Primitive Archer

I think I would try shorter. I’m certainly not an expert but I have screwed around some with them. I have made three Atlatl and four darts. My easiest to cast was my shortest Atlatl and shortest darts.

I’m an old fart that can’t get enough movement out of this old body to really have a good cast. For the arm and wrist movement. I feel like it’s something like casting a fishing pole. With the body movement of Justin Verlander. I can get the fishing part. It’s the rest of my body that doesn’t seem to fall in line.

I don’t have measurements right now, but I think my longest darts are around 7’. They are point heavy but the taper is less than you describe yours.

Bjrogg

Dimensions right now has the center of handle at 1 3/8" wide.  Arrow pass is 1 1/8".  Id like to reduce this but with a hollow core I dont want to create a thin spot or hole.

Fades end  4.5" out at 1 3/8" wide. I could extend the fades from 4.5 to 6 or 8".

Upper limb remains 1 3/8" wide then tapers last 14" to tips.  Lower limb at mid limb is 1 1/2" wide. 

The depth of wood with center pith removed ranges from 8 to 10 mm.

Today is the last day of deer season, it is going to be 70 degrees after weeks of freezing temps. I am done, I am pulling trial cams,  washing a mountain of hunting clothes and putting up all my gear until next year, I have so much "stuff" this is usually a two day job.

I quartered my deer and took it to a processor to be made into burger, I could do it but I am giving most of this deer to a friend who doesn't have any. I am meticulous about cutting up my own deer but won't put that kind of effort into one that I am giving away. When I give away A deer I have it processed first, a cooler deer isn't that expensive to have cut up and makes a much better gift vacuum sealed and ready for the freezer.

Someone who isn't deer hunter doesn't know what to do with a whole deer. I gave a whole skinned deer to a friend at work once, he left it in a cooler so long that it spoiled, never again.

I have had good years where I am covered up with deer and other years like this year where I have a hard time killing anything with my selfbow in earlier years and lately with my flintlock. I have a group of friends who have given me hundreds of pounds of deer meat over the last 40 years when I came up short, some were whole deer, some was processed and packaged, they never charged me a penny for the packaged deer.

I know a partially disabled guy who loves deer meat but isn't a deer hunter, I need about 10# of burger from my latest deer, I am going to take him the rest packaged and ready to go.  This is my way of paying it forward for all of the deer meat that people have given to me in the past.

A friend sent me some eastern diamond back skins that were well over 6' long, the patterns were much to big to fit and look good on a bow, I thanked him but sent them back.

Another thing; check with your state laws, it is illegal to use snake skins in a state where killing them is banned. The fines are huge and the game wardens can confiscate your bow.

I gave a impromptu selfbow shooting demonstration at Davy Crockett park in Lawrenceburg Tn once, my bow was backed with copperhead skins that I bought from a guy in Texas. Turns out killing any snake is illegal in Tennessee, two game wardens were in the audience. A guy near them said they had an issue with the snake skins but decided to let it drop and didn't approach me. I got lucky that day, I quit taking any snake backed bows into Tennessee, I hunted on various leases there for at least 20 years and did get checked by a game warden once.

Nice job, I love HHB, it makes a fine bow and probably my favorite white wood. 
 Pappy