TradArchers' World Fall 2009 Part 2

The Truth About A Real Hunter - Part One

Lenny Rock helping John Rook “aim”

By Lenny Rock

There have been numerous stories written about John Rook, the world renowned blind bow hunter. This is how it started and. is the real story as told by me. Hell, I was there to get it all started, it’s one of the best things that ever happened to me. I don’t regret a moment of it.

In the beginning, maybe just maybe, some of our readers would be interested in some of the memories I have of a special man in archery who happens to be my best friend.

I met him back in the 1960’s when I first picked up a bow and arrow. He had been shooting archery since 1946 or 1947 at a very young age. His name is John Rook. He was by far the best barebow shooter I had ever met. This was way before compound bows were made. He was so good that I copied his style, except I shoot three fingers under the arrow.

John is a world renowned blind bow hunter. Back when we first met, he could see. We shot numerous tournaments together and we were in the top bare bow class of the NFAA Rules. There was never a day that I could out-shoot him. I’d always be in second place.

We belonged to a renegade archery club called “The 8-Ball Archers.” The members were all top shooters at that time, and archery was in its hey-day with 150 to 200 archers at the tournaments.

The 8-Ball Archers would take all the trophies in Page 28

every class. Other clubs hated to see us show up.

One of the saddest days of my life was when I heard John had lost sight in both eyes, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I want to tell you about our first guided hunting trip. It was in Roan Creek, Colo. at Douglas Pass back in 1971. John had lost sight in his left eye, but he could still get around without help. There were four of us hunting along the four-mile ridge. Bob Dovich was the driver.

He would drop off Jack Pigman, then John, and then me.

Bob then drove to the end where he would hunt.

We set up our stands the day before, and John’s was high in a topped-out Ponderosa pine.

The guide told us to watch out for bears and range bulls. We all carried sling shots and steel ball bearings to keep the cattle away from our stands. We also sprayed ourselves down with buck lure.

I guess a bear liked the smell of John because just before dark, in walked a bear and it proceeded to climb up John’s tree. When he got right under John’s stand, he let him have it with a steel ball bearing right between the eyes. The bear went down the tree and walked away, stopping a few times to look back up the tree trying to figure out what had happened. Listening to John tell the story, you could tell he was pretty well shook up and a little reluctant to go back to that stand.

We were on the ridge well before daylight, and John took his six-cell flashlight to check his tree out for bear

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before he started to climb up to his stand. He heard a noise in the brush and rushing to climb into his stand made a mistake. He didn’t see the sharp branch to his left and IT happened.

At about 11:00a.m. Bob picked me up at the side of the road. As we approached John’s stand, there he was sitting along the road. His left shoulder and arm were covered with blood and the patch that was usually over his left eye was now on his left ear. The first thought that went through our minds was that John had had a bad encounter with the bear.

He said, “No,” and added that it was just a sharp limb that he didn’t see on his left side and he almost ripped his left ear off. Being a police officer, I had some first aid training and had been in emergency rooms often during working hours.

John asked me to take a look at his ear. He was right.

It was just hanging there, almost ripped off. I told him we better head for the hospital at Grand Junction to get it sewed back on.

Anyone who knows John knows that he is so bullheaded he doesn’t want to miss a minute of hunting time. So he asked me to do the honors of sewing up his ear. If I remember right his words were, “Lenny you’re a policeman. You can do anything. Sew it back on.”

With the hand of God guiding me, some spirits from a bottle and everyone in camp watching us, it was done.

Then John asked me to clean his eye socket and that was harder to do than a little sewing job.

We all slept well that night, got up a little late and headed out the ridge to our stands. Bob, our driver, was moving along pretty fast for the rough roads. I was in the cab with Bob and Jack and John was standing on the tail gate of the pickup, holding on to the cap. We hit a large bump and away went John, like a diver doing a double gainer, rolling down the road in the dust and dirt. He never let loose of his bow, but he got up holding his right arm, and I could tell right away it was broken. I thank God it wasn’t a compound fracture, just a funny bend. I told John there is no way I would attempt to set his arm.

I may be good but I’m no doctor.

This day was shot.

We headed for Grand Junction to the hospital. When we arrived at the emergency room it was full. In almost two minutes it all cleared out, though. We had so much buck lure on and stunk so badly that everyone left. I thought they would make John take a shower before treating him. The doctor asked, “Do all bow hunters smell that bad?” After x-rays were taken and his broken arm set, John had a cast from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers. The doctor was curious about the patch over his left eye and left ear. John explained about his eye and asked the doctor to take a look at his ear.

The doctor started to laugh when he removed the patch from his ear and asked who had done this. John told him some cop up in the mountains sewed him up.

The doctor told John that I had done as good a job as he could have; only he would have never used blue thread.

To this day you can hardly see the scar on John’s ear. John asked the doctor not to send anything to his home address Fall 2009

for two or three weeks; he didn’t want his wife Barb to worry.

You have to imagine what it looked like when John called Barb at home. There he was with his right arm in a sling, holding the phone with his left hand to his right ear telling his wife he’s just fine, no problems, we’re having a great time, the weather is good, Lenny got a deer yesterday… that was the way the conversation went.

We stopped at a restaurant to eat and the manager put us in a special room. Not that we were special, just that we stunk so badly. He also asked if we ever bathed. He was a bow hunter, too, so understood our situation and just laughed.

We left the Roan Creek area at Grand Junction and headed up to Aspen to do a little elk hunting. The main camp was about ten miles back in the mountains so we used horses on that trip. As we rode in, John’s finger tips would hit the saddle horn every time the horse would bounce. I felt sorry for him, but he’s just the kind of guy you want around, he never gives up.

This was the time all the hippies and draft dodgers were living in the mountains. As we rode by a small stream, there were three beautiful girls stripped naked taking a bath. Our wrangler, who thought he was a cool dude, rode up and said, “Da Da Do, which way is it to Aspen?”

After leaving the main camp we rode about another four miles to a spike camp.

We were left alone to hunt. Later we found out there wasn’t enough food for five of us for five days, so John spent his time in camp fishing for rainbow trout. There we were with a one-armed, one-eyed guy doing camp maintenance and cooking. After four days of unsuccessful hunting, we walked back to the main camp.

When we returned to Aspen, John called home. His wife had gotten the hospital bill, and I felt sorry for him trying to explain to Barb what happened.

John’s ear and arm healed fine. You can’t even see a scar where I sewed his ear back on or the funny bend where his arm was broken.

We started making plans for another trip. Meanwhile, John went in the hospital for another operation on his good eye. It turned sour and in thirty days he was totally blind. The next three years I hunted alone, but it just wasn’t the same for me without John.

Continued in the next issue.

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Tuning the Carbon Arrow

By David Soza

The carbon arrow was first introduced in 1983. Unlike the aluminum arrow which saw its debut in 1946, the carbon arrow was the first major arrow advancement that was developed primarily for the new and popular compound bow. Unlike its aluminum cousin, it did not evolve from stickbow usage. That fact led to its slow acceptance by the now orphaned “traditional” crowd. Most notable among the problems was the lack of fine spine graduations like those developed for aluminum / stickbow use. This is a problem which persists today and has led to some real difficulties with tuning. Add to this the relatively high modulus of elasticity of carbon arrows, and you have a real disconnect with the conventional wisdom of arrow tuning that was developed with wood and aluminum shafts. The need for the carbon arrow to bend or flex around the bow riser in most cases, coupled with the force induced by a finger release makes tuning for stickbows a more demanding prospect than it is for compounds.

One of the first observations by those adopting carbon arrows was its tendency to be too stiff for traditional bows. With the average hunting compound peaking at 60 to 70 pounds, the industry had little interest in arrows spined under.500, which is about 50#.

Things have progressed since then, and carbon shafts can now be found down to .600 spine, about 42#, and even lower for arrows intended for target use.

Regardless, the most common problem people have is starting with an arrow that is too stiff for their bow. The problem is compounded by cutting the shaft to an arbitrary draw length before shooting it. This is common practice with wood and aluminum because it is much easier to find the appropriate spine with so many to choose from. With carbon arrows, arbitrarily cutting them is throwing away the most valuable tuning aid.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of arrow tuning, let’s take a moment to discuss arrow spine. Arrow spine is a measure of shaft stiffness. The standardized procedure for measuring spine is to suspend the arrow shaft between two points 28 inches apart and press or hang a two pound weight on its center and then measure the distance the shaft bends or flexes in the middle. The larger the flex distance or deflection number, the weaker the shaft. A smaller deflection number indicates a stiffer shaft. Some spine testers, such as the one pictured, indicate only the deflection number. Others translate that deflection number into an arrow shaft spine weight, for example 50#.

This designation is called the static spine. Static spine does not indicate how much the arrow actually bends when it is shot.

That property is characterized by the shaft’s dynamic spine, which is more complicated. The dynamic spine is the stiffness that the arrow exhibits during the shot. It is influenced by many factors, including arrow weight, length and diameter, point weight, nock weight, bow string material, the interplay with the riser and the shooter, and other factors.

Carbon shaft manufacturers have not yet agreed upon a common spine labeling system. Some label their shafts with a number range, 55/75 for example, which roughly corresponds to the bow weights for which they’re intended. Others use different names for their shafts which correspond to different light, medium and heavy spine ranges. These designations however, should not be relied upon.

It is better to check with the manufacturer to determine the actual spine deflection. Easton and a few other manufactures have done a great service by labeling their shafts with the actual deflection, i.e. .340, .400, .500, etc. The decimal numbers represent thousands of an inch.

These .500 spined shafts measured very close to the manufacturer specs on my tester. My measurement was .496 deflection.

Choosing the Correct Shaft

You will need three pieces of information to choose the correct spine shaft for your bow. First is the actual draw weight of your bow at your draw length. Second is the point weight that you intend to use. Third is the range of arrow lengths that you could shoot. If your draw length is 28 inches, then you could say that your minimum arrow length is 28.5 or 29 inches, and your maximum is the uncut length of the shaft. This range of possible lengths is the tuning range you have with that shaft.

As noted earlier, not all manufacturers group their shafts by the common .600, .500, .400, .300 scheme. Some manufacturers and models fall between these markers, so it may be worth looking at several brands and models to find the best fit. For instance, the Page 30

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excellent Easton Redline shaft comes in a .460 spine. Easton has a good spine chart on their website for traditional bows. My experience, and that of many others, however, is that the recommendations tend to run a bit stiff. The table provides my recommendations for selecting a shaft spine based on your draw length and bow weight.

Soza’s Arrow Spine Selection Chart 25” 750 700 650 600 550 500 450

26” 700 650 600 550 500 450 400

27” 650 600 600 500 450 400 400

28” 600 600 550 450 450 400 350

29” 600 550 500 450 400 350 350

30” 550 500 500 400 350 350 300

31” 500 500 450 350 350 350 300

32” 500 450 450 350 350 300 300

40 lbs.

45 lbs.

50 lbs.

55 lbs 60 lbs.

65 lbs.

70 lbs

* The table numbers are deflections in thousands of an inch. Lengths are arrow lengths, not draw length. A 125gr point weight is assumed. Move one column to the right for each additional 50grs of point weight. The numbers provided are for centershot bows. Move one column to the left for bows that are cut 1/8-inch or more from center.

Arrow Length, the ace up your sleeve

The secret to carbon arrow tuning it is to use shaft length to your advantage. Start with arrows at least two inches too long, and evaluate the match based on your bare shaft routine. I’ll discuss bare shaft tuning later. If you have chosen well your arrows initially should appear weak. To stiffen them, you’ll need to shorten or trim them in small increments until they shoot perfectly from your bow.

If the bare shafts are weak, but very close to being right, trim no more than one-half inch for the first trial. That will give you a feel for how far you can go on the next cut, if needed. If the bare shafts are hitting say six to ten inches to the weak side, a one-inch initial cut is probably OK. If in doubt, take less. As you become more familiar with how carbon reacts you can become bolder in your trimming.

You will reach a point where further cutting is likely to make the arrow too stiff. Minor changes in brace height or arrow plate thickness can be used for final fine tuning. If you have an adjustable bow, a minor change in draw weight may also be incorporated.

By now all the longer draw archers are probably scratching their heads. How do you do this trim back routine if you can barely find arrows long enough as it is? There is no easy answer. Shooters with longer draws must be even more discriminating in the shafts they choose because they have little or no room to trim. Some shaft brands or models simply won’t work, and the point weight range is likely to be more limited as well.

Point Weight, for fine tuning only

Point weight is not something I use for tuning carbon arrows except in certain situations. While the point weight you choose certainly affects the tuning of the shaft, I choose that parameter first. Point weight affects the overall weight of the arrow, the front-ofcenter balance point and the selection of points available. Better to determine those factors first, and buy the appropriately spined shaft rather than purchase shafts that are too stiff or cut too short and try to correct them with point weight and then accept the arrow weight, FOC and point limitations that result. It takes 50 grains of point weight to equal the same tuning increment as one inch of shaft length, so relying on point weight to tame a poorly selected or cut shaft will quickly change the entire set-up. I use point weight for very small changes such as off-setting the switch from feathers to vanes.

Other Factors, don’t get bitten

Fletching and nocks also affect tuning. To the extent that they add weight to the rear of the shaft, they stiffen it. It is exactly the opposite of the effect of point weight. For whatever reason, it seems that tail weight has a greater effect than point weight. The arrow is more sensitive to it. Bare shaft tuning will show the affect of fletching weight, particularly with vanes which are heavier. For precise results, it’s a good idea to wrap bare shafts with duct tape to match the weight of the fletching you plan to use.

The amount of centershot on your bow affects the way the arrow responds at the shot. The closer to centershot, the weaker the arrow will likely react. Moving the strike plate out reduces the center shot, which makes the arrow behave more stiffly. While I have given guidelines for both recurve and longbows based on centershot, the line becomes blurred as the two are hybridized

Brace height is the backdoor “plunger” of traditional bow tuning. Minor adjustments to spine reaction that would be made on the plunger for bows so equipped, or by adjusting the strike plate by other means, can be similarly made using small adjustments in brace height. For this reason, it is important to keep track of the brace height throughout the tuning process, no matter what type of bow you shoot.

Putting It All Together

I chose the new Traditional Only carbon arrows from 3Rivers Archery for a tuning demonstration. Those little sleeves behind the head and at the nock are 3River’s answer to arrow footing for greater strength. Because they are so light and short, they have a negligible effect on tuning. The homemade footings that I and many others use can affect the tuning process since they are typically longer. Those longer sleeves remove that portion of the shaft from the working length. If such sleeves are used, the overall length of the shaft will necessarily be longer. I’m glad that there is a commercially produced option now. The bow used in this example draws 48#@26 inches, and my available arrow length ranges from 26.5 to 30.75 inches.

From the table, it appears either a .500 shaft left long, or a .600 cut short would work. I investigated each. The full length .500 shafts bare-shafted perfectly with 125 grain points. If I were to use these shafts I would not need any further Fall 2009

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trimming unless I decided to use a substantially heavier head. This also told me that the .600s were going to need some serious trimming to stiffen them to bring them into line. After taking a few test shots with the .600s, I made my first cut at two inches because I knew more would need to be taken off. After several trimmings and trips to the bale, I found the length I was looking for at 26.75 inches. During this trimming phase I use hot glue to hold the points so that they can be removed easily -- just a small dab on the first ¼-inch of the insert. Remember to heat the field tip, not the shaft when removing inserts.

This spread of .600 spine bare shafts shot from 20 yards shows the effect of arrow trimming.

The far right arrow is full length (30.75”) and is hitting a good 12” to the weak side. The next arrow is trimmed two inches (28.75”) and is six inches to the weak side. The bare shaft grouping with the fletched arrow is properly tuned at 26.75.”

I also tested a number of other tuning factors. Adding 100 grains of weight to the front of the .500 shafts made them hit six inches to the weak side. That is the same effect as removing two inches of shaft length. So, one can conclude that one inch of shaft length or 50 grains of point weight will move the bare shaft about three inches at 20 yards. Turning down my bow two pounds brought the bare shafts back three inches to the strong side, so two pounds of bow weight appears to be the equivalent 50 grains of point weight or the one inch of shaft length with my set-up.

I also tested the effect of weight tubes on spine, again using the .500s. The weight tubes fit the shafts perfectly and added 225 grains to the arrow weight. With 125gr points, the total arrow weight was 652grains.. Surprisingly, the additional weight appeared to have zero affect on spine, but the arrows did hit 8-10 inches low at 20 yards. I would not rule out the effect of weight tubes on spine based on this one test. Factors such as the fit of the weight tube and other variables could conceivably change the result. I have heard claims of this phenomenon frequently from buffalo hunters who are pushing all the arrow parameters to extremes.

Shaft length is a powerful tool in the tuning of carbon arrows. By exploiting this characteristic, I was able to tune two very different shafts to impact at the same point. In essence, both the .500 and .600 static spined shafts had the same dynamic spine when properly tuned to my bow. By using the arrow selection chart provided and taking into account the other factors described here, you should be able to craft an exquisitely matched carbon arrow for your bow.

Technically Speaking…“Where seeking excellence is the most traditional value of all”

I want to take this opportunity to thank Tom Colstad for inviting me to write this regular column. I’ll be using this space to explore some common technical issues and also to investigate some topics that are seldom adequately addressed. In the next issue I plan to add a Q&A section where I answer selected questions that I receive from readers.

If you have a question to submit, or a suggestion for a major topic please send those to me at: DASTAW@gmail.com

David Soza Page 32

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How to Match Woodies to your Selfbow

By Shaun Webb

On a recent bear hunt in Quebec, I tried a shot at the 3D practice target with a friend’s home made glass laminated longbow and one of his well matched carbon arrows.

Wow! One very sweet bow, and I had forgotten how straight an arrow flies from a center cut modern design glass bow – like on a string from the moment of release to the target.

I have been shooting selfbows almost exclusively for a few seasons, and their arrow flight is much different. Before deeply cut risers and modern arrow materials there was paradox, archer’s paradox that is. For thousands of years, arrows have been making their way around the handle of the bow and finding the mark. How do they do it?

On a selfbow, other bows, too, for that matter, when the bow string pushes the arrow forward it is not pushing in a straight line. Rather, the string oscillates as it moves toward brace height, and the arrow is going off to the side. You might think that the less than half-inch difference between the center of the bow and the outside of a rounded handle is not much, but the effect is amazing. Slow motion video shows the middle of the arrow first flexes away from the handle and then whips back and forth as it flies. Each oscillation becomes less as the stability of the shaft material with help from the fletching brings the flight back to true and straight.

The more the distance from center line of the bow to the arrow pass or shelf, the more precise the arrow spine match needed for clean flight. A modern bow can be quite tolerant of different arrow spines, but a selfbow likes its arrows just so.

The amount the arrow flexes is dependent on the stiffness of the shaft and we call this stiffness spine.

There are two spines – one is static, the other dynamic.

Static spine is measured by hanging a weight at the center of a shaft that is supported between two points. The standard method for wood arrows is to hang a two-pound weight on the shaft with support points 26 inches apart. Some manufacturers of aluminum and carbon arrows have recently begun using a 28-inch span with a 1.92 pound weight. Regardless, the idea is to measure the deflection or bend in each shaft so the shaft can be matched to the poundage of the bow and so many shafts with the same degree of deflection can be grouped to form a matched set of arrows.

Shaft deflection is relatively small and can be measured directly. For example, a spine of 50# is about equal to ½-inch (sometimes shown as .500) of deflection. A spine tester like the one in the photo transfers this deflection reading via an arm to a larger scale. This is helpful because the difference between spine measurements gets smaller as the stiffness increases. Think of it this way. If ½-inch equals approximately 50# spine, then all the rest of the spines from 50# to 150# have to fit in the remaining ½-inch toward zero deflection. Fortunately, few selfbows require spines higher than 70#, and most will use 40# to 60#.

Dynamic spine has to do with how the shaft actually behaves when shot, that is how much it actually bends when a number of other factors are added. Some of those factors are: shaft material, weight, length and diameter; shaft resiliency (speed of recovery from bending); point weight; fletching size and shape; bow draw weight and draw length; bow efficiency; amount of center shot (distance from the center of the bow to the shelf); release method; string material; and nock fit on the string. All these variables influence how much the arrow bends, its dynamic spine, when shot. That’s a lot of variables to keep track of, so you are going to have to just shoot your bow and watch how the arrows react and fly. Oh darn!

An arrow correctly matched in spine to the bow will flex around the handle and the trailing nock end will clear the handle cleanly. Too stiff and the arrow will not bend around far enough and the nock will smack the bow with an audible click. Too weak and the arrow will bend too much and fly like a wounded duck.

Spine determines where the arrow hits in relation to where it is pointed. When we shoot at a mark, we point the

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arrow where we want it to go. This statement may open a can of worms about how we aim or don’t aim, but I believe that we point the arrow, not our hand, not the bow, but the arrow.

Either intentionally or subconsciously we point the arrow.

If the arrow is too weak, it will hit to the right (for a right handed archer) and if it’s too stiff, the arrow will hit left.

So, proper arrow spine accomplishes two things.

One is to enable the arrow clear the bow cleanly with quick recovery to straight flight. The second is to have the arrow hit where it is pointed. Each bow and its archer require individual matching of arrow spine for best performance. It sounds complicated, but it need not be.

Try different spined shafts until you find one that flies best for you. The easiest way I’ve found to determine the correct spine for me is with a series of test arrows that are all the same except for their spine. Wood shafts are usually sold in 5# spine increments, so a good test range for our 50# bow would be a 41-45#, 46-50#, 51-55# static spined arrows. Look for the quiet pass off the handle and relatively straight flight. Also look for the arrows to go where you point them. If none of these fly true, you may need to go another 5# heavier or lighter, depending on where the arrows are impacting on your target. If you fletch these arrows with color coding like the ones in the photo, it will make it easier to keep track of which fly best from your bow.

First, the static spine rating numbers derived with a spine tester using the 26-inch spread and 2# weight are from a standard developed when all bows were self bows. So a 50# at 28-inch draw selfbow will use approximately a 50#-spined arrow. A 50# shaft cut to a bit over 28” long, as measured from the throat of the nock to the base of the point (abbreviated BOP), with average point weight (125-135 grains) and normal fletching (three five-inch feathers) should fly well.

This is a starting point. It should work if you have an efficient bow and a clean release. If, like me, your bows and release are often less than perfect, you may need to drop down 5# or so in spine. If you like a longer arrow and/or a heavier point, you will likely need to move up 5#-10# in spine. A fast flite string, yes people do it, would also require another 5# of spine. Think intuitively about the factors mentioned that affect dynamic spine. Any of those that tend to increase the speed and performance of your bow/arrow combination will likely require a little bump in spine. Those that would tend to decrease it will require a reduction in spine.

Learn to tune your arrow to your bow and you will enjoy shooting your self bow much more. Perfect arrow flight is a joy to behold. And you’ll know it when you see it. Good Hunting.

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The Woodsman ELITE Broadhead is now available from 3Rivers Archery in a convenient 3-pack in 125 grain glue-on and 150 grain screwin models. Learn more about the new Woodsman ELITE broadhead at Woodsman.com or 3RiversArchery.com.

Dealer inquiries always welcomed. For more information contact: Johnathan D. Karch,Assistant Director of Sales & Marketing, 3Rivers Archery, PO Box 517, Ashley, Ind. 46705-0517,Work: (260) 587-1003, Johnathan@3RiversArchery.com

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Candid photos from Cloverdale

National Championship Shoot Results

There were some remarkable performances at the 2009 Cloverdale Traditional Archery national championship shoot, as Scott Roberts won both the men’s recurve and longbow competitions, his son, Jeremy, placed first in the boys’ longbow and second in the boys’ recurve class and Julia Norris captured the women’s recurve, longbow and selfbow titles

The top finishers and scores in the various gender/age classes were – men’s recurve: S. Roberts, first, 250; Carl McKittrick, second, 235; Stacy Mongle, third, 225; Ernie Dickmeyer, tied for fourth, 224; and Steve Russell, tied for fourth, 224; men’s longbow: S. Roberts, first, 255; Aaron Lamers, second, 229; Greg Pigeon, third, 220; Jeff Keyes, fourth, 210; and Greg Beherns, fifth, 200; men’s selfbow: Jeff Boyd, first, 200; Danny Norris, second, 175; Richard Jackson, third, 160; John French, fourth, 151; and David Underhill, fifth, 149; women’s recurve: Julia Norris, first, 220; Carolyn Bolen, second, 195; Kara Knight, third, 185; Dawn Smith, fourth, 175; and Candy Baily, fifth, 134; women’s longbow: J. Norris, first, 230; C. Bolen, second, 155; Michelle Corder, tied for third, 150; Shirley Thompson, tied for third, 150; and Bona Glass, fifth, 130; women’s selfbow: J. Norris, first, 214; boys’ recurve: Colton Jaquay, first, 224; J. Roberts, second, 215; Bryce Kalen, third, 204; John Kelley, fourth, 185; and Declan Taylor, fifth, 180; boys’ longbow: J. Roberts, first, 210; Luke Kernstein, second, 161; Bradley Robinson, third, 149; Brian Luttmer, fourth, 125; and Kiefer Cowles, fifth, 85; girls’ recurve: Kylee Sereno, first, 80; Emily Crim, second, 65; and Kylee Smith, third, 40; girls’ longbow: Sara Addington, first, 105; and Laura Schroeder, second, 95; cub recurve: Tyler Kernstein, first, 204; Bradley Schrader, second, 199; Hunter Collingworth, third, 175; Gus Lathrop, tied for fourth, 170; Gus Lathrop, tied for fourth, 170; cub longbow: Blake Lewis, tied for first, 155; Luke Elliott, tied for first; Will Schroeder, third, 140; Kayla Burkitt, fourth, 135; and Luke Senn, fifth, 130; peewee: Mitchell Freshour, first, 55.

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Candid photos from Compton’s

Candid photos from Denton Hill

On the line

Mike Fedora

Fall 2009

TradArchers’ World

Byron Ferguson

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Elk Driven

By Steve Gorr

Some folks are unsure when their spirit is awakened, and are hesitant to change their path in life to pursue their dreams.

Where archery and bowhunting are concerned, all of my desires and dreams still remain clear and vivid. The first time I became fascinated with the thought of taking an elk with my bow, I was a 21-year-old machinist apprentice living in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. A photo of an archer with a bull elk sparked my interest. As the song goes, “Just one look is all it took.”

The following week as I made dies on my lathe and milling machine, I couldn’t get the thought of the beautiful bull out of my mind. Because I had only hunted whitetail deer and black bear, I reasoned the best chance to take an elk was to hunt with someone who had hunted and taken elk. My sister, Marvel, came to the rescue when she suggested a friend who had moved to Idaho. I made the phone call the next weekend, and was delighted with an invitation to hunt at his camp near Elk City, Idaho.

I planned my trip for the late fall of 1967. My hunting companion was Dwayne Guth, a journeyman machinist in the shop where I worked. Dwayne drove a mid-50s model Chevy that was burning oil and had broken down several times on the way to work. I drove a black 1965 mustang fastback with red GT stripes. (I wish I still had that car.) Realizing we had a Page 38

transportation problem, Dwayne suggested we ask Richard Fenner, another machinist, who had a new truck, to come along.

Richard said he would love to go, but the trip from Wisconsin to Idaho was just too long for him. We said that was OK because Dwayne’s Chevy would be a little cramped with three anyhow.

Upon hearing this, Richard suggested that Dwayne’s truck would never make the trip over the high passes in Montana and Idaho, and promptly offered to lend us his truck and new canopy. Did that end up better than expected or what? Only in Sheboygan.

Then came the day of our trip. For a week, any sleep on my part had been out of the question. I had never been so excited about a hunt in my life. This hunt wasn’t just the 13 days that we were going to spend in Idaho. It was also everything leading up to it -- choosing the tent, camp stove, sleeping bag, and daypack, dipping and cresting cedar arrows, mounting broadheads so they spun perfectly, and shooting thousands of practice arrows.

The thirteen days of the Idaho hunt went by quickly. I didn’t take an elk, but Dwayne took a nice eight-point whitetail with his rifle, and one of the other hunters took a beautiful mountain lion. The local elk hunters told me that it was the unseasonably deep snow that made the elk hunting difficult that year, as most of the elk had moved to lower elevations.

TradArchers’ World

The elk hunt was great, and I had a wonderful adventure.

Fall 2009

However, when I returned home, I had to make a decision. You have to understand that on this hunt I wasn’t holding out for a monster bull elk. If a five-point, three-point, spike or cow had come to within 20 yards, I was going to turn an arrow loose. Having not even seen an elk helped me make the only reasonable decision. I informed my parents, my boss and my girlfriend that after Christmas I was going to move to Boulder, Colorado, to try to shoot an elk.

I chose Boulder because its population of about 40,000 was similar to Sheboygan’s. The biggest difference between the two was that Boulder had a total of eight taverns, and Sheboygan had 34 taverns on Indiana Avenue alone. The first day in my new town, I found an apartment. The second day, I accepted a job in the small town of Loveland. Life was good.

The best archery store in Boulder was owned by Marvin Clyncke (Wow!), a good bowhunter who would share some of the great places he found to hunt in the state.

There also were indoor archery ranges in Denver where I practiced weekly. There I met Larry Bamford, who later became President of the Pope and Young Club. Life was great.

Throughout the spring and summer, I checked out elk areas -- mountainous places with strange names like Rabbit Ears Pass, Hahn’s Peak and Netherlands. Larry told me to check out several areas on Mount Evens, and on my second trip to the mountain I saw 45 elk; six of them having fully grown antlers in velvet (this was the second week in August). They were a half-mile away feeding in a lush green basin with a cool stream running through it that originated from the snow pack at the crest of the ridge. There were

three 10-point and two huge 12- point bulls. Marvin later corrected my terminology, and told me that what I actually saw were three five-point and two six-point bulls. I’ll never forget that view through my binoculars of the early sunrise on the elks’ reddish coats.

On opening weekend, Marvin and I hunted Willow Creek Pass. Although we heard several elk bugle, we believed because of the early September heat that the rut was a week or two away. The important lesson I learned was how to pack light, tent camp and live off the land. Unlike today, the mid-60s was a time when you could drink from every mountain stream.

There were no commercial elk bugles, reed diaphragms or camo clothing for bowhunters. Heck, the first Allen compound was six years away. It was the best time to be a “traditional” bowhunter.

After the weekend hunt, Marvin went into his shop and came out with an elk call -- a 12-inch plastic tube with a slot cut into it.

It sounded like a cross between a train and a bull elk bugling. I hunted alone the next 11 days. The homemade bugle worked surprisingly well, and with it I almost closed the deal four or five times.

With three days left in the hunt and dusk fast approaching, I was about two miles from camp when I heard the sound of cow elk chirps ahead. I was in a steep rocky draw that was 40 yards across with a stream at the bottom. By the sounds drifting toward me, the small herd of elk was heading my way. I quietly hurried 30 yards up the slope and concealed myself among some wheelbarrow-sized boulders. I was about 10 yards above a faint elk trail on the opposite slope. Cow and calf elk began to appear on the trail with a nice bull bringing up the rear. I had learned in the

When an old bull is on the opposite side of the herd, getting past the lead cow is the bowhunter’s biggest challenge Steve Gorr Fall 2009

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To my delight Marvin informed me that I could buy a second elk tag and hunt with my bow during the Colorado rifle season. I began hunting in mid-October; however, it wasn’t until mid-November that I caught a break. I was heading back to my truck about noon and decided to give my homemade bugle a final toot. The rut was well over, and once the rifle season began the bulls generally kept quiet. A bull responded immediately, and soon a second bull answered. As I had done many times before, I began to jog in the bulls’ direction. They seemed to be about a half-mile away.

Before I reached the area, a third bull joined in. This is an excellent scenario for a bowhunter who intends a stalk. It’s like having another hunter with you who is keeping the action going while you slip in.

Marvin and Steve take a blue grouse break before going out on the afternoon hunt. short time that I hunted elk that the lead cows were the sentries and protectors of the herd. For me to have a chance at this bull, I would have to remain hidden until the entire herd passed, then draw my arrow undetected as the walking bull quartered away from me.

I was familiar with the mountainside from which the drawn-out bugles were coming. There were three tiers of lodgepole pine benches that ran for more than a mile-and-a-half. I was on the second tier one hour into my still hunt when I spotted one of the bedded bull’s antlers. Annoying flies and mosquitoes buzzing around his ears got him to swing his large rack. It took me 20 minutes or more to cover the last 40 yards. I spotted a small opening where I knew I could squeeze an arrow through to the bull. My arrow missed all of the limbs and twigs on its 30-yard flight to the bull. At the sound of the hit, four bull elk stood up.

As my arrow came back the excitement of the moment was numbing. I released the arrow as I had done so many times in practice. The arrow hit the walking elk near mid body slightly angling forward. Instantly, the entire herd bolted as they charged off the trail in every direction. The big bull veered off the trail, heading down hill. He fell once, regained his footing and disappeared as he swung around a large boulder. In my adrenaline-rushed state, I followed the bull too quickly, and I heard him get up a second time as he moved further down the canyon. The weak legged bull stumbled then fell in a pile of boulders. Remember your first deer, bear or turkey? You know how I felt. For me it was time to thank the Lord.

For a moment they all looked in my direction, then they took off with antlers crashing into the pine limbs. In thick lodgepole stands, the trees are three feet apart, and the bulls must cant their racks to get their antlers though. Several times as they fled, their antlers hit timber with such force that they were knocked to their knees. They would have to scramble up, change their course and lunge forward again. The bull I hit disappeared from my sight, but I found him 50 yards from where the arrow smacked him in his bed. His rack was a five by six with a 50-inch inside spread. To me he was the most beautiful elk in the world.

Steve’s first bull taken in rugged Colorado elk terrain.

Steve’s second bull with an amazing 50-inch spread.

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In Colorado in 1967, there were a mere 250 archery elk tags sold. This was a time when half of the bowhunters felt that an elk could not be brought down with a single arrow. In the following six years that I hunted elk, I never saw another bowhunter in the field. I realize that my success was not accomplished on

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Fall 2009

my own, and would have been impossible to accomplish without the unselfish sharing of information supplied by Larry Bamford, and the hands-on elk hunting trips I took with Marvin Clyncke.

Viewing bull elk in velvet will get any bowhunter revved up for the season to open - Steve Gorr

TradArchers’ World: Rik Hinton “Bowhunting Reflections” does something quite rare; it presents bowhunting as it truly is; beautiful, challenging and always exciting. This video has a touch of class and is destined to become a classic. If you love the flight of the arrow, this DVD is sure to find a treasured place among your all-time favorite hunting films.

Bowhunter Magazine: Dave Samuel

I’m not the one to get excited about another hunting video. However, the DVD “Bowhunting Reflections” is not your typical hunting video. Old timers Fred Anderson and Steve Gorr reflect on past bow hunts that cover species from Alaska to South Africa. The nine successful hunts include some amazing spot and stalk hunts that result in extremely close-range shots.

“Bowhunting Reflections” is available at: Cascade Archery, 12930 228th St. NE, Arlington, WA 98223 or may be ordered by calling: 360-435-4251; or e-mailing: www.cascadebow.com.

Fall 2009

TradArchers’ World

Page 41

Way Back When

By Fred Anderson

Outside, the wind-driven rain pounded against the den windows. I was tired from a hard day’s work. I ambled over to my easy chair, propped up my feet and reclined. Ah, that’s more like it. The wall before me was loaded with arrows, bows, photos and other memorabilia of my archery past. My gaze fastened upon a red cedar arrow gaily crested and pointed with a Bear Razorhead broadhead. It was all that remained from a set that was the undoing of several deer. The first deer killed with an arrow from that set was a most interesting adventure. Closing my eyes, I mused to November 1966.

The shop was humming away, that is to say the power saws, sanders and vacuum system were playing their usual noisy tune. It was break time at the FASCO bow plant when Jack Felzer dropped in to shoot the breeze. The machinery was shut off, and about a dozen of us congregated in the break area. Jack, who was a big, likable, happy-go-lucky fellow, worked in our retail/ wholesale building at Seattle Archery (which was one of the nation’s leading archery distributors at the time). He said, “I hear the game department is going to open up Jim Creek Naval Radio Station next Tuesday for the first time ever.” My ears perked up. “I understand that the place is really loaded with deer,” he continued.

He had my full attention now.

My wife and I had moved to Washington State the previous year, and I hadn’t yet bagged a blacktail deer. I was a Page 42

full-time bowyer for FASCO and was going to the University of Washington. Always a little short of money, a freezer full of venison would be very welcome.

Hunting is always more enjoyable with like-minded companions. It was real sleepy time early Tuesday morning when the big, new Ford pickup honked. I grabbed my stuff from the house and put it in the truck bed. Jim Fister, a city maintenance worker, was behind the wheel. I hopped in next to him, and Jack squeezed in next to me. Next, Mike Jenkins, a landscaper by profession and state instinctive field archery champion, managed to climb up on Jack’s lap. Happily we set off on our 45-mile journey to Jim Creek. Before daylight, about 40 bow-benders were registering at the base’s main gate building.

The base was at the western foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range. The Navy had strung giant antenna wires across a valley from one hilltop to another. It was such a powerful outfit that they could transmit and receive radio signals from nearly around the world. The facility encompassed hundreds of gameprotected acres. Deer eventually over-populated the base. The authorities couldn’t allow gun hunting to manage the problem because a stray shot might damage the radio equipment. One of the high-ranking officers stationed there was an avid archer. He brokered a deal between the Navy and the state game department and got the facility opened for a special archery only season.

A rather unpleasant civilian guard was trying to register and organize the hunters, go over the rules, and assign each of us

TradArchers’ World

Fall 2009

to a location. Each archer was to stay posted for the first hour of the hunt and then go where he may. As for the bowmen, they were a giddy and noisy lot as they thought of the day’s upcoming adventures. This frustrated the guard to no end. He wasn’t used to handling such a large, unruly, but friendly bunch. Dr. Lowell Eddy, a locally famous Northwest archer since the 1930s, was standing next to me explaining in medical terms how the guard’s blood pressure was about to erupt.

The shaft hit where I was looking. But, what was this?

The arrow appeared to come back toward us, and then fall on the ground. Mike was gleefully certifying his affirmation, “Beautiful!

Beautiful!” The arrow had hit the deer and went through it like it was butter, and then smacked the rock behind. This caused it to ricochet back in our direction. The deer madly bounded away for 30 yards and then folded up.

We quickly gutted it and then continued our trek. Soon, we discovered Mike’s deer and gutted it. Now, a big problem: how are we going to get those two deer back up the steep hill to the road? But low! Here came a jeep chugging up the valley with a young sailor at the helm. He was the base’s acting game warden.

He happily loaded the venison in his jeep, and we took off for the main gate where a heavy cable was strung between two trees. We hung our deer on the cable. Jack’s deer was already there along with several others, and yet, the season was only three hours old.

Finally, all of us were dismissed to proceed to our assigned areas. My three companions and I went to our spot. We parked the truck on a main dirt road that was near the top of the antenna valley and split up. I went down through a dark, fir-laden forest and picked a hideout for my one-hour posting. As time passed, I regretted picking a spot so deep in the trees. When the time came for me to move, my course led me toward the cleared antenna valley. I only went a couple of dozen steps when a doe appeared in front of me and stopped behind a large fallen log. Her upper body was visible. At 25 yards, I shot that arrow right into the log.

Have you ever done anything like that? If so, you probably know my mental disposition then. I didn’t pick an aiming spot on that deer; my mind was on the log.

Food! That’s what was needed. Food always brings me comfort in times of anguish, so I started the climb back up the hill to the truck to get a snack. As I struggled up the grade, the sound of happy voices reached my ears. As I came out of the forest, there was Jack with a couple of guys tossing a huge doe into bed of the pickup. Jack had nailed it soon after we had parted. We all rested for a spell while he recounted his adventure.

The military game warden was a swell fellow, and we hit it off, so he invited me to hang around with him the rest of the day; and what a day it was! As we patrolled around in the jeep, I saw several archers shooting deer in the clear-cut valley meadows.

This was very thrilling to me. I helped many of these hunters get their game back to the main gate. I even helped Jim Fister hang his deer, which was shot just before dusk.

At the close of this wonderful autumn day, most of the hunters were back at the main gate to check out and claim their deer. A lot of us were acquainted with each other, and there were many congratulations and cheers and some good-natured jeers.

You should have seen the other guys’ faces when Mike, Jack, Jim and I loaded up our four deer in the truck. To the delighted exalted shouts of, “Game hogs,” we merrily departed for home..

Shortly, Mike Jenkins joined us and reported that he arrowed a small buck at the bottom of the valley and needed help to find it. “Let’s go get him,” I volunteered, and the two of us trucked off down the steep, terraced hillside. We had gone only a hundred yards when several deer ran across our path. We proceeded down and across a short level terraced area when a nice big doe ghosted in front of us and stopped to look at us only 20 yards away. A huge rock stood directly behind her. Mike excitedly whispered to me, “Take her!” I quickly slipped a red cedar arrow from my “Ranger” side quiver and nocked it on the string of my 68-inch, 48-pound, one-piece recurve. This time, my eyes grooved into the sticking spot, and I drew the bow and released.

Fall 2009

TradArchers’ World

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www.tollgatearchery.com Page 43

It’s How You Play the Game

By Jeff Keyes

I have always been a traditional archer and always will be.

I love shooting the bow and arrow. I recently watched the Outdoor Channel and saw a hunter who was unable to get a shot at a nice buck with his compound bow. The buck just didn’t come into range. Later in the program, the hunter became elated when he shot the same buck with his muzzleloader in late season. That’s the difference between us. I am not saying I’m better, just different. If I can’t get that big buck with my longbow or recurve, then God bless him.

I was hunting a nice buck one season near my home in Indiana and just kept blowing it. Once I was half way down my tree when I saw him coming. I had to cling to the side of the tree like a grey squirrel until he passed, on the very trail I had imagined him on so many times before. If I had just hung in there five more minutes, I would have had a great shot opportunity.

Later in the season, I had him coming in at about 60 yards. He was heading my way, but then decided to bed down. It was a cold and quiet evening, and the ground was frozen. Rather than try to stalk him, as night fell, I backed out of there as quietly as possible. It still sounded like I was walking on taco shells.

Later that season, I called my hunting buddy, Jay, from the cell phone in my truck. I told him I had that big buck in my binoculars at about 80 yards. He became excited and said, “You know, it’s muzzleloader season.” I still remember my reaction.

“Jay, you should know me better by now. I want to get this buck on my terms.” I had pictures of that buck on my trail camera. I was confident it was just a matter of time. He moved mostly at night. I only saw him one more time at a distance, and that was it. Season was over. I was haunted by that buck. Sure, there are bigger bucks, but for my area he was a dandy. All I could do was wait and hope he didn’t get hit by a car and would make it to next season.

When the next season came around, I sure had a great incentive. I hadn’t captured him on the trail camera yet, but felt sure when the rut kicked in he would be passing through. I struggled with my schedule like most hunters. I hit the woods as often as possible. I kept passing up shots at smaller bucks. Of course, it’s great fun to see them.

It turned to late November and I still hadn’t seen the buck. I continued to force myself to give up the warm bed and hit the stand. I had been hunting four different stands in the same general area. As always, I agonized over which one was best, based on wind and other circumstances. I decided on the fencerow stand one morning. It backed up to a heavily overgrown

Trail camera photo of the big buck. field with chest high weeds and saplings, providing an excellent bedding area. The stand faced the woods. I had seen many deer come and go over low areas in this section of the fence.

Daylight had broken and the sun was washing over the field when I spotted a nice eight point over my left shoulder chasing a doe about 80 yards away. This was a good sign; however, he wasn’t the one I was waiting for. I tried to keep tabs on him. As I glassed the area where I last saw him, I heard some dry weeds snap over my right shoulder. I turned and saw three does browsing in the field, slowly working toward the fence crossing. I felt encouraged, and this experience alone makes an outing worthwhile.

I scanned the woods and then checked the does’ progress. They were stalling in about the same spot, when all at once, he appeared! He came through the field of saplings behind them. There was no mistaking this guy. He stood and considered his next move. I watched the steam from his nose trail off in a favorable wind direction. He raised his head to check the wind and showed off a rack that had me reeling.

I looked away, because as is often the case, I began to shake like the Tin Man. I told myself to get a grip; after all, I may not even get a shot. Just enjoy the moment. It helped a little. I stopped trembling, but now I was like a Jack-in-the-Box with a hair trigger, ready to pop at any second. I did not dare look at his rack again. I had seen the distinctive fork in his brow tine and knew he was the one. He finally committed to crossing the fence.

That was my opportunity to come to full draw. He Volume 1, Issue 2

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Fall 2009

couldn’t see me because of the trees and brush lining the fencerow He was on a trail at about 20 yards and heading right for my shooting lane. As soon as he entered it, he broke to the left and was heading away. Now I had a severe quartering away shot at about 25 yards and growing. Before I knew it, my arrow was gone, and so was he. That’s when the Tin Man returned.

I hate to admit; I didn’t see my arrow’s flight. I just saw the buck blast through the woods and head out of sight. I stayed in my stand almost an hour, which is about how long it took to get my heart rate back to normal. I called Jay to help me track. When he arrived, he asked me that dreaded question: ‘Where did you hit him?” All I could tell him was that my arrow was gone, and I had found a little blood. I felt confident I had made a fatal shot.

We tracked the buck ever so slowly, making sure not to get sloppy. This is a critical part of hunting I’ve learned to enjoy, as should every hunter. Finally, after about ¼ mile I saw the rack reflecting the late afternoon sun. We quickly straightened our tired backs and approached the handsome specimen. All the waiting had finally paid off. Now that’s elation. For me, it was certainly worth waiting for. It’s not about having a nice buck on the wall; it’s all about how he got there.

Jeff Keyes and his trophy buck

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Fall 2009

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Page 45

“CARIBOU”

Alaskan mountain view

By Bill Wright

again tried to head them off, but it was a repeat of my first effort.

Just the very mention of “Caribou” means many things to many hunters. To some it means, “Canada,” but to me it conjures up roughing it in Alaska, specifically the Brooks Range.

I guess I owe that to guys like Glen St. Charles and Fred Bear.

For the next few days all my stalks played out like that first one. I recall thinking, “This caribou hunting is a lot harder than I was told.”

As the Cessna 206 took off from the Kotzebue air strip, I felt relief. I had made it! Yes, there were logistic issues from the previous day with our outfitter, but at least I was now on my way.

My hunting partners for this hunt were my friends Bill Guderly and Don “Woody” Blackwell. The hunt was a culmination of two years of planning, and it was finally happening.

One day we spotted a group of caribou out on the tundra below us. I convinced Bill that we should hike down to the caribou in hopes that we would intercept them somewhere in the spruce forest below. In theory my plan worked, as Bill and I ran into a few groups of caribou. In fact, we stalked a group of three that included a certain Pope and Young bull. Unfortunately, the bull decided to move out before we got into bow range.

Once at Spike camp, Bill, Woody and I got the tent and camp set up. We assembled our bows and made ready for the next day’s hunt.

Finally out on the tundra, we were very tired. I turned on my GPS and discovered we had traveled 2.09 miles from where we first spotted the animals.

It was unseasonably warm the following, day and we decided to first glass the area to see if we could pattern the caribou movements. After glassing all day with no hint of caribou, we finally spied a herd of 12 bulls coming out of the woods below.

That was how I saw my very first caribou.

Once back on our ridge we dropped our gear and laid on the ground totally exhausted. Our little “Walk About” took five hours and 15 minutes. Bill and I were tired but thrilled at all we had experienced. Alaska is truly a beautiful, rugged landscape.

Bill and I split up and tried to intercept the bulls on what we felt was their probable course. It turns out that caribou don’t think as logically as I do. When they hit the ridge, they scattered and then assembled on a different trail than the one I had chosen. I Page 46

The Alaskan interior can be a harsh place, too; it seems it is either one extreme or another up there. Temperatures for the week went from 65 to 25 degrees. Winds went from calm to 2030 mph gusts. We had rain or rain with sleet for three of the final days on our hunt. All this took its toll on us, but we endured it and

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Fall 2009

maintained fine spirits.

Our final day to hunt brought strong winds and rain with sleet. Bill and I decided to set up an ambush in the spruce trees near our camp. We had seen many nice bulls come through there, and it looked like as good a spot as any. Sitting in the rain and wind, I had plenty of time to reflect on the previous week. I thought, “If I don’t get a caribou, I have at least been to Alaska.” I felt satisfied that this was enough for me. I was almost resolved to the fact that the trip was over.

dropped down to investigate. Right inside the trail and just behind an alder was my caribou. My arrow had gone through both lungs and his heart. I was so thankful.

God surely guided my arrow on that shot. I am most certain he also guided me to where the bull was. My efforts had been rewarded and I was blessed with a fine animal. Upon discovering my bull, I said a prayer of thanks for the animal I had harvested. I looked for my arrow but never did find it. There was much work to be done, so I got to it.

My daydreaming was interrupted by a young bull that came rushing in from my right. He stopped briefly at 15 yards but I hesitated too long. He immediately turned and ran off from whence he came. After that blown opportunity I decided I needed to make something happen. I was a bit disappointed in myself for being hesitant, I had no idea how I could have blown such an opportunity.

A wonderful realization came over me that the physical exertion, anxious moments and stress of “roughing it” had been worth it. As I hiked back to camp to get my frame pack and recruit my friends’ help, all I could do was shake my head and smile.

Once the skinning and quartering was done, we carried the meat back to the designated pick-up area. After two more days of getting rained on, we were finally headed back to Kotzebue.

After hiking about three-quarters of a mile from camp, I found a group of eight caribou grazing in a ravine. The wind was blowing harder now but I thought it might help in my stalk.

There were four cows, two calves and two bulls one hundred yards below me. Luckily, I earlier sat in ambush in this same place many times so I knew the terrain well. I went directly to my old familiar ambush spot, dropped my pack, and finalized my plan of attack.

The backdrop for the whole hunt was Alaska. That alone made it hugely satisfactory to me. Hiking and hunting in the same general area that Fred Bear and Glen St. Charles did decades earlier was certainly inspirational. I still get a feeling of satisfaction that comes from overcoming a “personal challenge” (with help from above) and that will be inside me forever.

I was about 50 yards away and down wind. I covered the first 20 yards using two-to-three-foot tall spruce trees as cover.

At that point, I got into some taller trees and brush. I noticed the younger bull moving away from the herd. I knew he was the guy I needed to watch out for. I had to avoid eight sets of eyes, but his would be the most important. I had been busted many times during my week’s hunt by these satellite animals, and I was determined to avoid his detection. After I closed in another five yards the herd bull started moving toward me, so I froze. He bedded down in a hollow at about 23 yards. I moved up a few more steps and decided it was time to check on Junior. Yep, he was looking right at me.

He busted me on my last move. As he walked toward me I crept closer to the herd bull. I got to about 20 yards when a calf stepped between us. She saw me and bolted. The bull then stood up, but I had no shot. Guessing his next move, I saw an opening through the spruce trees. As he moved through the hole, I instinctively drew my bow and shot. I did not see my arrow connect, but as the bull cleared the copse of spruces I saw my arrow lodged in his side.

It appeared to be a heart shot.

All eight caribou ran into an alder thicket below. As the herd came out on a saddle, crossing up to the ridge above me, I counted only seven animals. I actually counted three times not trusting my ability to count.”Seven Caribou,” I recall thinking, “that is a good sign.” They stood there in single file silhouetted on the ridge looking down at me and the alder thicket. After a few moments, they ambled off.

I decided a quick follow up was in order since there were bears in the area. I counted my steps to where I shot him, and it was 25 yards. However, there was no blood! Since I had hunted this ravine all week, I knew it well. I stayed in the upside pocket of the ravine adjacent to the mountain, looking down into the alders.

After 100 yards I saw nothing, so I decided to go up the ridge halfway and work my way back. I stopped to look around and said under my breath, “God help me find this animal.”

That’s when I remembered a heavily used caribou trail Bill and I found three days earlier. It was just below me, so I Fall 2009

TradArchers’ World

Bill Wright and his dandy bull caribou.

Page 47

Elk Call 911

By Lon Scott

purchasing a tag for elk. This system is designed to keep the total number of hunters in the field at any one time to a minimum, but would still allow archers, muzzle loaders and modern rifle hunters to have their turns at taking one of North America’s greatest game animals.

In July 2008, I received the notification from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife that my hunting partner, Chris Hill, and I had been drawn for bull elk in one of the Evergreen State’s most popular game units. Six years had passed since our last drawing when I was fortunate enough to have taken a nice sixby-five bull elk with my recurve.

The Washington elk season for archers generally opens around Sept. 8 and concludes about Sept. 21. My hunting partner and I had selected an area for our elk hunt in the Cascade Mountains of eastern Washington, located just a three-hour drive from our homes in western Washington.

The Evergreen State is home to two subspecies of elk – the Roosevelt (also called Olympic elk) and the Rocky Mountain or Yellowstone elk. The elk found west of Interstate Hwy. 5 are classified as Roosevelt and are the largest of the species. A mature bull may weigh as much as 1,000 pounds or more. Both male and female Roosevelt elk have a dark-colored neck mane. The antlers of the bulls are heavy and tend to rise straighter and with much less spread than antlers of the Rocky Mountain elk. The Roosevelt elk choose to live in the rain forests of the Pacific coast and prefer the logged and burned-over areas of the coastal mountains and the western slope of the Cascades.

After all the practice, preparation and packing, I was ready to hunt elk by late August. My family and I spent our traditional Labor Day vacation together in Moses Lake enjoying the sunshine and some dove hunting with good friends Wayne Fontenelle, Scott Irving and his son, Tyler.

Three days before the start of the archery elk season I set up my hunting camp. The weather was mild and sunny, with daytime temperatures reaching 70 degrees or more, while the night temps

The elk is our second-largest member of the deer family, with the moose being the largest. The elk we were hunting in the eastern part of Washington are the Yellowstone variety, where a bull may weigh 800 pounds or more, while cows weigh 500-600 pounds. By the way, another name for elk is “Wapiti,” a Shawnee Indian word meaning, “white rump.” Bull elk begin to bugle and gather cows in late August or early September, with the rut reaching its peak from about Sept. 20 to Oct. 10.

When elk came close to extinction around 1912, there were only about 126 of these animals alive. A decade later, there were only about a dozen remaining. Theodore Roosevelt and many of his fellow hunters took the lead in conserving the habitat of the elk and bringing elk back in large numbers. Today, the total population of elk in Washington is about 55,000 animals, and that is substantially less than is found in many other Western States.

Hunters in Washington must also choose their hunting method (modern rifle, muzzle loading black powder or bow) even before Page 48

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Examining a rub

Fall 2009

The elk bugling began in earnest an hour before sunrise and continued until around 9 a.m., when temperatures began to climb.

It was near 80 degrees when I returned to camp and found Chris with a sad and dejected demeanor.

“How was it?” I asked. “I had my shot and blew it,” Chris replied.

Chris related his morning of bugling and the responses he had gotten from a young, five-by-five bull, which he encountered in thick cover. With a broadside shot available at 15 yards, Chris picked his spot. He remembered beginning his draw, seeing his arrow fly high of its mark and watching the elk hightail it for the next county. Chris knew that opportunities like that do not come easily, and he was beginning to think that all those months of practice and preparation were somehow wasted.

For the next two days we both had close encounters with elk, seeing several young bulls and a few cows and calves that were mostly traveling alone or in pairs. Unfortunately, none of the bulls gave us the opportunity for any shots. There was more than one occasion when the swirling mountain winds and changing thermals betrayed our location, resulting in the frustrating “bust.”

Listening for bugles dropped to the low 40s at the 3,500-4,000 feet elevation we would be hunting.

Within two hours of setting up camp, I was heartened by the sound of an elk bugle. However, the real excitement began later that evening as I took a stroll behind camp and encountered lots of fresh elk sign and heard more bugling. As I was returning to camp, I caught movement in the thick brush just 30 yards away and observed a beautiful six-by-six bull making its way through the dense cover. Since I was on an open trail, he spotted me easily, and we stared each other down for about 15 seconds before he moved on. His lack of awareness, as well as his failure to bolt wildly, offered me a sense of relief.

After coffee and oatmeal the next morning, I thought a practice session with my bow was in order. On this hunt, my primary hunting bow was a Dale Dye recurve that pulls 52 pounds at my 27-inch draw. My arrows, tipped with Magnus broadheads, weighed a total of 570 grains. I planned to take only broadside shots and limit the range to 25 yards and in.

Chris arrived on Saturday, and we began scouting some new areas that had been recommended to us by Dale Sharp, “Wild Bill” Curtaindale and Brent Okita. This trio had been drawn for elk in the same unit in 2007 and had experienced lots of elk activity and some close encounters.

Opening day began with the alarm clock sounding at 4 a.m.

I took up my stand behind camp, while Chris hunted his favorite spot.

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By Thursday, Sept. 11, the nighttime temps were dropping to near 30 degrees, and the bugling activity seemed to increase. That morning as we drove to an entirely new hunting area a few miles from camp, we both sadly recalled the events of seven years earlier and silently said a prayer for the 3,000 people who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks.

As we followed Dale’s advice and our map, the logging road we were on came to a gated conclusion. After gathering our bows and packs, we began the slow, steady climb on foot in the near total darkness. We stopped for a short rest after 20 minutes of hiking, knowing that daylight was still 15 minutes away. We were at a point on the abandoned road where two distant peaks were visible with a scary, steep ravine situated just below us and between the mountains and us.

Chris broke the chilly calm of the morning with a loud, long bugle from his elk call. Within seconds we got an answer from a few hundred yards distant. When Chris replied with another bugle, a bull elk again answered him. Two other bull elk joined the chorus from their locations farther to the east. Chris’ cow calling elicited an immediate and aggressive response from the steep ravine below us. I moved to a position of cover about 10 yards below the road, while Chris held his position in some short evergreens on the road’s shoulder.

Suddenly, a five-by-five bull climbed onto the road about 20 yards from Chris, turning his head left and right trying to locate the source of the bugling and cow mews. The moments passed slowly in total stillness. This all ended abruptly with the release of a bow string, a “thwack!” and immediate pounding of hooves. It wasn’t long until heavy groans and heaving was audible, accompanied by the sounds of crashing.

I slowly made my way up to the road. Chris extended a helping

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hand and showed a satisfied smile. “It sounds like you got him,” I said. “Yeah, I think so,” Chris answered. “The shot looked good, but I think we should wait a half hour before taking up the trail.”

The minutes passed slowly and after about 20 minutes, Chris decided that he could wait no longer. He only took a few steps when he saw the bull lying on the side of the logging road just 50 yards ahead. The elk had crossed the road following the hit, climbed the steep embankment and traveled parallel with the road before tumbling down 15 feet to the road’s edge.

My enthusiasm for Chris’ success was difficult to contain, considering this was his first elk taken with a bow. His 53-pound DAS, Beman carbon arrow and Magnus Stinger made a deadly combination. Considering the blown shot earlier in the week, the steady nerves and marksmanship exhibited by my partner cannot be minimized. The 450 grain arrow entered slightly forward, smashed through the front of the left shoulder and traversed the depth of the body, passing the top of the heart. While skinning the 700-pound bull we discovered the broadhead against the hide on the opposite side.

quiet, and no elk movement was detected as I returned to camp in the increasing heat of midday. By late afternoon, the bugling began again, and my attempts to invade a bull’s space were thwarted by changing winds and a few wary cows now corralled in his harem.

As darkness fell, the woods were lighted once again by the magnificent glow of the full moon in the clear sky. Whether hunter or not, the sound of a great elk bugling on such an occasion has got to be one of those experiences to be enjoyed by everyone.

My tag remained unfilled as the hunt came to an end, but the experience was no less satisfying. The sights of magnificent bull elk, sounds of bugles and massive racks crashing into each other, along with the pungent smells of elk country is an adventure in itself. Sharing a hunting partner’s first elk harvest is that much more satisfying.

The last load

Chris’ great bull

Even though the temperature was hovering near freezing, the skies were crystal clear and the mid-September sun would begin to warm things quickly. I immediately returned to our camp for my game cart, while Chris began the chore of skinning. It was not long before the meat was ready to transport with the little cart loaded with almost 300 pounds of elk, while Chris packed another 75 pounds down the mountain in his Kirafu pack. Two hours later, the meat was safely cooling.

During the next three days, Chris left his bow in camp and attempted to call in a bull for me, but the elk did not cooperate. A few bulls answered Chris’ bugling and mewing, and we moved in close on others. However, getting within range with ever changing mountain wind currents was frustrating. As Sunday came, Chris had been in camp for a week, and I understood his urge to return home in spite of the fun he was having with his guiding and calling.

Now alone in camp, I was awakened around 1 a.m. by the brilliant moon overhead and the sound of elk bugling every few minutes. I hoped that dawn would hold more adventures, but all was Page 50

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A great homemade harvest

By Andrew Domas III

I killed this interior Alaskan bull moose on Sept. 18, 2004, using all homemade archery tackle. My bow is 64 inches long, draws 61 pounds @ 27 ½ inches and was made using five ‘boo’ lams under clear glass with a zebrawood riser and sheep horn nock overlays.

I hand planed my self-nocked arrow shafts from a stovepipe straight, super tight-ringed birch tree that I cut down (to make Sudbury and Meare Heath styled selfbows). I designed the broadheads and made them from weed eater blades. They are 15/16-inch wide and weigh a little over 150 grains, yielding a finished arrow weight of just over 700 grains. I also made my own shooting tab, armguard, quiver and bowstring.

This was a very special hunt for me because my brother was standing right beside me when I loosed the shaft at the bull. This is a timeless photo that could have come out of Jay Massey’s book, “Bowhunting Alaska’s Wild Rivers,” and it shows what homemade archery tackle can do. According to the Pope & Young Club, it was the biggest moose taken that year!

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2009 IFAA World Bow Hunter Championships

The ‘Winners’

By Chris Schwandt

A group of archers approach a target. Each person is from a different country, culture, and background. Some talk with each other, others are quiet because they do not speak the same language. Every member of the group has individual goals and desires. Yet, they are united by one thing.

They are all traditional archers. Honed muscles draw and hold their bows. Keen eyes and instinct guide their arrows.

The first shooter steps up to the stake, gazes intently toward the desired spot and then fluidly draws, aims, and releases at the distant target. The arrow flies true, no wobble in its perfect arc, and strikes the target directly in the center of the kill zone. The other archers offer a few comments in their native tongues and though the shooter does not understand the language the meaning is clear, “Great shot.”

Each person has traveled from home to compete at the International Field Archery Association’s World Bow Hunter Championships (IFAA WBHC). This tournament, held from June 11th through the 14th, brought together archers from around the world.

Over 160 participants from 14 countries converged in Yankton, South Dakota at the headquarters for the National Field Archery Association (NFAA). Of the archers who arrived to compete, nearly half were traditional archers ready to test their mettle.

The IFAA is an organization comprised of over 30,000 members and 30 countries. They focus their efforts on two types of competitions. The first is Field archery, marked targets shot from 20 ft to 80 yards, and the second is unmarked 3D shoots known as the Bowhunter Championships. Annually the IFAA holds a European Bow Hunter Championship. Every other year it travels the globe and becomes the World Bow Hunter Championships.

The IFAA centers around amateur competitors and Page 52

draws huge numbers of traditional archers. Tournaments held overseas often find several hundred participants in the different traditional classes with the longbow division being the most popular. Traditional shooters divide into classes such as Longbow, Historic Bow, Recurve Bowhunter, and Barebow.

Each division in the IFAA has set rules defining the equipment and techniques allowed. The historic class allows for only primitive bows based on a design predating the year 1900. Their bows cannot be constructed with modern synthetic materials such as fiberglass or carbon.

Archers must use wooden arrows and shoot split finger The longbow class allows for any materials in the construction of the bow. However, it must pass certain inspections to qualify as a longbow. It must maintain a continuous arc in the limb while braced (D-shape), meet tip size requirements, the shelf must be a minimum 1/8” outside center, and have no laminations that can be used for aiming references. Longbow shooters must also use wooden arrows and shoot split finger.

The Recurve Bowhunter class allows for any type of recurve shot off the shelf or with a rest/plunger. Any arrow material may be used and there are no restrictions for fletching type or size. A stabilizer up to 12” may be used. Archers may shoot either split finger or three under as long as the index finger touches the nock and the anchor point is constant.

String silencers and a bow quiver are permitted as well.

The Barebow Recurve class allows for any recurve equipment, long stabilizers, draw checks mounted below the arrow, all arrow types, and archers may use string or face walking techniques.

It was interesting to see the different variations archers used in each class. In the Recurve Bowhunter class the bows ranged from one-piece wooden recurves shot off the shelf to

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aluminum riser recurves firing carbon composite arrows with small vanes. The Historic bow shooters also showed a large amount of variety in the types of bows used. In one group there were archers using classic English style longbows, Native American flatbows, and even a Penescobot bow. Despite the fact that the tournament was a target competition, archers shot bows of all draw weights. The average traditional shooter was using

Scott Antczak, barebow champ

Chris Schwandt, bowhunter silver

45-55 pounds but there were several shooting 60+ pounds. A few rare individuals were even shooting upwards of 75 pounds.

The World Bowhunter Championships tournament is very challenging and pushes an archer’s limits. It is an unmarked 3D competition shot at targets from 10 yards to a maximum of 60 yards. There are no separate stakes for the different divisions. All archers, from Freestyle Compound to Historic Bow, compete on an equal field.

In the end, it wasn’t about defeating the competition but enjoying our favorite pastime with newly discovered friends. The spirit of archery is strong and well and the World Bowhunter Championships brings together the best of competition and camaraderie.

Sidebar: For archers interested in competing in an IFAA bowhunter competition there are several important things to work on. The IFAA does not allow archers to utilize rangefinders or binoculars. On the short-range targets, this may not be a factor but when shooting at targets over 40 yard it makes judging distance very critical. No matter the aiming style used, a misjudgment of a few yards on the long shots will result in a miss. Time spent developing a system for accurately estimating distance is time well spent. Of course practicing at longer distances is invaluable, as well. In preparation for the IFAA WBHC I shot in 3D tournaments from the longest stakes available. If the shots were close, I would back up several yards to increase the challenge of the shot. Many times, I would judge the distance for the shot and pace it off afterwards to see how close my estimate was. Doing this helped me develop an eye for different sized targets at all distances.

Due to the longer distances, an archer would also be wise in adjusting their setup to minimize trajectory. A flatter shooting arrow provides some very tangible benefits. We archers are not perfect no matter how hard we train. A flat shooting rig will improve the odds of a successful hit should the archer misjudge distance, collapse slightly, or make other minor mistakes. It doesn’t matter if an archer shoots instinctively, gaps, utilizes point of aim, shoots split vision, or stringwalks.

The benefits of a faster, flatter shooting arrow apply equally.

Targets are divided into four groups based on the size of the kill area (not body size). The smallest targets, Group Four, are placed 20 yards and under. This group included beavers, raccoons, bobcats, turkeys, and grey fox. Group Three targets are placed from 20 to 35 yards and included animals such as the coyote, alligator, javelina, and black buck. The next set of targets, Group Two, was set between 30 to 45 yards. This group included the antelope, mountain lion, black bear, small whitetail, wolf, and small boar.

The final group found targets placed from 40 to 60 yards. This group was comprised of the large whitetail, hyena, warthog, large boar, and the largest target on the course, the mule deer.

Archers gathered each morning to hear announcements, find their shooting groups, and warm up on the practice butts. After the morning’s announcements, groups of shooters made their way onto one of four courses designated for the competition. The NFAA’s headquarters lies above and along the banks of the Missouri River.

During the four-day competition, a different course was shot each day. Each course had different feel. For example, the Crazy Horse range wound its way along the river and sported some challenging uphill/ downhill shots while the Badlands course sat above the river with several shots set along paths surrounded by waist high prairie grass. The changing terrain made for challenging shots.

A 50 yard shot at a whitetail in an open, grassy area looks very different from the same shot in the shadowed gloom of the forest.

Make no mistake; this was more than just an archery tournament. It was a gathering of fellow spirits, people sharing a passion and excitement for archery, a deep love for the flight of the arrow. The humming of bowstrings, the nods of congratulations, and handshakes that started new friendships broke language barriers.

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There are several methods available if an archer wishes to improve his/her setup. Decreasing arrow weight, minimizing silencers, or switching to a higher performance string to increase speed is very effective. An increase in speed can make a huge difference if the distance is misjudged. An archer may also decrease trajectory by adjusting the arrow used. Utilizing smaller fletchings or vanes will reduce drag and result in less arrow drop. Balancing

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the tip weight to match the arrows will also improve downrange trajectory. With my arrow setup reducing the tip weight from 125 grains to 100 grains resulted in arrows that hit nearly one foot higher at 60 yards. Shooting a thinner diameter shaft will also decrease trajectory as well as minimizing the effect of wind on the arrow.

Finally, and by far the most important thing, is mastering the shot process to be as efficient and consistent as possible. Here in the United States most 3D archery tournaments are shot at targets placed 30 yards and under. At these distances, it is easier to get away with some form errors and still shoot well. The same mistakes made on a 50 yard shot virtually guarantee a miss. Learning to shoot accurately at longer distances requires greater technical skill and mental resolve. During the tournament, I witnessed archers shooting with many different styles and techniques but the top shooters all had common characteristics. Each person had developed the basic fundamentals of shooting to a level that was subconscious. They approached every shot in the same manner and the form didn’t change, whether the target was 15 or 55 yards.

Not everyone had textbook perfect form but the leaders had a level of consistency that made repeatable accuracy look easy.

The advantage of mastering repeatable form will yield benefits in so many ways. The process may take some time but building the skills to shoot successfully at longer distances builds enormous confidence. For the bowhunter, this confidence will greatly improve your odds to make clean harvests on animals at the moment of truth.

A competition-oriented archer will find the same skills improve shooting at targets close and far. If nothing else. watching an arrow sink into your target on a distant target will give an archer a deep sense of accomplishment and pride.

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WBHC championship results

The International Field Archery Association held its annual World Bowhunter Championships at Yankton, SD June 11-14. Hundreds of archers from around the world competed in the four-day shoot. Results of the traditional classes (top five) were – Adult Female Barebow Recurve: Julie Robinson, USA, 1502 points; Adult Female Bowhunter Recurve: Hanne Conrad, Switzerland, 1345; Sabine Rambow, Austria, 1308; and Monika Grundauer, Austria, 1277; Adult Female Freestyle Ltd Recurve: Lynn Walter, USA, 1380; Adult Female Historic Bow: Christine Plangger, Austria, 1045; Adult Female Longbow: Karin Vorderegger, Austria, 1404; Andrea Wallensteiner, Austria, 1336; Roswitha Kahr, Austria, 1145; Tea Touhonen, Finland, 1134; and Siret Saar, Estonia, 891; Adult Male Barebow Recurve: Scott Antczak, USA, 1737; Maurizio Robasto, Italy, 1702; and Christian Roussignol, France, 1535; Adult Male Bowhunter Recurve: Graham Holmes, England, 1835; Chris Schwandt, USA, 1761; Theo Gromling, Germany, 1695; Christian Reithmaier, Austria, 1660; and Denny Vanderwilt, USA, 1601; Adult Male Freestyle Ltd Recurve: Jeremias Doutsios, Germany, 1904; Adult Male Historic Bow: Markus Plangger, Austria, 1550; Drabek Ladislav, FAAS, 1482; Ewald Kuhne, Austria, 1428; Erich Martini, Austria, 1407; and Lutz Koschoreck, Germany, 1331; Adult Male Longbow: Dietmar Vorderegger, Austria, 1595; Christian Wilhelmstatter, Austria, 1587; Jaco Wessels, South Africa, 1504; Eduard Nuijts, Netherlands, 1502; and Walter Seiwald, Austria, 1499; Cub Female Bowhunter Recurve: Kirsten Van Der Meer, Netherlands, 1550; Cub Male Barebow Recurve: Karlis Akots Gribulis, Latvia, 1522; Cub Male Bowhunter Recurve: Dominik Rinderer, Austria, 1763; Junior Male Bowhunter Recurve: Stefan Max Poll, Austria, 1525; and Lukas Rinerer, Austria, 1447; Junior Male Longbow: S. Poll, Austria, 1151; Veteran Male Barebow Recurve: Wilfred Ostmann, USA, 1323; Veteran Female Bowhunter Recurve: Christina Noebauer, Austria, 1272; and Barb Anderson, USA, 1258; Veteran Male Bowhunter Recurve: Dana Chaussee, USA, 1648; Marv Gibson, USA, 1528; Wilfried Warmbold, Austria, 1511; Ulrich Hinz, Germany, 1498; and John Boheman, USA, 1205; Veteran Male Historic Bow: Jon Mathrole, USA, 794; and Veteran Male Longbow: Tim Van Voorhis, USA, 1424; Andris Melecis, Latvia, 1394; Gerhard Eckhart, Austria, 1344; Olli Virola, Finland,

1286; and Peteris Gribulis, Latvia, 985.

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