[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: New KME knife sharpener #25470

Ran two dull knives through my KME this afternoon, and in no time they were shaving-sharp again. Freehand sharpening is a wonderful skill to have, but it’s pretty hard to beat the results of the KME, no matter how good of a freehand sharpener you are.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Mule Deer Migration #25264

It is fascinating stuff, David. With the significant decline in the mule deer population in western WY (unfortunately predicted years ago, with the advent of rampant oil and gas development in the area, and consequently ignored), I sincerely hope these important migration routes can be restored. I think this was posted on here a while back, although I honestly can’t remember, so here it is:

Mule Deer Migration from Joe Riis Photography on Vimeo.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The Endless Loop #24025

colmike wrote: Endless loop is where I believe this thread is headed:D:shock:

Mike

Yeah, a 10fps difference seems suspect to me, but if someone has a chrono, I’d be curious to see the results!

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Bison and bunnies #24021

Cattle grazing, mining and water rights in the West are all operating under extremely archaic rules which only continue to exist because each of those groups has a very powerful lobby working 24/7 to ensure that the relatively small group of beneficiaries can continue to do so, and damn the long-term viability or consequences.

If any candidate had the political spine to run on a platform of eliminating entirely our vast and crooked system of subsidies and loopholes, and going to a flat, across the board tax, they’d have my vote.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Wood vs. Propane in Tent #24016

It’s made by Seek Outside. I have their “6-person” tipi, and that’s the medium-size stove. The whole setup – tipi, stove, pole, etc. is under 10lbs.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Wood vs. Propane in Tent #24000

If you’re camping at the end of the road, then hauling propane vs. hauling wood seems like a moot point, assuming you have enough space in your vehicle for either. Propane is certainly convenient, but on the other hand if you’re road camping, you can cut and split all your wood before you drive to your camp, which means all you need to do is feed the stove, and there’s really no extra time or hassle involved at all.

Personally, I love having a wood stove in the tent. And I can use it for cooking as well as warmth.

This stove weighs around 2.5 lbs. and packs up small (the stove pipe is in the bag as well):

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Our Arizona Javi Hunt #23985

A couple more pics:

Already looking forward to the next AZ trip…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Our Arizona Javi Hunt #23974

In the end, I was kicking myself for not having brought the dog and doing some quail chasing as well while I was there. And in fact, if I have more time next time, I’d love to mix it up and do both. I’m not solely a bowhunter, and do not fault other hunters one bit for doing the same thing I would be doing under different circumstances. As Sean said, we never had other hunters all that close to us at all, and with the large number of deer we saw on a daily basis, I have a hard time believing that it was affecting the javis – they are usually a lot less skittish than deer.

As for other types of humans one might encounter in the southern Sonora, it comes with the territory, and it always has. You either accept that it’s part of the deal, or you should probably go somewhere else. I have also found that it depends very much on the particular location – some places get a lot of traffic (and it’s usually immediately obvious), some places don’t. We had no issues at all on this trip.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Bison and bunnies #20011

David Petersen wrote: Every time I hear someone speak of a controversial topic as if there is a clear Right and Wrong, Black or White, I get nervous, as life proves daily that all is shades of gray.

Here, here.

Interesting article, Dave. And a good reminder that the more we start mucking about and “managing” as though we know better, the more unforeseen ripple effects there tend to be. Let the bison roam.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The Endless Loop #19574

Thanks for the info, Cameron. I was unaware that Mr. Harrison had a preference for endless loop strings as well. I’ve been wanting to track down his book for some time.

Up until now, I’ve been content to let others build my strings, having found a few string builders that I really like, and only having so many hours in the day. But one of these days I’ll make the leap, and I’m looking forward to everything I’m sure I’ll learn in the process.

One of these days, I’d like to pick Dan Toelke’s brain on this subject as well…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The Endless Loop #19530

Steve Graf wrote: I think what Jason said was spot on. I’ve not had much luck with endless loop strings because they have never been the right length for the bows. Even when they come with the bow.

That’s always been my experience too, Steve. I love it when my assumptions are blown out of the water. 😉

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The Trad Knife Thread #18546

Scagel “Medium Bowie” – stacked leather and stag, onr of my favorite combos.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Strings for old bows #18510

David –

The problem with older bows and using FF strings has to do with the limb tips – newer, FF-compatible bows have reinforced tips to handle the additional stress. Older bows don’t tend to have limb tips that can handle it, though some people use them with FF anyway without reporting problems. Seems like an unecessary risk to me, though.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The Endless Loop #18469

Thanks for the detailed response, Jason! That’s the kind of info I was looking for, and pretty much confirms what I suspected.

One thing I’m really liking about the endless loop string I’m using right now is that with most of my FF Flemish strings, I have to re-check the brace height regularly, and re-adjust occasionally. This FF endless loop hasn’t budged at all since I first strung it up, and it has several hundred shots at this point. So while there is less adjustability in an EL, it also seems like if it is built properly, and for a specific bow, there really isn’t much adjustability needed.

Which I’m guessing is one of the reasons that Dan only sells his strings to accompany his particular bows, and wants all of your bow info before he builds the string.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Lars Andersen–a great Dane! #18426

I would second Steve and Ralph’s comments.

While some of his historical claims raised my eyebrow (and I’m generally a stickler for that), at the end of the day I think it’s all in good fun, and he’s clearly having fun with it. I think we could use more of that, lest we risk taking this whole ‘traditional’ thing way too seriously.

[Author]

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