[David Petersen]

in reply to: Last Colorado Grizzly #17884

I’m not sure why Colorado grizzlies are suddenly so popular with the local media, but this article is in today’s Colorado Springs Gazette:

http://articles.outtherecolorado.com/articles/grizzly-1129-darkens-quickens.html

[David Petersen]

in reply to: How Often Do You Practice? #17138

Don — I was just wondering recently the origin of the “new leaf” saying, which I recall as long ago as first grade, when my teacher was always telling me that. (Didn’t work :P).

My practice has been seriously disrupted for months now from falling from a tree. Maybe that’s what’s wrong with my memory too!

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Is camo necessary? #17135

The key word in the title of this thread’s question is “necessary.” And the ONLY answer to that is NO!

I’m with G. Fred on the cargo pockets–to me, pants without cargo pockets ain’t hunting pants. And we don’t like them for style, but because everything you can put in a pocket is something you don’t have to put in a pack, and it’s handy as can be. Same for hunting shirts– they MUST have two button-down chest pockets, one for binocs, the other for calls.

This thread keeps reminding me of a chapter in a great, perhaps the greatest, book about fly fishing in the South. Of course I can’t recall its title or the author, but it was about a young boy who went to live with two “old maid” uncle brothers who lived to hunt and fish. There was an obnoxious braggart turkey hunter neighbor everyone was fed up with, so they spread a rumor that the best turkey camo was a Santa suit. Sure enough, next thing you know the fool was hunting turkey in a Santa suit. The power of advertising. 😛

[David Petersen]

in reply to: New Shrew #17047

Steve, thanks for the pics.

Mac, yes, and more. A CE250 weighs about 350 if I recall. My hunting arrows range between 700-800 total and ALL that weight except the shaft is up front. So it’s to increase overall weight as well as FOC. I use 100-grain brass inserts and 75-125 steel screw-in adapters with 225-grain heads for my carbon set-ups. For wood I use a 300-grain glue-on. Fast as all my low-50s Shrew have been, I’m thinking your big boy must be a blazer.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Hunting Help!?!?!?!? #17039

Durango has no game meat processors I know of. However nearby Pagosa Springs does, and maybe other nearby small towns. Unless you’ve won the lottery I can assure you it’s outrageously expensive to have meat processed, frozen and FedExed across the country. A couple of times I’ve shipped meat for a NY friend who hunts here with me most years, and to send just 30 pounds was over $200. An average young bull or mature cow will produce maybe 130 pounds of boned meat, not counting neck or rib meat or internal organs. A solo fly-in elk hunt is a rare critter indeed. Almost all nonresidents team up and drive out, splitting the driving and gas costs, then have a way to get their meat home. Something to consider.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: The boys of summer #17032

Shades of Estes Park. 😀 I think you have their ages about right.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: New Shrew #16179

Ahh, such an evil-looking little beauty! I’ll bet “Brave” would give several inches of flaming red hair for one of those. 😀

I don’t recall your draw weight, but I have the identical bow at #53@28″ and it shoots well with 80-85 spine woodies (cut to 29.5″) with the Tuffhead 300 … should be easy for you to “move up” if you choose to someday. Also, FYI, with CE250 it handles almost any weight head plus heavy inserts.

Bruce –thanks for the link. I had already looked it up myself and had the same results as you. I really don’t care for the rounded arrow clips they show for their other quivers, but have no practical justification for that preference. I’d love to see a photo of the new flat 4-arrow model, and a review. Odd pricing if I’m reading the catalog right, with snakeskin quiver hoods cheaper than plain leather. On some models the stitching of the hood and the shapre are identical to the Kanati.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: New Shrew #15943

Steve, do you have a link for Eagle Flight, and does their online catalog show the flat quiver you speak of?

[David Petersen]

in reply to: SBD bowstrings? #14847

Scout — No argument here. Different experiences with the same product are precisely the sort of info that folks are looking for, including me when it’s my turn to ask questions. And I’m definitely not throwing away the 3 “factory” strings you provided with the Shrew I just bought from you. 😀 And yes indeed, I leave my go-to Shrew strung most of the year, mostly because I’d be pleased if, over time, the bow lost a bit of draw weight to keep up with my loss of muscle mass as I age. That could well explain our different experiences with string stretch. However, in previous threads on this same topic, others have echoed my experiences and switched for the same reason. I think the wise choice would be to use the string the bow comes with until it needs replacing (or you need a backup), and then try a SBD.

Probably not necessary to point out, but I will anyhow, that the ONLY reason I enthusiastically plug any product–most notably Shrew bows, Tuffhead broadheads, and SBD strings–is because they work so very well for me in comparison to others I’ve tried (and I’m big on trying things) that I want to share the good news with others. If and when a new product comes along that clearly supersedes my old favorites, I’ll switch and say why. Just trying to give others the info I’d want others to give me, and the best any of us can do is to say what does and doesn’t work for us. Mostly these days it’s picking at straws of personal preference since an easy majority of all traditional archery and hunting gear is excellent. Rather like the old blondes vs. redheads vs. brunettes “argument,” which also ain’t no argument at all. 😀

[David Petersen]

in reply to: New Shrew #14833

I own only one bow quiver, which I switch among all my bows as needed. It’s a little Kanati 4-arrow model that I got back when Shrew was selling them in their on-line catalog. Best bow quiver I’ve ever owned with two exceptions: the foam insert seems inferior and wears out really quickly (I solved that problem by getting a replacement foam from Thunderhorn, whose small quivers are the same size as the Kanati (and Thunderhorn also makes excellent bow quivers) … and one of the rubber straps broke the first season of use and when I contacted Kanati about a replacement I didn’t feel they were very sympathetic (should have provided a free replacement but I had to pay). But what keeps me using it is the small size, good looks, and mostly the very efficient strap-on system that beats any others I’ve tried for ease of use, rock-solid mounting, and silence in action.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Osage Tiller Opinions Please **UPDATED** #14822

Monk — I second both Jeremy and Wexbow: The bow appears to be bending excessively right out from the fades, and perhaps not coincidentally that’s precisely where nearly all of my own failed Osage bows eventually broke. I suspect you need to thin the limbs from midpoint out a wee bit. But of course that will lower your draw weight. That in turn can get you into the “leveling the table” syndrome where you may have to shorten the bow a bit to get your weight back up, and on and on. Also, may be the video angle, but it looks as if the top limb is longer than the lower, though the tiller, so far as balance between limbs, appears good. Do ask Clay before you start removing more wood. I have one of his Osage selfbows, and twisted snakey beauty that is absolutely flawless as a shooter. He’s the go-to guy for selfbows right now, though we have other experts as well. I ain’t among them. 😛

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Kudos to Don Thomas for reverse crowdsourcing #14814

Yes indeed, with his far-ranging and frequent publication in the outdoor media and beyond, combined with his well-earned respect for ethics and rejection of the Hunting Hero insipidness most others fall into, Don Thomas is trad bowhunting’s best answer to Ted Nugent.

Now, if only Don would become a rock or movie star, we would be redeemed. :D:P:lol: He’s a darn good cook and editor as well.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: SBD bowstrings? #13904

Mike– I just addressed this in the “New Shrew” thread, but I find the Shrew strings to stretch more, and for a longer time, than any string I’ve ever shot in a very long lifetime of shooting. (Don’t know about linen, since it’s been more than 25 years since I last used one.) I just got tired of having to constantly adjust the string length, and thus nock point. SBD is a bit faster and has minimal stretch and that happens pretty fast. And unlike the Shrew strings once it’s stretched-in that’s it pretty much forever. Skinniness has nothing to do with my choice here, and SBD serves their strings to a standard size and I believe can do custom servings for those wanting a fatter or thinner serving, which makes the diameter of the actual string rather unimportant. I told all of this to the Shrew guys and they tried an SBD but elected to stay with their current supplier. I won’t even try to guess why. Anyhow it’s as simple as that for me: Shrew strings, in my fairly extensive experience on four different Shrews, never quit stretching, and SBD strings have minimal stretch and you can forget about it and get on with practice and hunting. Of course, if excess stretching isn’t a problem for you, Scout, or anyone else, you might as well save $20 and stick with what you have.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: New Shrew #13897

Mike– Welcome to the Shrew cult, uh, I mean club. 😀 I have owned three Classic Hunters, which are a smaller version of your Super Shrew, and one Lil Favorite recurv e. I love/d them all. I don’t know how much difference there is in the CH and SS, but if you’re still getting wrist slap you can try taking it on up to 7-3/8, which is where I keep the two I currently own. Also, those darn strings they use are among the stretching-est I’ve ever experienced–to the point I threw all mine away and replaced them with SBD–and it takes a LOT of arrows to stretch one out. So I recommend checking brace height every time you go out to shoot. I second Scout on the solid bow arm. I use a very light grip on these little bows and find that the thumb notch makes it easy to attain the same grip every time. I still enjoy shooting other bows (I also own a Bear K-Mag, though it’s for sale) and am happily aware that there are a great many great trad bows out there today. But for me, the Shrew has been my go-to hunting bow since the first time I shot my first one, several years ago now. I predict you’ll come to love it. 😉 PS: Enlarge the picture on the left and note the bow lying across the bull. Little bows, big punch.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Newbie looking for first longbow #9348

Rambler — You get what you pay for in bows, thus I advise you strongly against buying a cheap factory bow simply because it’s cheap and readily available. One of the special joys of the traditional community is the close personal relationship between shooters and the folks who make our bows, arrows, etc., which overwhelmingly are small, often mom-pop outfits. I advise, first, to turn your back on Cabelas and anything they sell, as they’re only out for profit. Plan to spend more than $129 if you want a bow that will encourage your enthusiasm for trad shooting rather than discourage it. Buy a reputable custom brand, even if used. I have bought and sold many bows via the classifieds on this site and (years ago) others, and have never once been disappointed much less felt I was cheated. Generally, we trust one another so much that the buyer mails the check at the same time the seller mails the bow, so that both are taking a chance. Forget e-bay until you get some experience in bow-trading. Look real hard to try and find a trad bowyer or dedicated trad dealer in your area, or within driving range, as it’s always best to shoot a bow before buying (though once you get experience this isn’t always necessary, esp. if you’re familiar with a particular brand bow, as I am with Shrew and vintage Bears). Many sellers will let you return a bow so long as you pay the postage and haven’t damaged it or kept it too long–just ask. For most of my life I couldn’t afford to own more than one bow, and it always was a less than top-end factory job. I shot them, competed with them, and hunted with them… and never knew what a huge handicap I was operating under until I bought my first custom bow. And still today, I buy two used for every one new (I’m still far from rich). While I’d avoid the straight “Hill style” longbows for now, whether you go for recurve or deflex-reflex longbow doesn’t matter much compared to the quality of bow you get. Right now, for example, there are two vintage Bears on the classifieds here for $275 (one is mine and I’m not trying to sell it to you). Though neither of these meets your specs, if you check across the various trad websites I’ll bet you’ll find some that do. Don’t go too short or too long first time out. That’s all I have to say about it. :P:

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