I,m baaaack .

K

Kevin the grey

Joined
Aug 26, 2005
Messages
4,106
Well guys I,m back from camping and my archery rendesvous . Ate like a hog and shot like a champion . I,ll try and post some picks when I am able .
 
Traditional archery is the way to go . I have lots of buddies who shoot compound bows . Great guys and I shoot with them quite often . I just find the compound world a completely different and often impatient mentality . They would rather have as many machines between them and their bows as possible .

I am trying to learn how to make as much of my own equipment as possible and eliminate as many machines as possible .

I,m not trying to do this to act like I am better than anyone else . I am trying to better myself . My latest project is to learn how to make a horse hair bowstring . It is tough as you not only have to braid . You have to splice as well . The guy who is showing me suggests I start with sinew as it uses the same technique and is easier to work .

I also don,t have that much horsehair and have to get it right the first time .
 
A good friend of mine introduced me to traditional archery (and archery in general) a few years ago. He gave my a Bear Tigercat recurve and a bunch of arrows to get me started. As a beginner, I'm extremely happy with the set up. I really like the idea of traditional archery, and have no interest in persuing compounds. I wish I had the time to shoot more often and fundage to join a traditional club.
 
I am fortunate to be a volunteer at an outdoor and an indoor club . The indoor club is five minutes from my house which is great for winter and the outdoor one is 40 minutes away which is about the closest countryside there is .

Some of my buddies pack a nylon feedbag full of grocery bags and hang it in their hallway or basement . They get about a nine yard shot out of it which at least keeps their form sharp and cn be entertaining as well . The secret with close in shooting is to have a very small target .

1 inch square at nine yards is the same as 3 inches square at 27 yards .
I wish I could do that at my house . My hallway is just too narrow .

Keep up the shooting . I keep my range fees low by being a volunteer . I generally pay about half . They don,t generally accept volunteers on a semi-permanent basis right away . They generally want to know a bit more about you first .

Shooting at home or in a friends field is an option for now . I betcha if you just go and enquire at a local club you can come up with a couple of guys willing to help out . You don,t have to join or maybe just pay for one day .
Lots of trad archers are down to earth guys like you and me .
 
My buddy Rick ( who got me into the sport) Shoots in his apartment. There is a jog in his hallway as he shoots from his dining room into the spare room, and he probably has a 12" opening to shoot through. He has never missed, as far as I know. He's really good, and shoots compounds and traditional (I think)tournaments.

Me, I have a decent target from Rick, but since we've finished our basement, I'm afraid to shoot down there. I suppose I could set the target in the back of the garage and shoot from the driveway, but I worry about freaking out the neighbors (lots and houses are close together). Bah, screw the neighbors! I think I'll start doing that anyways and see what happens.

You've given me a spark Kevin. Thanks!
 
hikeeba said:
My buddy Rick ( who got me into the sport) Shoots in his apartment.
Click to expand...

The problem with doing this (or so I've heard) is that you might put 2 holes through your bathroom door. :(

Doc
 
hikeeba said:
I suppose I could set the target in the back of the garage and shoot from the driveway, but I worry about freaking out the neighbors (lots and houses are close together). Bah, screw the neighbors! I think I'll start doing that anyways and see what happens.

You've given me a spark Kevin. Thanks!
Click to expand...

All you have to do is shoot from inside the garage down your driveway . That way they can,t see the bow . L:O:L

I betcha if you did it early morning there wouldn,t be enough people around to bother you .
 
Kevin the Grey,

Glad to hear you had a great time...."Ate like a hog and shot like a champion."

I was a traditional archer and then ripped up my right shoulder. Fortunately, I had one of the absolute best sports medicine (shoulder specialist) doctors in the world fix it up. After more than a year of rehab, I'm ready to get back on a stick bow. Like you, I think of a compound as a machine.

I look forward to seeing your pics.
:) :)

Edit: In fact, Kevin, this doc was the head doctor for the Canadian Olympic team several years back. Thought you may like that being up there in Canada.
 
plowboy said:
Kevin the Grey,

Glad to hear you had a great time...."Ate like a hog and shot like a champion."

Edit: In fact, Kevin, this doc was the head doctor for the Canadian Olympic team several years back. Thought you may like that being up there in Canada.
Click to expand...

I popped my shoulder out drawing too heavy a bow so I feel your pain .
It popped back in line by itself . I seem to have loose joints which someone told me was from lack of use . I have been pulling a bow from 2 to 5 times a week for 10 years . If thats a lack of use there is a lot of slackers out there . L:O:L

I restarted with a 40 pound bow and am only up to 45 now . Unless I went after a buffalo thats exactly where I will stay . Buff have pretty heavy ribs .

Wow you sure did do things the right way . Its harder to see a sports doctor up here now as everything is free and so is over-used . What kinda treatment did the Doc prescribe ? Any in home remedies ?

We have a few trad shooters on here and proabably a couple of compound shooters as well . It is supremely relaxing for me .
 
Kevin,

Actually, the treatment was surgery. The doctor "removed the AC joint" (which means he cut off the end of my collar bone) and "released the long-head of the bicep tendon" (means he actually severed the tendon and now only one tendon supports the bicep rather than two). The tendon was so ragged from overuse that it would always have been a problem. When the doctor came to the hospital room after the surgery, I asked about what effect cutting the bicep tendon would have on strength. He said the strength issue to that surgery was still being researched, but did say that John Elway (Quaterback for Denver) never won a superbowl until he (doctor) performed the same surgery on him (Elway). So, I decided not to worry about the strength issue and I feel very strong now. As I said, however, I've been rehabing for just over a year. The doctor was Richard Hawkins and he is one of the premier sports medicine doctors in the world. I was really lucky to get in with him as he spends much of his time on world-class athletes. He is now in the US. Hawkins is a good man.

Now, like you, I'm perfectly willing to use a 40 - 45 lb bow. I have no need for a really heavy bow. Heavy bows are not your friend.

I continue on a routine of using theraband to work the upper back and shoulders. I do lift some again now too. I don't concentrate on arms at all, but they end up being strong as a result of the back and shoulder work. I do just enough chest work to keep a strength balance. I will probably need to continue the routine (and varations on it) from now on. I also believe in working the lower body in order to have a foundation to stand on.

I love stick bows. I did try shooting a compound for a while hoping that the let off would make it easier for my shoulder...and it did help a little. But I just never liked the compound.

I look forward to seeing pictures from your outing.

:)
 
I've got to get my LB back to Ron Fox archery to get one of the tips replaced.
Tradbows are the way to go. They make shooting 3D matches a lot more like playing the best round of golf you will every play. Let the GearQueers spend a fortune on all of their fancy arrow launchers, I'll take a day in the woods (with or without an animal harvested) over a day sitting in some office any time.
Doc
 
Recondoc1 L:O:"L: Gear Queers L:O:L
Lets play nice now . They are not all bad . I did see a guy with a thousand dollar hoyt compound and 250 dollar sight 100 dollar trigger release and 150 dollar arrows and 75 dollar case and 65 dollar quiver and..............Oh I give up .

It is a good analogy to compare archery to golf . Golfers make better archers than archers make golfers . It is supposed that it was archers who invented golf .

When I go to tournaments I sometimes don,t even keep score .

Plowboy ? All I can say is OUCH !!!!! It makes my wobbly shoulder seem like a scratch .
 
Kevin the grey said:
I restarted with a 40 pound bow and am only up to 45 now . Unless I went after a buffalo thats exactly where I will stay . Buff have pretty heavy ribs .
Click to expand...

Not been for a month or so, but mine is a 64 #46@28.5 and more than enough for a couple of hours practice.

Its definately a lot more fun than having sights or training wheels :)
 
Hey there all. First off I really enjoy these traditional archery threads as I've been looking at getting back into archery for a good while now and strongly leaning towards a nice recurve. Anyway, the talk of shooting in your apartment got me laughing about a buddy of mine who's girlfriend got him a fibreglass bow and a guitar for christmas. Later that night while intoxicated he somehow managed to put an arrow through the guitar. SUre it was irresponsible of him, butit mad for some good comedy since noone was hurt. Anyway, take care and feel free to keep the info coming.

-Lindey
 
Lindey ? Was that arrow a comment on the gutar players ability ?

Temper > Those border bows are supposed to be very nice . A bit pricey but worth the price . Do you happen to know if they use any local woods or is most imported ?

I make bow strings from Irish Linen which is made from the flax plant .(Tough stuff)
I think they also used to make strings from thistles using another process .

Ireland and Scotland are the highest by far on my list of places I would like to visit . I quite like the folk music and a music teacher I know says the music of Ireland influenced by Scottish music and Vice versa is quite good .

He plays an Irish whistle way too fast for me . His music keeps my head reeling and my toes tapping .
 
I have been shooting traditional achery for about 12 years now. I used to shoot the wheels and all the gadgets, but I got to the point where I wasn't having any fun. I bought my bow from Abe Penner, the bowyer for Cari-bow http://www.cari-bow.com/. I have a 62" 60#@28" Taiga Recurve with red elm limbs, cocobola riser with antler accents on the tips of the limbs and for the thumb rest. I used to shoot cedar arrows at 590 grains but I have now gone to the 3555 gold tip traditional carbons, mostly for durability. There is so much fun to be had in the off season shooting in 3D tourneys or just going out stump shooting with a group of stick shooters.

looking forward to seeing your pics of the shoot
 
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