[Ralph]

in reply to: Finger Strain #160210

I gave the 3 under an honest three week shot :-)). By the end of that my knuckle was so sore and stiff that I could not make a fist. So, so much for that experiment.

I also have trouble with my left hand due to an injury a few years back. I was loading a muley buck on the back of my 4wheeler way after dark and he and I fell off. The inside of my left hand, at the base of the thumb joint was ripped open big time by a broken antler. I ended up in the wee hours in the local ER. I now have arthritis in that joint. I can know longer do the #3 with that hand. I can’t touch my little finger with my thumb.

Lessons learned.  For one thing I was very flustered. I’d had hell finding the deer, it was way after dark and a pitch black night. There were people that could’ve helped me if I would’ve swallowed my pride and made a phone call. Pride has been the downfall of many a person. Leaving the deer lay overnight was really not an option because coyotes are prolific in the area.

I have an old hickory selfbow that will rattle your teeth when shot. I tried it the other day and s**t that hurt. Think I’ll stick to my “modern” bows.

I decided after that deal if it was way close to the end of shooting light I would no longer shoot. There’s always the possibility of another day and after many years of hunting it’s more the norm to go home empty handed than with a full one. I’m used to it, know all of the excuses and just go about my business in peace and an open mind.

Amazing how we can learn even when old if we, usually first, listen to what we’re saying to ourselves.. At my age, I still do ignore me but not as often as I used to.

I took a picture of my hand while in the ER but I won’t post it. It’s plumb ugly.

 

[Ralph]

in reply to: Whatch Got Going 2022 #159716

Not enough. Drier than the proverbial popcorn ****……

[Ralph]

in reply to: Whatch Got Going 2022 #159708

RAIN??? That seems to be some kind of a four letter word around here.. :-))

[Ralph]

in reply to: Whatch Got Going 2022 #159610

I don’t know why they call it “the golden years”? I seem to be silver.  Actually maybe that’s gray and white????

 

[Ralph]

in reply to: Whatch Got Going 2022 #159266

Hey Paleoman….Glad you’re back  I know the feeling of worrying on the storm break stuff and for sure on the kidney stones. Last one I had hung up just before entering the bladder.. Those thing are definitely the s******.

I’ve not been very active of late myself. I had a pinched nerve between L4 and L5. That not only messes with the hip but also all the muscle group down the front of the leg, the quads.. I couldn’t put my britches on without the help of a grabber and as for tying my shoes, forget it.

But all good now.. My wife is an RMT that specialized in deep tissue and she got me going. Massage, finding every pain point in my body to mash on with her tools of the trade and teaching me stretches and such. And some pretty blunt comment about should and should not do at 77 years old. Of course we men can have selective hearing too.. :-)).

Glad you’re back and over the stones.. Hydration….way good preventative….

[Ralph]

in reply to: Whatch Got Going 2022 #157816

Hey, you guys hurry and get over your ails.

Been way dry then a bit of snow here in Amarillo. All the trees we have here in the panhandle kinda helps in the ******* persistent wind :-)…

The 1st snow, 2-2″ fell without the wind blowing, the second one, 1-2″ piled up in feet in places and none in others… Usually the case here.

I live on the very edge of town and have a sheep and goat pasture to the north of me that is also getting inhabited by prairie dogs. Whilst out back shooting my bow I got movement out of the corner of my eye over the top of the fence. I keep two ladders against fence so I can see what’s going on (there’s aplenty on our long open edge of town alley out back).

What I saw was a big hawk taking a prairie dog and a bald eagle taking the prairie dog from the hawk. It wasn’t much of a tussle. I have a pic but too far for my phone to be a good pic.

My living on the edge ain’t so bad usually. Nobody has figured out tho how my stump I have my vise mounted on by my little barn has gotten an indention in it and a .45 bullet laying on the ground where it bounced off. Scary what goes on at times.

Anyway,  Y’all get well, good luck on the weather and hopefully covid will start leaving us alone…

• This reply was modified 3 years ago by Ralph.

[Ralph]

in reply to: Stump Shooting #157251

One might consider aging one’s intended target every now and then…Sometimes it’s not as solid of a hit as this..

[Ralph]

in reply to: Almost …………………. #155556

Haven’t seen the geese or cranes here in Amarillo. Shouldn’t be long though methinks…

[Ralph]

in reply to: Passing #155268

I lost a good friend. He and I spent many many hours conversing, discussing, agreeing, disagreeing, sharing our lives, our problems, our goods and bads.

It hasn’t seemed normal at all for the two of us to not have our daily contact.

Every time I take a picture of a sunrise or a weird weather phenomenon from my Texas Panhandle part of the world I think of David and my fingers want to send it to him. He was amazed at the extremes that we have here. He asked me once how I managed shooting in the ever blowing wind. I just told him that I’ve lived here so long I didn’t know it was a problem.  Of course that stirred a debate.

When I had my lease he and I shared my hunts. I miss him.

RIP my friend.

[Ralph]

in reply to: Brighten up the nock article #154738

I tried it with black nocks and it didn’t work…LOL… Don’t hit me!!!!!  LOL

It really does work well with translucent nocks.

[Ralph]

in reply to: Brighten up the nock article #154597

I never in my life intentionally shot at another persons nock.  Those that were hit it was purely accidentally.

It sure is hard to convince someone though that you are truly sorry after a self congratulatory “YEAH” and a silly grin all over your face.

[Ralph]

in reply to: Just to stir the pot; #154596

To me these days, traditional in my case is taking my stick and string, whether it be self bow, longbow or recurve and going about my archery business regardless of arrow, bow or string composition.

It’s the thought behind it that matters most.

I guarantee that if a primitive dude running around trying to collect supper was to come across a glass bow with synthetic string and a carbon arrow with a steel point he wouldn’t have worried what class it was that brought supper home.

I just love the challenge of me putting the arrow where I want.

[Ralph]

in reply to: :-) #154558

I just put this out to be ornery and wake the site up a little.

I’m a firm believer if what you’re doing works, the arrow is where you planned to put it, that’s the form for you. No mass what he, she, them (them is who???) have to say about it.

My errors are nearly always lack of concentrating on the target and thinking instead of something else like anchor, draw, release, what’s for supper, things like that. Out in the field…what if I miss, can I find my arrow? Is someone going to think poorly of me cause I missed?

Best course on the latter for me….”What they think of me is their problem”  and have fun.. Life doesn’t always have to be serious. After all sometimes a good miss can be quite entertaining!!! Better miss if the arrow is far enough back of the targets you can’t hear the snickers.. Also a little time to yourself..

All be careful and safe out there…

R2

[Ralph]

in reply to: Whatcha Got Going 2021 #154220

Not knocking compound bows or the users of them by any means, but way back when, when we hunted we had our longbows (what my bunch used) wood or al arrows and we pretty much had the Federal Rec area to ourselves during archery season.

But as the years of progression in the development of the compound world things began to change. People would buy compound bow, a release and become proficient in a day or two in their backyard and then they became instant archery hunters.

With only one road in and out needless to say our world changed.

Our little camp area became a mini city with no cease of activity day or night.

I saw shots taken from the back of pickups at unbelievable distances. I saw no kills and fortunately no deer hit and wounded (I’m sure some of the latter did happen) but there would be a herd of folks trying to find where a launched arrow had landed (carbon arrows have never been cheap).

I luckily ended up having a 13,000 acre ranch to hunt and roam on and did so with much pleasure for 26 years.

The ranch sold and that ended for me, big time sad, and I thought about the Fed land again then I thought deeper and remembered those launched arrows and now, with me deep in the mesquites and sagebrush in camo and longbow in hand, I didn’t hunt last year.

That was really hard but I’m still here, not arrow shot or snake bit, (another story but one year the rattlers were so bad we would not get off the road or trails to hunt until we could see really well).

I just feel very fortunate to have taken nearly 70 deer in my lifetime (not all with archery gear by far) and I can feel good about “It was a great ride”..

And I have to agree with my wife, at least partially, that at 76 it’s about time to admit that I’m not bulletproof (arrow proof either) and think before I go traipsing off through the tulies by myself with bow in hand.

Right now a pinched nerve has my right hip and thigh buggered up so the not bulletproof thingy is ringing its bell…

I’m not giving up on hunting by far, just biding my time.

And, the 55-60 pound bows?????? The 40 and 45 #’ers have my name on them nowadays…

It took a lot of years to figure out that over bowing oneself is probably the worst thing one can do for one’s archery expertise…

I can still shoot my 55#’ers but can I do it from a cold shot? If I’m bundled up from the cold? From an awkward position???

I bet I could from the back of a truck…but I won’t…

Be well and safe all… there is something to all this that’s going on…We’ve lost a great friend and promoter (from Oklahoma) of archery and I know two more who have been ill, recovered…mostly…

By the way, to those who may recall Doc Nock, he passed away in May. He stirred up some lively conversations at times but he was a good guy and a good friend of mine. RIP David….

 

[Ralph]

in reply to: Whatcha Got Going 2021 #154105

Is hickory way heavy?

[Author]

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