[David Becker]

in reply to: Takedown longbow recommendations please #29588

Have you checked out a Montana scabbard?

I’m going to carrying a 68″ longbow on my MTB this elk season, and I’ve got the Montana scabbard on my short list of things to try. I should be ordering it in the next month or so.

[David Becker]

in reply to: New puma documentary #43986

Thanks for that. My wife and I will enjoy it together. We’ve had a mountain lion skirting the northern edge of our property. We’re maintaining an attitude of mutual respect and just trying to enjoy it.

[David Becker]

in reply to: What ya got goin? #52101

I’m somewhat reluctant to post this, given that some of you are still shoveling snow, but we recently turned the corner where there’s some daylight before I start work, and some daylight after I end work, and I’m looking at the first American robins of spring out my window.

I’m grateful for that, as we got robbed of our summer last year due to my wife being rear ended in a car crash.

I’ve got a 68″ longbow I picked up right after deer season last year. I’m shooting it pretty well, but this weather is making me want to get out there and practice until I can shoot it really, really well.

[David Becker]

in reply to: RIP my trusty Shrew Classic Hunter #34250

I’m really sorry to see that man. Glad you weren’t hurt.

A friend of mine gave me an Osage flatbow that detonated when I drew it. That was sort of exciting, and did effect my shooting for a while after.

[David Becker]

in reply to: This ain't no bow. #52695

I was “thinking about” buying a trad bow, then I read a few issues of Traditional Bowhunter from my local library and got convinced to take the plunge pretty quick.

I was drawn to the weapon, but what really sealed the deal for me how different the attitudes towards hunting were from all the horn porn mags.

Since I don’t shop much, and I couldn’t tell you the last time I walked past a magazine rack, I don’t know I would have found the magazine otherwise, so if your library doesn’t have it, that would certainly be a worthy gift.

[David Becker]

in reply to: Just brought home my first deer killed with a trad bow. #27229

skinner biscuit wrote: Calling is like rattling horns, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t.Break sticks,rake trees with a branch as well.I met a gentleman who had called in and killed five bulls in the area I was hunting.He said he has been after this one same bull for three years now and has been close many times and you had to be gentle with the calling.Remember elk themselves make bad sounding calls so don’t worry about being a world champion bugler. Make sure to give them plenty of time to respond and trust your camo!…I cow call more than bugle.Listen to what their doing and try to mimic.Dont over call but don’t be afraid to call.Yes theirs a lot of calling out there but get away and go into places other hunters don’t go (to steep,dense,etc.)and you will find more game, they will be more responsive.

Hey man, thanks for that. I’ve been meaning to reply for a while now, I just can’t get this ding dang website to work on phone anymore.

[David Becker]

in reply to: Just brought home my first deer killed with a trad bow. #51411

Ptaylor wrote: In regards to bugling: When I hunted Roosevelt elk this past September I heard some bulls bugle. And I figured out pretty quick that the only time the herd bull bugled was when a hunter spooked him, he was moving away from the hunter and his harem. So he would bugle to get the cows to follow him. Once everyone was back together and moving he would shut up. A local that had been hunting there for 30 years told me if the elk here you cow call they immediately flee, and I experienced this after tracking a herd for a few hours I got into them bedded down. I was about 30 yards and started cow calling (now my cow calls aren’t very convincing…) they got right up and walked off. Talk about thick brush, I never caught a glimpse of hide, just heard them walking away.

I was a little too cautious about making noise while looking for the elk. Approaching it too much like deer hunting.

Sure was fun!

Thanks for all the tips Skinner.

Wowsers.

I don’t think it’s quite that bad here, yet. Last year, I did have a cow answer me, but then I think expected me to come to her, rather than come to me, given the fact that she was in a hellhole of Devil’s Club that wasn’t happening, and I didn’t have a cow tag anyway.

[David Becker]

in reply to: Just brought home my first deer killed with a trad bow. #51374

eidsvolling wrote: Here are some tips on hunting Rosies I ran across that I’m itching to test. Undoubtedly someone here can vet them for us:

Washington State Roosevelt Elk Tips

Oh I missed your post earlier. Thanks for that.

[David Becker]

in reply to: Strange Things/Near Misses #45754

I stabbed myself in the leg with a 175 grain Grizzly Broad head this year. I was sneaking around my property with an arrow on the string. I decided to head down for lunch, so I put the broad head in my bow quiver, and pulled out a blunt to do some stump shooting.

I took my stump shot, then started to walk up and get my arrow when I felt something stab me in the leg. My arrow with the broad head was sticking out of the ground, with the nock buried in the mud, and the point buried in my calf. Apparently I didn’t get in the quiver all the way, and when I loosed the blunt, it dropped straight down.

I took off my back pack, pulled out my Israeli combat dressing, then pulled the arrow out. It went in about 1/4″ inch, and bled pretty good, but it wasn’t life threatening.

It arguably could have used stitches, but we are a 60 mile round trip from anyplace I could get stitches, so I just cleaned it out with an irrigation syringe, applied a little tincture of benzoin, steri-stripped it and rocked on.

I’m real careful about putting broad heads back in the bow quiver now.

[David Becker]

in reply to: Just brought home my first deer killed with a trad bow. #45625

Hey Skinner,

That’s some good gouge right there. Thanks man. I do intend to dust off the mountain bike next year. I’m hunting NF land so we don’t have the plethora of gated roads you do over there, but I’ve identified a couple that have a big washout, or the NF has closed down.

How bad are people about over-calling in your area? I was sneaking out a ridge with my muzzle loader (forgive me my sins) this October and got excited when I heard a bugle. Long story short, do the frequency of the calling, I started suspecting pretty quick it was another hunter. I finally crept to where I could see him on the road below me. The dude was standing in plain sight, sitting on the hood of his pickup, alternating blowing a cow call and a bugle every 30 seconds.

I managed to blow “shave and a haircut” on my cow call at him, but he still didn’t figure out I wasn’t an elk….

I guess there is no helping some folks.

[David Becker]

in reply to: Lion Poacher? #33261

colmike wrote: Don

Well done. That was the best roundup on this sordid incident I’ve read. And your last thoughts were right on. Problem is all who read it here will agree–we need to get that fine letter out to the other “hunters”. Any ideas?

Semper Fi

Mike

I don’t think this is representative of a problem just with hunters, but a reflection of the problems that our materialistic, “ornamental” culture causes, which leads to achievement of a goal without any thought to the means used to get there, coupled with a really toxic sense of the masculine.

But that may be too much for a forum about bowhunting. :shock::shock:

[David Becker]

in reply to: Solo Hunt #33255

Hey man,

I’ve got a search and rescue background, and I love to go out in the woods alone. I think it is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

I think it’s a good idea to have somebody who will press the panic button if you don’t report in by a certain time. They should know where your vehicle is parked and what your plan is.

It’s also good to have a plan in the back of your head for:

1) Getting lost, and not being able to get back to your vehicle or camp before nightfall.

2) Some kind of injury, usually to the lower extremities, that keeps you from getting back.

I find that I spend a few minutes getting those ducks in a row, then I just go have a good time.

Enjoy the quiet.

David

[David Becker]

in reply to: How we sharpen our broadheads. #29194

I’m using a file, a Spyderco Sharpmaker, and then a strop with stropping compound.

The strop and compound took things to a whole ‘nother level of sharp. Before, I could get stuff sharp enough to shave/scrape hair off my arm, but with the strop I got my Grizzlys sharp enough they just slicked hair off. I really probably could shave my face with them.

I think the Sharpmaker is technically off by a couple degrees, but it didn’t seem to matter.

I did take a 6″ piece of hard wood dowel, drilled a hole in it and put a screw in insert in it. It was handier than sharpening the broadheads while they were mounted on a 31″ arrow.

[David Becker]

in reply to: List your FOC arrow information for wood,carbon & aluminum/REFERENCE 4 SELECTING NEW ARROWS #27360

Bow type and Make ( example long bow, black widow) Samik Journey Take down recurve

Bow Length 64″

Bow weight@ 28″ 45#

Your draw length 30.5″

Arrow type : 5575 Gold Tip Traditional

Arrow length (throat of nock to tip of shaft) 31″

Feathers number and length 5″ shield x3

Insert weight if applicable 11.4

Adaptor weight if applicable

Point weight 175 Grain Grizzly screw in broad head

Footing weight if applicable

Total arrow weight 505

FOC 16.5%

I also used those little carbon collars that 3rivers sells on the nock and insert end of the arrow. They weigh about 5 grains each.

Those aren’t terribly impressive numbers, but I didn’t have the time to mess around with arrows much AND learn to shoot this year. So I went with something that Stu Miller’s Dynamic Spine Calculator said would work well. Arrow flight was excellent.

Performance on my doe was great. I had a quartering away hit, diagonally through the chest, exiting through the left leg, which was broken by the arrow. She laid down 20 yards from the base of my stand.

The value that I’m getting from this thread is that it appears you can hang WAY more weight on the end of a carbon arrow than the spine calculator or spine charts would suggest, and still get good arrow flight.

That’s valuable for me, as I’m going for Elk next year, and I’ll need a heavier arrow. I had intended to buy some stiffer shafts and start experimenting, but I might just buy some brass inserts and heavy points and see what I can make happen from there.

[David Becker]

in reply to: Just brought home my first deer killed with a trad bow. #27353

And thanks for the kind words and congrats everybody. We just had our first meal of Venison Picado and it was wonderful.

[Author]

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