We're back in business!!!!

After a long, long time! I am finally back in a shop ding what i love.
Keep your eyes open for new reviews on all the latest and greatest (and some no so great) archery an hunting gear

Stand by folks, gonna try to get things goin on this blog again. Its just tough since I've moved on from French Creek. Gonna see if I can work some deals with the local shops for the gear reviews.


Dave

My find of the life time

While I was at a customers house the other
day I noticed some items he had some items that were going up for sale. I got talking with him and noticed a boy case.
The gentleman opened up the case and pulled out a 1967 Bear "Grizzly"! This bow is in pristine condition and looks like it just came off the show floor. He asked me if I was interested in it and all its assesories for it. I immediately said yes I was interested...he replied great gimme 20 bucks for everything.

Gota love it

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Mud....the original camo

I have been thinking of this concept for a while now and I think I may be onto something. Stayed tuned with what I come up with.

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Got a new recurve

Finally decided to get a new recurve this spring. Its a TradTech Black Onyx with 60lb Black Max limbs. I haven't been able to shoot it as much as a wanted. But I am liking this bow alot.

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My New Bow Rack

Quiver from tanned deer hide

If you remember about a month ago I did a post on a deer hide I tanned. You should also remember that I said I was going to make a quiver from it.

Well here it is; it turned out pretty good. Its approximately 25 inches long and 10 inches round. You can see on the picture it has a reed cane frame and is stitched together with artificial sinew. And hold a dozen arrows nice and quite.

I still have to come up with a sling for it. I just haven't decided which I want to do? Either a beaded leather sling or a straight deer hide sling? We'll see i am in no rush....stay tuned for another project.

PS..I forgot to mention the primitive arrows that I made for it

Fresh Hickory....bows in the makin

I got to get out yesterday since the snow has melted some and took the dog for a walk. I had an idea I would scout some potential trees for bow wood, I brought my hand saw with me.

Low and behold, I found a small stand of shag hickory. I found a nice one and decide to take it down and haul what i could home. I have to go back and get the rest another day.

But these are the staves I got out of one section of the tree. After i split the log I found some insect damage to the hear wood. I am hoping it'll be ok....so tune back in to see what happens. They'll probably be ready around spring or summer.

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Its done..

And its not too bad. Its a little stiffer then I was hoping for. But for my first experience tanning a hide I am happy with it. I wound up using some neets foot oil to soften it a little more. So my goal was still accomplished because neets fort oil is made from bones and hooves.
I plan on making a quiver from this hide so stay tuned for that project.

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Well I managed to do it...

Hide in the rack and tanned

Tan the hide that is. My egg solution worked great and now I am in the softening process. This is gonna make or break the project. There's a sweet spot of time in this phase that makes the hide supple like cloth. Take too long and miss it or don't work the hide long enough till its completely dry and you'll be startin over.

Here are a pic of the hide so far. Its actually looking pretty good; i just have to keep going till its dry and hopefully i will have a nice supple hide to display.

Keep your fingers crossed!

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I have to give credit

Well this was my first experience tanning a hide the old way. And lemme tell yea I give the women of that era alot of credit. There is nothing easy about hand tanning a hide and I wasn't even making buck skin.
The amount of work that goes into making a hide that one could use as clothes is amazing. It is very labor intensive when it comes to making the hide soft. I am physically spent after all the stretching and softening I did today

I will post some pics of todays work asap

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Tanning continued

Ok so I now have the hide in the frame and all stretched out. Its now ready for fleshing. Which is basically removing all the large left over flesh, fat and membrane from when its was skinned out.

Oh i should let you know I have decide to use paleolithic tools to flesh, scrape, stretch and tan this hide. I'll get pic of the tools I will be using  very soon, to show you exactly what I mean buy paleo.

Stay tuned...

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Tanning a deer hide

So I've decided to finally start tanning a deer hide I had in the freezer for about a year. I will be tanning it the natural / primitive way by not using any man made chemicals. Now they way I wanted to do it is called "Brain Tanning". And it is what it sounds like; you use the brains of the animal you killed. Each animal has enough brains to tan its own hide. Except for a buffalo.
However, I have had this skin in my freezer for about a year and didn't get the brains because someone butchers it. So I will be using an eggs solution instead.


More to come a bit later

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Barefoot Bowhunting---Take 1

Well here's an update with my barefoot hunting idea. Its was a cool, rainy day and I hadn't gone hunting in a while. So I figured this would be the day I give barefoot hunting a whirl. All in all its was a great experience, I managed to stalk up on five doe whitetail. They had no idea i was there...well right up until I was about to try and shoot the lead doe. 

One thing I really enjoyed about hunting bare foot was the stealth. You will never be as quiet with any foot ware like you are with none. And to tell you the truth there was a sort of connectivity I felt. Be it toward the earth, hunting or the animal I was pursuing. It hard to explain...one of those thing you just have to do to experience it.

Below is a little video of me getting ready.


Below is the video right after I almost had an opportunity at a doe.


Hopefully I will have some more videos soon, sorry no kills or much action. Its kinda tuff when you don't have a camera man.

Dave

U-Slide Bow Holder

The U-Slide bow holder is one of the most unique bow holders I have used to date. U-Slide comes from JBI. a Division of J&B Industries Inc out of Connecticut.
I think is so unique because unlike most bow holders that attach to directly to your stand or above it. The U-slide attaches below your stand..actually below the seat of your stand. But that's not the only unique part. It called U-Slide slide for a reason; it has a sliding feature that allows you to position the holder exactly where you need it.
On top of the sliding feature, it also articulates left and right to help with the position of the holder.


Other nice feature include:

• Easy self starting screw to securely mount your holder to the tree
• Can be mounted off to your side or directly beneath your seat so your bow sits between your legs while in your tree stand
• Whether you stand or sit to shoot the U-Slide will not be in your way
• Will not swing away from you or fall down like other hangers will
• Requires very little movement to get your bow in your hand
• Works for both compound and recurve bows
• You can slide the U shaped holder to a position that is right for you
• It has a non reflective powder coating so you don’t get any sun glare
• Securely holds your bow in a rubber coated U slot for easy removal
• Light weight and folds small enough to fit in your pack
• So versatile it can be used in a Tree Stand or Ground Blind
• No need to buy extra attachments
• Manufactured and assembled in the U.S.A.

You can find the U-slide at: U-Slide.com or If your are or know a shop the is interested contact me directly My email

Barefoot Bowhunting

Ok so I am thinking about actually trying hunting bare foot this year. At least for NJ's September season; while the weather is still warm enough and probably not all the time?
Last year I hunted and killed a deer in sandals. So I was thinking about upping the stacks this year. It just seems like a cool and interesting way to hunt.

I'll keep everone posted on my progress

Product Review: Ikes Outdoors Reviews The Game Glide

Slow slow slow

The title should actually read lazy, lazy, lazy! Well it feels like that atleast. Life has just been a bit hectic lately, so i apologize for the lack of posts. I am gonna make a effort to get some posts up really soon.

Dave

Saved a lost Gobbler Yesterday

So I pull up in my parking spot a yesterday and I noticed a gobbler standing near the fence. Others were watching him run into the fence and getting tangled in the hedges.  I get out and one says Dave you hunt right? He gestured as said theres any easy kill for you. I reply yea but it would be illegal to kill him; he's outa season.
By now you can tell the birds is totally disorientated, stressed out and exhausted.
So I just trudge through the snow over to where he was and kinda herd him to a corner. Picked him up like a football and placed him in the open. He ran to a large bush and hung out for a few. Then hauled ass through the snow to a large oak; where he jumped up in.

Everyone was amazed that I just walked up a grabbed him. I said someone had to do something its close to roosting time and he might have died if we just left him there.

Who said hunters are mindless killers..there's a lesson for yea

Bowtech Destroyer 350

I just had a chance to shoot the Destroyer 350 a few hours ago. Its pretty sweet; I better get my butt in gear with these reviews.

Stay tuned

Dave