How'd everyone do this year?

[Huntin_Dawg1215]

well its a good looking bow, I have 6 Recurve 2 bears, 3 Persons, and 1 Martin. I shoot them as much as I can. Hunted Some this year with them, 1st time in a couple of years.

I always like to see a good recurve, like to shoot them more.

 

[Roguedog]

A/M,
Your right. I guess I'm not truly primitive. That is a nice bow. I want to build my own someday. Very cool.

Jeff

 

[Roguedog]

Okawbow,
Man, sounds like the traditional archery business is going strong there in Illinois. Good on ya. It is encouraging to know that people are interested in that form of hunting. My only regret, and likely yours, is that you missed so much of the season. But.....I guess being busy in this economy can never be a bad thing.

Jeff

 

[Roguedog]

Broknaero,
Wow. What a great season. I'm already sad that this season is over. It's a long wait until next October! At least I got turkey hunting in the Spring and fly fishing in the summer.

Jeff

 

[armymedic.2]

I was truely joking. Unless your using rock heads i dont see primitive at a dissadvantage to traditional. My wood longbows shoot just as good if not better than my glass curves.....just not as fast. My bows are utilitarian in looks but put meat on the table well. Stumps sure is perty.........just close enough for a moccasin footed raid............ :blah:

 

[Roguedog]

A/M,
What kind of wood are you using for your bows? I've heard that osage orange is a desired wood. We got a few down on the farm that we hunt. I've though of someday trying to carve myself one out. Must be a lot of satisfaction in killing a deer with a bow you made yourself. Sort of like the feeling one must have when killing a deer with either a gun they made themselves or catching a trout on a fly you tied yourself. Just seems like it would feel really good.

Jeff

 

[armymedic.2]

it is a great feeling. can't wait till spring trout now that ya mention it!

osage is a great bow wood, but it can be touch and go on what is a bow quality piece. if you want to make one in the future, grab a buddy that knows, and go cut one down now. gonna be a little while before its ready. or read traditional bowyers bible series. great info/ primitive archer forums.

i stick with hickory and Ipe for my builds. lots of times i make the handles out of mahogany since i have a bunch sitting round here from building a deck. Ipe is very very very fast for me, and the bows end up being much slighter and graceful. i like them bamboo backed for strength. my hickory bows are generally also backed, but the pile of staves drying right now are debarked awaiting self bows.

this one was ipe and bamboo, and shot really well in the dry desert environment. we used to take them into the showers at night to try to keep them from drying too much while we were building them! the guys at prim archer forum really helped us out over there, and donated a ton of stuff as well. good people
http://www.primitivearcher.com/mm5...02&Product_Code=B-CA-17.3&Category_Code=BICAN

I like them 60-65 lbs or a touch heavier, but my father can no longer pull the first one i made for him. we dropped it down to 45 lbs at my draw, 52 at his draw. i took a deer with it this year as he urged me to borrow it. 45 lbs got the job done well, buried to the fletches. though it was only 5 paces .....still zipping well, but tuned arrows are what its all about for penetration really with a long bow, with no real shelf cut in, tons of archers paradox going on.

google "mike houston archers paradox pictures" if interested, his wife is a talented photographer and they have some awesome pics of it. their stuff is in primitive archer magazine all the time.

 

[agill]

No deer taken with muzzleloaders for me this year. One 9-pointer and a spike during firearms season. Didn't see as many deer this year as I normally do. Turkey numbers seem way lower than normal. Only saw one and he was on posted property. Fewer squirrels than normal too. On a plus, I saw several ruffed grouse in October. Made me want to find another English Setter!

 

[S.Kenton]

I had a GREAT year. I started out my bow season with a LARGE doe.I was, however, a little disapointed that I didn't a buck during the rut.I moved on to the shotgun season with 2 medium does. Then finally I got a smaller 8 pt buck with my 54 cal M'ler. My first M'ler buck. I am very pleased with my season over all.

 

[kodiakk]

Currently going on for me. Right now sitting 30 foot up a tree with steady rain with a creek to my front, pines on my right. Weird though for the last two years I see good deer until muzzleloader. Then they vanish. I did take my first ever archery doe and took another doe with my modern rifle. Haven't seen a deer in two weeks though.

Got my chance at a muy grande I've been hunting for two years with my modern rifle and got so excited I forgot to take the safety off and didn't get another shot as he slipped through the trees after I doe.

 

[Sperit de bois]

They didn't vanish,just not hunting does anymore, ,they just went to feeding/fattening up,for the winter,so they shift to night time habits,Find the food ,,find the deer.
Find out where they are bedding and ambush them in route from food to bedbing area.

 

[JJCASTINGS]

You nail the reason to be in the woods :thumbsup:

Shame on me, while waiting for the Hawken I won on GB to arrive, I went out to scout and carried my evil inline. I did get the Button Buck with a PRB. Sold the demon after the Hawken arrived. Now all my hunting is traditional. Going to get a shotgun next.

Probably won't do a Persona, but I am going to get patterns and make traditional hunting clothes.

So you guys will never have to see this type of scene from me again.

 

[JJCASTINGS]

I already have a trailer hitch cart so I do not have to lift a deer into the car again. But I defiantly will make one of these. When inches of snow are down, I use a plastic toboggan. It slides very easy.

 

[vthunter52]

As I've said before, any time spent in the woods is bonus time that can't be taken away. That said the deer here in the Vt. mountains didn't cooperate. They would be seen,but never in range. The trophy bucks that I pursue were in evidence, but get more secretive each year. They had started to follow the does, but have changed their habits to move and feed mostly at night. The chase and the challenge was worth the time spent.
The waterfowl turned out to be another tale. Starting slow due to weather, the late season was very productive. My BP 20 ga. scored 2 doubles on mallards and that has made my season. All ready planning for next season, and chasing coyotes with a mew 21 inch bll. .50 that I just finished. Good luck to all.

 

[NJ Longbeard]

Jim, What type of boots are you wearing in this pic? I'm looking for for something like that to go with the outfit i'm putting together. Thanks Ed

 

[roundball]

I already have a trailer hitch cart so I do not have to lift a deer into the car again. But I defiantly will make one of these. When inches of snow are down, I use a plastic toboggan. It slides very easy.

Actually, I've never used my deer cart to move a deer...there is one place I hunt on an Oak ridge where the terrain causes the wind to be very fickle, making hunting from a ground blind difficult...so I also put up a ladder stand nearby and switch to that if the wind gets wrong.

The entire upper stand section that the 'ladder sections' connect into is fairly heavy and more to the point large and unwieldy to try and carry, walking through woods, etc.
So I use the cart to transport the upper section of the stand when I put it up in early fall, and again after the season...it's a terrific little piece of equipment, light and strong.

 

[ryoung14]

Messed up on a couple of gimme bucks early season. Luckily I have a good spot. Third time the charm.

Nice seven pointer (woulda been 8 but for a broken brow tine) taken from a blind in the evening at 85 yards with a TC Greyhawk on the last week of regular gun season, NY. Dropped where he was standing; broken shoulder.

Since it's my land, I moved him with the Kubota.

Sorry, no pix.