you graduate to the 350s, which will handle much heavier head weights. The magic numbers according to Ashby’s studies and confirmed by my own experience (I kill an elk, clean as a bird whistle, pretty much every year) and others who have actually tried it are minimum total arrow weight of 650 grains and FOC of 20% or better for best insurance in case you hit heavy bone. And of course a very strong and streamlined broadhead. Both weight and EFOC are easily attainable with the 350s, which is what I shoot, also cut to 29.5″ with 450 up front for a bit over 700 total and EFOC around 28%. That combo, with a heavy single-bevel head, has not failed me yet, and I’ve racked up a big bunch of “yets” over the years. Speed is always a bonus but really doesn’t figure in much at all to lethality on huge animals. Weight is where it’s at for lethal penetration on big tough crits like elk. This year I’m shooting a selfbow that gets about 140fps with elk weight arrows, and that’s more than enough at the close ranges I’ve found mandatory to consistently assure precise hits. Good luck.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Bear Scouting Pics #40248

My hat is off to Etter and others who hunt bears fair chase. There was an article in TBM a few years ago about fair chase methods for hunting bears that might be of use, as it’s based on tips from top bear experts from East and West. It’s also in a certain unmentionable book, though I forget the title and author. If it’s still hot and water is scarce, remote water midday is high odds, or at least it sure is here in the West where they hit it most every day. But there’s probably too many sources there in the SE. Best luck.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Sitka spruce and EFOC, failed experiment #40093

Steve, I fear you are right.

Gary, does this stuff soak completely in, like an oil … or build up on the surface like epoxy? If the latter it won’t work as the glue-on heads will no longer fit, and to not coat the tip that fits into the head would create yet another weak point immediately behind the head. If this idea is to work is has to completely penetrate and not build up on the surface.

Thanks for the ideas!

And yes, beer helps everything except the waistline.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: 300 gr. blunts? #40089

Thanks, fellers, and especially Handirifle … but please don’t go to the trouble. I’m OK to keep needling about the market need for them, and wait for Joe at Tuffhead to come out with them. 😛 It’s a necessary next step if he wishes to see the popularity of his 300s continue to grow. (How’s that for a hint, Joe?)

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Sitka spruce and EFOC, failed experiment #39100

Doc — I like your point that carbon is just really old wood. 😆 And if age has a bearing on traditional, then that makes carbon more traditional than wood, eh?

Clay — Yes, I tried that before but you can only get alum inserts for alum shafts and that creates a whole new weak point.

And in both cases, double-sleeving and screw-in adapters, at that extreme of manipulation you might as well be shooting carbon or aluminum, the value of true wood shafts has been so diminished with add-ons. But thanks for the perfectly good suggestions, both of you.

I’ve been playing with this stuff for a long time now, and at this point unless someone comes up with an affordable way, as has been suggested by others, to pressure-treat the ends of softwood shafts with some sort of hardener, which could then be thinned out gradually a few inches behind the head so’s to prevent an abrupt change in hardness that will prevent breaks, I’m done with softwood shafts unless they’re footed. I have no trouble with carbons from my r/d hybrid but can’t bring myself to shoot them from an Osage selfbow. So it’s back to hardwoods … heavy but with no great shakes for FOC. I have seen what heavy single-blade single-bevel points can do compared to every other point I’ve used in my life, and I like to try most everything. So that’s the one untouchable element and the rest of the arrow has to work well with that. I have some hardwood footed hex-pine shafts and hope to make them work with this bow. Always something. But for now the wife and I “have to” go to town to drink beer with another of our number passing through on vacation, Reg Darling and his wife. Some sacrifices we just have to make,:lol: and my arm is sore from shooting close to a hundred arrows today. Try something new tomorrow.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: 2013 hunting rigs #38971

Everyone please note the deep channel where arrow shelf meets limb, to provide both minimal surface contact with the arrow and also allow for free passage of the 5 o’clock feather. This is such a logical design that I’m surprised bowyers didn’t lock onto it centuries ago. I have a special interest in this bow because I have its twin from the same part of the same tree, though upside down to this one insofar as the snake is on the bottom rather than top limb. Smooth, quiet as a Shrew, sweet bow. Alas, just when I finally am shooting quite well with new bow and arrows I’ve been experimenting on all summer, I learned today that I’m going to have to change arrows and abandon Sitka spruce. But more on that in the proper thread. Okay Clay, let’s get some blood on these twin beauties this fall!

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Wild Voices #38771

Sinawalli Bill– I can’t describe my envy. I have hunted AK several times (but never again) and have seen wolves, but never heard one howling. I have heard them howl in the Glacier backcountry, but not while hunting. At this point I can’t see that a hunting camp and wolf music will ever coincide for me. That you apparently were alone for that magical experience! You’re a lucky man, I’m sure you know.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Celebration #38768

What Troy said … then I convert it to meat immediately, so that I don’t have to dwell overly long on what I’ve just done.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Oil rub arrow finish? #37479

I’m as new at this as you are, Tex. I did no sanding between coats, but merely burnished the shafts before applying the oil. Rather than sanding I simply “polished” them real good between coats, and I’m fully happy. By now they’ve been in and out of a foam target dozens of times and so far, no sign of wear. That’s all I know …

[Author]

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