Quanah Parker with bow and arrow, osage bow pic added

[Digital Caveman]

Nice bow and nice shot   Good luck with the turkeys,

[bradsmith2010]

yes thank you I need alot of luck, last one I missed,, shot over his back,, hope to do better this year,,

[Fox]

I'm hoping to get out turkey hunting this spring as well... probably won't get anything as I have NO clue how to hunt turkey. but I have seen lots o' turkey scratches when deer hunting last year. I was told to come to check out that bow of yours brad.... what was the DL?  of your bow? and how wide is that handle section?   looks real great....

[bradsmith2010]

maybe beginners luck with kick in and you get one, then they will torture you after that
handle is roughley 1 1/4
I tillered it out to 27 but ended up shooting it at 24 or 25,, thats really my comfort zone for draw,, no heat treating as advised by Marc when I was making it,,it follows the string a bit,,, but at 8 to 10  yards I feel the accuracy is more important to me,,it has a rawhide from a bow deer bow kill,, so far only a rabbit and squirrel with it,, but I feel positive hunting with it,,I have some notes on that bow will look it up,,

[bradsmith2010]

found some notes,, 157 fps with 500 grain arrow,, 50#@25 inches 
55 inches nock to nock,, feel like it would have been in the 160's without silencers, but was happy with the hunting set up,, I dont think I chronoed it at longer draw,, could not find anything,,hope that helps,, good thing I took some notes,, I would never remember that,, I thought the bow was 54 but I had written it was 55,,

[Fox]

Thanks brad! That’s loads of help

[bradsmith2010]

good luck on your hunt, you can do it,,

[sleek]

found some notes,, 157 fps with 500 grain arrow,, 50#@25 inches 
55 inches nock to nock,, feel like it would have been in the 160's without silencers, but was happy with the hunting set up,, I dont think I chronoed it at longer draw,, could not find anything,,hope that helps,, good thing I took some notes,, I would never remember that,, I thought the bow was 54 but I had written it was 55,,

Thats really good numbers for that bow.

[bradsmith2010]

thank you Sleek,
I really want to thank everyone for posting and taking the time to read,, its greatly appreciated,,

[wstanley]

Most osage Comanche bows I have seen look like child bows. But I think that is deceptive. They must have been fairly speedy to take down a buffalo within 10-15 yards. One reason the Comanche's were so hard for the Americans/Mexicans to subdue is because they were exceptional archers on horseback, accounts tell of this. U.S. soldiers got off their horses to shoot (I don't know if the Texas Rangers did the same?), the Comanches shot from a riding horse whether it be a bow or gun.  Its said the Comanche could shoot a bow from under a horses neck while riding, so as to use the horse as a shield. Several accounts tell of this. He may be dressed in ceremonial clothes, the bow simply a part of that "costume", as I also think he would have used that very same bow to hunt and raid. Also, as has been commented already, but that photo of him with the bow is after he gave up fighting. He is simply posing for the photographer. I don't believe there are any photos of Quanah (that I know of) prior to giving up his more traditional Comanche lifestyle. If there was, they would have been shooting a rifle, not a photo : )

Short bows are fun, I really enjoy them. I think one major reason for making short bows, is to get many shots off and quickly. I think it clues us in on how they conducted ward. Short distance ambush attacks with heavy deployment of arrows, which I think a short bow would be most effective at. Just a thought.