[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Got bow, arrows and running shoes? Check. Got pronghorn? Nope. #55430

Its a practice that is still used today in certain places, among susbsistence hunters. And I agree its interesting from an anthro perspective, but that was one of things I was confused about in the article – is this actually part of an anthropological study? The trailer for the film doesn’t explain anything either.

The article says, “They are, in effect, experimental anthropologists exploring a form of persistence hunting apparently known to ancient peoples.”

A little more context and detail would be helpful. So are these folks anthropologists, and is this info being looked at and accumulated for a scientific purpose? Or are they just a bunch of guys out there running down animals because they want to “see what it’s like?” I’m not sure how one can be an anthropologist “in effect” but I also tend to be a literalist, at times to my own detriment. 8)

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Southwest DIY Javelina Hunts? #55364

Etter1 wrote: I can’t speak for Bruce and Kevin but it was one of the coolest trips I’ve ever been on. I really only wanted to experience the desert mountains and I sure succeeded in that.

X 2!!

That country has a way of getting under your skin, doesn’t it?

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Winter Rove #55359

Etter1 wrote:

Do you always use hammer blunts and are they better than a judo? I always have but snow is quite the rarity for me.

Hey Sean – yeah, I usually use the VPA “Thumpers” for stumping. I like them better than Judos because they are available in a lot of weight options above 125gr, so I can match them exactly to my broadhead weights. I also find that they don’t deflect as easily as Judos if they happen to catch a stray twig, etc.

blacktail wrote: hello smithhammer,thanks for sharing pics of the country you live in..they are wonderful..i do have a question..i seen in the pics you use a leather side quiver..what kind is it..thanks john

Thanks, John. That quiver is made my Big Jim, and I’ve been very happy with it – well made and good leather. Great for stumping and small game hunting. You can find it here:

http://www.shop.bigjimsbowcompany.com/Quivers_c4.htm

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Winter Rove #55204

Yeah, those were some GT Trad blems I picked up a while back just for whipping up a batch of flu flus. Honestly, I think ‘camo’ shafts are pretty silly, but they were so cheap I couldn’t pass them up. Normally I use carbon collars on my stumping arrows – they’ve paid for themselves many times over. But I left them off this batch, and there’s the result, when you connect with a frozen log…:roll:

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #55113

Sippin’ coffee on a sunny Sunday morning, reading Toby Walrath’s account of his Idaho bull moose – what a great read, and congrats, Toby!

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Winter Rove #55036

In what is probably vain attempt to get this back on track….:D

Yesterday’s rove – another attempt to find snowshoe hares, look for sheds and take advantage of low snow levels to get into an area that normally wouldn’t be easy at this time of year…

It always begins with a climb:

As we hit deeper snow, we started seeing lots of hare sign, some old, some fairly fresh:

There was an area we’d been curious about – it seemed like a good wintering spot for resident elk, secluded and normally difficult to access this time of year. But other than a few recent tracks, we saw little sign that the herd had been hanging out here:

After more searching for hares, it was time to do some stumping on our way back out:

Whoops.

To another fine rove in the backyard!

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Got bow, arrows and running shoes? Check. Got pronghorn? Nope. #54998

Bizarre. I’m still not sure I entirely understand their motivation behind this, and I should probably drink a little more coffee before formulating a response. But my first thought is: a whole group of people attemping to ‘run down’ an animal, and it sounds like only one of them had a hunting license – is that actually legal in New Mexico?

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Killing Elk… #54989

Steve Graf wrote:

You can buy antlers in the pet stores now. They sell them for dog chews. I wonder where they come from?

Usually from deer farms.

My discomfort with pet stores returned and and I scolded my daughter to get her damn hamster food and lets get the hell out of here.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Planning an Elk Hunt #54987

Assuming your bag is still truly a 20 deg. bag after years of use, I think it would be fine for a Sept. hunt.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The Intricate Process Of Making Arrows From Bamboo #54554

Steve Graf wrote: Here’s the build along for making bamboo arrows from home depot plant stake bamboo…

http://paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/topic/48877#.UfS3Qjm4g21

That was a great build-along, Steve. Thanks for posting it. I particularly liked his ‘spine tester.’

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Emergency Gear #54503

Personally, I don’t think that having a minimum of “just in case” gear is a bad idea at all, at least where I hunt. I often hunt alone, and there are a number of easily conceivable scenarios that could mean a night out or worse, possibly in winter conditions, and in which it may take anyone a long time to locate me if for some reason I was immobilized.

I would never propose a simplistic premise such as, “if we have the right hardwear, we can defy death.” But on the other hand, the notion of “the more you know, the less you need to carry,” while it has some validity, only gets you so far. The fact is that there are a handful of items that are undeniably useful if you become lost, break an ankle, are forced to spend a night out, etc.

I’ve got my “emergency kit” down to about 1.5 lbs. and it doesn’t take up much space in my pack at all. My whole hunting pack, even for late season, is still well under 25lbs. In fact, even with my normal hunting gear, food/water/layers for the day, and the emergency kit, I can still scarcely fill an 1800 cu. in. day pack. That doesn’t seem like “gear-headedness” to me as much as it seems like prudence and self-responsibility. But we all make our own choices, and live with them (or don’t). I would never presume to tell anyone else what to do…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Duiker quiver #53949

Steve Graf wrote:

I’m leery of a quiver hood just because I want to be able to stick arrows back into the quiver without fooling around or taking the pack off. I’m a compulsive stump shooter, and you never know when a rascally rabbit (or grouse) might come by…

Agreed. I only use the hood on mine when the weather is wet and I want to keep my fletching dry, or when I’m hunting big game and need total quiet, otherwise I don’t worry about it.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Duiker quiver #53090

R2 wrote: When my wife tells me to stick a sock in it she don’t mean my quiver methinks.

_______________

Steve –

I bet that once you stick some foam in there for the heads, it will minimize the shafts rattling around. I’ve also found with my Duiker that the quiver hood is handy for silencing my arrows – I just tuck it down a little around the nocks, and between that and having the heads stuck into the foam, they don’t more or make a sound. I’m sure it would be easy to fashion a little hood that attaches to the top of the quiver.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Duiker quiver #52910

Steve – nice job on that quiver!

One thing I’ve realized with quivers is that no solution is perfect – they all involve compromises. It’s a matter of which compromises you find most easy to live with. Personally, I’ve come to not like bow quivers on my light longbows, nor does a backquiver work for me, both because it negates the use of a pack, and because I don’t like the motion involved in drawing an arrow that way when hunting, so a side quiver has become the best solution for me. As with a lot of things, it just takes some field time getting a feel for using it.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: I'm back…. #52897

Welcome back, brother. We’ve been keeping the campfire stoked in your absence!

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