Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: bjrogg on July 28, 2018, 08:43:54 pm
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One of our local sportsman clubs had a youth mentors gathering today. The DNR was also there putting on a hunters safety class. A couple very good friends of mine helped me out. I demonstrated some Flint knapping and showed how a selfbow progressed from a stave to a bow. My friends were a huge help, don't think I could have done it without them. We had lots of interest and lots of questions. I really enjoyed it and I think my friends, the kids and their parents did to. A few kids and parents even got to shoot a selfbow for the first time. I think there were some well planted seeds. I really wanted to get more pictures but we stayed very busy. Just have a couple pictures from right after we finished setting up before the kids got there. These are some good friends Left side is Gary middle is Randy. They are the groundhog hunters I've talked about before. On the right is my friend DJ. He loves shooting selfbows and has almost shot as many of my bows as I have. If you guys are lurking out there thanks for the help really appreciate it.
Bjrogg
Sorry I don't have better pictures
Bjrogg
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Good job Guys !!!!!!!!!! :OK Bob
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Thanks Bob, it really was a lot of fun to show all the kids and their parents a little bit of our world. I highly recommend it for anyone who has a opportunity like this to give it a try. Hopefully you can find a couple good buddies to give you a hand and be ready for lots of questions.
Bjrogg
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Nice job BJ
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This mentoring is fantastic. In virtually EVERY category across the board hunter numbers are falling. Good to see people offering mentorship to welcome others into fellowship.
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Thanks Clint, but there were a lot of other people who really did the hard work setting this whole event up. Us "Mentors " had the fun job.
JW you are so right. It was so good to see all those kids with their parents and nobody starring at a phone. There where probably a dozen different Mentors set up. I didn't even get to see them all but I thank them for their participation. One I would have liked to check out because I really liked their name was call "No Child Left Inside " , don't even know what they we're demonstrating but those are words to live by.
Bjrogg
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Good job BJ. Where was that at?
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Thanks Clint, but there were a lot of other people who really did the hard work setting this whole event up. Us "Mentors " had the fun job.
JW you are so right. It was so good to see all those kids with their parents and nobody starring at a phone. There where probably a dozen different Mentors set up. I didn't even get to see them all but I thank them for their participation. One I would have liked to check out because I really liked their name was call "No Child Left Inside " , don't even know what they we're demonstrating but those are words to live by.
Bjrogg
The reference is from the book by Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. The No Child Left Inside Coalition has been endorsed by 58 different organizations from the whole spectrum of outdoors groups. Supporters come from tree hugging interests on one side to hook-and-bullet clubs on the other! All agree if we don't get off our butts and get the next generation of conservationists started it is over.
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Paul it was at the Grindstone City & Port Hope Sportsmens club. I thought they had a very good turn out. I really don't know if it's a annual event or first time deal. A friend of mine suggested that I contact them and I did. It was after they already had their fliers printed out. I told them I didn't need to be on a flier and they could count on me as a definite maybe. If I wasn't harvesting wheat yet I'd be there. Worked out we finished up the wheat a few days before and I contacted them again and told them I'd be there.
Thanks JW it really did have me curious as to what they were demonstrating. I'm not sure but someone was saying something about one of the groups having some animals. It might have been them.
Bjrogg
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Way to go guys pass it on....
DBar
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Thanks Bill, it was very enjoyable and I believe time well spent. Funny how just about 3 years ago I didn't have a clue I'd be doing any of this. Sometimes you don't know what pitch life is going to throw you next. Hope you get yours.
Bjrogg
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BJ,
Been thrown a few curve balls and a slider the last few months, But we're hanging in there. hoping for that home run ball.
Thanks
DBar
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BJ,
Been thrown a few curve balls and a slider the last few months, But we're hanging in there. hoping for that home run ball.
Thanks
DBar
Sometimes a solid couple of grounders to get you on base can make a difference for the team, too. Keep swinging.
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Wonderful BJ,
Most of my mentors are long gone but surly not forgotten.
Zuma
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That's awesome BJ. I recently went to a compound shoot with a bunch of selfbows at the suggestion of a guy who delivered our new refrigerator. They let me set up a table that looked a lot like the one in your pics. I stuck out like a sore thumb and got my share of looks like ???, but a few guys were genuinely interested. Mostly the older cats. It was fun to get out there and spread the traditional love. )P(
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Getting the young people involved is the key to he survival of any activity, sport, or game! It is the mentoring that is the key! Congratulations, BJ!
Hawkdancer
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Wonderful BJ,
Most of my mentors are long gone but surly not forgotten.
Zuma
Thanks Zuma, I know just what your saying. We buried a really fantastic one a little over a year ago. He was the most humble person I've ever meet. He is missed and rememberer by many. Don't expect I'll ever live up to his example but a little bit might have rubbed off.
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Thanks Jeff, that's really cool that you setup at the compound shoot. I know some of those looks you get. My brother is big into compounds and has been for three decades. He's pretty proud of me though and invited me to come shoot in his winter group. They have a indoor range. I went a couple times and meet a few pretty nice guys. The one time I went there were two guys talking about hunting with their flintlocks. I listened to their stories with genuine interest. I always love a good hunting story. When they we're done I showed them the bow I shoot my first buck with. The fellow who was telling the story says."what'd you do? Hit him over the head with it" I said no, but I was almost close enough I could have.
I never went back again. It just didn't feel right.
You could tell even at this event many of the adults were interested but skeptical. I had different stages of a stave from bark on to fully tillered. I explained how to remove bark and sap wood, chase a ring, remove wood from belly and tiller. I would string the fully tillered bow to show it's even bend and draw it to further demonstrate it's even bend. Almost every adult male would ask what kind of draw weight can you get. After telling the first several I can make any draw weight and draw length you'd like and seeing their look I decided just to hand them the bow and ask them what they thought it was. I got a much different look then. They would turn to their buddy and say it's a lot more than your thinking. I understand their not understanding. I'm also sure there have been less than great bowyers who've sold inferior bows giving our tools a bad name. I don't try to change the people who don't want to listen. I just try to open the eyes of the ones willing to see. All in all this was a really nice event and I didn't have any bad experiences. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Like you said there where lots of old timers that got huge smiles and you could just see the memories come back of days and Hunts long ago. That was even more rewarding than the smiles and enthusiasm of the kids.
Bjrogg
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Thanks Jerry. I'm so totally hooked on all of this stuff that I'd tell anyone who wouldn't run away to fast.lol I really enjoy showing and explaining over and over again to all the people who ask how do you do that. I find that generally the kids and ladies ask some of the best questions. I was blessed to grow up where I did. I had some very good mentors. I remember them and now have even more respect for them. They gave so much and asked for nothing. When your a kid you don't see that, but that wasn't what that were trying to show you. That's just what you saw as you got old enough to see it.
Bjrogg
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I had the same experience w/ the draw weight question. As soon as I said, 50# the looks started to change. I totally get the skepticism. Unless you make (and break) a number of selfbows you have no idea what a well made all-wood bow can do and what an effective weapon it can be. (SH)
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I have a tiny little scrap of osage 48" tip to tip that is tillered out to 60 lbs at about 16 inches of draw. When someone scoffs at the bows I am making at a Rendezvous or whatever, I just pull that one out. To string it, I hook one tip behind a knee and throw my upper body into the other tip just to get it strung. I give it a few test pulls of 10-12 inches, unstring it, hand it to the scoffer. I have never had one of them be able to string it YET! They huff and puff before I take it back and string it for 'em. Then it just gets funnier when they pull on it! Usually, I make a comment that most of my bows are built with reasonable draw weights designed to effectively take game at ethical distances. Funny how so many of the skeptics never realize none of us would be here if these bows didn't work so well.
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Well put JW, well put. ;)
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Yes in all honesty I probably would have been skeptical before I built one for myself. I'd never seen another selfbow until then. When I told my brothers I was going to hunt with one they thought I was nuts. When I actually shoot a deer and they saw the blood trail they were impressed. Honestly I was even a bit surprised and impressed. It's funny how people often think they could throw a spear faster. I also took my Atlatl and explained how it works and how it's cast like a fishing lure. Towards the end of the event my buddy took a small group to demonstrate and cast it. You should have seen the looks on their faces as the dart sailed through the air. Sometimes you just have to experience things for yourself to really believe. Yes these tools have been used and depended on from many many times longer and harvested many more animals than today's modern compounds but for some reason people just seem to think that they are just toys. I always enjoy shooting a arrow and watching their expressions. You can tell they were expecting a nice slow arch, not a fe-thuumppp. I guess all of this is just another reason I feel the need to pass it on and let people experience it. I feel it's important and besides that I have a lot of fun doing it.
Bjrogg