[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: New Broadhead #15654

This is joke, yes?

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #15645

Last night was the first opporutnity I’ve had to get out for the spring bear season. I have a new commute these days, which conveniently takes me through some good hunting country (not coincidentally…:wink: ). So last night after work I made a little detour on the way home.

Found a great spot to sit an glass in all directions, and watched many mule deer, several elk and a couple moose feed around me till dusk. Didn’t see any bear sign at all, but recent elk sign was everywhere, and the entire time I was sitting and glassing, strong whiffs of elk scent were coming up from the timber below me.

Brought the Whip along for the hike:

I need to do this on the way home from work more often…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Armored Stumper #14902

R2 wrote: So will putting collars on the rear of the arrow add weight back there to enhance performance like was discussed on April 1st? 🙄

EAOC LIVES! 😯

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Armored Stumper #14895

Agreed. I’ve gone to using collars on all my carbon stumping arrows – they’ve paid for themselves many times over. Haven’t used them on the nock end before, but I’ve had a few shafts that have split there in the past.

All it takes is seeing a few pics of the effects of an arrow that has blown up on release and embedded itself in someone’s bow hand to know that it’s definitely good to inspect your arrows regularly, esp. after taking a good hit. I also put the shafts up to my ear as I bend them to listen for any cracking/creaking.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Mitten's article in the current TBM #13977

colmike wrote: Doc

I believe that’s called Marriage:D

Ha! 😉

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Comparing takedown to one piece #13967

TMS wrote:

Is a one piece bow usually lighter than a takedown?

Yes, in general. A 3-piece takedown in particular will usually be noticeably heavier than a one-piece equivalent, due to hardware and additional materials involved. It’s part of the trade-off for the added convenience of packability with a takedown. But additional mass isn’t always a bad thing.

TMS wrote: Is it possible that the one piece bow is inherently quieter compared to a takedown with separate riser and limb pieces?

No. Whether a bow is one-piece, two-piece or three-piece has nothing inherently to do with bow noise. I’ve shot two and three-piece bows that were just as quiet as one-piece bows. The number of pieces in a bow, assuming it is a well-designed bow, doesn’t necessarily contribute to bow noise. However, a number of other variables, such as bow design, string material, arrow weight, etc. will all make a difference.

Welcome to the forum!

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #13759

Always good to hear from you Alex. And even when we haven’t heard from you in a while, and you’re off gallavanting around the globe and making beautiful music, we know you’re having a great time.

I pulled out the D/Rs this afternoon for a change. Loosened up my grip a bit and they were shooting great. Both of these bows are just smooth and effortless to shoot, and no slouch in the performance dept. either…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Re-Thinking old Thoughts on Woodies #13408

Steve Graf wrote:

For the most part I have not seen any old timer talk about bare shaft tuning wood arrows. I used to think that that was because they just didn’t really understand arrow flight that well back in the day…

Nor have I, and I think it’s definitely worth noting.

Steve Graf wrote: Another piece of advice the old timers seem to universally agree about is that the first thing to do when setting up wood arrows is to cut them as short as you can for your draw length, then play with point weight to get good arrow flight from your fletched shafts.

This has pretty much become my approach to tuning arrows, whether wood or carbon. I don’t start out with full-length shafts and progressively cut them down 1/4″ of an inch at a time till I get the flight I want anymore. I cut them to the length I want, and then tweak the point weight, along with bow variables, to achieve good flight instead. Seems to work just fine.

Steve Graf wrote: Playing with wood arrows over the last six months or more I have learned one thing for sure. Woodies are not carbons. The same rules don’t apply.

Definitely. And I’ve seen a fair bit of confusion take place in various internet discussions on arrow tuning topics as a result, when apples and oranges are being discussed interchangeably.

Steve Graf wrote: So the next interesting and unexpected piece of advice I am playing with is that straight fletching is better than helical fletching. This according to an article in Yea Silvan Archer back in the ’30’s. And other sources I remember but can’t quote.

With a properly tuned arrow, I have yet to find a persuasive reason to add additional helical to my fletching, beyond what occurs naturally. I fletch all my arrows, regardless of shaft material, with a straight clamp and a little offset.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Let's See Your Fletching #13390

I’ll be curious to hear how the birch experiment goes, Steve.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #13385

Steve Graf wrote: Bruce,

I’ve been shooting douglas fir and had but one break on me in six months. I don’t shoot many stumps though, mostly leaves, twigs, etc. Our stumps would break carbons too.

I agree with Dave about the blunts causing some of the trouble. Great for rabbits, not so great for stumps. Judo’s better. But weight may be an issue.

If judo’s too light, add lead shot before glueing on.

Bruce, shooting ASL’s and woodies is like going to the Hotel California… Sorry dude. 😀

Believe me, Steve – I love the idea of shooting woodies with my longbows. They’re fun to make, extremely quiet to shoot and as we all know, there’s just ‘something’ classic about shooting wood. But I also love to stump shoot, several times a week when the schedule allows, and I can’t afford to go through a quiver full of arrows every time I go for a hike. Never had that happen with my carbons. I’m often torn between the nostalgia of classic materials and the improvements that have come since….

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #12675

I’ve been shooting the VPA Thumpers for years on my carbons and they work great (at least up to 200gr – the 250’s are prone to breaking). But part of the limitation for me with judos is that the heaviest they offer are 135s.

Those are 11/32 Doug fir shafts too – they are pretty tough, but still not comparable to carbon for durability. It was a good experiment – my buddy and I were taking all the exact same shots, from the same distances, and he walked out of the woods with all of his carbon arrows intact, I walked out with a quiver full of kindling. 😆

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #12650

Fun stumping session today:

Till one after another started biting the dust:

On the plus side, I found all my heads! Woohoo!

Woodies are fun and all, but weighing time and expense against durability and longevity, I think I’m going back to carbons…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Let's See Your Fletching #12397

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Mitten's article in the current TBM #12365

Well said as usual, Don. There’s always room for level-headed and constructive criticism, and the last think I would ever want to see is a homogeny of opinion among our ranks. As you said, lively and respectful campfire discussion is always a good thing.

And for the record, I have my own sometimes strongly-held opinions about some of the examples cited above, but I try to remember that merely having an opinion doesn’t mean I should always assume others want, or need, to hear it. 😉

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Hunting Kauai? #10705

TBM Feb/Mar 2012 – “The Passing of a Friend.”

Good story of goat hunting on the Na Pali coast. Might not have all the nuts and bolts practical info you need, but it gives a good idea of the terrain and what’s involved.

I’d appreciate it if you share any other info about hunting on Kaui that you come across in preparation for your trip, and a trip report after. 😉

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