Archery, Anyone?

[JimP]

I have a question or two .... OK maybe 5+ ..... but was unsure where to put it .... not gun related, so we'll stick them in here and see what ensues ......


I've had a bow for ..... well .....more than a decade ...... it's a 66" longbow of Osage and Hickory ..... handmade by J. Cook of Missouri  ...... draws about 45 pounds @ 29" draw ..... I started with a bunch of second hand aluminum arrows, mostly shooting informal targets with the 5 munchkins and their friends ..... in the last couple years, I've been using it for pest control ( did you know that if you plant rabbits, you get 10 times as many peas? ...... and you can plant the rabbits anywhere- does not have to be anywhere near the garden!) ...... using 125 gr Judo points . 

I have been invited to go bowhunting for whitetails.....  I have picked up  some broadheads (Jeeminy-Peets those are spendy!) ..... with the judo points, I'm good to smack a milk jug ten for ten out to 20 yards  ......  I don't doubt that the rig will work ..... with one exception: the string has always smacked my left arm/wrist(armguard or not, it's LOUD) ..... with rabbits and  squirrels, not a big deal: they freeze at odd sounds.  Deer ..... not so much- there's even a term for it : "Jumping the String" .....

Any advice to quiet the shot?

Also, I can't find any reference to J. Cook of Missouri on the web ..... despite remembering reading an article about him in Nebraskaland .....  it's like he's been erased.....

[barmandr]

You're holding the bow wrong if the string is hitting your forearm.  Try turning your hand in a bit by bending it at the wrist.  This increases the distance between the string and forearm and should eliminate arm strikes, thus eliminating the majority of the noise.

[gsd]

You could also get a dampener/silencer/whisker biscuit for the string.

Had one on an old Bear compound and it was pretty darn quiet.

I've bee kicking around getting back into bows...

[bkoenig]

Funny you should mention this.  About 10 years ago I bought a longbow but never shot it.  It's also a 45# draw.  I also bought a lighter 20# or so bow with the intention that my wife could shoot it.  Along the way the strings got lost, so just the other day I dug them out of storage and bought strings.  My daughter wants to try her hand at archery and I thought it would be something fun to do together.  I haven't bought any arrows yet, but I've always heard a traditional bow without any kind of dedicated shelf/cutout for the arrows actually needs a properly sized wooden arrow so the arrow can flex the correct amount.  I'm planning on buying some arrows soon, but they're pricey.

[NE Bull]

How old is the wee one now BK?  Ive got a cute pink kids starter bow she is welcome to.

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2

[bkoenig]

How old is the wee one now BK?  Ive got a cute pink kids starter bow she is welcome to.

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2

She's 10, but has the upper body strength of an Ethiopian 5 year old.

I think she'll be able to draw the small bow I have.  Just need to have her try it.

[landon410]

yep you're holding the bow wrong, I did the same thing when I first started archery 5 years ago.

Now I did it with a highspeed compound bow while shooting it at a store, it hurt so bad I almost wanted to cry! it left a mark on my arm for 2 years

What I'd do is take that bow of yours to full draw archery and buy some range time, they have an indoor range to shoot at and its cheap, like $8 for half an hour, there is an older guy that works there (don't remember his name) but I bet you he'd go in there with you and watch you shoot and get you straightened out in 2 minutes.

At one point this guy was working at Scheels and he helped me out with my hitting my arm with the string

[RedBird]

You may want to increase your brace height (the distance between the grip and the string). A low brace height is another factor that can cause the string to slap your arm/wrist. Also, having the correct brace height will usually help quiet your bow.

[GreyGeek]

IIRC, the law used to require a bow with a draw of 50lbs or more, but I guess that requirement has been dropped.  The current legal requirements for hunting deer with a bow are

Long bow, compound bow, recurve bow, shoulder-fired non-electronic crossbow with a draw weight of at least 125 pounds, hand-thrown spear
 Arrows or spears must have a sharpened hunting head with a blade of at least 7/16-inch cutting radius from the center of the arrow shaft. Arrows or spears containing poison, stupefying chemical or having an explosive tip are illegal.

[JimP]

I think maybe the brace height anwer is the right one..... I had not thought of that.

The string is hitting me in the wrist just behind the base of the thumb- even if I bent my wrist 90 degrees such that I was holding the bow from the left side (aside from being totally awkward), I think the string would still get me in the base of the thumb .....

Shortening the string will do what i need, I think ..... I'l try that..... it may be a couple days ....stay tuned.

[JimP]

I'm planning on buying some arrows soon, but they're pricey.

Tell me about it- I broke one yesterday while shooting a milk jug in the yard ..... almost cried.


Everything associated with Archery is spendy .....  a nylon armguard at Cabela's was over 10 bucks .....

Those rabbit fur string "silencers" ...... is that just fur, or does it have hide still attched to it?