Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: bluegill68 on August 25, 2012, 10:43:45 pm
-
It’s funny how you remember things. The past few weeks I have been moving items to my girlfriend’s house. It was a long time coming mainly on my end rather than hers but here we are. Anyway when I saw the curved stick I smiled.
In the mid 90’s I had an addiction to sinew backed Osage but found myself worried about harming their durability with rain/humidity. Some time in ’98 I built this bow with that in mind. I wanted a bow that I could hunt regardless of the weather conditions. I chosen a white wood (hickory) primarily due to a recent re-read of Comstock’s “The Bent Stick “.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/bluegill68/Picture012.jpg)
It was a hurried affair, over built and no considerations made to moisture content, a full 2” wide at the fades, 67” long and coming in at 45#@ 28”. It took a fair amount of string follow at first and then slowly settled in at 3.5 “of set. That is not a typo, look at the pic. She had the trajectory of a rainbow, with my max range set at 20 yds.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/bluegill68/IMG_0564.jpg)
I named it “Simplicity” which is evidently a rite of passage among self bowyers, as I see several each year, each bowyer as creative as the last. It was a shootable bow, not too pretty or efficient but it shot. Overall it was not my best effort. The funny thing was on several occasions the weather went south and I would grab “Simplicity”, this would be the day the planets would align and I would get my shot.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/bluegill68/IMG_0561.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/bluegill68/Picture202.jpg)
Over the years I would kill 5 deer with this bow, more than any other single bow.
I bring this tale up because I have been see a lot recently of bowyers saying “ I would like to hunt with a sellfbow but my latest came in light or too much string follow, etc. , etc maybe next year I can ”. What I am trying to say in this drawn out example is: If you want to hunt with a bow you built then do it. If you can only shoot to 10yds then so be it, be diligent and hunt. It will happen. Build a better bow for next year but hunt what you have this year.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/bluegill68/Picture207.jpg)
You may just be surprised!
Sean
-
Good story and advice as well.
-
well said!
And that last pic is one of the coolest hunting pics I've seen in a while.
(I wonder what it'd look like in black and white)
-
Yep !
Looks plenty good enough to me !!!
-
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/bluegill68/207bw.jpg)
Like this Sonny
-
Nice story, BlueGill and great pics!!
-
Great story. Love the mind set.
-
Amen to that brother!!! About time somebody said it...look at that bow with 3.5" of set killing deer! Fine work Bluegill.
Tattoo Dave
-
Tough bow, nice story. Great pics.
-
Pretty cool ole stick! And a sound bit of wisdom shared. Well done on both counts! Josh
-
sweet bow! gives me confidence that i can still make a lethal weapon for hunting >:D
-
That's awesome!!!!!!
-
well put! beauty aint everything i guess. she looks like a good meat maker, sweet and simple! love it.
with the right shot placement at decent range a deer can be brought down with a 30# bow. just deep enough to puncture a lung.
the law says that the bow must draw 45# and your intended draw length (for most states). im sure thats to insure a quick clean kill.
after all Ishi's favorite hunting bow was only 40#
sweet bow! gives me confidence that i can still make a lethal weapon for hunting >:D
stick to it and im confident you will.
-B
-
In all honesty, i have deer coming in my yard all the time... i have wanted to shoot them but thats not legal. even so, if i had wanted to kill one i could have used my fiberglass recurve. frankly i really dont want to make my first kill with anything but a traditional bow. i hope either to go this year or the next. I am currently making a shave horse(bow building bench) hope to finish it soon. ;D
-
frankly i really dont want to make my first kill with anything but a traditional bow.
everyone who read that thought "heck yeah!" of "Amen!"
do it proud.
-B
-
The recurve that i have is VERY fast, however, it doesnt FEEL right if you know what i mean. plus there is TONS of string twang and limb noise.
-
really enjoyed this post. thank you.
-
Great story gil..... It just proves yet once again how SIMPLE this is supposed to be and really is. I understand what drives the "not good enough" engine some of us revv up. Just look at some of the beautiful bows people post here, I know it drives my own building. I was just telling a guy at work my first ever sinewed osage bow is my best by far. Its "Frankenstein", and for lots of good reasons. I did a horrible job laying the sinew down with TBIII, the bottom limb has at least 1" more set than the top, the handlke is a block and quite frankly its too long for sinew. That being said I carried it all over last year as my primary bow, including a great trip to Indiana. I still havent replaced that bow...................
If it shoots well, hunt with it folks! Know your limitations and adhere to them.
-
Thanks for the reminder and the encouragement. I've only built one bow that will actually shoot, and had a BUNCH of help reworking it so it would shoot well. Been TRYING to make me a "better" bow, and it isn't happening(yet). Maybe my old hickory bow is telling me something. I just hope to have a picture that I can try in color or black&white! :)
-
Perfect :)
-
Well said !
-
Love it...in fact, that would make an outstanding article.
-
Thanks for your post. I myself am shooting a bow this year I made and arrows to match. I will be taking it elk and deer hunting, Mostly to prove to my wheelie hunting buddies that my bows will kill and they dont have to be expensive high tech bows. They have alot of doubt in them. this just gave me that much more confidence.
Tell
-
Thanks for the kind words Friends. I wish you all success this fall.
-
Great story and pics,I have a similiar Hickory bow,a little more poundage but a simple stick nonetheless,it is always my go to huntin' bow no matter what kinda new fancy one I can build-Hammertime
-
Congratulations on your hunt! thanks for sharing your story that just inspires us all :)
-
Bluegill, that was an excellent post. I think you said some things that we all needed to hear. Wooden bows are special tools and you can develope a relationship with one that is very unique. A bow that you have confidence in, and that you shoot often and accurately, should be the bow you hunt with. My home state requires that you use at least a 35# bow for deer. Shot placement, sharp point, and hunting skill are what brings home venison anyway. I think we do get awfully caught up in efficent design, zero string follow, arrow speed etc.. I am still gonna try to make the best shooting bows that I can. That said, if you like a bow and you can shoot it good - hunt with it!! Your post really puts it in perspective.
-
Great story,been there done that and it is so true. :) If it shoots good shoot it. :)
The first deer I killed with a self bow was a ugly Hickory stick,but it shot good and was a beauty in my eyes. :)
Pappy