[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Bow Poundage for Pheasant Hunting #61268

Dr. Ed Ashby wrote: “Back when”, I had the best results when using sharp broadheads. The head I used most on birds was the Herter’s Ram MX; a rigid 4-blade.

Speed of the six-fletch flu-flu arrows can be regulated by the size of the fletching. I used six, shield-cut 4″ feathers; pretty fast.

Ed

As usual, I have to agree with Ed here. I’ve chased ‘ditch parrots’ a bit with a bow, and I would recommend against using Judos. I can almost guarantee you that they will do nothing except bounce off of a pheasant in flight, especially when combined with slow-moving flu-flus (I’ve seen it happen, more than once). As others have said, pheasants are tough birds.

The bottom line with pheasants is that you are probably going to have to make a choice between an arrow that has the penetrating power to actually drop a pheasant, and worrying about an arrow that might travel too far to likely be recoverable if you miss. Arriving at a setup that achieves both is tough, imo. I just commit to the fact that I’m probably going to lose some arrows when I go pheasant hunting.

Obviously, if you are hunting with dogs, then you don’t want a sharp broadhead that could slice up a dog’s mouth.

I would suggest looking at a penetrating point, even if it’s just a sharpened field point, backed up with a Zwickey Scorpio that will slide down the shaft as the point penetrates and limit full pass-throughs), rather than a Judo-type head, and if you are going to stick with flu-flus, go with the minimum amount of fletching needed.

And have fun!! Chasing pheasants with a bow is a blast!

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The 2013 Season Bulletin Board #59927

Thanks, Wayne! Gosh, it’s only been a few weeks, but it feels like much longer that I’ve been away! Good to be back on one of the very few forums that I really enjoy.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Judging Distances #59921

ausjim wrote:

Haha, I find the same thing. But just like with good shooting form, I reckon you have to start off thinking about it before you can do it without thinking 😉

True that. I find the psychology behind that thinking/not thinking ‘sweet spot’ with a lot of activities to be fascinating territory.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Judging Distances #59549

Good thread.

I have paced off my backyard target, so that I know about where to stand for a 20 yard shot, 25 yard, etc. But when stump shooting or hunting, I don’t consciously estimate distance, I simply practice enough to have a good idea of whether a target is “in range” or not. As with a lot of things, I find that thinking about it too much can become a liability. 😉

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The 2013 Season Bulletin Board #59540

Hey gang –

Haven’t been around in a bit, since my archery elk season ended I’ve been trying to catch up on all the work I blew off to chase elk, and I’ve been doing lots of bird hunting with my favorite shorthair. Didn’t get an elk with m bow this season (nor did anyone else in the area that I’ve talked to…), but here are a few pics from the final days:

The elk were there, but silent and very hard to find. And I never was able to call a single bull in. It was just an odd rut this year. But as always, it was time very well spent.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Paleo Site #30987

paleoman wrote: That kind of connection to the dirt and richness of history and place, well I wouldn’t trade it for a truckload of damn IPhones:wink:

Thanks for the new sig. 😉

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Practicing the "Cold Shot" #28549

Couldn’t resist this opportunity for a true “cold shot” this morning 😉 (17 yards):

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: New vids on woodsmanship, etc. #28502

Well done, Clay. I’m looking forward to the rest of this series…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Ring Finger #28446

Steve’s advice is spot on, and it sounds like you’re already paying attention to that. See if you can get someone to take a few pics of you at full draw. Even though I fully believed that I was keeping my elbow flat at full draw, the pics made it clear that I wasn’t, and I needed to work on it more. Beyond that, I think that seeing what your form actually looks like occasionally is a good thing.

As far as ‘plucking’ goes, I can only offer what solves the plucking issue for me – a second anchor point upon release. As the string leaves my fingers, my hand moves straight back, never leaving contact with my cheek, until I hit my ear lobe. I see some exaggerated releases with the release hand flying all the way back to the shoulder, and whatnot, and 1) I don’t think there is really any need for the release hand to move that far backward, 2) in my opinion, it can increase the likelihood of the release hand straying from the same plane that the string is on, therefor causing some ‘plucking’ effect.

Jeff Kavanagh does a good job of explaining it in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYf6JSYb0gU

Also, I know its largely a personal preference thing, but I find that I get a noticeably smoother release with a tab than I do with a glove.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The 2013 Season Bulletin Board #27782

Weather changed here a bit over night:

Came across a nice 5×5 early on, but he was silent, and wouldn’t come in to any calling (same story we’ve had all month). So we kicked back for a bit, and then set off tracking him across hell and back for the next 2 hours. The next time we saw him he busted for the next county.

But I did come across a nice consolation prize:

More snow on the way tonight, and then it is supposed to warm up a bit for the last few days of the season. Weirdest rut I’ve seen so far…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The 2013 Season Bulletin Board #26298

Well done, Reddog!!

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: The 2013 Season Bulletin Board #25375

wahoo wrote: What a sight a young man as myself chasing chickens thru the forest – I made sure no one was watching

Oh man, I’ve been there…

Glad you’re gettin’ some action, compadre. Looks like crappy weather, and maybe even some snow, might be moving our way. It can only help things at this point…

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Practicing the "Cold Shot" #25359

Sometimes I really like deliberately going out and shooting in the wind.

This was my ‘cold shot’ today, @ 15 yards, in an 18-20mph quartering breeze:

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Dang Dr. Ashby Reports #25263

1shot wrote: Thanks for the concern about making changes this close to the season… I’ll be shooting my current set-up this year but next year I’ll be starting anew, with more knowledge due to these reports… Thank You to all that replied…

Good call. That’s what winter (and a good pint of stout…8)) are for.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

in reply to: Dang Dr. Ashby Reports #25240

mhay wrote:

My next step is to be rid of the fletching noise .

For a long time, I’d been using 3 x 4″ fletching, with cap wraps (for no other reason than aesthetics, and they made arrows easier to find when stumping). A while back (in conjunction with bumping my point weigh up significantly), I decided to ditch the wraps and switch to 4 x 2-1/4″ straight fletching, just as an experiment. I fully expected that it would be nothing more than that, and that I was reducing my fletching by far too much, and that straight fletch was “crazy” according to all the so-called experts.

Instead, I immediately gained a noticeable bump in my FOC %, they flew great (even with broadheads) and they are dead silent. Plus, if cost is a concern, you can get a bag of 50 2-1/4″ feathers for $11 – about the typical cost of a dozen larger feathers. For as cheap as I can get 50 feathers, plus not buying wraps anymore, my arrows have actually gotten less expensive to build…in addition to flying great and penetrating a lot more, of course. 😀

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