[hrhodes]

in reply to: Hunting canoe #36036

I use a canoe quite often hunting and fishing here in lower Alabama. They take you to places that motorized vessels will never see. You can spend as much or as little as your finances will allow, if you decide to purchase one rather than build. Low end chopper gun fiberglass canoes will get the job done and can be purchased used in these parts for around 200-300$ U.S. Top of the line kevlar and carbon fiber models can easily run into the thousands… What type of water you plan to paddle and the weight of persons and cargo will ultimately determine your needs. I have two canoes that are favorites of mine. I have a Mohawk brand solo canoe that is about 13′ and weighs about 40lbs. I can carry it easily and it will accomodate my 225lb body weight, a deer and hunting gear for a day. You might find that a recreational or sporting type canoe, with a slightly wider flatter bottom suits your needs for a first canoe. Slightly keeled bottoms are okay on flat water, but perform poorly in moving water over rocks and such. Standing up is generally not a good thing in any canoe (and not around crocs for sure). I wouldn’t want to ring there dinner bell by falling in….

If you plan to build, you might try plans from someone like Glen-L boats. Plywood/fiberglass canoes are a possibility, but keep in mind that a canoe over 85lbs is a HEAVY canoe. 85lbs doesn’t sound like that much until you start dragging it around.

Check out Paddling.net – lots of good canoeing/kayaking info on that site. Good luck.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: Some people's thinkin' #29737

I have been away from this forum for a while, but reading these posts reminds me of what a good group this is. I am in full agreement with you guys. I believe any game animal deserves respect and that it is a moral obligation for any hunter to deliver a clean, humane killing shot. I hunt with a self bow and cane arrows. I shoot pretty straight out to 30yds, but restrict my shots on whitetails to 18 yards or closer. I know that it could happen this year, but in thirty-five years of hunting with a bow, I have never failed to find an animal that I have shot. I don’t recall taking a deer at further than twelve yards.

Looking at the waste left behind after hunting season is another thing that bugs me. I hate seeing so many heads, hides, and wasted halves of deer carcasses laying beside the dirt roads during hunting season. I think we owe it to the deer to use their body, all of the meat, the hide, horns – every useable part. Just my two cents.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: Shot Placement #28712

I believe that he said he “consistently” hit high and left. You are correct in that accuracy problems can’t be diagnosed until one achieves a repeatable form.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: Shot Placement #28604

Shooting high could mean that you are nocking your arrow too low on the string and you may fix it by raising your nock point. Arrows striking to the left might mean that your arrows are spined too stiff. You can add a heavier point and see if that moves your group closer to center. I saw a chart and a good explanation of trad bow tuning on OL Adcock’s site a couple of years ago. I don’t know if it is still up or not. I cant my bow slightly and that seems to help with my right/left accuracy a great deal. Good luck with it and welcome to real archery. Stay with it, if you shoot enough arrows it will all come together. 😉

[hrhodes]

in reply to: A whole new take on ethics #24043

Kingwouldbe wrote: One pill makes you larger

And one pill makes you small

And the ones that mother gives you

Don’t do anything at all

Go ask Alice

When she’s ten feet tall

And if you go chasing rabbits

And you know you’re going to fall

Tell ’em a hookah-smoking caterpillar

Has given you the call

Call Alice

When she was just small

When the men on the chessboard

Get up and tell you where to go

And you’ve just had some kind of mushroom

And your mind is moving low

Go ask Alice

I think she’ll know

When logic and proportion

Have fallen sloppy dead

And the White Knight is talking backwards

And the Red Queen’s off with her head

Remember what the dormouse said

Feed your head

Feed your head

This sounds like an acid trip from the 60’s 😯

Far out.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: A whole new take on ethics #23583

THAT AIN’T HUNTING.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: Primitive Spot'n'stalk #12236

OUTSTANDING!

[hrhodes]

in reply to: Personal Philosophies #49692

paleoman wrote: Just wondering about others thoughts on hunting with traditional equipment – if you can boil down and distill the reasons into a short statement? Myself, having started bowhunting at the dawn of the compound age (mid 70’s) never started out with a recurve. I switched largely because I could see bows were turning into nothing more than ugly killing machines and the game we hunt into targets. I love the beauty of wood, turkey feather fletching and the lightness of these bows in my hands. Less is more baby! Kind of roughly I suppose, I’ve summed up to myself “The animal deserves to live. I really don’t need the meat. Make it a challenge”. That said, I do hunt to kill and love success, but it’s far from necessary anymore. Would love to hear others’ “short statements” if they’re out there.

I feel a connection with my ancestors and with nature that I can’t get hunting with high tech gear. Hunting with a bow and arrow is an OLD pastime. I get a similar kick out of paddling a canoe. Are there more efficient means of getting downriver? Who cares? There is something life affirming about achieving a goal with your own hands and your own ability. I have to carry a firearm every day at work and I know more than I care to about their efficiency. Hunting with a gun began to feel sort of sinful to me about ten years ago. Not much sport in shooting something that can’t shoot back…. Just my opinion. Hunting with equipment that I build myself has taught me to love the sport of hunting again. I love the noble simplicity of it.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: Alabama Bowhunt?? #45790

emsirrin wrote:

Wondering if anyone from ‘Bama or anyone who has hunted there could provide me with some info…Just looking for areas to possibly look into, etc.

Once late bow season is over WI it would be nice to get another week in down south where it wouldn’t be too pricy and the bag limits are liberal…

Come on down! We have a good acorn crop this year and many opportunities for bowhunters. Public land is available here in one of the four National Forests or one of over a dozen wildlife management areas. Alabama has some geological diversity and you can pick swampy south alabama hardwood bottoms and pine plantations or the hills and hollows of the more mountainous northern end of the state. Outfitters can be found all over the state who can make your dream hunt come true. Find yourself a copy of “Alabama Game and Fish Magaizine” and check out the October and November issues. There are good articles on public hunting opportunities. As far as the management areas go… Scotch Wildlife Management Area near Coffeeville for numbers of deer. Skyline WMA in the northeast corner turns in numbers of trophy whitetails every year… The Bankhead National Forest in northcentral Alabama…. about an hour out of Birmingham and known for big deer. Oakmulgee WMA, just south of Birmingham is hard to beat, all things considered. These areas will be open for bowhunting generally from October 15 till January 31.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: How’s the outlook for deer in your area? #40962

Southwest Alabama is looking great. Best acorn crop I have seen in years. You Texicans are in my prayers. Sad to see such devastation.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: small saplings as bow staves? #24034

George Tsoukalas wrote: You are welcome. Pecan is like hickory and needs to be really dry. Are you sure your staves were dry? Jawge

I like pecan and expect to make another one soon… I peeled the bark off and roughed out the staves and set them on the roof beams of a metal building for a couple of months. I think they were dry enough, but I lack a moisture meter, for now. Alabama summers leave a lot to be desired when you start looking for low humidity! I appreciate your advice and found your website to be very helpful. Thanks again.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: small saplings as bow staves? #23773

Hey George,

I followed your advice and made a couple of bows since this post from two to three inch pecan saplings… Both were a little longer than my last bow, one 68″ and the other 70″. Both are great shooters, one finished at 35# and the other 50#. I ended up with about three inches of set on both of them, but I left the tips very light and they shoot sweet. Thanks for the advice. I am considering heat treating one of them to take some of the set out, after reading an excerpt from Traditional Bowyer’s Bible IV. These southern pecan trees are a lot like hickory, strong in tension…. Any thoughts on heat treating? Thanks.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: How much string stretch? #23755

Wildschwein, I haven’t noticed any appreciable change in the B-50 string since the adjustment. I do like the simplicity of the B-50 strings…a little slower maybe, but I don’t have to research a bows capabilities to use them.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: Interesting Waste of Time #22874

I ordered a bow from Herter’s back in the 70’s…. that was a great outfit. There were a few celebrity photos in it as I remember.. But I can’t see Fred Bear doing any “high fives” or big celebrations for the “Sportsman’s” Channel…

Big difference in Trad Hunters and those guys. It is a moment of quiet reverance for me to approach a kill. A time for a mix of emotions, joy and some sadness. At the very least it requires a prayer for a departed friend that has played it’s part in this thing we call hunting.

Of course, that’s just me. To each his own. If they want to sign up for a fashion show rather than a hunt and if they want to shoot deer with a ray gun or laser guided bomb and call it hunting, and it’s legal, hey, go for it. Not my style.

[hrhodes]

in reply to: How much string stretch? #22842

I am no expert, but I have a 60″ recurve with a B-50 string on it that was braced at about 7 1/2″ and it stretched till the brace height was just under 6″ after a thousand shots or so…. I just twisted the string up some and brought the brace height back to about 7″ which I found I liked better anyway. I have shot another thousand or so arrows through that recurve on the same string with no ill effects. I don’t know when they stop stretching…:?:

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