Any traditional archers here?

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>He had a nephew that was in to long bow shooting & making years back,I've meet him ,But can't think of his first name,>>>>Mark


That would be Jerry Hill.

[mark williams]

Thank's Bill:that was his name Jerry,been a long time,I suffer from CRS,haha,
What ever happened to him do you know??>>>>Mark

[BULLSEYE BILL]

>What ever happened to him do you know??>>>>Mark

No, I haven't kept up, sorry.

[Queenannsrevenge]

I enjoy shooting too - don't do it as much as when I was younger. My favorite is a custom English Long Bow - Yew & Cherry, with traditional horn nocks. I also make my own arrows.

Martin

[sugar bandit #2]

I use a re-curve to bowfish for carp. An old neighboor of mine used to take all I could get him. Also a few pond owners have asked me to remove their old (& very large) chinese grass carp as they can't metabolise the extra vegitation (weeds)as well as the younger ones. I personally dont't hunt anything but fish (carp, bowfin, gar)but my other bowhunter freinds enjoy bowfishing because it helps keep them sharp in the off season.

[wayacoyote]

What is the "stalking" technique for carp hunting? My Grandfather has ponds and too many carp. We were hunting with .22, but you have to worry about riquoche off of water. Uncle usually tosses in some feed, but that also attracts the catfish which he doesn't want shot.

Also, how do you practice? Put a target in the water to experience the refraction?

[Brandon Shaw]

There really isn't much stalking involved. Just don't start yelling and throwing rocks in the water, that might hurt the cause. You want to get them in the summer when they are laid up in the shallow where you can see them easily, it helps to get polarized glasses. When you shoot tehy will all take off really quick, and either come back to the same place or a little ways away. I like to find a rock or log sticking out of the water to stand on. I've spent many hours in the same spot shooting carp, you just have to wait for one to swim by.

As for shooting carp kyou don't need to have a "water target" if you can shoot well otherwise you're fine. It will take probably 5-10 missed shots to get the hang of it. All you need to do is shoot lower than what you would shoot typically. Also, I would reccommend buying two good fiberglass arrows with a cable slide, not a plastic slide on the arrow. The plastic slides will work, but will get fine particles of sand and you will notice some difference.

[Oxankle]

Recurve and Compound here. About quit hunting as my wife does not eat game and I will not shoot what we cannot eat. \

I still use the recurve to shoot flu-flus over tree limbs so that I can pull rope or cable around a tree when I have to put the tractor on it to make it fall a certain way. (Such as when it is leaning over the house!)

[sagittarius]

Still deer hunting with a compound, but have an interest in making my own osage self bow.

Just bought 7 acres, and planning to put in about 2 acres of clover for the deer and turkeys this spring. Would like to get into beekeeping and put some hives next to the clover and buckwheat plots.

------------------
SE Wisconsin

[sugar bandit #2]

"What is the "stalking" technique for carp hunting? My Grandfather has ponds and too many carp."

It depends on the type of water your bowfishing, i.e. creeks, lakes, rivers & ponds. It also depends on the technique your using to match the water conditions i.e water temp, clarity, and structure in the water such as logs, large rocks etc.
Around here (Indiana) I like bowfishing ponds when the dandelions start to bloom,
water temp is about 67 (that induces the carp to spawn in the shallow water) and when the sun is low in the sky so I don't cast shadows that spook the fish. I think bowfishing is easiest when the carp are in spawning mode and with their splashing up next to the bank (it's easier to stalk them while their thinking of other things). I also agree that polarised glasses and a ball cap are a must to reduce glare when the sun is higher.
When bowfishing privately owned ponds after spawning season, I will bait an area dumping a couple large cans of corn under an overhanging tree in about 1'-2' of water the night before and wait for targets in the shade of the tree the next morning. If there are no trees, get your polarized glasses and a ball cap stay low and slowly stand and draw back when you see the target.
I use a "stalking technique" when bowfishing in smaller creeks or tributaries during the summer months. The fish seem to spook easier here than in spillways and other busy parts of the water. I like to see where the target is heading then make a wide path from the creekside edge and wait in the shade of an overhanging tree (mulberry trees are the best).
Aiming is easiest when carp are in the shallows (spawning or feeding) and you can aim just below and a little forward of a tailfin exposed above the water. Bowfishing deeper water takes a little more practice and I then prefer using a compound. The deeper the target is in the water the more you need to compensate for the refraction of the target. It just takes a little more practice. I use to practice by tying a piece of foam on a string and rock and sinking it at different target zones.
Bowfishing tackle is a another can of worms but I think simpler is better.

[sugar bandit #2]

"What is the "stalking" technique for carp hunting? My Grandfather has ponds and too many carp."

It depends on the type of water your bowfishing, i.e. creeks, lakes, rivers & ponds. It also depends on the technique your using to match the water conditions i.e water temp, clarity, and structure in the water such as logs, large rocks etc.
Around here (Indiana) I like bowfishing ponds when the dandelions start to bloom,
water temp is about 67 (that induces the carp to spawn in the shallow water) and when the sun is low in the sky so I don't cast shadows that spook the fish. I think bowfishing is easiest when the carp are in spawning mode and with their splashing up next to the bank (it's easier to stalk them while their thinking of other things). I also agree that polarised glasses and a ball cap are a must to reduce glare when the sun is higher.
When bowfishing privately owned ponds after spawning season, I will bait an area dumping a couple large cans of corn under an overhanging tree in about 1'-2' of water the night before and wait for targets in the shade of the tree the next morning. If there are no trees, get your polarized glasses and a ball cap stay low and slowly stand and draw back when you see the target.
I use a "stalking technique" when bowfishing in smaller creeks or tributaries during the summer months. The fish seem to spook easier here than in spillways and other busy parts of the water. I like to see where the target is heading then make a wide path from the creekside edge and wait in the shade of an overhanging tree (mulberry trees are the best).
Aiming is easiest when carp are in the shallows (spawning or feeding) and you can aim just below and a little forward of a tailfin exposed above the water. Bowfishing deeper water takes a little more practice and I then prefer using a compound. The deeper the target is in the water the more you need to compensate for the refraction of the target. It just takes a little more practice. I use to practice by tying a piece of foam on a string and rock and sinking it at different target zones.
Bowfishing tackle is a another can of worms but I think simpler is better.

[sugar bandit #2]

Didn't mean to repeat this post,
sorry about that.

[This message has been edited by sugar bandit #2 (edited February 23, 2004).]

[limulus]

I hunt deer with a longbow, and have also tried for rabbits and grouse but haven't gotten any of them yet. Fun to try though. I make my own bows and arows, and have even made a couple that worked. I traded my best bow, a little osage longbow with a bamboo backing that I made, and had gotten 2 deer with for a bamboo fly rod. Haven't caught any trout yet. It seems that there is less time every year. Are the days, years, weekends getting shorter?

[limulus]

LOL coyote ,
I prefer electricity though, it is quieter.

[Rogerio]

I was way into it for a while, not only making my own bows but arrows (good arrows are much tougher to make than bows)and stone heads as well, but I kind of burned out on it. It's kind of like falconry in that it becomes all consuming, and I get more out of falconry. Falconry works pretty well with beekeeping because the time to put the bird up for the season pretty well coincides with beginning the bee season, late February to early March, and time to put the bees up for the winter pretty much coincides with the end of the molt and trapping season. With the bows I need to be practicing all summer, and if I get into bees the way I hope to, I just don't see where I'm going to have the time to do that.

Roger

[Michael Bush]

I always wanted to get into falconry, but it's just so time consuming and such a commitment. So, foolish me, I got horses instead.

[Rogerio]

That's too bad Michael, because you live in great falconry country. Of course, it's probably not bad for horses either.

Roger

[Michael Bush]

There are at least three pairs of Redtails living a stones throw from my house, a pair of Great Horned Owls, and a pair Merlins. It must be nice for the raptors. There are sure a lot of them around. But still no shortage of mice. Someday when I retire, I think I will get a licence and a Redtailed hawk.



[This message has been edited by Michael Bush (edited March 16, 2004).]

[Rogerio]

Michael,

Are you sure the small falcons are merlins and not kestrels? Is the nest in a cavity or is it an abandonded crows' or magoies' nest?

Roger

[Rogerio]

Michael,

Are you sure the small falcons are merlins and not kestrels? Is the nest in a cavity or is it an abandonded crows' or magoies' nest?

Roger