Traditional Archery Academy is - Amazon Simple …...Traditional Archery Academy is brought to by Crows Head Archery. Crows Head Archery specializes in Traditional ows and Arrows

Traditional Archery Academy is

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Traditional Bows and Arrows.

Longbows, Recurves, Arrows,

Quivers and Bow Building Supplies.

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Donning Rain Pants

By Thurman Fuller

During hunting season in Indiana, the weath-er changes constantly. In order to be pre-pared for anything, I pack a light rain suit (Frogg Toggs) that takes up very little space and is easy to carry. However, when the rain starts to fall, pulling the rain pants over my boots can be a problem. Taking my boots off and standing on wet ground is not an option. Putting my big ol' dirty boot through the pant legs makes a mess. I have found that carrying a few plastic grocery bags (which are handy in a multitude of ways) allows me to put a bag over my boot and then pull the rain pants over that leg. The bag slides easily through the leg of the rain pants without snagging and it keeps the water, mud and debris off the inside of the rain pants.

Lean against a tree for balance, slip a bag over one boot and put it through the pant leg. Remove the bag before putting your foot on the ground to avoid mud and debris on the outside. Bag the other boot and repeat the process. In a snap you are standing on the ground pulling up your rain pants. Shake the water and dirt out of the bag, put it back into your pack and dispose of it when you get back to camp. When you are shop-ping for rain gear, keep this tip in mind and look for pants that have a leg wide enough to accommodate your boot size. Editor's note: The plastic bag trick also works for donning a damp wetsuit.

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Brace Height Check

By Dale Collins

In the field, and especially while hunting, I rarely carry my bow square. A while back I got into the hab-it of putting a thin black line at my brace height when I crest my arrows. No mater where I go, or what the weather conditions may be, I always have a fast and easy way to check that my brace height is correct. Recently I stopped doing this and have missed having the mark on my arrows while at shoots, so I thought I would start again and share the idea with you. The procedure is very simple:

I check my bow with my square to make sure the brace height is properly set.

I nock an un-crested arrow and make a mark at the brace height with a pencil. Then I transfer this line onto my cresting pattern so that all the arrows will be marked in the same loca-tion.

While cresting, I place a super thin black line at the brace height. Make sure to check the first arrow on your bow before cresting all your arrows.

Now when I'm in the field, and my arrows are not performing as expected, I have a fast and easy way to confirm that the problem is me and not my bow! Happy shooting everyone.







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Toothbrush for Small Game Heads By Dakota Fitzgerald

While small game hunting or stump shooting, I noticed that most blunts and small game tips have a tendency to get clogged with grass, dirt, mud, etc.... I'd take a shot and then spend a considerable amount of time softly tap-ping the tip on my boot, or muddying up my pant leg or shirttail, trying to remove the debris from the awkward arrow point.

One evening, my wife--knowing me for the tinkerer that I am--said, "Hey babe, do you have any use for this old toothbrush?" The light bulb went off! "Yes, I do! Thank ya ma'am!" By carrying an old toothbrush in my pack or pocket, I have a quick and easy fix when my arrow doesn't hit its mark. For me, this happens quite often when shooting at something like a swift and pesky squirrel, but it sure feels good when you connect!

I've found that a hard bristle toothbrush works best, but if you prefer soft bristles for your teeth, that type of toothbrush will do. You could also run down to the local dollar store and buy a hard bristle toothbrush. Free is better, but a buck isn't bad! One more thing, try to remember to keep that particular toothbrush out of your mouth once it's been on an ar-row!







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Cleaning Your Thermos

By Mike McKnight

I am not sure why I shined a light into the old stain-less steel thermos after a recent hunt, but I did. To put it bluntly, it was beyond gross! The thermos has emotional attachment to me, as it belonged to my Dad and is quite old. It became my charge to get it clean. Soaking with baking soda did some good. Scrubbing with a brush also made some progress, but not enough for my liking. I finally decided to try some denture cleaning tablets. I figured if they were good enough for Grandpa's tobacco stained false teeth why not a thermos? Filling the thermos nearly to the brim with warm wa-ter, I then dropped in four tablets, put the stopper in and gave it a shake. Word to the wise: Don't put the thermos stopper back in or shake it like I did. A short time after I did that I heard a loud "POP" immediately followed by a "WHACK" as the stopper hit the ceiling. The gasses from the tablets

built up enough pressure to create a stopper projec-tile. After letting the bubbling action of the tablets work for about four hours, I dumped the contents of the thermos into the sink. What came out was amazing (and gross). At one point I was expecting to see Jim-my Hoffa's body come pouring out. After several rinses with cold water the interior was clean and shiny--good as new. I suspect this would also work for that coffee-stained favorite cup as well. Editor's Note: Please use caution and for good-ness sake, don't shake the thermos! Rinse all items well and follow the directions and cautions on the package.







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Keep Your Cooler, Cooler!

By Robin Conrads

To help foods stay frozen in your ice chest, freeze a brine solution in a reusable container and place it into the chest. A frozen brine solution is colder than ice and will keep food frozen longer. Fill a clean milk jug with water, leaving about 1" of space for expansion. Add 1/4 cup of salt to the water, replace the cap and shake well. Mark the jug as "brine" or "non-drinkable water" so there isn't any confusion in camp. If you have a large cooler, make two jugs. Freeze the brine solution, shaking it several times during the freezing process to redistribute the salt. Place the frozen jug into the bottom of the cooler and pack frozen meat and other frozen items around it. Add more ice and the other items that don't need to be frozen. Keep the cooler in the shade and open it as little as possible. It might even be wise to have a second cool-er for non-perishables, like canned or bottled bever-ages, so you aren't getting into the frozen food cooler

as much. Remove the meat and let it thaw before the planned meal. If this works properly, the meat will not thaw in this cooler. There is no need to make this solution every time you use the cooler. Just put the jug back into the freezer when you get home, and it will be ready for the next trip.







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Tag Your Iron

By Guy Perkins

I clearly remember the purchase of my first dutch oven. I didn't borrow Dad's; he didn't loan his unless he was there to oversee its use. After he passed I in-herited one of his favorite 12-inchers, but I'm still a little miffed at my uncle for getting to the patio closet ahead of me. Collecting cast iron just runs in the family. In my stable of iron I have loaners, non-loaners to be used, and collectibles (not to be used). I don't really understand it, but that is how I do it.

All my iron has matching metal tags attached to the lid and the well (pot). During campouts with multi-ple cooks, I have gone home with a lid from someone else's pot, and who knows where my lid went. The tags eliminate that confusion and I know I have all my gear. I got the tags at a trophy engraving shop. Just ask the engraver to put your initials on every tag and make two of each number. I have close to 70 sets, so this was the easiest way for me. If you only need a couple sets, the dog tag engraving machine at the pet store is also a good option. Attach the tags with wire or "S" hooks and you're all set. My collectibles are just that--collectible--and I just look at them. Some adorn my archery den, or various places around the house. In 2012 I purchased a 10-inch oven to commemorate the 30th Annual North American Longbow Safari. I guess I really purchased the shoot registration and got the oven for free! I needed another oven like I needed a hole in my head, but hey, it is a dutch oven directly related to tradi-tional bowhunting. How cool is that? I've fought off the urge to buy most of the recent National Park branded ovens, so this is it, the end, the last pur-chase of a collectible oven...but I did buy one more NALS oven, just because it deserves to be used in bowhunting camp! It is an illness...really!







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Help for Cross Dominance

By Konrad Lau

My father dictated that I was to learn how to do all tasks right-handed, even though I am a lefty. Conse-quently, I now shoot right-handed but have a domi-nant left eye. It wasn't until I began practicing at extended ranges that the situation actually became a problem. De-pending on which eye was working at the time of re-lease, I produced two horizontal groups at ranges of 30 yards and beyond. Surfing the net I stumbled across an ad for a "shooter's occluder" designed for target rifle and pis-tol shooters; in essence it's a shield that clipped to the frame of one's glasses or cap to block the vision of the unused eye. Further research showed that the mere act of closing the unused eye stresses the face muscles and produces distortion and fatigue in the eye intended for work. I also found research proving that darkly occluded eyes send confused messages to the brain that produce poorly focused images from the eye being used (more fatigue and poor sighting). Being the eyeglass wearer and cheapskate that I am,

I traveled to the local department store, bought a pair of clip-on, flip-up sunglasses and retired to the shop. A pair of diagonal cutters made short work of the right lens and electrician's tape blacked out the left. Man, was that a relief! All of a sudden I had one group at all ranges! The only problem was that as dusk approached, I had extreme difficulty getting my aiming eye to focus. Then I remembered the research about the black occluder. I replaced the electrician's tape with lighter colored masking tape--what a dif-ference! Now I clip my occluder to my eye glasses, flip it up when not in use and flip it down when anticipating a shot. I have no face fatigue and my groups improved dramatically. If one of those long-toothed dangerous White Tails were to sneak up on me unexpectedly, I would just cover the offending eye and shoot. The only downside is that my neighbor accuses me of be-ing one of the "Borg" when he sees me practicing.







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Arm Strength Enhancers

By Deed Cimperman

During the off season, or when shooting your bow isn't an option, you can strengthen your archery muscles using a simple tool that works for me. This arm strength enhancer is easy and economical to build, and fun to use. All you need is a 4" piece of fairly hefty PVC pipe, an 8" x 3" piece of leather, and something to provide strength resistance. I used slingshot natural latex rubber tubing on one, and a piece of Thera-band® on the other.

Thera-band® is a shortened form of physical thera-py band. The bands come in various colors, based on the relative strength of the band, and you can buy any length you like. Mine is about 5 1/2" wide and is very thin. I got it at a physical therapy clinic, and they are probably available in many other places. It cost about $1.00 per foot and will last for a very long time. The knot makes a comfortable handle. You can search the web for "latex rubber tubing" or call your local pharmacy. I make lots of slingshots so I adapted that idea for one of my devices. The re-sistance should be about the same as the draw weight of your bow to do the most good. I used leath-er for a handle on this one. A Thera-band® is a ter-rific piece of equipment that you can use to exercise many muscle groups, not just archery muscles. You can strengthen your "swing" muscles for tennis, golf or baseball. It can be attached to a tree, railing, door-knob, or just about anything handy. You are limited only by your own ingenuity.







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Get A Grip!

By Steven Choromanski

If you are looking for an easy, inexpensive grip for your bow, here’s a tip for you. Purchase a standard bicycle inner tube from any department store. Select a wider mountain bike tube for a recurve grip, or a narrow street bike tube for a longbow grip. Cut it to the proper length, turn it inside-out so that any writ-ing or creases are on the inside, and roll it up from the bottom limb. A high-performance tube, which can be found at a bike store, is made with thicker rubber and would provide more cushioning to your hand.

This is much less expensive than the store-bought version, and you'll have enough material to make about a dozen grips.







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Bowstring Wax

By John. G. VanDerWalker II

A bowstring needs to be waxed periodically to pre-vent fraying and keep it functioning well. I like to make my own bowstring wax. Start with beeswax from your local beekeeper or online beekeeping supply house. Melt it inside a clean tin can placed into a pot of boiling water (be careful, it is flammable) and add a little pine pitch or pine rosin to the liquid wax. Stir well. The more pitch you add the stickier the wax will be.

Tape some waxed paper over one end of a toilet pa-per roll. Place the tube onto a paper towel in case you drip a little. Pour the warm liquid into the tube and let it cool. Trim the excess cardboard tube with a sharp knife or scissors. Apply the wax mixture liberally to the string by rub-bing the open end of the tube on the string. Take a small piece of leather and rub or burnish the wax in-

to the string. A tongue from an old, worn out pair of shoes or boots works well. By working the string be-tween your fingers with the leather, the wax warms and works into the string and acts as a lubricant and protection from abrasion.

You can use straight beeswax, but the pitch makes the wax more flexible in cooler weather, and it smells good to boot! If you want a little softer formula, add a little lanolin to the mixture.







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Stalking Feet

By Melvin Edwards

While trying to get just a little closer to the prey, many hunters take off their boots and continue in stocking feet. This does two things: it cuts down on the noise, and it makes you walk very slowly. Howev-er, when you are finished stalking you have to get back to your boots, which can be painful unless you walk very slowly. I carry a pair of cushion insoles inside a pair of dark hiking socks. After removing my boots, I place the insoles between my socks and the hiking socks. The insoles provide protection against sharp stones and briars while leaving the soft soles of the hiking socks

against the ground for silent stalking. Getting back to your boots is a simple affair, and taking them off means you don't have to pick the stickers out of your socks before putting your boots on again. Of course, you could simply take the insoles out of your boots and slip them into your socks if you are in a pinch, but then there are the stickers….







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Archery Golf

By Guy Perkins of Camp Chef

Spring is just around the corner, and Archery Golf is a great way to stretch your legs and bow limbs. The basic idea is to set up target "pucks" at different dis-tances with surrounding hazards such as rocks and trees, then count the number of shots it takes to hit or knock over each puck. We make our pucks out of cardboard carpet rolls about 5" in diameter and 12" tall. You'll need a large open area that allows several shots to be taken at each target. We lay out 14 "holes," but depending on the space and time you have to play, the number may be increased or de-creased. In our group, the number of shots for each puck is counted until you can touch the puck with an arrow on the bowstring while standing where your last shot landed. The winner is the person with the fewest total shots for all of the targets. There is not a PAGA (Pro Archery Golf Association) to my knowledge, so the course and rules may be set up an-yway you like.

"Pucking out" on 13.

Traditional bows are perfect for this game. Com-pound shooters tend to have a tougher time with Ar-chery Golf. They generally use arrows and vanes that are so small and fast that they disappear in flight.

Taking a break in a rock hazard.

Plan ahead and start a meal in the Dutch oven before you begin playing, and it will be ready when you fin-ish the round. Be safe and have fun!







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Keep Tabs on Your Tab

By Philip Cox

Are you tired of trying to keep track of your shooting tab? Here is a little trick that I use. Sew a thin, 6-inch piece of Velcro to the top portion of the finger hole in the tab. When you are done shooting, fasten the Velcro around an arrow--if you use a bow quiver, as I do--or cut the Velcro a little longer to wrap it around the limb of your bow.

I have never misplaced a tab this way, and I

know right where it is every time I pick up my bow. Just be sure to unfasten the tab and put it on your hand before you start hunting! Noth-ing scares animals more than the r-r-rip of Velcro!







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Zip Tip

By David Petersen

Among the essential items I carry in my hunting pack are plastic zip top sandwich bags. I use them to stash the inevitable small bits of trash that accumu-late during every hunt, including granola and candy wrappers, drink containers, cigarette butts (for those, like me, who enjoy committing slow suicide), even used toilet paper if circumstances or local law requires. I prefer the cheap generic sandwich or stor-age bags over freezer bags because the former are thin, flexible and quiet to open and close, while freezer bags tend to be thicker, stiffer, and far noisier to use. The alternatives—tossing your trash into a pocket of your pack or onto the ground—work against hunters and hunting in several ways. The first option gunks-up the inside of your pack with sticky, messy, stinky garbage items. Second, littering causes outrage among landowners and other non-hunters who rightly get miffed about finding a trail of trash in the wake of a hunter's passing. While there are litter bugs who are simply thoughtless cretins and litter even their own property (I have one such neighbor), I believe most "trail litter" left behind by hunters owes to having no trash container handy. Carrying weightless, collapsible zip top bags solves that prob-

lem. To economize even more, I pre- package my day's snacks—sandwiches, candy, trail mix, etc.—in separate zip top bags; whichever bag is emptied first becomes the day's trash stash. As insignificant as this little zip tip may seem, it can not only contribute to making you a more successful hunter (by keeping your pack or pockets free of food and other strong odors), but will also help improve hunting's public image by decreasing litter.







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Treestand Clothesline

By R. A. Burgin (Blacksmith)

As a member of the gray-haired group of bowhunters, I prefer to hunt on the ground. For those who like treestands, I have an idea for a haul line that is always at hand and less likely to get tan-gled. Go to your favorite department store and pick up a camp clothesline reel. Zip tie the reel to your climb-ing stand or hook it to your belt. Tie the clothesline to your bow or gear. As you climb, it will silently feed out line. When you are safely in the stand, just reel in your gear and the line is stored until you are ready to climb down. Reverse the process by tying the line to your bow and gear and slowly lowering everything to the ground. Be careful that you don't get caught up in the line while climbing down. The camp clothesline reel is quiet, compact and inex-pensive. I filled my reel with lightweight line and I can go up about 30 feet.







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Elastic Cuff Links

By Mark Schroeder

For most of the season, I dress in layers of clothing to meet the weather conditions. Before the weather turns really cold, the last layer I put on is my flannel or chamois shirt. It's qui-et. It's soft and comfortable, even with multiple layers un-derneath it. Since it is a shirt, the buttons and button holes are smaller than what is normally applied to an overcoat. I assume the overcoat buttons are large to allow buttoning and unbuttoning while wearing one's gloves. The shirt's small buttons in front are usually not a problem, but I al-ways have trouble buttoning the cuffs. The location of the cuff button requires the use of one hand, which is often im-possible while wearing gloves. My solution is to use bands to make the cuffs on the flannel shirt expandable. I use an old bicycle inner tube to make what one of my buddies calls "Ranger Bands." These are simply made by slicing across the inner tube with a sharp knife or a pair of scissors in the same direction one would cut a slice off a log of summer sausage. The resulting band looks like a typical rubber band, but I have found that these last much longer and resist the elements better than the ones from the daily newspaper.

Step 1: Pull the band through the button hole and loop it through itself.

Step 2: Hook the band over the button. Gather the excess band on the opposite side of the button. There is no need to stretch the band at this point.







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Step 3: Twist the excess band 180°, or half a twist, to form another loop.

Step 4: Fold the newly formed loop back around the button.

Step 5: Pull the whole connection tight, allowing the last loop to slide un-der the button to secure it. Set up and button your elastic cuff links ahead of time so your shirt is ready when you need it. This configuration has eliminated the need to fuss with buttons after putting the shirt on, allowing me to focus on the task at hand--enjoying the hunt.







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BBQ Corn


Grilling season is just around the corner, and nothing tastes better than fresh corn on the cob. As a kid I liked corn on the cob, but I did-n't (and still don't) like the chore of husking it first. Grilling it eliminates that chore and gives the corn a great flavor.

Loosen the husks a bit and soak the corn in wa-ter for thirty minutes. I also like to trim the tassels so they don't burn on the grill, but it is-

n't necessary to remove all the silk. It comes off easily after the corn is cooked. Set the grill on medium heat and place the corn on the grate. Rotate it a quarter turn every few minutes as the husk turns brown. It will take a bit of prac-tice to determine how long to cook the corn on the heat source you are using (gas or briquets), but it could be anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. The husk holds the moisture that cooks the corn, so it is extremely difficult to burn the corn inside the husk or to overcook it for that matter.

The husk cools fairly quickly, and you can peel it down and wrap a napkin or tin foil around it to make a handle. Spread a little butter and your favorite seasoning and you're done. I think that corn just tastes better when it is cooked this way. Give it a try at your next bar-becue.







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Mixed Bag

By Robin Conrads

I have gathered a few tips that are very brief or don't have pictures, but I still think they are useful; so this week we have a variety of short tips. Hope you find them helpful!

Bandanas by Joe Hundley

I always carry two bandanas while hunting. One of them goes around my neck for body temperature control. The other one is used for a variety of things such as gathering seeds and nuts, and even extra temperature control by placing it inside my cap when it's really cold outside.

Beeswax by John Montefusco Jr.

Buy beeswax sticks in lip balm tubes. You can use the same stick for lip balm; hand/foot balm or cream; bow string wax; a wax coating for the connection points on 2- or 3-piece takedown bows; honing wax (in a pinch); and for a myriad of other things I think it can be lit too, but I've never tried it!

Zip Top Bags by Rick Seymour

Everybody should carry a zip top bag in his camping gear. When leaving the camp area, write a simple note with the date and the general direction you are headed. Put the note into a zip top bag and pin it to the tent. If someone comes across your tent or campsite, and the date has passed, this might help rescuers find you.

Scent Drag Line by Roger (Zip) Urmann

While using latex gloves, tie some rolled up paper towels to a drag line, pour scent onto the paper towels and begin your drag. As you go along, bits and pieces of the towels are shredded off, leaving a better trail for the buck to follow--and the towels are biodegradable. Works for me!!







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Milkweed Wind Indicator

By Jim McInteer

Milkweed fluff is a great wind indicator. A few floating strands will let you see how the wind currents are moving in your area. Powder or string wind indicators are only good right where you are, but milkweed fluff floats through the air a long way, which gives you an excellent idea how the cur-rents are moving in a larger area. They are also quite visible in early morning and late evening low light conditions.

One pod will supply enough fluff for a long time. Harvest the pods after they are open. Pinch all of the milkweed strands,

as best you can, and pull them from the pod. Knock most of the seeds off into the trash to avoid spreading the plant in unwanted areas. Stuff the fluff into a small canister, like an old 35mm film container or small pill bottle. Keep a good grip on the pinched fluff all the way into the container or you will have milkweed flying everywhere! Toss the container into your day pack so it's handy when you need it. This is a great, natural product to help you keep the wind in your fa-vor.







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Quick Fletching Repair

By Floyd (Bub) Wells

At the Compton shoot last summer, we were shooting a round with some friends when one of them exclaimed, "Good grief, how long are you going to shoot this set of ar-rows? I remember them from five years ago!" I have been known to carry the same set of cedar arrows for a long time. I cherish each one of them, build them with love and am careful what I try to shoot. When asked how I keep them so long, I simply reply, with tongue in cheek, "I don't miss." Anyone who knows me, knows that's not entirely true. I do however shoot a lot, and repairs are inevitable.

When you experience a problem with feathers coming loose for whatever reason--hitting an object, shooting through a target or just the glue letting go--here is an easy way to fix it in short order. I use heavy duty industrial thread. It is less porous with a good finish. This process works best when part of the feather is still attached to the shaft.

Apply your favorite adhesive to the feather.

Wrap the thread around the arrow, taking care to make sure the angles are close to being the same where the thread enters each feather. Also, make sure the feather alignment is correct as sliding may occur.

Pull tight. There is no need for a knot; it will hold.

Let dry for 10 minutes and then remove the thread.

Put an extra spot of glue on the tip of the quill and you're good to go!

Don't leave the thread on too long, or the excess glue will cement the thread to the feather, and you will pull the feath-er off when trying to remove the thread. This works great when you are in camp and don't have your fletching equip-ment with you. All it takes is some glue and a piece of thread.







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Light It Up!

By Joe Hundley

Here's a tip that gives you staying power when camp-ing from your vehicle. I sometimes park my truck camper at the end of a road, next to a roadless area. In order to save my battery when using the lights in my camper, I have converted all of the fixtures to LED bulbs. With all the lights on, there is hardly any pull on the 12volt battery.

LED bulb card (disconnected). I replaced the existing bulb with a new LED bulb card, using hot glue to attach the card to the fixture. The hot glue works because the LED bulbs don't heat up like normal bulbs. You could also use double sid-ed foam tape to attach the bulb card. I have added extra lights all around the outside of the camper, so I don't need a lantern in the evening. They are a bit pricey, but they last a lot longer than standard 12volt bulbs, and the staying power is priceless.

LED bulb card connected to the fixture. Check your fixture to see what kind of fitting it takes; superbrightleds.com makes all kinds of connections.






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Pick A Spot

By Tim Roberts

I used to have a heck of a time shooting my arrows in tight groups during practice. I guess having a mind that likes to wander doesn't help. Focusing on my shooting was a real challenge until my friend, Neil Jacobson, made the suggestion that getting your mind to focus is an exercise that can be done any-where. When you are walking around at work, going through the grocery store, quietly relaxing, or almost anywhere except driving, pick a spot on an object that isn't moving and focus intently on that spot. Hold that concentration as long as you can. If you are moving, focus and concentrate on that spot until you pass it. The smaller the spot that you focus on while doing other things, the easier it will become to focus on a specific spot on the target, or on an animal. Now, if I can stay focused, the groups tighten right up and my shooting accuracy improves. Editor's Note: Tim may need to work on his focus while shooting, but his attention to detail on his

work is second to none. Check out his collection of leather archery products at www.farrwestleather.com.






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Treestand Footrest

By Raymond Browell

Many treestands come with a footrest, or you may purchase one. These are typically a piece of bent metal that pivots on a mount of some sort. Unfortunately, when it is cold, the metal seems to pull the heat away from my feet at the spot where they touch the footrest. Also, if you aren't careful how you move your feet, the tread on your boots can cause the metal to ping, and it is generally noisy. To solve these problems, I first tried cover-ing the footrest with pipe insulation, which was reasonably successful. My feet stayed warm, and the noise was reduced; but it didn't last very long. The pressure of my feet on the footrest split the insulation.

A better solution was to purchase foam pipe wrap insulation tape, typically used for refrigeration piping. This is similar to pipe insulation, but it uses fiber tape for strength and flexi-bility. It is much stronger than the pipe insulation, and has lasted a number of seasons. You can find it in most home improvement stores. It isn't very expensive, and it solved my problems of cold and noise on my footrest.







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Dutch Oven Dome Pizza


In a previous Camp Chef tip I mentioned using a Dutch Ov-en Dome with a propane stove instead of charcoal or wood. It's kinda hard to call for pizza delivery in the woods, but it is a very tasty treat.

12 inch cast iron skillet Dutch Oven Dome Dutch Oven Trivet

Propane stove

3 Tubes of biscuits

1 Bottle of pizza sauce

Your favorite toppings Mozzarella, or your favorite cheese

Lightly oil the skillet and then cover the bottom of the pan with the biscuits. Press them down and together to make the crust.

Spread the pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings over the biscuit layer.

Place the diverter plate over the flame of the stove and set the trivet on top. This provides a cushion of air to avoid burning the bottom of the crust. Be sure to use a metal triv-et, like the one shown below, or use something that is not flammable.






http://www.tradbow.com/public/Dutch-Oven-Dome.cfm

http://www.tradbow.com/public/Dutch-Oven-Dome.cfm

http://www.campchef.com/dutch-oven-dome.html

http://www.campchef.com/dutch-oven-trivet.html


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Place the skillet on the trivet and cover with the Dome. You can see I modified one of my domes to fit over the handle. Bake over low heat. As a rule with most Dutch oven cooking, it's done when you can smell it.

There you have it. An easy, inexpensive meal. Maybe it was-n't delivered, but it's almost that easy!







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Lowering Gear is a Snap

By Joe Callahan, True North Arrows, LLC

When I hunt from a treestand, I carry a 3/8" rope with two snap clips made of either plastic or metal. I place one clip some distance above the other one, which allows me to attach my pack on the bottom clip and my bow on the top clip. Using this configuration, my pack lands on the ground first, and my bow is not laying on the ground or in the snow. If a bow quiver is in use, it stays up-right and the feathers don't get damaged. Another plus is that you have an extra piece of rope on hand for any other need that comes up.

another tip from Joe…

No More Tears

When allergy season is upon us, there is nothing worse than itchy, watery eyes. I suggest you wash your eyes, lashes, lids, etc. with Johnson's Baby Shampoo. The "no more tears" lather washes away the allergens that have landed in and around your eyes. Only use the Johnson's brand, as cheaper knock-off brands might burn. I hope this will help you get some relief.






http://www.truenortharrows.com


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Rebuilding a Target

By Bill Calkins

To all my arrow slinging friends out there, here is my tip for rebuilding the center of foam targets. I shoot between 30 and 40 arrows a day, and replacing the center of a 3-D target gets expensive. I've found that spray foam insulation works well, and I think it stops the arrows better than the original foam. This meth-od has saved me a lot of money! Purchase spray foam insulation at any home im-provement store. Install the nozzle that came with the can, insert the nozzle into the holes and spray while pulling the nozzle out. The foam expands a lot, so pull the nozzle out slowly for large holes and quickly for small holes. If the nozzle doesn't reach all the way through the target, repeat the process on the back of the target.

Soon you will get a feel for how much to spray and how much it expands. Instructions on the can should tell you how long to let it cure, but the foam should be completely dry before shooting arrows into the target. I also suggest you wear disposable gloves while applying the foam; this stuff is awful to get off your hands or clothes. Hopefully this will extend the life of your target and give you many more hours of shooting fun.







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Arrow Extraction

(Editor's Note: Many responses were received con-cerning Nathan’s question last week about removing arrows from foam targets. Unfortunately, I cannot post all of them, but here are a few ideas from our readers.) Lance M. wrote: To make arrow pulling easier when shooting at foam or plastic filled target bags, you need to reduce the friction between the target material and the arrow's surface. As the arrow en-ters the target, the friction created develops an amazing amount of heat, which causes the foam or plastic to melt and stick to the arrow shaft. Typical-ly, the answer to this problem is to use the arrow lubricant recommended by the target's manufactur-er. However, more information should be consid-ered to thoroughly and accurately address the prob-lem of arrow removal from foam or plastic targets:

Are you shooting at your own personal target or at a range-owned target? If shooting at your own target, is it one that has been repaired using spray foam? The answers to these two questions are important since most arrow lubricants are designed to work with the cell structure and materials used in the manufacture of a typical 3D foam target. If shoot-ing at a range, officials will usually request that you use the target manufacturer's own or recommended arrow lubricant. If shooting at home using a foam target in new condition, you may be well-advised to follow the same requirements. However, if your personal home target is not new or has been re-paired, other options become available. All foam is not created equal. For repairs, my expe-rience with high density spray foam has been mar-ginal at best, and I stopped using it altogether for 3D target repair. Although high density spray foam, because of its cell structure and composition of ma-terials, will stop arrows slightly faster than does low density spray foam, it has a tendency to be more brittle and breaks apart easier than does low

density foam. On the other hand, low density foam is more pliable and flexible which makes arrow re-moval easier and repairs longer lasting. To facilitate arrow removal from my own targets, I use paraffin wax as an arrow lubricant, which may be purchased in the canning section of your local grocery store. Paraffin wax applied to arrow shafts will last longer than commercial sprays or dip lu-brication. It takes a little longer to apply, but there is no waiting for the product to dry. With commer-cial arrow lubricants, my experience has shown that regardless of type, consistency, or manufactur-er, they work best only if allowed to dry after appli-cation; and they require frequent reapplications ~ sometimes as often as after only two or three shots. Consequently, with commercial applications, on days that I shoot many hundreds of arrows, I would need to lubricate a few arrows very frequently or cycle a larger batch of arrows which becomes oner-ous given the necessary drying time plus the limita-tion that I like to carry only a dozen target arrows in my quiver. With paraffin wax, the lubrication lasts longer than anything else I've tried. I keep a piece with me for when my arrows do need a touch up; and because there is no drying time, they are immediately ready for shooting again. I should note that I shoot a 50-pound recurve and a 60-pound longbow. Although I am mostly a target archer rather than a bowhunter, I have been found afield. I shoot both bag and 3D targets and have been doing so for nearly 25 years. I hope some of my experience with foam targets will be helpful. Albert P. wrote: I also had a target that was hard to remove arrows from when practicing. I leave a small, rubber lid gripper from the Dollar Store on top of the target. It gives me a solid grip when try-ing to pull arrows which makes a world of differ-ence. Brian C. wrote: For easy arrow extraction, simply take a bar of soap, rub a little onto your field tips and shoot away. Keep a few of the hotel soaps and







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throw them into your quiver pocket. Best of all, they're free! Gil F. wrote: Try a Flex Pull from 3 Rivers Ar-chery. It really helps to pull arrows. John B. wrote: If you use carbon or aluminum ar-rows, spray them with silicone spray. For wood or cane arrows, try PAM spray for cooking. Don’t use WD-40 since it will slowly eat the foam. James L. wrote: I had the same problem, especial-ly with my woodies. It seemed they were actually heating up and gluing to the target. I now use 303 Protectant. It used to be hard to find, but now I get it at WalMart. Just wipe it onto your arrows with a rag and let it dry for a moment. Carry a dampened cloth in a ziptop bag for touch ups if you are shoot-ing a lot. Dan F. wrote: Furniture polish (Pledge) or hard-wood floor polish is a big help to make arrow pull-ing easier and cleaner. If I'm in a hurry, silicone spray is a quick fix. Spray the front half of the ar-row, wipe it down and you’re good to go. Also check to make sure your target heads are matched to your shaft diameter. If the heads are much larger than the shaft, you are pulling foam out with every ar-row. Mallard1 wrote: Use tire shine products on the shaft from feathers to tip. I have used Armorall tire shine gel for years. It even came with a foam pad with a grove cut into it. It leaves a film on the shaft that does not stick to the foam...and your tires look great going to range! Al B. wrote: I suggest using a product called Goril-la Grease. It comes in a small canister that is filled with lubricant and equipped with a squeegee cap. Insert the arrow into the canister, which is about five inches long, then pull the arrow out. Now the arrow is ready to shoot, and much easier to remove.







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Collapsible Water Con-tainer

By Dennis Michael

Water containers come in many different shapes and sizes, but here is an idea that I've been using for many years. The plastic bag from boxed wine is a great short-term solution to store water for drinking and showering. It can even be used as a pillow. You can't do that with a five gallon bucket!

Select boxed wine with the valve that twists to open and close, as shown in the photo. The push-button or lift style doesn't seal as well for this application. Rinse the bag (after the wine is gone) by opening the valve and filling it with warm tap water. You could add 1/8 teaspoon of chlorine bleach to sanitize the bag and kill any bacteria that may develop between uses. Shake well and rinse thoroughly. Fill with tap water from home or filtered water from camping. If you plan to filter water for drinking, be sure to car-ry an extra tube for your water filter and attach it to the "clean side" of your filter. If filling the bag for showering, take the filter out of your pump before filling; and then be sure to clearly mark the bag so

that your buddies won't drink from it.

These bags collapse completely when empty, making them very easy to transport, and they are tough and durable and can be used many times. I like the three-liter size for a pillow and the five-liter size for drink-ing and showering. Spray paint the shower bag black and leave it in a sunny location during the day for a nice warm shower in the evening. As you can see there are many ways to use these lightweight, durable, plastic bags. If you don't drink wine from a box, perhaps you can ask friends or neighbors to save them for you. If you do drink wine from a box, you are doing your part to save the envi-ronment from all those plastic bags in the landfill. Cheers!







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Heterodyning

By Rocky Weeks

This tip requires a bit of radio theory and brain work. The subject is heterodyning. A very basic definition is two different frequencies that are combined to produce two new frequencies: the sum and differ-ence of the two original frequencies. What does this have to do with traditional archery equipment? Well, knowing this fact helps us to quiet our bows. Most of us have tried various types of string silenc-ers. Some folks have trouble getting any of them to work. Here is the solution, no matter the type of bow or type of silencer material. Measure the distance from where the string leaves the bow limbs top and bottom. Divide that distance by four and also by three. For instance and simplicity let us say your measured length is 60 inches; 60 divided by four equals 15 inches and divided by three equals 20 inch-es. Attach your top string silencer 15 inches down from

where the string leaves the bow, and attach the bot-tom silencer 20 inches up from where it leaves the bow. Doing so cancels out the sustaining frequencies that would make a naked string hum or twang when released. The quartering distance (15 inches) cancels out all even multiples of the frequencies and the dis-tance in thirds cancels out all the odd multiples of the frequencies. The end result is a string that resists vibration after the shot and goes thump instead of twang. By the way, the same principle applies to whistling broadheads. Using a thin strip of fine sandpaper to buff the leading edges of the rear of the vent cutouts, will kill the sharp edges that create the whistle. Sometimes only one vent has to be done, sometime one a bit more than the other.







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Mixed Bag

By Robin Conrads

Teflon Tape by David Petersen,

Steve Graf and Peter Kehayes Screw-in field points and broadheads (on aluminum or car-bon arrows) can loosen on impact. Wrap the threads with plumber's white teflon tape. It's cheap, easy, reversible, and reliable to keep the old points in tight. Works great!

Grab Rope by Mike Miller

Elk hunting can be a steep affair. A couple years ago I was hiding along a well-used elk trail and my backpack rolled halfway to California. Frustrated by the hike down and back up, I grabbed a short piece of paracord and tied it to the grab loop on my backpack. It has been there ever since. I found it to be useful in a small ground blind to maximize floor space and prevent the renegade roll away pack. If I were a tree-stand hunter, I am sure I'd end up tying it to a branch using the paracord as well. Not a big write-up, but it's a tip using something most of us already have in our bag.

Zip Ties by Chuck Curtis

I carry various sizes of zip ties in my day pack because they are lightweight and have an endless number of uses. On many occasions I have used zip ties to improve or save my hunt. I know you can do a lot of the same things with para-cord, but for the cost and weight savings, carry both! I have used zip ties for ground blind construction or repair, quick treestand repairs, adding mesh or burlap quickly and quietly, equipment or clothing repairs, hanging a scent rag or making a drag rag, securing a quiver and even repairing my daypack. Zip ties are much faster and cheaper than para-cord. At the end of the hunt, the best part is that you can easily remove and dispose of them. Considering the weight and cost, you can't beat zip ties!







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Tampons by Charlie Ek (aka eidsvolling)

Every bowhunter, male and female, should carry tampons. They can serve two important functions: very absorbent ma-terial to stop bleeding in the event of an accident, or as fire tinder. The photo shows a tampon in its waterproof packaging, an intact unwrapped tampon, a half tampon that has been pulled apart into fire tinder and the remaining half. As fire tinder, it lights easily and burns very well. With the water-proof packaging and extremely light weight, there's always room for them in a pocket or a pack.







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Fur Tracers

By Bruce Smithhammer

I've seen "fur arrow tracers" selling on some specialty sites for as much as $5 for enough material to wrap a dozen arrows. Instead, you can go to just about any fly shop (or some craft shops) and buy rabbit fur "zonker strips" in a sufficient quantity to wrap 6 dozen arrows or more, for about $2.50. Slap a little Barge cement on the backside of the rabbit strip, wrap it, and you're set. These are great for shooting in low light conditions and tracking your arrow flight. They are quite helpful for finding "misplaced" arrows as well, and I find that they don't affect arrow flight at all.







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Pallet Bow and Arrow Rack

By Doug Gray

My wife uses old wooden pallets to make a variety of items. While helping her with a recent project, it occurred to me that a pallet lends itself nicely to a rack for my bows and ar-rows. If practical function at a low cost is all you need in a rack, you'll find it in a pallet. The beauty in a pallet rack is not aesthetics, but in the sim-plicity of its production. First, shorten the height of the pal-let by cutting off a section from one end. The longer section will become your rack. When determining how much to cut off, a good rule of thumb is that the height of the rack should be about 75% of the length of finished arrows. A little shorter or taller won't matter; precise measurements are not re-quired!

Next, remove one crosswise board from the longer section and one from the shorter section that was removed. These two cross-boards will be used for the top and bottom of your rack. The unused portion of the shorter section may then be discarded or recycled.

Nail or otherwise affix one of the cross-boards to the bottom of the rack to hold the point-end of your arrows. The other







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cross-board will be used to hold the nock-end of your ar-rows. To prepare the other cross-board for the top section of your rack, split it lengthwise into two pieces. Then, attach one half of the split board to the top of your rack towards the rear. This will allow arrows to stand at a slight rearward an-gle to help prevent their falling. The other half of the split board may be discarded. The cross-board attached to the top of your rack needs to be notched to cradle your arrow shafts. A drill and jig saw work well for notching. Remember that ease and simplicity are the beauty of the pallet rack; so, be willing to live with some in-consistency in your notching depth and spacing. Finish the rack by screwing pairs of plastic-coated gun/bow holders to support your bows.

Pallets come in a variety of styles, so some styles may be bet-ter suited for a rack than others. You'll have several options for mounting your rack. When selecting your mounting

hardware, keep in mind that your pallet rack will be heavier than typical production racks. The rustic character of your pallet rack may not lend itself to prominent display in your home (my two are inside a closet), but would be perfectly suited to grace the walls of any hunt-ing cabin.







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Take A Hike

By Robin Conrads

This week's newsletter is not really a "tip." I've been gone for five days scouting and camping with T.J., and I didn't have time to really put a tip together. One of the wonderful things we did was hike to a beautiful mountain lake. This very steep trail was brutal, but the fishing was worth it. You don't have to go to that extreme, but get off the beaten path, us-ing the quads God gave you, and see some wonderful birds, animals and wildflowers. Before you leave camp it is prudent to remember a few vital items. Take your first aid/survival kit with matches, signal mirror, whistle and various items in case you get hurt. These packs don't have to be heavy, but be prepared for anything. Also take fish-

ing regulations with you every time you go fishing. I can't tell you how many times we'd catch a fish and wonder if brook trout falls into the trout limit, or if those arctic grayling are legal to keep. When we for-got the regs, we did a lot of catch-and-release fishing. So turn off the computer, phone and television, pack up the family or a few friends, and take a hike. Some of the best stories we shared during this trip were times we went camping as kids, and funny things that happened. Call it scouting, fishing, hiking or whatever; just get outside and enjoy the late sum-mer!

Untamed by Clay Hayes In the spring of 2014, Untamed debuted at the Back-country Hunters and Anglers Rendezvous in Denver. Since then, it has toured the US and Canada with the Hunting Film Tour and the Outdoor Film Tour and Festival. The film received the Pope and Young award for best bowhunting film, and it has also been translated into French for showing at Arc Aventure, a French bowhunting film festival. Untamed is a film that reaches across historic divides by focusing on the innate biophilia that all humans experience, hunters and non-hunters alike. The film has now been released online to the general public. Untamed is all traditional bowhunting, but the story transcends the weapon. Hayes explains, “All hunters would benefit from taking an honest hard look at why they hunt and what they’re really after. That’s something I think very few of us ever really do. This film is my attempt to do just that, and to show the world what I found.” Enjoy the film and share it with others.






https://youtu.be/DwGGyC8XXV8


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Bottling Meat


With the uncertainty of processed foods lately, there seems to be more interest in the process of canning, or as we call it, bottling. This is a great way to tame those tough cuts of veni-son to be used later for chili, stew or sandwiches. Bottling meat is a fairly simple process, if you follow the directions. You MUST use a pressure cooker/canner to raise the tem-perature high enough to kill all bacteria. If you don't believe me, check with your local Agricultural Extension Office or do an online search for canning safety. For the purpose of this article we will use venison because, well…'tis the season. For those of you who hunt deer but can't seem to get a handle on cooking it, you may want to try this. Everyone who has tried our bottled venison has really enjoyed it. And there are so many ways you can serve it out of the bottle. First you need the venison (and I call elk meat venison, too). As always, good field care of the animal will result in a better product in the kitchen. Trim as much fat from the meat as you can and cut it into large cubes. 1. Decide on pint or quart jars, depending on how many por-tions you may be serving. We have five people in our family, and a quart may leave enough for a sandwich the next day.

2. Wash the jars in hot, soapy water and rinse well. If you have a lot of jars, run them through a cycle in the dishwash-er. That also keeps the jars warm until you are ready to fill them. 3. Loosely pack the raw, chunked and trimmed meat into the jars just to the bottom of the jar neck. Some fat will rise to the top of the jar after processing, and it can be removed when you open the jar to eat it. 4. Add 3/4 tsp. salt to quart jars, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. to pints. 5. Cover the meat in the jar with water. 6. Burp the jars by taking a butter knife and poking it up and down through the meat to bring air bubbles to the top. Add a bit more water to cover the meat, if necessary. 7. Wipe the jar rims with a clean, wet rag to remove any salt particles or anything that would prevent a good seal. 8. Place the lids in a pan of water and heat until the water just begins to boil. Take the pan off the heat. Remove one lid at a time, placing it on the jar and follow with a threaded ring. Tighten snuggly by hand. 9. Fill the pressure cooker with three inches of water. 10. Place the jars into the basket and lower them into the pressure cooker. 11. Secure the lid of the cooker and bring the pressure up to 15 pounds of pressure. Do not let the pressure fall below 15 pounds or you will need to start over on your timing. We run a couple pounds over and spend the time reading a good book while also watching the pressure. Do not leave the pressure cooker unattended. 12. Process the meat at 15 pounds pressure for 90 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure gauge to return to the bottom before opening the cooker and removing the jars. Let them cool overnight on the counter and then store them in a cool, dry place. Any jar that didn't seal properly (the lid pops when pressed) should be stored in the refrigerator and used within a few days.







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Glow Sticks

By Michael Sperico

I do most of my deer hunting in the afternoon after work. When I shoot a deer late in the day, I often have to trail it in low light conditions. One valuable trick I learned was to use glow sticks to mark the blood trail. If you lose the trail, you can turn around and see the general direction of travel. Glow Sticks are cheap and they last for hours---just remember to pick them all up as you drag your deer back to camp.







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Disposable Drop Cloth

By Chace Tavelli

Keeping meat clean while field dressing can be a real problem. Sometimes there is not a clean place to lay a skinned quarter before placing it into a game bag. Clean, sanitary meat handling in the field results in less time spent in the butchering process and better meat on the table. I carry a plastic drop cloth or large, heavy-duty plas-tic garbage bag in my pack. Make sure it is large enough to accommodate 2-4 full quarters of whatev-er animal you are hunting. They don't take up much space, and I carry it in a plastic zip-top bag that dou-bles as a trash bag for the drop cloth and other trash produced during tracking and field dressing (rope, flagging material, etc.) as described in a previous Tip of the Week.

Prior to quartering the animal, spread the drop cloth out flat, or cut the garbage bag down the side and bottom and spread it out flat. Stake the corners and sides with rocks or sticks to keep it from moving while you work. I keep my pack on one corner of the cloth so it's close at hand. The drop cloth provides a clean workspace to put the quarters while processing the meat and putting it in-to game bags, as well as for laying knives, saws and other tools you are using. This really helps to keep things clean and organized in one location. The drop cloth also doubles as a tarp, which has numerous us-es around camp. A colored drop cloth or garbage bag is a great way to provide shade for quarters hanging in a tree.







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Swamp Roost

By Melvin Edwards Here in the Southeast, bowhunters often find them-selves hunting in swamps where the ground is wet, muddy, and infested with unfriendly, creepy-crawling critters. The way to escape these conditions for an overnight stay is to construct what I refer to as a swamp roost. For this tip, a picture is worth a thou-sand words.

Bodemon, sensitive fellow that he is, looking on with hurt feelings because Marie Leveaux won't share the swamp roost.

To build the swamp roost, first cut seven saplings about 7-8 feet long. Bind one end of two saplings to-gether so that they can be spread apart to form legs. Repeat for a second set of legs. Position the two leg sets about seven feet apart and lash another sapling to the top, connecting them to form a frame. Stand the frame up and spread the legs an equal distance apart. Stabilize the frame by lashing it to a standing sapling or two. Fold a tarp or ground cloth in half and tie the grom-mets together securely to form a pocket. Insert two saplings to form a litter when spread apart, as

though to transport an accident victim. Position the litter in such a way that the protruding saplings are on the outside of the saplings forming the legs at ei-ther end. When weight is placed on the litter, it will stretch tight and slide into place on the legs, limiting its downward travel. The height of the litter can be adjusted by moving the "leg" saplings in or out, but be sure they are fairly even. Add a mosquito net and another tarp draped over the top sapling for protec-tion from rain, and you have a comfy, sturdy, weath-er- and insect-proof swamp roost.







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Deer Calls

Accessibility is the Key

By Ray Browell

Many traditional hunters use deer calls to entice a buck to come within shooting distance or to halt one that is prancing past, thereby enabling a shot at a standing animal. Calls are available that mimic near-ly the entire range of a buck's vocalizations, and some imitate a bleating fawn or doe. Some calls are used throughout the season while others are more effective during the rut. When the time and circumstances are right for em-ploying a call, the last thing a hunter wants is to be fumbling around for it and miss an opportunity or spook a buck into the next county! Most calls come with a cord and are designed to be hung around the neck. This gets complicated when you have three or four calls dangling from your neck along with binoculars and other gear; it gets crowded and fosters confusion. If you are wearing heavy clothing, it can also be suffocating with so much pad-ding and things hanging from your neck. Just when you need a call is not the time to be fumbling with multiple items strung around your neck!

My solution is to pin deer calls to the outside of my jacket where they are handy but don't interfere with drawing and shooting my bow. Some license holders come with giant "safety pins" which work well for pinning and holding calls. I use several blanket pins, which work well for pinning and distributing multi-ple calls to my sides and even my back. This keeps them out of the way, easily accessible, and it gives me a little breathing room around my neck!







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97 Cent String Keeper

By Mark Plourde

I was shopping at the local warehouse store when I noticed these containers in a bin. Obviously, they are intended for storing your toothbrush during travel, but I don't always look at items the way others do. My wife sees a toothbrush holder, I see a 97 cent string keeper! This is such a simple idea. Fold the string and secure it with a rubber band or twist tie. Slide the string into one end and snap the other end into place. Wool si-lencers mash down and fit nicely. Next, use a Sharpie and write on the keeper to identify which bow the string matches. They are perfect for travel (after all, that is what they are made to do). If your serving is-n't too long, you don't have to fold that part of the string at all. Get on over to your local warehouse store and buy several. After all they're less than a dollar each. You may even want to put your toothbrush into one!

Comment on Deer Calls James W. wrote: If you carry multiple calls, and want easy access as well as keeping them out of the way while shooting, utilize a standard accessory used by fly fishermen; these are "zingers.” Zingers are spring loaded lanyards used to carry snippers, scissors, forceps, etc., that are attached to a fly vest or fishing harness while wading in a stream.

You could also apply thick duct tape to the exterior of the calls to reduce the possibility of unwanted






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Traditional Harvest Pho-tos

By T. J. Conrads

I get a lot of questions about how to submit a kill photo for the magazine. The Traditional Harvest pages are sponsored by Columbia Riv-er Knife and Tool in Portland, Oregon. They give away a knife to one lucky hunter in each issue. If you would like to submit your picture, mail it to us at: Traditional Bowhunter Magazine Attn: T. J. Conrads P. O. Box 519 Eagle, ID 83616

Please include your name, address, and any pertinent information you'd like to include, such as bow, arrow, broadhead, etc. If you would like the photo returned, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Photos can also be emailed to [email protected]. Please email the full-sized image for the best results.

I'd like to outline a few other tips for good hunting photos. These apply to the magazine, our online galleries, or even the bulletin board at the sporting goods store. Keep in mind that not everyone who sees your photo is a hunter. Images of hunters straddling their quarry, ani-mals hanging from a hook, or anything with motorized vehicles will not be accepted. Take a few minutes to follow a couple of guidelines and everyone will be happier with the results. • Position the animal so the sun, if available, shines onto the animal's face. • Tuck the legs under and sit the animal up-right as much as possible. • Trim away grass or brush to get a clear view of the animal and remove all blood, guts, ar-rows, and anything man-made (tents, motor-ized vehicles, etc.) from the picture. • Push the animal's tongue back into its mouth or cut it off. • If the hunter is wearing a brimmed hat, push it back and up so that his/her face shows in the picture. • Get in close and fill the frame with the pic-ture. • Shoot both vertical and horizontal shots, and shoot lots of photos.






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Accuracy and Nock Fit

By Konrad Lau

Some years ago, I stumbled upon an accuracy tip that reduced my group sizes by 25%. The string I had ini-tially purchased with my bow had a center serving that was beautifully done in an interesting checkered pat-tern. I was eventually disappointed when my arrow nocks began to wear through the serving. I knew it would only be a matter of time before my "best" bow string would be damaged, so I resolved to learn how to reserve the string myself. I hied off to the local archery shop and was particularly careful to duplicate the diameter and composition of the material that had been used by the manufacturer. When I got home I dug out my antique serving tool (you know, one of those tools that seemed cool at the time but never got much use) and found the diameter of the new material would not even fit through the feed holes in the tool! While I may not be the smartest guy in town, I am persistent and refused to let the lack of a tool stop me from playing at Master Archer. That now-antique serving tool was loaded with similarly aged serving material. I figured "What the heck?" and served my string with the smaller material I had purchased all those years ago. I was quite proud of my new center serving's appear-ance, but was dismayed to find my nocks did not pro-

duce that nice clicking sound when pushed onto the string. Make no mistake, the nocks were not loose. They still produced a soft "click," but they were not nearly as tight as they were. I found the correct location for my nock set and retired to my range. It was then I found my skill at the bow had apparently improved overnight! I finished my practice and then fired up the computer, looking for answers to my mysteriously acquired im-proved skill. Why had the new serving improved the groups so dramatically? It turns out that a "standard" test for nock/string fit is to attach the arrow to the string and, while allowing the arrow to hang straight down, rotate the string. If the arrow is deflected, the string fit is too tight. If the arrow falls off of the string, the fit is too loose. The arrow should be easily dis-lodged by giving the string a sharp tap about six inches from the nock. The primary concern regarding all of this nock/string fit is based on the fact that as an arrow is drawn, there is a degree of rotation imparted to the string by the archer's fingers. When the shot is released, the "unwinding" of a string fitting too tightly to the nock imparts erratic horizontal forces to the nock end of the shaft. Another consistency issue arises as the too-tight serving gradually wears and the nock fit changes with time. Some have found that modification to the nock throat (filing the opening larger) has produced good results. Since I have issues with the duplication of filing work, it made more sense to experiment with the serving ma-terial diameter. Fate would prove that I got lucky on the very first try, as that old serving material worked the best for me. Once again, I find that in all things related to the pur-suit of marksmanship skills, consistency is everything; and too much of a good thing--in this case tight nock fit--can sometimes be detrimental.







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Treestep Wrench

By Rob Bingel

It's that time of year to move or hang tree-stands in our prime locations. Things might have changed since last year and that stand location isn't as promising as it was last sea-son. For properties and locations that allow screw-in treesteps, I've come up with a wrench that is not only handy for screwing steps into trees, but works great for removing them.

To make the wrench, you'll need: A foot long piece of 1" X 3/4" square metal tubing

A 2 1/2" X 3/8" carriage bolt (I like an un-threaded shank best) with a corresponding nut

27/64" and 3/8" drill bits

A drill

Drill a 3/8" hole about an inch from the end of the tubing and a 27/64" hole a few inches higher as shown in the photo. The larger hole (the 27/64") will fit over the foot of the step, and the bolt will fit through the smaller hole.







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With the step inserted through the larger hole and the carriage bolt lip snugged up to "catch" the step, the rounded lip will slide nicely over the tree bark as the step is screwed into the tree. If you have a tap and die set, the square tubing may be threaded to fit the carriage bolt; if not, a nut on each side of the bolt will anchor it securely against the tubing.

To help start or remove the step, place the open end of the wrench over it as shown in the photo. If you have steps that won't fit into the open end of the wrench, simply lay the wrench parallel against the step and use it for leverage to push or pull as needed. Here are some safety tips when using treesteps. I'm sure there are more, but re-member to be "Safety Smart" when using screw-in treesteps: ALWAYS: • Check local laws and regulations. Secure landowner permission if hunting pri-vate land. • Without fail, use a safety rope while ascend-ing and descending the steps. • Never place steps into dead or dying trees. • Inspect steps to make sure they are secure, especially if not removed at season's end. • Make certain that steps fit flush against the tree. • Place steps so that you step down onto your stand.







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Shooting High

By Don Thomas

Since it's whitetail season and a lot of us are hunting from trees, do you ever wonder why it's so easy to shoot too high from a tree-stand? Sure, bucks do jump the string some-times, and their first movement is downward, but 3-D targets don't move and most of us tend to shoot high at them, too. There's a simple explanation for this prob-lem. Shooting downward at a steep angle cre-ates a natural tendency to drop the bow arm as you aim. That changes the critical angles in the triangle formed by your bow hand, your drawing hand, and your dominant eye. You shoot high for the same reason you shoot high at a flying bird with a shotgun when you lift your cheek off the stock. A couple of simple alterations to your shoot-ing form will help. First, make a conscious point to tuck your chin down toward your chest as you come to full draw. That will keep your dominant eye down against your anchor point where it belongs.

Second, concentrate on bending at the waist with your stance otherwise unchanged in or-der to get your arrow pointed downward at the target. You can practice this from your stand by picking two targets, the first one im-aginary and the second one real. Start by picking a spot on a tree 15-20 yards away at eye level and come to full draw on it. Then, while keeping your head and both arms in a stationary relationship with one another, bend at the waist until you're ready to release at the spot you've picked on the ground. Practice these methods and you'll be sur-prised at how many fewer deer wind up jumping the string!







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My Cup of Tea

By Michael Witteveen

When I'm out for a day-long hunt, I usually carry a small pot, stove and in-sulated mug that all nest together. I found this tip in The Complete Walker IV by Colin Fletcher and Chip Rawlins. This is my light and fast backpacking set up. With this set I always have a way to heat water for a cup of tea or soup, and it has been a welcome addition on those cold, wet days. There's nothing like a hot drink to keep you going and

wash down the jerky and trail mix. The stove fits inside the mug, which fits into the pot, and the 110g fuel canister (not shown) nests on top of the pot. If I choose to leave the insulated mug at home, the fuel canister fits inside the pot with the stove, making an even smaller package. It takes up the same amount of space as a 1 quart water bot-tle, so one side of my pack has the stove kit and the other side has a quart of wa-ter. Before I went fancy with titanium (thank you, Santa!) I used a tall baked bean can that was a similar size and shape.

My setup (as shown) is a SnowPeak Gi-gapower stove, a SnowPeak Summit cookset, and an Aladdin mug with the handle cut off. I also carry a 110g fuel canister, which would go on top of the







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pot in the stuff sack. I don't use the sili-cone bowl as a bowl; I use it as an insu-lated cozy to hold on to the pot after the cooking is done. The silicone lid also doubles as a potholder to grab the pot handles. I carry a zip-top bag in my fanny pack with a few tea bags, some coffee bags or pre-packaged instant coffee, a few bouillon cubes, and a small soup pack-et. I tend to take more than I need, but I know that they are in there, just in case things don't go as planned. Editor’s Note: A similar stove and cooking system is made by Jetboil, and I’m sure there are others.







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Recent News

By Robin Conrads

This week’s newsletter is a little different. Ra-ther than a tip, I have a couple of important announcements.

Don Thomas and Ducks Unlimited

Photo by Lori Thomas

I want to bring attention to a situation that may interest many of you. Although it doesn’t look like a bowhunting issue, it is related to all outdoor writers, and one of my favorites in particular. Don Thomas (Co-Editor and long-time contributor to TBM) was fired from his position at Ducks Unlimited maga-zine after seventeen years as a contributor and Field Editor, but not because of anything related to ducks or to that organization’s magazine. Don wrote an article that was pub-lished in Outside Bozeman. It angered a

wealthy DU donor, who then pressured DU to let him go. Don said, "By terminating me for no reason related to my work for the mag-azine and the organization, DU has essential-ly taken the position that wealthy donors matter more than the outdoor recreationists they purport to represent." Read Don’s full account of the situation in Ducks, Politics and Money.






http://www.tradbow.com/public/Ducks-Politics-and-Money.cfm

http://www.tradbow.com/public/Ducks-Politics-and-Money.cfm


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Quick Meals

By Michael Sperico

I found this tip in a Boys' Life Magazine my son was reading. I thought it would be a great way to keep an emergency meal available in your car or hunting pack. You will need: An empty juice pouch like the one shown in the picture

1/2 cup of instant rice (or small pasta)

1/2 teaspoon of chicken or beef bullion granules (about half a cube)

Wooden cutting board

Hot iron

Cut the top off the pouch. Rinse it out and let it dry completely. Add rice and chicken or beef bouillon granules. Place the pouch on a hard, heat-proof surface, like a wooden cut-ting board. Seal the pouch by applying a hot iron to the open end of the pouch for a few seconds. Be sure the seal goes below the straw hole. Allow it to cool, then check to make sure the pouch is sealed. Use a perma-nent marker to label the contents of the pack-et.






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When you are ready to eat a meal, pour the contents of the pouch into a heat-proof cup or bowl of boiling water, stir and let it set for 3-5 minutes. Do not pour hot water into the pouch! Be creative with other kinds of quick-cooking food. Oatmeal and dried fruit comes to mind, or instant potatoes and sea-soning. The trick is to use dry food that cooks quickly in hot water.







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Keep Your Feet Dry and Warm

By Dutch

Here's a tip that works well to keep your feet dry and warm on those really cold days while sitting in a stand, stalk-ing game, or even shooting at the range. Spray your clean, bare feet with anti-perspirant (the kind that provides extra strength protection) and let it dry for a minute. Put on your hunting socks. Next, wear a pair of Crocs® or similar footwear (they have holes in the tops) to allow your feet to breathe while you drive to your hunting spot. Buy them big enough to fit while wearing hunting

socks. Put your boots on when you are ready to head out. Your feet will stay dry and warm.







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Christmas Tree Cleanup

By Robin Conrads

We love to go to the forest and choose our own Christmas tree. This requires a per-mit from the local Forest Service office, as well as a thermos of cocoa, a sled, the dog, and warm clothes. Be sure to bring a tape measure. A small tree in the forest turns out to be HUGE when you get it home.

Don't forget the sled (like we did).

Even if your tree adventure is a little clos-

er to home, here is a great tip for tree clean up: The best way to avoid a major mess after Christmas is to prepare for taking your tree down before you put it up. Place a plastic tree bag (available at hardware stores) underneath the stand, which you can hide with a tree skirt. Then, when the holidays are over and the decorations are taken down, pull the bag up around the tree--stand and all--and carry it outside. Remove the stand before recycling the tree. If some needles do scatter inside, sweep them up; needles can clog the vacu-um cleaner. Here are a few more tips to remember:

If you don't plan to put the tree up right away, place the trunk into a bucket of warm water and stand it in an unheated garage or porch away from the wind and cold.

Never let the water level fall below the base of the tree trunk or the cut end may seal over, preventing further water intake. Trees may take several quarts a day, so check it often.

Don't add anything to the water. Though some people swear that throwing in such extras as aspirin, soda water, bleach, salt, sugar, or Karo syrup keeps trees fresher longer, the experts say plain water, and plenty of it, is best.







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Smoke-Cooked Duck

By Guy Perkins

So, what does a traditional bowhunter do at the end of the bow season for big game when the cottontail rabbit numbers crash? Hunt ducks! What else? No, I don't rec-ommend using archery tackle if you want to eat duck, but if you want to shoot and laugh a bunch... fletch up some flu flu ar-rows and have at it. I have taken two ducks out of the air with traditional archery tackle. Both times there were no witnesses except me and the ducks. I'll admit it took several arrows…ok, several dozen arrows. One duck was a jump shot where I snuck up on it as it came up off the creek. The other was pass shooting. I used to live in an area where I could stand by my practice target and

shoot at ducks as they came by in the evening. Then I'd walk out and pick up the arrows in the neighbor's field. The arrows were easy to recover because most of my shots were overhead and that caused the arrows to stick up like sunflowers. Please use extreme caution when shooting in-to the air, and make sure everyone is watching for falling arrows. Both instances of taking ducks with the bow and arrow were strange in that the ducks crumpled in the air, but there was no bang that I usually associate with a dead duck. The thing about shooting at ducks with a bow is that they are usually back the next day to shoot at again! If you're fortunate enough to take a duck from the air, savor the experience, take a friend along so you have a witness, then honor the duck with a good meal.

Smoke-Cooked Duck







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Make a brine using: • 8 cups of water • 1 cup brown sugar • 1/3 cup soy sauce • 1/3 cup lemon juice • 1/3 cup kosher or sea salt • 2 Tblsp. garlic salt Soak the ducks in the brine, breast down, in a large bowl for forty-eight hours. Ro-tate the ducks to their backs for about three hours total during that time. At this time of year I can keep them covered in my garage and they stay below 41 degrees. If you don't have that option, use the fridge or a cooler with ice.

Pre-heat the smoker to 350 degrees. Rinse the ducks and pat them dry, then pop them into the smoke vault with apple chips for twenty minutes. Drop the heat to

200 degrees and cook for two more hours. There you have it, smoke-cooked duck. Eat it warm or refrigerate it for later.







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String Keeper

By Tim Roberts

I recently packed all my stuff for a move to Montana. When I got around to packing my bows, I no-ticed that a few of them were miss-ing string keepers. One of them was my fishing bow, which rarely gets unstrung. Rather than dig around in packed boxes, or risk an untwisted string later, I found an

alternative that was quick and easy. I looped a rubber band around the top of the string, as shown in the picture, then hooked the other end of the rubber band into the string groove. That turned out to be a great way to temporari-ly hold the string on an unstrung bow until I find all my stuff again at our new home. Editor’s Note: It’s a little ironic that this tip comes from a guy who makes and sells string keepers, among other things. Check out all of his products at Farr West Leather. Do you have a simple solution to share with our readers? Reply to this email with your tip and a pho-to or two.









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Holiday Antler Wreath

By Nick Nott

Here is one way to take that old elk or deer rack that’s hanging from the gar-age rafters, and actually move it front and center into your home for the sea-son. Just take the antlers and build a Christmas wreath around them. As my friends know, my elk trophies tend to be small, which actually makes for a

more manageable wreath. You can adapt your craft work to any size of ant-lers. I went to my local thrift store and bought all the colorful trimmings for about $2. Of course, you may have all the decorations you need in the attic. Then I went out and cut some greenery. With a roll of light wire, you are in busi-ness. Start by making a hoop out of hazelnut shoots, wired together in a circle to fit nicely inside the rack. Use whatever is native in your area--willow, grape shoots, etc. Wire the hoop firmly to the antlers. Attach the green boughs first, then add ornaments, ribbon, even a fa-vorite arrow. Don't overdo the decorat-ing, though. You want to feature the antlers and leave the points sticking out of the wreath.







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Blind Support

By Ray Lyon

The Midwest finally got its first heavy snowfall of the season. For those who use hub-style popup ground blinds, the

above photo is a common--and poten-tially expensive--sight after the snow-fall. Heavy snow accumulating on the roof of a hub-style blind will collapse the roof and fill it up with more snow. The load on a roof can bust the fiber-glass rods (speaking from experience) and damage the hubs.







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I've found a simple solution for this style of blind. I used a leftover 2x2 inch treated board from a deck project, and cut it to fit snuggly between the floor and one of the support rods of the roof hub. I screwed a ¾ curl eyelet hook in-to the side of the post, just below the top, so that I can hook it over one of the other rods (see picture). That prevents any shift in the blind from unseating the post. A "V" notch and small bungee cord would probably accomplish the same thing. Since adding a support post in the middle of the blind, I've had no more caved in roof or broken rods. Re-move the post and put it out of the way while hunting, then prop it up when you leave the blind.







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Traditional Archery Academy is - Amazon Simple …...Traditional Archery Academy is brought to by Crows Head Archery. Crows Head Archery specializes in Traditional ows and Arrows