[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Let's see your fall hunting set up! #31806

(updated)

Martin/Howatt Savannah 55#
GT Trad 5575 @ 28.5″ (9.3 gpi)
100 gr. brass insert
170 gr. Zwickey Delta 2-blade
564 gr. total arrow weight
23.68% FOC
3Rivers FF Tomahawk string
Eagle’s Flight ‘Cherokee’ quiver
Bearpaw Speed Glove

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Help for a new longbow shooter #31730

My initial reaction is that 100 grain points on a 55lb bow are probably too light, but without knowing your overall arrow length, gpi, etc. it’s hard to say. In general, most trad guys end up going with significantly heavier arrows than compound shooters, especially with the weight up front. What type/length arrow have you been using, and which aluminum one are you interested in?

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Early season doe #28530

Well done!!

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Motivation #28435

Interesting idea for a thread.

For me, the primary motivation is pretty simple – learning. Hunting, and particularly bowhunting, encourages me to learn all kinds of cool things about habitat, animal behavior, etc. It’s another way for me to explore what I’ve loved doing since I was old enough to walk – being outdoors, in wild places.

A close second to that is the skill-building. I love practicing and honing the skills that it takes to be a successful bowhunter. Stalking, tracking, awareness, etc.

And third, I don’t want to be easy fodder when the zombie apocalypse happens.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Shooting Form Question #28093

Dead. For the same reasons the cited above.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Horn Hunter Slingshot Pack/Quiver? #22967

skifrk wrote: Bruce;
do you have a trip report yet of hunting for elk with this pack I am more tempted to think about after I bought a safari tuff duiker quiver and while I liked using it with the camel backpack I did not get blown away

Been out with hit numerous times in the last week (but alas, no wapiti yet). Even switched back and forth a few times with my other pack (Badlands Monster), but I keep coming back to the Horn Hunter. The biggest thing that continues to sell me on using this pack is the way the quiver attaches directly to the pack. I’m not a fan of bow quivers, but trying to wear a backpack, and a GFA-type quiver and a pair of binos on a harness in front of me just feels like too much clutter. The Horn Hunter setup takes the quiver out of that equation and puts it off to the r. side of the pack, where I can still reach it, but it isn’t yet another thing around my shoulders/neck. I really like that. And like I mentioned before, the quiver can be removed and attach to basically any pack with side straps if you’re doing a longer backcountry trip.

To give a better idea of capacity, here’s what I’m carrying in this pack:

Hydration bladder
Two dressing knives
50 ft. paracord
Broadhead wrench
Sharpener
Small First Aid kit
Emergency blanket
Flagging tape
2 game bags
Rubber gloves
Pruning shears
Small GPS
Compass
Headlamp
Stringer
Camera
Headnet
Thin gloves
Fire kit (striker/tinder)
2 elk calls
snacks
4 arrows (quiver takes 5)
Extra thin wool layer
Jacket (attached to outside straps)

And I could still fit a few more things, like another warm hat, etc. in there if I needed to.

They also make a larger capacity version with the standard 2-shoulder strap backpack design.

As I mentioned above, I also really like that I can wear a knife on my belt (l. side) without having waist straps interfere like they typically do with most backpack designs.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Harvest is not a 4-letter word. #22950

David Petersen wrote: So, if a guy hunts in another country, does that make him an International Harvester? 😆

And this weeks’ “Chortling Chimp” award goes to…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Went looking for Bear, but found Grouse… #21742

Nice. I always carry a judo or two when hunting bigger game for just that reason. Fresh timber chicken is tasty indeed.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Hippo with a long bow #21738

That puts the fawk in EFOC…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Treed-itional? #18594

And I guess all I’m really trying to point out here is that the notion of “traditional” is merely subjective at best, if not fairly arbitrary (and culture-specific). It’s good to keep that in mind, and not be tossing the word around as though there is some universally-accepted definition.

But I suppose I wouldn’t want it any other way. A strict definition would be a real buzzkill.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Treed-itional? #18586

David Petersen wrote: Why is NRA a major supporter of xguns in archery seasons? See above: the more modern weapons we have in “primitive weapons” seasons, the stronger the argument becomes from the gun lobby to shorten archery season in favor of longer rifle seasons.

This is an insight that really needs to see more attention and coverage. I don’t underestimate the NRA one bit when it comes to things like this.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Treed-itional? #17076

I’m the first one to point out that hunting has gone WAY overboard in terms of reliance on gadgetry and marketing and just sheer laziness, to the detriment of skill. But at the same time, I really don’t care about adhering to some vague notion of “tradition.”

Which isn’t to say that I don’t have a great deal of respect for those who came before me, and that I don’t strive to be well-versed in history. But shooting a longbow for me, and hunting with it, isn’t about acting out some sort of nostalgic costume game from an arbitrary era in the past that I perceive as ideal – it’s about the fact that, for me, shooting a longbow is aesthetically pleasing, provides challenge and also makes a lot of practical sense in the backcountry, in terms of keeping things as simple and reliable as possible. We all make our choices, but for me, I’m just saying – it doesn’t come down to whether something is viewed as “traditional” or not. This is 2011, not 1940, and I believe I can still adhere to the principles of simplicity, craftsmanship, skill and restraint – the very values that Kohler advocates for, and that have guided archers throughout the ages, without needing to pretend I’m living in the past.

And I would suggest that it’s possible to be a “modern” archer and still hunt with a longbow, while living in our own era, without subscribing to training wheels and all the other associated crap. I think that particularly if we want to get more young people excited about it, this is essential. If we live in the past, we run the risk of being left there.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Treed-itional? #17073

Another example – wood shafts. It’s common to perceive wood shafts as “more traditional” than aluminum or carbon. I think that the reality for most of archery’s history is that archers used the best damn material they could get their hands on, which until quite recently, was wood. But do you think they would have turned their noses up at something that performs better, is more durable and requires less maintenance and tuning? I highly doubt it. They weren’t consumed with romantic ideas of being “traditional” – they used whatever worked best and gave an advantage, and I bet they would have been happy to use a more modern, durable material if it had been available.

Dacron strings? Why not sinew, if you have a problem with non-wood shafts as well? Accepting Dacron, and turning your nose up at carbon or aluminum seems pretty inconsistent to me. And why exactly is a pop-up blind so philosophically different than cobbling together a natural one? Is this really some sort of dividing line? Again, I see no consistent logic to any of this. But maybe it’s my mistake for expecting it to be logical.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Harvest is not a 4-letter word. #16579

Cyberscout – thx for joining BHA. I’m impressed at how quickly this organization is growing.

Wicanner – Amen! With all the talk about trendy “locavorism” lately, I’m disappointed at how little you hear about hunting being included in the conversation of “eating locally” (maybe because it’s essentially a yuppie trend, primarily endorsed by urbanites or recent transients?) Even compared to a local, grass-fed cow raised right in the same valley that I live in, a local wild deer or elk represents a meal with significantly less environmental impact. Hunters were “locavores” long before it was ever the hip thing to do in Bozeman or Aspen…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Harvest is not a 4-letter word. #16264

Clay Hayes wrote: State wildlife agencies use the term commonly because they think of game species as a commodity or crop of sorts to be managed and manipulated to meet both biological and social needs and desires. To me, harvest implies thinking of wildlife as simply a renewable resource to be used to meet our needs and wants.

Exactly. I think that sums up a large part of the problem I have with that kind of terminology.

But if I take a step back form my own opinion on the matter, it’s probably also good to not get too hung up on debating semantics. Intent and attitude are what really matter. And I’m pretty sure everyone on this board probably has a lot more in common than different where that’s concerned.

It’s time to hunt.

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