Building a bow with a Khukuri!

Nice work T.C. we'd love to see pics of deer, bow, and khuk together, if the opportunity should arise! Also venison jerky doggybags for all, but I won't get my hopes up on that..

ndog, I'm not sure if you're aware, but its actually against federal law to collect hawk and eagle feathers, even from a dead bird or if you find a single feather. Not to say this should or will stop you, but Fish and Wildlife kinda takes it seriously. If you somehow got caught with such a feather, you COULD be looking at something like a $500 fine and a court appearance, possibly jail time. Crazy and maybe overkill, I know. Unfortunately, there's not a great way to prove that you did not cause any harm to the bird in order to obtain the feathers. Even if it's roadkill, it's just assumed that you were the one who killed the bird. Apparently, you can get a special licence to collect feathers from these birds, but they are usually only given to museums, research centers, and such. Even Native Americans are supposed to get their ceremonial feathers from some sort of "National Feather Repository" or something like that. Sorry for the information overload! Oh ya, we need some pics or your bow attempt too. Don't think you're gonna get off so easily!

-SG
 
SingleGrind said:
Nice work T.C. we'd love to see pics of deer, bow, and khuk together, if the opportunity should arise! Also venison jerky doggybags for all, but I won't get my hopes up on that..

ndog, I'm not sure if you're aware, but its actually against federal law to collect hawk and eagle feathers, even from a dead bird or if you find a single feather. Not to say this should or will stop you, but Fish and Wildlife kinda takes it seriously. If you somehow got caught with such a feather, you COULD be looking at something like a $500 fine and a court appearance, possibly jail time. Crazy and maybe overkill, I know. Unfortunately, there's not a great way to prove that you did not cause any harm to the bird in order to obtain the feathers. Even if it's roadkill, it's just assumed that you were the one who killed the bird. Apparently, you can get a special licence to collect feathers from these birds, but they are usually only given to museums, research centers, and such. Even Native Americans are supposed to get their ceremonial feathers from some sort of "National Feather Repository" or something like that. Sorry for the information overload! Oh ya, we need some pics or your bow attempt too. Don't think you're gonna get off so easily!

-SG
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It's true. Add to your list - falconers. They are allowed to have feathers of birds of prey.
 
Ah yes, true. Although that should be fairly obvious, since they're allowed to have the whole bird :D

I'm sure you or I would be in for more than just a fine if we tried to catch a live hawk or remove an eagle egg from a nest. I just have this feeling that would be frowned upon..

Saw a falconer a couple months ago actually. He let a little girl keep a feather that had fallen off his Gyrfalcon as he was flying it. Beautiful bird. I'm guessing that was only kosher since that species isn't really from around here, but he still seemed a little hesitant.
 
I had a red-tailed hawk when I was in high school. A friend's grandfather had caught it in a double spring trap, after the hawk had killed one of his chickens.

They were going to kill it, so I decided to keep it, and I did. The trap had broken his right leg. The bone was sticking out of the flesh.

I eventually removed the leg above the break. I would come home each day after school, grab my shotgun, and kill it's daily meal.
I never got that hawk completely manned, but I didn't really know what I how to train a hawk.
 
Thanks guys. I didnt know about that being a federal law. Somehow i figured anything to do with an eagle would be illegal.maybe ill stick with grackle feathers. Theres plenty of them to go around. We had an falconer come by the grocery store here to scare away the black clouds of grackles but they decided to go with a big plastic hoot owl instead. It dont work as good as a real falcon.
Ill show some pic as soon as I have something to show. Aint nothin but a pile of bamboo shavings right now. I do have some bamboo floor boards im trying to figure out how to use. They are too short for one full length piece so ill have to join them somehow. I have a few ideers.
 
Ndoghouse, I can't tell you how pleased I am that my thread here helped to get you into bow making! Definitely keep us updated.

You asked earlier about arrows, and yes, I do make my own arrows. I have bought wood shafts in the past, but a buddy of mine who is also an archer/bowyer/fletcher guy made up a jig that allows us to make shafts out of pallet wood. I'll put a pic up later today of the arrows. For fletching, I primarily use turkey feathers, and when I can get them I use Canadian goose (very water repellent). I even use peacock feathers. Not the flimsy colorful decorative feathers, but the primary feathers. They are just as stiff as turkey feathers if you can believe it and come in shades of brown, gold, and rust red.

I have yet to make shafts from natural shoots, but that is coming. I would like to make a set out of dogwood shoots this fall, and my cousin on the east coast is sending some type of cane he found growing at a work site.
 
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Here are some of my arrows, a pic from this morning.

jlFZScS.jpg
 
T. C. Weston said:
Ndoghouse, I can't tell you how pleased I am that my thread here helped to get you into bow making! Definitely keep us updated.

You asked earlier about arrows, and yes, I do make my own arrows. I have bought wood shafts in the past, but a buddy of mine who is also an archer/bowyer/fletcher guy made up a jig that allows us to make shafts out of pallet wood. I'll put a pic up later today of the arrows. For fletching, I primarily use turkey feathers, and when I can get them I use Canadian goose (very water repellent). I even use peacock feathers. Not the flimsy colorful decorative feathers, but the primary feathers. They are just as stiff as turkey feathers if you can believe it and come in shades of brown, gold, and rust red.

I have yet to make shafts from natural shoots, but that is coming. I would like to make a set out of dogwood shoots this fall, and my cousin on the east coast is sending some type of cane he found growing at a work site.
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I am in envy or both the skill set and the time to pursue your passion. I hope you get a deer this year. I'd like to read about the hunt.

How do you build the nocks?
 
Thanks! I'll post about the hunt, whether I bring venison home or not.

I love self nocks on wooden arrows. I build them by sawing a 1/2 inch slot at a 90 degree angle perpendicular to the grain with a coping saw, then expanding the slot with two hacksaw blades taped together. Once the slot is expanded, I'll fold a piece of 200 grit sandpaper and work it until the nock begins to fit the string. After that, I open up the bottom and top of the slot with a small round file, then round off the edges. This makes the nock snap and hold onto the string just like a manufactured plastic nock. I bind the shaft just below the nock with either sinew or thread to keep the shaft from splitting (learned that one the hard way!).
 
I actually don't tie a knot. I wrap it tight and coat it with glue to bind it down. Sinew is easy because it actually glues itself down if you chew it. I know that sounds kind of gross, but, well...it kind of is.
 
Final tillering is complete! Now it's down to the finishing touches. I'll put up some more pics as it comes together, but the main thing is, this is now a fully functional bow; the rest is cosmetic.

Here's a quick video of how the bow shoots. Apologies for the poor audio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS38ahVtALQ
 
This is just a superb thread and ndog ain't the only one thinking of doing so....thanks for taking the time to post all of this....posting photos and taking photos is a chore, and this is a wonderful thread you have started and kept going to completion....those are quite rare....

however, video is listed as private and no access...
 
Lands sakes!.....and i watched you build that here!?......you have talent, my boy.....and the more valuable ability to teach and pass it along....that is rare, too....a passion to pass along knowledge is every bit as important as acquiring it, as what use is it, if not passed along?.....
 
mtngunr said:
Lands sakes!.....and i watched you build that here!?......you have talent, my boy.....and the more valuable ability to teach and pass it along....that is rare, too....a passion to pass along knowledge is every bit as important as acquiring it, as what use is it, if not passed along?.....
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Thanks! I've been making bows for a long time, and the reason I posted this here really was to show what can be done with a fine HI khukuri. I used other tools of course, but the main tool was the CAK. I've very happy to find that this has inspired some folks to try it themselves. I hope they do, because there is nothing like the feeling of letting the first arrow fly out of a bow you made with your own hands.
 
I have also learned in this thread why i did not have much luck with falconry, my local DNR guy said no problem with the birds, but i could not keep the feathers.....and if you think a plucked chicken is ugly, you ain't seen nuthin' til you've seen a naked hawk trying to spook rabbit out of thickets...so ugly that friends beagles would not get near it even without all the hissing...and now i learn you mean they fly?!
 
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