I took these newly fletched arrows up to the range yesterday and right off the bat one of the feathers came off the shaft.  I continued to shoot the arrow as it still went about as straight as I can shoot and it still gave me good practice in my form.

So, later I was talking with Lynn and he told me about how to build a tool out of leather that could help me to get my fletchings on straight.  He also suggested I wrap the fletchings with nylon thread and seal the thread ends with my glue.

So, home I came and went right to work getting the fletching tool fixed up.

It isn’t hard to see how it works and the whole idea is to keep the fletchings as straight on the arrow shaft as you can.  Of course you still have to glue the entire length of the feather quill in addition to the wrapping of the thread.  For this arrow I used a Canadian Goose feather I have laying around.  We will see how well it flys later on.

After the glue had dried, I proceeded to wrap the fletching with the thread and this is the outcome.

I didn’t take a picture  after trimming down the feathers to the shape similar to the other arrows.  We shall see how things go tonight at the range.

Bears Butt

January 12, 2015

FYI:  Arrows have stuff attached to them that help them fly straight….Feathers are called “Fletchings” and plastic is called “Veins”.

After getting all of my chores done yesterday I had some time to practice with my bow.  The first thing I noticed was one of the plastic veins was coming off one of the arrows.  I decided I would try my hand at putting on some real feathers.  I figured that one arrow out of the three I have would not be a great sacrifice should my attempt not work.

I scrounged around for feathers and found some of the turkey feathers I brought back from Missouri from my turkey hunt out there.  They should work perfectly.

Then I went on line (my biggest source of information, trouble and assorted good stuff) and found a do it yourself guide to putting feathers on an arrow.  A great source that showed how to peel the feather away from the quill and then a bunch of other useful information.

I set myself up with super glue, newspapers, toothpicks and napkins (to clean up the mess I knew I would be making).

With pocket knife in hand I finished the job of taking off the plastic veins that were almost off the arrow.  That didn’t take much and then cleaned up the arrow shaft.  I marked where the veins were with a permanent marker so I would know where to put the feathers.

OK, so here I must admit, most people who are going to put fletchings on their arrows are going to make dang sure those feathers are perfectly straight on the shaft, or they will put them on so the arrow will turn while in flight, which requires the feathers to be put on sort of slightly wrapping around the arrow shaft.  Each arrow has 3 feathers or veins to help achieve the straight flight.  Well, in my way of thinking, I was not about to buy a fletching devise to make sure my feathers were on straight.  After all, I have marked the old position of the vein and it looks pretty straight.  All I have to do now is make sure I glue the feather down right along the line I have marked.  That will make it straight.

I put a small line of super glue on the arrow shaft and then grabbed up a feather.  Looking at the feather I decided the end closest to the tip of the arrow should also be the end that came from the point closest to that of the end of the quill of the feather.  That way the feather will fly according to how God intended and not against the way the air will flow over it.  I held it in place for what seemed a very long time, but the feather just would not adhere to the shaft of the arrow.  The super glue was not setting up at all.  This was frustrating.  Super glue always sets up quickly and usually way to soon to get the job done that I need to get done.  This was not the case with this job.

OK.  After about 10 minutes I gave up on that tube of super glue and went in and got another tube.  Does super glue go bad sitting in the tube?  I didn’t think so, but what the heck, let’s try a new tube.  I cleaned up the mess from the arrow shaft and put on a new line of glue from the new tube.  Again, holding the feather in its place another 10 minutes and still it would not stick down.  Now that is frustrating!  What next?  What other kind of glue to I have?  AH HA!  Contact cement!  I headed for the basement and pulled out a quart can of contact cement!  This stuff will work!

I had purchased this can of contact cement back in about 1988 for a job I was doing that required contact cement.  I knew I had used most of it, but my nature says, “don’t throw that away, you might need it some day”!  Well, today is that day!  I grabbed up a few toothpicks figuring I’d dip the end of the toothpick into the cement and spread it on the arrow shaft, and then do the same to the feather.  Using my trusty Gerber and its ever so useful flat screwdriver blade, I pried open the can.  With the lid off, I peered down into the 1/4 inch thick layer of contact cement and immediately realized the smell was way stronger than I remembered.  Pulled out a toothpick and poked it into the layer of cement.  HARD AS A ROCK!  Bummer.  Now what?

I guess sitting that long the contact cement just had to do something.

Now my thinking cap was really going.  What else do I have around….I went to the utility cabinet and began my search….Gorilla Glue….Elmers….Scotch Tape…hmmmmmmmmmmm.

I was having a tough time coming up with something acceptable….AND THEN my eye fell upon a round tube that contained fixings for repairing a bike tube!  Opening it up, sure enough there was a tube of  “rubber cement”…..Now isn’t rubber cement and contact cement the same thing?  Maybe not, but it is worth a try for this project.

I dabbed a line of rubber cement along the arrow shaft and then dabbed the feather in it and pulled it out and away.  Rubber cement and contact cement usually have to be almost completely dry in order to have two items stick together with it.  I waited about a minute and then carefully touched the feather down to the arrow shaft…..it held!  I completed the task and had it almost perfectly straight along my line!  I felt good!

I rotated the arrow shaft on my make shift holder and repeated the process two more time!  Now I have all three feathers glued to the arrow shaft.  Of course they were way to big and needed to be cut down.  I used one of the plastic veins as a template and marked the feather with the general outline I needed.  A set of smallish scissors and the job was done.  See the picture above.

Well, I gave the glue about a half hour to dry and then took the three arrows I own out for a test drive.  Mind you, only one of them have had the veins replaced.  I stood on my 8 yard mark and fired the two plastic veined arrows at the mark.  They flew their normal way, dancing down range and came to rest in the target on about a 30 degree angle upward in the rear.  Not a bad shot with either arrow I might add.  Now for the fletched arrow.  I wasn’t sure the feathers would even stay on the arrow and so with some caution, I drew back on the bow, made sure my anchor points were all in place and let er fly!

Had I had a movie camera facing toward my at that moment, I’m sure you would have seen my eyes widen and my mouth drop open.  That arrow flew so straight and true and it hit exactly in the center of the target and stuck straight out!  Not at the 30 degree angle the other two were sticking out at.

I walked down range and retrieved the three arrows and walked back to the 8 yard line.  Thinking all the while that the fletched arrow’s flight was just an accident.  I proceeded to shoot the two veined arrows again with the same results as before and then the fletched arrow.  ZIP!  And just like the first time, it went well….straight as an arrow….and stuck into the target!  I gathered up all my stuff and headed into the house to announce to Winemaker that I would be tied up for awhile while I fletched the other two arrows.

So, there you see the three fletched arrows!  Ready to go to the range today!

____________________

It’s Sunday and the range in Brigham is open from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., Weasel, Squirrel and I are headed up to see what we can do.

Well, my first shots were not what I expected and upon gathering my arrows I noticed one of the fletchings was coming off…bummer….The club gave me some quick drying fletching glue and I made an attempt to re-attach the fletching.  After 10 minutes it felt dry and so I shot it….When the arrow hit the target the fletching floated slowly to the floor.  For the rest of the time we were there I continued to shoot that arrow with only two fletchings and I was surprised it flew pretty straight.

Talking to “Lynn”, my go to guy from the Brigham Bowmen Club, he informed me that I really needed to scrub the arrow shafts down with dish washing soap until they squeak when being rubbed.  By doing that the glue will adhere and keep the fletching on.  He also recommended I tie the fletchings on with string or sewing thread as well as with the glue.

So, here I am and will be re-fletching all three arrows using his method.

____________________

So, Lynn is my go to guy and he suggested I try and shoot a bow with a bit more pull poundage than the 20 or so pounds I have been shooting.  He went to the clubs cabinet and came back with a nice PSE bow that said 62 inches/ 20 pounds pull written on it.  Well, other than the looks of it and the length, the pounds pull should be the same as the one I’ve been shooting.  I stood to the line and the first thing I noticed was a much harder pull than my bow.  I pulled it back, found my anchor points and let it go!  The arrow flew almost as straight and flat as if I was shooting a much heavier bow.  It also felt more stable, I suppose because of the longer length.  I don’t know what it was, but it felt really good.  After shooting the 3 arrows, I was very surprised that all 3 were within about a one foot radius of each other.  We discussed that and the fact that the arrows flew so flat…Lynn thinks it is time I invested in a heavier bow and even go up to as much as a 35 pound pull.

I plan on going to the range tomorrow evening and Lynn said he would bring a 30 pound bow he has at his home for me to try out.

What’s the end goal for me at this point?  I’ve only been shooting since just after Christmas and already am ready to upgrade to a heavier draw weight bow.  Well, since Conners Bow hunt for deer was so much fun, perhaps I should shoot for a 45 pound draw weight bow and try out some bow hunting.  That won’t happen this year, but maybe next year….we will see…Maybe I won’t even be able to draw a 45 pound bow back.  When you think about it, that is quite a lot of pull.  Time will tell.

Bears Butt

January 11, 2015

I had my first ever lesson on how to shoot a bow…..well, maybe that was an exaggeration….I had my first lesson where there were other first time shooters on the line with me.  My teacher(s) were very helpful but in the process overwhelmed me with proper form and trying new things.  All of this is new to me and I thought I had things under control before I went to the lesson.  I came away not sure what I need to do next.  I suppose, from processing all of the ideas I was hit with last night, the key things are “anchor points, stance and release”.  At least that were the consistent items being brought up.

So, let me try and explain what I came away with and hopefully if anyone who knows what is going on sees I have missed a point please make comments below and get me back on track.  Maybe even support where I’m coming from.

Anchor Points:  You need at least 3 different points that are consistent from one shot to the next.  Your grip on the bow must be light and not a tight grip.  A tight grip will cause the bow to jump (or something) making the shots inconsistent.  A light touch, with the bow resting in the curve of the hand between thumb and index finger.  There should not be much if any grip at all.  Grasping the bow after the shot is proper to keep the bow from hitting the ground.

The hand pulling back the string must stop at some point on your face and be consistently placed there every time.  In my case, my thumb is on top of and is parallel to my hand.  The back of my thumb comes to rest against the “bump” at the back of my jaw.  When this point is reached, the string is hitting either the end of my nose, or just slightly to the right side of the end of my nose.  One instructor insisted the string be “cutting” deep into the end of my nose.  I never really got that concept down and perhaps that is where practice will prove it is not an impossible feat to obtain.

So, hand grip, jaw being touched and string against the nose….these are the three anchor points I need to concentrate on.

Stance:  I have been shooting at a 90 degree angle to the target.  Placing the bow out in front of me and straightening my left arm and once it is straight, I draw the string back with my right arm, three fingers holding the string and under the nock of the arrow.  My right elbow is held somewhat high (at least I think it is) while I find my anchor point under my jaw and string against my nose.

So, I have been trying to learn my shooting technique by standing erect, and being much the same as everyone else seems to be, most of whom are shooting compound bows.  When I stand this way and am 90 degrees to my target, it feels normal and very comfortable.  My instructors had me try something new last night.  Placing my right foot forward of my left and my body at about a 45 degree angle to the target.  With my draw and anchor points maintained, I was to bend my body forward, have the bow canted to my right and take the shot.  Even though I hit near where my target was, the 5 times I shot like that, the stance was very uncomfortable and I had a difficult time keeping the string against my nose.  I am not sure, but I may not have even had the string against my nose for 4 of those 5 shots.  I will practice this and try to figure it out.

Release:  Now here is where I really have to concentrate.  Lynn, held his pocket knife in his hand with the tip of the blade sticking out about a sixteenth of an inch (just enough I would feel it) and he held it to the side of my ear.  Why?  Well, with a proper release, the hand pulling back the string should be released with a backward motion that carries my hand (open) back toward my shoulder and directly behind my ear.  I have a tendency to release the string by moving my hand out and away from my head.  Yes, slightly behind my ear, but more so out to the right side.  This is where the knife point was and I felt it every time…my bad!  I did notice a very distinct difference on where the arrow ended up when I released properly….it hit much closer to my target.

Next, shoot with both eyes open.  I’m shooting in what I gather is Primitive Hunter class, no sights, all instinctive shooting.

Something else happened last night that hasn’t happened in the past, the string was hitting my left arm, just below the elbow.  So they had me put on an arm rest.  I have heard and read that when a string is hitting the arm that holds the bow, you are not holding the bow properly.  I have to work on that as well.

Of all the shots I took last night, one hit so low it hit the wooden frame and bounced back toward me.  Another hit the target backing to my left.  The rest of the shots were “in the general area” of where my target was placed.  I did have some pretty good groups, but I also had some wide groups up to 4 feet across.  Beginner?  Yes!  Do I need practice?  Absolutely!  Will I do what I need to do?  YES!

Bottom line for anyone taking up shooting a bow.  There is a whole lot more to it than meets the eye.  When my mind wanders to back when I was bow hunting with the bow I made, I never once thought about anchor point, stance, release or anything else.  My thoughts were on putting that arrow into the vitals of the deer that was standing less than 10 yards away.  How can you miss at that distance?  Well, now you know.

Bears Butt

January 8, 2015

I have created a new category “Archery Stuff” because it appears I am going to be getting into this scene pretty deep and quickly I might add.  Archery has always been something I liked and even in High School I built my very own “first bow”, a nice recurve with wood handle and laminated wood sandwiched between fiberglass slats.  I was very proud of that bow.  A nice feeling 45 pound draw at 28 inches and I could handle it pretty good, however I never really got “that good” at shooting it.  I did carry it out into the field with me in a very futile attempt at filling a deer tag.  I left about 2 dozen arrows out in the woods and am proud to say, I never touched an animal.

That recurve was still around when I got out of the service and even after getting married, however I never shot it after High School.  One of my brother-in-laws borrowed it and it came back in two pieces.  Nuff said about that.

So, last night Weasel and I hit the Brigham Bowmen range in Brigham City for a shoot around.  I’m still working on my form mostly but it is nice to hit the target once in awhile.  Recall my story about Perspective from last week?  I hit the paper 4 times during that session of 30 shots.  4 out of 30 and I was flying high!  That was a personal best for me because the time before when I shot (my first time with my new bow) I had hit the paper once!  So to hit it 4 times was a wonderful feeling.

Weasel was there to mental toughen himself up after a deflating shoot in a tournament over the weekend.  And he had decided to shoot at least two full rounds, for a total of 60 shots.  I would join him in the number of shots.  We are shooting at 20 yards with all the rules of target shooting in effect.  Three shots, stand back and wait for the others, when the range is closed, go down and get the arrows and come back to the line.  It all takes time.  Some small talk, but none loud enough to bother the serious ones shooting for the night.

As my shooting progressed I was feeling pretty dang good about my form.  Very light grip on the bow handle, string touching the center of my nose, thumb planted near the center and under my jaw, rear elbow high, release and swing my right hand back toward the top of my shoulder.  Things were feeling very well.  There were the occasional goofs, especially where my release was concerned.  I found myself just letting the string go without the backwards movement of my hand, but even some of those shots hit near where I wanted them.  It sort of falls in the old statement “if you shoot enough times at something, your are bound to hit it” (right Dry Dog?).

Well, by the time my 60 shots were done, I had 24 marks on the paper!  24 out of 60 hit that big old white paper down range!!!!!!  Insert a BIG OLD SMILEY FACE HERE!!!!

Weasel told me I now had to start posting up “percentages”, shots taken vs hits obtained.  24/60th equals 40%………..I’ll take it!

Tonight I have my second lesson.  My first was a guy who heard I was coming down to the range with a recurve bow.  He came in, introduced himself and proceeded to help me hit that paper.  He adjusted the point at which the arrow nock would fit on the string.  He changed out the arrow rest on the bow.  Told me the parts of the bow and a bit of history about shooting bows.  He also showed me an article on how the bows should be shot.  Hand placement, string touching the nose etc.  And recall, I hit the paper once that night.  He reassured me that until my form is right I should not be concerned about hitting the paper.

So, tonight’s lesson will probably be less than what he showed me the other night, but whatever the outcome, I will try my best to listen to the instructor and do what is asked of me.

Bears Butt

January 7, 2015

Good morning my friends!  I awoke this day to 35 degrees of warming trend on this January 2015 morning.  We have had highs in the 20’s of late and now we are facing a trend that should see us with highs in the 50’s within the next few days.  That doesn’t make for happy ice fishing.  But that is not why I’m writing today.  You see, I had a dream…………

As you progress through this rambling of thoughts, keep in mind, none of what you are about to take in has been tested and it could be an absolutely dangerous game.  And so, I will start you off with a warning….THE FOLLOWING COULD CAUSE BODILY HARM AND EVEN DEATH TO PARTICIPANTS AND SPECTATORS (and I’m not just talking about those that live in California).  So, I consider myself covered and not liable for injury from anyone attempting to make my dream a reality.  Lawyers please stand by, here goes.

Golf.

A happy (to most) sport when not taken too seriously.  But as big as the sport is, there are thousands who really take it to extremes and break their clubs, throw stuff into ponds, kick trees, punch their buddies, lie to their spouses about where they have been and even take to drinking in excess.  Each of these “fits” of rage cause other consequences which we have read about in the news for decades.  Divorces, bankruptcy, automobile wrecks, affairs, well, you know.  And what you are about to read about could cause the same types of things.  But that is not why I’m writing either.  I’d like to share my idea with you.

Golf, the happy sport.  A set of clubs, a ball, a set of rules and a goal.  The clubs are designed to “lift” the ball off the ground and sent it flying toward the goal.  The goal is to get the ball to drop into a hole at the far end of a distance.  And of course the stinking rules which are written and designed to keep the playing field equal to all who play the game.

My idea is no different, except there is a “safety” issue at hand and that must be further investigated and adhered too.

I call my idea, “RAMROD GOLF” for lack of anything else to call it at this time.  Perhaps if someone actually takes up this sport they will rename it…maybe Bears Butt Golf, or Butt golf (which could lead to more divorces than necessary if the spouse of the participant doesn’t understand what is really going on).

A set of ramrods (balls), rifle and powder charges and caps or flints (clubs), a set of stinking rules and a goal.

Your key ingredient in this game is the powder charge.  Because of excess pressures that could be created in the firing chamber of the rifle the upper limit of a powder charge should be limited to perhaps 5 grains of carefully measured powder.  Of course some method of setting that powder charge off, which to most of us would be a #11 cap, or perhaps for the more pure of heart a flint and a flint lock rifle.  For this writing I shall be referring to a cap lock rifle.  I envision 5 grains as a maximum charge, in that I have seen how ram rods fired with 60 or so grains of powder, really get down range quickly and upon hitting something down there will literally explode upon impact.  For this game you wish to be able to recover that ram rod and re-use it.  Let’s play down the amount of powder we use.  So, for now, rule number one (stinking rules) is a 5 grain maximum powder charge.

With that maximum 5 grain load of powder, we slide the ram rod down firmly upon it and after placing a cap on the nipple we fire the ram rod in the direction of the goal….boom!  And we watch it float its way toward said goal.

Let’s digress for a moment.  With two or more participants playing the game at the same time, I would like to be able to tell my ram rod from everyone elses’, so I would paint my ramrod, let’s say in red/white and blue stripes.  You would paint yours however you wanted so that once we got downrange and found our ramrods, we would know yours from mine.

From where my ramrod lays, or is sticking up out of the ground, I will proceed to reload it and again fire it towards the goal.  Each participant would do the same, always keeping safety in mind and never firing your ramrod in the direction of anyone else on the course (stinking rule number 2, but not necessarily written that way in the rule book, which hasn’t been written yet).

As I get closer to the goal, I might want to consider downsizing my powder charge.  Let’s say I have fired two sets of 5 grains and am now only 20 feet from the goal.  Would 5 grains put my ramrod past the goal?  Maybe, maybe not.  I suppose now you need to know what the “goal” is!

Goal!  Golf is a stupid game (IMHO) where the ball you are hitting must end up in the bottom of a cup and you count how many times you hit that little ball in order to have it end up there.  Ramrod Golf is no different in that respect, EXCEPT, the ramrod must stick into a foam ball sticking out of the ground and the foam ball measures 1 (one) foot in diameter.  Foam is not the best of materials to cause a lot of resistance to a projectile being fired at it and in order for the ramrod to hit it and stick inside it without coming out the other side, would require less force than perhaps 5 grains of powder would produce, but maybe from the distance you are shooting from, 5 grains might be perfect (you decide, or you can rely on your gun carrying buddy).  Stinking rule number 3, the ramrod must stick and stay inside the foam ball in order for you to call that “hole” ended for this game.

Now you and your buddies add up the total number of shots it took to accomplish that goal.  Write it on your score sheets.  Individually of course.

Let’s look at a golf course of the modern day.  A par 4 hole is one that pretty much exceeds 300 yards from the starting point to the hole (I could be wrong, maybe it’s more like 400 yards).  So, in ramrod golf you would probably want to use the maximum amount of powder allowed (5 grains) to push your ramrod the farthest down range for at least the first shot and maybe even two shots.  And then back off on the powder and try to stick your ramrod into the foam ball at the end of the course.  Too much powder and the ramrod plows through the foam ball and you have to shoot it back costing you shots (and most likely a beer bet).  A point to ponder, what if your ramrod is less than one foot from the foam ball?  How much powder are you going to use now big boy?  Is your strategy to lay down and take your shot?  Or are you going to stand directly above the foam ball and drive the ramrod straight into the ground?  (There could be more stinking rules coming).

Strategies are had in every sport there is and this one is no different.  When you are playing, should you be quiet so your buddy can concentrate, or should you be obnoxiously loud and pouring beer down all the while?  I’m certain more rules will be drafted as time goes on, but for now, you decided.

Someone needs to come up with a way to measure the pressure inside the firing chamber for  a powder charge of 5 grains and a ramrod of “X” length and “Y” weight.  Is it safe?  Can it be increased to 10 grains?  20?  Should the rule book even have a maximum powder charge assigned?

Another idea I dreamed about was attaching a Hoppies lubed felt pad to the “down the barrel end” of my ramrod to create pressure enough to push the ramrod out for maximum distance and a muzzle end wad (like an over the shot wad in shotguns) at the muzzle end, to keep the ramrod in the center of the barrel for firing accuracy.  Just a couple of dream thoughts there.

I would also expect every participant to have several ramrods available for their game, just in case the rod breaks, or goes astray and ends up in the rough or pond and not recoverable.  Shots of course would be added for the lost ramrod and coming outside the rough or pond and producing another ramrod.  Rule number 4.

Well, there you have it….Ramrod Golf, in its simplest form and before a whole lot of rules.  If you think of some more rules or ideas to make the game safer, please comment below, as people from all over the world are reading this and several of them, let’s say from the redneck states of Tennessee or Kentucky, just might want to start this game this weekend.

Bears Butt

January 6, 2015