[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Best wishes for the TBM family #59623

I figured somebody would start this thread after the tip-o-the-week came out… Thanks Mike.

I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting anyone associated with the magazine, but it does contributes to my life. So I feel I kind of know the folks that work so hard on it.

Most of us have been touched by cancer in one way or another. And so I send my sincere good vibes to Larry and his family. I’ll be thinking about you. Just keep moving, even when you don’t want to!

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Adding weight just before kickoff #57898

I second What SH said…

Weight tubes will make the arrow fly stiffer. Weight added at the point will make arrows fly weaker, but it will increase your FOC.

What the catalog’s mean is that if you put the arrow on a spine checker after adding the weight tubes, it will read the same. Which is true. But the arrow will be heavier and thus will fly stiffer out of the same weight bow.

But I would consider speed too. If you have arrows around 600 grains or more, that’s already plenty for anything on the east coast. Slowing them down may let that deer sneak out of the way when you shoot…

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: EFOC in flight #55796

I like the dog and baby! Aussi Gothic 😀

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Apparent Elk Die-off in New Mexico #54635

If I were to speculate, I would say it looks like they died from exposure to a gas cloud of some kind. This happens from time to time when a volcanic lake turns over and releases a huge cloud of CO2, for example. Or If a tanker of Liquid Nitrogen Crashes on the Highway…

No idea what would cause a gas cloud in that area, but that’s what it looks like to me.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Apparent Elk Die-off in New Mexico #53460

That doesn’t look like a virus die off to me. That looks like a bunch of elk just fell down dead. Very un-natural looking to me.

I hope the biologists do their job and really find out what happened…

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: A first harvest… #53451

Thanks for sharing!

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Pushing the limits #46929

If you work slowly and deliberately, you can get the line to move. One good sign in your favor is that she feels ownership of the kitchen…

My wife is a city girl who had no idea where meat came from. After many years of marriage, she now is right there helping grind the burger. It was a slow process that can’t be rushed.

If she owns the kitchen, then she values a good meal. Maybe an angle you could try is reading some good food books. Try reading “In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollen. There is a good section on hunting and serving pig. Then let your wife read it if she will. Pollen really puts perspective on how important good food is. And how well wild game fits into the human social / food puzzle.

Hunters are patient folk. Think of it as a long stalk.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Alaskan Adventure, Young, 1922/23 #46921

The salmon run’s looked very impressive! What an adventure.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: made a clean shot #46906

Ain’t life interesting?

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Tuffhead testing #45763

You are a hoot Jim!

From my experience, the best way to find a broadhead stuck in a target is to forget about it and then shoot it with another arrow. Works almost every time 😳

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Sitka spruce and EFOC, failed experiment #39923

Dave,

I hope the beer helped you get over that dang arrow disappointment! Maybe Reg had some good suggestions…

I am screwing up the enthusiasm to make some Eastern Red Cedar Laminated arrows that are maybe footed with osage. I am hoping the laminations will make up for the soft wood in the strength department.

But in the end, I think a footed shaft with the back end tapered is about the best you are going to be able to do with wood.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Totems #39900

Wood Thrush for me. Seems every time I am in the woods, there is a thrush nearby. It doesn’t portend anything, because they are always there.

And unlike the squirrels which are always there, but could care less if I am, the thrush seem interested in me and seem to watch me the whole time. Makes me feel a little self-conscious 😳

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Wild Voices #39889

For me, the sound of things to come is the crow. Somehow their call changes in the fall. When I hear them calling, I just can’t help but want to be in the woods.

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: Celebration #39879

Hmmm. I don’t feel the guilt which seems to be a common response to killing. Sometimes I feel sadness, but I am not sure if the sadness is for the death, or for the end of the chase.

I do feel thankful to the deer. And I express that with a simple touch and nod. And I do feel the rush of time as my own circle of life chases its tail. And I am forced to see my own bit of that earthly food chain more sharply: Oak – Deer – Man – Oak. And I make a promise to the deer to honor that chain (no cremation or embalming for me. Shallow unmarked grave will do).

[Stephen Graf]

in reply to: High FOC stability #35969

Yep. When our little group shoots outside, I am never afraid of a little brush. My arrows go through without incident. While others are squabbling like geese about taking such a shot. I just smile, shake my head, and move on to the next target.

Deniers live to deny. Neither fact or example impresses them. But at least they always comment with enthusiasm about how much the targets shake when my arrow hits them. And they always complaign about how hard it is to remove my arrows from the target 😆

[Author]

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