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  • Stephen Graf
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      Post count: 2432

      The only caribou hunting I have done is in Newfoundland.   The season was closed there for many years, but I think it has since re-opened.  That was the best guided hunting trip I ever had.  Those Newfi’s are great.

      On an historical note…  Before the whiteman shot them out, Caribou used to migrate all the way down here to North Carolina.  The last confirmed migration was around1705 or so.  I still go out in the dead of winter and hope to see some running through the woods.  You never know…

      The arctic herd has declined more than 40% in the last 20 years.  Maybe that’s why Quebec has closed the season.  The largest herd, The George River herd, has declined from close to a million animals to less than 15,000.

      Stephen Graf
      Moderator
        Post count: 2432

        Dry as a bone here.  Had our first rain in a month last night.  I’m guessing near an inch.  Have to check the rain gauge still, so we’ll see.  Enough to green up the grass I am sure.

        We don’t get events like ETAR in our area.  One of these years I’d like to make the journey.  I expect it will have to wait till the kids are fledged…

        Stephen Graf
        Moderator
          Post count: 2432
          in reply to: Hickory? #126663

          Salute!  and it looks like you added some siyah’s to it?

          Looks like the squash are about to come in too.  Nice!

          Stephen Graf
          Moderator
            Post count: 2432
            in reply to: Cock Feather In #126629

            Sorry David….

            Oh yea, arrow flight….  In my experience it doesn’t much matter which way the cock feather is oriented.  I’ve noticed that some bows prefer it one way, and some the other.

            With carbon arrows, you can do what you want.  With wood arrows, it’s a good idea to get the grain run out oriented correctly so that, should the arrow break, it will break away from your hand.  Then orienting the cock feather becomes more of a safety issue than an accuracy issue.

            Stephen Graf
            Moderator
              Post count: 2432
              in reply to: Finger pain #126618

              Grumpy,  Is that why you have no appendages to spare?

              Stephen Graf
              Moderator
                Post count: 2432
                in reply to: Cock Feather In #126617

                The cock feather is so named because of it’s purpose in making the arrow ready to shoot.  It is the same usage as when we say the gun is cocked.

                By the same token, the other two feathers are not “hen” feathers as is commonly believed.  They are actually called shaft feathers.

                Here endith the lesson.  Grumpy, get your hands out of your pants (rolling eyes emoji here)

                Stephen Graf
                Moderator
                  Post count: 2432

                  If the bow in question is a self bow, then temperature is a factor.  The hotter it is, the worse the cast.

                  If the bow in question is a steel bow, then temperature is a factor.  The hotter it is, the better the cast.

                  If the bow in question is a wood/fiberglass laminate, then temperature is not much of a factor (assuming temp is not high enough to cause glue failure).  In such a bow, the fiberglass does most of the work and is not much affected by heat.

                  Stephen Graf
                  Moderator
                    Post count: 2432
                    in reply to: Finger pain #126414

                    Your welcome! Hope it helps.

                    One the interesting things he observed in the book was that if you have a callus somewhere on your hand from the string, it means the string is rubbing that spot.  Which in turn means the finger isn’t leaving the string correctly.

                    I used to have a monster callus on my ring finger.  Since learning to better balance my fingers, that callus has diminished significantly.

                    Stephen Graf
                    Moderator
                      Post count: 2432
                      in reply to: Finger pain #126360

                      David,

                      Sorry to hear about your finger.  I’ve been through a few finger episodes myself.

                      For clarification,  By “first joint”, do you mean the one closest to the end of your finger, or closest to your palm?  I’m guessing you are talking about the joint that takes the string.

                      If that joint is suffering from shooting, it means that it is doing most of the work during the draw.  Ideally, the load should be evenly distributed between the 3 fingers.

                      Ray Axford, in his book Archery Anatomy, suggests picking the string up with the first and third finger, putting a slight load on the hand, and then picking the string up with the middle finger.  I’ve found this method helpful as I tend to have a lazy index finger.

                      Stephen Graf
                      Moderator
                        Post count: 2432
                        in reply to: Very light bows #126339

                        I’ve taken deer with a 45lb bow.  I have a friend that can’t pull more than 37 lbs.  He gets deer every year.

                        Stephen Graf
                        Moderator
                          Post count: 2432

                          You will want to shoot a much lighter bow than you think.  The draw weight of your compound really has nothing to do with what bow weight you should start with.  For example, back in my pulley-gun days, I pulled an 80lb compound no problem.  When I switched to a recurve, I started at 60lbs.  That nearly did me in with shoulder pain.  Went to a 45lb bow and all was good.   These days I stick around 55lb.

                          As for bow style, recurve or longbow, nobody can help you decide what to do.  I would advise against dropping big money on your first bow.  Most people tend to go through a number of bows while finding themselves in the traditional world.  You can have your choice of many different used bows for $200 or less that will give you a taste.  Once you find yourself, you can drop some cash on an expensive bow if you want.

                          One of the virtue’s that traditional archery teaches us is patience.  While it is not uncommon to pick up a compound for the first time, shoot it a while, and then go hunting 3 hours later, that scenario will most often not work out well with traditional gear.

                          Some folks have stories of killing critters their first year with a trad bow.  For me, it took 3 years to finally get in the groove and start killing deer.

                          All the bows you mention are good bows.  There is also nothing wrong with your 30# bow either.  That would make a good bow to develop your form and shooting style with, before investing in another.  There is nothing more fun than stumping through the woods with a fellow toxophilite.  IMO, that is where you should start.  Find a friend that shoots, and have at it!  If that person has some experience, they will be your best source for what to do next…

                          Stephen Graf
                          Moderator
                            Post count: 2432

                            I will let you know how it goes!  I’ve been committed to the swing draw for coming up on two years now.  It’s a long term thing to get right for an old timer.  But I hope to have 3 or 4 more decades to enjoy  the results.

                            I will post some pictures.

                            Glad to see you swinging through these here parts again David!

                            Stephen Graf
                            Moderator
                              Post count: 2432
                              in reply to: Welcome #125950

                              Any way to get long threads to have pages?  Take the new R2 What’s you got going? thread.  It’s getting long and it is cumbersome to have to scroll down / up.  Most forums (like this one used to do) organize long threads into pages.  Sure would be nice.

                              Along the same lines, the sidebar navigation window scrolls up with the thread.  It would be nice if it stayed in place so you wouldn’t have to scroll back to the top to navigate.

                              I miss the old forum (sad face emoji)

                              Stephen Graf
                              Moderator
                                Post count: 2432

                                “Typical R2 Dozen”, that’s a hoot!  My dozen’s seem to be like that too.  Not too many from the problems you’ve been having though (rolling eyes emoji)

                                I’m working on a new dozen (10 after initial spine test).  Gonna be my usual canary yellow with 3ea 5 1/2 inch parabolic turkey feathers (from this year’s birds collected around here).  They will be affixed to the shaft straight with no offset or helical.  Last 10 inches or so of the shaft tapered from 11/32 to 5/16.

                                These are going with me to Montana next month.  I’m taking a class with John Schulz.  This being his last summer of teaching, so he says.

                                Stephen Graf
                                Moderator
                                  Post count: 2432

                                  That’s some good shooting on that turkey!  Dang.

                                Viewing 15 posts - 286 through 300 (of 2,329 total)