Getting ready for the Classic

[Little John]

Sounds like a great time, wish I had more time or less work, lived closer or something. Really enyoyed the article on last years event. Hope it turns out good again this year.   Kenneth

[Pappy]

Little John it is a regular archery tournament with bow building put in.It started off with what we call the selfbow challenge,You start a bow on Thursday and shoot it for score Sat. or Sunday.
The challenge is to shoot a bow you just made .If you don't finish you will get enough knowledge[we hope ]to take it home and finish.We had 39 started last year and 30 finished.So it can be done if you stay at it.We also have all the regular classes,longbow,selfbow,and recurve for men
women and kids.Brokennock,not sure for just turkey or lic. run from March through Feb.of the next year and or good for Deer also.When you get ready let me know and I will follow up on it for you.
   Pappy

[Pappy]

Still getting ready.Here we are getting some feathers ready and making some handles for some rasps.The feathers are for the trophies.Always count on Steve I give him a hard time but he is a big help around the shop.
   Pappy

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[jamie]

love to get down there myself oneday. maybe dave and i could carpool. as for the snow i love it give me cold and nasty anyday. it keeps people out of my woods. lol. pappy that is bow is awesome by the way. did you get a chance to finish up those shafts.

[Pappy]

Not yet but I am going to get on them soon,I have had a lot of complaments on them already
and they ant even finished.I'm glad you like the bow I know you make your own but was just something I wanted to do, hope you enjoy.Ya we would love to have you sometime.
   Pappy

[mullet]

  Man Pappy,It sounds like it's going to be alot of fun.I'll be up there next year.I'll have a year to recruit a gang of swamp hunters to ride up with me.Ya'll have fun.Eddie

[D. Tiller]

One day when my buisness runs itself I will shoe up down there. Sounds like a lot of fun!

[brokennock]

 Hey Jamie,get in, I'll drive.

[Pappy]

There you go jamie.
   Pappy

[GregB]

Another great day preparing for the Classic. Pappy will have more pictures to post Monday. Although our club membership is capped at 25 people...we have a great bunch of guys. Today wasn't even a scheduled work day, but had multiple members down during the day doing different tasks to improve the grounds.

We're continuing to get the hickory staves cut into blanks. Working on handcrafting some of the trophies, even found time for skinning snakes, steaming bows to straighten and reflex on form, putting snake skins on my current bow project, and some good ole dutch oven cookin'!

It was a great day...life is definitely good!

[Pappy]

Guess we will get back at it this weekend,I am fletching arrows for the awards and GregB has
most of the starves roughed out,I think around 25 adults and 7/8 kids.Man it's a lot of work to pull all this together but it just don't seem like it.I guess as they say a labor of love.
   Pappy

[D. Tiller]

Wish I could go!

[Pappy]

Well we got all the wood cut for the camps,so I guess we can get back on getting some stave's ready and primping up the place around there,we keep it nice most of the time ,but I love it when people see it for the first time and say man this looks like a park,Got some more new targets on the way and already planing the range out.We try and do some special things to make it a challenging but fun shoot.The practice range is set so we are getting there.We have one more Major working next weekend and then it is on.We have some folks planing on coming in on Monday or Tuesday the 30th and 1st so we need to be ready.
   Pappy

[Justin Snyder]

You guys are awesome.  I can hardly wait.    Justin

[GregB]

Justin, we're getting excited too! It's a lot of work, but the kind of work you don't mind.

I'd personally really like to share bow makin' techniques back and forth with you guys that are coming. Each of us probably do various steps of the process a little different. I like to see different techniques and judge for myself if I want to change or tweak something I'm doing. With all the talented bowyers coming, I think it's a really good opportunity for us to share in person the same type of experiences that are shared here.

Also, there will probably be a lot of the people making bows that are complete beginners. Please feel free to jump in there and give some guidance if you see a need. Pappy and I will undoubtedly be stretched pretty thin, any help would be greatly appreciated!   But on the flip side, don't turn it into a chore, just enjoy yourselfs!