[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: What ya got goin'? 2 #142189

Must be our rain you be getting.

Our creeks are dry, it got to 100 yesterday.  Temps supposed to break sometime soon.  No rain in sight…

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Arm bands …………. cheap !! #142180

Sewing used to be a bridge too far for me.  I kept my wife’s ancient sewing machine working.  I knew all it’s belts, pulley’s and levers by heart.  But I never did work up the nerve to learn to use it.  It had so many quirks.

Then I bought my wife and daughter new machines for Xmas a few years ago.  Yea, I was slick.  I did the research, got each of them to tell me what they really thought was important, and implied that I was getting a machine for the other.  Come Xmas morning, I was tops,  for a few minutes anyway…

The new machines are SO much better than the old ones.  Even an old dog like me can figure them out.  They work well, are so quiet, and don’t get buggered up.  I use the machine more than my wife does.

Sewing up some arm bands would never have happened before the new machine.

If you’ve got a hankering to improve your traditional skills, I surely do recommend getting a sewing machine and giving it a whirl.  You can get a nice machine now for less than 200 bucks.  Ours were made by Brother, and they have been great.

A few bow socks, a shooting glove or two, some armbands, and the machine has paid for itself.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Howdy! #142115

Dacron strings stretch a lot when they are new.  They also wear pretty fast.

You need to twist that string up.  It’s not unwinding so much as it is stretching and slipping.  If you let it slip too much, you won’t be able to wind it up safely.

Unbrace the bow, take the loop off the bottom limb and start to twist it in the direction that will tighten the string.  If you can’t tell by looking at it, pinch the string about an inch below the loop so it won’t move and then twist the loop.  You can then feel/see the string get tighter in one direction. That’s the direction to twist

I’d put 40  twists on it to start with, based on how much it let down.  If it’s too much, you can always untwist it again.

Check the brace height every 10 shots for the first several days.  You will likely have to twist the string up several more times.

Have fun hunting!

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Limb Glass problems with "new" bows #142083

If the bow is making cracking sounds as you draw it, and it is not a take down bow, then it will likely fail soon.  You are right to be cautious about shooting it.

I would think you could contact the seller for a return and refund.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Recycling Arrows #142039

Not too much time, too many arrows…

Footing arrows is for people who like to sit on the couch and admire them.  I like to shoot them, no strings attached.  I would find it hard to part with a footed arrow, especially in the woods full of hard places to land.

By this experiment I found it takes way less time to recycle a half dozen arrows than it would take to build a half dozen from scratch.  Not to mention that I didn’t need to spend any scratch to get them.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: What ya got goin'? 2 #142006

My dad kept 400 hives while I was growing up.  I’ve had enough bees and bee stings to last a lifetime.  Still love honey though…

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Danger of Dragging #141994

We have a Chevy Bolt electric vehicle.  It goes 250 miles or more on a charge and is a hoot to drive.  My wife doesn’t even remember how to get gas anymore.  When someone comes out with a pickup, I’ll be getting one for myself.

As for dragging deer, ergonomics are important.  Twisting and dragging takes more energy and injures one’s back.  I made a deer drag from an old ash post hole digger handle.  About 6 feet of rope so the deer can remain fully on the ground is an important trick to easy dragging.  Having to pick up the head/chest is a waste of energy/effort.  Pulling straight, and not lifting the deer makes easy work of the job…  You will note in the following picture that the deer’s head is off the ground.  The para-cord got changed out for a longer piece after that.

This is one I made for a young man after he killed his first deer:

It’s a small piece of gear to have on hand all the time, thus making the eventual (but always unexpected) task of bringing home the goods easier.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: What ya got goin'? 2 #141891

Which is it, the hornets, wasps, and yellow jackets are meaner in the fall, or the stings hurt worse?

Shoulder problems, bug problems, that’s a bunch of bad omens.  I’m glad they aren’t getting to you.  There’s a dead deer walking…

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Selway slide on bow quiver #141816

I remember when I found out about the Channel islands.   I was bummed, but understand the need to restore the ecology if we can.  I wanted to go after some of them goats and pigs like the fellows did in the old days…  There used to be a video of Howard Hill, Ben Pearson, and others hunting Catalina island on Youtube.  I looked for it to post here, but it seems to have been deleted.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Selway slide on bow quiver #141799

All the explorers who came to the islands brought animals with them.  The islands are so isolated from other land masses that the only native animals were birds and bugs.  The local flora evolved without animal pressures.

Polynesians were the first to make the islands their home and they brought the pig.  Those that came after brought the goats, sheep, deer, turkey, cows, etc.  Now the authorities are trying to eradicate the animals before the local plants go extinct.  As y0u can imagine, this is controversial.

The lowly pig seems to be the best at avoiding the machine gun helicopters.  If you step out in the evening you will likely run into one, as I did.

I got to be the hero for a day.  My daughter was about 12 a the time and wanted a luau more than anything in the world.  So when I came home with the pig, she got her wish.  There is nothing better than hugs and kisses from an admiring young daughter to motivate a dad’s straight shot.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Selway slide on bow quiver #141722

It’s starting to look that way with the dry and hot weather we’re having…  But no, it’s the big island of Hawaii.  My wife has an uncle with a small coffee farm there and we spent 2 weeks around xmas with them some years ago.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Selway slide on bow quiver #141650

We were too far inland for any real rain.  We got less than 1/2″.  I was hoping for more, the creeks are dried up, the leaves are falling, and everybody’s thirsty…  It was enough rain so I will have to mow the grass, but thats about it.  Thank’s for asking.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Selway slide on bow quiver #141617

I found the selway’s to be pretty heavy.  A quiver doesn’t need to weight that much.

Back when I put a quiver on my bow, I settled on the Eagles Flight quivers as the best option.  If you use a 2 blade head, they have a nice quiver that has no foam and rides close to the bow.  Here’s the website:https://www.eaglesflightarchery.com/

Here’s a picture from some years ago showing the quiver on a bear take down:

 

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: I'm Back… #141081

Thanks Joe.  I hope you are enjoying your new found freedom from work?  Gonna get in a bit more hunting this year?

 

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: New Eyes #141020

I had a pair of  Nikon Monarch’s years ago and they worked really well.  Then, listening to all the hype, I bought a pair of swarovski’s.  The swarovski’s are a bit better, but it’s like carrying a cinderblock around my neck.  Dang heavy.  All in all, I don’t think the weight trade off is worth it.  My Monarch’s were light, durable, and plenty good enough.

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