[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Death Knell for a Bear Kodiak? #51395

Hmm…hard tellin,’ but better safe than sorry. I’m assuming he’s not the original owner of the bow, and doesn’t know it’s ocmplete history? I’d be worried that it had been dry fired at some point.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Start them young #51324

That’s awesome, Jim – you should be proud.

And he has me beat by a few decades when it comes to identifying wallaby tracks. 😉

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Glove vs. tab #51258

Thanks, Jim – the Dura Glove is one that seems to get mentioned so often that I really should try it one of these days, when my ABS finally wears out. But I sure do like those cordovan tips. Once they get broken in, they’re smoove as buttah…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Walsh Obituary #51138

That was a great read, David. Thanks for sharing.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Widow test drive #51126

Sweet! Hopefully you’ll have it in time for the Fall! Looking forward to pics.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Glove vs. tab #51121

I had an interesting experience today, and so I figured I’d dig this thread up and add to it, rather than having multiple glove vs. tab threads floating around.

I’ve been shooting a tab pretty much exclusively for more than a year (when I first started this thread) and I’ve been pretty happy with the results. But last week I started shooting a bow that is a few pounds heavier than my others, and my consistency has been anything but. Sometimes I’m nailing it, and sometimes it’s all over the place. My sneaking suspicion (which I’ve been loathe to admit) is that muscle fatigue is affecting my shooting, even though it’s just a matter of a few pounds difference.

And then last night I was rummaging through some stuff and came across my ABS glove, and started thinking that one thing I always liked about a glove was that I could get a really secure, deep hook on the string…which led me to start wondering if that might help with drawing my higher poundage bow.

So today I got out in the woods to stump shoot for a bit, and it was undeniable – I was shooting this bow much better with a glove than I had been for the last week with a tab.

Not sure if this indicative of other form issues I should be working on, but the short of it is that I’m back to a glove for now. Funny how things come full circle…

As a side note, I can’t believe that ABS stopped making the Super Glove. I’ve never used a better glove. The full finger style and long cordovan tips allow for a great hook and a very smooth release, while still being able to feel the string. I hope someone offers something comparable in the future.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #50274

colmike wrote:

Hammer when you get the time send some real estate info on your grid–you have the home e-mail–it just might happen:shock: Wouldn’t it be fun to be there when the big one blows:roll:

Will do, compadre. It’d be great to have you in the ‘hood! The Teton Valley Traditional Archery Club needs more members!

ausjim wrote:

My problem is Dave, I’m torn between two great passions. How can a man decide between coffee and whiskey?? They both offer so much to the world…

You don’t have to choose – with diligence, hard work and extensive practice, it’s not hard to transition straight from one to the other. 😉

David Petersen wrote: Hammer, tell us about the Indian nickel bow. If you already have, sorry but I missed it.

Dave –

It’s a Big Jim’s Thunderchild – 2 piece, 56″ AMO, #55 @ 28″, bocote riser and mango wood limbs. You didn’t miss anything – I’ve been keeping it under wraps…8)

Jim embeds a Buffalo nickel on both of his current models – the Thunderchild gets the Native American portrait side, and his Buffalo bows show the flipside of the coin. Pretty cool detail, in my totally biased opinion.

ausjim wrote:

I know exactly how you feel Mike. This place draws a great crowd.

It really does.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #50147

ausjim wrote:

I’m actually super impressed. What’s that tipi like in hot weather? Can you partially roll up a side or something for more airflow?

Jim –

There is built-in vent at the top of the tipi which helps with ventilation, but isn’t enough on its own in hot weather.

You can also order the tipi with two built-in doors/screens (as I did). The doors are large and allow for a fair bit of airflow:

You can also pitch it high (the central pole is adjustable) so that air can flow in underneath.

All of that said, I have yet to try it in truly hot weather – just warm Idaho summers. Some friends of mine took the 12-person SO tipi on an expedition to Myanmar last year, and said that between the heat and the humidity when they were at low elevations in the jungle, it didn’t ventilate all that well, and created a fair bit of condensation inside. But I’m not sure if they had screen doors on theirs or not.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Severe Weather #49801

I’ve been out in some horrendous storms, including 48hrs. of hurricane force winds in South America that I thought was going to destroy our tents. But as long as I’m on land, I can deal.

The truly scary times that I’ve been out in wicked weather have been on the ocean – crewing on boats and kayaking. It’s a very acute reminder that we are definitely not sea mammals.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Widow test drive #49800

Gator1 wrote: I’m not sure how I’m going to take the wait time after I return the demo.

I hear ya. I’m tempted to say that with a six month wait time, you forget about it after a while, and then suddenly you get a notice that it’s shipping, and suddenly it’s like Christmas all over again, but who am I kidding? When I have a bow on order, I don’t ever forget about it, even if I’m waiting 6 mos.

Luckily, I have a couple backups… 8)

And Doc – I’ve only heard good things about Kirk’s bows. I’d love to shoot one some day. I really like the stipling on that grip too!

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #49164

A few pics from a hike today:

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: For the amateur naturalists amongst us #49160

What an amazing critter. That tail is incredible!! Thanks for sharing, Jim.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Widow test drive #48836

Doc Nock wrote: I test drove a widow once, but there were too many kids attached! 😯

Classic, Doc.

I fully embrace my bow addiction and make no apologies. There are a million worse things to spend your money on than supporting small-scale craftsman and the functional beauty they produce.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Short recurves…suggestions? #47829

ausjim wrote: Bruce,

your BYOV line actually had me laughing so hard I had to explain the ruckus to my wife. Being an American herself she was not surprised at your vegemite policy 😉

Ha – actually, my friend, if you make the trek all the way over here, we’ll track down the freshest vegemite we can find.

And feel free to get your new Super Mag shipped to our place. 😉

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: When "friends" turn out to be enemies #47705

Agreed. We should probably steer clear of the “gun control” issue, since that is a whole other can of worms, and this isn’t a gun forum. But it doesn’t take much digging to see that the “Center for American Progress” isn’t exactly ambivalent on that front, either.

And while I believe strongly in 2nd Amendment rights, I do think that there is a valid point to be made regarding many of the candidates that the NRA supports, who are not the least bit helpful, if not downright harmful, when it comes to the hunting public’s vested interest in habitat conservation and wildlife mgmt.

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