[David Petersen]

in reply to: Movable nocking point #32734

What Steve Graf says. As strings stretch, and in my experience they never completely quit stretching, esp. if we leave our bows unstrung for long periods, permanent nocking points become unworkable. I have never ever in my life had problems with clamp-on brass nocks slipping or coming off. Frequently I use the same one over and over, spreading it open to remove then clamping it back down on a new string. The pliers, made for this purpose, always bring it back to round. There are many ways to go about it, certainly, but with the right pliers I think your troubles will be over. IMHO

[David Petersen]

in reply to: 8th Annual Oklahoma Selfbow Jamboree #31324

Dennis — When does spring turkey open in OK? After this event, I presume?

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Left or Right Bevel……??? #30727

Thanks for the clarifications, Rick, and for the interesting history lesson. I’d have thought that the guy who makes broadheads would have been called the Headman. 😀

Shifting topics but I’ll bet you know the answer to this one too, Fletcher — I’m thinking an original bodkin head, very big and heavy to knock a hole in heavy armor (not really “piercing” with a head that massive and not really designed to be a slicing tool) would have weighed a LOT and thus provide yet another example of the knowledge and use of EFOC. Just curious.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Left or Right Bevel……??? #30217

Fattony — Indeed, maybe I “over spoke” re left wing being the “industry” standard. Let me rephrase: The arrowsmiths I’ve known either make only left-wing or mostly. Until quite recently few shooters seemed to know the difference (if there is any) or care, so it wasn’t a topic of much discussion. One arrow-maker friend, Milt Beens at the former Wildcat Canyon Archery, had 20 fletching jigs mounted around a big table and all were left-wing. He also had boxes of right-wing feathers he was happy to give away since nobody seemed to want them. This was a few years ago. Of the shooters I know, almost all shoot left-wing. Perhaps I should have said “in my experience with shooters and arrowsmiths, a left-wing preference has always been dominant.” Something like that. With all the current attention to these little details of arrow set-up, I’d not be surprised if the trend is shifting to the right. Personally I can tell no difference in performance, have no problem with broadheads backing out (the Teflon tape tip is excellent) thus couldn’t give a hoot right or left so long as everything is synchronized. Thanks for catching my speculative generalization. Dave

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Fantastic Armguard #29525

Good to hear this, Jody, as I too have a guard with knife on order from Tim and fingers crossed it will show up next week. Apparently he doesn’t keep stock but custom makes each set only after talking to the customer. Even though I’m looking at weeks or months of physical therapy before I can shoot again, a guy still likes new archery toys, esp. during the off-season. And it gives me plenty of time to sharpen the little knife! Three years ago I killed a bull on the last day of the season and, first time in the current epoch, I forgot my Helle belt knife. So I had to quarter the entire elk with my little armguard knife. It’s a Helle blade I put an Osage handle on myself, but the handle is so thin that I could hardly use my hand for days after due to cramps. Another problem is that after a while the knife loosened up in it’s sheath on the armguard and I feared it would fall out and I’d lose it, so I’ve mostly quit using it. Tim’s rigs solve both these problems with a good sized handle on the little drop-point knife and a strap to hold it in place. And most of all, yes, in a world where we feel blessed just to get a real person to talk to rather than a phone robot, having someone like Tim who clearly cares a lot about customer satisfaction, to the point he calls you back to check details (did that with me too) … well, you just want to reward that dying breed with your business. Trad archery and bowhunting is blessed with more of this good old-fashioned type American businessman and woman than any other realm I know of. Now go get some deer blood on it since you, unlike most of us, still have some season left. Farr West Leather will have a booth at the PBS hoorah in Portland in March.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: "The Grey" #29509

Ah, Scout, those riddles obviously were way too easy. But in movie trivia I am seriously challenged. I am dazzled how easily Jody nailed Bruce’s very difficult riddle. Smithhammer, I know this man Jody and he truly does have photographic memory, with a very fast shutter speed … you just may have met your match there for quick wit! I’d give a giant bottle of George Dickel to be sitting in the shadows beyond the campfire light and listening to you two guys slugging it out over intellectual trivia, ho! Me, I’m always at my most intelligent when I’m alone. A lesion in my own mind 🙄

[David Petersen]

in reply to: "The Grey" #29452

Jody said: “I think that we have exhausted this thread…”

Who says???

For instance, none of the expert bowyers here has ever explained the technical intricacies of how Arnie, by firelight while being stalked by the Alien trophy headhunter, fashioned a bow that shot completely through a very large tree, with no broadhead I could see. And what I’ve always wondered did he use for a bowstring? This is important stuff for bowhunters to know in case we’re ever stranded in Central America and pursued by Predators. For instance.

And who said “Skin that ‘un and I’ll go get you another one.”? Etc.

And by the way, I found the famous Phoeby scene via google.

When the going gets tough, the tough get … silly.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: "The Grey" #29091

Notwithstanding how impressed I am with Jody’s flick-trivia knowledge … you two guys must really be bored.

I think “stir crazy” is the term? Bruce, with you special talen for lifting images from movies, please send me a link to an image of old Phoeby at her best. While you young hippies were watching Fast Times, I was … well, doing something else I guess.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: ghost grizzlies DP #28110

Fresh grizz prints on the same stretch of river beach as the previous wolf tracks. That’s Dave Sigurslid with me (the homely one :P), fellow Campfire Fartologer. And Mark Richards fixing dinner at Helmer’s — fresh arctic grayling, three times a day, every day … the subsistence way.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: ghost grizzlies DP #28106

This are from a cabin well upstream from BB, back in a slough from the river, “scraps” from subsistence meat hunting, tossed outside cabin which has since been gutted by grizzlies. I forget the couple’s name but they came in with Mark and Lori in the “Coming into the Country” hippie invasion around 1980 and like others, had kids and left. This is the closest I got to big moose antlers on that hunt,alas.

[David Petersen]

in reply to: ghost grizzlies DP #28102

Some snapshots from deep-bush AK:

[David Petersen]

in reply to: ghost grizzlies DP #27429

Todd — I forgot you lived there! Must have been downriver as I know every deserted cabin upriver, from Helmer’s to the Yukon border. But walk home? How many days did that take? That’s country for river travel not walking,unless you’re right on and in the water it seems unthinkable. It’s strange there with bears. Mark has killed and eaten every black bear they’ve spotted for decades, so they rarely see one any more. And as you say,only rarely do they see grizz near the cabin, and same for wolves though Mark had to shoot two, one a big black beauty, last year when they kept harassing the dog team (same old story of unfixed females in heat). And a few years ago there was a big yellow grizz standing right on the airstrip on that little island in the river out front of the cabin; they got pics. But you don’t have to go that far upstream, maybe starting around Indian Grave Creek, and you start seeing tons of grizz and wolf sign. What sort of invisible barrier is there even Mark doesn’t know, but it’s real. Lots of Indian potato for grizz. If I had them handy I could post some neat pics of grizz and wolf tracks from my last moose trip there. Sorry to bore everyone else with this …

[David Petersen]

in reply to: ghost grizzlies DP #27267

Todd — Doug Peacock (Grizzly Years, my favorite grizz book of all time) always swore by sleeping right in the middle of a big tent, so that if a bear takes a whack at the tent it will miss you and you may have a chance to either escape or defend yourself. He too sleeps with a knife at the ready … to quickly slash an exit hole in the side of the tent opposite the bear. He says you’re nuts to sleep in the open in grizz country and that many times bears have gently tested, pressed against, the tent, then gone away (of course he never has anything that smells like food in there with him and always smokes his clothing over a smoky fire to hide human and other odors. My wife and I camped in tents in grizz country for some 20 years before she finally announced “I’ve had enough of this. If you want to keep coming here, I want a truck camper.” So now we have a truck camper. It’s for sale. 😛

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Target Panic #26977

I continue to struggle to comprehend how so many folks suffer target panic when shooting at a target. But clearly it’s real and widespread. If it happens there, we know it’s far more common in hunting shots, though in the excitement we may not realize what’s happening. My problem in this realm is not so much short-drawing and premature release (although I got into that for a while due to a sore shoulder, but believe I’ve worked through it now), but neglecting to pick a spot even if I’m mentally chanting “pick a spot” as I draw and release. This too is target panic. My “clicker” is the tiny brushing sound when my string fingers touch my beard at my right jaw, telling me I’m there. (Amazingly, this tiny sound has spooked Coues deer at 20 yards!) I also overdraw a bit then come back forward to settle into my anchor at the back of my jaw, which really helps not to release prematurely. Although I never have thought of it as aiming, I guess I am an aimer insofar as I always hold a second or so at full draw and full anchor before I release. I am in awe of folks who release the instant they hit full draw and solid anchor and yet are crack shots, for example Ron LeClair. I wonder if being over-bowed in some cases might not contribute to short-drawing aka target panic? So much to learn about the “simple” stick and string. 🙄

[David Petersen]

in reply to: Left or Right Bevel……??? #26974

Bullseye — Let me use your original question to summarize this issue of right vs left bevel. First, as Steve has just illustrated for you, the fletching angle and broadhead bevel must agree, else the feathers have the shaft turning one direction and when the point enters an animal this rotation must completely stop and reverse itself. So with mismatched feathers and heads it’s counter-productive to maximum torque, which is the big thing single-bevels have going for them when you hit bone (in soft tissues it’s more the cork-screwing effect that creates a much “longer” cut line than does a non-rotating broadhead, thus far greater damage). When feather angle and head bevel coincide, you are maximizing twist and torque.

Second common question is which is best, left or right bevel. The answer there is, it doesn’t matter. A right twist will serve to tighten the head into the shaft on impact, while a left bevel can loosen the head — another thread recently discussed ways to avoid this, via LockTite etc. So from that aspect, it would be “better” to use right-bevel heads and right-wing fletching. But ironically, the industry standard is left-wing feathers. That’s what I shoot, because my fletching jig is set up that way. When shooting target points I am in the habit of checking for tightness after every shot, and often the points have indeed loosened a bit. When hunting with broadheads, I simply check for a tight fit of head to shaft before putting an arrow on the string and have killed quite a few animals by now with this set-up and never once had a head come off or loosen enough to cause problems.

If you want to shoot right-wing and right-bevel, it’s mostly a matter of finding a fletcher who does them, or getting yourself a right-wing jig. Because left-wing is most common, I’ve seen screaming deals at times on bulk right-wing feathers.

Hope that helps more than it confuses. And of course with glue-on heads the backing-off problem doesn’t exist. Dave

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