[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: :-) #154546

Draw, shoot, miss, aim, curse, kick the dirt, walk away… or something like that 😜

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Whatcha Got Going 2021 #154198

Reminds me of the time…

I had gotten lucky and shot a little buck.  I was in the George Washington National Forest (my second home) and shot this little buck down by a creek.  I drug it up to an access road that I knew to be on the ridge.  I had just gotten the deer up to the road and was standing there leaning on my bow recovering my breath and wondering how I was gonna get this deer home as my jeep was parked elsewhere.

And owing to what I thought was my great luck, here came a pickup and it was slowing.  Surely this fine fellow hunter was stoping to offer his assistance.  He did stop. And in a voice many decibels louder than necessary he worried about the weather and lack of road access.  Never once did he mention the little 5 pointer laying there.  I thought it best not to enquire about transportation.

I have no idea why that fellow was in the forest to start with.  I don’t think he was hunting.

As soon as our tedious conversation was concluded, I rested the little buck in the shade of an oak and moseyed back through the woods to my jeep.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Limb Tip Protector #153035

While that may be true with conventional protectors that just get pushed on, I doubt these custom molded limb tip protectors (which should have no voids between the limb and the protector) have any more chance to hold moisture than a grip wrap does, or the straps from a strap on quiver does.

That said, it would be an easy thing to test…

1. Apply the limb tip protector and allow to cure for 24 hours.
2. Then soak the limb tip in water for a few hours.
3. Then allow the limb tip to air dry for 24 hours.
4. Then peel of the limb tip.
5. Any moisture there?

The power of curiosity and peer reviewed science over ignorance and anecdote!  I’ll get off my soapbox now (rolling eyes emoji).

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Tracking presentation #152705

Im glad you did! And thanks.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Tracking presentation #152628

Preston,

I enjoyed your article on tracking in the recent TBM.  And I laughed every time those critters gave you the slip after you so impolitely snuck up on them.  Mean Tracker Man! That never happens to me (rolling eyes emoji)…

 

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Whatcha Got Going 2021 #151987

Made a bud vase for my mom’s 82 valentines day

I like your game calls Dennis!  I’ve been dabbling in buck grunts myself:

 

Tried to upload the grunt call, but I guess it was just too much for internet to handle…

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: SB 252 CA bear hunting ban bill #151735

I don’t know how much weight out-of-state voices carry, but when the comment period opens for this bill, I’d be happy to add my 2 cents.  Let us know when the time comes by bumping this thread.

That said, we have the opposite problem.  The insurance companies have the legislatures ear and work hard to kill all deer, bear, and elk before they can impact record profits (whoops, I meant an insurance claim for a car accident).  As a result, you can shoot an elk if it walks into your yard and eats a dandelion.  Incidentally, this is not my example of “just cause” for depredation.  It was the example given by the WRC as the game laws were amended to allow for unlimited and pre-authorized depredation permits.

It seems hard to find middle ground these days…

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Selway slide on bow quiver #151121

I haven’t tried this fix, but in principle it should work: affix a small inelastic cord from one piece to the other.

One version of this would be to run the cord down the back of the bow to keep it out of the way.  If the grip is wrapped, the cord could be placed under the grip.

Another version would be to run the cord down the off side of the bow.  Again, it could be routed under the grip if desired.

 

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Improved Back Quiver Strap #150602

There is a piece of shag carpet in the bottom of the quiver.  It seems to do the trick.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Improved Back Quiver Strap #150590

I got the quiver from Sunset Hill Archery, which is a one-man shop run by Nate Steen that makes tack used in the Howard Hill method of shooting.  I’ve been using that quiver for near 6 years now and see no need to switch.

I have thought to make another matching quiver so I don’t have to switch arrows between roving and hunting adventures.  If I do make another quiver, it will have this handy strap on it.  The strap sure makes it easy to keep the quiver fitting perfectly.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: what’s a decent longbow in the $300 range. #150258

The longer the bow, the easier to shoot.  That’s the general rule anyway.  From there you can start bending the rule with changes in bow design and archer form.  Which eventually brings you to the question, what is a longbow?

If you wish to shoot a straight end longbow like and english longbow or an american semi-longbow, then you will likely be happier sticking with a bow 68 to 70 inches.

If you wish to shoot a hybrid longbow that deflexes at the handle and reflexes at the tips, then you can surely have fun shooting a shorter bow.  These curvy bows usually have longer risers which help to make them more friendly in the hand and the reflexed tips help to reduce the string angle at full draw and help them shoot a zippy arrow reliably to the mark.

But then you have to ask yourself: “why do I want to shoot a bow?  Is it simply to put an arrow in the mark?  If so, you may be happier with a compound bow or a recurve dressed up with all it’s accurizing accessories like sights, stabilizers, arrow rests, and release aids.  If,  instead, you are interested in improving body and mind through archery, then it has been my experience that the more simple the bow, the more grand the adventure.

One advantage of archery is that it isn’t as serious or permanent as marriage.  If you eye a bow that excites you, then have a go with it.  If ( eventually) you lose interest in it or find that you are incompatible, there will be no hard feelings.  You can part ways and find another bow.

I don’t have any specific bow suggestions for you.  But if you have a creative bent, and are just a little handy, you can have fun making all sorts of bows from PVC, especially in your weight range.  Do an internet search on “PVC Archery Bow” and you will find everything from Mongol Horse Bows, to English Long bows, to Penobscot Indian Bows.  All can be made for the cost of a 10ft piece of PVC pipe.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Best quiver for Bear Grizzly #150065

I don’t own a grizzly, but I do have a Bear take-down.  It too is tapped for a quiver.

I started out with a Great Northern quiver but I didn’t like how close together the hood and gripper were.  I didn’t feel it stabilized the arrows well.  Additionally, I didn’t feel the arrows balanced well on the bow.  The nock ends hung below the bottom of the bow.

I had a selway on another bow and didn’t like it for its heavy weight.

I ended up with a hybrid quiver where the hood was strapped to the upper limb and the gripper was affixed by bolt to the lower threaded insert.  The hood is flat to give the lowest profile with 2-bladed broadheads.

I got my quiver from Eagles Flight Archery: https://www.eaglesflightarchery.com/

Here’s a picture of the quiver in action on a family trip to Hawaii (some years ago…):

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: indian bows #149947

I am not familiar with the indian bow indian you are talking about.  But if it is a picture of the company logo on the limb, you could print a copy of that logo out on decal paper and then place it on the bow.  Avery and others offer decal paper for ink jet printers.

If it is a leather arrow rest, you could print the logo out and, using a pencil trace the logo onto leather and then cut it out with a scissors or razor blade.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Ground Hunting #149885

I’ve had deer walk near me without knowing I was sitting there in my seat.  I had a coyote stop close enough at my side that I could have pat him on the head.  I had a raccoon climb the tree I was sitting against.   I’ve been very happy with the hiding properties of the seat.  I had a theory that by being against the tree in the seat so most of my body shape looks like a blob, I look like a stump or a branch to the deer.  This year I had 5 turkeys browsing around a persimmon tree I was hunting near.  They stayed around for 30 minutes.  They never saw me. Sometimes deer see me, but they just can’t figure it out…

As for the sound, I took care of that problem by being deaf as a doorknob.  I’m like a ninja in the woods 😜

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Draw length ????? #149668

If there was no such thing as friction, then the draw-force curve of a bow being drawn from brace to full draw would be exactly the same as the draw-force curve of a bow being let down from full draw to brace.

Thankfully friction is a real thing, and in the case of a bow we call it internal friction or hysteresis.  Internal friction in the bow is friction between the fibers, molecules, and atoms that make up the limb structure that occurs as the limbs are being bent.    Since friction is a real thing, it has an effect on the draw-force curve as the bow is being drawn and let down.  When we measure the draw force as the bow is being let down, we see that it is less than it was when the bow was being drawn.

When we draw the bow, hysteresis increases the draw-force needed to pull the bow.  As the bow is being relaxed, hysteresis decreases the draw-force available to push the arrow.  Friction always acts in the opposite direction of motion.

There are a few laws of nature that are immutable.  One of them is the 1st law of thermodynamics which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed.  The astute reader will ask, what happened to the energy we put into the bow when we drew it, if it isn’t available as the bow relaxes, to push the arrow?  The answer is that the energy was converted to heat through the process of internal friction.

If you put a thermometer that was sensitive enough on the bow, you could measure its temperature rise as the bow is being drawn and let down.  You can feel this effect for yourself by bending a piece of wire.  As you repeatedly bend a piece of wire, it will get so hot that you will likely have to drop it.

And thankfully, our bows don’t get that hot 😜

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