Primitive Archer Magazine 12-2011

Dec. 2011/Jan. 2012

®

“Passing It On” Since 1992

®

In This Issue: The Late Season

plus: Page 10

Tools of the Trade

Page 28

Al Faris: International Mounted Archery in Jordan Page 46

Volume 19 Issue 6 $7.99US&CAN

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09128 46220

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Display until Jan. 30, 2012

WaJam 2011

Page 34

IBO World Championships 2011

Page 62

Primitive Archer Magazine

Dec. 2011/Jan. 2012 Volume 19 Issue 6

Inside This Issue F E A T U R E S

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The Late Season By MICKEY LOTZ

16

The First Annual Primitive Archer Bow Trade By JOSH VANCE

22

Making Bamboo Arrows By KAY KOPPEDRAYER

28

Tools of the Trade By MICKEY LOTZ

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WaJam 2011 By DUANE SPANGLER

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Making A Greenwood Bow By JOHN BORGESON

46

Al Faris: International Mounted Archery in Jordan By DAVID GRAY

54

My Pickaxe Handle Bow By JOHN ERIC HOARE

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IBO World Championships 2011 By JIMMY BLACKMON

On the Cover “Christmas Dinner” by Stacey Huston Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

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D E P A R T M E N T S

Hunting Column 6

Whitetails: On The Decline By TONY KINTON

A Closer Look 8


Product Reviews By TONY KINTON

Ask PA 26

Heat Bending Osage By MARC ST. LOUIS

Bows of the Month 40

From www.primitivearcher.com By JOSH BATY

Medicine Man® 52

Black Walnut By STEVE PARKER

Primitive Chef 64

Breaded Indiana Venison

Poet’s Corner Just One of Those Things By HOMER LUTHER

Backtrails 80

One Hunter’s Journal By TONY KINTON

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Calendar of Events Marketplace Classified Ads

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

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PUBLISHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Monroe M. Luther PRESIDENT & CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Michael M. Moore MANAGING EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ed Ingold TECHNICAL EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marc St. Louis HUNTING EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tony Kinton EVENTS EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marie Luther EDITOR EMERITUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gene Langston COPY EDITORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Amy Staehr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marie Luther ASSOCIATE EDITORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bill Campbell, Ty Cunningham, Jim Hamm, Kay Koppedrayer & Mickey Lotz

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

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

By BILL CAMPBELL

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A Wholly Owned Division of Bigger Than That Productions-LLC

Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

DESIGN & LAYOUT . . . .Aaron Bergman/Bergman Graphics PRIMITIVE ARCHER MAGAZINE strives for accuracy and honesty in its advertisements and articles but assumes no responsibility for content. ©2011 by PRIMITIVE ARCHER MAGAZINE. No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without the express written permission of PRIMITIVE ARCHER MAGAZINE. PRIMITIVE ARCHER is published six times a year. Printed in the U.S.A.

SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES For fastest service, visit our web site for: • Change of address • Subscription orders and information • Subscription renewal • Back issue orders Go to: www.primitivearcher.com or write: Primitive Archer, P.O. Box 79306, Houston, TX 77279-9306. Or call: 713.467.8202. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: U.S. 1 year $24, 2 years $44, 3 years $64; Canadian 1 year $26, 2 years $46, 3 years $66; Foreign 1 year $28, 2 years $48, 3 years $68. U.S. Funds Only.

ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS Manuscripts and photographs sent to Primitive Archer should be addressed to: The Editor, Primitive Archer, 883 Taft Ct., Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410. Electronic submissions are preferred. Please email manuscripts in Word format to: [email protected] Glossy prints or digital photos preferred. When sending prints, do not send originals, as they will not be returned. Digital photos must be 300 dpi at full size. If you have any questions about the best way to submit your article and pictures, please email the address above and a full list of criteria will be sent to you. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials including photographs and manuscripts. All unsolicited photographs or other likenesses, text, artwork or other copyrightable materials submitted conveys the unrestricted absolute perpetual, fully paid up, royalty-free, transferable worldwide rights to this publisher and/or its successors.

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

From the Editor,

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s I write this for our holiday issue of 2011, it doesn’t seem possible another year has gone by already. The fall hunting season is winding down in most places, and many of you have already filled your freezers with this fall’s wild game harvest. With the holidays almost upon us, others may still be spending a lot of time afield in an effort to bring home a Christmas dinner. Some of us, including yours truly, will be making our holiday hunting trip to the nearest grocery store to bag a turkey, goose, or glazed ham. Those in the Czech Republic will be shopping for a nice fresh carp for their traditional feast. Whatever the case, whether it’s Christmas or Chanukah, it’s a time of the year that holds a special meaning for many people throughout the world, Christians and non-Christians alike. This issue not only wraps up the year 2011 but also starts 2012 which marks the beginning of Primitive Archer Magazine’s 20th anniversary. I’d like to think this is a milestone but I think publishing a

magazine is a lot like trying to raise kids, you’d think it would get easier as you go along, but it doesn’t. There’ve been a lot of challenges during this nineteen-year span and the current economic problems so prevalent throughout the world are just another example. Once again this issue is made up of a variety of articles that we hope will appeal to your interests. From bow and arrow making and the tools to do it, to horse archery in the Middle East, and rendezvous and hunting adventures, you’ll find it all in this issue. Please remember our advertisers when you’re looking for gifts this holiday season. If you’re reading this magazine, there must be someone on your list that would love to have a gift from one or more of them. All of us at Primitive Archer extend our sincerest thanks and best wishes for a joyful and memorable holiday season. See you next year. –Ed Ingold


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To:EDITOR PA Rules

Laminate or Backed Bow Category:

Dear Editor, First, I would like to honor your wonderful magazine. My favorite columns are the bow building articles from Mark St. Louis, but I also enjoy the interesting hunting stories and to this I have a question. Why hunt the bow hunter’s squirrels? I can’t believe that they take that small animal only for practice. Or is the little meat the reason for the hunt? My next question is, how I can share in “The bow of the month”? And I have a request: the bow of the month is a very fascinating part of the magazine, but the photos of the bows are too small to see the details. Maybe it’s possible to print the photos a little bit greater. Best regards, —Hartwig Bleß, Bavarian, Germany

1. Any bow in which the bending portion of the limbs consist of more than one piece of material whether it be wood, horn, or bamboo shall be included in the Laminate category.

P.S. Please excuse my bad knowledge of the English language. Hartwig, Well, believe it or not, people do eat squirrels. Squirrel hunting is very popular, particularly in the southern part of the U.S. In addition to target practice, squirrel hunting can also provide meat for the table. I’ve posted the rules for Bow of the Month below. The Bow of the Month information is on the Primitive Archer Website message boards. I hope this is what you’re looking for. Thanks for your note. It’s always nice to hear from our readers in other parts of the world. —Ed Ingold

BOW OF THE MONTH CONTEST RULES Self Bow Category: 1. Any bow in which the bending portion of the limb is made of one piece of wood. Tip overlays and handle laminations count in the self bow category as long as the bending portion of the limbs remain one piece of wood.

2. Any use of fiberglass or phenolic in the bending portion of the limbs shall not be included in either category. Modern glues/epoxies and modern string materials for both categories are acceptable.

3. Include draw weight and length in your post as well as length of your bow. 4. Include type(s) of wood involved in making your bow.

Voting: Voting takes place starting the first day (usually) of the following month. All bows posted before 12 o’clock a.m. on the last day of the month shall be included in that month’s contest. Anything after 12 o’clock a.m. of the last day of the month will be included in the next month’s contest. The polls will be open for seven days. Each member is allowed one vote, and the results of the poll will be posted after the seven days are up. The winner will be announced at that time for each category. The winner of that month will be featured in the upcoming magazine and will be awarded with a Bow of the Month Winner Hat from Primitive Archer Magazine.

5. Include a few pics of the handle, tips, braced and unbraced profiles. These pics are not required but ARE preferred because once again, you worked hard on your bow so show it off in its best light and to the best of your ability. 6. If you post a full draw picture of your bow, I will automatically pick it up for the contest. If you do not want your bow in the contest, simply put “Not BOM” in the title of your post. Otherwise I will assume that you wanted your bow entered. 7. If you are declared the winner of either the Backed BOM contest or the Self BOM contest, you are required to give your name and location and subscription number for the magazine article.

Criteria for Bows in the Contest 1. All Bows that are to be included in the Bow of the Month Contest need to be posted in the “Bows” Forum. I will go through and find your bow and nominate it for the BOM contest from there. 2. Side view full draw shot where the whole bow can be seen from handle to each tip. Bow should preferably be drawn as close to a right angle from the camera to give the best representation of the tiller of the bow. Tillering board/tree pics are acceptable but

2. Bows backed with soft materials: rawhide, sinew, snake skins, and cloth backings all fall into the self bow category. 3. Modern string materials are allowed (some examples: B-50 dacron and Fast Flight).

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pics in which the bow is drawn by hand are preferred (and bring in more votes). Make sure the background of your pic is something that will contrast with your bow limbs so the tiller of your bow can be seen in the pic as well. I know most of us aren’t photographers but you DID work hard on your bow, so try to show it off the best you can.


8. Please note that by entering this competition you automatically give permission to “Bigger Than That Productions LLC,” the owner of PRIMITIVE ARCHER® magazine to utilize your photographs, digital images, name and address in the publication of the magazine and its online counterparts should you be selected as a winner of any category of BOW of the MONTH or BOW of the YEAR. Good luck everyone!

Sizing the Stone Dear Editor, Some time ago there was an article in PA about the regulations on stone arrowheads, and the author gave listings of legal sized arrowheads for each state in a the U.S. I have been digging through my back issues and can’t seem to find the article. I was wondering if you could help me out. I live in the state of Michigan, and I can’t seem to find any reference to arrowhead size on the DNR website either. I remember that there is a minimum width, but I don’t remember what it is. I would appreciate the info, thanks in advance. —Tattoo Dave Dave, The information you’re looking for is in the Hunting Columns by Tony Kinton in PA issues volumes 15 and 16, issues 15-5 through 16-3 (October/November 2007 through June/July 2008). I hope this helps. —Ed Ingold Dave, Call your local Parks and Wildlife Department. They will let you speak to a Game Warden. I just did this last week for the state of Texas. The Game Warden said: Minimum draw weight on bows has been lifted—it was 40 lbs. Broad Head requirements are at least two cutting edges, with a minimum cutting width of 7/8", regardless of it being stone or metal. I was also informed that you can hunt with a bow from the beginning of October until the end of hunting season around the end of December or the first week in January. —Johnny e-mail

WR I T E T H E E D I T O R EMAIL: [email protected] POSTED MAIL: The Editor, Primitive Archer 883 Taft Court Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

Easton Foundation and NFAA Foundation Award $16,000 Archery Scholarships Yankton, SD-Easton Sports Development Foundation and the National Field Archery Association Foundation are pleased to announce the Archery Scholarship Recipients for 2011. $16,000 in total scholarships was awarded to 23 student athletes in middle school, high school, and college that compete with either compound or recurve bows. Individual scholarship awards varied from $500 to $2,500. Top scholarships were awarded to Forrest Blakley of Cobdin, Illinois and Riley Whiting of Logan, Utah. “Archery is a lifestyle for me and has taught me discipline which has benefitted me not only in the field but also in the classroom”, Forrest stated. He is pursuing a degree in Agricultural Engineering at Shawnee Community College in southern Illinois where he also started an archery team. Forrest has been on the US Junior USAT for two years and participated as a member of the Junior World Indoor and Outdoor teams. He plans on attending the Olympic trials this fall. Riley said, “Receiving this scholarship is not only a pleasure, but it creates a wonderful opportunity for me to go to college and accomplish my goals and dreams in archery.” Riley recently made the United States Junior team and will be competing in Poland in mid-August. “Forrest and Riley are both outstanding athletes that developed their archery skill in youth programs, and have become seasoned competitive archers and we are very pleased to award each of them our top $2,500 scholarship awards for 2011”, stated Bruce Cull, President, NFAA. NFAA Scholarships were first awarded in 1990 to student athletes that compete in archery and excel in academic and intellectual achievement. The limitations of the original scholarship program were resolved in 2009 with the creation of the joint NFAA/Easton Foundation Scholarship Program. “The Easton and NFAA Foundations share the goal to support student athletes that compete in archery. We believe these scholarships will help us to develop stronger college archery programs and strengthen future Olympic and World Championship Teams. By combining our respective Foundation programs, we can award more student scholarships, and increase the scholarship levels. In 2011, $16,000 was awarded to 23 recipients. We expect the number of applications to increase in future years, and plan to award up to $50,000 in total annual scholarships in 2012,” said Greg Easton, President Easton Foundations. The 2009-11 scholarships are funded by an initial $150,000 grant from the Easton Foundation to the Easton-NFAA Foundation Scholarship Program. Future net revenue from the NFAA Easton Yankton Archery Complex, plus scholarship donations from both individuals and companies will be held in an endowment account to fund the scholarships in 2012 and beyond. Dave Gordon, of Gordon Composites, made a large personal contribution to the scholarship endowment fund. Dave stated, “Archery has been a big part of both my personal and business success. I believe the Easton-NFAA Foundation Scholarship program is an outstanding program to support our youth archers, and allows me to give back to the sport I love. Awarding our best archers and student athletes scholarships that allow them to pursue further education while competing in archery will help develop much stronger youth and college archery programs. I encourage everyone that shares my passion for archery and desire to support our young archers to make their own donation to the scholarship program.” Individuals or companies interested in donating to the scholarship endowment fund or learning more about the program are encouraged to contact Bruce Cull, NFAA President. The NFAA Foundation is a 501(c )3 Public Charity and all donations meet the IRS requirements as charitable donations. Scholarship applications, program requirements, and additional information is available on the NFAA website at www.fieldarchery.com, or from the NFAA Headquarters, 800 Archery Lane, Yankton, SD 57078. All applications for 2012 scholarships must be submitted to the NFAA Office by December 31, 2011. For additional information contact Natalie Vollmer, NFAA Executive Secretary, at 605-260-9279 or at [email protected].

President Easton Foundations, Greg Easton (L), Riley Whiting 2011 ESDF/NFAA Scholarship recipient (R).


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HuntingCOLUMN

Whitetails: On TheDecline?

B y To n y K i n t o n

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ew will argue that the whitetail is a grand animal, perhaps the number one game throughout much of the hunting world. Ranges extend from Canada on down through the United States and points southward. Populations are astounding. Some of us recall when deer were being relocated to establish herds where there were few or none. Even individuals not old enough to identify with those days will likely have some acquaintance with the veritable explosion of this cunning deer in the past two decades or so. The whitetail has become the quintessential icon of restoration and conservation success. With the numbers of deer available today, it is difficult to consider that a decline could be coming. That, however, is exactly what some whitetail experts foresee for the future. Not an alarming bust of the populations but definitely some adjustments and stabilization that will result in fewer deer in many many, if not all, locales now housing them. Well-known wildlife biologist Kip Adams, whose writing and research often appears in, among other publications, Quality Whitetails, a magazine of the Quality Deer Management Association, says some decline could take place. Some of this, he notes, is by design. Adams cites the fact that for years hunters have been advised to take does from the burgeoning herds in an effort to keep deer within carrying capacity. This mantra has been adopted by most, and it has, in some measure and in some locales, accomplished its goal of

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herd reduction. That alone spells a decline in numbers. “Some states already have fewer deer, most of this by region,” Adams says. Is it possible that these states/regions may have taken deer down lower than initially intended? Is it time to take a close look at doe harvests to be sure that this practice doesn’t adversely impact populations? Predators are another potential cause for decline. This is particularly true of areas that now have coyotes where there were few or none in decades past. An influx of coyotes and their rapid expansion can definitely cut into fawn survival. Diseases must not be overlooked. There are a variety of maladies that can get into a deer herd and reduce population growth. This is often pronounced in areas where herds are extremely dense. And the forests themselves, particularly hardwood forests, have an affect on the whitetail herds. “Mature forests can’t sustain deer herds as these forests did in the maturing stages,” Adams says. “This is happening all over the East and North, not so much in the South.” The South is dotted with pine plantations and timber rotation is the norm. Adams adds that maturing forests that at one time were viable habitat for deer, become mature and less productive forests so slowly that we don’t notice the change until it comes. Cover is dramatically reduced and the groceries are simply not there in abundance. As a result, deer numbers dwindle. So regarding the decline or potential for decline, Adams concludes, “It is a combination of a lot of little things: doe harvest, predation, disease, forest maturation.” But, he also notes that reduced herds are generally in good shape to rebound should the need arise. Another potential threat to whitetails and wise management that deserves mention is that any noticeable decline could dissuade hunters now accustomed to a steady parade of deer on any given day in the woods. Should these hunters be inclined to curtail their hunting and purchases of licenses and gear, funds for wildlife agencies and other organizations involved in sustaining healthy herds could suffer. This in turn could cause the deer herds to suffer as well. Without adequate participation by those who have done the most in the past, the future could be less than what it might and should be. This must not happen. Will we lose the whitetail? Absolutely not. Will there be fewer deer in the future, at least in specific areas? Perhaps. But the news is still good. The whitetail is an adaptable survivor, one sure to be with us as the years unfold. These are grand animals, number one in the eyes of most.

CloserLOOK

Product Reviews

B y To n y K i n t o n

KOWA

Kowa has introduced the Genesis 33 and Genesis 44 binoculars specifically geared to the hunter. Both models feature Prominar XD Lens. All lenses and prisms are manufactured with a multi-layered coating, assuring a bright, clear view. The waterproof housing is filled with dry nitrogen to prevent fogging, allowing use in rain and other harsh weather conditions. A durable magnesium frame keeps the weight at a minimum, and both Genesis models feature twist-up eyecups for use with or without eyeglasses. The minimum focusing distance for the Genesis 33 is 5 feet, 5.5 for the Genesis 44. For more information on these and other Kowa products, go to www.kowa-usa.com.

Pine Hollow Longbows Mike Yancey of Pine Hollow Longbows has introduced a new line designed specifically for shooters who are active in rendezvous and/or who want an entry-level bow typical of Northeastern Indians. This line is the Mohegan. The bows are made of hickory and are 64" – 66" long. They bend in the handle and are deflex/reflex. Each bow comes with a grease finish, fast flight string and string silencers. The reflexed tips are stained a rich red and the handle section is black. These bows are shot off the hand and can be used either left or right handed. They come tillered and ready to shoot. Special-order bows can be made in shorter lengths, but those 64" – 66" are ready to ship in 40/45, 45/50, or 50/55 draw weights. For additional information on all Pine Hollow products, go to www.pinehollowlongbows.com.

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Millennium The name Millennium is now well established in the tree stand market. Makers of lock on, climber, and ladder stands, Millennium produces strong, reliable products sure to serve the needs of hunters well. This company’s ComfortTech seat, made from non-stretch, UV-resistant PolyTech fabric, is perhaps the most comfortable seat ever developed. New from Millennium is the L50 Ladder Stand. The L50 is priced significantly below the other ladder stands from the company but is not short on features. The ladder is of welded-steel construction and has a durable powder-coat finish. The stand has an adjustable padded shooting rail/arm rest and the ComfortTech tight sling seat. The platform measures 20” X 19” and puts the hunter 16 feet high. Set up is quiet and easy. Total weight for the entire unit is 55 pounds. For additional information, go to www.millenniumstands.com.

Hunter Rescue The stories are too numerous. A hunter slips from a stand or that stand gives way, spilling the hunter. That hunter, if he or she is wise, has on a harness of some sort and is kept from falling, but that doesn’t alleviate potential dangers. A hunter suspended for long periods by a harness can face a multitude of issues that impact health. Enter the Hunter Rescue™ Self Recovery Fall Arrest System. This full-body harness system is more than just a tool to interrupt the fall. It also allows the user to lower him or herself to the ground. Locating the lanyard to the release arm and pulling down will accomplish this. The same amount of force to initiate a pull up is required to gently glide down. A lighter person takes less force than does a heavier person. To stop at any point, simply release the lanyard. The devise will stop the descent automatically. The system has a lifetime warranty and is made in the USA. For more information, go to www.hunterrescue.com.


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Late Season The

By Mickey Lot z

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had hunted a lot during the early season which began in late September. The temperatures were more temperate and the deer herd more relaxed. The deer were sleek in their light brown coats and fat after a summer of plenty. The does had many offspring to bolster the herd, and by early October their spots were gone, and they were nearly as big as their mamas. Some of the local bucks had grown impressive racks and, after a short time 10

spent rubbing the velvet off their antlers (in the process ruining three of my wife’s prized dogwood trees), were ready for the trials and tribulations associated with nature’s annual plan for the continuation of the species. This year I was hunting with “Natchez,” a slim little Osage bow made by David Mims of Mississippi. I named the bow “Natchez” in honor of the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway, a National Scenic Byway that runs from Nashville, Tennessee, through the


Author hunting during the late season

northwestern corner of Alabama down to Natchez, Mississippi. Following a geographical ridgeline, the Trace was originally a trail used by prehistoric game animals to travel to and from the salt licks of central Tennessee, to the lush grazing lands southward, and on down to the Mississippi river. Prehistoric hunters followed the game animals on these migrations, as did the Native Americans, followed by the European

“Natchez” by creek bordering author's property settlers. Deck hands from the north rode and worked the supply boats floating down the Mississippi River to Natchez before collecting their pay and walking along the Trace back to their homes in the north. During the Civil War, the Trace became a vital supply route for the southern armies. The deeply worn paths used for thousands of years by both animals and men are still clearly visible along sections of the Trace. My wife and I have ridden the Natchez Trace end to end in both directions by motorcycle. Straight in places and curvy in others, it is an idyllic ride through a different time in the south, absent of commercialism, stoplights, billboards, or commercial traffic. The Mims bow mirrors this great road, being straight in places and curvy in places, taking me back to a time when man hunted with simpler weapons, void of the commercialism so rampant in archery today. The name seemed to fit. This bow is another example of David’s mastery of Osage and bow design, measuring 63" nock to nock and one and a quarter inches at the widest part of the limb tapering to very slender tips. It pulls 41# at my draw length. In my solo quiver was a hand made

Heavily used game trails are easily visible during the late season

Deer following heavily used game trail Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

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Deer during late season hunt tapered maple shaft weighing 590 grains with Indian-style fletching, tipped with a filesharpened Magnus two-blade cut-on-impact head. At 14 grains per pound of bow weight, I was confident that given the opportunity, this bow and arrow combo would be more than sufficient to get the job done. As the early season wound down, I reflected on how it had gone. In probably forty trips to the field I had seen over one hundred deer, many of them nice bucks. I passed up some really close shots at deer that, in hindsight, I shouldn’t have. I also made two poor shots, shooting slightly under one deer and having my arrow deflect off an unseen branch causing me to miss another. My son, Brian, teasingly said I was practicing “catch and release bow hunting,” having all of the fun of the hunt, with none of the work. That may have been true, but as the early season came to an end with no venison in the freezer, it seemed I would be hunting the late season this year. It would not be my first late season hunt, and hopefully it won’t be my last. The late season is easy to recognize. The reds, oranges, and yellows of the early season are long gone, replaced with drab 12

Doe bedded in snow


blacks, dull browns, and finally the muted white of accumulating snow. The temperature has gone from cool mornings with warm days to cold days with frigid mornings and evenings. The dried maple and oak leaves no longer flutter in the wind, having long since released their tenuous grip and drifted to the forest floor. Many of nature’s critters which had been busy collecting food stores for the winter have pretty much denned up in either grass-lined underground burrows or in furlined holes high in the trees. The late season comes after the midNovember rut, when bucks are no longer frantically running here and there, searching for receptive does. It also follows the post-Thanksgiving Ohio gun season, which removes more than 120,000 animals from our deer herd, leaving the survivors nervous, spooked, and mostly nocturnal. The late season in my area lasts about two months, from the first of December until the end of the hunting season the first week of February. The best part of hunting the late season for me is hunting in the snow. I love hunting when it’s frosty cold, there’s no wind, and the snow is silently falling. Big white flakes lazily float down to rest on top of a million or so just like them, piling into a soft white blanket that covers everything in the woods that’s lying horizontally. When the silence is so deafening, the only thing I can hear is the ringing in my ears. It’s so serene and relaxing. Another difference between the early season and the late season is how you must dress to cope with the change of seasons. With temperatures hovering around freezing most of the time, one must wear layers of heavier clothing if one wants to hunt for very long. Once you get cold you might as well go home. When cold, you end up moving to get warm. Move too much and you end up getting spotted by the deer. You need to be able to stand or sit comfortably to hunt effectively. I start with a base layer of non-itchy soft Merino wool, long sleeved top, long bottoms, and socks. Over that goes a turtleneck, then a sweatshirt, followed by either flannel-lined jeans or a bib of fleece insulated with thinsulate. On top of that goes a heavy plaid wool jacket. The colors in the plaid

Freshly vacated bed

Faint blood trails are easier to follow in the snow


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

match the surroundings of brown and white. On my feet I wear a pair of rubber bottomed Pac boots with a thick wool liner. Lastly, I don a white knit watch cap and knit gloves with the three shooting fingers of the right hand cut off to go over my shooting glove. Dressed like this, I can hunt for most of the day without getting too cold. Once chilled, I simply head to the house for a cup of hot tea and a bowl of soup to warm up. I figure there’s no sense in torturing myself— the deer will still be in the woods on the next day I choose to chase them. Even though one has to dress like the Michelin man while hunting a much reduced deer herd in less than ideal conditions, hunting the late season is not without its advantages. Because the farm crops have long been harvested, the acorns gobbled up months ago, and what few edible leaves nibbled off their stems, any dependable food source becomes a magnet for deer in the area. Honeysuckle thickets

are often hit hard once everything else is gone. Although there are fewer deer, with most of the leaves down and a blanket of white covering the ground, they are much easier to see. Snow leaves the perfect canvas upon which the deer paint their travel patterns for your observation and interpretation. Hitting the woods for a scouting trip the day after a fresh snow will allow you to see precisely where the deer are traveling, what paths they are currently using, what areas they are feeding, and where they are bedding. Armed with this information, you will know the best places to put your stand or build your ground blind in order to intercept them. If you do manage to arrow a deer, a blanket of snow makes following a blood trail much easier. Trails that would have been lost in the early season when a wounded deer changed its direction are easy to sort out when the crimson stained tracks are visible in the snow. Also, there is

no confusing blood spots in snow with those bright red spots on yellow maple leaves in early fall. A deer is much easier to drag, or rather slide, on top of a layer of snow as well. Regardless of the advantages and my personal enjoyment of hunting the late season, this late season hunt closed without a deer in the freezer. It was the first time in many, many years. Am I disappointed? Sure. But who can complain? I spent a lot of enjoyable time in the woods hunting with an awesome wood bow made and gifted to me by a good friend. My unfilled tag is a vivid reminder that it should always be more about the hunt than about the kill. And the hunt was good. I had lots of close encounters with deer, passed up some easy shots, and missed a couple others. Without those passed shots and misses, I never would have gotten the opportunity to do one of my favorite things, hunt the late season.


15

Golden Crow Bow braced

The First Annual Primitive Archer B y J o s h Va n c e

F

Bow Trade

or many others and myself the Primitive Archer Magazine-sponsored message board is a daily ritual, like waking from bed in the morning and getting a pot of coffee brewing or taking your dog for a walk. Primitive Archer serves a wide range of people with different experience levels. It is an excellent resource to get information from top-notch bowyers who have been there and learned the hard way. It is the place to learn a great amount in a very short time, share pictures of your work, and see others’ work. Not only is it a great place to learn and share, but it is a great place to get to know others and make great friends with people you can relate to because of a common interest in primitive archery and other primitive skills. 16

As I sifted through the new threads on Primitive Archer’s bow section, I looked down and saw the title “Primitive Archer Bow Trade.” It automatically captured my attention. Pat Brennan (Pat B), well known on the Primitive Archer message board for his beautiful bows and willingness to give reliable and helpful advice whenever asked, had started the topic and wanted to know who would be interested in a Primitive Archer bow trade. Apparently, some bowyers had expressed to him that they would like to see a bow trade started and Primitive Archer was willing to let us use the site to do the trade. Pat agreed to help with the rules and would be participating in the trade but he needed someone to run it and collect


participants’ names and information. I decided to volunteer to help with that. A key point Pat made in the message thread about this trade was that it was “NOT about what you receive BUT about the spirit of giving and sharing that makes these trades work.” I read a quote on the thread from a new member, BOXTOP, that said, “The concept of a trade that brings a group of people together I THINK IS REALLY GREAT!” His statement expressed exactly how I felt. I believe the others who have been involved in these trades would agree. The names started pouring in, and by the end of the first day there were 23 participants signed up. By the end of the second day, we had all worked together and

agreed on a sign up deadline, which Pat B announced would be the 28th of February at 6:00 p.m. This left thirteen days for people to throw their name in the hat. We also agreed the latest date to ship the bows to their new homes would be the 4th of July. Therefore, the participants had roughly four months to put their hearts and souls into their trade bows. If they finished early, they could ship the bow off sooner, thus increasing anticipation. This timeframe complemented the fact that the trade welcomed people who are new to bow building as well as experienced veterans. Also, if things from everyday life got in the way or something else went wrong, you could rest easy knowing you had a good amount of time to work on your bow without rushing.

Golden Crow Bow unbraced profile

Signature and bow specs written on the belly of the bow

Golden Crow Bow made by Lee Slikkers Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

17

Another picture of the buffalo horn tip overlays

Lee Slikkers “Golden Crow Bow” Buffalo horn tip overlays 18


On February 28 at 6:00 p.m. the sign up closed with a total of 51 people signed up! Considering that this was the First Annual Primitive Archer Bow Trade, I was very impressed and excited. I wasn’t the only one though—I would be remiss if I did not mention the excitement and enthusiasm expressed by everyone surrounding the trade. The overall excitement was as impressive if not more than the number of participants! The sign up period came and went. I gathered the names and information and forwarded it all to Marie (calendargirl) who had kindly volunteered to draw the names from a hat for the trade. The next few hours the anticipation was almost too much to bear. It seemed like we were all on the edge of our seats waiting for our “giftee’s” name. Marie had all 51 names, information, and addresses. She was responsible for drawing and sending out the information and it seemed to take forever. Finally, she had notified each of us who we would be building a bow for; some of us were a little nervous about that, but we were all very excited!

Crow feathers tied to a small knot on the back of the bow—nice touch in my opinion—and could work well as a wind direction gauge

The unbraced profile of the bow Osage outlaw received from Sidewinder

The braced profile of the bow Osage outlaw received

Another aspect of the trade was that you would know for whom you were building a bow but NOT know who was building a bow for you. This was very exciting for me and left me in wonder of who was building my bow. Because of the wide range of experience and craftsmanship that the

participants in this trade have, some of the newer, less experienced guys (including me) were a little nervous when we found out that we would be building a bow for someone who had more advanced bow building skills. However, the less experienced guys would just have to do the best that they could possibly do and put everything they had into their task at hand. This was important to keep in mind. The

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spirit of the trade meant knowing that the recipient would be happy with the bow they received because of the effort, time, and heart put into their gift. Within the first month of the trade, people were already making great progress on their trade bows. A few had even finished and shipped their bows to the intended recipient. By mid-May, the bows were being sent out one after another. It

1-Year $20.00 2-Year $36.00 3-Year $54.00

Visit www.PrimitiveArcher.com for more info and to subscribe Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

19

Signature, bows poundage, and draw length written on the bow by Sidewinder. Also showing a good shot of the grip as well as the beauty of Osage.

The shot we as bowyers call the money shot (full draw). The bow Is made from Osage Orange pulling 52 pounds @ 27".

was encouraging to see a good number of the participants doing build-alongs and keeping us updated on the progress of their trade bow by posting pictures and details on the message boards. It also added to the excitement because whenever I saw another trade bow build along or update come up on the message board, I, for one, was in constant wonder if this bow could be the one that would end up on my doorstep! I freely admit this even though this trade was about the spirit of giving. I’m sure we who were involved can all agree that giving something you put your heart and soul into feels great, but I also have to say that I was really excited to receive my trade bow. There is something wonderful about shooting and/or receiving a bow that another bowyer built for you. So even though I am a 26-year-old man, I felt like a kid at Christmas. I remember relating to other comments I read in multiple threads about the trade on the message boards regarding the UPS truck. Every time the UPS truck drove up the street, I would rush to the door to watch them stare at me in wonder as they drove on by and, apparently, I wasn’t alone. Many of the members of this trade expressed that they learned so much from this experience and were forced to push their bow building skills to another level. In return this made them better bowyers. I will end in saying that, in my honest opinion, (and I hope others will agree) the First Annual Primitive Archer Bow Trade was a huge success! I will definitely be involved in next year’s trade. Thanks again to everyone who was involved. I hope next year’s trade will have twice the members involved and be as fun as this years!

Here you see a picture of the bow braced hanging from a nice group of arrows shot into the target. As you can see, three of the four arrows are touching. 20


Arrow-making workshop (by Kay Koppedrayer)

Making Bamboo

Arrows

By K ay Koppedrayer

“I cannot believe that you’d just shoot it away when you’re all done. I mean, look, you’re just shooting away something that takes this much time and work.” –Frank “I can’t believe I actually made this.” –Ulrich “Amazing that people ever went to war, given what it takes to make an arrow.” –Frank “Patience is everything.” –Julia

Opening and straightening shafts (by Birgit Eicher)

I

Imagine gateways and entrances, open terraces with traces of fresh herbs, walkways, living fences from bamboo, a dojo, privacy, frogs croaking, then silence as a snake approaches. Outside, working in open air, the steps to making arrows seem simple. You begin by choosing your shaft. This will be determined by they type of arrow you want to make: a war arrow, a target arrow, or a presentation piece. Choices and indecision. You look at the raw shafts. They look so pitiful, dirty, and crooked. You try hard not to shrink from the work that lies ahead. Jaap explains where to begin. Make a choice, and then open the shafts. Get the wire red hot. Hold it steady. Watch that you don’t singe the walls as you burn through the first membrane. Move on to the next and the next. Reheat the wire; it has cooled off.

Opening and straightening shafts (by Birgit Eicher)

Straightening shafts (by Janusz Suma)

Begin straightening. Use heat. Stretch the bamboo. The first heating is your only chance to make it taut. He shows you how to use the tool to push, pull, and work the bamboo. You

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

Stretching the shaft (by Birgit Eicher)

Skinning the shaft (by Janusz Suma) Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

23

are small, the bamboo slippery. The smoke from the charcoal brazier gets in your eyes. Heat, sunshine, concentration. Silence. No one is talking now. Oops, too much pressure. What was crooked is becoming straight, but what was straight is now crooked. Learn to observe what happens. Then as your fingers move in the right way, you are asked to move to the next step. Your arrow shaft is straight enough. Time to work the nodes. Use a sharp knife. You wish yours were sharper. Remember to get the angle right. Cut, shave, and slice. Work the shafts. Shine them. More straightening. Arghh, will they ever be perfectly straight? Who demands perfection anyway? How will they shoot? What now? Look, the nodes are narrowed, the skin shaved, the shaft polished. Oh, there’s more. Nocks to insert, tips to glue, bindings to make, fletches to shave, quills to be shaved. You need to sear the edges of the quill. Ah, the smell of burning feathers. So, this is what arrow-making smells like. He tells you all you need when attaching the fletches is a steady hand and a good eye. Good luck, you seem to have neither. The glue is drying too quickly. It’s

Second straightening (by Kay Koppedrayer)

Preparing the fletches (by Birgit Eicher)

Preparing the fletches (by Birgit Eicher) 24


Gluing the fletches (by Janusz Suma)

hard to work the thread. Wait, there’s still time to straighten the fletches. Now it is time to tie off the fletches. Patience. Keep wrapping. Turn after turn after turn. Keep your rhythm steady. Distraction shows in the finished work. And then when you think you’re done, it’s time to trim your fletches. One slip of the scissors and you’re back to square one. Or, maybe what you really wanted all along was a flight arrow with very closely cropped fletches. Who needs wide fletches anyway. One more adjustment with the scissors and you’re done. Close your eyes while you’re cutting. No! Keep them open. Watch what you’re doing. And then, at last, victory! You stand back. You can’t believe you made this. Author’s Note: This article draws on reflections of the participants in a bamboo arrow-making workshop held in April 2011 in Bad Durkheim, Germany. Jaap Koppedrayer of YUMI Archery ran the seminar. Fritz and Birgit Eicher graciously hosted it at their Haku-un-Kan-Kyudojo located adjacent to their residence in Bad Durkheim.

Binding the fletches (by Kay Koppedrayer)

AskPA Bill Young from Sarver, PA, asks:

Q

: My name is Bill Young and I just subscribed to P.A.M. Saw your article in my first copy (Sept. 10). I am 86 years old and have made a few bows but have never bent or heat-treated wood! Would you please answer a few questions for me? • Can I bend a 2" square piece of Osage? This piece is 6' long and has a sideways bend 18" from one end. • How hot does the wood need to be? • Can I use a cutting torch with wide flame for heating? (I cut this Osage ten to twelve years past and it is dry but straight grained.) • Have you ever tried Osage using part of the sapwood? I ran a band saw through the 6' length and it’s hard. Marc, I sure would give thanks for the information you can help me with.

A

: Yes, you can bend a 2" square piece of Osage. One simple method is to clamp the wood on the end that it is bent in a sturdy vise that is well bolted down; clamping it that way gives you the long end to pry on for leverage. Clamp the wood so the outside of the bend you want to straighten is facing outwards. The reason for this is that heating the outside of the bend is much safer; trying to straighten the wood from the inside of the bend can produce cracks in the wood as the dry heat will dry out the wood. Once the stave is clamped, prop out the other end so there is considerable pressure. Apply heat to the wood along the bend and it will straighten out as it heats up. The wood has to be heated very slowly. I’ve never measured the temperature of the wood but I have measured the temperature at the wood’s surface using a candy thermometer and it was about 400° F. I don’t believe a cutting torch can be used with a wide flame directly on the wood; this will just scorch the wood and very little of the heat will penetrate into the wood. A heat-gun is a handy tool to have when making bows, but if you don’t have one of those then you could make the torch work. You could perhaps devise some type of metal shield that’s a few inches away from the wood. You could then play the flame on this metal shield and when that gets hot the radiant heat will heat up the wood. A piece of wood that size has to heat up slowly for it to bend. Another source of heat you could use is a plain old hardwood fire that has burnt down to coals. Lots of wood has been straightened with a fire. You would need some method of applying pressure on the bend and if you don’t have a vice or clamp handy, you could use a

26


HeatBending

By Marc St . Louis

Osage

couple of trees that grow close together. Once again, heat the outside of the bend. Just make sure that you are ready to bend after heating up the piece of wood; if the wood cools too much, it won’t bend as well. Rehearse this procedure beforehand so that you can do it smoothly and fast. I can’t say I have ever made an Osage bow with some of the sapwood still on, but I know that there are some people out there who have, with success.

Jim Faggard from Morton, MS, asks:

Q

: I have made a few hickory and Osage long flatbows for friends and grandsons. They look and shoot fine as any bow you might buy, but after a few days shooting they have a bend or curve in them—you might say they keep a little bow shape in them. I looked at bows you buy and they are straight. I was reading Primitive Archer “Ask PA” and you were putting heat on the bows and making them hold their shape. How hot can you go before the wood dries out? Do you heat the total bow or are just the limbs heated? What temps? I use a little heat to make a bow limb that is not straight, straighten up. Just heat it and bend it with my hand. But I have never tried to heat the total bow. If you get time drop me an e-mail.

A

: I gather that what you mean is that your bows follow the string—that is to say they keep a bit of their braced shape when you unstring them. The correct term for this is that the bow “has taken set.” This is common but when severe, can be due to a few different reasons. If your wood was too wet when you made the bows, then they will follow the string more so than when a bow is made from seasoned wood. Another reason is the wood has been overstrained, either from the bow being too short for the design or not enough of the limbs working. If you live in an area that has very high humidity most of the time, Florida is a good example, then bows will tend to take more set than the same bow in a dry climate.

In any case, here’s how you can use dry heat to take the set out of your bows. When you heat-treat the bows limbs—yes, that is the only part of the bow you use heat on—the limbs will get quite hot. The back of the limb will get hot enough that you won’t be able to keep your hand on it for more than a couple of seconds. That means that you will have to heat it up fairly slowly. The heat has to travel deep enough that it acts on just more than the surface wood. The two methods I use are with a heat gun (the ones you use to strip paint off furniture) or an open fire. If you use a fire, then I find that it works best with a hardwood fire that has burned down to the coals. The coals throw off quite a lot of heat without the flames and last long enough to do at least one limb without having to stop and stoke up the fire again. It is easier to use a heat gun though, and you have more control over what is happening, so that is what I use most of the time. You won’t be able to straighten or add reflex by hand, there’s just too much heat being used. An easy way of adding reflex, or to just straighten the limbs if you don’t have a jig and clamps, is to reverse brace the bow at a low brace, that means to string it up backwards a little bit. I would recommend that you add a bit of reflex as it will give you a boost in performance. You can’t use a plastic string for the reverse bracing procedure as it will melt from the heat. Natural fiber baling twine or a strong cotton cord works well. With a fire you want to hold the bow belly down over the coals, about one foot away from the coals. Of course, this depends on how big a fire you’ve made. The wood should take a couple of minutes over the coals before it even starts to turn color and a full four or five minutes before it turns a dark brown color. You want to avoid turning the wood black though. If the wood turns black, then you have gone too far. With a fire, you need to turn the bow over often to check the progress. Heat-treating over a fire is sort of like grilling a steak over a fire, too close and you scorch your meat, too far and it takes forever to cook.

Send your questions to: Marc St. Louis P.O. Box 1132 • Mattawa, ON • Canada P0H1V0 Or email: [email protected] You can also contact me at http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php

Webb Hammond from Seabeck, WA, asks:

Q

: Hey there Marc, I’m about to start tillering an Osage bow of two billets that I joined together. I just checked the moisture content, and it says that its 4–6%. The section in the first Bowyers Bible says about 7–12, so can I hydrate this piece of wood up to make it safe to work? Can you give me some advice? I had hoped to have this ready for a moose hunt in Alberta in two weeks. Thank you, Webb Hammond.

A

: It can be rehydrated. One method would be to leave it in your washroom for a few days, the RH is always much higher in there, especially if you have someone in the house that likes to take showers. Just monitor the MC every day till it reaches 9% or so. Another method that may be faster is to brush some water on the wood, then bag it in a plastic bag. Just check the MC every day; brushing on water as is necessary until it reaches the MC you want. If the wood has reached such a low MC just sitting in your house, it will eventually go back down to that moisture level unless you find a way to monitor and keep the RH at an acceptable level. A little used room with a humidifier or pots of water may be an option.

With the cost of everything going up, you owe it to yourself to subscribe to P.A. Why subscribe? With the printed hard copy you: 1) SAVE BIG BUCKS!!!!! 2) Have the magazine delivered to your home or office! 3) Have it in your hands quicker than waiting on newsstand delivery! 4) Never have to worry about store availability and missing an issue! Primitive Archer NOW offers an electronic subscription package that can be accessed not only by your home or laptop computer but also through smart phones, I-pads and I-pods. With the digital copy you: 1) SAVE BIG BUCKS!!!!! 2) Have it instantly delivered from the PA website! 3) Have it available on multiple platforms! Anyway you cut it, any type of subscription provides a distinct advantage over newsstand pricing. Our international readers will reap even higher rewards.

Save Up To 55% Off The Cover Price Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

27

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

Tools By Mickey Lot z

Trade

of the

I

f your desire is to make a wood bow, you are going to need some tools. This article will deal with the tools used in the making of natural-wood onepiece bows (not backed, laminated, or board bows). I will reference Osage a lot in this article because I use it a lot, but the principals of tool use work for all the woods, whether whitewood or yellow. I once competed in a contest where the only tool one could use to fashion a bow, from start to finish, was a hatchet. This included acquiring the wood, cutting it to shape, tillering the limbs, and even cutting in the nocks. It took me approximately nine hours to make my bow using the hatchet (for the record, my bow came in third out of nine submitted in that particular event). However, if you aren’t interested in going

A selection of draw knives: the one on top, the Sorby, is the author's favorite; the third and fourth from the top can also be used as scrapers.

quite that primitive and want to be able to make a few bows, I suggest getting several specific bow making tools which will make your job much easier. In my opinion, there are two types of tool groups. Group One: tools that are pretty much indispensable, in that it would be difficult to make bows without them. Group Two: tools that are not absolutely necessary but nice to have, enabling one to make the job of bow building just a bit easier. Each bowyer has his favorite tools and each individual decides in which group a particular tool belongs. As you acquire tools, you may think you are buying for Group Two but end up using your purchase so much you find, at least for you, it belongs in Group One. I will cover the tools I consider Group One and mention tools I consider Group Two as well. To begin, you must decide whether you will cut your own trees for staves or purchasing your bow wood. I suggest purchasing your first couple pieces of wood from a reputable seller (if you don’t know anyone willing to give you a couple pieces of good wood). Make sure you explain to your wood source that you are a novice bowyer looking for straight, clean Osage with around seven to nine growth rings per

Files and rasps: A farrier's or hoof file, a Nicholson 50, three cornered file, four cornered file, another three cornered file and various round files including chain saw files for cutting string nocks.

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

Measuring: 48" metal straightedge, yard stick, 12" ruler, author’s homemade tiller gauge, author's invented bowyer's ruler, hand-held bow scale, and pencil. inch. You may pay handsomely for such a piece of wood, but, take my word for it, in the long run it will be worth the money. A knotty twisted piece of wood with 30 or more growth rings to the inch will be a very difficult piece of wood for a novice to work. Save that until you have a few dozen bows under your belt. Once you’ve made a bow or two, you can decide if you are truly interested in making more. Making a wood bow is a lot of hard work. Many, after making their first, decide it’s more work than they are willing to put forth and they’d rather buy bows made by someone else. Make just one and you will soon realize why a good bowyer asks as much as he does for a “simple wood bow.” If you decide you are going to be making quite a few bows, it would benefit you to start cutting your own wood. If you do, the first tool you will find indispensable is a chain saw. Now, I suppose you could use a double bit axe to fell, cut free, and trim an Osage tree, say ten to twelve inches in diameter, but I’m pretty sure you’d only do it once before investing in a good chain saw. In addition you will need a hatchet, a maul, and at least four steel splitting wedges. Six wedges would be even better. There’s nothing worse than being twenty miles from home, a quarter mile from the truck, standing in the middle of a fence row dripping sweat (even though it’s the dead of winter), splitting a big Osage log you’ve just brought down, and having all your wedges

30


Bow vice: Author’s pedestal floor vice with 5" swivel vice with magnetic soft jaws.

stuck head deep in the cracks of the stubborn wood. Don’t ask me how I know. Chain saw, hatchet, maul, and wedges are most assuredly Group One tools. Once you have a supply of aged quarter splits, it’s time to get them down to near bow making dimensions. For this step, you will need some way to hold the quarter split while you are working on it. Most bow makers use a bowyer’s bench, with a large head and a foot pedal using leg pressure to clamp the wood. These are Group One tools for most. Some use a small three- or four-inch vice bolted to a workbench. I use a steel pedestal mounted five-inch swivel vice with both hard and soft jaws bolted to my workroom floor. For me, the pedestal mounted vice is my Group One tool in the wood securing category, and I really don’t

know how I ever made bows before building this tool. My bowyer’s bench has been sitting in my shed unused for years now, relegated to a Group Two tool. To begin the wood removal process, some bowyers will use a band saw for cutting bow staves to length, to width, for removing excess belly wood, and for removing bark and sapwood from the back. I avoid using power tools when making bows, but other bowyers have no problem using them. Each bow maker should make up his own mind on that subject. Personally, other than the initial felling of the tree with the chainsaw, I make the rest of my bows using nothing but hand tools. I enjoy the process of making bows; using my hands and the hand tools of the craft is part of the process for me. If I were making bows for a living, perhaps I would choose the quicker, easier electric power way, but since I make bows for my personal enjoyment, I stick with the tools I enjoy using. My tool of choice for removing the bark, the sapwood, for reducing a quarter split to near bow dimensions, and for removing excess belly wood is a large drawknife. This is a necessity—a Group One tool for me. I use a Robert Sorby drawknife out of Sheffield, England. Strong steel and a wide thick sharp blade with deep tangs all the way through the handles make this drawknife a real workhorse, capable of hogging off lots of wood in a short period of time. Running into a knot is not a problem for the Sorby. It cuts right through them. Even though it can remove wood like a rabid beaver, by using a more delicate hand, one can also remove the bark and sapwood down to just above the growth ring you wish to use for your back. I do have another much smaller drawknife made in Sweden that I use for delicate drawknife work and for scraping. This is a Group Two tool for me: not necessary, just nice to have. For cutting the bow stave to length, I use a standard cross cut handsaw, which for me is another Group One tool. Without using a band saw, there are few options for cutting off two ends of a quarter split. The cross cut saw is fast and efficient for this purpose. Once the bark and sapwood are

Pedestal vice holding Osage for bark removal. removed, the next tool you’ll need is one for scraping the back into a single clean growth ring. There is only one tool for this—the steel cabinet scraper. This Group One tool comes in different shapes, mainly rectangular and gooseneck. I have dozens of cabinet scrapers, but if you are like me, you’ll find among the dozens there will be one or two that you prefer for how they feel in your hand and how they shave the wood. You will find yourself instinctively reaching for them whenever scraping is needed. The next step is bow layout. For this, you will need something for measuring, something to use as a straight edge, and of course a pencil. Any sharp pencil will do, as

Vice versatility: standing Osage in vice at 45 degree angle.

will any ruler or wooden yardstick. However, for making a lot of bows several tools will be indispensable. A carpenter’s chalk line for laying out the initial centerline down the crown of the stave is a real time saver. A forty-eight-inch metal rule is essential for laying out long straight lines. For bow dimensions, you can easily measure from your centerline. These are Group One tools, no doubt. However, I found the wooden rulers, the yardsticks, and even the metal rule lacking because the back of a stave is naturally curved and not flat. As result, I came up with a specific ruler designed just for making bows. I called it a “Bowyer’s Rule” but on the

With soft jaws installed and vice swiveled it’s easy to work on tips and nocks.

internet archery boards, it got nicknamed Ferret’s Floppy Ruler. If you go to the Primitive Archer Magazine’s website (www.primitivearcher.com) in the “HowTo’s and Build-a-longs” section of the message board forum, search “Ferret’s Floppy Ruler-PDF File” (or Google that name) and there is a PDF file for downloading and printing your own. It’s a handy tool for making bow layout a snap, especially for beginners. Things like limb widths (3 different sizes), tip width, nock location, handle width and length, and fade lengths (2 different sizes) are all marked on the bendable ruler for accurate and easy bow layout. It’s a Group One tool for me, and I believe it will be for you as well. Once you get your stave to near bow dimensions, you will need a tool to reduce belly wood in order to get your limbs bending and to shape your handle, fades, and dips. My Group One tool for this job is the Farrier’s rasp (a large rasp for flattening horse’s hooves prior to shoeing). This rasp, with different coarseness of teeth on each side, will remove large amounts of wood without causing excessive damage to the 32


wood. Use one side of the rasp for hogging and the other side for smoothing out the gouges from the first side. Group Two tools in this category include the Nicholson #49 and #50 rasps, the four-in-one or four cornered rasp (rounded on one side, flat on the other with four different grades of rasp depending on which side or which end of the rasp you are using), and the 10" half round

file (rounded on one side/flat on the other). For filing in your nocks, there is basically one tool that is universally used— a chainsaw blade-sharpening file. A little 5/32-inch round file. For me, this is another Group One tool. I have at least three or four of them. Just as the cabinet scrapers, for some reason, one file will become your favorite.

Soft jaws aid in detail work on handles, fades, and dips.

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

For final shaping of the bow, you will most likely find several types of files as Group Two tools, specifically a three cornered file (flat on all three sides), and various sizes and coarsenesses of round files. Your cabinet scrapers will again come in to use as you clean up the rasp and file marks when completing your bow. Although not

technically tools in the strictest sense, you will need sandpaper of various grades, from very coarse to very fine wet dry paper along with a few sanding blocks to keep your surfaces flat, and a curved sanding block, or various sized wooden dowels you can wrap the sandpaper around for sanding the rounded surfaces of a bow. There are a couple of other tools that will help you with your bow making, such

as a tillering tree or tillering stick (opt for the tree), a hand held bow scale, a bow square, paint brushes, rags, etc. I also consider magazines such as Primitive Archer, books, DVDs and internet forums tools—all Group One. Bows can be made using nothing but a hatchet, but why handicap yourself? Get some good tools of the trade, and you might just actually enjoy making wood bows.


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Photo 2: Site of 2011 WaJam

Photo 1: Traditional Bowhunters of Washington WaJam banner

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or the past eleven years, the Traditional Bowhunters of Washington (TBW) have hosted a free bow-making event “to keep traditional skills alive” and pass them on to the next generation. This year’s Washington Jamboree (WaJam) took place at the Cashmere Pioneer Park and Museum in Cashmere, Washington, on July 8-10, 2011. Cashmere is a fruit-growing region on the east side of the Cascades. Fred Coghdon, an Oglala Sioux related to Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, manages and curates the private museum and was instrumental in the success of this year’s WaJam. He provided the facilities, power, camping, and target space. TBW members provided staves of pyramid-tillered hardwoods and rounds of vine maple, ocean spray, and serviceberry, which are superior bow woods that are strong in tension and compression. TBW members helped lay out and mark bows

Photos 3 & 4: Tom Wells and Tom Baldwin help set up bow benches that were designed by Myron Olsen and Steve Meyers and manufactured by a high school metals class. 34

Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19

WaJam2011

By Duane Spangler

before participants cut them on band saws. Hand tools such as rasps, sanding paddles, and scrapers were provided for further wood reduction and shaping. Some participants brought tools of their own, including drawknives. More than 100 people participated in the event, and for many it was the first time they’d used hand tools to shape wood, let alone make bows. They learned that fibers in wood don’t always grow perfectly straight and that allowances have to be made for knots, wandering grain, and other imperfections. In fact, broken bows imparted the lesson better than anything else could.

Photos 5, 6, 7 & 7a : These bow vices were in constant demand. Parents, TBW members and volunteers were available for assistance and supervision. Floors were cleaned each morning and by evening were covered with wood shavings.

Photos 8, 9 & 10: First they picked out their round stave, then their design was laid out and marked, and then they waited in line to have their stave rough cut on the band saw. Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

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Photos 14, 15 & 16: Kids tried out their well tillered bows: note the whistling arrow made from a plastic Easter egg.

Photos 11, 12 & 13: Two tillering boards were manned by TBW members who gave instruction on how to remove wood very slowly to prevent hinging. Repeated turns on the tillering boards were essential to get the bows tillered properly.

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

Several pick-up loads of vine maple are consumed every year. This requires trips into the thickets of vine maple groves to keep a large supply of seasoned wood for the following years. These would-be bowyers finish-tillered their bows, cut in nocks, made Flemish twisted strings, and created arrows, all with the help of TBW members. In the end, participants were able to try out their bows by shooting at targets that were set up in Pioneer Park for that purpose.

Photo 22: Brad Owen’s grandson shows his vine maple self-bow. Brad is Lieutenant Governor of Washington State. Photos 19, 20 & 21: After the bows were properly tillered, Flemish twisted strings made, arrows nocked, fletched, and points attached, the kids were sent down to the target range to try out their new bows. Some even made their own quiver. Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

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

Photo 23: This is the group that makes it happen. The TBW board meets several times to plan on-going activities. They are a very dedicated group promoting primitive archery and keeping traditional skills alive to pass on to anyone interested.

Photos 24 & 25: The Washington State Trappers had an interesting display including paw prints of both black bears and grizzly bears. 38


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

Photos 29, 30 & 31: Fred Coghdon gave TBW members a two hour tour of the Cashmere Museum. Probably one of the best private museums open to the public in Washington State.

Photos 32, 33, 34 & 35: Tom Baldwin, one of the TBW members has a private collection of primitive and traditional archery memorabilia open to TBW members. His collection includes bows from early English Yew longbows to bows from Glen St. Charles, Fred Bear, Ben Pearson, Keasey and Highfield. The Varabow he’s holding has adjustable drew length and draw weight. He has a large rack of flight bows along with an extensive library of archery books and magazines. Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

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August By Josh Baty

BOW OF THE MONTH

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here were thirty-eight self bows and eight backed bows in the contest for the month of August. Since bowhunting season is right around the corner for most people, this is a good month to put the final touches on equipment that is going to be used to take game in the upcoming fall season. Congratulations to “StraightArrow” from Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, for winning the August Self BOM Contest!

From StraightArrow: Just finished up this 52" Osage D bow for my brother Dan. It’s the first of hopefully three that I can get from the same stave. I plan to give this one to him, give one to my dad, and keep one for myself. I got two bows side by side and did a belly split on one of the halves. I named the bow 1st. Akin … which means related by blood … 2nd and 3rd hopefully

to follow. Once I got the bow to floor tiller, I flipped the tips and backed the bow with sinew. I made the handle too narrow and too thin to start, so I built it up with sinew. When I applied the black snakeskins, I completely wrapped the handle. The wraps past mid limb are decorative and hide where I spliced the skins. The tips are deer antler, and the handle wrap is from an old leather coat. The string is b-50 with black beaver silencers. I finished the bow with Tru Oil. The bow finished out at 55#@27". I actually tillered it to 28" but marked it at his draw. I won’t be able to give this to my brother for a few weeks. He has no idea it’s coming. Beautiful Bow! Here are some comments from forum members! “Awe yeah buddy. Guess who’s showing up at your door to see that baby all finished up. I remember that stave. Bill showed me some pre finished pics last weekend at ETAR. Missed ya n sure woulda been nice to have ya there. Dude that bend is sweeeeet on that shorty. Smooth to I bet. I heard you fell in love with her.” –blackhawk “Cool little bow with a perfect tiller. Looking forward to the other two!” –Pat B “Man that bow is sweet. Looks like a great hunting bow, short as it is. The skins look spectacular too.” –sidewinder “Very nice Jon. You did that little piece of wood justice. God Bless.” –PeteC “Really fine work. Looks like a freezer filler to me. Can’t say more than has already been said! … Except … want to be my brother!?!?!?” –okiecountryboy

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he winner of the August Backed Bow Contest is no stranger to winning the Bow of the Month contest. His beautifully-tillered works of art and unsurpassed attention to detail shine through in every bow he builds. Congratulations to James Parker from North Carolina for winning the August Backed BOM! From James: Here is a hybrid Scythian horn bow that I finished up this month; after eight months seasoning, it was a pleasure to see it come to a finish. It is 49" tip to tip. 60#@27" so far. I’m looking to have it draw out to 28" or 29" after it is shot in. Birch bark cover with Scythian Ram with horse and leopard on back of the bow. This bow really shoots great—no hand shock, dead quiet, and fast. I may have to keep this one to hunt with this year. Congrats James! Here are some comments from forum members!

“Uh....eh....a.....th....<———speechless.” –blackhawk “James you are fast becoming the master of the horn bows. Another incredible bow and definitely my favorite that you have made so far. Well done.” –Keenan “AWESOME BOW! I’m a total beginner and the bows that you turn out leave me shaking my head. If I can learn just a fraction of what you know about building bows someday, I’ll be a happy man.” –Woodsman

“So excellent James...your work is stellar and quite the inspiration. One day I’ll take a crack at a horn bow, hopefully sooner than later. Keep em coming.” –Lee Slikkers “Just amazing craftsmanship! All of these bows you’ve been finishing up are just beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing.” –ryoon4690

Wanna get into the contest next month? Just go to www.primitivearcher.com/smf and post your bow in the Bows section to enter! Thanks again for everyone’s continued participation! –Josh Baty


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Greenwood Making a

Bow

Photo 1: Author by the tree.

By John Borgeson

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short time ago, a good friend of mine, named Clayton, and I decided to make a bow entirely with stone tools. I know many of you have constructed bows using stone tools yourselves, but there was something really interesting that occurred for us in this case. This bow would go from tree to being shot and is the reason for the title of the article. We chose a white wood tree for the stave. While it is very close in grain to poplar, this tree had a larger pith in it as a result of the humidity and moisture that is a year-round constant where it lived. (Photo 1) On the day we harvested this tree, as usual in this neck of the woods, it was very hot and humid. Evidence of the temperature and the humidity was plainly visible on my t-shirt. We hadn’t even begun our work and we were already sweating. Clayton made the tool we used to cut down the tree. We ended up taking turns because we both wanted to participate in the tree cutting. Photo 2 shows all the tools we used to cut down the tree and refine the wood into a stave. We noticed immediately that these stone tools were

Photos 3 & 4: Cutting the tree

Photo 2: Tools used to make a Greenwood Bow: Left to right: deer antler to begin the splitting; dacite to cut and shave the wood; the actual tool for cutting with a rounded piece of chert; a long bamboo wedge and two smaller pieces of bamboo to start the split; and a stone knife for shaving down the wood as well as making the handle of the bow and the nocks. more than sufficient to fell the tree. We were pleasantly surprised at the ease at which the stone cut the wood. We did not have one problem. (Photos 3 & 4). It only took us six minutes to fell the tree; Clayton was so eager to carry the tree to our work space that I just couldn’t say no. (Photo 5)

We did a bit of trimming of the stave to get it to the size we wanted. Both Clayton and I worked on the trimming. We used the stone tool, the knife, and the piece of dacite to trim down the stave. (Photos 6 & 7) Once we got back to our work area, I started to work on the stave by beginning to split the piece of wood in half lengthwise.

Photo 5: Clayton with the tree

This is where I used the bamboo to split the log into equal halves. The deer antler and bamboo worked beautifully to split the log in half! (Photos 8 & 9) Once split, I used the stone knife and the two other tools to start to shape the stave into a bow. I started on the belly of the bow as this is where the pith was. You can see that it is about ¼ inch wide. I ended up having to leave a small amount of pith in the handle because we didn’t have enough wood to shave it all away. The pith ran for about five inches on the back of the “handle” of the bow. (Photo 10) I worked for almost three hours shaving it down to what would become the actual bow—one made completely with stone tools. In photo 11, I am shaving the back of the bow and starting to contour the stave from the handle to both ends. I continued to work on the bow for the rest of the day, however I was unable to complete it until a few days later due to work. Photo 12 was taken out front of the house. Notice how I am “appropriately attired” for working on a bow in my front yard. The bow ended up being about 40 pounds at 29 inches. Later on, I backed the bow with one layer of sinew. This slightly increased the pull to about 42 ½ pounds. Not bad for a “stone aged” bow. This last picture is of my son, Mike, shooting the bow at the old archery range. I ended up giving Mike the bow because he liked it so much! It was a good present for a great son! (Photo 13) I will close this article by finishing with this: That one interesting thing that 44

Photos 6 & 7: Trimming the tree

Photos 8 & 9: Big bamboo wedge and smaller wedges


Photos 10 & 11: Author shaving stave.

happened when we made the Stone Age bow was the really GREAT TIME Clayton and I had doing it! It really was something fun for us to do together! Try making a bow yourself with stone tools and you will see what I mean.

Photo 12: Author with rough finished bow

Photo 13: Author’s son Mike shooting bow

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

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he name of the event is Al Faris. The place is Amman, the capital of Jordan. This International Horseback Archery Competition is the first to be held in that country. The dates are June 9 and 10, 2011. One does not easily ignore an invitation from the King. After many hours of travel and layovers, we arrived at our hotel to prepare for a tour of Amman the next day. On the following day the competitions would begin. We were not fully prepared for the fabulous experience ahead. The Opening Ceremonies With much pageantry, arousing music, flowing flags and banners, columns of white and bay Arab horses, and an appearance by the King of Jordan, the games began. Entering the spectator seating area in the Royal Hashemite performance court in Amman, we were welcomed to a large tan Bedouin-like tent to protect us from the sun. Refreshing breezes drifted through the open back walls, and richly woven bright red fabric covered all the seating. Government guides were genuinely friendly and

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Al Faris: (“The Knight” in Arabic)

International Mounted Archery in Jordan

By David Gray

informative, backed up by a liberal presence of military security. We were mindful that the borders of Jordan are shared with the oftentroubled countries of Syria on the north, Iraq on the east, Saudi Arabia on the south, and Israel on the west. The court, or sports field, was 200 meters long, thus accommodating the 150meter-long Korean-type events included in the larger competition. The full length of the far side of the field was painted with ancient Arab horsemen in high action battle scenes on a ten foot high white canvas wall (credit: the wife of Christian Schrade). Looming above that in the center was a 40 foot vertical banner with the full name of the event—“Al Faris, International


Horseback Archery Competition.” A military band was clad in long khaki caftans with red bandoliers and a red sash. They wore the Jordanian red and white checked Bedouin-like headgear called the keffiyeh. The band gave a rousing musical salute to the King and his entourage when they entered for the opening ceremony. Twelve matched white Arab horses and twelve matched bay horses, mounted by the Tourist Police, gave a beautiful and rousing demonstration of equestrian drills and swift intricate weaving formations, all carrying white standards waving in the wind. The trumpets sounded and the officials then announced that the competition was formally open.

Opening ceremonies: Tourist Police in striking formations. The competitors presented quite a spectacle appearing en mass on their horses with their national flags. Present were Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Jordan, Korea, Luxemburg, Malaysia, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Competition The competition lasted two full days encompassing 32 competitors from 17 nations. The competitors in their colorful costumes were dramatically introduced on horseback carrying their national flags blowing in the wind. The actual competitive events or disciplines included the three variations of the standardized Korean disciplines, the very demanding Hungarian course, and the Turkish qabak

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

Many of the competitors were internationally proven and decorated performers. There were no trial qualifiers

Entry of the competitors from 17 countries.


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

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for the competitors with the result that the range of proficiency was very great. The Jordanians gave a demonstration (not scored) of one of their unique disciplines in which a mounted archer carries a bow and sword in hand simultaneously; after a shot at one archery target, the right hand engages the sword solely to perform “tent pegging.” The performer reaches to the ground with his sword and spears an object on the ground at a very fast gallop. The name “tent pegging” comes from a surprise invasion of an enemy camp that includes pulling the tent pegs in the manner described and thus collapsing the tent and putting the enemy in disarray. Our host archers, the Jordanians, were very accomplished. The first prize in the Turkish qabak went to Ahmed Ali Ahmed from Jordan, and another Jordanian, Ali Flah Ksab, garnered first prize for the Korean discipline. Lukas Novotny was first in the difficult Hungarian course, distinguishing him and his U.S. team (including Katie Stearns and Pat Stoddard). The overall championship was earned by a very impressive 21-year-old Hungarian— Matyas Ruszak. In second place overall in scoring was Lukas Novotny of the United States. The prizes were attractive brushed platinum thumb rings overlaid with a silver royal crown. Christian Schrade, widely experienced in the European mounted archery scene, effectively supervised the mechanics of the competition. He deserves a special thanks.

The Turkish qabak target.

The Larger Context Lunch was provided in large, black woven-fabric Bedouin-style tents at one end of the grounds during the days of competition for all competitors and guests. A huge iron kettle of lentil soup, lamb and chicken shiskabobs, greens, and native baked sweets were in abundant supply. Because of the Islamic culture, alcoholic beverages were entirely absent, except in one western-type bar in the hotel. My wife, Phyllis, and I were guests of Lukas, and he in turn was a guest of the King. We were treated most generously and graciously as the whole event was under the patronage of the King.


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Matyas Ruszak, the 21 year–old overall champion from Hungary in perfect form using the thumb ring release. (Photo Credit: Meg McWhinney)

After the competition, the government provided a trip to the ancient site of Petra in extreme southern Jordan. These worldfamous buildings carved into the stone cliffs date back to the time of Christ, the Nabateans, and the Romans. And of course Moses, Joshua, and the ancient Israelites trekked across these same desert sands as they headed toward the Promised Land. Our departing final dinner was in a villa in Madaba, which is very near the

head of the Dead Sea, and just 25 miles south of Amman. It is unique for several reasons. Madaba is one-third Christian in a nearly all-Muslim land. In a Byzantine church, there is a significant mosaic map of the Holy Lands. The City is the location of a premier coed school exemplifying the progressive face of Jordan. Madaba is close to Mt. Nebo where Moses is said to have viewed the Promised Land before he died.

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

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We should add that on our very first day in Amman, during a tour of the city of two million people we witnessed the great contrast of modernity alongside massive ruins of Roman temples, colonnaded streets, and an acoustically impressive ancient theatre. A great earthquake damaged some of these structures in 747 A.D. Overarching appreciation for the whole event goes to His Majesty King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein and The Public Security Directorate. Dr. Omar Oliver Obst also played a key role in coordinating many of the arrangements. It was a large undertaking and was executed with thoughtfulness and style. The Al Faris Knight of Peace It struck me that war and peace were in sharp contrast here. The world legacy of the mounted archer knight and warrior conjures up the images of campaigns of carnage and terror. The names Attila and

Tamerlane are embedded in our common vocabulary. The prayer of central Europeans in the early 900s was repeatedly mouthed in desperation—“Lord deliver us from the arrows of the Magyars!” And later, but before the onset of gunpowder, Genghis Khan and his armies created one of the world’s largest empires. This was accomplished on the backs of their tough little horses mounted by steelhard men wielding the hi-tech weapon of the day—the composite horn bow. True to popular conceptions, submission and loyalty to the Khan often demanded complete annihilation and terror. But recent records show that Genghis was also a forerunner of very civilized practices of religious tolerance, meritocracy, and growth by melding the best from different cultures. But, all in all, it was a brutal age and the horseback archer was an instrument of war first and foremost. Not so the Al Faris of Amman, 2011. The competitors from 17 countries around the world were wielding instruments of

peace. Of course they were meeting to test and showcase their abilities and to gain recognition for themselves and for their countries. All competitions include tensions and potential jealousies, but strong bonds of friendship were formed across national boundaries. Performers and guests were stimulated with new questions that tend to lead to greater international understanding. This dimension of peacemaking was especially poignant because Jordan has played a significant role of peacemaker for several decades with her neighbors Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. Just before leaving Jordan, we bought a 2011 book authored by the current King Abdullah Hussein entitled Our Last Best Chance: The Pursuit of Peace in a Time of Peril. It is an inspiring story of the peacemaking efforts during the days of the King’s father and now of the current King as well. While there are many “universal languages” that help to bring us together— music, dance, physics, poetry, and the

Olympic-type sports—Al Faris is the unique language of the mounted archer of peace and good will rather than war. Jordan has been and continues to be a bright light of human dignity, progress, and peace making in a larger area fraught with war, suffering, refugee camps, and conflict. And now Jordan has added Al Faris as another avenue of peace.


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MedicineMAN®

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he war party of the People traveled silently but quickly through the trees. Every warrior was alert with his weapons at the ready. Early the previous morning, a messenger had arrived at their village requesting help. A large raiding party of the warlike northern Shaved Heads had been spotted near an outlying village of the People, and each man of the reinforcing war party hoped against reason that they were not too late to help their kinsmen fend off the impending attack. It soon became obvious that their hopes were in vain as the party neared the location of the village. Forward-ranging scouts reported a pall of smoke hanging over the site, along with circling vultures. As they entered the ruined village, the men of the war party were appalled at the sight that awaited them. Even with advance warning and fighting with the ferocity that comes from defending home and family, the warriors of the village had been no match for the invaders—they had simply been outnumbered too badly to hold off the fierce Shaved Heads. Mutilated bodies of the fighting men lay strewn among the burned lodges where they had fallen in battle. As the warriors of the People scouted the devastated remains of what once had been a thriving settlement, they found an even more disturbing sight: just inside the edge of the woods lay the bodies of several women and children. Tracks and signs told the story: a flanking party of the Shaved Heads had lain hidden inside the tree line, and sadly, as the warriors of the village had fought desperately to give their families time to escape to the forest, the women and children had been intercepted by the hidden enemy and many had been cut down as they ran. Even more troubling to the People’s warriors was the knowledge of what had certainly befallen the the women and children whose bodies were not found there in the woods. Having been captured alive, they now faced a lifetime of cruel captivity and slavery in the distant northern villages of the Shaved Heads. The Medicine Man was troubled as he viewed the carnage. He was gifted with the knowledge of healing, but it appeared that those here were now beyond his help. As he sadly bent to look at the body of a small child who still clutched a corn-husk doll in her

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Sumac

By Steve Parker

bloody hand, a scout came running up to him. Deep in a thicket near the village, he had found a survivor—a badly injured warrior who had crawled into the dense rhododendrons and was still clinging to life. The injured warrior was in shock from multiple wounds and loss of blood, and he had lain in the woods untreated since the previous morning. But of the most concern to the healer was a festered arrow wound in the man’s thigh. The broken shaft of the arrow still protruded from the warrior’s leg. The area around the arrow was swollen and feverish, and the edges of the wound were turning black. The wound had a foul odor. He had the injured warrior carried to one of the few unburned lodges. The Medicine Man quickly boiled water, cleaned the wound, and with the help of two of the war party, he removed the arrowhead and portion of shaft from the man’s thigh. He then flushed the wound with more hot water and clean wood ashes and allowed it to drain freely. He was relieved to see that the projectile had missed the major arteries,


but the infection was serious and needed immediate attention if the man was to survive. After covering the fallen warrior with a warm robe, giving him water, and making him as comfortable as he could, the Medicine Man went in search of medicines he could use to treat the infected wound. He had quickly gathered his weapons with the rest of the warriors the previous morning and set out at once in aid of his tribesmen, so he had not had time to pack medicines potent enough to deal with a situation of this nature. He hoped for the best as he quickly searched the edges of the surrounding woods. He quickly gathered some bark from a small white pine and continued looking. In the middle of a thicket, he spotted red berries. Working his way to the berrybearing shrub, he pulled up several stems. Carrying them back to the ruined village, he scraped and discarded the outer bark from the stems, exposing the inner bark. This he peeled off, crushed with the pine bark, and seeped in warm water. After the inner bark had soaked for a period of time, he removed it from the

water and prepared a poultice. He poured some of the bark-infused water from the pot into the warrior’s wound and fastened the poultice over the inflamed area. Most of the war party soon left on the trail of the hated Shaved Heads, swearing vengeance and hoping to recapture some of the captive women and children. A handful of warriors stayed behind to guard the Medicine Man as he treated the only survivor of the battle. After several days of treatment with the bark medicine and other remedies that the healer gathered from the surrounding woods, the injured man was showing improvement. The bark medicine had drawn out much of the infection, and the man’s wound no longer had a bad odor nor was it as red and inflamed as it had been. The wounded man was still sick in spirit as he grieved for his fallen family, relatives, and fellow warriors, but it seemed that he was on the road to physical recovery and would live, thanks in part to the healing shrub with the red berries. ••••••• The shrub used by the Medicine Man was the sumac (Rhus ssp). Fourteen species of sumac are native to North America. Most are medium-sized shrubs or occasionally small trees and are members of the Cashew Family (Anacardiacaea). The most common of these are the smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), which grows throughout the U.S. and southern Canada; the staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina), which is the tallest and most tree-like of the sumacs, growing throughout the east and midwestern regions of the continent; the winged or shining sumac (Rhus copallinum), whose range is similar to the staghorn sumac; and the skunkbush sumac (Rhus trilobata), which grows mostly west of the Mississippi River. The smooth and staghorn sumacs are the most-used species for medicine and other purposes, but the varieties are interchangeable to some degree. Sumacs usually grow in dry, poor soil, thickets, old fields, and edges of woodlands. Most grow as multi-stemmed shrubs and many species form large clonal colonies or thickets by means of spreading root suckers. The leaves in most of the common species are compound with varying numbers of leaflets and toothed

margins. The sap is a thick, milky, latex-like sticky liquid. The foliage of most species of sumac turns a brilliant red or orange in the fall. The flowers are borne in terminal spikes or clusters and are greenish-yellow in most species. The fruit is a large terminal cluster of brilliant scarlet-red berries that ripen in late summer or early fall. One plant relative that should be strictly avoided is the poison sumac (formerly Rhus vernix but now designated Toxicodendron vernix). This plant is superficially similar to the sumacs but has white berries and grows in wet, swampy places. Contact with poison sumac can cause severe dermatitis similar to that contracted from poison ivy or poison oak, but the poison sumac dermatitis is usually more intensely irritating and longer lasting. Some sensitive people can develop a rash from handling any species of sumac. Sumac has a long history of medicinal usage. Sumac has styptic, astringent, refrigerant, antiseptic, antibiotic, and diuretic properties. Active compounds include tannin, gallic acid, 4-methoxygallic acid, and methyl gallate. The medicinal parts used are the inner bark, root bark, berries, and leaves. Native American tribes and early physicians used it for the treatment of a number of ailments including sore throat, fevers, burns, wounds, gangrenous sores, hemorrhoids, sore gums, mouth ulcers, rheumatism, leucorrhoea, bedwetting, and to increase the flow of milk in nursing women. It is effective at stopping bleeding, both internally and externally, and is considered one of the most effective herbal treatments for dysentery and diarrhea. The gummy sap has been packed into decayed teeth to ease the pain of toothache. Sumac has also shown some promise in treating diabetes. One study of a hundred medicinal plants for antibiotic properties showed smooth sumac to be the most effective at killing bacteria. Sumac also can be used for food. The ripe berries contain malic acid and have a pleasant, citrus-like flavor but are covered with irritating hairs. Crushing the ripe berries and steeping them in cold water can make a refreshing cold drink that tastes

very similar to lemonade. After steeping, strain the liquid through a cloth to filter out the berries and hairs, then sweeten it to taste. Some native tribes dried these berries for winter use after singeing off the hairs. The seeds are also quite nutritious and can be ground into meal. They contain about twenty percent carbohydrates and five percent protein. The citrus flavor of the berries has long been utilized as a seasoning and is still commonly used to flavor Middle Eastern food. Some sources report the peeled young shoots of sumac to be edible. Sumac has many other uses. The leaves and berries have been traditionally used for dying textiles and other materials. The color of the dye can range from yellow to blue, green, deep red, orange, or black depending on the material, the plant part used, the time of harvest, and the mordant. Sumac leaves are used in tanning fine leather and were also mixed with tobacco and other herbs and smoked by native tribes. The stems are filled with soft pith. This pith can be pushed out, leaving a hollow stem behind. Many tribes used these hollow stems for pipe stems, blowguns, flutes, and spiles for tapping sugar maple trees. The Cherokee and Iroquois, among others, used the stems to make darts and javelins. Sumac stems can be used for making friction fire, and the long, flexible roots can be split and used for rough sewing, lashing, and binding. The split stems and roots have been used for basket weaving. The sumac also has ornamental value. Its attractive berries and fiery-colored fall foliage lend it to horticultural use. It is easy to propagate and will thrive in poor soils. ••••••• Our ancestors lived intimately with the land and over time accumulated much knowledge of which plants to use for different purposes. Before industrial civilization, this knowledge was widespread and necessary for survival. Now, much knowledge has been lost. It is our duty and in our best interests to preserve useful plant knowledge and incorporate it into our lives as well as to preserve our environment and the wild plants that in the future may once again become the very means of our survival.


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Figure1: Pickaxe handle bow & tillering board.

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MyPickaxe

o make a pickax handle flat bow, you can only use the billet method of construction. You will need two hickory pickax handles with the grain running across the widest part right through the length of the handle and with at least 9 to 12% moisture content (see The Bowyer’s Bible for information on seasoning wood). Joined at their widest ends with a suitable joint like a fishtail or, as I use, a box joint glued with two hard wood dowels

through the handle, my flat bows don’t bend through the handle (see figure 1). The box joint I find is easier to make than the fishtail joint. This joint makes the two matched handles into a stave, which I like to glue together with a slight reflex from belly to back. If the reflex should come out after use, don’t worry. A bow that follows the string I find less sensitive and extremely accurate at short distances. It is important though, to glue the reflex in at the start (see figure 1). For glue, I use 24-hour Araldite in a curing box. My curing box is simply two incandescent light bulbs as a controlled heat source and a thermometer. By using the right wattage, I can regulate the drying heat to about 100°F. You only have to make a curing box to fit the handle section of the bow, not the whole stave. In a well-made pickax handle flat bow, the handle section does not bend. I have never made a successful English longbow out of a hickory pickax handle; although, with perfect grain, perfectly matched handles, and a sinew backing, it should be possible. When I do make one, I will certainly back it with sinew. I tend to keep my handles in the corner of the attic or in the

Limbs are the same length on both bows. Bows do not bend through the handles. Bow weights are 60# & 65# @ 28" R to L. Bows backed with three layers of raw linen.

Top: Jute sail twine wrapped nock. Bottom: Conventional filed nock.

By John Eric Hoare

Handle Bow

T


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house for a short while before I start construction so that they will have the right moisture content. When I come to use them, I find they are just about right. You can use a moisture meter if you have one, or have them tested by a lumber company if in doubt. Too low in moisture content and you risk breaking the bow, too high and it will be weak and springy. Hickory pickax handles are very hard to match, but once matched they will make a superb flat bow—I know, I have four of them and I’ve used them in speed shooting for years. It is worth the effort. Two pickax handles may not come from the same tree or even from the same state, but once you succeed with a bow that has been properly tillered and backed with a suitable backing you will have created something that is both beautiful and resilient, a bow you can be proud of. I made one for my brother and he consistently shoots eighteen to nineteen

arrows a minute out of it. That to me says a lot for hickory as an excellent and durable flat bow wood when it is treated in the right way and backed with the right material. This bow is backed with three layers of natural silk ribbon and has the grain running off the edge on one limb, but most important, both limbs match in perfect tiller; again, it’s worth the effort. If you want to end up with a sixtypound bow, then as you tiller at the differing draw facsimiles, i.e., 12", 15", 20", etc., make sure the bow is in tiller and pulling 60lb at all these heights before you approach your final draw length and weight. In speed shooting this should be kept short—28" draw or slightly less. If you do this, then you will be very close to your optimum draw length and weight when the bow is finished. A slightly bent bow arm elbow will shorten the draw.

To order, call 888-330-3822 or visit www.horsefeathersranch.com

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The weight of my brother’s bow draws 60lb at twenty-eight inches. I have one I use, which is 65lb at twenty-eight inches and 66" in length between nocks. Again, a good bow can be made from hickory pickax handles if you treat them right. Remember to keep the limbs as wide and as long as possible, at least 64" between nocks. Taper the limbs to the nocks from about twelve inches in from the nock ends. ALWAYS BACK YOUR BOW TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE, and always try to keep over 64" between nocks unless you are backing it with sinew. Howard Hill believed that a longer bow is less sensitive and more stable than a short one; he was right. There are some good books on primitive bow making on the market should you need some help. Try the web sites for more information, they stock a wide selection. The only design I have found

successful so far, using hickory, is the primitive flat bow that does not bend through the handle. The one I have had the most success with is one of my own designs where I use the full width of the pickax just below the head end as the guide to my final limb width, (about one and three quarter inches wide). I have made a flat bow and a longbow from a piece of 5" x 2" oak using the same stave. The longbow broke, the flat bow I still have and shoot. Its over two decades old, 68" between the nocks, 2 1/2" wide at the flare-out and goes down to 3/8" nocks. The limbs are slightly thicker than a hickory bow of the same design and weight from belly to back, and the grain is close and perfectly straight from nock to nock. I found the stave holding a door open at my local wood store, it had been doing so for years. I gave this stave a new life, and it’s one of the best flat bows I have ever made. I backed it with raw linen, as in England it is hard to obtain sinew. Do not try to make a flat-bow too narrow in the limb unless you can back it with rawhide or sinew. The ones I made have been backed with unbleached raw linen cloth or natural silk, two to three layers thick. I always use white acrylic waterproof PVA glue to apply the fabric backing and rub it in well. For sinew and rawhide, I use a natural hide or animal glue, but I am going to experiment with the PVA. In the following exercise, we will use a fabric backing as it is much easier to obtain and apply. Although not as strong as sinew or rawhide it keeps the bow safe. The glue used must be 100% waterproof and is the same glue I use for my target faces. It’s a PVA solution, which is water soluble when applied, but waterproof when dry. When you choose your pickax handles, make sure the grain runs horizontally across both the head end and the haft end and matches as closely as possible before making the joint. The head and the haft need to be made square in cross-section for easier marking and cutting, even if the corners are still rounded. I prefer the box joint, as this design does not bend through the handle like the longbow. The joint runs at right angles to the grain. The job of cutting is made easier if you use a band saw, although a good fine-cut handsaw will do the job. The overall length of the joint is 4 1/4" long. When I cut the tongue end of the joint I try to keep the thickness of the tongue to about 3/8", which gives the shoulders of the groove part about the same thickness. Overall, thickness of the finished handle is about 1 1/8" to 1 1/4". To cut out the groove, I bore a hole through the bottom of the groove with a 5/16" drill and cut down to the hole with the band or handsaw, afterward cleaning the bottom out with a 1/4" chisel. Try to keep the joint as tight as possible. To glue the joint, I use the 24-hour drying Araldite. When the joint is clamped and glued, I insert the two hardwood 1/4"diameter dowels at right angles to the joint and a small-glued wedge. The wedge is made from the waste of the tongue shoulders and tapered to a fine end into the small gap at the end of the tongue left there from forming the reflex. The wedge goes in from the belly side, filling the gap with strong wood and glue. After gluing and while the joint is still wet, clamp the handle section of the bow in the vice from belly to back making sure you have a slight reflex in the bow toward the back. Then drill the

Arrows are 5/16" by 27¼" with brass bullet piles and white natural feather shield cut helical fletching.

two 1/4"-dowel holes right through to the other side ensuring a soft drive-in fit for the hardwood dowels. The dowels should be positioned about one inch in from the joint ends. Do not take any wood from the handle section at this stage; only the waste wood from the joint has been removed so far. With the joint glued, doweled, and still wet, I cure the finished joint in the curing box described above for a full 24 hours. Before cutting out or tillering, make sure you have marked a center line on the bow blank from nock to nock. This line passes right through the center of the bow handle on the belly and back side; I use a string line to do this. Then, take the back of the bow down to a grain ring on both handles. As long as the center of the handle and the two nocks are in perfect alignment, even if you have a slightly snaky bow between the nocks, it will still shoot with accuracy when perfectly tillered. To tiller, I use a tillering board made from a 3/4"-thick sheet of building plywood mounted on my workshop wall and marked with horizontal and vertical lines for each tillering stage. To draw the bow to each stage, I use a block and tackle attached to Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

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a spring weight gauge (see figure 1). I prefer the board to a tillering stick in the early stages because you can stand back as you pull on the block and view the bend of the limbs, working them lightly at each stage to train the limbs. Because speed shooting with long arrows is a disadvantage, I would not go any more than 28" for the final draw length unless you make the bow a little longer between nocks. Before I apply the backing, I have almost tillered the bow to its final weight. When the backing is on and dry, I finish the bow to its final weight, give or take a pound or two. To set the bow up for the backing, I first make a clean flat surface on the workbench. This I cover with several sheets of old newspaper to take the length of the bow. I take two wooden blocks of 4" x 2" section about 6" long, which I place under the belly of the bow

58

at about 8" to 12" from the nock ends. I then place between the blocks and the belly of the bow several small sheets of newspaper a little larger than the top of the blocks. I use the newspaper to keep the blocks from sticking to the bow limbs and the bow to the workbench when I have glued on the backing. I then take a G or F clamp and clamp the center of the handle to the bench until the belly side of the handle is forced down far enough to touch the work surface and newspaper. Always use several sheets of newspaper so the glue does not soak right through to the bench surface. The clamp pressure puts the bow further into reflex and under tension. You can move the blocks in or out to adjust the reflex to suit. Mainly my fabric backings are for safety, although they do take a little tension. My first choice of backing for a primitive


speed bow is sinew. It adds greatly to bow performance and safety. In my next bow I am going to try stinging nettle fibers laid at least 1/8" thickness. I am now ready to apply the fabric backing. First, I dampen the back of the bow to raise the grain. When it has dried, I sand the back lightly to give me a smooth clean surface. On this, I spread a layer of PVA glue. Then I take my first two strips of fabric and lay them one on top of each limb to either side of the clamped handle. This design of flat-bow does not bend through the handle so you don’t need to take the fabric under the clamp, just finish close to it. When the fabric is in place, I rub the glue well into it so that the fabric becomes a matrix for the glue. I then place the next layer on and do the same, rubbing more glue into the surface until I have a smooth finish.

Next, I mold the backing to the bow while it is still wet, right up to and covering the nocks to take out any air bubbles. I leave it to set for about six hours after which I trim any overhanging pieces of fabric with a sharp Stanley knife or new razor blade. Do not be afraid to use a bit of pressure when rubbing the glue into the fabric. The glue must be worked well into the fabric to be of any use. I would not put any more than three layers of fabric on. When the bow has been roughly trimmed, and after it has dried for at least twelve hours, I rub a hard piece of wood, smooth plastic, or large smooth pebble all over the fabric surface to burnish it smooth. This process helps to expel any air bubbles which may still be trapped there. After I have finished this, I leave the bow for a whole week in a warm temperature to mature before I touch it again. I tend to be very impatient at this time, but I know I must wait for the glue to harden. When the clamp finally comes off, I finish the bow to its final tiller and apply the finish. I finish it in the normal way, and I will not use it for at

The bullet head piles do not damage the foam layered butts that are used for speed shooting.

Brian Robinson with his pickaxe handle bow. Primitive Archer Magazine Volume 19 Issue 6

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Box joint showing dowel reinforcement.

least three weeks after the glue has set. Again I become very impatient! Remember, never make a pickax handle flat-bow any less than 64" unless you plan to back it with sinew. I personally believe a bow can be made shorter than 64" if sinew is used, but it can be unstable. I have a brown hickory blank of 68" already made up just waiting for a sinew backing, I am very impatient to finish it. I personally find a weight somewhere between 50 to 65 pounds the ideal weight for speed shooting, using a 28-inch 5/16" arrow with three 5" helical fletches and brass bullet piles of 100 to 125 grains depending on spine. I prefer black Bjorn nocks over white parabolic feathers; hit a plastic nock and you still have a chance of saving the arrow, hit a self nock and the arrow shaft would split, resulting in a lost arrow. Both my bow limbs are the same length from middle line to bow nocks. The handle section is 6 1/2" with 3 1/4" below and 3 1/4" above middle line with the bottom of the arrow plate positioned between 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" above middle line. This gives me a hand grip of between 4 1/2" to 4 3/4", my arrow being shot off the hand. The bow tillered to sixty pounds draw weight at 28" with a nocking point of 3/8" to 1/2" above center gives me a sweet shooting flat bow with no feather burn, which is perfect for speed shooting (see figure 1). I apologize if I have repeated myself; I have only done that for emphasis. Well there it is, have a go and see what you can come up with. You might spoil the few first bows, but with knowledge and perseverance, you will succeed. My brother’s bow is the 60


second one I made and still going strong. You will never know until you try. Good luck. I can tell you it’s well worth the effort if in the end you have created a beautiful bow that shoots well. AUTHOR’S COMMENT: My pickax handle flat bow has been specifically designed for my indoor short-range ‘Relative-Speed’ games. It follows the string slightly to take the hardness out of the release. If I could have backed it with sinew I would have layered enough to give it a straight tiller, which would have the same result. To have a bow set in reflex for short distance shooting would be a disadvantage, as then the bow would be too sensitive and tend to kick in the hand. I have written a book to give the genuine instinctive archers and off-season hunters a game of skill which they can play professionally and thereby discover a super champion who comes close to the phenomenal skill of Howard Hill. The sport of modern archery needs this to justify itself in the eyes of the sponsor and the spectator. I may not be around to see it, but at least my book and the means to accomplish this will be out there. The photographs are shown with two types of nocks; one wrapped with unwaxed jute sail twine soaked in PVA glue and the other a conventional filed nock. The designs are from the Modoc Indian bow backs from a book I have on Early American Indian Tribes. By tillering to follow the string slightly, I have reduced sensitivity and gained a smooth and accurate bow. My favorite is the wrapped nocked bow and the one I shoot most.

IBO World Championships

By Jimmy Blackmon

2011

The Hunter Challenge course provided an array of realistic targets to challenge the shooters

O

ver 500 archers, friends, and family members traveled to Twin Oaks Bowhunters Club in Clarksville, Tennessee, in July to compete in the 3rd Annual International Bowhunting Organization’s (IBO) Traditional World Championships. Diversity was the key to this year’s TRAD Worlds as archers from 3years-old to 80, shooting bows ranging from sinew backed Osage to metal risers and carbon fiber limbs united with smiles on their faces to participate in this 3-D event. 2011 was the second year that Twin Oaks Bowhunters hosted the IBO Traditional World Championships. Coined “Traditional Heaven” by IBO President Ken Watkins, the rolling wooded hills of Twin 62

From modern recurve to selfbows, there was a class for all styles at the Traditional Worlds

Oaks is the perfect venue for this competition. The IBO Traditional Worlds is a three-day event in which archers shoot two 20-target rounds at various 3D animals in order to establish the top ten scores. Then they advance to a final 20-target round to determine the world champions in each of the twelve classes. Competition classes include: Primitive, Longbow, Modern Longbow, Recurve, Recurve Unaided, Cubs, Juniors, Youth, Female Recurve, Female Longbow, and Female Recurve Unaided.


Concurrent with the IBO World Championship are two other exciting events sponsored by IBO supporters. The 3Rivers Archery Hunter Challenge consists of a 25-target 3D range which culminates in a 32-man shoot-down. The top 32 scores on the Hunter Challenge course meet in head-to-head competition to shoot for over $1,500 in cash prizes. 3Rivers Archery owner, Dale Karch, said he was committed to this event, which promotes and enhances the sport of traditional archery. This year the final two men left standing were nine-time NFAA indoor and outdoor National Champion Paul Vogel and IFAA 3D World and five-time IBO World Champion Scott Antczak. In the final 5target shoot-down, Scott Antczak won by two points earning him $1,000. 2011 saw the addition of the Trad Tech Archery Mixed-Team Competition. In this contest the ladies served as team captains. Each team captain drew two male names from a hat to determine the teams, which were then bracketed for a head-to-head shoot-down. Again, the archers competed for over $1,500 in prizes from Lancaster Archery. While focused shooting was being conducted, the field was filled with laughter and applause during this exciting competition. Also, new in 2011 was the Primitive Archer Magazine wooden arrow Shooter of the Year award. Primitive Archer awarded six handmade arrows, a beautiful quiver, a

hand-made knife, and a free year eMag subscription to the shooter who posted the highest combined rounds in the Hunter Challenge and IBO Worlds with a wooden arrow. This year’s winner was Longbow World Champion Dave Wallace, pictured here with Marie Luther of Primitive Archer Magazine. The International Bowhunting Organization is devoted to protecting and preserving the rights of hunters and fostering the conservation and preservation of wildlife. IBO believes that 3D archery is a means to unite the greater archery community. 2011 saw significant growth in participation for the Traditional World Championships, which is only in its third year of existence. The IBO is already planning for an exciting year of traditional archery in 2012 and would like to invite all those who find joy with a stick and string to come join the fun. Whether you shoot a selfbow of your own making or a metal riser recurve, IBO has a class for you.

Dave Wallace, this year’s winner of the “Primitive Archer Wooden Arrow Shooter of the Year” award being presented a quiver of arrows by Marie Luther.

Back row L to R: John Wert of Trad Tech, Craig Mattern, Keith Roberts, Myrna Jetton, Scott Young, Jessica Taylor, Danny Clark, and Mike Burrell of Trad Tech. Front Row L to R: The winning team – Robin Vogel, John Fields, and Bob Mills.

PrimitiveCHEF®

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y good friend and neighbor was kind enough to pass on to me part of his Spencer, Indiana harvest in the form of venison loins. I breaded them and did a brandy mushroom cream sauce that even converted my lovely wife of almost 25 years of marriage who would not touch venison until last night (wonders may never cease!). What I made will serve four. This is truly an all-in-one meal of small red skin potatoes, mushrooms, and leeks, with breaded venison in a rich cream sauce.

FOR THE BREADED VENISON: About 1 ½ pounds sliced venison 2 cups seasoned flour 1 egg beaten 1 cup of milk 2 cups bread crumb Make sure venison is flattened to uniform thickness. Dip the venison in flour, then in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Brown on medium heat and set aside.

Breaded Indiana Venison with Mushrooms, Brandy, and Cream

TO MAKE THE SAUCE MIXTURE: 8–10 small redskin potatoes quartered 1–2 portobello mushrooms sliced 3–4 shitake mushrooms sliced 1 cup cippolini, pearl, or regular onions 2 tablespoons chopped garlic 1 tablespoon shallot 2 tablespoons dijon mustard 2 tablespoons brandy 2 cups beef broth 2 tablespoons butter 3 twists fresh ground black pepper Salt to taste 1 cup heavy cream Sauté the mushrooms, potatoes, onions, and seasonings until potatoes are tender. Add the venison to the pan, simmer briefly in the sauce, then divide into potions, and plate. This is a great meal for at home or in camp to share with friends or loved ones. Regular mushrooms or even morels are fine substitutions. Enjoy and until the next time, eat well and shoot straight. –Chef William E. Campbell


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continued from page 80

practically shouts, “Deer!” A six point drifts up the slope, but his chosen route takes him ten yards too far for a reasonable shot. I relax the grip on a Flemish-twist string and watch in exhilaration. This is the first deer of a new season, and the importance of that can’t be negated by the failure to get a shot. I smile. The morning has some age now, there are nothing but squirrels moving. I opt to take a break back at camp, a simple set of

66

two tents and a canvas awning erected for cooking. But simple is more than adequate. It is worlds apart from deadlines and laptops and ringing telephones. I need simple today. 3:30 p.m.: I am back on stand. Afternoons are often more fruitful than mornings in this particular spot. Deer leave thick tangles to the east and head westward toward the soybeans. My ridge is the last stop before they drop into that mystical


Building a bow is a logical way to spend some camp time.

flatness that goes on for miles to the Big Muddy. But it is not to be. There are plenty of squirrels again but no whitetails. I leave as quietly as possible and switch on a small headlamp to help me navigate around the rattlers that, like the deer, grow big in these parts. I plan as I walk. I will eat a light supper, sit by the campfire, watch stars dance, and then I will crawl into my sleeping bag early—by 9:00 p.m. at the latest. I will be serenaded by the haunting cries of coyotes and listen to the nighttime insects chirp and chatter until I drift off to comforting sleep. This world of wild things will be separated from me only by a thin fabric wall. Day 2 – 6:00 a.m.: I am back where I was yesterday. Same tree. Looking for the same

thing. Another pleasant morning, but the heat and humidity are not as agreeable as yesterday. This more accurately fits the norm but is not as inviting as the previous day’s greeting. I daydream. I think of that first archery deer. That was in 1973. No, it was 1974. Could it possibly have been that long? The buck was a three point—Eastern count. He came from a pine plantation into some oaks en route to soybeans. The arrow intercepted him before he made that complete journey, and I sat beside him in awe. The sun cast its melancholy shadows about me as I sat, overcome with emotion and sentiment. My first archery deer. I concluded then that no other animal could mean as much, and the years have proven that conclusion reliable. I think of what will likely be my one and only trip to Africa. I am sitting alone on a mountainside, stroking the rich coat and magnificent spiral horns of an Eastern Cape kudu bull. As per my request, the PH has left me behind while he goes to collect

Author with Delta doe.


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the truck a mile or so back. The PH is late; the sun is gone and the night has come. I later learned the reason for his delay, the PH high centered the truck on a rock. Rectifying that situation took him more than an hour—his cause for tardiness. I hear the night sounds, sounds that are fully unfamiliar to a simple man from another continent. I stare at the Southern Cross, can almost reach up and feel the Milky Way as it brushes a transparent sky. I shiver in the chill. Or perhaps, I shiver when pondering possible outcomes of this evening. I consider the years, the experiences. These somehow meld into a blurred yet oddly identifiable catalog of individual events and times. Truck lights break my reverie. I am suddenly back in that stand on the oak ridge in Mississippi. Nothing shows this morning. I head to camp.

3:30 p.m.: That stand again. The afternoon is uneventful. I leave a touch discouraged, but a fire, a meal, and a warm sleeping bag will no doubt lift spirits. A weather front is forecasted to move through. That should change the dynamics for tomorrow. Day 3 – 5:45 a.m.: The wind is blowing. An ominous thundercloud postures in the west. A crack of lightning in the distance dissuades me from continuing my vigil. I will ride out impending storm at camp. 4:00 p.m.: The storm is over. My boots are double size because of that Delta buckshot mud I contacted getting to this location that, by now, feels like home. My hopes are high and the safety harness is secured. I sit back and wait. And then those mental ramblings begin. I realize with some trepidation that I am no longer that young bow hunter who took a three point in 1974. I am not even that adult who, several years back, sat on an African hillside and admired an incredible kudu. I

don’t climb trees or mountains with the same agility and abandon I once did. The joints creak and ache with monotonous regularity. Two have even called for surgery. Age is insistent, collecting its own sinister tariffs. I can’t help but wonder how much longer I can participate in this activity that has been an integral part of my life, my being. I can’t help but wonder what I will do and how I will react when the inevitable manages a firm grip and I have to admit that I can no longer continue. These are the sobering thoughts that ramble through my mind. I am brought back to the present by that familiar crunch in the leaves and the unmistakable pop as a deer bites into an acorn. A bamboo-backed Osage bow comes up, a cedar shaft zips away, and a big Delta doe crashes just down the hill. The hunt is over. I will deal with those imagined prospects that occupied my mind minutes earlier at a later time.

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EventsCALENDAR November 18–20 18–20 19 19–20 26–27 27

Three Rivers Muzzleloaders Fall Rendezvous (Peru, Kansas) Veteran’s Mountain Man Rendezvous (Camp, Arkansas) Pavhant Valley Flint Knappers Knap-In (Delta, Utah) First Earth Wilderness School Brain-Tan Buckskin Class (Rogersville, Missouri) Last Chance Throw (Cheyenne, Wyoming) JOMO Monthly Knap-In (Pineville, Missouri)

December 3 3 4 10–11 17 21

Pavhant Valley Flint Knappers Knap-in (Delta, Utah) Monthly Museum Knap-In (St. Lehi, Utah) Bakersfield Knap-In (Bakersfield, California) Prairie Longrifles, Inc. Wild West Trade Show (Salina, Kansas) Pavhant Valley Flint Knappers Knap-In (Delta, Utah) Open Skills Night Winter Solstice Celebration (Great Meadows, New Jersey)

Ft. Townson Rendezvous (Ft. Townson, Oklahoma) Stone Age and Primitive Arts Festival (Ochlockonee River State Park, Florida) 27–29 Traditional Bowhunters Expo (Kalamazoo, Michigan) 29–March 5 Western National Shoot (Phoenix, Arizona)

Overseas December 3–4

Alafia River Rendezvous (Homeland, Florida) Missouri Fur Company Bucks Only Rendezvous (Waco, Missouri)

Auneau (Eur et Loire, France)

2012 March 2 2–4 11–17 22–25

January 14–21 20–22

23–25 24–26

Sliver River Knap-In (Ocala, Florida) Florida State Championship (Palm Bay, Florida). Sponsored by Primitive Archer Magazine Southwestern Regional Rendezvous (Troup, Texas) OJAM Oklahoma Selfbow Jamboree (Near Perkins, Oklahoma)

April 27–29

20th Annual Whittingham Traditional Archery Rendezvous. Sponsored by Primitive Archer Magazine

February 12–18 17–19 17–20

Winter Count (near Phoenix, Arizona) Frostbite Campout (Wheeling, West Virginia) 2012 Shot Show (Las Vegas, Nevada)

May 4–6

Twin Oaks Classic (Clarksville, Tennessee). Sponsored by Primitive Archer Magazine

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


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VHS & DVDs by John McPherson

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Only: $14.95 Through a remarkable command of manuscript and printed sources and a judicious use of material evidence, including his own important collection of rare longbows, Hugh Soar establishes the deep connections of this bow to England, Scotland, and Wales. Figures in the past like William Wallace, Edward III, and Henry V appear alongside detailed descriptions of bows, strings, arrows, and arrowheads, while the rise of institutions and craftsmen devoted to the longbow are presented to show how knowledge of this weapon was carried forward across the centuries. Today, those in the sport of archery and military historians will find that The Crooked Stick will enhance their own interests in a weapon of legendary status. In addition to the illustrated text, the book contains appendices detailing the history and design of bracers, tabs and tips, quivers, and arrowheads associated with the longbow.

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In you'll follow a dedicated traditional bowhunter through one season across five states as he "Lets Loose" on elk, mule deer, whitetail, antelope, turkey, big horn sheep, javelina, hogs, and small game. Watch the arrow fly to its mark again and again as over 30 animals are harvested under fair chase conditions with a traditional bow. Come experience the heart-pounding intensity as we stalk, hunt, and harvest a variety of North America's wariest game. • 2 hours • Over 30 hunts Price $17.95 + S & H Harvested animals were used to feed hungry families 25% of DVD profits will go to charities that help disabled and terminally ill children experience the outdoors.

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ARCHERY SUPPLIES

ADVERTISE ONLINE

Send for a free catalog of traditional archery supplies • We are a full retail dealer of the finest traditional archery supplies available • THE FOOTED SHAFT • 5510 North Highway 63 • Rochester, MN 55906 • (507) 288-7581

RENDEZVOUS & SHOOTS See our calendar for shoots and special

DISTRIBUTOR LIST To see a list of distributors, please go online at www.PRIMITIVEARCHER.com/ pages/distributor.html.

events. Go to www.PRIMITIVEARCHER.com

You can now advertise on PRIMITIVE ARCHER’s very popular web site web ads are now available. Contact us for details (713) 467-8202 or [email protected] Competitive Rates are Available.

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BackTRAILS

Sunrise over sloughs and crop lands of the Delta is filled with promise.

Poet’sCORNER Just One of Those Things By Homer Luther He said, “It was just one of those things.” “It happens.” He shrugged. He had been hunting elephant. They had gotten in real close. The great old bull was over fifty and just twenty yards away. They could hear his stomach growling, his chewing, and his breathing. The bush was tangled, dark, and deep. But through a patch they saw him, his gray wrinkled leathery skin.

One

Hunter’sJournal B y To n y K i n t o n

Day 1 – 6:00 a.m.: This is opening morning. I am sitting a stand located along an oak ridge just above a soybean field on the eastern edge of what we here in Mississippi call the Delta. The Delta is a broad expanse of flat, rich earth spreading over millions of acres along either side of the Mississippi River. These productive soils produce in abundance everything that grows here: crops, wildlife. If it will grow to outsized specifications, all it needs is a smile from nature and time to do that here. Quite spectacular, the Delta is. The sun is up, poking fingers of misty light through a canopy of leaves on an

unseasonably cool morning for this area at this time—early October. Usually the mosquitoes are buzzing and sweat is trickling down my back when I sit here, but not today. Today is glorious. The oaks are rattling in a tiny breeze, and leaves have already begun to lose their bright green. Reds and oranges are now replacing that color of summer. The honey locust pods have curled and begun to drop. One such tree is stationed just down the ridge from me; deer tracks surround it. A few yards over, I hear a rustle. My heart quickens. I scan the surroundings for the source of that distinctive crunch that

And then the natural chorus of the heavy bush was shattered, as he shot him there so close. All was madness in the moment, screaming, crashing, bellowing, dust so thick that you could taste it. The earth trembled in the chaos. Young bulls were quick to circle their ancient patriarch, no second shot was possible. Then all there was—was dust. To his surprise, there was no blood, loose skin and wrinkles hide the flow. For days they tried to track him, but tracks went in all directions. He lost his elephant in the thicket, a bull of over fifty years. “It was just one of those things,” he said.

Cook tent awning

“It happens.” He shrugged. 80


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Primitive Archer Magazine Sponsorship Program The “Sponsorship Program” is available to advertisers for rendezvous, knap-ins, shoots, atlatl groups, black powder and muzzleloader enthusiasts and wilderness schools. Primitive Archer Magazine’s “Sponsorship Program” donation will include all or part, as needed, of the following items: 1. FREE upgrade of your ad to double its size. 2. FREE one year subscription(s) to Primitive Archer Magazine. 3. FREE one year subscription(s) to Primitive Archer eMag. 4. FREE listing on our Calendar of Events highlighted in the magazine and linked on the web site. 5. FREE additional listing and link on our web site as an advertiser. In receipt of this donation, your organization agrees to list us as a sponsor on all your literature, brochures and hand-outs used in the promotion of your event, to link us to your web site as a sponsor, and to run an advertisement for Primitive Archer Magazine for one year in your publication (i.e. newsletter). The ad will be furnished by us in an appropriate format. Advertising Information Available From PRIMITIVE ARCHER ADVERTISING PO Box 79306 • Houston, TX 77279-9306 (713) 467-8202 phone (713) 467-4979 fax Email your listings or advertisements to Marie Luther [email protected]

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

Primitive Archer Magazine 12-2011

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