[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Thunderchild! #20599

A little follow-up after shooting the Thunderchild just about every day for the last 10:

– The first thing I noticed when I picked this bow up was the grip. While it’s a low wrist which I like, the grip felt big, at least compared to the other bows I was used to. So big, in fact, that I wondered if I would like it or not. Well, after a few days, I not only got used to it – now I really like it. It fills my hand nicely and helps make the bow feel really stable. And the beavertail, while it adds slightly to the thickness, provides excellent grip.

– This little bow is fast. I don’t own a chrono so I can’t say exactly how fast, but I’m not shooting a particularly light arrow (620gr. w/ 27% FOC) and the Thunderchild throws them with authority.

– In hand, it doesn’t feel like a particularly short bow. Or rather, it doesn’t suffer from the things that some say short bows are known for. It doesn’t stack or pinch at all at my 27″ draw (Big Jim shoots the same 56″ length bow, and he supposedly has a 30″+ draw). It draws vey smoothly and consistently throughout, and it feels very stable in hand, not “twitchy” at all.

– Putting an EFA bow quiver on it dampened the bow down a little, though it’s not a noisy bow to begin with. Regardless, I’ve been shooting it with and without the bow quiver, and it doesn’t seem to make much noticeable difference in how the bow shoots at all.

All told, I’d say Big Jim has really nailed it with the Thunderchild design. The performance and craftsmanship of this bow is excellent. This is the type of short bow that convinces me that there is no need to carry anything longer, unless you just really want to.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Art Vincent Pocket Quiver #20026

Dave –

It’s funny you say that. I’ve actually been on a mission lately to purge and sell all the stuff I’m sitting on that I no longer use, and reduce the amount of crap in my life. But in the process, I’ve also decided to be more selective about what I buy, and when I do, spend it on well-crafted items made by people who care about what they produce. And my recent eBay sell-off has given me a little extra pocket cash to do so. Hence this sweet little quiver, my recent Thunderchild, and probably too many nice knives. You guys are just getting to see all the good stuff, since this is about all I splurge on anymore!

Junk out the door, and fewer things coming in is my mantra these days.

Oh, and I don’t think kids are going to happen for us at this point, but we do have two lovely dogs, who I’m sure would love to chew on my bows and leather goods…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Attraction #19666

Honestly, from the first time I picked up a bow, I don’t think I ever had a choice. I knew immediately that it was something I was meant to do, and I connected with it like nothing else. Being in the woods with a longbow in my hand just feels right – and I’m sure that if I’d been born in a previous era, it’s probably what I would have spent all my time doing.

But beyond that “gut level” immediate connection, the experiences I’ve had, and continue to have as a result of trad bows, are irreplaceable and what feed my soul. The close-up, intense encounters with wildlife are things I think about throughout the year. The excellent people I’ve met, the dedication and craftsmanship that people put into building bows, quivers…all of it. For me, it’s the antidote to, and the refuge from, the modern madness.

Like I said, I have no choice! 😉

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: A club for those of us without any back country #19661

Forager wrote:

…Speaking for myself, I’ll be damned if they accomplish that while I have breath left to fight them and if by some means they accomplish it while I still stand… well, I’ll be an outlaw blocking one and flouting the other.

Amen.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: A club for those of us without any back country #18971

stchunter48 wrote: ….Still I wonder what we can do to help create a wilderness experience in the not-so-wild world most of us live in.

I certainly don’t have all the answers to what is a huge question, but for starters:

1) Advocate for reasonabe restrictions on off-road motorized vehicle use during hunting seasons, significant fines for violations, and visible licensing if youer state doesn’t already require it.

2) Don’t let archery seasons become watered down, and work to limit the encroachment of more and more technology into archery seasons. It’s critical to the preservation of archery seasons, or the argument can, and soon will, be made that archery seasons have become so high-tech that they should be shortened significantly. We have to preserve the “primitive weapon” spirit in which these seasons were fought for and created.

3) Share this video with all bowhunters that you know, whether they be trad or compound shooters:

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: A club for those of us without any back country #18886

stchunter48 –

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I can sympathize with how frustrating it can be. It’s true that BHA’s mission is focused on public land issues, but we are also focused on other public resource issues as well, as they pertain to sportsmen – and in many states, so far I know, wildlife, water, etc. are still considered state-managed, publicly-held resources.

BHA has also increasingly been approached by people who live in states that do not necessarily have the abundant public land found in much of the west, but who want to start a state chapter anyway – to help protect the public land that still does exist, and also to have an organized platform to promote traditional hunting values, boots-on-the-ground work to restore and improve habitat and to advocate for wildlife from a sportsman’s perspective. These are things that you don’t have to live in a western state with lots of public land in order to advocate for.

My suggestion is to seek out like-minded individuals in your state – it may not feel like it, but they’re out there. Talk about these things that you care about with them. Build a “core group.” Go to public meetings that pertain to sportsman’s issues, and let people know what you care about and stand for. We can’t give up, and there’s more of us than you might think. 😉

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Man Eaters of Kumaon #18393

On a more serious note, though – I’ve heard that some of our most esteemed luminaries – Howard Hill, Fred Bear, etc. might have spun the details of a hunt to make a more entertaining yarn now and then…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Anything Positive @ This Winter? #17728

Ha – well done.

Are you planning a part deux – mano a mano?

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #17723

A fresh dozen. Feels good…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Anything Positive @ This Winter? #17714

eidsvolling wrote: For Smithhammer and the rest of you nuts:

Hey now – I’m nowhere near as nutty as that guy. 8)

And those of you that know me better not chime in….

Wait – is that you?

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Man Eaters of Kumaon #17706

David Petersen wrote: Critch — Writers rarely tell the whole truth. Nor much of anyone else for that matter, since NO one really knows that the truth is. It’s impossible. 😆

Or, there is an over-abundance of it, depending on which way you want to look at it…:wink:

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: NALS #17267

I really wish I could make it to NALS this year, but it’s a long haul from my end of the state, and my spring travel plans are already pretty full.

Hope we’ll be able to catch up @ Scout Mtn, Wally – I’ll post info about it soon…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Fire Kit #16615

David Petersen wrote: Hammer — I always carry a small propane blowtorch … no such thing as overkill when it comes to survival fire. 😛

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Anything Positive @ This Winter? #16457

Another tropical day in Hammerville. 8) Got out on the skinny skis this morning for a little tour over the state line into Wyoming. We certainly have no lack of snow at this point!

Now, why do they call them “lodgepoles” again?

I was just reading about ‘Ol Jed last night…

My preferred kind of two-track:

Gotta keep the shack nasties at bay…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Turbulators #16439

Thanks, folks. That’s kind of what I thought – that it’s another item for the toolbox, particularly if you’re flight is squirrely and/or noisy, but that’s it’s not essential. I can’t say I’ve felt a need for them with my own setup, but I was just curious if I might be missing something.

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