Primitive Archer Magazine 12-2011

Dec. 2011/Jan. 2012

®

plus:

WaJam 2011 Page 34

IBO World Championships 2011 Page 62

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Display until Jan. 30, 2012

Volume 19 Issue 6

“Passing It On” Since 1992

®

In This Issue:

The Late Season Page 10

Tools of the Trade Page 28

Al Faris: International MountedArchery in Jordan Page 46

Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6 1

Ins ide This IssueDec. 2011/Jan. 2012Volume 19 Issue 6

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10 The Late SeasonBy MICKEY LOTZ

16 The First Annual PrimitiveArcher Bow TradeBy JOSH VANCE

22 Making Bamboo ArrowsBy KAY KOPPEDRAYER

28 Tools of the TradeBy MICKEY LOTZ

34 WaJam 2011By DUANE SPANGLER

42 Making A Greenwood BowBy JOHN BORGESON

46 Al Faris: InternationalMounted Archery in JordanBy DAVID GRAY

54 My Pickaxe Handle BowBy JOHN ERIC HOARE

62 IBO World Championships 2011By JIMMY BLACKMON

On the Cover“Christmas Dinner”

by Stacey Huston

2 Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

Pr imi t ive Archer Magaz ineA Wholly Owned Division of Bigger Than That Productions-LLC

PUBLISHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monroe M. LutherPRESIDENT & CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Michael M. MooreMANAGING EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ed IngoldTECHNICAL EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marc St. LouisHUNTING EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tony KintonEVENTS EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marie LutherEDITOR EMERITUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gene LangstonCOPY EDITORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amy Staehr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marie Luther

ASSOCIATE EDITORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bill Campbell, Ty Cunningham, Jim Hamm, Kay Koppedrayer& Mickey Lotz

WEB SITE MODERATORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mark Baggett, Cipriano Rivera, Pat Brennan, Keenan Howard,Ryan O’Sullivan, Eddie Parker, Steve Parker, Justin Snyder,Marc St. Louis and Paul Wolfe

SOCIAL MEDIA MODERATOR . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nickki Wetzel

DESIGN & LAYOUT . . . .Aaron Bergman/Bergman Graphics

PRIMITIVE ARCHER MAGAZINE strives for accuracy and honesty in its advertisements andarticles but assumes no responsibility for content. ©2011 by PRIMITIVE ARCHERMAGAZINE. No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced by any meanswithout the express written permission of PRIMITIVE ARCHER MAGAZINE. PRIMITIVEARCHER is published six times a year. Printed in the U.S.A.

SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIESFor fastest service, visit our web site for:

• Change of address• Subscription orders and information• Subscription renewal• Back issue orders

Go to: www.primitivearcher.com or write: Primitive Archer, P.O. Box79306, Houston, TX 77279-9306. Or call: 713.467.8202.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES: U.S. 1 year $24, 2 years $44, 3 years $64;Canadian 1 year $26, 2 years $46, 3 years $66; Foreign 1 year $28,2 years $48, 3 years $68. U.S. Funds Only.

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONSManuscripts and photographs sent to Primitive Archer should be

addressed to: The Editor, Primitive Archer, 883 Taft Ct., Palm BeachGardens, FL 33410. Electronic submissions are preferred. Please emailmanuscripts in Word format to: [email protected]

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Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials includingphotographs and manuscripts. All unsolicited photographs or otherlikenesses, text, artwork or other copyrightable materials submittedconveys the unrestricted absolute perpetual, fully paid up, royalty-free,transferable worldwide rights to this publisher and/or its successors.

ADVERTISING Write: Primitive Archer AdvertisingP.O. Box 79306 • Houston, TX 77279-9306Call 713.467.8202email [email protected] for ads and classified adsor visit www.primitivearcher.com.

D E P A R T M E N T S

Hunting Column6 Whitetails: On The Decline

By TONY KINTON

A Closer Look8 Product Reviews

By TONY KINTON

Ask PA26 Heat Bending Osage

By MARC ST. LOUIS

Bows of the Month40 From www.primitivearcher.com

By JOSH BATY

Medicine Man®

52 Black WalnutBy STEVE PARKER

Primitive Chef ®

64 Breaded Indiana VenisonBy BILL CAMPBELL

Poet’s Corner80 Just One of Those Things

By HOMER LUTHER

Backtrails 80 One Hunter’s Journal

By TONY KINTON

71 Calendar of Events72 Marketplace78 Classified Ads

Primitive Archer magazine (ISSN: 1089-4268) is published six times a year inFebruary, April, June, August, October and December. The annual subscription rate is$24.00 USD in the United States, $26.00 USD in Canada, and $28.00 USD for all otherforeign subscriptions. Primitive Archer executive offices are located at 8601Jameel Road, Suite 150, Houston, Texas 77040. Periodicals postage paid at Houston,Texas and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes toPrimitive Archer at P.O. Box 79306, Houston, Texas 77279-9306.


s I write this for our holiday issueof 2011, it doesn’t seem possibleanother year has gone by already.

The fall hunting season is winding down inmost places, and many of you have alreadyfilled your freezers with this fall’s wild gameharvest. With the holidays almost upon us,others may still be spending a lot of timeafield in an effort to bring home a Christmasdinner. Some of us, including yours truly,will be making our holiday hunting trip tothe nearest grocery store to bag a turkey,goose, or glazed ham. Those in the CzechRepublic will be shopping for a nice freshcarp for their traditional feast. Whatever thecase, whether it’s Christmas or Chanukah,it’s a time of the year that holds a specialmeaning for many people throughout theworld, Christians and non-Christians alike.

This issue not only wraps up the year2011 but also starts 2012 which marks thebeginning of Primitive Archer Magazine’s20th anniversary. I’d like to think this is amilestone but I think publishing a

magazine is a lot like trying to raise kids,you’d think it would get easier as you goalong, but it doesn’t. There’ve been a lot ofchallenges during this nineteen-year spanand the current economic problems soprevalent throughout the world are justanother example.

Once again this issue is made up of avariety of articles that we hope will appealto your interests. From bow and arrowmaking and the tools to do it, to horsearchery in the Middle East, and rendezvousand hunting adventures, you’ll find it all inthis issue.

Please remember our advertisers whenyou’re looking for gifts this holiday season.If you’re reading this magazine, there mustbe someone on your list that would love tohave a gift from one or more of them.

All of us at Primitive Archer extend oursincerest thanks and best wishes for a joyfuland memorable holiday season. See younext year.

–Ed Ingold

AFrom the Editor,

PA RulesDear Editor,

First, I would like to honor yourwonderful magazine. My favorite columnsare the bow building articles from Mark St.Louis, but I also enjoy the interesting huntingstories and to this I have a question. Whyhunt the bow hunter’s squirrels? I can’tbelieve that they take that small animalonly for practice. Or is the little meat thereason for the hunt?

My next question is, how I can share in“The bow of the month”? And I have arequest: the bow of the month is a veryfascinating part of the magazine, but thephotos of the bows are too small to see thedetails. Maybe it’s possible to print thephotos a little bit greater.

Best regards,—Hartwig Bleß,Bavarian, Germany

P.S. Please excuse my bad knowledge of theEnglish language.

Hartwig,Well, believe it or not, people do eat

squirrels. Squirrel hunting is very popular,particularly in the southern part of the U.S. Inaddition to target practice, squirrel huntingcan also provide meat for the table.

I’ve posted the rules for Bow of the Monthbelow. The Bow of the Month information ison the Primitive Archer Website messageboards. I hope this is what you’re looking for.

Thanks for your note. It’s always nice tohear from our readers in other parts of theworld.

—Ed Ingold

BOW OF THE MONTH CONTEST RULES

Self Bow Category:

1. Any bow in which the bending portionof the limb is made of one piece of wood.Tip overlays and handle laminations countin the self bow category as long as thebending portion of the limbs remain onepiece of wood.

2. Bows backed with soft materials: rawhide,sinew, snake skins, and cloth backings all fallinto the self bow category.

3.Modern string materials are allowed (someexamples: B-50 dacron and Fast Flight).

Laminate or Backed Bow Category:

1. Any bow in which the bending portionof the limbs consist of more than one pieceof material whether it be wood, horn, orbamboo shall be included in the Laminatecategory.

2. Any use of fiberglass or phenolic in thebending portion of the limbs shall not beincluded in either category. Modernglues/epoxies and modern string materialsfor both categories are acceptable.

Voting:

Voting takes place starting the first day(usually) of the following month. All bowsposted before 12 o’clock a.m. on the lastday of the month shall be included in thatmonth’s contest. Anything after 12 o’clocka.m. of the last day of the month will beincluded in the next month’s contest.

The polls will be open for seven days. Eachmember is allowed one vote, and the resultsof the poll will be posted after the sevendays are up. The winner will be announcedat that time for each category. The winnerof that month will be featured in theupcoming magazine and will be awardedwith a Bow of the Month Winner Hat fromPrimitive Archer Magazine.

Criteria for Bows in the Contest

1. All Bows that are to be included in theBow of the Month Contest need to beposted in the “Bows” Forum. I will gothrough and find your bow and nominate itfor the BOM contest from there.

2. Side view full draw shot where the wholebow can be seen from handle to each tip.Bow should preferably be drawn as close to aright angle from the camera to give the bestrepresentation of the tiller of the bow.Tillering board/tree pics are acceptable but

pics in which the bow is drawn by hand arepreferred (and bring in more votes). Makesure the background of your pic is somethingthat will contrast with your bow limbs so thetiller of your bow can be seen in the pic aswell. I know most of us aren’t photographersbut you DID work hard on your bow, so tryto show it off the best you can.

3. Include draw weight and length in yourpost as well as length of your bow.

4. Include type(s) of wood involved inmaking your bow.

5. Include a few pics of the handle, tips,braced and unbraced profiles. These picsare not required but ARE preferred becauseonce again, you worked hard on your bowso show it off in its best light and to the bestof your ability.

6. If you post a full draw picture of yourbow, I will automatically pick it up for thecontest. If you do not want your bow in thecontest, simply put “Not BOM” in the titleof your post. Otherwise I will assume thatyou wanted your bow entered.

7. If you are declared the winner of eitherthe Backed BOM contest or the Self BOMcontest, you are required to give your nameand location and subscription number forthe magazine article.

8. Please note that by entering thiscompetition you automatically givepermission to “Bigger Than ThatProductions LLC,” the owner ofPRIMITIVE ARCHER® magazine to utilizeyour photographs, digital images, nameand address in the publication of themagazine and its online counterpartsshould you be selected as a winner of anycategory of BOW of the MONTH or BOWof the YEAR.

Good luck everyone!


To:EDITOR


Sizing the StoneDear Editor,

Some time ago there was an article inPA about the regulations on stonearrowheads, and the author gave listingsof legal sized arrowheads for each state ina the U.S. I have been digging through myback issues and can’t seem to find thearticle. I was wondering if you could helpme out. I live in the state of Michigan, andI can’t seem to find any reference toarrowhead size on the DNR websiteeither. I remember that there is aminimum width, but I don’t rememberwhat it is. I would appreciate the info,thanks in advance.

—Tattoo Dave

Dave,The information you’re looking for is in

the Hunting Columns by Tony Kinton in PAissues volumes 15 and 16, issues 15-5through 16-3 (October/November 2007through June/July 2008). I hope this helps.

—Ed Ingold

Dave,Call your local Parks and Wildlife

Department. They will let you speak to aGame Warden. I just did this last week forthe state of Texas. The Game Warden said:

Minimum draw weight on bows has beenlifted—it was 40 lbs.

Broad Head requirements are at leasttwo cutting edges, with a minimum cuttingwidth of 7/8", regardless of it being stone ormetal.

I was also informed that you can huntwith a bow from the beginning of Octoberuntil the end of hunting season around theend of December or the first week inJanuary.

—Johnny e-mail

Easton Foundation and NFAA Foundation Award $16,000 Archery Scholarships

Yankton, SD-Easton Sports Development Foundation and the National Field Archery AssociationFoundation are pleased to announce the Archery Scholarship Recipients for 2011. $16,000 intotal scholarships was awarded to 23 student athletes in middle school, high school, and collegethat compete with either compound or recurve bows. Individual scholarship awards varied from$500 to $2,500. Top scholarships were awarded to Forrest Blakley of Cobdin, Illinois and RileyWhiting of Logan, Utah.

“Archery is a lifestyle for me and has taught me discipline which has benefitted me not only in thefield but also in the classroom”, Forrest stated. He is pursuing a degree in AgriculturalEngineering at Shawnee Community College in southern Illinois where he also started an archeryteam. Forrest has been on the US Junior USAT for two years and participated as a member ofthe Junior World Indoor and Outdoor teams. He plans on attending the Olympic trials this fall.

Riley said, “Receiving this scholarship is not only a pleasure, but it creates a wonderfulopportunity for me to go to college and accomplish my goals and dreams in archery.” Rileyrecently made the United States Junior team and will be competing in Poland in mid-August.

“Forrest and Riley are both outstanding athletes that developed their archery skill in youthprograms, and have become seasoned competitive archers and we are very pleased to awardeach of them our top $2,500 scholarship awards for 2011”, stated Bruce Cull, President, NFAA.

NFAA Scholarships were first awarded in 1990 to student athletes that compete in archery andexcel in academic and intellectual achievement. The limitations of the original scholarship programwere resolved in 2009 with the creation of the joint NFAA/Easton Foundation ScholarshipProgram. “The Easton and NFAA Foundations share the goal to support student athletes thatcompete in archery. We believe these scholarships will help us to develop stronger college archeryprograms and strengthen future Olympic and World Championship Teams. By combining ourrespective Foundation programs, we can award more student scholarships, and increase thescholarship levels. In 2011, $16,000 was awarded to 23 recipients. We expect the number ofapplications to increase in future years, and plan to award up to $50,000 in total annualscholarships in 2012,” said Greg Easton, President Easton Foundations.

The 2009-11 scholarships are funded by an initial $150,000 grant from the Easton Foundation tothe Easton-NFAA Foundation Scholarship Program. Future net revenue from the NFAA EastonYankton Archery Complex, plus scholarship donations from both individuals and companies willbe held in an endowment account to fund the scholarships in 2012 and beyond.

Dave Gordon, of Gordon Composites, made a large personal contribution to the scholarshipendowment fund. Dave stated, “Archery has been a big part of both my personal and businesssuccess. I believe the Easton-NFAA Foundation Scholarship program is an outstanding programto support our youth archers, and allows me to give back to the sport I love. Awarding our bestarchers and student athletes scholarships that allow them to pursue further education whilecompeting in archery will help develop much stronger youth and college archery programs. Iencourage everyone that shares my passion for archery and desire to support our young archersto make their own donation to the scholarship program.” Individuals or companies interested indonating to the scholarship endowment fund or learning more about the program are encouragedto contact Bruce Cull, NFAA President. The NFAA Foundation is a 501(c )3 Public Charity and alldonations meet the IRS requirements as charitable donations.

Scholarship applications, program requirements,and additional information is available on theNFAA website at www.fieldarchery.com, or fromthe NFAA Headquarters, 800 Archery Lane,Yankton, SD 57078. All applications for 2012scholarships must be submitted to the NFAAOffice by December 31, 2011. For additionalinformation contact Natalie Vollmer, NFAAExecutive Secretary, at 605-260-9279 or [email protected].

President Easton Foundations, GregEaston (L), Riley Whiting 2011

ESDF/NFAA Scholarship recipient (R).

W R I T E T H E E D I T O REMAIL: [email protected]

POSTED MAIL:The Editor,Primitive Archer883 Taft CourtPalm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

ew will argue that the whitetail is a grand animal, perhapsthe number one game throughout much of the huntingworld. Ranges extend from Canada on down through the

United States and points southward. Populations are astounding.Some of us recall when deer were being relocated to establish

herds where there were few or none. Even individuals not oldenough to identify with those days will likely have someacquaintance with the veritable explosion of this cunning deer inthe past two decades or so. The whitetail has become thequintessential icon of restoration and conservation success.

With the numbers of deer available today, it is difficult toconsider that a decline could be coming. That, however, is exactlywhat some whitetail experts foresee for the future. Not an alarmingbust of the populations but definitely some adjustments andstabilization that will result in fewer deer in many many, if not all,locales now housing them.

Well-known wildlife biologist Kip Adams, whose writing andresearch often appears in, among other publications, QualityWhitetails, a magazine of the Quality Deer Management Association,says some decline could take place. Some of this, he notes, is bydesign. Adams cites the fact that for years hunters have been advisedto take does from the burgeoning herds in an effort to keep deerwithin carrying capacity. This mantra has been adopted by most, andit has, in some measure and in some locales, accomplished its goal of

herd reduction. That alone spells adecline in numbers.

“Some states already have fewerdeer, most of this by region,”Adams says. Is it possible that thesestates/regions may have taken deerdown lower than initiallyintended? Is it time to take a closelook at doe harvests to be sure thatthis practice doesn’t adverselyimpact populations?

Predators are another potential cause for decline. This isparticularly true of areas that now have coyotes where there werefew or none in decades past. An influx of coyotes and their rapidexpansion can definitely cut into fawn survival.

Diseases must not be overlooked. There are a variety of maladiesthat can get into a deer herd and reduce population growth. This isoften pronounced in areas where herds are extremely dense.

And the forests themselves, particularly hardwood forests, havean affect on the whitetail herds. “Mature forests can’t sustain deerherds as these forests did in the maturing stages,” Adams says. “Thisis happening all over the East and North, not so much in the South.”The South is dotted with pine plantations and timber rotation is thenorm. Adams adds that maturing forests that at one time were viablehabitat for deer, become mature and less productive forests soslowly that we don’t notice the change until it comes. Cover isdramatically reduced and the groceries are simply not there inabundance. As a result, deer numbers dwindle.

So regarding the decline or potential for decline, Adamsconcludes, “It is a combination of a lot of little things: doe harvest,predation, disease, forest maturation.” But, he also notes that reducedherds are generally in good shape to rebound should the need arise.

Another potential threat to whitetails and wise management thatdeserves mention is that any noticeable decline could dissuadehunters now accustomed to a steady parade of deer on any givenday in the woods. Should these hunters be inclined to curtail theirhunting and purchases of licenses and gear, funds for wildlifeagencies and other organizations involved in sustaining healthyherds could suffer. This in turn could cause the deer herds to sufferas well. Without adequate participation by those who have done themost in the past, the future could be less than what it might andshould be. This must not happen.

Will we lose the whitetail? Absolutely not. Will there be fewerdeer in the future, at least in specific areas? Perhaps. But the newsis still good. The whitetail is an adaptable survivor, one sure to bewith us as the years unfold. These are grand animals, number onein the eyes of most.

F


HuntingCOLUMN

Whitetails: Decline?On TheB y To n y K i n t o n

KOWAKowa has introduced the Genesis 33 and Genesis 44 binoculars

specifically geared to the hunter. Both models feature Prominar XD Lens. Alllenses and prisms are manufactured with a multi-layered coating, assuring abright, clear view. The waterproof housing is filled with dry nitrogen toprevent fogging, allowing use in rain and other harsh weather conditions. Adurable magnesium frame keeps the weight at a minimum, and both Genesismodels feature twist-up eyecups for use with or without eyeglasses. Theminimum focusing distance for the Genesis 33 is 5 feet, 5.5 for the Genesis 44.

For more information on these and other Kowa products, go to www.kowa-usa.com.


CloserLOOK

ReviewsProduct

B y To n y K i n t o n

Pine Hollow LongbowsMike Yancey of Pine Hollow Longbows has

introduced a new line designed specifically for shooterswho are active in rendezvous and/or who want anentry-level bow typical of Northeastern Indians. Thisline is the Mohegan. The bows are made of hickoryand are 64" – 66" long. They bend in the handle andare deflex/reflex. Each bow comes with a grease finish,fast flight string and string silencers. The reflexed tipsare stained a rich red and the handle section is black.These bows are shot off the hand and can be usedeither left or right handed. They come tillered andready to shoot. Special-order bows can be made inshorter lengths, but those 64" – 66" are ready to ship in40/45, 45/50, or 50/55 draw weights.

For additional information on all Pine Hollowproducts, go to www.pinehollowlongbows.com.


Hunter RescueThe stories are too numerous. A hunter slips from a stand or that stand

gives way, spilling the hunter. That hunter, if he or she is wise, has on a harnessof some sort and is kept from falling, but that doesn’t alleviate potentialdangers. A hunter suspended for long periods by a harness can face a multitudeof issues that impact health. Enter the Hunter Rescue™ Self Recovery FallArrest System.

This full-body harness system is more than just a tool to interrupt the fall.It also allows the user to lower him or herself to the ground. Locating thelanyard to the release arm and pulling down will accomplish this. The sameamount of force to initiate a pull up is required to gently glide down. A lighterperson takes less force than does a heavier person. To stop at any point, simplyrelease the lanyard. The devise will stop the descent automatically. The systemhas a lifetime warranty and is made in the USA.

For more information, go to www.hunterrescue.com.

MillenniumThe name Millennium is now

well established in the tree standmarket. Makers of lock on, climber,and ladder stands, Millenniumproduces strong, reliable productssure to serve the needs of hunters well.This company’s ComfortTech seat, madefrom non-stretch, UV-resistant PolyTechfabric, is perhaps the most comfortableseat ever developed.

New from Millennium is the L50 Ladder Stand. The L50 is pricedsignificantly below the other ladder stands from the company but is notshort on features. The ladder is of welded-steel construction and has adurable powder-coat finish. The stand has an adjustable paddedshooting rail/arm rest and the ComfortTech tight sling seat. Theplatform measures 20” X 19” and puts the hunter 16 feet high. Set up isquiet and easy. Total weight for the entire unit is 55 pounds.

For additional information, go to www.millenniumstands.com.

had hunted a lot during the earlyseason which began in late September.The temperatures were more

temperate and the deer herd more relaxed.The deer were sleek in their light browncoats and fat after a summer of plenty. Thedoes had many offspring to bolster theherd, and by early October their spots weregone, and they were nearly as big as theirmamas. Some of the local bucks had grownimpressive racks and, after a short time

spent rubbing the velvet off their antlers (inthe process ruining three of my wife’s prizeddogwood trees), were ready for the trialsand tribulations associated with nature’sannual plan for the continuation of thespecies. This year I was hunting with“Natchez,” a slim little Osage bow made byDavid Mims of Mississippi. I named the bow“Natchez” in honor of the 444-mile NatchezTrace Parkway, a National Scenic Byway thatruns from Nashville, Tennessee, through the

northwestern corner of Alabama down toNatchez, Mississippi.

Following a geographical ridgeline, theTrace was originally a trail used byprehistoric game animals to travel to andfrom the salt licks of central Tennessee, tothe lush grazing lands southward, and ondown to the Mississippi river. Prehistorichunters followed the game animals onthese migrations, as did the NativeAmericans, followed by the European

The

SeasonLate

I

B y M i c k e y L o t z


Author hunting duringthe late season

settlers. Deck hands from the north rodeand worked the supply boats floating downthe Mississippi River to Natchez beforecollecting their pay and walking along theTrace back to their homes in the north.

During the Civil War, the Trace becamea vital supply route for the southern armies.The deeply worn paths used for thousandsof years by both animals and men are stillclearly visible along sections of the Trace.My wife and I have ridden the NatchezTrace end to end in both directions bymotorcycle. Straight in places and curvy inothers, it is an idyllic ride through adifferent time in the south, absent ofcommercialism, stoplights, billboards, orcommercial traffic. The Mims bow mirrorsthis great road, being straight in places andcurvy in places, taking me back to a timewhen man hunted with simpler weapons,void of the commercialism so rampant inarchery today. The name seemed to fit. Thisbow is another example of David’s masteryof Osage and bow design, measuring 63"nock to nock and one and a quarter inchesat the widest part of the limb tapering tovery slender tips. It pulls 41# at my drawlength. In my solo quiver was a hand made


Deer following heavily used game trailHeavily used game trails are easilyvisible during the late season

“Natchez” by creek borderingauthor's property

tapered maple shaft weighing 590 grainswith Indian-style fletching, tipped with a file-sharpened Magnus two-blade cut-on-impacthead. At 14 grains per pound of bow weight,I was confident that given the opportunity,this bow and arrow combo would be morethan sufficient to get the job done.

As the early season wound down, Ireflected on how it had gone. In probablyforty trips to the field I had seen over onehundred deer, many of them nice bucks. Ipassed up some really close shots at deerthat, in hindsight, I shouldn’t have. I alsomade two poor shots, shooting slightlyunder one deer and having my arrowdeflect off an unseen branch causing me tomiss another. My son, Brian, teasingly saidI was practicing “catch and release bowhunting,” having all of the fun of the hunt,with none of the work. That may have beentrue, but as the early season came to an endwith no venison in the freezer, it seemed Iwould be hunting the late season this year.It would not be my first late season hunt,and hopefully it won’t be my last.

The late season is easy to recognize. Thereds, oranges, and yellows of the earlyseason are long gone, replaced with drab

Deer during late season hunt


Doe bedded in snow

blacks, dull browns, and finally the mutedwhite of accumulating snow. Thetemperature has gone from cool morningswith warm days to cold days with frigidmornings and evenings. The dried mapleand oak leaves no longer flutter in thewind, having long since released theirtenuous grip and drifted to the forest floor.Many of nature’s critters which had beenbusy collecting food stores for the winterhave pretty much denned up in eithergrass-lined underground burrows or in fur-lined holes high in the trees.

The late season comes after the mid-November rut, when bucks are no longerfrantically running here and there,searching for receptive does. It also followsthe post-Thanksgiving Ohio gun season,which removes more than 120,000 animalsfrom our deer herd, leaving the survivorsnervous, spooked, and mostly nocturnal.The late season in my area lasts about twomonths, from the first of December untilthe end of the hunting season the first weekof February.

The best part of hunting the late seasonfor me is hunting in the snow. I lovehunting when it’s frosty cold, there’s nowind, and the snow is silently falling. Bigwhite flakes lazily float down to rest on topof a million or so just like them, piling intoa soft white blanket that covers everythingin the woods that’s lying horizontally.When the silence is so deafening, the onlything I can hear is the ringing in my ears.It’s so serene and relaxing.

Another difference between the earlyseason and the late season is how you mustdress to cope with the change of seasons.With temperatures hovering aroundfreezing most of the time, one must wearlayers of heavier clothing if one wants tohunt for very long. Once you get cold youmight as well go home. When cold, you endup moving to get warm. Move too muchand you end up getting spotted by the deer.You need to be able to stand or sitcomfortably to hunt effectively. I start witha base layer of non-itchy soft Merino wool,long sleeved top, long bottoms, and socks.Over that goes a turtleneck, then asweatshirt, followed by either flannel-linedjeans or a bib of fleece insulated withthinsulate. On top of that goes a heavyplaid wool jacket. The colors in the plaid

Faint blood trails are easierto follow in the snow

Freshly vacated bed



match the surroundings of brown andwhite. On my feet I wear a pair of rubberbottomed Pac boots with a thick wool liner.Lastly, I don a white knit watch cap and knitgloves with the three shooting fingers of theright hand cut off to go over my shootingglove. Dressed like this, I can hunt for mostof the day without getting too cold. Oncechilled, I simply head to the house for a cupof hot tea and a bowl of soup to warm up. Ifigure there’s no sense in torturing myself—the deer will still be in the woods on thenext day I choose to chase them.

Even though one has to dress like theMichelin man while hunting a muchreduced deer herd in less than idealconditions, hunting the late season is notwithout its advantages. Because the farmcrops have long been harvested, the acornsgobbled up months ago, and what fewedible leaves nibbled off their stems, anydependable food source becomes a magnetfor deer in the area. Honeysuckle thickets

are often hit hard once everything else isgone. Although there are fewer deer, withmost of the leaves down and a blanket ofwhite covering the ground, they are mucheasier to see. Snow leaves the perfectcanvas upon which the deer paint theirtravel patterns for your observation andinterpretation. Hitting the woods for ascouting trip the day after a fresh snowwill allow you to see precisely where thedeer are traveling, what paths they arecurrently using, what areas they arefeeding, and where they are bedding.Armed with this information, you willknow the best places to put your stand orbuild your ground blind in order tointercept them. If you do manage to arrowa deer, a blanket of snow makes followinga blood trail much easier. Trails that wouldhave been lost in the early season when awounded deer changed its direction areeasy to sort out when the crimson stainedtracks are visible in the snow. Also, there is

no confusing blood spots in snow withthose bright red spots on yellow mapleleaves in early fall. A deer is much easierto drag, or rather slide, on top of a layer ofsnow as well.

Regardless of the advantages and mypersonal enjoyment of hunting the lateseason, this late season hunt closed withouta deer in the freezer. It was the first time inmany, many years. Am I disappointed?Sure. But who can complain? I spent a lot ofenjoyable time in the woods hunting withan awesome wood bow made and gifted tome by a good friend. My unfilled tag is avivid reminder that it should always bemore about the hunt than about the kill.And the hunt was good. I had lots of closeencounters with deer, passed up someeasy shots, and missed a couple others.Without those passed shots and misses, Inever would have gotten the opportunityto do one of my favorite things, hunt thelate season.

Seeing this deer would be difficult if the leaves were still up, as in the early season


or many others and myself thePrimitive Archer Magazine-sponsoredmessage board is a daily ritual, like

waking from bed in the morning and gettinga pot of coffee brewing or taking your dog fora walk. Primitive Archer serves a wide range ofpeople with different experience levels. It isan excellent resource to get information fromtop-notch bowyers who have been there andlearned the hard way. It is the place to learn agreat amount in a very short time, sharepictures of your work, and see others’ work.Not only is it a great place to learn and share,but it is a great place to get to know othersand make great friends with people you canrelate to because of a common interest inprimitive archery and other primitive skills.

As I sifted through the new threads onPrimitive Archer’s bow section, I lookeddown and saw the title “Primitive ArcherBow Trade.” It automatically captured myattention. Pat Brennan (Pat B), well knownon the Primitive Archer message board forhis beautiful bows and willingness to givereliable and helpful advice whenever asked,had started the topic and wanted to knowwho would be interested in a PrimitiveArcher bow trade. Apparently, some bowyershad expressed to him that they would liketo see a bow trade started and PrimitiveArcher was willing to let us use the site to dothe trade. Pat agreed to help with the rulesand would be participating in the trade buthe needed someone to run it and collect

participants’ names and information. Idecided to volunteer to help with that. Akey point Pat made in the message threadabout this trade was that it was “NOT aboutwhat you receive BUT about the spirit ofgiving and sharing that makes these tradeswork.” I read a quote on the thread from anew member, BOXTOP, that said, “Theconcept of a trade that brings a group ofpeople together I THINK IS REALLYGREAT!” His statement expressed exactlyhow I felt. I believe the others who havebeen involved in these trades would agree.

The names started pouring in, and bythe end of the first day there were 23participants signed up. By the end of thesecond day, we had all worked together and

F

The

Primitive ArcherFirst Annual

Bow TradeB y J o s h V a n c e

Golden Crow Bow braced


agreed on a sign up deadline, which Pat Bannounced would be the 28th of Februaryat 6:00 p.m. This left thirteen days forpeople to throw their name in the hat. Wealso agreed the latest date to ship the bowsto their new homes would be the 4th ofJuly. Therefore, the participants hadroughly four months to put their hearts andsouls into their trade bows. If they finishedearly, they could ship the bow off sooner,thus increasing anticipation. This time-frame complemented the fact that the tradewelcomed people who are new to bowbuilding as well as experienced veterans.Also, if things from everyday life got in theway or something else went wrong, youcould rest easy knowing you had a goodamount of time to work on your bowwithout rushing.

Golden Crow Bow made by Lee SlikkersSignature and bow specs written on the belly of the bow

Golden Crow Bow unbraced profile


On February 28 at 6:00 p.m. the sign upclosed with a total of 51 people signed up!Considering that this was the First AnnualPrimitive Archer Bow Trade, I was veryimpressed and excited. I wasn’t the onlyone though—I would be remiss if I did notmention the excitement and enthusiasmexpressed by everyone surrounding thetrade. The overall excitement was asimpressive if not more than the number ofparticipants!

The sign up period came and went. Igathered the names and information andforwarded it all to Marie (calendargirl) whohad kindly volunteered to draw the namesfrom a hat for the trade. The next few hoursthe anticipation was almost too much tobear. It seemed like we were all on the edgeof our seats waiting for our “giftee’s” name.Marie had all 51 names, information, andaddresses. She was responsible for drawingand sending out the information and itseemed to take forever. Finally, she hadnotified each of us who we would bebuilding a bow for; some of us were a littlenervous about that, but we were all veryexcited!

Crow feathers tied to a small knoton the back of the bow—nicetouch in my opinion—and couldwork well as a wind direction gaugeLee Slikkers “Golden Crow Bow” Buffalo horn tip overlays

Another picture of the buffalo horn tip overlays


Another aspect of the trade was that youwould know for whom you were building abow but NOT know who was building abow for you. This was very exciting for meand left me in wonder of who was buildingmy bow. Because of the wide range ofexperience and craftsmanship that the

participants in this trade have, some of thenewer, less experienced guys (includingme) were a little nervous when we foundout that we would be building a bow forsomeone who had more advanced bowbuilding skills. However, the lessexperienced guys would just have to do thebest that they could possibly do and puteverything they had into their task at hand.This was important to keep in mind. The

spirit of the trade meant knowing that therecipient would be happy with the bowthey received because of the effort, time,and heart put into their gift.

Within the first month of the trade,people were already making great progresson their trade bows. A few had evenfinished and shipped their bows to theintended recipient. By mid-May, the bowswere being sent out one after another. It

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The braced profileof the bow Osageoutlaw received

The unbraced profile of the bow Osage outlaw received from Sidewinder

was encouraging to see a good number ofthe participants doing build-alongs andkeeping us updated on the progress oftheir trade bow by posting pictures anddetails on the message boards. It alsoadded to the excitement becausewhenever I saw another trade bow buildalong or update come up on the messageboard, I, for one, was in constant wonderif this bow could be the one that wouldend up on my doorstep! I freely admit thiseven though this trade was about thespirit of giving. I’m sure we who wereinvolved can all agree that givingsomething you put your heart and soulinto feels great, but I also have to say thatI was really excited to receive my tradebow. There is something wonderful aboutshooting and/or receiving a bow thatanother bowyer built for you. So eventhough I am a 26-year-old man, I felt likea kid at Christmas. I remember relating toother comments I read in multiple threadsabout the trade on the message boardsregarding the UPS truck. Every time theUPS truck drove up the street, I wouldrush to the door to watch them stare at mein wonder as they drove on by and,apparently, I wasn’t alone.

Many of the members of this tradeexpressed that they learned so much fromthis experience and were forced to pushtheir bow building skills to another level.In return this made them better bowyers. Iwill end in saying that, in my honestopinion, (and I hope others will agree) theFirst Annual Primitive Archer Bow Tradewas a huge success! I will definitely beinvolved in next year’s trade. Thanks againto everyone who was involved. I hope nextyear’s trade will have twice the membersinvolved and be as fun as this years!

Here you see a picture of the bowbraced hanging from a nice groupof arrows shot into the target. Asyou can see, three of the fourarrows are touching.

The shot we as bowyerscall the money shot (fulldraw). The bow Is madefrom Osage Orangepulling 52 pounds @ 27".

Signature, bows poundage, and draw length writtenon the bow by Sidewinder. Also showing a good

shot of the grip as well as the beauty of Osage.


Imagine gateways and entrances,open terraces with traces of freshherbs, walkways, living fences from

bamboo, a dojo, privacy, frogs croaking,then silence as a snake approaches.

Outside, working in open air, the stepsto making arrows seem simple. You begin bychoosing your shaft. This will be determinedby they type of arrow you want to make: awar arrow, a target arrow, or a presentationpiece. Choices and indecision.

You look at the raw shafts. They look sopitiful, dirty, and crooked. You try hard notto shrink from the work that lies ahead. Jaapexplains where to begin. Make a choice, andthen open the shafts. Get the wire red hot.Hold it steady. Watch that you don’t singethe walls as you burn through the firstmembrane. Move on to the next and thenext. Reheat the wire; it has cooled off.

“I cannot believe that you’d just shoot it away when you’re all done. I mean, look,you’re just shooting away something that takes this much time and work.” –Frank

“I can’t believe I actually made this.” –Ulrich

“Amazing that people ever went to war, given what it takes to make an arrow.” –Frank

“Patience is everything.” –Julia

MakingArrow-making workshop (by Kay Koppedrayer)

ArrowsBamboo

I

B y K a y K o p p e d r a y e r

Opening and straightening shafts (by Birgit Eicher)

Opening and straightening shafts(by Birgit Eicher)


Begin straightening. Use heat. Stretchthe bamboo. The first heating is your onlychance to make it taut.

He shows you how to use the tool topush, pull, and work the bamboo. You

grasp what he says. The challenge is totranslate this knowledge to your fingers. Itcan be easy to visualize, yet not so easygetting the fingers working the right way.Take up the straightening tool. The shafts

Skinning the shaft (by Janusz Suma)

Stretching the shaft(by Birgit Eicher)

Straightening shafts(by Janusz Suma)


are small, the bamboo slippery. The smokefrom the charcoal brazier gets in your eyes.Heat, sunshine, concentration.

Silence. No one is talking now. Oops,too much pressure. What was crooked isbecoming straight, but what was straight isnow crooked. Learn to observe whathappens.

Then as your fingers move in the rightway, you are asked to move to the next step.Your arrow shaft is straight enough. Time towork the nodes. Use a sharp knife. Youwish yours were sharper. Remember to getthe angle right. Cut, shave, and slice. Workthe shafts. Shine them. More straightening.Arghh, will they ever be perfectly straight?Who demands perfection anyway? Howwill they shoot? What now? Look, thenodes are narrowed, the skin shaved, theshaft polished.

Oh, there’s more. Nocks to insert, tipsto glue, bindings to make, fletches to shave,quills to be shaved. You need to sear theedges of the quill. Ah, the smell of burningfeathers. So, this is what arrow-makingsmells like.

He tells you all you need whenattaching the fletches is a steady hand and agood eye. Good luck, you seem to haveneither. The glue is drying too quickly. It’s

Preparing the fletches(by Birgit Eicher)

Preparing the fletches(by Birgit Eicher)

Second straightening (by Kay Koppedrayer)

hard to work the thread. Wait, there’s stilltime to straighten the fletches.

Now it is time to tie off the fletches.Patience. Keep wrapping. Turn after turnafter turn. Keep your rhythm steady.Distraction shows in the finished work.

And then when you think you’re done,it’s time to trim your fletches. One slip ofthe scissors and you’re back to square one.Or, maybe what you really wanted all alongwas a flight arrow with very closely croppedfletches. Who needs wide fletches anyway.One more adjustment with the scissors andyou’re done. Close your eyes while you’recutting. No! Keep them open. Watch whatyou’re doing.

And then, at last, victory! You standback. You can’t believe you made this.

Author’s Note: This article draws onreflections of the participants in a bambooarrow-making workshop held in April 2011 inBad Durkheim, Germany. Jaap Koppedrayerof YUMI Archery ran the seminar. Fritz andBirgit Eicher graciously hosted it at theirHaku-un-Kan-Kyudojo located adjacent totheir residence in Bad Durkheim.

Binding the fletches(by Kay Koppedrayer)

Gluing the fletches (by Janusz Suma)

Bill Young from Sarver, PA, asks:

Q: My name is Bill Young and I just subscribed to P.A.M. Sawyour article in my first copy (Sept. 10). I am 86 years old and

have made a few bows but have never bent or heat-treated wood!Would you please answer a few questions for me?• Can I bend a 2" square piece of Osage? This piece is 6' long and

has a sideways bend 18" from one end.• How hot does the wood need to be?• Can I use a cutting torch with wide flame for heating? (I cut this

Osage ten to twelve years past and it is dry but straight grained.)• Have you ever tried Osage using part of the sapwood? I ran a

band saw through the 6' length and it’s hard.Marc, I sure would give thanks for the information you can help

me with.

A: Yes, you can bend a 2" square piece of Osage. One simplemethod is to clamp the wood on the end that it is bent in a

sturdy vise that is well bolted down; clamping it that way gives youthe long end to pry on for leverage. Clamp the wood so the outsideof the bend you want to straighten is facing outwards. The reason forthis is that heating the outside of the bend is much safer; trying tostraighten the wood from the inside of the bend can produce cracksin the wood as the dry heat will dry out the wood. Once the stave isclamped, prop out the other end so there is considerable pressure.Apply heat to the wood along the bend and it will straighten out asit heats up. The wood has to be heated very slowly.

I’ve never measured the temperature of the wood but I havemeasured the temperature at the wood’s surface using a candythermometer and it was about 400° F.

I don’t believe a cutting torch can be used with a wide flamedirectly on the wood; this will just scorch the wood and very little ofthe heat will penetrate into the wood. A heat-gun is a handy tool tohave when making bows, but if you don’t have one of those then youcould make the torch work. You could perhaps devise some type ofmetal shield that’s a few inches away from the wood. You could thenplay the flame on this metal shield and when that gets hot the radiantheat will heat up the wood. A piece of wood that size has to heat upslowly for it to bend.

Another source of heat you could use is a plain old hardwoodfire that has burnt down to coals. Lots of wood has been straightenedwith a fire. You would need some method of applying pressure on thebend and if you don’t have a vice or clamp handy, you could use a

couple of trees that grow close together. Once again, heat the outsideof the bend. Just make sure that you are ready to bend after heatingup the piece of wood; if the wood cools too much, it won’t bend aswell. Rehearse this procedure beforehand so that you can do itsmoothly and fast.

I can’t say I have ever made an Osage bow with some of thesapwood still on, but I know that there are some people out therewho have, with success.

Jim Faggard from Morton, MS, asks:

Q: I have made a few hickory and Osage long flatbows for friendsand grandsons. They look and shoot fine as any bow you might

buy, but after a few days shooting they have a bend or curve inthem—you might say they keep a little bow shape in them. I lookedat bows you buy and they are straight. I was reading Primitive Archer“Ask PA” and you were putting heat on the bows and making themhold their shape. How hot can you go before the wood dries out? Doyou heat the total bow or are just the limbs heated? What temps? Iuse a little heat to make a bow limb that is not straight, straightenup. Just heat it and bend it with my hand. But I have never tried toheat the total bow. If you get time drop me an e-mail.

A: I gather that what you mean is that your bows follow thestring—that is to say they keep a bit of their braced shape when

you unstring them. The correct term for this is that the bow “hastaken set.” This is common but when severe, can be due to a fewdifferent reasons. If your wood was too wet when you made thebows, then they will follow the string more so than when a bow ismade from seasoned wood. Another reason is the wood has beenoverstrained, either from the bow being too short for the design ornot enough of the limbs working. If you live in an area that has veryhigh humidity most of the time, Florida is a good example, thenbows will tend to take more set than the same bow in a dry climate.


AskPA

OsageBendingHeat B y M a r c S t . L o u i s

In any case, here’s how you can use dry heat to take the set out ofyour bows.

When you heat-treat the bows limbs—yes, that is the only partof the bow you use heat on—the limbs will get quite hot. The backof the limb will get hot enough that you won’t be able to keep yourhand on it for more than a couple of seconds. That means that youwill have to heat it up fairly slowly. The heat has to travel deepenough that it acts on just more than the surface wood. The twomethods I use are with a heat gun (the ones you use to strip paintoff furniture) or an open fire. If you use a fire, then I find that itworks best with a hardwood fire that has burned down to the coals.The coals throw off quite a lot of heat without the flames and lastlong enough to do at least one limb without having to stop andstoke up the fire again. It is easier to use a heat gun though, and youhave more control over what is happening, so that is what I usemost of the time.

You won’t be able to straighten or add reflex by hand, there’s justtoo much heat being used. An easy way of adding reflex, or to juststraighten the limbs if you don’t have a jig and clamps, is to reversebrace the bow at a low brace, that means to string it up backwards alittle bit. I would recommend that you add a bit of reflex as it willgive you a boost in performance. You can’t use a plastic string for thereverse bracing procedure as it will melt from the heat. Natural fiberbaling twine or a strong cotton cord works well. With a fire you wantto hold the bow belly down over the coals, about one foot away fromthe coals. Of course, this depends on how big a fire you’ve made. Thewood should take a couple of minutes over the coals before it evenstarts to turn color and a full four or five minutes before it turns adark brown color. You want to avoid turning the wood black though.If the wood turns black, then you have gone too far. With a fire, youneed to turn the bow over often to check the progress. Heat-treatingover a fire is sort of like grilling a steak over a fire, too close and youscorch your meat, too far and it takes forever to cook.

Webb Hammond from Seabeck, WA, asks:

Q: Hey there Marc, I’m about to start tillering an Osage bow oftwo billets that I joined together. I just checked the moisture

content, and it says that its 4–6%. The section in the first BowyersBible says about 7–12, so can I hydrate this piece of wood up tomake it safe to work? Can you give me some advice? I had hopedto have this ready for a moose hunt in Alberta in two weeks. Thankyou, Webb Hammond.

A: It can be rehydrated. One method would be to leave it inyour washroom for a few days, the RH is always much higher

in there, especially if you have someone in the house that likes totake showers. Just monitor the MC every day till it reaches 9% orso.

Another method that may be faster is to brush some water onthe wood, then bag it in a plastic bag. Just check the MC every day;brushing on water as is necessary until it reaches the MC you want.

If the wood has reached such a low MC just sitting in yourhouse, it will eventually go back down to that moisture levelunless you find a way to monitor and keep the RH at an acceptablelevel. A little used room with a humidifier or pots of water may bean option.


With the cost of everything going up, you owe it to yourself to subscribe to P.A.

Why subscribe?

With the printed hard copy you:

1) SAVE BIG BUCKS!!!!!

2) Have the magazine delivered to your home or office!

3) Have it in your hands quicker than waiting on newsstand delivery!

4) Never have to worry about store availability and missing an issue!

Primitive Archer NOW offers an electronic subscription package that can be accessed not

only by your home or laptop computer but also through smart phones, I-pads and I-pods.

With the digital copy you:

1) SAVE BIG BUCKS!!!!!

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pricing. Our international readers will reap even higher rewards.

Save Up To 55% Off The Cover Price

Send your questions to:Marc St. LouisP.O. Box 1132 • Mattawa,ON • Canada P0H1V0Or email: [email protected] can also contact me athttp://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php

f your desire is to make a wood bow,you are going to need some tools.This article will deal with the tools

used in the making of natural-wood one-piece bows (not backed, laminated, orboard bows). I will reference Osage a lot inthis article because I use it a lot, but theprincipals of tool use work for all thewoods, whether whitewood or yellow. Ionce competed in a contest where the onlytool one could use to fashion a bow, fromstart to finish, was a hatchet. This includedacquiring the wood, cutting it to shape,tillering the limbs, and even cutting in thenocks. It took me approximately ninehours to make my bow using the hatchet(for the record, my bow came in third outof nine submitted in that particular event).However, if you aren’t interested in going

Tradeof theTools

B y M i c k e y L o t z

I

Tools used for felling and splitting.Chain saw, maul, wedges, hatchet,and safety gear; gloves, glassesand hearing protection. Be sureand take spare gas /oil mix.

A selection of draw knives: theone on top, the Sorby, is theauthor's favorite; the third andfourth from the top can also beused as scrapers.

quite that primitive and want to be able tomake a few bows, I suggest getting severalspecific bow making tools which will makeyour job much easier.

In my opinion, there are two types oftool groups. Group One: tools that arepretty much indispensable, in that it wouldbe difficult to make bows without them.Group Two: tools that are not absolutelynecessary but nice to have, enabling one tomake the job of bow building just a biteasier. Each bowyer has his favorite toolsand each individual decides in which groupa particular tool belongs. As you acquiretools, you may think you are buying forGroup Two but end up using your purchaseso much you find, at least for you, itbelongs in Group One. I will cover the toolsI consider Group One and mention tools Iconsider Group Two as well.

To begin, you must decide whether youwill cut your own trees for staves orpurchasing your bow wood. I suggestpurchasing your first couple pieces of woodfrom a reputable seller (if you don’t knowanyone willing to give you a couple piecesof good wood). Make sure you explain toyour wood source that you are a novicebowyer looking for straight, clean Osagewith around seven to nine growth rings per

Files and rasps: A farrier's or hooffile, a Nicholson 50, three corneredfile, four cornered file, another threecornered file and various round filesincluding chain saw files for cuttingstring nocks.

Finishing and sanding: Grades of sandpaper from 60 to 400 with sanding blocks andvarious cabinet scrapers including gooseneck scraper for scraping dips in the wood.

inch. You may pay handsomely for such apiece of wood, but, take my word for it, inthe long run it will be worth the money. Aknotty twisted piece of wood with 30 ormore growth rings to the inch will be a verydifficult piece of wood for a novice to work.Save that until you have a few dozen bowsunder your belt. Once you’ve made a bowor two, you can decide if you are trulyinterested in making more. Making a woodbow is a lot of hard work. Many, aftermaking their first, decide it’s more workthan they are willing to put forth and they’drather buy bows made by someone else.Make just one and you will soon realizewhy a good bowyer asks as much as he doesfor a “simple wood bow.”

If you decide you are going to bemaking quite a few bows, it would benefityou to start cutting your own wood. If youdo, the first tool you will find indispensableis a chain saw. Now, I suppose you coulduse a double bit axe to fell, cut free, andtrim an Osage tree, say ten to twelve inchesin diameter, but I’m pretty sure you’d onlydo it once before investing in a good chainsaw. In addition you will need a hatchet, amaul, and at least four steel splittingwedges. Six wedges would be even better.There’s nothing worse than being twentymiles from home, a quarter mile from thetruck, standing in the middle of a fence rowdripping sweat (even though it’s the dead ofwinter), splitting a big Osage log you’ve justbrought down, and having all your wedges

stuck head deep in the cracks of thestubborn wood. Don’t ask me how I know.Chain saw, hatchet, maul, and wedges aremost assuredly Group One tools.

Once you have a supply of aged quartersplits, it’s time to get them down to nearbow making dimensions. For this step, youwill need some way to hold the quarter splitwhile you are working on it. Most bowmakers use a bowyer’s bench, with a largehead and a foot pedal using leg pressure toclamp the wood. These are Group Onetools for most. Some use a small three- orfour-inch vice bolted to a workbench. I usea steel pedestal mounted five-inch swivelvice with both hard and soft jaws bolted tomy workroom floor. For me, the pedestalmounted vice is my Group One tool in thewood securing category, and I really don’t

Measuring: 48" metal straightedge, yardstick, 12" ruler, author’s homemadetiller gauge, author's invented bowyer'sruler, hand-held bow scale, and pencil.

30 Primitive Archer Magazine

Bow vice: Author’s pedestalfloor vice with 5" swivel vicewith magnetic soft jaws.

know how I ever made bows beforebuilding this tool. My bowyer’s bench hasbeen sitting in my shed unused for yearsnow, relegated to a Group Two tool.

To begin the wood removal process,some bowyers will use a band saw forcutting bow staves to length, to width, forremoving excess belly wood, and forremoving bark and sapwood from the back.I avoid using power tools when makingbows, but other bowyers have no problemusing them. Each bow maker should makeup his own mind on that subject.Personally, other than the initial felling ofthe tree with the chainsaw, I make the restof my bows using nothing but hand tools. Ienjoy the process of making bows; usingmy hands and the hand tools of the craft ispart of the process for me. If I were makingbows for a living, perhaps I would choosethe quicker, easier electric power way, butsince I make bows for my personalenjoyment, I stick with the tools I enjoyusing.

My tool of choice for removing thebark, the sapwood, for reducing a quartersplit to near bow dimensions, and forremoving excess belly wood is a largedrawknife. This is a necessity—a GroupOne tool for me. I use a Robert Sorbydrawknife out of Sheffield, England. Strongsteel and a wide thick sharp blade withdeep tangs all the way through the handlesmake this drawknife a real workhorse,capable of hogging off lots of wood in ashort period of time. Running into a knot isnot a problem for the Sorby. It cuts rightthrough them. Even though it can removewood like a rabid beaver, by using a moredelicate hand, one can also remove the barkand sapwood down to just above thegrowth ring you wish to use for your back.I do have another much smaller drawknifemade in Sweden that I use for delicatedrawknife work and for scraping. This is aGroup Two tool for me: not necessary, justnice to have.

For cutting the bow stave to length, Iuse a standard cross cut handsaw, which forme is another Group One tool. Withoutusing a band saw, there are few options forcutting off two ends of a quarter split. Thecross cut saw is fast and efficient for thispurpose.

Once the bark and sapwood are

removed, the next tool you’ll need is onefor scraping the back into a single cleangrowth ring. There is only one tool forthis—the steel cabinet scraper. This GroupOne tool comes in different shapes, mainlyrectangular and gooseneck. I have dozensof cabinet scrapers, but if you are like me,you’ll find among the dozens there will beone or two that you prefer for how they feelin your hand and how they shave the wood.You will find yourself instinctively reachingfor them whenever scraping is needed.

The next step is bow layout. For this,you will need something for measuring,something to use as a straight edge, and ofcourse a pencil. Any sharp pencil will do, as

will any ruler or wooden yardstick.However, for making a lot of bows severaltools will be indispensable. A carpenter’schalk line for laying out the initialcenterline down the crown of the stave is areal time saver. A forty-eight-inch metalrule is essential for laying out long straightlines. For bow dimensions, you can easilymeasure from your centerline. These areGroup One tools, no doubt. However, Ifound the wooden rulers, the yardsticks,and even the metal rule lacking because theback of a stave is naturally curved and notflat. As result, I came up with a specificruler designed just for making bows. Icalled it a “Bowyer’s Rule” but on the

Vice versatility: standingOsage in vice at 45 degree angle.

Pedestal vice holdingOsage for bark removal.

internet archery boards, it got nicknamedFerret’s Floppy Ruler. If you go to thePrimitive Archer Magazine’s website(www.primitivearcher.com) in the“HowTo’s and Build-a-longs” section of themessage board forum, search “Ferret’sFloppy Ruler-PDF File” (or Google thatname) and there is a PDF file fordownloading and printing your own. It’s ahandy tool for making bow layout a snap,especially for beginners. Things like limbwidths (3 different sizes), tip width, nocklocation, handle width and length, and fadelengths (2 different sizes) are all marked onthe bendable ruler for accurate and easybow layout. It’s a Group One tool for me,and I believe it will be for you as well.

Once you get your stave to near bowdimensions, you will need a tool to reducebelly wood in order to get your limbsbending and to shape your handle, fades, anddips. My Group One tool for this job is theFarrier’s rasp (a large rasp for flatteninghorse’s hooves prior to shoeing). This rasp,with different coarseness of teeth on eachside, will remove large amounts of woodwithout causing excessive damage to the

wood. Use one side of the rasp for hoggingand the other side for smoothing out thegouges from the first side. Group Two toolsin this category include the Nicholson #49and #50 rasps, the four-in-one or fourcornered rasp (rounded on one side, flat onthe other with four different grades of raspdepending on which side or which end of therasp you are using), and the 10" half round

file (rounded on one side/flat on the other).For filing in your nocks, there is

basically one tool that is universally used—a chainsaw blade-sharpening file. A little5/32-inch round file. For me, this is anotherGroup One tool. I have at least three or fourof them. Just as the cabinet scrapers, forsome reason, one file will become yourfavorite.

With soft jaws installedand vice swiveled it’s easyto work on tips and nocks.

Soft jaws aid in detail workon handles, fades, and dips.

32 Primitive Archer Magazine


For final shaping of the bow, you willmost likely find several types of files asGroup Two tools, specifically a threecornered file (flat on all three sides), andvarious sizes and coarsenesses of round files.Your cabinet scrapers will again come in touse as you clean up the rasp and file markswhen completing your bow. Although not

technically tools in the strictest sense, youwill need sandpaper of various grades, fromvery coarse to very fine wet dry paper alongwith a few sanding blocks to keep yoursurfaces flat, and a curved sanding block, orvarious sized wooden dowels you can wrapthe sandpaper around for sanding therounded surfaces of a bow.

There are a couple of other tools thatwill help you with your bow making, such

as a tillering tree or tillering stick (opt forthe tree), a hand held bow scale, a bowsquare, paint brushes, rags, etc. I alsoconsider magazines such as PrimitiveArcher, books, DVDs and internet forumstools—all Group One. Bows can be madeusing nothing but a hatchet, but whyhandicap yourself? Get some good tools ofthe trade, and you might just actually enjoymaking wood bows.

Bowyer’s rule: Designed by the author for building bows, this floppyruler will follow the contours of a split’s back and lay out measurementsfor limb widths, tip width, handle width and length, and fade lengths andnock locations. It’s available for printing on-line.

or the past eleven years, theTraditional Bowhunters ofWashington (TBW) have hosted a

free bow-making event “to keep traditionalskills alive” and pass them on to the nextgeneration. This year’s WashingtonJamboree (WaJam) took place at theCashmere Pioneer Park and Museum inCashmere, Washington, on July 8-10, 2011.Cashmere is a fruit-growing region on theeast side of the Cascades.

Fred Coghdon, an Oglala Sioux relatedto Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, managesand curates the private museum and wasinstrumental in the success of this year’sWaJam. He provided the facilities, power,camping, and target space.

TBW members provided staves ofpyramid-tillered hardwoods and rounds ofvine maple, ocean spray, and serviceberry,which are superior bow woods that arestrong in tension and compression. TBWmembers helped lay out and mark bows

Photo 2: Site of 2011 WaJam

Photo 1: Traditional Bowhuntersof Washington WaJam banner

Photos 3 & 4: Tom Wells and TomBaldwin help set up bow benchesthat were designed by MyronOlsen and Steve Meyers andmanufactured by a high schoolmetals class.

F2011WaJam

B y D u a n e S p a n g l e r

34 Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19


before participants cut them on band saws. Hand tools such asrasps, sanding paddles, and scrapers were provided for further woodreduction and shaping. Some participants brought tools of theirown, including drawknives.

More than 100 people participated in the event, and for many itwas the first time they’d used hand tools to shape wood, let alonemake bows. They learned that fibers in wood don’t always growperfectly straight and that allowances have to be made for knots,wandering grain, and other imperfections. In fact, broken bowsimparted the lesson better than anything else could.

Photos 5, 6, 7 & 7a : These bow vices were in constantdemand. Parents, TBW members and volunteers wereavailable for assistance and supervision. Floors werecleaned each morning and by evening were covered

with wood shavings.

Photos 8, 9 & 10: Firstthey picked out theirround stave, then their design was laid out and marked, and then they waitedin line to have their stave rough cut on the band saw.


Photos 11, 12 & 13: Two tillering boards weremanned by TBW members who gave instructionon how to remove wood very slowly to preventhinging. Repeated turns on the tillering boardswere essential to get the bows tillered properly.

Photos 14, 15 & 16: Kids tried out theirwell tillered bows: note the whistlingarrow made from a plastic Easter egg.


Several pick-up loads of vine maple are consumed every year. This requirestrips into the thickets of vine maple groves to keep a large supply of seasonedwood for the following years.

These would-be bowyers finish-tillered their bows, cut in nocks, madeFlemish twisted strings, and created arrows, all with the help of TBW members.In the end, participants were able to try out their bows by shooting at targetsthat were set up in Pioneer Park for that purpose.

Photos 17 & 18: Bows could have leather wrappedhandles and arrow rests installed.

Photos 19, 20 & 21: After the bows wereproperly tillered, Flemish twisted stringsmade, arrows nocked, fletched, andpoints attached, the kids were sent downto the target range to try out their newbows. Some even made their own quiver.

Photo 22: Brad Owen’s grandson shows his vine maple self-bow.Brad is Lieutenant Governor of Washington State.


The event attracted families from around the state. Parents were gratified to see how enthusiastically their children worked with handtools and how proud they were of the resulting bows and arrows. The camaraderie and gratitude of participants assured the TBW membersthat they helped create memories that would last a lifetime.

Photos 26, 27 & 28: Fred Coghdon demonstrates hisflintknapping skills.

Photos 24 & 25: The Washington StateTrappers had an interesting displayincluding paw prints of both black bearsand grizzly bears.

Photo 23: This is the group that makes ithappen. The TBW board meets severaltimes to plan on-going activities. They are avery dedicated group promoting primitivearchery and keeping traditional skills aliveto pass on to anyone interested.


Photos 32, 33, 34 & 35: Tom Baldwin, one of the TBW members has aprivate collection of primitive and traditional archery memorabilia opento TBW members. His collection includes bows from early English Yewlongbows to bows from Glen St. Charles, Fred Bear, Ben Pearson, Keaseyand Highfield. The Varabow he’s holding has adjustable drew length anddraw weight. He has a large rack of flight bows along with an extensivelibrary of archery books and magazines.

Photos 29, 30 & 31:Fred Coghdon gaveTBW members a twohour tour of theCashmere Museum.Probably one ofthe best privatemuseums open tothe public inWashington State.

here were thirty-eight self bows and eight backed bowsin the contest for the month of August. Since bow-hunting season is right around the corner for most

people, this is a good month to put the final touches onequipment that is going to be used to take game in theupcoming fall season. Congratulations to “StraightArrow”from Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, for winning the August SelfBOM Contest!

From StraightArrow:Just finished up this 52" Osage D bow for my brother

Dan. It’s the first of hopefully three that I can get from thesame stave. I plan to give this one to him, give one to my dad,and keep one for myself. I got two bows side by side and dida belly split on one of the halves. I named the bow 1st. Akin… which means related by blood … 2nd and 3rd hopefully

to follow. Once I got the bow to floor tiller, I flipped the tipsand backed the bow with sinew. I made the handle toonarrow and too thin to start, so I built it up with sinew. WhenI applied the black snakeskins, I completely wrapped thehandle. The wraps past mid limb are decorative and hidewhere I spliced the skins. The tips are deer antler, and thehandle wrap is from an old leather coat. The string is b-50with black beaver silencers. I finished the bow with Tru Oil.The bow finished out at 55#@27". I actually tillered it to 28"but marked it at his draw.

I won’t be able to give this to my brother for a few weeks.He has no idea it’s coming.

Beautiful Bow! Here are some comments from forummembers!

“Awe yeah buddy. Guess who’s showing up at your door to seethat baby all finished up. I remember that stave. Bill showed me

some pre finished pics last weekend atETAR. Missed ya n sure woulda been niceto have ya there. Dude that bend issweeeeet on that shorty. Smooth to I bet. Iheard you fell in love withher.” –blackhawk

“Cool little bow with a perfect tiller.Looking forward to the other two!” –Pat B

“Man that bow is sweet. Looks like a greathunting bow, short as it is. The skins lookspectacular too.” –sidewinder

“Very nice Jon. You did that little piece ofwood justice. God Bless.” –PeteC

“Really fine work. Looks like a freezerfiller to me. Can’t say more than hasalready been said! … Except … want to bemy brother!?!?!?” –okiecountryboy

T

AugustBOW OF THE MONTH


B y J o s h B a t y

he winner of theAugust Backed BowContest is no

stranger to winning the Bowof the Month contest. Hisbeautifully-tillered works ofart and unsurpassedattention to detail shinethrough in every bow hebuilds. Congratulations toJames Parker from NorthCarolina for winning theAugust Backed BOM!

From James:Here is a hybrid Scythian

horn bow that I finished upthis month; after eightmonths seasoning, it was apleasure to see it come to a finish. It is 49" tip to tip.60#@27" so far. I’m looking to have it draw out to 28" or 29"after it is shot in. Birch bark cover with Scythian Ram withhorse and leopard on back of the bow. This bow really shootsgreat—no hand shock, dead quiet, and fast. I may have tokeep this one to hunt with this year.

Congrats James! Here are some comments from forummembers!

“So excellent James...your work is stellar and quite theinspiration. One day I’ll take a crack at a horn bow, hopefullysooner than later. Keep em coming.” –Lee Slikkers

“Just amazing craftsmanship! All of these bows you’ve beenfinishing up are just beautiful. Thank you so much forsharing.” –ryoon4690

“Uh....eh....a.....th....<———speechless.” –blackhawk

“James you are fast becoming the master of the horn bows.Another incredible bow and definitely my favorite that you havemade so far. Well done.” –Keenan

“AWESOME BOW! I’m a total beginner and the bows that youturn out leave me shaking my head. If I can learn just a fractionof what you know about building bows someday, I’ll be a happyman.” –Woodsman


Wanna get into the contest next month? Just go to

www.primitivearcher.com/smf and post your bow in

the Bows section to enter! Thanks again for

everyone’s continued participation! –Josh Baty

T

Making a

BowGreenwood

Photo 1: Author by the tree.

B y J o h n B o r g e s o n

short time ago, a good friend ofmine, named Clayton, and I decidedto make a bow entirely with stone

tools. I know many of you have constructedbows using stone tools yourselves, butthere was something really interesting thatoccurred for us in this case. This bowwould go from tree to being shot and is thereason for the title of the article.

We chose a white wood tree for thestave. While it is very close in grain topoplar, this tree had a larger pith in it as aresult of the humidity and moisture that is ayear-round constant where it lived. (Photo 1)On the day we harvested this tree, as usual inthis neck of the woods, it was very hot andhumid. Evidence of the temperature and thehumidity was plainly visible on my t-shirt.We hadn’t even begun our work and we werealready sweating.

Clayton made the tool we used to cutdown the tree. We ended up taking turnsbecause we both wanted to participate inthe tree cutting. Photo 2 shows all thetools we used to cut down the tree andrefine the wood into a stave. We noticedimmediately that these stone tools were

more than sufficient to fell the tree. Wewere pleasantly surprised at the ease atwhich the stone cut the wood. We did nothave one problem. (Photos 3 & 4). It onlytook us six minutes to fell the tree;Clayton was so eager to carry the tree toour work space that I just couldn’t say no.(Photo 5)

We did a bit of trimming of the stave toget it to the size we wanted. Both Claytonand I worked on the trimming. We used thestone tool, the knife, and the piece of daciteto trim down the stave. (Photos 6 & 7)

Once we got back to our work area, Istarted to work on the stave by beginning tosplit the piece of wood in half lengthwise.

Photos 3 & 4: Cutting the tree

APhoto 2: Tools used to make a Greenwood Bow: Left to right: deer antlerto begin the splitting; dacite to cut and shave the wood; the actual toolfor cutting with a rounded piece of chert; a long bamboo wedge and twosmaller pieces of bamboo to start the split; and a stone knife for shavingdown the wood as well as making the handle of the bow and the nocks.


This is where I used the bamboo to split thelog into equal halves. The deer antler andbamboo worked beautifully to split the login half! (Photos 8 & 9) Once split, I usedthe stone knife and the two other tools tostart to shape the stave into a bow. I startedon the belly of the bow as this is where thepith was. You can see that it is about ¼ inchwide. I ended up having to leave a smallamount of pith in the handle because wedidn’t have enough wood to shave it allaway. The pith ran for about five inches onthe back of the “handle” of the bow. (Photo10)

I worked for almost three hours shavingit down to what would become the actualbow—one made completely with stonetools. In photo 11, I am shaving the back ofthe bow and starting to contour the stavefrom the handle to both ends. I continuedto work on the bow for the rest of the day,however I was unable to complete it until afew days later due to work. Photo 12 wastaken out front of the house. Notice how Iam “appropriately attired” for working on abow in my front yard.

The bow ended up being about 40pounds at 29 inches. Later on, I backed thebow with one layer of sinew. This slightlyincreased the pull to about 42 ½ pounds.Not bad for a “stone aged” bow. This lastpicture is of my son, Mike, shooting thebow at the old archery range. I ended upgiving Mike the bow because he liked it somuch! It was a good present for a great son!(Photo 13)

I will close this article by finishing withthis: That one interesting thing that Photos 8 & 9: Big bamboo wedge and smaller wedges

Photos 6 & 7: Trimming the tree

Photo 5: Clayton with the tree

happened when we made the Stone Agebow was the really GREAT TIME Claytonand I had doing it! It really was somethingfun for us to do together! Try making a bowyourself with stone tools and you will seewhat I mean.

Photos 10 & 11:Author shaving stave.

Photo 13: Author’s sonMike shooting bow

Photo 12: Author with roughfinished bow


he name of the event is Al Faris.The place is Amman, the capitalof Jordan. This International

Horseback Archery Competition is the firstto be held in that country. The dates areJune 9 and 10, 2011. One does not easilyignore an invitation from the King.

After many hours of travel and layovers,we arrived at our hotel to prepare for a tourof Amman the next day. On the followingday the competitions would begin. We werenot fully prepared for the fabulousexperience ahead.

The Opening CeremoniesWith much pageantry, arousing music,

flowing flags and banners, columns of whiteand bay Arab horses, and an appearance bythe King of Jordan, the games began.

Entering the spectator seating area in theRoyal Hashemite performance court inAmman, we were welcomed to a large tanBedouin-like tent to protect us from the sun.Refreshing breezes drifted through the openback walls, and richly woven bright redfabric covered all the seating. Governmentguides were genuinely friendly and

informative, backed up by a liberal presenceof military security. We were mindful that theborders of Jordan are shared with the often-troubled countries of Syria on the north, Iraqon the east, Saudi Arabia on the south, andIsrael on the west.

The court, or sports field, was 200meters long, thus accommodating the 150-meter-long Korean-type events included inthe larger competition. The full length ofthe far side of the field was painted withancient Arab horsemen in high actionbattle scenes on a ten foot high whitecanvas wall (credit: the wife of ChristianSchrade). Looming above that in the centerwas a 40 foot vertical banner with the fullname of the event—“Al Faris, International

Horseback Archery Competition.”A military band was clad in long khaki

caftans with red bandoliers and a red sash.They wore the Jordanian red and whitechecked Bedouin-like headgear called thekeffiyeh. The band gave a rousing musicalsalute to the King and his entourage whenthey entered for the opening ceremony.Twelve matched white Arab horses andtwelve matched bay horses, mounted by theTourist Police, gave a beautiful and rousingdemonstration of equestrian drills and swiftintricate weaving formations, all carryingwhite standards waving in the wind. Thetrumpets sounded and the officials thenannounced that the competition wasformally open.

T International MountedArchery in Jordan

Al Faris:B y D a v i d G r a y

(“The Knight” in Arabic)

The event logo—a stylized mountedarcher knight—on the large canvas wall

The competitors presented quite aspectacle appearing en mass on their horseswith their national flags. Present wereAustria, Brazil, France, Germany, Hungary,Ireland, Jordan, Korea, Luxemburg,Malaysia, Poland, Romania, Sweden,Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom,and the United States.

The CompetitionThe competition lasted two full days

encompassing 32 competitors from 17nations. The competitors in their colorfulcostumes were dramatically introduced onhorseback carrying their national flagsblowing in the wind. The actualcompetitive events or disciplines includedthe three variations of the standardizedKorean disciplines, the very demandingHungarian course, and the Turkish qabak

(shooting nearly vertically at a “plate”approximately twenty inches in diametermounted on a pole seven meters high).

Many of the competitors wereinternationally proven and decoratedperformers. There were no trial qualifiers


Entry of the competitorsfrom 17 countries.

Opening ceremonies: TouristPolice in striking formations.


A close-up of the great canvas wallon the far side of the arena.


for the competitors with the result that therange of proficiency was very great.

The Jordanians gave a demonstration(not scored) of one of their uniquedisciplines in which a mounted archercarries a bow and sword in handsimultaneously; after a shot at one archerytarget, the right hand engages the swordsolely to perform “tent pegging.” Theperformer reaches to the ground with hissword and spears an object on the groundat a very fast gallop. The name “tentpegging” comes from a surprise invasion ofan enemy camp that includes pulling thetent pegs in the manner described and thuscollapsing the tent and putting the enemyin disarray.

Our host archers, the Jordanians, werevery accomplished. The first prize in theTurkish qabak went to Ahmed Ali Ahmedfrom Jordan, and another Jordanian, AliFlah Ksab, garnered first prize for theKorean discipline. Lukas Novotny was firstin the difficult Hungarian course,distinguishing him and his U.S. team(including Katie Stearns and Pat Stoddard).

The overall championship was earned bya very impressive 21-year-old Hungarian—Matyas Ruszak. In second place overall inscoring was Lukas Novotny of the UnitedStates. The prizes were attractive brushedplatinum thumb rings overlaid with a silverroyal crown.

Christian Schrade, widely experiencedin the European mounted archery scene,effectively supervised the mechanics of thecompetition. He deserves a special thanks.

The Larger ContextLunch was provided in large, black

woven-fabric Bedouin-style tents at oneend of the grounds during the days ofcompetition for all competitors and guests.A huge iron kettle of lentil soup, lamb andchicken shiskabobs, greens, and nativebaked sweets were in abundant supply.Because of the Islamic culture, alcoholicbeverages were entirely absent, except inone western-type bar in the hotel.

My wife, Phyllis, and I were guests ofLukas, and he in turn was a guest of theKing. We were treated most generously andgraciously as the whole event was underthe patronage of the King.

The Turkish qabak target.


After the competition, the governmentprovided a trip to the ancient site of Petra inextreme southern Jordan. These world-famous buildings carved into the stonecliffs date back to the time of Christ, theNabateans, and the Romans. And of courseMoses, Joshua, and the ancient Israelitestrekked across these same desert sands asthey headed toward the Promised Land.

Our departing final dinner was in avilla in Madaba, which is very near the

head of the Dead Sea, and just 25 milessouth of Amman. It is unique for severalreasons. Madaba is one-third Christian ina nearly all-Muslim land. In a Byzantinechurch, there is a significant mosaic mapof the Holy Lands. The City is thelocation of a premier coed schoolexemplifying the progressive face ofJordan. Madaba is close to Mt. Nebowhere Moses is said to have viewed thePromised Land before he died.

We should add that on our very first dayin Amman, during a tour of the city of twomillion people we witnessed the greatcontrast of modernity alongside massiveruins of Roman temples, colonnaded streets,and an acoustically impressive ancienttheatre. A great earthquake damaged some ofthese structures in 747 A.D.

Overarching appreciation for the wholeevent goes to His Majesty King Abdullah IIIbn Al Hussein and The Public SecurityDirectorate. Dr. Omar Oliver Obst alsoplayed a key role in coordinating many ofthe arrangements. It was a largeundertaking and was executed withthoughtfulness and style.

The Al Faris Knight of PeaceIt struck me that war and peace were in

sharp contrast here. The world legacy of themounted archer knight and warriorconjures up the images of campaigns ofcarnage and terror. The names Attila and

Matyas Ruszak, the 21 year–oldoverall champion from Hungaryin perfect form using the thumbring release.(Photo Credit: Meg McWhinney)

Lukas Novotny, of the United States,placed second in the overall event. (Photo Credit: Omar Oliver Obst)


Tamerlane are embedded in our commonvocabulary. The prayer of centralEuropeans in the early 900s was repeatedlymouthed in desperation—“Lord deliver usfrom the arrows of the Magyars!”

And later, but before the onset ofgunpowder, Genghis Khan and his armiescreated one of the world’s largest empires.This was accomplished on the backs oftheir tough little horses mounted by steel-hard men wielding the hi-tech weapon ofthe day—the composite horn bow. True topopular conceptions, submission andloyalty to the Khan often demandedcomplete annihilation and terror. Butrecent records show that Genghis was alsoa forerunner of very civilized practices ofreligious tolerance, meritocracy, andgrowth by melding the best from differentcultures. But, all in all, it was a brutal ageand the horseback archer was aninstrument of war first and foremost.

Not so the Al Faris of Amman, 2011.The competitors from 17 countries aroundthe world were wielding instruments of

peace. Of course they were meeting to testand showcase their abilities and to gainrecognition for themselves and for theircountries. All competitions includetensions and potential jealousies, butstrong bonds of friendship were formedacross national boundaries. Performersand guests were stimulated with newquestions that tend to lead to greaterinternational understanding. Thisdimension of peacemaking was especiallypoignant because Jordan has played asignificant role of peacemaker for severaldecades with her neighbors Syria, Iraq,Saudi Arabia, and Israel.

Just before leaving Jordan, we bought a2011 book authored by the current KingAbdullah Hussein entitled Our Last BestChance: The Pursuit of Peace in a Time ofPeril. It is an inspiring story of thepeacemaking efforts during the days of theKing’s father and now of the current King aswell. While there are many “universallanguages” that help to bring us together—music, dance, physics, poetry, and the

Olympic-type sports—Al Faris is theunique language of the mounted archer ofpeace and good will rather than war.

Jordan has been and continues to be abright light of human dignity, progress, andpeace making in a larger area fraught withwar, suffering, refugee camps, and conflict.And now Jordan has added Al Faris asanother avenue of peace.

he war party of the People traveledsilently but quickly through the trees.Every warrior was alert with his

weapons at the ready. Early the previousmorning, a messenger had arrived at theirvillage requesting help. A large raiding partyof the warlike northern Shaved Heads hadbeen spotted near an outlying village of thePeople, and each man of the reinforcing warparty hoped against reason that they were nottoo late to help their kinsmen fend off theimpending attack. It soon became obvious thattheir hopes were in vain as the party nearedthe location of the village. Forward-rangingscouts reported a pall of smoke hanging overthe site, along with circling vultures.

As they entered the ruined village, the menof the war party were appalled at the sightthat awaited them. Even with advancewarning and fighting with the ferocity thatcomes from defending home and family, thewarriors of the village had been no match forthe invaders—they had simply beenoutnumbered too badly to hold off the fierceShaved Heads. Mutilated bodies of thefighting men lay strewn among the burnedlodges where they had fallen in battle. As thewarriors of the People scouted the devastatedremains of what once had been a thrivingsettlement, they found an even moredisturbing sight: just inside the edge of thewoods lay the bodies of several women andchildren. Tracks and signs told the story: aflanking party of the Shaved Heads had lainhidden inside the tree line, and sadly, as thewarriors of the village had fought desperatelyto give their families time to escape to theforest, the women and children had beenintercepted by the hidden enemy and manyhad been cut down as they ran. Even moretroubling to the People’s warriors was theknowledge of what had certainly befallen thethe women and children whose bodies werenot found there in the woods. Having beencaptured alive, they now faced a lifetime ofcruel captivity and slavery in the distantnorthern villages of the Shaved Heads.

The Medicine Man was troubled as heviewed the carnage. He was gifted with theknowledge of healing, but it appeared thatthose here were now beyond his help. As hesadly bent to look at the body of a small childwho still clutched a corn-husk doll in her

bloody hand, a scout came running up to him.Deep in a thicket near the village, he hadfound a survivor—a badly injured warriorwho had crawled into the denserhododendrons and was still clinging to life.

The injured warrior was in shock frommultiple wounds and loss of blood, and he hadlain in the woods untreated since the previousmorning. But of the most concern to the healerwas a festered arrow wound in the man’sthigh. The broken shaft of the arrow stillprotruded from the warrior’s leg. The areaaround the arrow was swollen and feverish,and the edges of the wound were turningblack. The wound had a foul odor. He had theinjured warrior carried to one of the fewunburned lodges. The Medicine Man quicklyboiled water, cleaned the wound, and with thehelp of two of the war party, he removed thearrowhead and portion of shaft from the man’sthigh. He then flushed the wound with morehot water and clean wood ashes and allowedit to drain freely. He was relieved to see thatthe projectile had missed the major arteries,

but the infection was serious and neededimmediate attention if the man was to survive.

After covering the fallen warrior with awarm robe, giving him water, and making himas comfortable as he could, the Medicine Manwent in search of medicines he could use totreat the infected wound. He had quicklygathered his weapons with the rest of thewarriors the previous morning and set out atonce in aid of his tribesmen, so he had not hadtime to pack medicines potent enough to dealwith a situation of this nature. He hoped forthe best as he quickly searched the edges of thesurrounding woods. He quickly gathered somebark from a small white pine and continuedlooking. In the middle of a thicket, he spottedred berries. Working his way to the berry-bearing shrub, he pulled up several stems.Carrying them back to the ruined village, hescraped and discarded the outer bark from thestems, exposing the inner bark. This he peeledoff, crushed with the pine bark, and seeped inwarm water. After the inner bark had soakedfor a period of time, he removed it from the


MedicineMAN®

T

SumacB y S t e v e P a r k e r

water and prepared a poultice. He pouredsome of the bark-infused water from the potinto the warrior’s wound and fastened thepoultice over the inflamed area.

Most of the war party soon left on the trailof the hated Shaved Heads, swearingvengeance and hoping to recapture some of thecaptive women and children. A handful ofwarriors stayed behind to guard the MedicineMan as he treated the only survivor of thebattle. After several days of treatment with thebark medicine and other remedies that thehealer gathered from the surrounding woods,the injured man was showing improvement.The bark medicine had drawn out much of theinfection, and the man’s wound no longer hada bad odor nor was it as red and inflamed asit had been. The wounded man was still sickin spirit as he grieved for his fallen family,relatives, and fellow warriors, but it seemedthat he was on the road to physical recoveryand would live, thanks in part to the healingshrub with the red berries.

•••••••The shrub used by the Medicine Man

was the sumac (Rhus ssp). Fourteen speciesof sumac are native to North America. Mostare medium-sized shrubs or occasionallysmall trees and are members of the CashewFamily (Anacardiacaea). The most commonof these are the smooth sumac (Rhusglabra), which grows throughout the U.S.and southern Canada; the staghorn sumac(Rhus typhina), which is the tallest andmost tree-like of the sumacs, growingthroughout the east and midwesternregions of the continent; the winged orshining sumac (Rhus copallinum), whoserange is similar to the staghorn sumac; andthe skunkbush sumac (Rhus trilobata),which grows mostly west of the MississippiRiver. The smooth and staghorn sumacs arethe most-used species for medicine andother purposes, but the varieties areinterchangeable to some degree.

Sumacs usually grow in dry, poor soil,thickets, old fields, and edges ofwoodlands. Most grow as multi-stemmedshrubs and many species form large clonalcolonies or thickets by means of spreadingroot suckers. The leaves in most of thecommon species are compound withvarying numbers of leaflets and toothed

margins. The sap is a thick, milky, latex-likesticky liquid. The foliage of most species ofsumac turns a brilliant red or orange in thefall. The flowers are borne in terminalspikes or clusters and are greenish-yellowin most species. The fruit is a large terminalcluster of brilliant scarlet-red berries thatripen in late summer or early fall.

One plant relative that should bestrictly avoided is the poison sumac(formerly Rhus vernix but now designatedToxicodendron vernix). This plant issuperficially similar to the sumacs but haswhite berries and grows in wet, swampyplaces. Contact with poison sumac cancause severe dermatitis similar to thatcontracted from poison ivy or poison oak,but the poison sumac dermatitis is usuallymore intensely irritating and longer lasting.Some sensitive people can develop a rashfrom handling any species of sumac.

Sumac has a long history of medicinalusage. Sumac has styptic, astringent,refrigerant, antiseptic, antibiotic, anddiuretic properties. Active compoundsinclude tannin, gallic acid, 4-methoxygallicacid, and methyl gallate. The medicinalparts used are the inner bark, root bark,berries, and leaves. Native American tribesand early physicians used it for thetreatment of a number of ailmentsincluding sore throat, fevers, burns,wounds, gangrenous sores, hemorrhoids,sore gums, mouth ulcers, rheumatism,leucorrhoea, bedwetting, and to increasethe flow of milk in nursing women. It iseffective at stopping bleeding, bothinternally and externally, and is consideredone of the most effective herbal treatmentsfor dysentery and diarrhea. The gummy saphas been packed into decayed teeth to easethe pain of toothache. Sumac has alsoshown some promise in treating diabetes.One study of a hundred medicinal plantsfor antibiotic properties showed smoothsumac to be the most effective at killingbacteria.

Sumac also can be used for food. Theripe berries contain malic acid and have apleasant, citrus-like flavor but are coveredwith irritating hairs. Crushing the ripeberries and steeping them in cold water canmake a refreshing cold drink that tastes

very similar to lemonade. After steeping,strain the liquid through a cloth to filter outthe berries and hairs, then sweeten it totaste. Some native tribes dried these berriesfor winter use after singeing off the hairs.The seeds are also quite nutritious and canbe ground into meal. They contain abouttwenty percent carbohydrates and fivepercent protein. The citrus flavor of theberries has long been utilized as a seasoningand is still commonly used to flavor MiddleEastern food. Some sources report thepeeled young shoots of sumac to be edible.

Sumac has many other uses. The leavesand berries have been traditionally used fordying textiles and other materials. Thecolor of the dye can range from yellow toblue, green, deep red, orange, or blackdepending on the material, the plant partused, the time of harvest, and the mordant.Sumac leaves are used in tanning fineleather and were also mixed with tobaccoand other herbs and smoked by nativetribes. The stems are filled with soft pith.This pith can be pushed out, leaving ahollow stem behind. Many tribes usedthese hollow stems for pipe stems,blowguns, flutes, and spiles for tappingsugar maple trees. The Cherokee andIroquois, among others, used the stems tomake darts and javelins. Sumac stems canbe used for making friction fire, and thelong, flexible roots can be split and used forrough sewing, lashing, and binding. Thesplit stems and roots have been used forbasket weaving. The sumac also hasornamental value. Its attractive berries andfiery-colored fall foliage lend it tohorticultural use. It is easy to propagate andwill thrive in poor soils.

•••••••Our ancestors lived intimately with the

land and over time accumulated muchknowledge of which plants to use for differentpurposes. Before industrial civilization, thisknowledge was widespread and necessary forsurvival. Now, much knowledge has been lost.It is our duty and in our best interests topreserve useful plant knowledge andincorporate it into our lives as well as topreserve our environment and the wild plantsthat in the future may once again become thevery means of our survival.



Figure1: Pickaxe handle bow & tillering board.


o make a pickax handle flat bow, you can only use thebillet method of construction. You will need two hickorypickax handles with the grain running across the widest

part right through the length of the handle and with at least 9 to12% moisture content (see The Bowyer’s Bible for information onseasoning wood).Joined at their widest ends with a suitable joint like a fishtail

or, as I use, a box joint glued with two hard wood dowels

through the handle, my flat bows don’t bend through the handle(see figure 1). The box joint I find is easier to make than thefishtail joint. This joint makes the two matched handles into astave, which I like to glue together with a slight reflex from bellyto back. If the reflex should come out after use, don’t worry. Abow that follows the string I find less sensitive and extremelyaccurate at short distances. It is important though, to glue thereflex in at the start (see figure 1).For glue, I use 24-hour Araldite in a curing box. My curing

box is simply two incandescent light bulbs as a controlled heatsource and a thermometer. By using the right wattage, I canregulate the drying heat to about 100°F. You only have to make acuring box to fit the handle section of the bow, not the wholestave. In a well-made pickax handle flat bow, the handle sectiondoes not bend.I have never made a successful English longbow out of a

hickory pickax handle; although, with perfect grain, perfectlymatched handles, and a sinew backing, it should be possible.When I do make one, I will certainly back it with sinew.I tend to keep my handles in the corner of the attic or in the

MyB y J o h n E r i c

H o a r e

Handle Bow

Top: Jute sail twine wrapped nock.

Bottom: Conventional filed nock.

Limbs are the same length on both bows.

Bows do not bend through the handles.

Bow weights are 60# & 65# @ 28" R to L.

Bows backed with three layers of raw linen.

T

Pickaxe


house for a short while before I startconstruction so that they will have theright moisture content. When I come touse them, I find they are just about right.You can use a moisture meter if you haveone, or have them tested by a lumbercompany if in doubt. Too low in moisturecontent and you risk breaking the bow,too high and it will be weak and springy.

Hickory pickax handles are very hardto match, but once matched they willmake a superb flat bow—I know, I havefour of them and I’ve used them in speedshooting for years. It is worth the effort.Two pickax handles may not come fromthe same tree or even from the same state,but once you succeed with a bow that hasbeen properly tillered and backed with asuitable backing you will have createdsomething that is both beautiful andresilient, a bow you can be proud of. Imade one for my brother and heconsistently shoots eighteen to nineteen

arrows a minute out of it. That to me saysa lot for hickory as an excellent anddurable flat bow wood when it is treatedin the right way and backed with theright material. This bow is backed withthree layers of natural silk ribbon and hasthe grain running off the edge on onelimb, but most important, both limbsmatch in perfect tiller; again, it’s worththe effort.

If you want to end up with a sixty-pound bow, then as you tiller at thediffering draw facsimiles, i.e., 12", 15",20", etc., make sure the bow is in tillerand pulling 60lb at all these heightsbefore you approach your final drawlength and weight. In speed shooting thisshould be kept short—28" draw orslightly less. If you do this, then you willbe very close to your optimum drawlength and weight when the bow isfinished. A slightly bent bow arm elbowwill shorten the draw.

The weight of my brother’s bow draws60lb at twenty-eight inches. I have one Iuse, which is 65lb at twenty-eight inchesand 66" in length between nocks. Again,a good bow can be made from hickorypickax handles if you treat them right.Remember to keep the limbs as wide andas long as possible, at least 64" betweennocks. Taper the limbs to the nocks fromabout twelve inches in from the nockends. ALWAYS BACK YOUR BOW TO BEON THE SAFE SIDE, and always try tokeep over 64" between nocks unless youare backing it with sinew. Howard Hillbelieved that a longer bow is lesssensitive and more stable than a shortone; he was right.

There are some good books onprimitive bow making on the marketshould you need some help. Try the websites for more information, they stock awide selection.

The only design I have found

To order,call 888-330-3822 or visit

www.horsefeathersranch.com


successful so far, using hickory, is the primitive flat bow thatdoes not bend through the handle. The one I have had the mostsuccess with is one of my own designs where I use the full widthof the pickax just below the head end as the guide to my finallimb width, (about one and three quarter inches wide). I havemade a flat bow and a longbow from a piece of 5" x 2" oak usingthe same stave. The longbow broke, the flat bow I still have andshoot. Its over two decades old, 68" between the nocks, 2 1/2"wide at the flare-out and goes down to 3/8" nocks. The limbs areslightly thicker than a hickory bow of the same design andweight from belly to back, and the grain is close and perfectlystraight from nock to nock. I found the stave holding a dooropen at my local wood store, it had been doing so for years. Igave this stave a new life, and it’s one of the best flat bows I haveever made. I backed it with raw linen, as in England it is hard toobtain sinew.Do not try to make a flat-bow too narrow in the limb unless

you can back it with rawhide or sinew. The ones I made havebeen backed with unbleached raw linen cloth or natural silk, twoto three layers thick. I always use white acrylic waterproof PVAglue to apply the fabric backing and rub it in well. For sinew andrawhide, I use a natural hide or animal glue, but I am going toexperiment with the PVA. In the following exercise, we will usea fabric backing as it is much easier to obtain and apply.Although not as strong as sinew or rawhide it keeps the bowsafe. The glue used must be 100% waterproof and is the sameglue I use for my target faces. It’s a PVA solution, which is watersoluble when applied, but waterproof when dry.When you choose your pickax handles, make sure the grain

runs horizontally across both the head end and the haft end andmatches as closely as possible before making the joint. The headand the haft need to be made square in cross-section for easiermarking and cutting, even if the corners are still rounded. Iprefer the box joint, as this design does not bend through thehandle like the longbow. The joint runs at right angles to thegrain. The job of cutting is made easier if you use a band saw,although a good fine-cut handsaw will do the job. The overalllength of the joint is 4 1/4" long. When I cut the tongue end ofthe joint I try to keep the thickness of the tongue to about 3/8",which gives the shoulders of the groove part about the samethickness. Overall, thickness of the finished handle is about 11/8" to 1 1/4". To cut out the groove, I bore a hole through thebottom of the groove with a 5/16" drill and cut down to the holewith the band or handsaw, afterward cleaning the bottom outwith a 1/4" chisel. Try to keep the joint as tight as possible.To glue the joint, I use the 24-hour drying Araldite. When the

joint is clamped and glued, I insert the two hardwood 1/4"-diameter dowels at right angles to the joint and a small-gluedwedge. The wedge is made from the waste of the tongueshoulders and tapered to a fine end into the small gap at the endof the tongue left there from forming the reflex. The wedge goesin from the belly side, filling the gap with strong wood and glue.After gluing and while the joint is still wet, clamp the handlesection of the bow in the vice from belly to back making sure youhave a slight reflex in the bow toward the back. Then drill the

two 1/4"-dowel holes right through to the other side ensuring asoft drive-in fit for the hardwood dowels. The dowels should bepositioned about one inch in from the joint ends. Do not takeany wood from the handle section at this stage; only the wastewood from the joint has been removed so far. With the jointglued, doweled, and still wet, I cure the finished joint in thecuring box described above for a full 24 hours. Before cutting out or tillering, make sure you have marked a

center line on the bow blank from nock to nock. This line passesright through the center of the bow handle on the belly and backside; I use a string line to do this. Then, take the back of the bowdown to a grain ring on both handles. As long as the center ofthe handle and the two nocks are in perfect alignment, even ifyou have a slightly snaky bow between the nocks, it will stillshoot with accuracy when perfectly tillered. To tiller, I use a tillering board made from a 3/4"-thick sheet

of building plywood mounted on my workshop wall and markedwith horizontal and vertical lines for each tillering stage. Todraw the bow to each stage, I use a block and tackle attached to

Arrows are 5/16" by 27¼" with brass

bullet piles and white natural feather

shield cut helical fletching.


a spring weight gauge (see figure 1). Iprefer the board to a tillering stick in theearly stages because you can stand backas you pull on the block and view thebend of the limbs, working them lightlyat each stage to train the limbs. Becausespeed shooting with long arrows is adisadvantage, I would not go any morethan 28" for the final draw length unlessyou make the bow a little longer betweennocks. Before I apply the backing, I havealmost tillered the bow to its final weight.When the backing is on and dry, I finishthe bow to its final weight, give or take apound or two. To set the bow up for thebacking, I first make a clean flat surfaceon the workbench. This I cover withseveral sheets of old newspaper to takethe length of the bow. I take two woodenblocks of 4" x 2" section about 6" long,which I place under the belly of the bow

at about 8" to 12" from the nock ends. Ithen place between the blocks and thebelly of the bow several small sheets ofnewspaper a little larger than the top ofthe blocks. I use the newspaper to keepthe blocks from sticking to the bow limbsand the bow to the workbench when Ihave glued on the backing. I then take aG or F clamp and clamp the center of thehandle to the bench until the belly side ofthe handle is forced down far enough totouch the work surface and newspaper.Always use several sheets of newspaperso the glue does not soak right through tothe bench surface. The clamp pressureputs the bow further into reflex andunder tension. You can move the blocksin or out to adjust the reflex to suit.Mainly my fabric backings are for safety,although they do take a little tension. Myfirst choice of backing for a primitive

speed bow is sinew. It adds greatly to bowperformance and safety. In my next bow Iam going to try stinging nettle fibers laidat least 1/8" thickness. I am now ready to apply the fabric

backing. First, I dampen the back of thebow to raise the grain. When it has dried,I sand the back lightly to give me asmooth clean surface. On this, I spread alayer of PVA glue. Then I take my firsttwo strips of fabric and lay them one ontop of each limb to either side of theclamped handle. This design of flat-bowdoes not bend through the handle so youdon’t need to take the fabric under theclamp, just finish close to it. When thefabric is in place, I rub the glue well intoit so that the fabric becomes a matrix forthe glue. I then place the next layer onand do the same, rubbing more glue intothe surface until I have a smooth finish.


Next, I mold the backing to the bow while it is still wet, right upto and covering the nocks to take out any air bubbles. I leave itto set for about six hours after which I trim any overhangingpieces of fabric with a sharp Stanley knife or new razor blade. Do not be afraid to use a bit of pressure when rubbing the

glue into the fabric. The glue must be worked well into the fabricto be of any use. I would not put any more than three layers offabric on. When the bow has been roughly trimmed, and after ithas dried for at least twelve hours, I rub a hard piece of wood,smooth plastic, or large smooth pebble all over the fabric surfaceto burnish it smooth. This process helps to expel any air bubbleswhich may still be trapped there. After I have finished this, Ileave the bow for a whole week in a warm temperature to maturebefore I touch it again. I tend to be very impatient at this time,but I know I must wait for the glue to harden. When the clampfinally comes off, I finish the bow to its final tiller and apply thefinish. I finish it in the normal way, and I will not use it for at

The bullet head piles do not damage the

foam layered butts that are used for speed

shooting.

Brian Robinson with his

pickaxe handle bow.


least three weeks after the glue has set. Again I become veryimpatient! Remember, never make a pickax handle flat-bow any less

than 64" unless you plan to back it with sinew. I personallybelieve a bow can be made shorter than 64" if sinew is used, butit can be unstable. I have a brown hickory blank of 68" alreadymade up just waiting for a sinew backing, I am very impatient tofinish it. I personally find a weight somewhere between 50 to 65pounds the ideal weight for speed shooting, using a 28-inch5/16" arrow with three 5" helical fletches and brass bullet pilesof 100 to 125 grains depending on spine. I prefer black Bjornnocks over white parabolic feathers; hit a plastic nock and youstill have a chance of saving the arrow, hit a self nock and thearrow shaft would split, resulting in a lost arrow.Both my bow limbs are the same length from middle line to

bow nocks. The handle section is 6 1/2" with 3 1/4" below and 31/4" above middle line with the bottom of the arrow platepositioned between 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" above middle line. This givesme a hand grip of between 4 1/2" to 4 3/4", my arrow being shotoff the hand. The bow tillered to sixty pounds draw weight at28" with a nocking point of 3/8" to 1/2" above center gives me asweet shooting flat bow with no feather burn, which is perfectfor speed shooting (see figure 1).I apologize if I have repeated myself; I have only done that for

emphasis. Well there it is, have a go and see what you can comeup with. You might spoil the few first bows, but with knowledgeand perseverance, you will succeed. My brother’s bow is the

second one I made and still going strong. You will never knowuntil you try. Good luck. I can tell you it’s well worth the effortif in the end you have created a beautiful bow that shoots well.AUTHOR’S COMMENT: My pickax handle flat bow has been

specifically designed for my indoor short-range ‘Relative-Speed’games. It follows the string slightly to take the hardness out ofthe release. If I could have backed it with sinew I would havelayered enough to give it a straight tiller, which would have thesame result. To have a bow set in reflex for short distanceshooting would be a disadvantage, as then the bow would be toosensitive and tend to kick in the hand.I have written a book to give the genuine instinctive archers

and off-season hunters a game of skill which they can playprofessionally and thereby discover a super champion whocomes close to the phenomenal skill of Howard Hill. The sportof modern archery needs this to justify itself in the eyes of thesponsor and the spectator. I may not be around to see it, but atleast my book and the means to accomplish this will be outthere.The photographs are shown with two types of nocks; one

wrapped with unwaxed jute sail twine soaked in PVA glue andthe other a conventional filed nock. The designs are from theModoc Indian bow backs from a book I have on Early AmericanIndian Tribes. By tillering to follow the string slightly, I havereduced sensitivity and gained a smooth and accurate bow. Myfavorite is the wrapped nocked bow and the one I shoot most.

Box joint showing

dowel reinforcement.


ver 500 archers, friends, and familymembers traveled to Twin OaksBowhunters Club in Clarksville,

Tennessee, in July to compete in the 3rdAnnual International BowhuntingOrganization’s (IBO) Traditional WorldChampionships. Diversity was the key tothis year’s TRAD Worlds as archers from 3-years-old to 80, shooting bows rangingfrom sinew backed Osage to metal risersand carbon fiber limbs united with smileson their faces to participate in this 3-Devent.

2011 was the second year that TwinOaks Bowhunters hosted the IBOTraditional World Championships. Coined“Traditional Heaven” by IBO President KenWatkins, the rolling wooded hills of Twin

Oaks is the perfect venue for thiscompetition. The IBO Traditional Worlds isa three-day event in which archers shoottwo 20-target rounds at various 3D animalsin order to establish the top ten scores.Then they advance to a final 20-targetround to determine the world champions ineach of the twelve classes. Competitionclasses include: Primitive, Longbow,Modern Longbow, Recurve, RecurveUnaided, Cubs, Juniors, Youth, FemaleRecurve, Female Longbow, and FemaleRecurve Unaided.

Concurrent with the IBO WorldChampionship are two other excitingevents sponsored by IBO supporters. The3Rivers Archery Hunter Challengeconsists of a 25-target 3D range whichculminates in a 32-man shoot-down. Thetop 32 scores on the Hunter Challengecourse meet in head-to-head competitionto shoot for over $1,500 in cash prizes.3Rivers Archery owner, Dale Karch, saidhe was committed to this event, whichpromotes and enhances the sport oftraditional archery. This year the finaltwo men left standing were nine-timeNFAA indoor and outdoor NationalChampion Paul Vogel and IFAA 3DWorld and five-time IBO WorldChampion Scott Antczak. In the final 5-target shoot-down, Scott Antczak won bytwo points earning him $1,000.

2011 saw the addition of the TradTech Archery Mixed-Team Competition.In this contest the ladies served as teamcaptains. Each team captain drew twomale names from a hat to determine theteams, which were then bracketed for ahead-to-head shoot-down. Again, thearchers competed for over $1,500 inprizes from Lancaster Archery. Whilefocused shooting was being conducted,the field was filled with laughter andapplause during this excitingcompetition.

Also, new in 2011 was the PrimitiveArcher Magazine wooden arrow Shooter ofthe Year award. Primitive Archer awardedsix handmade arrows, a beautiful quiver, a

O

IBO

2011World ChampionshipsB y J i m m y B l a c k m o n

From modern recurve toselfbows, there was a class for allstyles at the Traditional Worlds

The Hunter Challenge courseprovided an array of realistictargets to challenge the shooters

hand-made knife, and a free year eMagsubscription to the shooter who postedthe highest combined rounds in theHunter Challenge and IBO Worlds with awooden arrow. This year’s winner wasLongbow World Champion Dave Wallace,pictured here with Marie Luther ofPrimitive Archer Magazine.

The International Bowhunting Organ-ization is devoted to protecting andpreserving the rights of hunters andfostering the conservation and preservationof wildlife. IBO believes that 3D archery isa means to unite the greater archerycommunity. 2011 saw significant growth inparticipation for the Traditional WorldChampionships, which is only in its thirdyear of existence. The IBO is alreadyplanning for an exciting year of traditionalarchery in 2012 and would like to invite allthose who find joy with a stick and string tocome join the fun. Whether you shoot aselfbow of your own making or a metalriser recurve, IBO has a class for you.

Dave Wallace, this year’s winnerof the “Primitive Archer WoodenArrow Shooter of the Year” awardbeing presented a quiver ofarrows by Marie Luther.

Back row L to R: John Wert of Trad Tech, Craig Mattern, KeithRoberts, Myrna Jetton, Scott Young, Jessica Taylor, Danny Clark , andMike Burrell of Trad Tech.

Front Row L to R: The winning team – Robin Vogel, John Fields,and Bob Mills.

y good friend and neighbor was kind enough to pass on tome part of his Spencer, Indiana harvest in the form ofvenison loins. I breaded them and did a brandy

mushroom cream sauce that even converted my lovely wife ofalmost 25 years of marriage who would not touch venison until lastnight (wonders may never cease!).

What I made will serve four. This is truly an all-in-one meal ofsmall red skin potatoes, mushrooms, and leeks, with breadedvenison in a rich cream sauce.

FOR THE BREADED VENISON: About 1 ½ pounds sliced venison 2 cups seasoned flour1 egg beaten1 cup of milk2 cups bread crumb

Make sure venison is flattened to uniform thickness. Dip thevenison in flour, then in the egg mixture, and finally in thebreadcrumbs. Brown on medium heat and set aside.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE MIXTURE:8–10 small redskin potatoes quartered1–2 portobello mushrooms sliced3–4 shitake mushrooms sliced1 cup cippolini, pearl, or regular onions 2 tablespoons chopped garlic1 tablespoon shallot2 tablespoons dijon mustard2 tablespoons brandy 2 cups beef broth 2 tablespoons butter3 twists fresh ground black pepperSalt to taste1 cup heavy cream

Sauté the mushrooms, potatoes, onions, and seasonings untilpotatoes are tender. Add the venison to the pan, simmer briefly inthe sauce, then divide into potions, and plate.

This is a great meal for at home or in camp to share with friendsor loved ones. Regular mushrooms or even morels are finesubstitutions. Enjoy and until the next time, eat well and shootstraight.

–Chef William E. Campbell

PrimitiveCHEF®

M

Breaded Indiana

with Mushrooms, Brandy, and CreamVenison


practically shouts, “Deer!” A six point driftsup the slope, but his chosen route takeshim ten yards too far for a reasonable shot.I relax the grip on a Flemish-twist stringand watch in exhilaration. This is the firstdeer of a new season, and the importance ofthat can’t be negated by the failure to get ashot. I smile.

The morning has some age now, thereare nothing but squirrels moving. I opt totake a break back at camp, a simple set of

two tents and a canvas awning erected forcooking. But simple is more than adequate.It is worlds apart from deadlines andlaptops and ringing telephones. I needsimple today.3:30 p.m.: I am back on stand. Afternoonsare often more fruitful than mornings inthis particular spot. Deer leave thicktangles to the east and head westwardtoward the soybeans. My ridge is the laststop before they drop into that mystical

flatness that goes on for miles to the BigMuddy. But it is not to be. There are plentyof squirrels again but no whitetails. I leaveas quietly as possible and switch on a smallheadlamp to help me navigate around therattlers that, like the deer, grow big in theseparts. I plan as I walk.

I will eat a light supper, sit by thecampfire, watch stars dance, and then I willcrawl into my sleeping bag early—by 9:00p.m. at the latest. I will be serenaded by thehaunting cries of coyotes and listen to thenighttime insects chirp and chatter until Idrift off to comforting sleep. This world ofwild things will be separated from me onlyby a thin fabric wall.Day 2 – 6:00 a.m.: I am back where I wasyesterday. Same tree. Looking for the same


c o n t i n u e d f r o m p a g e 8 0

Building a bow is a logical way tospend some camp time.


thing. Another pleasant morning, but theheat and humidity are not as agreeable asyesterday. This more accurately fits thenorm but is not as inviting as the previousday’s greeting. I daydream.

I think of that first archery deer. Thatwas in 1973. No, it was 1974. Could itpossibly have been that long? The buckwas a three point—Eastern count. He camefrom a pine plantation into some oaks enroute to soybeans. The arrow interceptedhim before he made that complete journey,and I sat beside him in awe. The sun cast itsmelancholy shadows about me as I sat,overcome with emotion and sentiment. Myfirst archery deer. I concluded then that noother animal could mean as much, and theyears have proven that conclusion reliable.

I think of what will likely be my oneand only trip to Africa. I am sitting aloneon a mountainside, stroking the rich coatand magnificent spiral horns of an EasternCape kudu bull. As per my request, the PHhas left me behind while he goes to collect

Author with Delta doe.

the truck a mile or so back. The PH is late;the sun is gone and the night has come. Ilater learned the reason for his delay, thePH high centered the truck on a rock.Rectifying that situation took him morethan an hour—his cause for tardiness.

I hear the night sounds, sounds that arefully unfamiliar to a simple man fromanother continent. I stare at the SouthernCross, can almost reach up and feel theMilky Way as it brushes a transparent sky. Ishiver in the chill. Or perhaps, I shiverwhen pondering possible outcomes of thisevening.

I consider the years, the experiences.These somehow meld into a blurred yetoddly identifiable catalog of individualevents and times. Truck lights break myreverie. I am suddenly back in that stand onthe oak ridge in Mississippi.

Nothing shows this morning. I head tocamp.

3:30 p.m.: That stand again. The afternoon isuneventful. I leave a touch discouraged, buta fire, a meal, and a warm sleeping bag willno doubt lift spirits. A weather front isforecasted to move through. That shouldchange the dynamics for tomorrow.Day 3 – 5:45 a.m.: The wind is blowing. Anominous thundercloud postures in the west.A crack of lightning in the distance dissuadesme from continuing my vigil. I will ride outimpending storm at camp.4:00 p.m.: The storm is over. My boots aredouble size because of that Delta buckshotmud I contacted getting to this location that,by now, feels like home. My hopes are highand the safety harness is secured. I sit back andwait. And then those mental ramblings begin.

I realize with some trepidation that I amno longer that young bow hunter who took athree point in 1974. I am not even that adultwho, several years back, sat on an Africanhillside and admired an incredible kudu. I

don’t climb trees or mountains with the sameagility and abandon I once did. The jointscreak and ache with monotonous regularity.Two have even called for surgery. Age isinsistent, collecting its own sinister tariffs. Ican’t help but wonder how much longer I canparticipate in this activity that has been anintegral part of my life, my being. I can’t helpbut wonder what I will do and how I willreact when the inevitable manages a firm gripand I have to admit that I can no longercontinue. These are the sobering thoughtsthat ramble through my mind.

I am brought back to the present by thatfamiliar crunch in the leaves and theunmistakable pop as a deer bites into anacorn. A bamboo-backed Osage bow comesup, a cedar shaft zips away, and a big Deltadoe crashes just down the hill. The hunt isover. I will deal with those imaginedprospects that occupied my mind minutesearlier at a later time.

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November18–20 Three Rivers Muzzleloaders Fall Rendezvous (Peru, Kansas)18–20 Veteran’s Mountain Man Rendezvous (Camp, Arkansas)19 Pavhant Valley Flint Knappers Knap-In (Delta, Utah)19–20 First Earth Wilderness School Brain-Tan Buckskin Class

(Rogersville, Missouri)26–27 Last Chance Throw (Cheyenne, Wyoming)27 JOMO Monthly Knap-In (Pineville, Missouri)

December3 Pavhant Valley Flint Knappers Knap-in (Delta, Utah)3 Monthly Museum Knap-In (St. Lehi, Utah)4 Bakersfield Knap-In (Bakersfield, California)10–11 Prairie Longrifles, Inc. Wild West Trade Show (Salina, Kansas)17 Pavhant Valley Flint Knappers Knap-In (Delta, Utah)21 Open Skills Night Winter Solstice Celebration (Great Meadows,

New Jersey)

January14–21 Alafia River Rendezvous (Homeland, Florida)20–22 Missouri Fur Company Bucks Only Rendezvous (Waco,

Missouri)

February12–18 Winter Count (near Phoenix, Arizona)17–19 Frostbite Campout (Wheeling, West Virginia)17–20 2012 Shot Show (Las Vegas, Nevada)

23–25 Ft. Townson Rendezvous (Ft. Townson, Oklahoma)24–26 Stone Age and Primitive Arts Festival (Ochlockonee River State

Park, Florida)27–29 Traditional Bowhunters Expo (Kalamazoo, Michigan)29–March 5 Western National Shoot (Phoenix, Arizona)

OverseasDecember 3–4 Auneau (Eur et Loire, France)

March2 Sliver River Knap-In (Ocala, Florida)2–4 Florida State Championship (Palm Bay, Florida). Sponsored by

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April 27–29 20th Annual Whittingham Traditional Archery Rendezvous.

Sponsored by Primitive Archer Magazine

May4–6 Twin Oaks Classic (Clarksville, Tennessee). Sponsored by


2012


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Locations subject to change on some events, please check beforehand. Be sure to go to www.primitivearcher.comand click on “Events Calendar” for details. This service is available to all Rendezvous and Shoots, plus SpecialEvents by contacting: [email protected].

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VHS & DVDs by John McPherson

In Lettin' Loose you'll follow a dedicated traditional bowhunter through one season across five states as he "Lets Loose" on elk, mule deer, whitetail, antelope, turkey, big horn sheep, javelina, hogs, and small game. Watch the arrow fly to its mark again and again as over 30 animals are harvested under fair chase conditions with a traditional bow. Come experience the heart-pounding intensity as we stalk, hunt, and harvest a variety of North America's wariest game.• 2 hours• Over 30 huntsHarvested animals were used to feed hungry families25% of DVD profits will go to charities that help disabled and terminally ill children experience the outdoors.

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BOOKS & VIDEOS

Full Circle Primitive Hunting & Skills DVD

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used to take Whitetails on DVD Also

making cane arrows, sinew backed bow,

flint knapping,Braintanning and much

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Day 1 – 6:00 a.m.: This is openingmorning. I am sitting a stand located alongan oak ridge just above a soybean field onthe eastern edge of what we here inMississippi call the Delta. The Delta is abroad expanse of flat, rich earth spreadingover millions of acres along either side ofthe Mississippi River. These productivesoils produce in abundance everything thatgrows here: crops, wildlife. If it will grow tooutsized specifications, all it needs is asmile from nature and time to do that here.Quite spectacular, the Delta is.

The sun is up, poking fingers of mistylight through a canopy of leaves on an

unseasonably cool morning for this area atthis time—early October. Usually themosquitoes are buzzing and sweat istrickling down my back when I sit here, butnot today. Today is glorious. The oaks arerattling in a tiny breeze, and leaves havealready begun to lose their bright green.Reds and oranges are now replacing thatcolor of summer. The honey locust podshave curled and begun to drop. One suchtree is stationed just down the ridge fromme; deer tracks surround it.

A few yards over, I hear a rustle. Myheart quickens. I scan the surroundings forthe source of that distinctive crunch that

80 Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6c o n t i n u e d o n p a g e 6 6

BackTRAILS

Poet’sCORNERJust One of Those Things

By Homer Luther

He said, “It was just one of those things.”

“It happens.” He shrugged.

He had been hunting elephant.

They had gotten in real close.

The great old bull was over fifty

and just twenty yards away.

They could hear his stomach growling,

his chewing, and his breathing.

The bush was tangled, dark, and deep.

But through a patch they saw him,

his gray wrinkled leathery skin.

And then the natural chorus

of the heavy bush was shattered,

as he shot him there so close.

All was madness in the moment,

screaming, crashing, bellowing,

dust so thick that you could taste it.

The earth trembled in the chaos.

Young bulls were quick to circle

their ancient patriarch,

no second shot was possible.

Then all there was—was dust.

To his surprise, there was no blood,

loose skin and wrinkles hide the flow.

For days they tried to track him,

but tracks went in all directions.

He lost his elephant in the thicket,

a bull of over fifty years.

“It was just one of those things,” he said.

“It happens.” He shrugged.

One JournalHunter’sB y To n y K i n t o n

Cook tent awning

Sunrise over sloughs andcrop lands of the Delta is

filled with promise.

The “Sponsorship Program” is available to advertisers for rendezvous, knap-ins,

shoots, atlatl groups, black powder and muzzleloader enthusiasts and

wilderness schools.

Primitive Archer Magazine’s “Sponsorship Program” donation will include all

or part, as needed, of the following items:

1. FREE upgrade of your ad to double its size.

2. FREE one year subscription(s) to Primitive Archer Magazine.

3. FREE one year subscription(s) to Primitive Archer eMag.

4. FREE listing on our Calendar of Events highlighted in the magazine and

linked on the web site.

5. FREE additional listing and link on our web site as an advertiser.

In receipt of this donation, your organization agrees to list us as a sponsor

on all your literature, brochures and hand-outs used in the promotion of your

event, to link us to your web site as a sponsor, and to run an advertisement

for Primitive Archer Magazine for one year in your publication (i.e. newsletter).

The ad will be furnished by us in an appropriate format.

Advertising Information Available FromPRIMITIVE ARCHER ADVERTISINGPO Box 79306 • Houston, TX 77279-9306(713) 467-8202 phone (713) 467-4979 faxEmail your listings or advertisements to Marie [email protected]

Visit our Web site WWW.PRIMITIVEARCHER.COM

“Marie and all the PA bunch, I just wanted to thank you for all you have done tohelp promote our event, the TN. Classic. I had a great deal of response from our ad,and with PA as a sponsor it added credibility to the event. It has been a pleasure forme to work with P.A. and hope in some small way it has helped the Magazine. I lookforward to a long and prosperous relationship between us. Anyone that has a chanceshould take advantage of what PA has to offer.”—Mark Baggett aka ”Pappy”

Primitive Archer MagazineSponsorship Program

Documents

Primitive Archer Magazine 12-2011