TradArchers' World Fall 2009 pt. 1

How-to articlesHunting adventures galore! Tribute to Dr. Bert GraysonMajor shoot resultsTechno tipsBowyer Profile: Mike Fedora

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Volume One, Issue Three Fall 2009

“Where the adventure never ends”

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Fall 2009 TradArchers’ World Page 3

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Fall 2009TradArchers’ World

At the Aurora Ouisconsin traditional archery 3-D shoot near Solon Springs, Wisc in June, Russ Johnson drilled a balloon

containing a slip of paper with a door prize number on it. Instead of bursting, the balloon remained inflated. After the

subsequent photo session, Johnson stepped back to the line and administered the coup de grace with his next arrow.

Photo by Greg Szalewski

The Editor’s DeskBy Tom Colstad Summer is about gone here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and the opener for the 2009 whitetail deer archery season looms on the horizon (mid-September). Many of you will be heading west for some great Rocky Mountain archery adventures, while others of you have already returned home from early fall hunts filled with wonderful memories and maybe even some venison. I encourage you all to consider sharing your tales with fellow TradArchers’ World (TAW) readers in future issues. You’ll notice that the Fall 2009 issue of TradArchers’ World contains more hunting-related stories than usual but this is appropriate, as autumn is the season of the hunter. On the other hand, the Winter 2009 issue of TAW will feature many more project articles because winter is the project “season.” Also in the next issue, I will include the results of the IBO Traditional World Championships held in Pennsylvania. Anyone wishing to have a “project” story included in the Winter 2009 magazine should send it to me or Associate Editor Jerry Karbon for review. I traveled to the Cloverdale Nationals, Compton and Denton Hill since I last checked in. I really enjoyed meeting hundreds of traditional archery enthusiasts and shooting some of those outstanding courses.

I got to witness firsthand some really good shooting at Cloverdale when I accompanied Aaron Lamers, Dale Klug and Linn Nelson around the practice course. Aaron ended up taking second place in the men’s longbow class with a score of 229.

As you all know, the Compton rendezvous was pummeled with heavy rain and wind that collapsed the large vendors’ tent early Friday morning. Everyone pulled together, however, to reset the tent, clean up the vendors’ areas and make the best out of a bad situation. I also met David Soza of DAS archery there and talked him into being a regular “technical” contributor. I respect his archery knowledge and see his column as an upgrade to the content and quality of TradArchers’ World magazine.

At Denton Hill, the weather also was rainy and created some muddy problems that affected foot and vehicle traction. I was lucky enough to have a vendor spot next to Byron Ferguson and his wife, Wanda. I truly enjoyed talking with them and watching Byron’s trick shot show. In June, I participated in a shooting clinic put on by Rod Jenkins. That experience was truly worthwhile for me, as I have achieved more consistency with form and accuracy. Rod is a wonderful teacher/coach, and I recommend his shooting clinic to anyone interested in improving his/her proficiency with archery equipment.

Subscription information is provided on the mailing label attached to the back of this magazine. The “expiration issue” is designated by the year and a number, 1-4. If anyone has a question regarding his/her subscription, please call TradArchers’ World at 715-536-1306 or e-mail: [email protected]. Check out our Web site, www.tradarchersworld.com, for subscription bargains, updates on the 2010 Traditional and Primitive Archery Expo, free how-to article downloads, “old” forum information, candid photos from various trad events and video clips. Have a safe and memorable fall. Tom Colstad, editor/publisher

The above TradArchers’ World magazine logo entry was submitted by Tim Carlton.

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“Third”Traditional and Primitive

Archery Expo

March 19-21, 2010

Sylvania Sports & Exhibition Centerat Tam-O-Shanter

Sylvania, Ohio (near Toledo)

Sponsored by TradArchers’ World magazine

Room for more than 100 vendors (30,000 sq.ft), parking for more than 700 vehicles, seminars, try-out area and concessions.

Vendors’ tables, chairs and electricity available on site.

Vendors’ booths (10’x10’), $300-350/each ($50 discount to TAW 4X advertisers).

“Early Bird” discount (register with $100 deposit before Nov. 1, 2009), $50.

All vendors and booth numbers will be listed in the “Traditional and Primitive Archery Expo” program.

General admission: $10 adults; kids 12 and under, free.

For more information or to obtain a vendor’s contract, contact:

TradArchers’ World magazine, PO Box 67, Irma, WI 54442Call 715-536-1306, FAX 715-536-5202or e-mail [email protected]

Page 5TradArchers’ WorldFall 2009


By Tom Colstad I first met Mike Fedora about 15 years ago when I traveled to his shop near Richland, Penn. to learn about making bows from the master bowyer. Mike was a good teacher and shared with me many of his techniques for producing fine recurves and longbows that could easily double as works of art. His recurves feature the signature thumb rest that Mike incorporates into the handle to ensure consistent hand placement.

On that trip to Pennsylvania I also met and worked with Mike’s son, Jason, who had just graduated from high school. Now Jason, an accomplished bowyer in his own right, is also a big part of the Fedora Archery success story.

I sat down with Mike at Denton Hill in July 2009 for the following interview --

Page 6

The Fedora Archery Story

Mike and Jason Fedora

Fall 2009 TradArchers’ World

How old were you when you were introduced to archery?

I was about 10 years old in the early 1950s when I got my first all wooden bow. The archery bug bit me pretty hard and I was in love with the sport. I guess the flight of the arrow to the mark has always intrigued me.

By the time I was 16, I was reading Pope and Young, Howard Hill, Ben Pearson and dreaming of bow hunting. It was at that time that I contacted Howard Hill and Ben Pearson about becoming a dealer for their archery equipment. I also rented Howard Hill films to show at the local theater once a week to promote archery.

How did you get started building bows?

I continued to sell both Howard Hill and Ben Pearson bows and accessories until I was 19, when Howard Hill decided to retire from business. Then the fun started.

I contacted all of the major bow companies about bow building information. Of all the companies in the business only Fred Bear replied and that was, “Sorry, no information.” At that point I began the trial and error part of my bowmaking experience. The first five years were rough as I just used files and big rasp files to fashion my bows. Brazilian Rosewood was pretty hard and working with it made me very strong. I eventually designed machines to take the place of the files and rasps.

My educational background was in offset lithography and commercial advertising. However, I had found my love in bow making. The custom bows I built were an instant success; first with club championships, then state, regional, national and Olympic NAA championships.

(At the age of 27 Fedora quit his printing job and turned his attention to building bows full time.)

I never had to advertise my business for 20 years because of the many world records, both hunting and target, which were accomplished with my bows. The archers found me and kept me plenty busy.

There’s a kind of romantic quality about archery. You begin with a bunch of pieces of wood and plastic, and pretty soon you’ve created a smooth, gigantic spring.

What models of Fedora bows do you offer at this time?

We offer the traditional bow hunter the largest selection of bows in the world, even to the point of personal design. These include: 560 One Piece Recurve (60” and 58”); Stalker Recurve (52” and 50” for short draws to 27”); Xcellerator One Piece Longbow (54”, 56”, 58”, 60”, 62”, 64”, 66”, 68” and 70”); 560 Take Down Recurve (52”, 54”, 56”, 58”, 60”, 62”, 64”, 66”, 68” and 70”); and the Xtreme Hybrid Longbow (54”, 56”, 58”, 60”, 62”, 64”, 66” and 68”).

Page 7

Mike Fedora demonstrates winning formfor 1971 newspaper story


Mike Fedora bandsaws a recurve handle into shape in 1971.(The New Haven Register)

What is your personal favorite model to shoot?

I love all styles of bows. Each one has its own unique personality. For strictly target shooting I use a 66-inch Olympic style Take Down Recurve that pulls 36 pounds. For hunting I use a 60-inch 560 Take Down Recurve that might have a cosmetic defect.

What is it about building bows that give you the most satisfaction?’

Building true custom bows for people and having those archers be successful with them is special. My biggest satisfaction and pleasure comes when our customers are successful, whether hunting or on the target range. For example, Tom Taylor came to me in 1996 for advanced coaching in shooting. Since then, he has taken 25 of 28 North American big game animals with Fedora bows. He wanted to have the best equipment so that he could shoot at his best. Some of Tom’s adventures need to be made known to the traditional archery world, including face-to-face encounters with grizzlies and polar bears. I know that traditional archers would enjoy reading about Tom’s exploits.

What is your favorite game animal to hunt?

When hunting season opens, I’m out chasing whitetail deer. When you get one at my age, it’s plenty of work to get them out of the woods. The whitetail has always been plenty of challenge to me. As far as I am concerned, anything taken with a bow is a trophy.

Is there anything more you’d like to share with TradArchers’ World magazine readers?

Bow making requires many skills, as well as artistic talent. As I mentioned earlier, getting started in bow making was very hard. Now, much more information is available, and we have bow making seminars that help get people started correctly. A one-on-one class is a must for the serious bow maker.

Fedora’s Archery Shop is located at 115 Wintersville Rd., Richland, PA 17087-9633.

Jenkins shooting seminar a hitBy Tom Colstad On June 27-28, I and nine other traditional archers from across Wisconsin met at the Rib Mountain Bowmen (Wausau, Wisc.) clubhouse to participate in a Rod Jenkins shooting seminar. The event was sponsored by RER Bows.

At the start of the seminar, Jenkins laid out a step-by-step procedure that would help each student achieve more consistent accuracy. Jenkins then monitored each student for several shots and corrected the various form issues the student might have. Most of us had to increase our draw lengths to get better alignment with the string elbow, anchor and tip of the arrow. For two days we worked on recognizing what the feel of a well-executed shot was like while shooting at a blank bale at very close ranges. We soon were able to determine what “less than” perfect shots felt like, too, and kept track of those during practice sessions.

We all went our separate ways after the seminar, and it was up to each of us to incorporate the integral parts of the archery shot into our practice routines.

Rod Jenkins Shooting Seminar Participants

Rod Jenkins coaching up a student

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A Selfbow Wood Harvest

(Part Two of Three)

By Brad “Littletree” Merkel


By Brad “Littletree” Merkel

Now that all the bow wood, and firewood, (most of it anyway), made it out of the woods and into the wood pile, we can begin the process of further reducing the rather large and cumbersome quarter logs into actual staves.

Besides a maul and wedges, and a good heavy chalk line, (I use a large one with red permanent chalk, used by road construction crews to snap expansion lines), a powerful circular saw is a necessity to maximize the stave potential in the quarter logs. A good powerful saw is only as good as its blade, so a sharp thin kerf rip blade is essential. I use a 15 amp 7 ¼ inch Porter Cable, and I have been abusing the little saw for the last six years expecting it to die with each new cut, but like the “Little Engine That Could”, it just keeps chuggin’ along. When it does decide to expire, I plan to replace it with a bigger worm-drive Skil Saw. I should mention however, if the quarter log split with two straight edges, we can generally assume that it can be ripped with the saw. If the log splits out with beautiful, snaky, character grain, stick to your wedges and maul, as it is critical not to violate the longitudinal grain.

Making sure the ends of the quarter log are squared up with the chainsaw, the number of staves are determined and marked on one butt-end. My chalk-line has a steel ring on the dumb end, so I lightly hammer a nail into the butt to hold it. A nice thick-stringed chalk line is really valuable at this point, especially when snapping lines on bow-wood with rough furrowed bark like Shagbark and Osage. Some quarter logs may have a good amount of reflex in them, making snapping a line a bit trickier, but by pinching the line straight down to the bark at the mid-way point and snapping it in a two part sequence can often do the trick. Once some lines are snapped, the quarter can be propped up in a stable position and kerfed with the circular saw. The quarter logs, all split and stacked in a pile, can make a very stable cutting

A Selfbow Wood Harvest

station to keep the log being sawed upright and securely held in place. Depending on the power of the saw, and the sharpness of the blade, multiple passes at increasing depths may be needed. I prefer at least an inch and one half depth before splitting. Once the cuts are made, very little effort with the wedges and maul is needed to pop them apart into straight, beautiful bow-staves.

Fall 2009TradArchers’ WorldPage 10

A Selfbow Wood Harvest The next order of business is to remove most of the unneeded heartwood mass. A sharp wedge is started about three inches below and parallel to the bark on one end of the stave. The wedge is slowly driven with light taps of the maul, and the split closely watched to make sure it doesn’t begin to migrate into the bow-wood. If it does, another wedge can be started from the other end, which usually takes care of the problem. If the split still wants to migrate, a sharp wedge can be used along the side or edge grain. With most of the core or heart-wood removed, the staves are moved to the north side of the shop and stacked upright against the wall. With the bark on, I like to give them February, March, and April leaning on the north-side of the shop in a cool spot out of direct sunlight. We want the wood to slowly “blow-off” most of its’ surface moisture in a cool shady spot, without worry of excessive dry checking and cracking of the exposed end, and edge grains. I do not seal the ends of whitewood staves; I just make sure the rough staves are cut long enough (76-84 inches), so the minimal checking can be trimmed off when the staves are reduced again on the band-saw.

At this point we are dealing with two critical issues: regulated moisture loss and wood boring insect control. By cutting the wood in December/January, we have an advantage in both battles. The moisture level in the wood is at its lowest point of the year, and the boring insects are in hibernation. As long as the bark is removed before the flying insects emerge in the spring, we can be sure we won’t be dealing with any infestation problems. Trust me, there is nothing more deflating than peeling bark off a premium bow-wood stave, and discovering that the back of the bow has been turned to Swiss cheese by boring beetle, or wood wasp larvae!

Unfortunately, all three of my favorite bow wood species, Osage, Ironwood and Hickory are susceptible to these little wood eating critters; however, removing the bark also removes their way into the stave. If you are dealing with any of the heartwood bow species, Osage, Locust, Red Mulberry etc., be sure to seal the sapwood just under the bark with a sealer. Heartwood bow-wood has a tendency to want to check badly when the sapwood is exposed; even winter-cut wood, and generally speaking needs to be much more closely monitored than white wood through the seasoning process. For sealing I prefer inexpensive, thick, shellac....and as far as I am concerned, the cheaper and thicker the better.

A large, sharp drawknife with sturdy handles is the tool of choice for removing the bark. This particular part of the job can be pretty brutal when dealing with the hickory species. The outer bark can be like concrete, and the inner bark like steel! Be ready for blisters on top of blisters! I have a hard time wearing gloves, so I wrap my fingers with electrical tape! I found that I can skin off about 10-15 each day before my body wears out, and I have to

give my elbows and shoulders a break. As I write this I still have about 50 more staves to de-bark, and after shaving 110 of them or so, I can’t say I am very excited about finishing the job!

Once the bark is removed, a rough bow-blank is layed out on the back of the stave, and cut out with the band saw. I have a 14” one horsepower saw, that like my circular saw, is a bit underpowered. But with a sharp ½ inch, 4 TPI (teeth per inch) hook blade, it does all right. I like to keep the blank two inches wide and at least 72 inches long and the tips full width for the first “rough out”. The limb thickness is kept to around 7/8th of an inch. I do not cut out the fades on the front profile; I just leave the whole handle/fade section square and blocky. If the fades are cut narrow this early in the seasoning process, the blank can twist and get all wacky as it cures.

After the staves are roughed out into blanks, they can be set up for their preliminary seasoning. I have racks built on the ceiling of my shop that can house about 150 or so blanks. I prefer letting all my bow-wood season for a year before I grab one to build a bow, or further reduce to prepare for shipping. White wood blanks become quite stable, dry, and hard after sitting on the racks for a few months. However, some of the Osage up on the racks have been there for a number of years, and when it comes to the yellow wood, the longer they can sit, the better! I am sure there are many theories when it comes to wood seasoning, but in my mind, there are big differences between seasoning, and drying. Drying is simply moisture loss, but seasoning, or curing not only deals with the loss of water, but the minerals, resins, oils, and other chemical compounds within the wood need to do what they need to do. I can’t exactly explain the changes that happen during the curing process, but I have made many, many bows in this life so far, and I can tell you, the best ones (the ones that still have a place on my personal bow wall and are next to impossible for me to part with) came from wood that has been seasoned for at least three years, one Osage bow that seasoned for 20 years! With that said, I have also made a few quality weapons from wood that has been seasoned for a mere six months or so, but if given a choice..............

Read Part Three of “A Selfbow Wood Harvest” in the Winter 2009 issue of TAW.



By Dan Little

Part one of this series covered the drawknife, which can be used to take a bow to near finished dimensions. Part two deals with the spokeshave, a finer tool better suited to the task of shaping and tillering bow limbs. Wooden-bodied spokeshaves have been around for a long time, but the newer metal-bodied designs are more commonly available now.

The spokeshave is a complex cutting tool, which means there are controls built into the tool (the mouth, depth adjustment, etc.) that limit the amount of wood that can be removed in a single pass. Figures 1 and 2 show the spokeshave parts.

The spokeshave sole or base can be either flat, such as the one shown in Figure 2, or rounded. The rounded-sole spokeshave is a little harder to tune and use, but it works well on tight inside corners such as a bow’s fadeouts. I use a flat-soled spokeshave for bow building because of its ease of use. If you find that you can’t adequately carve the fades with a flat-soled spokeshave, a rasp will also do the job.

Woodworking stores and most hardware stores sell metal-bodied spokeshaves, but you can also find them at flea markets and second hand stores. The best spokeshaves are expensive. The lower priced brands that sell for about $20 can be made into good tools with a little tuning. “Flat” is the key word to making a spokeshave work well. When all the working surfaces are flat, there is tight contact between all the parts, which reduces vibration and chatter when you use the tool. Here are the steps I use to tune a spokeshave.

Step 1: Flatten the blade. Higher quality spokeshaves are built to very close tolerances and probably will not need this step, but blades on lower-priced spokeshaves are often relatively thin and not flat. You can also purchase replacement blades that are much thicker and of a higher quality from companies such as Hock. The penny pinching alternative is to flatten both sides of the blade yourself. On a flat surface such as plate glass or granite tile, begin

to flatten the blade by running it back and forth across 300 grit wet/dry sandpaper (Figure 3). It will take a fair amount of time to get both sides flat; you will be able to see the machining lines disappear. Continue to flatten the blade, increasing the grit up to about 600.

Step 2: Flatten the cap iron. Follow the same procedure used for flattening the blade. Only flatten the bottom of the cap iron. Figure 4 shows the cap iron being flattened.

Step 3: Flatten the sole. Follow the same general procedure as the first two steps. Figure 5 shows this step. Simply hold the sole flat against the sanding surface and move back and forth.

Step 4: Flatten the bed. A flat bed allows the blade and cap iron to form a solid, well-mated tool. You will need a file thin enough to lay flat against the bed without damaging the mouth of the spokeshave. You don’t need to flatten it to a polished finish like the blade. Just take off any the high spots that may have been left behind during manufacturing. See Figure 6.

Step 5: Sharpen the cap iron. Very often, the cap iron on less expensive spokeshaves will have a rounded leading edge. If not corrected, wood shavings catch between the blade and cap iron causing a chattering cut. Sharpening the cap iron to an

Sharpening Hand Tools - Part Two

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Page 12


almost cutting edge with the use of an angle guide will greatly improve performance by creating a smooth transition from blade to cap iron. This is a one-time process and does not need to be done again; unless the cap iron is damaged in some way.

Step 6: Sharpen the blade. A sharp blade makes a crisp, clean cut. Use the same process as sharpening the cap iron. Obviously, you’ll need to repeat this step whenever the blade dulls and begins to drag or chatter on the wood.

Reassemble the spokeshave and test it on a piece of wood. Be sure to install the blade with the bevel facing down, toward the wood. To get the correct blade depth, loosen the cap screw slightly and adjust by using the thumbscrews so the blade just barely protrudes from the sole. Retighten the cap screw. Take a firm grasp on both handles, place the spokeshave on the work piece and pull toward yourself. A nice long curl of wood should form before your eyes. If not, loosen the cap screw again, increase or decrease the depth of the blade as necessary and retighten the cap screw. It might take a few tries to get just the right cut depth.

This is a versatile tool that allows you to take deep cuts, making quick work of a floor-tillered bow, but it can also make the very fine cuts needed when approaching final tiller. It’s also possible to set the blade for a shallow cut on one side and a deeper cut on the other. This allows you to control the cut depth by controlling which side of the spokeshave you use.

The spokeshave is my favorite bow-building tool because I can see the most progress on the bow when using it. When I start using a spokeshave, the bow is only floor tillered. But when I am done with the spokeshave, the bow is a fully bending weapon that just needs a little scraping and sanding to finish it.

The next article will cover rasps and files. Rasps and files are particularly useful for shaping risers, and they help fill the gap between spokeshave and scraper on the limbs.

Fig. 6

Page 13


By Gary S. Davis

This bow started with a thought. Well, a lot of thoughts. “What would it take to make a bow with only a hatchet?” I pondered this question every year that I was asked to judge the hatchet bow contest at Mo-Jam. Mo-Jam rules disallowing any heat straightening of the stave before making the bow kept me from trying it.

Every Osage bow that I’ve made over the years, more than a thousand, has been heat straightened. This includes bows made for my grandchildren, if only to add a little reflex to the limbs.

I decided to allow myself the liberty of heat straightening and took up the challenge. My intent was to go to the swamp with a hatchet, some string and deer fat, cut a stave, make a green wood bow and kill a deer with it, right there.

The day before Michigan’s bow season opened, Oct. 1, I walked into the swamp with thoughts of a maple or white birch bow dancing in my head. I found mostly pine and tag alder. Trust me; there are no oak ridges within miles of a swamp. But I did find one lone red oak on my 45-minute pack into camp. It had three large trunks and a side shoot about four inches in diameter.

After taking my pack to camp, I returned with my hatchet. I also cut a short length of maple to use as a hammer, and another to shape as a wedge. If my green oak wood stave was going to dry at all, it needed to be reduced close to bow dimensions. I was surprised that the oak didn’t split cleanly along the pith. Osage always does. I chose to start on the smaller split.

There is a learning curve with all new things. With Osage, the difference between spring and summer growth is very distinct. Not so with oak. I did a “hatchet job” on the bark and cadmium layers on the first stave, but did a little better job on the second. Red oak has very distinct longitudinal grain, and I confidently chopped out limbs of uniform width. (Split along longitudinal grain from improper use of the hatchet.) Using the hatchet to shape the handle proved to be quite challenging. Removing excess belly wood wasn’t as difficult as I had thought it would be.

I then coated this oak bowblank with deer fat and left it in camp to dry until the end of the month. On Oct. 24, I returned to check it. The blank was weak when made, but I expected three weeks of drying to stiffen it. Ya, right. So, a week later, Oct. 31, I

The Life and Death of a Hatchet Bow

made the other split into a bow blank.

The work went well except for a small hump on the back that needed shaping, and the handle still gave me trouble. Having to make up for four weeks of drying time, I rubbed the second blank with deer fat and heated it over the fire in hopes of driving out some moisture.

I heated one limb to align the tip with the handle, and the other to achieve uniform reflex. After heat straightening, the bow blank was straight from tip to tip with a uniform reflex. I was happy. A few days later, I began the never-ending process of re-straightening green wood. Deer fat, heat, fork in tree. Repeat as needed. The first bow blank was already tied to a tree in hopes that it would dry straight. I tied the second lank to a tree as well so it would have some time to dry, if only a little.

Try to picture the amount of drying done outdoors, in November, in Michigan. On to Plan B. I began my bow making on Nov. 7. I reduced the oak stave even more. My experience with seasoned wood indicates that a stave can be tillered to brace height without taking set. So I tillered it to brace height, heat straightened it and tied it to the tree again.

Page 14


Michigan’s deer rifle season started Nov. 15. Bow hunting is legal during rifle season as long as hunter orange is worn. I “finished” the bow on Nov. 14. No bow scale in the swamp. My shoulders were my bow scale. A hatchet works pretty well as a scraper. Cutting nocks required patience. I did the upper limb first because it had a slight hinge near the handle area and was weaker. The lower limb was out of alignment, but stronger.

After heat straightening again, the limbs bent fine and I guessed the weight at 50#, capable of making meat at 15 yards, I thought. To me, a selfbow isn’t any good if you can’t leave it strung 4 to 6 hours, and I didn’t baby this one. By Dec.1, the bow was still usable. The increasing set and loss of performance was slow. I hunted with the bow on Dec. 1, the day after rifle season ended. During the night, heavy, wet snow fell

First thing in the morning, I found a smoking scrape. The way it was snowing, I couldn’t have missed seeing that buck by 15 minutes. That thought almost kept me there too long. After lunch, I broke camp and began my trek out. For the first time, the oak bow left camp. Whatever drying had occurred to this point, the melting snow was putting the moisture back in.

The last chance to take a deer with the bow that year was in Tennessee on a land between the lakes hunt in Tennessee after Christmas. Even heat straightening in Tennessee wasn’t enough

to help this bow. After a day-and-a-half of hunting, I could no longer convince myself that the bow was good for even at 10 yard shot. In 30-degree November Michigan weather, the break down in performance was slower than I had expected. In the 50-degree Tennessee weather, that give-in was very fast. Thus ended my first attempt to kill a deer with a survival bow made of green wood.

I brought the oak bow inside for the first time January. A set is usually irreversible in dry wood bows, but what about green wood? I recoated this one with deer fat, heated it with a heat gun and clamped it to one of my reflex forms. I applied crazy glue to the rot in the handle fade-out. One more tweaking with the heat gun in October of the hatchet bow’s second year, and I had quite a good bow. Again, it stood straight with the tips turned back ever so slightly, two inches wide and 70 inches long and 53 lbs. at 28 inches. Better than expected.

Fast forward to rifle season again after many days of hard hunting. It again took on some set, but its cast was still good. On the second morning of rifle season at10:45 a.m., a doe at seven yards and an arrow from my hatchet bow met. With no doubt about the kill, I yelled, “Bang” as loud as I could. The rifle hunters should know that there was an archer in the woods.

What would make this bow even more special? A sinew string! Thanksgiving weekend found me back in the swamp, my bow braced with a string fashioned from the back strap sinew from the doe it killed as well as that from the back strap of my son’s 11-point shot with a rifle.

Déjà vu all over again. It snowed heavily. I thought about my Dacron B-50 string as I trudged into the morning darkness. Soon, the bow, string and most of me was soaked. I strung the bow at daylight, but 10 minutes later the string had stretched and my brace height was too low. I could almost see the sinew string stretching after rebracing.

A month later, at a practice target in Tennessee, the oak hatchet bow died very suddenly. Where it broke came as a complete surprise to me. A bow usually breaks where it is strained the most, at a hinge, for example, or a violated growth ring on the back. A break straight across the limb, as this one, is a sign of dry rot. The deer fat obviously didn’t provide adequate protection. With our modern finishes, we seldom consider rot when choosing a bow wood or finishing it. Native people had to.

Page 15


Usually I quote Confucius at the beginning of bow making class. I believe the quote applies here: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”

Page 16

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Hatchet Bow harvest

The Hatchet Bow after “death”


By George C. Tsoukalas The young man of 12 summers and his father, an esteemed hunter, stopped by the great river, now called the Merrimack, which begins its march to the ocean in New Hampshire and flows into the Atlantic in Massachusetts, to examine the deer and turkey tracks they had been following along an animal trail. Often these trails make their way toward water and zigzag through the forest. The Wamesit village was close to the river, for the river provided food and water for the tribe. Fish and shellfish were plentiful, and deer, turkey and moose could often be seen near the water’s edge increasing the river’s potential bounty. Additionally, the river provided the Indian people a means of transportation. Canoes would often be seen gliding effortlessly through the water. In the distance, the young brave could see smoke from the cooking fires rise into the air and make cloud-like images only to vanish as the wind picked up. In tune with his environment, he could literally smell moisture in the air. Soon, a light mist began to fall, increasing to a light drizzle, making noiseless travel through the woods much easier. The warm summer rain, which made tiny splashing sounds in the water, was always welcomed. The trees danced and swayed in time to the rain. The relaxing sound of flowing water coupled with the rain’s cooling effect tempted them to

A Bowyer’s Journey

sit and watch the mighty river as it moved inexorably toward the ocean. However, food was needed for the evening meal, so they continued their hunt paralleling the river’s shore. The young brave showed great promise as both a hunter and a bowyer. He learned from his father just as his father learned from his father. These life sustaining skills, passed from father to son, would one day allow him to feed and protect his family and ensure the growth of the tribe. In his hand, the boy carried a bow he made earlier in Spring. The bow was fashioned from a hickory sapling he cut the previous summer, when bark removal was easy, pulling off with little effort. He scraped and chopped with stone tools until the stave began to bend just a little. Then he left the stave in the lodge to dry and season over the fall and winter. As the snows melted and the weather warmed, the boy patiently continued scraping with stone until the limbs bent even more. Under his father’s watchful eye, he fashioned a string from deer sinew, cut the nocks and strung the bow. Slowly each of the limbs began to bend evenly, and the sapling gradually began its metamorphosis from stave to bow. The young man drew the bow over his head and in front of his father. The father would show his son where to scrape. Finally, the bow was finished, and it proved to be a stout

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and formidable weapon even worthy of older hunters. Later they warmed the bow gently over the campfire and rubbed in bear grease to waterproof it. They cut dogwood shoots from the nearby forest. The boy and his father warmed the shafts near the fire for a few days to dry and straighten them. After scraping off the bark, again under his father’s tutelage, he cut nocks with chips of stone, and fletched the shafts using sinew. Points that were chipped from flint were lashed on with wet sinew and later waterproofed with pine pitch. The arrows flew beautifully from his bow. Such weapons served the tribe well for centuries, and they would continue to prove their effectiveness in the young Wamesit brave’s hands. Of course, his father made sure the boy practiced daily with his bow and arrows, though the boy needed little prodding. He realized the lessons learned from his father would serve him well, and he took full advantage of their time together. The unmistakable gobble of a tom turkey echoed through the forest, startling them. With their senses alert, they spotted the flock of turkeys not far from them. They crouched behind a bush and began a slow, barely audible clucking sound to imitate the sound made by a hen turkey. One of the larger male turkeys quickly made his way toward them. The young brave’s arrow was on its way. It sped straight and true. His family would eat well tonight while the bird’s wing and tail feathers would be used to make more arrows. The father looked at his son with pride. Certainly the boy would become a mighty hunter, bowyer and warrior. Today, some still remain who fashion their own bows

and arrows from staves of wood with simple tools. The mentoring continues, much like the brave was tutored by his father -- sometimes in person, sometimes through the internet. The information that is shared is vital to keeping alive the tradition of building and using wooden bows. This is an exciting time in wooden bowyery, and many are experimenting with new designs and species of wood. Turning a tree into a bow is a wondrous thing. Wooden bows are not so much made as they are gently coaxed. The magic is in the wood, but it requires the knowledge and skill of the bowyer to set it free. My own journey in bow making has been a long and sweet one. I grew up on a farm in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, in the 1950s. Small, bent saplings strung with baling twine made excellent bows for a little boy. Arrows fletched with chicken feathers and tipped with nails were serviceable indeed. Bow in hand, I roamed the forest and pasture lands with a passion. A day or even a few hours in the woods was a beautiful happening. As an adult, I began trying to make bows in the late 1980s and succeeded after three years of trying. See Photo above for my last two bows. The top bow is made from an osage stave, while the one on the bottom is hickory. One of these will be a worthy companion for deer and turkey hunting. The passion continues. Like the Indian boy in the story, I roam the forest with bow in hand, always with a child-like zest just as I did when I was a young man growing up in rural Massachusetts. The wooden bow transports me into my own past, walking those gently rolling hills. The bowyer’s journey is never ending.

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By Paul Shore An attractive feature of bowfishing is that the equipment needed is extremely simple and inexpensive. All a person needs is a bow, an arrow with a fish point and a line attached, and some means of retrieving the line. THE BOW. The only requirement of the bow is that it is heavy enough to propel an arrow with enough force to penetrate the water and the fish being hunted. Of course, this will vary depending upon the species being pursued and the depth of the water in which you expect to be finding fish. An arrow shot from a light bow that will impale and hold a carp may merely bounce off of a gar. A bow drawing 40# or more is adequate for most situations. A bow over 60# is heavier than necessary, and will be tiring when you draw it hundreds of times during the hunt. Several of my bowfishing friends advocate using the same bow for shooting fish as for hunting; the idea being that shooting the same piece of equipment all spring and summer will help them become “one with the bow” by fall. Most bowfishers, however, realize that through a season of harpooning fish the bow probably will be stepped on, dinged, scratched, slimed and possibly even go over board. They don’t want to subject their hunting bows to such abuse, and choose to use an old, garage-sale variety bow instead. A good compromise is to use bows of equal draw weights. THE ARROW. Nearly all bowfishers use solid fiberglass arrows. They are inexpensive and virtually indestructible. In my talks with dozens of bowfishers, who collectively have boated tens of thousands of fish, none have reported a fish ever breaking their fiberglass shaft, nor have I. But solid stainless steel shafts, aluminum shafts with a solid fiberglass core and fiberglass shafts reinforced with strands of carbon are also available. These heavier arrows are ideal for larger fish such as shark, alligator gar and sting rays, or when their greater weight is needed to penetrate deeper into the water. Fish arrows are commonly sold with rubber fletching. I’m not sure why manufactures do that. Maybe it’s to make the shafts look more like our concept of an arrow. But they’re not needed and are actually detrimental. The line attached to the arrow creates the necessary amount of “drag” (that feathers would otherwise provide) to keep the arrow on course. The rubber fletching often leads to poor arrow flight on traditional bows because it often bounces off the arrow rest or side plate as it passes. And, it slows the arrow in flight and causes it to deflect under water. It’s best to remove it. THE POINTS. Unlike a broadhead used for hunting, a bowfishing point rarely kills its quarry. Its purpose is to penetrate

and hold the fish, allowing you to bring it to you. All fish points have two common characteristics. First, they have a very sharp tip (either fixed or removable) which is necessary to pierce tough fish scales or skin, and second, they all have some sort of a barb to hold the fish securely. In most cases, these barbs can be removed, reversed or retracted for easy withdrawal from the fish. Experiment with various point styles to develop an arsenal of arrows for the fishing you do. Your choice will be influenced by the species of fish you are pursuing and the environment in which you’ll be bowfishing. Some points penetrate better because of their shape or length. Also, because of their shape or metal hardness, some may bend or break if a missed shot causes them to hit rock. If you’ll be shooting in area where you anticipate that missed shots will hang up in vegetation, roots or heavy mud, consider using a point that can be reversed by simply grasping and turning the nock end of the shaft. THE LINE. Common sense (and in many states, the law)

dictates that you have a line tethered from your arrow to your bow, a float or a fishing rod that allows you to retrieve the arrow and fish. Choices include braided lines of natural or synthetic fibers (such as Brownell’s Fast Flight and BCY’s Spectra), extruded polymer (monofilament) and stainless steel. Base your selection on the weight of the fish being pursued, the type of reel or rigging used and even the anticipated shot distance. Other considerations include resistance to abrasion, mildew and wetting. Preferences vary regarding proper tensile strength or line weight. Some bowfishers routinely use 200# test line when going after 20- to 30-pound carp. They have learned from experiences that carp are very adept at wrapping their line around submerged trees and stumps. On the other hand, several of my friends routinely use 25# test line for hundred-pound alligator gar. Jim West has boated numerous 100 pound plus alligator gar using 30# monofilament, although he readily admits that he would like to have a heavier line once he hits the fish. “I have discovered over the years that you don’t have to worry about a fish breaking the line until you’ve hit it, and we’ve found that we hit many more using a lighter, faster line,” Jim says. He spools 100 yards of 30# mono on his SR 270 reel. “This gives me more time to get the boat moving if the fish runs, and more time to think about what I’m going to do if it goes under something. Also, it’s less apt to hit the end of the line.” Jim feels

Gearing up for Bowfishing

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that by having a large amount of lighter, faster line, he is able to reach fish that he couldn’t with a heavier line, often taking fish 30 and 40 yards away. The majority of Jim’s bowfishing is done in wide, open stretches of rivers. He says if he were bowfishing in areas with trees and brush, he would shoot a heavy braided nylon. It’s extremely important to correctly attach the line to the arrow. In the past we simply tied the string to the shaft through a small hole located slightly forward of the nock. This created a belly of line that hung under the arrow and/or on the shelf or rest. When the bow was drawn and released, the excess line formed a trailing loop that could snag the bowstring, the reel or the shooter’s bow arm. I am aware of numerous serious accidents and one death caused by this happening. We eliminate this danger by tying the line to a swivel which glides on a thin cable attached to both ends of the shaft. With this set-up, the line remains in front of the bow when drawn, reducing its chances of it hanging up on anything. More recently, AMS (the same people that produce the Retriever bowfishing reel), has developed two effective systems that accomplish this without the effort of cabling the arrow. AMS’s Safety Slide attachment gets my highest recommendation. THE REEL. The reel holds, dispenses, and retrieves line. If you’re looking to cut costs, you can make your own with items found around the house. The “reel” with which I shot my first carp more than 50 years ago works just as well now as it did then. In fact, I occasionally dig it out and use it just for old times sake. I made it from a small tin can that once held sliced peaches. My father soldered a paper clip to the open end to serve as a line holder. On the other end he soldered a narrow strip of metal which enabled me to tape it to my Bear Kodiak bow. In emergencies, I have used a short length of PVC pipe, a radiator hose, even a one liter water bottle as reels. Commercially, you have your choice of manual (hand-wound spools) and mechanical (crank-type) reels. Spools are constructed of strong plastic or light-weight aluminum and available in four-, five-, and six-inch diameters. Spools are typically taped to the bow or screwed into the bow’s stabilizer/accessory mounting hole. Obviously, when wrapping line by hand, the six-inch reel will take up line faster than the smaller spool. A shoot-through spool or reel consists of a large, circular rim (usually metal) from seven to12 inches in diameter. The large size allows for very rapid line retrieval. My 12- inch shoot-through takes up 36 inches of line with a single wrap. It’s ideal for long shots because it offers little resistance to line peeling off and it holds a considerable amount of heavy line. Both the spool and shoot-through reels can be used in conjunction with a float system or fishing rod. The spool or shoot-through reels have one advantage over mechanical reels that most folks don’t think about. They’re less likely to freeze up in really cold weather.Several winters ago, a bowfishing partner and I had endured just about as much in-house time as we could and decided to head out in search of some carp. I knew of a spot where a small, spring-fed creek flows into a large carp-infested reservoir. As we approached the area, we were thrilled to see sparkling, blue water bordered by crisp, white snow. We were less thrilled to find that a half-dozen other bowfishers occupied my “secret spot.” But carp were plentiful, and everyone was getting shots. Perhaps I should say that everyone was getting “a shot.” The sub-zero temperature was causing the mechanical reels to freeze-up once water got inside them. Luckily, I brought a spare bow with a spool reel attached. I was able to continue my shooting until a slip from the submerged, moss-covered log I was using as my

shooting platform filled my waders with breath-taking, cold water. In anything other than freezing conditions, I must add that mechanical reels work great. In fact, I venture close to 90% of bowfishers use them. This number is about evenly divided between those using closed-face spincast reels and those preferring the AMS Retriever, which loosely stacks the line in a bottle. Although a light-weight spincast reel will do the job, a beefed-up version made specifically for bowfishing is more durable and will last longer. Zebco, Muzzy and Shakespeare are the three most common brands. These reels enable the shooter to rewind quickly, and have drags that can be adjusted easily, even while fight ing a fish. They’re attached to the bow by means of a reel seat that screws into the stabilizer/accessory mounting bushing. The AMS Retriever also provides fast line return, and has the added advantage of producing virtually zero line drag as it leaves the bottle, permitting longer shots. This system requires larger diameter line to adequately stack in the plastic bottle during retrieval. The Big Game model features a slot that allows the user to attach the end of the line to a float or fishing rod when sharks, gator gar or rays are the quarry. Spincast reels don’t have this feature. If your traditional bow doesn’t have a bushing below the grip, and most don’t, strap-on attachments are available for front-mounted spools and spinning reels as well as for side-mounted Retrievers. That’s it. You’re ready to go. Have fun and don’t be afraid to experiment to come up with a set-up that works for you. And, oh yeah, don’t forget the polarized sun glasses and sun screen, unless, of course, you’re shooting fish in the middle of winter in Wisconsin. Editor’s note: Paul Shore has been an avid bowfisherman for more than 50 years and has acquired a wealth of knowledge, thousands of slides and dozens of anecdotes on the subject of bowfishing. He has put them together for an entertaining and educational seminar presentation. Clubs and organizations looking for a fascinating presentation at a future meeting should contact Paul at [email protected].

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By Rod Jenkins

One of my pet peeves is husbands/fathers/boyfriends equipping their wives/children/girlfriends with hand-me-down cast off arrows. Gee, if we want them to stay interested in archery, how about giving them a chance at success! To be fair, it is not totally the fault of the husband, father or boyfriend, as most of these guys are bow hunters who are accustomed to dealing with higher draw weights and simply don’t understand that bows rated at 30- to 35-pounds at 28 inches drawn to 25 inches may require a spine deflection of more than twice what is normally considered light spine arrows. To make matters worse the high deflection shafts needed aren’t normally stocked by most of our normal vendors. But, they are available, and some are truly bargains.

For those not quite ready to hunt and don’t require “screw in inserts” to attach broadheads, the Beman Carbon Flash uses glue in points and at $25.00 per dozen for shafts are one of the best bargains in carbon shafts. Easton ACC’s, while a good deal more expensive, offer a precise shaft option. A good mid-priced option is the Easton Redline shaft. Easton Jazz and Blues aluminum shafts are available in several deflections, with the higher deflections using glue in target points. Shafts in the relatively stiffer spine ranges use inserts which accept screw-in broadheads. Also available in required spine ranges are the Easton Platinum Plus, X7 Cobalt, and X7 Eclipse.

Recommended shaft sizes using glue in points:

Poundage Arrow Length Shaft

20-25 24” 1413

25” 1413, 1416

26” 1416, ACC 2-00

27” 1516, ACC 3L-00

25-30 24” 1416

25” 1514, 1516 ACC 3L-00

26” 1516

27” 1516, ACC 3-00, 1000 Redline, 1000 Carbon Flash

30-35 24” 1516, ACC 3-L 00

25” 1516, ACC 3-00

26” 1616, 1000 Redline, 1000 Carbon Flash

27” 1716, 1000 Carbon Flash, ACC 2-04

Recommended shaft sizes using inserts and 125 grain Broadheads

38-42 24” 1813, 1816, 780 Redline

25” 1813, 1816

26” 1816, 1913

27” 1816, 1913 690 Redline

Remember when tuning, it’s best to leave shafts longer than needed and trim in small increments to obtain desired dynamic spine....work slowly, as you can always trim again, but once cut you may be stuck with an overly stiff arrow.

Another important factor in tuning for light bows is arrow nock fit. Light bows don’t create as much energy as the typical hunting weight bow, so an arrow nock that fits the string too tightly will rob the lighter bows of energy that is already in short supply.

Let’s get all those wives/kids/girlfriends outfitted with correctly spined arrows and get out and enjoy archery- the great American pastime!

Correct arrow spine for light poundage bows

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A Salute to Dr. Charles (Bert) Grayson M.D.

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By Jack HarrisonEven the scream of the

bush baby wasn’t much of a distraction as Patty reported to Bert. Everyone sitting around the outdoor dining table listened intensely. In the distance the sound of the diesel generator faded each time the breeze picked up. The canopy overhead seemed to be filled with songbirds, insects and monkeys all protesting loudly as the colorful sunset progressed into the black African night. Nothing can compete with this darkness, I thought as I too listened in on the banter between my wife, Patty, and Bert.

“What is it with these medical people?” I muttered under my breath. “They can’t even be on a hunting safari without getting into some discussion of their trade.”

As it turned out, Bert had treated a couple natives with minor injuries before leaving for a weeklong visit to another hunting area outside the SAVE Conservancy where we were based. Mopani was some 150 kilometers away from Mokore in the heart of Zimbabwe. Bert had hunted sable there. He could have collected one with his bow, too, but chose to photograph it instead. He shot a jackal, however, that had ventured within range of his pit-blind. He was hunting with his 45-pound Siberian Wolf longbow that I made for him. That evening he had re-joined us at Mokore. After dinner he began checking with my wife on the progress of “his” patients.

Bert asked Patty about the individual progress of the two injured natives, giving thoughtful consideration to all the details. Patty answered each question with detailed feedback on treatment and follow-up. The entire dialogue was textbook medicine. I felt like the fly on the wall of some hospital’s nursing lounge, eavesdropping during shift change. I was not alone. The rest of the group was just as intensely caught up in the dialogue.

When Bert finally asked about the native who had the nasty boil in his armpit, Patty answered, “He died from complications.” Bert yelled out, “What?” He started to get up from his seat. Even with his second or third gin and tonic, he was still alert and determined to get to the bottom of the matter.

The only thing he missed was the joke Patty was playing on him. But few would have been able to catch on to Patty’s ruse, which she so skillfully delivered to the unsuspecting. Of course, I knew it was coming. Like everyone else, I burst out laughing, and in that instant even the racket in the canopy was drowned out. “Unbelievable,” I said. “You even got the critters’ attention over that one Patty.” I’ve seen her use her good-natured wit on the best of them, and Bert was no exception despite this being his 89th birthday.

These events took place in Zimbabwe in 1998 when Patty, Bert and I went on a six-week safari to Africa. Bert was healthy, capable and alert to travel and hunt. He was still doing most of what he had

done all his life. He had retired some 27-years earlier from his medical practice to spend more time with his pursuit and love of archery. Bert not only participated in bowhunting, he made it his life’s dream to become an anthropological authority in the field of archery.

Bert had been active in every aspect of archery (except golf), including target, clout, field, hunting, bow making, restoration, history and collecting. His main interest had been flight shooting, and he competed at age 92. He, along with his life-long friend, the late Harry Drake, set many flight records.

Bert was born in Iowa in 1910 on a prosperous family farm. When he was still a youngster, his family sold the farm and moved to Riverside,

California. A close neighbor, Dr. Paul Simonds, was an archer, Bert’s scoutmaster and a good friend. At the time, Dr. Simonds was also friends with Art Young, Dr. Saxton Pope and Chief Compton. In fact, Bert made his first bow from a lemon wood stave that he won for selling the most tickets to the movie that Art Young made about bowhunting in Alaska. Shortly thereafter he made his next bow from a spliced yew wood billet he purchased from the late Earl Ulrich. That bow turned out to be a 50-pound longbow that he used for many years to hunt small game as well as for target and flight shooting.

That bow was with him when he started at Pomona College, where he and his roommate, Dr. Simond’s son, and a Japanese exchange student, got archery accepted as part of the curriculum at that college. Bert wasn’t considered a sissy as many male archers were thought of back then because he was also a competent wrestler, wrestling coach and a football player at the college. It was at this time that he became acquainted with formal Japanese archery.

Bert attended the International Boy Scout Jamboree in England in 1929, and stayed out of school for a year to work to repay the money he borrowed for that trip.

After graduating from Pomona, Bert received a teaching fellowship in physics, which he pursued for a year while attending the graduate school of physics at the University of California, Berkley. He earned a master’s degree. It was at this point that he changed his goals from engineering to medicine, and he returned to junior college to finish his pre-med requirements.

Bert entered Stanford Medical School in 1936. He interned and graduated from Stanford Lane Hospital in San Francisco with a medical license in 1942. His specialty was surgery and radiology. He served briefly in the military as a doctor during WWII. After the war, he was an instructor at the Stanford Medical School for about a year and was later offered a position as a professor; however, he decided to pursue a private practice in Sacramento.

It was while he was in Sacramento that Bert began to take archery

“Bert” Grayson


seriously. He watched archers in the park near his home with renewed interest, and it wasn’t too long before he began to participate with them. This was back in 1947. He used a borrowed bow, and was also given an old Japanese target quiver. With these items, his career for collecting archery memorabilia began.

He became a sponsor for NAA target tournaments in Sacramento in 1957. He also competed in both flight and target shooting. As late as 2000, Bert still had that borrowed bow, which he had earlier converted into a light recurve for his wife. Even though she never used it, Bert told me this effort spawned his bow-making career. He began to make flat-laminated bows based upon the Filbert design that was popular back then. He used all sorts of backing materials -- rawhide, paper fiber, Formica, silk, hardwood, Tinhorn, boxwood, woven glass and whatever else he could get his hands on.

He also made his own flight bows. He made the first “keyhole” flight bow for Joe Lightcap that drew 80-pounds @ 21-inches. It shot an arrow 500 yards. Bert was involved with flight shooting competition from 1957 until 1988 when a shoulder injury forced him to stop. He held many records, which have since been eclipsed by others with more modern materials and design. Bert later took to using Harry Drake’s bows almost exclusively, as Harry was on the cutting edge of technology and bow design. Parenthetically, Bert felt Drake was the finest bowyer of modern times, who also held every professional archer’s record accomplished with a flight bow. Only once did Bert ever exceed one of Harry’s records in one tournament, and that record only lasted a year. Bert competed in the amateur category.

Bert traveled considerably, which enabled him to collect bows and archery tackle from many parts of the country. He hunted quite a bit in California, Idaho, Oregon, Mexico, Alaska, Canada and Africa.

In 1972 Bert retired to a modest ranch and home near Clatskanie, Oregon, with his wife, Ada. She was born and raised near Clatskanie. The couple didn’t have children. It was then that Bert built an archery museum next to his house and put his collection on display.

Bert ran a 300-acre cattle ranch at his home from 1972 until 1990, when he sold the cattle and leased out the land. For years, he enjoyed hunting and fishing on his place. He told me that there was always a good herd of elk roaming the pastures, and steelhead frequented the river on his place. Bert continued to hunt in Oregon and Florida with several of his friends. He took his last deer in 1989 and his last hog in 1990. At age 82 he could still handle a 55-pound compound bow, but he made every effort to return to a recurve or a “stick bow.” The jackal he killed in 1998 when he hunted with me in Africa was the last animal he took with a longbow.

Grayson’s keyhole flight bow

Eventually, Bert’s archery collection went to the University of Missouri, Columbia, where it is on display. The university received a one million-dollar grant to house the collection and other paraphernalia that Bert collected over his lifetime. The museum formally opened in 1991. There are hundreds of displays to enjoy, along with his book: “Archery From Six Continents”.

Bert spent a great deal of time with the anthropology department professors and graduate students at the University of Missouri, who assisted him on the book about his collection. The last years of his life, Bert split his time between his place in Oregon and the museum. When he could, he worked in his shop, continued collecting and writing. In his 90s, he traveled and lectured. His last trip abroad included Hong Kong and Australia.

His life bridges the period from Pope and Young to Hill and Bear and beyond Drake and Hoyt. He was around long enough to have known and visited with all of them. Bert traveled extensively around the world collecting memorabilia, a lot of which he gave to other collectors. If it weren’t for Bert’s generous contributions, fewer of us would enjoy Glenn St. Charles’ collection of Pope and Young artifacts.

Bert will be remembered as for his monumental efforts to preserve archery treasures of the past. I am confident future generations will value his work and contributions even more than today.

To the end, Bert was always planning his next adventure. He had a zeal for life and left a legacy for posterity. I think he found his prize in his last great adventure beyond. Bert died May 17, 2009, about a year after he was inducted into the Archery Hall of Fame.

Bert’s last longbow harvest


By Joe Lasch The light of day was slowly slipping away on the last evening of our South Texas javelina hunt. I had filled one tag earlier in the week, but still had another tucked in my pocket, and it appeared that I would be taking it home with me. I watched my hunting partner walking up the road in my direction, ready to call an end to a great trip. Then, as I turned and looked back the other way I noticed a group of black spots moving in the road a few hundred yards away. I quickly worked my way through the brush parallel to the road in their direction, trying to move quietly, yet as fast as I could, while still keeping a close eye on the thorns and cactus spines that were ready to impale me if I made a false move. I reached a position in front of the feeding musk hogs, and ducked behind a prickly pear cactus as they filtered back into the brush. Maybe, just maybe, this could still work! South Texas in February is a wonderful winter break for a snow bound Midwesterner like me. It was a perfect escape from the cold and ice I had left behind, and a great way to extend my bowhunting season. I love to travel, and when I can combine travel with a bow hunt I am one happy fellow! I have been fortunate to be able to take a wide variety of trips to other states as well as Canada. I can’t tell you how many times I have talked with people that are envious of the adventures I have had, and wish that they could do the same. But I really don’t consider myself much different than anyone else. I treasure the chance to travel to far off destinations, and I have worked hard to put myself in the position to be able to realize some of my dreams. With a little bit of planning, you can do it too! I think every bow hunter that I know dreams of someday taking the trip of a lifetime – floating down an Alaskan river for moose in Alaska; sitting on a waterhole in Africa waiting to see just what might come in next; or riding horses up a mountain trail in Wyoming with elk bugles ringing through the valley. We all have our own ultimate dream hunts, and we wonder sometimes if our dreams will ever come true. The bad news is, for many hunters at least, those dreams will remain just that. Just dreams floating on the wind, never quite within our grasp. The good news, on the other hand, is that if you truly want to make your dreams come true, you do have the power to do it! Sometimes they may need to be modified, or downsized, but to me at least, the best hunts are not always the most expensive and exotic. Wonderful adventures can be had with animals that are accessible to us all, and in places that won’t cost an arm and a leg to make them a reality. A hunter who is willing to work at it, with do-it-yourself-type hunts for animals that are within a day or two drive from home, can hunt out-of-state every year. There are any numbers of possibilities of hunts that can be done for less than $1,000. I know a thousand dollars may seem like a lot of money, and it is. But with dedication and planning, almost anyone can put themselves in position to make a trip like that happen every year.

May Your Dreams Come True

Start by doing the math. A thousand dollars is less than $20.00 per week. What can you cut out of your current lifestyle to save $20.00 a week? One night eating at home instead of a restaurant? A twelve pack of beer and a movie rental? Coffee and a donut on the way to work in the morning? It doesn’t take much to add up to $20. Do you really need that new bow when there are three perfectly good ones hanging on the rack? Does that new pickup really need leather seats? Life is full of choices, and we make them every day. It is really just a matter of setting priorities, and if you make an out-of-state trip your priority, it is within your power to make it happen. What kind of hunts can be had for less than a thousand dollars – many of them much less? The options are nearly endless, and there is certainly something that would appeal to almost anyone. Some of my favorites are mule deer and antelope in the western states. Hogs and/or javilina in Texas or a number of other southern States can offer year-round fun. Black bear, either spot and stalk or over bait, are a great do-it-yourself opportunity for what many consider to be a perfect animal for bowhunting. Whitetail deer are widely distributed, and often people prefer to hunt new species when traveling, but having a chance to hunt them in new country, or where the chances of taking the buck of a lifetime exist adds a new level of excitement to an old quarry. Even the majestic elk can be effectively hunted on a budget with the proper planning. An out-of-state hunting trip gives you a chance to experience not only new animals, but often different terrain as well. I love my home state of Wisconsin with its lush vegetation, hardwood ridges, thick swamps, and overall beauty. But the wide open spaces and

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Joe Lasch and a great javi.


mountains of the west hold a special place in my heart as well, and I am drawn to return year after year. I can’t live in both places, but I sure can enjoy visiting! This vast country we are fortunate enough to live in is widely varied and each part of it is spectacular in its own unique way. From enchanted northern forests to the tropics of Florida, and rolling hardwood ridge lines to soaring mountain peaks we are blessed with opportunities that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Out-of-state hunts can be accomplished a number of different ways. The quickest and easiest from a planning standpoint is to hire an outfitter and/or guide. While that may be the easiest way to plan an out-of-state hunt, it is by no means guaranteed, and plenty of research is required to find the right fit. There are plenty of good, honest, and hardworking outfitters, but you do need to do the research to find the right ones for you. I have heard it argued that hiring a guide shortens the learning curve on out-of-state hunts and offers a greater chance of success. That may very well be true, and I wouldn’t argue with the logic behind it. You might go on three or four do-it-yourself hunts with less chance of success than might be possible if you had just spent the same amount of money on one good quality guided hunt. If your primary focus is to kill a particular species of animal, that is probably the quickest solution offering the highest chance of success. Personally though, my preference would be to have the opportunity to go on three or four different trips, even though my odds of bringing home meat may very well be lower. To me, although the kill is of course the ultimate goal, an out-of-state trip is all about the entire experience. It is the chance to see new country, hunt new animals, smell new smells, and totally immerse myself in the wonder of just being there. Planning a trip to an area you have never been to can certainly seem intimidating. Hunting regulations, applying for and drawing tags, figuring out where to hunt, land access, and the status of game populations are all things that need to be considered. It can take lots of time to properly research it all, and it can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. Actually though, the planning and research is all part of the excitement of a trip, and I sometimes think I enjoy the planning almost as much as I do the hunt itself. I dream of where to go, what to hunt, and all the logistical things that need to be done to carry it out. The preparations fill my mind for months leading up to a trip. I spend countless hours on the Internet gleaning as much information as I can about whatever trip I am planning. I even invest in many hours of research just dreaming about trips I might like to take someday. It is the next best thing to actually being there! State game department websites are vast sources of information about opportunities that are available to all of us. There are a wide variety of bow hunting related websites and discussion forums that can be priceless treasure troves of information from people who have already done what you are trying to do. Don’t expect anyone to give you directions to a specific hot spot, but many are willing to help point you in the right direction. Follow up with phone calls to game managers in areas you are interested in. These people have intimate knowledge of the land and the animals that live on it, and polite requests can yield valuable insights. Use your imagination and dig deep to make contacts in the

area you are looking at. On occasion I have even looked up local sporting goods stores and called just to talk with people who live and breathe hunting in the area. One phone call can often lead to another, and eventually you might end up with incredible opportunities. One such contact led me to call a guy who was said to be very knowledgeable about bow hunting in the area. That phone call ended up with an invitation to join him to hunt antelope on his uncle’s privately owned ranch. He took us to waterholes, helped us set up blinds and allowed us to camp alongside a stream running through the ranch. My partner and I filled our tags on the second day of the hunt, and we didn’t pay a dime for the privilege. (Although we did leave a nice gift!) Another contact one year resulted in talking to a landowner who owned a large piece of private land adjacent to a wilderness area we were hoping to hunt. The landowner gave me the combination to his locked gate, providing us with our own private access, and eliminating longer hikes and crowded public trailheads into the area. I have been blessed with many wonderful opportunities throughout my bow hunting career, and I am forever grateful for the things I have experienced so far. I have many more dreams rolling around in my mind though, and hope to continue trying to fulfill them for as long as I am able. If you have always thought that someday you would like to do an out of State hunt, start now. Put the wheels in motion by doing some research. Investigate options on different species and States that you might consider. Talk to a friend that you might include to split expenses as well as share the experiences. Think about any gear requirements that you might need in terms of camping equipment and supplies. It is not even necessary to establish a date at the beginning. That will fall into place as you get further along in the process. Don’t put it off and think you will do it someday, because someday may never come. Nothing ever happens without a plan, and starting the planning process is your first step to making your own dreams come true! Oh, and to finish the javelina story from the beginning of this article, one by one the peccaries drifted past where I crouched behind the cactus. One of them made the mistake of meandering just a little too close, stopping broadside in the opening of a small tunnel through the brush. I promptly sent an arrow whistling harmlessly over his back! Within seconds though, another followed the same path, and stopped exactly in the same spot his buddy had just vacated. This one was not so lucky, and a sharp Wensel Woodsman sliced cleanly through him. A short dash, and he was down, putting a great finish for me on what had been another fantastic out-of-state adventure.

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I shoot like a girlHow I became a Traditional Bowhunter

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By Ginger Brockman

I started hunting at age 49. It was a great age to start, but any age is a great age to start hunting. I didn’t come from a hunting family, but I’ve always wanted to be a hunter. I remember dad going deer hunting with my uncles and grandfather, but only twice. Even so, I begged my dad to take me along on those hunts. He wouldn’t take me because I was a girl, but I always knew that someday I would be “big” and could hunt by myself.

My brother and I planned to hunt together when we got big. We were going to hunt all over the world – grizzly bear in British Columbia, elephants in Africa and whitetails in northern Minnesota. We played hunting in the bluffs of Cherokee Park, just across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Paul. Our weapons of choice at the time were pretend rifles. We didn’t even know that bow hunting existed. We would pour over issues of Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and Field and Stream. We had no idea there were any other publications, and there was no one to ask. Unfortunately, our plans to hunt together went by the wayside of adolescence. As we grew up, we drifted in different directions. Life happened with all its competing priorities, and hunting wasn’t something I felt I could do on my own.

Fast forward a lot of years, and I was single after a divorce

and met a man who was a hunter. He asked me if I would like to learn to bow hunt. I thought Christmas had come early. My “someday” had arrived. I was so excited I could have just about worn out my clothes from the inside. I was going to learn to hunt.

Dan set me up with a few arrows and a red and blue 25 lb recurve. We still have that bow, and it is very special to me. It’s like my first bike, or my first horse. Dan was very encouraging and taught me a lot -- about form, and how very important it is, about instinctive shooting and how to look at what I want to hit, just like throwing a ball. That was just the imagery I needed. I was on my way.

At first, I practiced at my brother’s house because he lived in the country, and I lived in a small town. He set up a target for me and I practiced alone for awhile. When my teenage nephew and his buddy came by and saw me shooting the recurve, you would have thought I was performing brain surgery or something by the way they reacted. “You’re shooting a recurve?” my nephew exclaimed with envy. I had no idea I/it was so special.

Then my first setback arrived. I strained my rotator cuff. It was caused by bad shooting form. It’s so easy to fall into poor form. I figured that out shortly after I couldn’t shoot anymore. I


was incredibly sad when the doctor told me I shouldn’t practice with my bow for at least three months. But I was undaunted. I did my physical therapy religiously, and read as much as I could about bow hunting and hunting in general. It’s amazing all the publications available now hunter compared to when my brother and I were young.

Finally the day came when I could practice again. Dan then outfitted me with a 30 pound compound bow. I wanted to shoot traditional, but he suggested I start with a compound and switch over when I got better. My heart sank. I guess you have to walk before you can run. I felt I would do better with a recurve or longbow because they were much simpler, just a stick and a string. That is just how I work. The more complicated the equipment, the more difficult it is for me. By the time I got the peep lined up with the sight, and the sight lined up with the target, or is it the other way around? I forget, but you can see my dilemma. I found that I would target shoot one way, and hunt another. I wanted to shoot traditional, but did as Dan asked. He really did have my best interests at heart. I was just grateful to be shooting.

Some people find it hard to teach or learn from a spouse -- such things as how to drive, fish, golf, hunt or whatever. I am so grateful to Dan for taking the time to teach me archery. He has sacrificed his time, including some bow hunting time, to help me gain experience. I keep that in mind when I get cranky about my progress, or lack thereof. We do pretty well at the student/teacher thing. He is a very patient man.

My draw weight was an issue at first. You don’t just get out of bed one morning able to draw a 50lb bow. In fact, I may never shoot that high, but I will try. I have found that in archery there are no drive-thru breakthroughs. Everything takes time and patience. I started at 30 lbs, and that was all I could do effectively. Little by little, inch by inch, day by day, I worked up to 40 lbs. Dan would adjust my bow a couple pounds at a time. When I began to handle one weight comfortably, he would notch it up a few pounds.

I hunted about two years with the compound and was fortunate to harvest a number of animals. There was so much to learn. I had to learn how to move slowly to get into position for a shot, how to walk and sit quietly and how to set up for the wind so the animals don’t “wind” you.

My first elk hunt, I had a huge bull come within 25yds right at dusk. I was very new to bow hunting (about 6 months) and was afraid to take the shot. The animal was broadside and bugling, but I couldn’t see well enough for the confidence I needed. This bull walked right under my stand and continued to bugle for about 15 minutes before he finally left. I still think about that hunt. Could I have shot? Should I have shot? I think I made the right choice.

Dan made sure I got a wide range of hunting experiences. We even went to Africa. It was a great time. I saw some incredible animals there, but often wasn’t able to get the shot because of my inexperience.

But with every harvest or miss I learned something new. For example, I learned to not shoot at a deer from a swaying tree stand in a strong wind. It may work, but don’t bet on it. I have also learned to reflect at the end of each hunting season and ask myself what I learned that I can put into practice next season. How were my shot selection, placement and execution? What do I need to work on for next season?

Finally the day came when I got my first traditional bow. The bow was beautiful. But, then again, every traditional bow is a work of art besides being a hunting tool. There is just something about shooting a traditional bow. It felt like an extension of my arm. I had immediate confidence in it that I didn’t have with the compound.

We were scheduled to hunt javelinas in less than two weeks so I had to get ready fast. I practiced every chance I got. The javelina hunt was in southern Texas. It was great to leave cold Wisconsin and spend some time in warm, snowless weather. I love javelina hunting anyway, but this time it was different. I was hunting traditional.

The first day hunting, I made two good shots on javelina. I had limited out the first day. Wow! That gave me the opportunity to try for feral hogs. They were more challenging than I expected, but I did manage to get one. Two javelina and a feral hog! I was just so pumped about my new bow. Life was good. No, life was great.

With the hunting season approaching, I am again working at increasing my draw weight. With a traditional bow, adjusting draw weight isn’t as easy as turning a couple of bolts. It requires a new bow, or at least another set of limbs. I was shooting well a bow that was about 38# at my draw length. For my birthday this past spring, Dan gave me a new ACS longbow that pulls about 43 pounds at my draw. The first few times, it was difficult to get to full draw, and I was only able to shoot a handful of arrows before I tired. With consistent practice, it is now easier to shoot, and I regularly practice by shooting 50 to 60 arrows in a session. This bow, coupled with a 620 grain arrow, hits with serious authority. And Dan has an extra set of ACS limbs that would be about 46 pounds at my draw length. I am confident that I will be giving them a try in the not too distant future.

My goal is to shoot at least 50 lbs consistently. If I can do better, that would be great. I know that as I age my draw weight will gradually need to come down, but I won’t give it up easily. I know I need to practice, practice, and practice.

Some make a big deal about a woman traditional bow hunter. I guess there aren’t that many of us. Heck, there aren’t that many traditional bow hunters. I don’t give it a lot of thought. I like shooting a traditional bow. That’s my choice, and I’ll encourage and support anyone, male or female, to try it.

I can’t see myself ever going back to a compound. Even as I age, I know I have a good 20 years of hard hunting left. The reward will be in developing true hunting skills. I hope to someday be considered a good woodsman, maybe even a great woodsman, or is that woodswoman?

Documents

TradArchers' World Fall 2009 pt. 1