[Charles Ek]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #29080

Apart from its shooting qualities, I found the 66 inches of my longbow handy once when I sat down next to an underground nest and shed my pack for a lunch break. The locals came boiling out looking for a fight. I fled and had to use the longbow to retrieve my pack when I came back.

Raspberries are at peak here. Which is undoubtedly why we had a furry black, yearling visitor last evening. Went to the neighbor and suggested it would be a good idea to put the goats and chickens in their respective sheds for the night. Got a dozen eggs in return. 🙂

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: countdown! #14668

Sixty-seven days and counting until the Sept. 15th opener here in NH. We will then have three months to kill a deer and a turkey. Small game starts Oct. 1.

Starting to ignore other publicized events during that time period, which is itself a welcome phenological sign of things to come. 😀

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Where do you stand? #13116

Of all places, I stumbled across this in The Economist:

In a dark wood – Can bows and arrows save hunting in America?

“American hunting has thrived because it shuns the elitism and snobberies of the Old World. With each passing year, market forces have delivered weapons and gadgets that allow anyone to play Teddy Roosevelt, big-game hunter, further democratising the hunt. Yet to advocates of primitive hunting, those same forces—faster, easier, bigger—weaken the sport’s Rooseveltian values, and help explain its slow decline. Thanks to bowhunting, recent trends have been on the primitivists’ side. The juggernaut of commerce is now catching up. A very American contest looms.”

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: New books #63339

“The Grizzly Maze – Timothy Treadwell’s Fatal Obsession With Alaskan Bears”, by Nick Jans.

Think you know the Treadwell story? Nope, not until you’ve read this book. And the 31-page afterword (discussing the dangerousness of bears and what to do about it) is a rare piece of clarity on a subject too often characterized by a lot of BS.

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: new (sort of) Bear Kodiak #53868

quiverfull wrote: anyone shot the new Bear Kodiak remake? How does it shoot compared to the old ones? sure is a handsome bow…JB

Haven’t shot it, but everything I’ve read from those who have boils down to this:

1. It’s a helluva bow, worthy of its name and probably even the price.

2. The appearance of the leather grip is a disappointment to some and is often swapped out by those who are particular about such things.

I have a ’58, which is near enough to the ’59 that I feel very confident in recommending the purchase of the new version, if you’e so inclined.

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Woodies #45588

I’ve been thinking for the last few weeks about the fact that Ishi footed his arrows. I think I’m ready to follow his example, for reasons of strength and FOC:

“The sticks thus straightened he ran back and forth between two grooved pieces of sandstone or revolved them on his thigh while holding the stones in his hand, until they were smooth and reduced to a diameter of about five-sixteenths of an inch. Next they were cut into lengths of approximately twenty-six inches. The larger end was now bound with a buckskin thong and drilled out for the depth of an inch and a half to receive the end of the foreshaft. He drilled this hole by fixing a long, sharp bone in the ground between his great toes and revolved the upright shaft between his palms on this fixed point, the buckskin binding keeping the wood from splitting.

“The foreshaft was made of heavier wood, frequently mountain mahogany. It was the same diameter as the arrow, only tapering a trifle toward the front end, and usually was about six inches long. This was carefully shaped into a spindle at the larger end and set in the recently drilled hole of the shaft, using glue or resin for this purpose. The joint was bound with chewed sinew, set in glue.”

How Ishi made his bow and his method of shooting

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: In Case Y'all Don't Know #44909

I happened to see the episode in question. As their next door neighbor, I cringed when I heard the statement. If she weren’t so busy with other tasks, I’d fly my physics-teaching PhD sister out here to ‘splain things to the warden.

It has been topped recently by a reported assertion by a wildlife trooper in the farthest northern state to a bear hunter that the “28” on the hunter’s bow indicated a draw weight below the legal minimum …

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: which string? #41159

I prefer Flemish twist strings for the adjustability. In B50, you’ll usually see a recommendation to use 16 strands for that bow weight. The number of strands can safely vary downward with less weight (and goes up with weight), or with the stronger bowstring materials used on newer bows.

I’ve bought several strings from this guy with success (be patient for delivery). He is familiar with the needs of older bows: Flemishstrings.com

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: ausjim #41152

Glad to hear that the Super Mag hasn’t whacked him on the forehead … yet. 😉

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Bambi's mom is no fan of Thumper #35763

Steve Graf wrote: I think maybe the deer, and the gals, are just way smarter than we are.

My spouse frequently expresses both sentiments. 🙂

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Teardrops #35135

I’ve considered the idea in the past. We have an A-liner popup that is mighty handy but too large for most hunting destinations I can envision.

These folks might have it solved. Haven’t seen one in person: Little Guy Off Road teardrops. (Make sure you click on their “Off Road” link.)

If you search online for “Jeep” and “teardrop” and “trailer”, you’ll see lots of discussion, some plans, and some plans that are actually worth considering.

And a front-mounted ball hitch could go a long way toward dealing with tight spaces. RV dealers and others use them constantly for a similar reason.

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Nhambiquara gear #27273

Damn, somebody knew how to tiller a bow, huh?

My theory (unsupported by any empirical evidence or even much hard thinking) is that the long arrow shafts compensated for the lack of fletchings. This guy had a similar notion, expressed far more confidently and elegantly than I’m capable of doing on the subject: Arrow Length and Arrow Flight

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Books on Bows #10264

colmike wrote: eids

Did you make it out on x-country ski’s?

Sadly, no. The melt came about two weeks too early. The foliage has exploded in the last two days here, which will help a lot with concealment!

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Books on Bows #8999

Smithhammer wrote: Tons of excellent, no-nonsense info about hunting turkeys, in a variety of environments. I’d highly recommend it.

Thanks for the tip! Just ordered it – I’m birdless with two weeks to go.

[Charles Ek]

in reply to: Glove vs. tab #51393

Smithhammer wrote:

As a side note, I can’t believe that ABS stopped making the Super Glove. I’ve never used a better glove. The full finger style and long cordovan tips allow for a great hook and a very smooth release, while still being able to feel the string. I hope someone offers something comparable in the future.

Two Super Gloves in the rotation here, and I just ordered a third after your reminder about the production halt! Haven’t found anything better suited to me.

[Author]

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