Shooting Traditional Hunting Bows In My Basement?

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Ed Hale

Shooting hunting weight recurves and long bows in my basement, during winter, does great things for my shooting basics skill level and strength.

And it can do great things for you as well. Sure, most basements are at max 10 yards but that is all you need for the most important basic skills. Skills like good form, draw and release, follow thru, and important back muscle strength are the foundation for your back yard bullseyes and vital zone hits on wild game.

Outside, many tend to concentrate more on the target and bullseyes which takes another level of concentration, sometimes leaving the basics in the back seat like a poor release and follow-thru.

Twanging the string sideways at full draw, means the arrow will fly left or right. And taking down your bow too quickly upon release can affect arrow flight.

You can practice a perfect release by drawing your imaginary bow and releasing your hand and fingers in a rearward motion to touch the back of your ears and neck.

It’s what happens at the bow that makes the shot, just as it is the golfers swing that creates a great straight shot or a bowlers step and follow thru.

Real pros know that, if you can’t be master of the basics, then you can’t master the craft. Further, at short range, it is easy to see that your string nocking points and brace height contribute significantly to arrow flight. I have two bows braced for practice and discovered my knock point was too high on one and perfect on the other bow.

Bare shaft tests through paper at say 3 to 5 yards can aid in setting knocking points too. On a compound you also set your plunger button left/right and tension. There are books on bow tuning.

If I have not shot in a week or so, I will shoot a bow of less poundage for a few day and work back up to a bow of higher poundage. You will also discover a bow poundage which allows full use of back muscles like 50 pounds. But then shooting a heavier bow of say 55 pounds, you are not coming to the same full draw as with the 50 pound bow. Regular practice allows the building of muscle and soon the 55 pound bow will be drawn to the same full draw. Just remember not to over practice and damage your back muscles. Stop at a high point of your practice session.

Arrow spine and length are also essential but we will save that for another time.

Good Shooting!

China Sporting Goods Dollars Sold in USA – Is China an Adversary? Yes! Updated

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Ed Hale

We all love a great deal, don’t we! What has been happening in the sporting goods market for accessories, is that there are billions of dollars to be made in archery and gun and hiking/camping accessories like knives and flashlights etc. and all the seemingly small items we need.

We the sporting goods buyers, me included, have bought many China-Made goods in the past because our government for decades believed that China would become Westernized and see the benefits of a free society. This is clearly not the case.

China is now an Adversary not a competitor says the Center for Security Policy. https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/treat-china-as-an-adversary-not-a-competitor/

Peter Hoekstra Center for Security Policy – https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/predicting-2022-chinas-year-of-the-tiger/

says quote:

“According to the Chinese calendar, 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. 2022 is the year where America finally goes big against China. China will also go big against the U.S. and Taiwan. Here are the developments that will push America to confront China’s malign and dangerous behavior and, in an upcoming article, those that will push China to go big.” end quote.

Outdoor folks, I have written the following letter I will use as a foundation to write to USA run businesses and corporations to refrain from selling China goods: You may use it too. When I receive a response from those I write, I will let you know.

Dear Business Name,

Re: Your Business Sells Manufactured Goods from China

It was not long ago that China was seen as a competitor.

Today, many, like me, believe China has crossed the threshold from competitor to adversary say many Military and Strategic Studies.

There is ample evidence that they use the profits from your sales for purposes of world-wide domination and subjugation.

What are you doing about it?

It has been reported around the world that Uyghurs, (populations of humans) in the Xinjiang region of China are working in forced labor camps, where systemic torture and rape etc. are common. Sales from these labor camps are reaching the USA.

In fact, Walmart was just threatened by China if they stop selling China goods.

Today, Taiwan is being threatened with China bomber overflights of their country and soon, predicted to use military force if needed to force them back into China’s sphere of influence. And we in the USA are on their target list.

If we in the USA don’t care, then we are China’s future target.

I urge you to seek alternatives to China Manufactured Goods Today! And encourage sportsmen and women to stop buying them, if possible.

Sincerely,

Your Name and USA address

####

Please use any and or all of this letter as you see fit in writing your own letters to business leaders.

Outdoor Purchases On-Line- How to avoid purchases from adversaries?

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Ed Hale

Ever since Covid, I made some of my hunting purchases on Amazon. You will find “answered questions” that often include where the product was made.

I also buy from Midway USA who now has a very wide selection of sporting goods, hunting and fishing gear by USA and Europe brand names. My Archery gear is from 3Rivers on-line. 3Rivers Archery posts a USA flag with the sale item to indicate where it’s made.

Lots of cheap goods at many big outdoor retailers from Asia so look out and ask. I some cases you cant avoid it, but at least you know.

I was looking for Ice Cleats/Crampons on Amazon and found most were made in China after reading the “answered questions” including those that are not shown. But this Amazon Cleat below is from Maine!

STABILicers Walk Traction Cleat for Walking on Snow and Ice are made in Maine, USA.

Check these Cleats out and consider to avoid buying or supporting countries that are our adversaries! Like China and Russia for example.

Sometimes, it is not possible thanks to Washington Bureaucrats.

Walmart as you know is largely imported goods and China stuff so beware!

Shooting Longbows and Recurves of Heavy Poundage for Big Game

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Ed Hale

Training to shoot heavy poundage bows like 55 and 60 pounds accurately, on the first arrow, takes dedication and perfect training daily or every other day… for my older bones.

In my case, in long years past, I have dedicated time for a heavy weight custom traditional recurve hunting bow of 68 pounds. Once I stopped shooting that bow for months, it was back breaking for me to get back to shooting it with accuracy.

The answer was to build up with lesser weight bows which I did not have, and could not afford, at the time. Moving forward to today, I am retired from quality assurance engineering and have access to inexpensive recurves and long bows at a fraction of the cost to train without muscle or shoulder injury. Recovery, from a shoulder or muscle pull takes months.

I wrote an archery article in August 2021 for hunters to get back to preparing for deer hunting. I was shooting a 45 pound Samick Sage takedown recurve that cost me $140 dollars. See photo below. Great bow for the price. I learned that I could purchase separate limbs for it for just $74 dollars. I bought 50 pound limbs and was happy to step up and begin training in my back yard in October moving from 45 to 50 pounds in draw weight, but I did not stop there.

Recently, I purchase a Bear Montana longbow, shown below, in 55 pounds and training indoors in my basement on form, draw, anchor and release. I used to shoot instinctive but found my overall accuracy improved by shooting 3 fingers under the arrow. I created the leather quiver 20 years ago, and gave it a coat of polish.

Below is a 42 pound hickory self-bow recurve backed with deer sinew I have just completed. It started as a long bow stave in my office for 20 years collecting dust. Nice to have it finished. Shoots smooth!

I walk the string an inch lower than the nock for better eye alignment with the arrow. I am having so much fun indoor basement shooting at 10 yards in training that I purchased a 60 pound set of limbs for my takedown recurve and just began shooting it. I am working up slowly on the 60 pound limbs but shooting the 55 pound long bow regularly. The arrows fly like darts! Wow! I think 60 pounds is enough.

Good Hunting!

Perfect Rifle Cartridge for Big Game?

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Ed Hale

Is there a perfect rifle cartridge for big game? Great Campfire fodder sure to keep you up at night.

Big Game Cartridges are purchased and used for many different reasons, thus for some big game animals, they are better and sometimes… they are not.

The distances we encounter and hunt big game like deer, bear, and moose as well a bullet shape and construction play a large part of a big game cartridge. And whether the game you are hunting can be dangerous, like a brown or grizzly bear.

I believe the vast majority are deer hunters like myself , who, on occasion hunt bear, wild boar, elk, moose and such.

Many cartridges were originally designed as a target cartridge like the recent 6.5 Creedmoor. The .308 Winchester and 30-06 Springfield were designed as a cartridge used in battle in WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam, later valuably used as a target round and hunting round.

It was the ballistics data experts and students that realized that surplus ammo was used inexpensively for both target and hunting. Most were of spitzer bullet design for longer range.

Later post WWII hunters learned that a round nose bullet at shorter ranges inside of 200 or so yards were like the hammer-of-thor thus dropping game pronto. Lever guns like the 30-30 and 35 Winchester as well as the 45-70 cannot use pointed tip bullets and were terrific game stoppers.

Today many hunters like long range hunting and go west or south to prairies and bean fields thus spitzers are the bullet of choice for 300 to 800 yards or more.

Or some believe the use of light copper spitzer bullets at high velocities of over 3200fps with 100% retained weight to deliver hydrostatic shock and a lights out punch to game like black bear at close range.

Here in New Hampshire, most game like deer, bear and moose are harvested at around 40 to 50 yards or so. Spitzers are not necessary here but if you do not reload or hand-load, then spitzers are what you will find on store shelves these days.

Bore sizes like .22, 6mm/.243, 6.5mm, 7mm, .308, .338 and .375, 416, 45, and 50 caliber are common but are used on certain game for reasons of killing capacity(aka energy delivered) and distances encountered. Yes, I missed a dozen other less common calibers, but you get the idea.

The key to any big game cartridge really is the bullet and its construction, like bonded, A-frame or copper for the task desired. Coupled with this, and equally important is sectional density. It is the ratio of bullet weight (M) to the square of bullet diameter and is very important for penetration. (SD= M/D²). If you are a student of ballistics and killing power the following website will add to your knowledge for winter reading.

https://www.chuckhawks.com/sd.htm

So in the end, if you know distances to deer for example and the terrain and forest type you are hunting them you can gear your rifle cartridge and bullet to the game, thus making it more ideal.

You guessed it, there is no perfect big game cartridge. To maximize your cartridge, include the size of game, terrain, distance, bullet construction including sectional density in your calculations. Below is another website for your winter reading.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_bullet_killing_power.htm

Good Hunting!

Traditional Archery: Winter 3D Fun

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Ed Hale

In New Hampshire, Granite State Bowhunters we call GSB, forms club shoots across the state for compound bows and traditional bows of just stick and string. GSB had its first shoot at Lamprey River Bowhunters on January 2nd 2022. It was great fun! See the 3D Schedule below.

http://www.granitestatebowhunters.com/3d-schedule/

I grew up on stick and string and find that it is very rewarding even today.

It is a small but re-growing cadre of bowhunters that simply like stick and string traditional archery. It is part comradery, part hunt, and tests your shooting skill at unknown distances. Below my archery friend and national long bow champion, Jacques Bonin. He is taking aim at a 3D pronghorn foam antelope. Here Jacques shoots a 78 lb pull Howard Hill long bow at shorter draw length thus it is casting the arrow at 72 pounds. Most of us can’t even draw his bow, never mind shooting it. I am happy shooting 50 to 55 pounds right now.

Traditional bowhunters are restricted to shorter ranges to maximize heart/lung hits on 3D animals like deer, bear, elk, turkey and wild boar. Whereas Compound shooters shoot at longer distances. But all of us must deal with one earthly constant. Gravity! Even a fast bow shooting 300 fps must deal with gravities downward pull of 32 fps per second.

These 3D shoots are excellent preparation for bowhunting and creating lifelong friendships with other like-minded bowhunters. The comradery on a 3D course can be the highlight of your day and a great way to introduce young hunters to archery and hunting.

Learning shooting and distance judging from those around you in these 3D shoots are vital in our quest to bow-hunt wild game – and place your arrow in the vital zone for a quick humane harvest.

Enjoy the Winter Outside!