[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: Garbaging for Bears #48224

David,

While I appreciate and enjoy Colorado, what happens there is not necessarily reflective of the rest of North America, nor should it be. Just because the fine people of Colorado decide something does not mean everyone else needs to follow suit. These issues, like so many others, are regional. Colorado voted to ban bear baiting, Maine and Michigan voted to keep it, Who’s right? All three, and that’s the point.

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: Garbaging for Bears #48039

David Petersen wrote: I do know that the general nonhunting majority detests it, and the majority in the end will decide the fate of hunting.

Apparently not in Michigan, and more recently Maine, where attempts by anti-hunters to ban baiting for bears has failed at the ballot box.

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: Paper Tuning Results – 10/4/14 #38572

Smithhammer wrote: Any thoughts/feedback?

Yes. It looks great. Don’t mess with it. 😉

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: Kanati Solo Quiver #27785

I occasionally use a Skookum Dual Stalker when I hunt squirrels and rabbits. I like keepng a pair of broadheads handy separate from my small game arrows in case something like a raccoon or coyote presents itself.

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: Lost Season, Maybe Worse #25512

donthomas wrote: Thanks, guys. As noted, I’ll produce a detailed piece on the medical aspects of this problem soon, but the first step in prevention is to drop your bow weight, as you are doing. We don’t need #75 to shoot deer. Or elk. Or moose. Fred Bear proved that decades ago. I know I’m paying the price for years of shooting more bow than I needed. Don

Best wishes on a speedy recovery. November is no time to be out of the hunt, but losing one season now is better than losing the rest of them down the road. I concur with your advice on draw weight, and hopefully more people will take it to heart.

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: broadheads for grouse and pheasant #19018

You can save a few bucks buying them direct. Also, it looks like they are making screw-in brass pounts up to 200 grains now.

http://www.acearcherytackle.com/points.php

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: My Trad Bowhunting season is (not) over! #17776

Alex,

There’s been a lot of good advice given thus far. I’d like to add two points to the discussion.

First, liver shots can either kill quickly or take several hours. The last animal I killed and failed to recover was a small buck in 2002 I hit through the liver and started tracking after only two hours. I jumped that buck a short distance from the shot and never saw him again. My father and I tracked him through three different small properties and finally lost him when he crossed a cut cornfield. We couldn’t get permission to track through the woods on the other side of the field. That deer died, I killed him, I made a mistake that resulted in me not recovering him, and it still bugs me to this day. Moral of the story: give a liver shot at least six to seven hours before you start tracking.

Second, if you have lost confidence in your chosen weapon you are wise to not take it hunting. The act of accurately shooting an arrow is more mental than physical, and if you are not sure of your abilities bad results are likely to follow. No animal should needlessly suffer because our ego is wrapped around the weapon in our hand.

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: First hunting setup #62983

You’re shooting a 57# recurve with 650-grain arrows and sharp, lean three-blade heads. Forgetting personal opinions and such, there are many decades of history to show your setup is more than up to the task. Hunt with confidence and have fun.

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: Elk Hunt – Bad Penetration! #62155

ATA method for measuring FOC is from the throat of the nock to the back of the point. You’re basically just measuring the shaft, not the broadhead. Your FOC should be low to mid 20s.

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: Mushrooms #59590

Great find! I wish we had those on our property, but I haven’t found any yet.

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: What's your back-up bow? #39161

Right now I have two primary hunting bows. the first is the same TradTech Titan with Winex limbs I’ve been using since 2008. The other is an older Sky Conquest with SF limbs I bought off a friend last year. They both shoot the same arrows the same speed, so the one I choose any given day it a toss up.

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: Arrows #39101

Wood or carbon, they all work well and each has their own positive attributes. To me, wood arrows are like selfbows; I enjoy making them a lot more than shooting them. Due to my 32” draw length, wood arrows are mostly reserved for small game, where I use tips that I can draw back onto the shelf. I can’t do that with broadheads, and my accuracy takes a hit if I have to short draw.

Carbon arrows to me are the height of simplicity. They’re either straight or broken, the components go together easily, they can be assembled in minutes and I don’t have to worry about maintenance. I’ve been shooting Bemans since the mid-90s and Victorys for target competitions over the past couple years. Of the countless dozens I’ve bought I have yet to find a single shaft out of spine or weight. The ICS 340s I buy today weigh and spine the same as the ones I bought a decade ago.

In the end—wood or carbon—they’ll all get the job done afield. We have more than enough historical data to prove that point. Besides, if Don Thomas can kill a water buffalo with a wood arrow I don’t see anything on this continent being a problem.

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: Assumptions and Biases #36725

Smithhammer wrote:

I thought I’d post this pic for several reasons:

1) Because yesterday I got out hunting with a friend, and despite our different approaches (as indicated by the pic above), we had a great time, and came very close to sealing the deal on a nice bull.

2) On the drive up to the trailhead, the owner of the high-tech bow told me that he is looking forward this winter to building his own stickbow, along with primitive arrows and knapped heads.

3) As a good reminder to keep our ‘trad’ biases in check, and not rush to judgment based on outward appearances. That guy in several thousand dollars worth of hunting gear and a compound bow might just be the guy described above – with a dream of “going trad” some day, if the trad people he meets are simply cool and welcoming and not turning their noses noses up at him.

Excellent, excellent post! Very well said!

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: Moose thoughts #29546

Smithhammer wrote: To form any sort of reaction based on the typically shoddy reporting of a local news channel looking to amplify a story into ‘controversy’ would be foolish.

Bingo!

[Jason Wesbrock]

in reply to: Binos in Forested Areas #25541

I also use a set of Vortex Diamondback 8x28s. They’re excellent for seeing through foliage, especially in low light.

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