Bowhunting  trophy mule deer is no cakewalk, but every now and then it all comes together oh so sweet.

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Bow & Arrow Hunting September 2005

Bruce was set to arrive in Montrose on Aug. 27, and I was sure his best chance at a “wall hanger” would be the first week of the season. When Bruce got here, he shot his bow to reassure that everything made it OK, and we went and got him an elk tag.

With the best time to hunt these bucks being in the evening, we would do some elk hunting in the mornings. I also have a ranch on the Uncompahgre Plateau, which harbors many elk and mule deer. We would spend our mornings chasing bugling bulls here. The evening before season started, I took Bruce on a short drive through some of the property we would be hunting. I have been after a large 3×3 on the strip for about five years now. Encounters with him are so common that my good friend Evan Baise began calling him “Pot Belly,” aptly named for his 350-pound frame. As we drove along the dirt road, I pointed out different fields where many large bucks had been taken over the years. When we approached a particular alfalfa field, I warned Bruce to keep an eye out for “Pot Belly,” because we had spotted him there all summer long. There he was, 40 yards from the truck, just feeding away. Bruce was amazed by the sheer size of this old mature buck. I urged Bruce to take him whenever the chance presented itself. Bruce laughed and said “Sweet!”

After a fairly uneventful first day, our second morning dawned with bulls bugling in a distant draw. We quickly cut the distance to about 400 yards of the screaming bulls. The bulls seemed to be heading toward a large ravine on a neighboring ranch. After setting up three or four times, we were nearing the fence line ourselves. I decided that we needed to get to a stand of aspens, near the lip of the large ravine . Bruce and Cassie quickly raced forward to set up, and when they got about 50 yards in front of me, I began cow calling. The bull responded with a low guttural roar from about 150 yards through the aspens.

Almost instantly another bull in the bottom of the ravine answered him. We were in the driver’s seat now! It seemed that the two bull elks were racing to see who could get to me first. I was pleading frantically with my cow call for the closest bull to come in. He responded by coming to the fence line about 30 yards in front of Bruce. When the bull jumped the fence, Bruce seized the opportunity and drew his bow. The bull was now 25 yards and nearing broadside. When the shot went off, Bruce’s setup was so quiet, the bull barely even moved. I assumed Bruce must have missed, so I took my cow calling into overdrive. I was so focused on watching the bull that I didn’t notice that Bruce had nocked another arrow. This time I watched as another arrow passed completely through the bull from only 35 yards this time. The bull stumbled stiff legged a mere 60 yards before expiring. Bruce had hit the 5×6 the first time, but an extremely quiet setup allowed a follow-up shot to be made.

I can’t begin to explain how impressed I was with Bruce’s choice of a broadhead, the 100-grain Turbo. I think it is one of the best penetrating heads that Barrie Archery has ever designed. After 20-plus years in the wapiti woods pursuing these beautiful animals, I can clearly say that the single most important aspect I look for is a broadhead that provides excellent penetration. With a large bull sometimes tripping the scales near 1,000 pounds, everything is bigger, so you need good penetration just to get to the kill zone.

It was time to shift our focus to chasing mulies the following morning. This for me, is bowhunting in its rawest form – you versus an animal with extremely keen senses on level ground. I cut my bowhunting teeth spotting and stalking mule deer, and I am proud to say that I am a much better bowhunter because of it. After blowing thousands of stalks, you become much more aware of the noise you may be making and things going on around you.

It was Aug. 30, a cool snap had hit, and we had a full moon. It seemed like everything was going our way. With a southwest wind, the game plan this morning was to slip south, with the wind in our faces, along the edge of a large marsh. Hoping to ambush a mature buck there, we set out. We quickly covered a mile or so, and as we were nearing a field edge , suddenly a large buck appeared 200 yards to our right. It was apparent that he was already aware of our presence. A mature 4×4 with good width and deep forks, I quickly judged him at 180 gross.

With the buck already aware of us, we decided to leave him alone and possibly look for him later that afternoon. We then turned and went straight east for a mile or two to a large draw. The west-facing slope of this draw is covered with a jungle of large cottonwoods and small willows, and I had seen many bucks in here all summer long.

To get to this draw we would be crossing the same field where we had seen Pot-Belly a few days before. We were both optimistic, it was still early, and we just knew good things would happen. We slowly crept our way to a large drainage ditch in the bottom of the draw. Just as quickly as we arrived, I spotted bucks, sky-lined by the rising sun. Bruce looked at me and said, ” What should we do?” I quickly replied, “I think we are in a good spot.”

Bruce must have thought I was nuts! These bucks were 300 yards away, and still showing no signs of coming our way, but over the course of scouting this draw, I had seen this same group of bucks work their way to the drainage ditch that we were now hidden by. There were six bucks in this group, and while not our largest, some showed potential. The bucks were just about parallel to us when they started down into the draw. we agreed that the largest buck might go 170 gross. I asked Bruce if he was interested in taking this buck and he gave me the combination head-nod and “Uh-Huh.”

When the bucks reached the bottom of the draw, tamaracks and willows engulfed them. We weren’t sure where they were when suddenly Bruce muttered, “Here they come.” All we could see were velvet-covered antler tips until they stepped out 30 yards from us. The big buck was the fourth to come out into the open, and he moved toward us slightly and then turned perfectly giving Bruce a quartering-away 25-yard shot.

As he drew his bow, all of the bucks peered at us. Luckily for us, there was a huge cottonwood behind us and there must have been a glare from the rising sun. With this glare in their eyes, Bruce reached full draw. When the shot broke, I could clearly see the arrow strike through the buck.

We hadn’t gone 30 yards on the blood trail when Bruce yelled, “There he is!” Bruce couldn’t wait to get his hands on him! With nearly 40 inches of mass, and 4-inch brow tines, this buck is truly magnificent! As a testament to the great habitat on the Strip, this was only a 3 1/2-year-old buck. They say give your bucks time and food. Well, I like to say give my bucks sweet corn and alfalfa, and me some time to hunt them!

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Bowhunter’s Bonanza – March 1970
Five Lucky Hunters Win Trip To Fabulous Alaska In Ben Pearson’s National Contest

James Marcoux of Fox Lake, Wisconsin had often dreamed,
as have most bowhunters, of making a trip to Alaska for moose and caribou. Imagine the thrill experienced by Marcoux and four other men scattered across the United States when they learned they had won a place on Ben Pearson’s fantastic Bowhunters Bonanza.
Stanley Spilecki, New Britain, Connecticut; Al Miller, Rockwood, Pennsylvania; Dave
Pederson, Landing, New Jersey; and E.L. Knight of Pryor, Oklahoma all received word that
they would accompany Ben Pearson’s Jim Dougherty on an all-expense trip to a remote camp on the Mishik River, 160 miles west of King Salmon on the Alaskan Peninsula.  Winners were selected by a drawing after entering the Bonanza Contest.

Also accompanying Dougherty were three members of the famed Ben Pearson
Bowhunting Staff: Don Mclntosh of Billings, Montana; George Wright of La Crescenta,
California; and Danny Lloyd of Columbus, Ohio, Lloyd is also a Ben Pearson sales representative.

The week-long hunt was headed by guide Ed King of Naknek, Alaska who guided Dougherty to his record class moose and caribou in 1969 for the filming of Record Book Bowhunting – Alaskan Style recently released by the Ben Pearson Film Library.

Led by King, Dougherty and the Staff Members, the hunt was action packed from the first day
in spite of worsening weather that ranged from winds to 70 knots, rain, sleet and snow.
While not stalking moose and caribou, the group fished for salmon with marginal success in
the flooded Mishik River and hunted ptarmigan in the vicinity of camp.

In terms of hunting success the trip was fabulous with a 60 percent success ratio, three moose and three caribou for ten hunters. AII participants got good shooting, getting chased by several belligerent moose in the process and on one occasion literally tripping over a brown bear laying up on a caribou kill.

It was for all involved the trip of a lifetime into the last big game frontier, an adventure that will long live in the memories of those that found it was truly a Bonanza.

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Bowhunting with the Dutchman – by H.R. “Dutch” Wambold
Archery World March 1970
The Bull Moose Gan be timid or mean–but never a PUSHOVER ! !

“Yeah, I’ve been moose hunting. It’s like shooting some farmer’s cow in a pasture!’, Words to this effect have been said time and time again, by word of mouth as well as written in many outdoor stories. A lot of hunters have shied away from hunting this great trophy simply because they
have been misinformed as to the actual status of the largest antlered animal that ever lived on this
earth.

Without any doubt, these opinions have been uttered by hunters who shot bulls at long range
with their scoped rifles-far beyond any appreciable distance where even the eagle-eyed ram would be aware of the hunter’s presence.  Meeting this patriarch of the big forest on his own grounds, stalking the bull to within 100 feet or less, and facing better than half a ton of bone and muscle that carries a set of antlers that reminds one of the stabilizer on a piper Cub, can be mighty
interesting-especially when the man is bowhunting, and the bull is itching for a fight!

Let’s stop tor a moment and consider the dimensions of this big fellow. A mature bull stands
about seven and one-half feet at the shoulders, weighs around 1800 pounds on the hoof, and may
carry a set of antlers you could stretch out in!

His four and one-half foot stilt-like legs can strike like a deadly cobra, and are capable of carrying that big heap of steaks into the forest without any more noise than a chipmunk if the need be! When a bull feeds on overhead browse, he can stand on his hind legs and pull down foliage growing twelve feet above the ground!  If the bull is really intent on some succulent birch tips that are higher, he merely runs his chin up along the saplings forcing the branches lower , and strips the leaves off up to 20 feet above the ground!

Primarily, a bull will stick fairly close to an area of about five square miles as his territory, and
leave only when the mating urge during the rut will find him on the prowl looking for cows or another bull to fight.

Hunters who have shot bulls before or after the rutting season will find the bulls drowsy, eating
and chewing their cud, and presenting a somewhat easy target at 100 yards or better.

The bowhunter realizes that the best time to hunt a bull is during the rut. This changes the
picture considerably, finding the bull as nervous as a thoroughbred at the starting gate, ready to
fight at the first sound of your approach, and as formidable as an army tank that has run berserk!

When a mature bull has that love light in his eyes, nothing is too big to challenge. Many a
hunter has been driven up a tree and kept there for hours. Snow plows have been charged, and the Canadian Pacific railway engineers have stopped many a train when some bull squared off in the middle of the tracks-ready to take on the diesel engine without any qualms!

I will never forget one experience encountered with a rutting bull while hunting Stone Sheep in
the Cassiars of British Columbia. The hunt took place in the middle of October, and the moose
were at the peak of their rut. We had spotted a group of five rams and made three unsuccessful
stalks on each of three days. The fourth day, we found our five rams high on the lee side of a peak, bedded in the open of the barren, snow-swept shale.

After studying the sheep for over an hour with the spotting scope, my camera-man, guide, and I
were suffering an acute case of sheepitis. The rams showed no indication of moving down. We
were about five miles away, and across a large basin of firs from the timberline that fringed the
summit of the peak.

I suggested riding our horses into the fir basin where we could hide them from the eyes of the
rams, and then work up to the timberline on foot.  Hopefully, I thought the rams might start moving
down in the meantime, and we would meet them halfway.

It was a long climb up the side, and we kept dodging from one tree to the next to keep from
alerting the rams above us. The deep snow tired us; but we were within 100 yards of the last of the
timber when we stopped for a breather, huddled together beneath a clump of firs.

When i heard the sound of antlers against a tree, I asked my two companions if they had heard
the noise. They replied in the negative. There it was again, up to our left, and coming down the
side towards us. Again, neither of the other two heard the sound of the approaching bull. Finally,
as the bull worked within 100 yards of where we stood, everyone heard the sound of the cracking
branches as the bull moved in, and before long the deep grunts could be heard.

“That bull is hunting us,” I muttered to Rawhide, my Cacoose Indian guide. Rawhide whispered,
“Don’t let that son-of-a-gun come too close or we’ll be in trouble!”

All three of us remained quiet and tense as we could hear the bull’s path of advance but not see
any sign of the large animal! There! I spotted the bull standing in the only open spot around-about
30 yards uphill and to our left.

The huge body presented a perfect broadside profile for the most ideal bowhunter’s shot. The
bull kept swinging his huge rack from side to side, testing the wind with his nose, while deep gutteral grunts kept rolling from his innards. He looked smack in our direction, but the wind favored us and our scent was carried downhill and away from him. It was a perfect bow shot, but all three of us were on the wrong side of the trees! Bob, the photographer was unable to get any footage of this big bull, and Rawhide’s first concern, was a possible charge as he whispered in my ear-”Bust him if he makes one step in our direction!

The bull presented a complex problem. If he charged us, I would have to shoot. If he spooked,
he would crash through the timber. Regardless of which, it would spook the rams that were 1000
yards above us!

When you dog a group of rams for several days, and all you have to show for miles of riding,
climbing, and freezing in the sharp winds on the high peaks is a big fat zero-your first concern is
for the game above you-especially when it means the three-quarter mark towards a Grand Slam in sheep!

After several minutes, the bull moved silently across above us and out the side. We sighed in relief, relaxed, and resumed our strategy as we moved up towards the rams above.

The skies were heavy with overcast, and a cloud started moving in to shroud the top of the peak,
and with it our sheep! I grabbed Rawhide’s sleeve. “Hold it! That bull is coming back again, and he is below us this time!”

This time, the bull appeared in a small opening below, about 60 yards away. Facing us, the bull
stared right in our eyes. The large rack ripped into several branches as he signaled his defiance.
There was no doubt in our minds, this guy had a chip on his shoulder, and the next move might lust be a sticky one! “Got a tree picked out?” Rawhide’s whisper had both of us looking. The
bull advanced several steps, stopped and grunted. His.would be an uphill course, which would give all three of us a slight edge.

The sound of a cow’s bellering sounded in the basin below, and the bull turned his head to listen.
We waited, tensed and ready to scramble up a nearby tree. The bull looked back at us again.
Another couple steps in our direction and he stopped. Again the cow called below. The bull
turned, and as quiet as a mouse he vanished into the firs as he left to go about his courting!

This stroke of pure luck again found our rams still bedded above, and our stalk had not been
ruined by this ornery bull!  It took us a bit longer to get over the shakes from this second encounter, but we finally resumed our stalk and ended the day with my taking a fine trophy.

While hunting Alaska, I spotted the sun glistening on a huge set of palms on the side of a pek across the river from where I had stalked and shot a caribou. I studied the spot carefully
with my glasses, and finally spotted this large bull feeding in the alders.   We quickly field dressed the stag, loaded the quartered meat on our saddle horses, and started leading our mounts toward the river below. I wanted to try for that bull!

Caching the meat along the stream, we mounted our horses and started up the side.  My guide rode within several hundred yards of that bull before I spotted the critter! Sliding off my horse, I started towards the bull with an arrow ready to nock in one hand and the bow in the other.
I made a circular stalk in order to remain in the crosswind and avoid having my scent reach the
feeding bull.

Moving in directly from the side, I worked within 80 yards of the bull when the huge head turned in
my direction. I froze, wondering what had alerted the bull.  As I stared back at the bull waiting for its next move, I heard the sound of cracking branches behind me. Turning, I spotted the head-on view of another bull, velvet hanging on his rack in shreds, and coming towards me at a trot!

Now, at a time like that a fella don’t know whether to run or where!  Looking back at my first
bull, I noticed that he was standing his ground.  I decided not to run, and took off down through the timber at what I thought was a prompt but unhurried exit, trying to keep both bulls in view
and ready to do a Jesse Owens if demanded!

Having moved no more than 40 feet to the side of the path of the oncoming second bull, I spotted
the first bull wheeling and taking off up the side.  The second bull breezed past me, branches flying in his wake, making like a Sherman Tank as he bust through a tangle of firs-showing no
indication of being aware of my presence and hell-bent on chasing that first bull!

I had been on the verge of panic for several seconds, for that stalk had placed me smack between two bulls who were anxious to mix things up a bit, and only my movement had spooked the bigger bull!  Although either of the two bulls would have satisfied my personal qualification’s for a trophy, you sort of forget hunting at a time when two sets of racks that look like the front end of a payloader appear to meet head-on with you in the middle!

Come to think of it, don’t discount the cow moose as merely being of the weaker sex.  The
memory of an encounter with mama moose while hunting Alberta is still quite clear. I had been, working along the shore of a lake intent on cutting into some big timber along the far side in the hope of finding some elk.   The walking was easier along the lake shore in the fresh snow and I was enjoying the scenery when I spotted a moose calf stepping out into the clearing ahead of me.

Not interested in moose on this bowhunt,  I decided to try and stalk into close range of the youngster in the hope of bouncing-one of the rubber-tipped blunts off the little fella, I was
carrying them for just such a possibility and to sharpen my stalking ability.

I decided to slip into the fringe of brush and young firs and circle ahead of the calf for it appeared that the critter was intent on working the other way.

I found a moose trail just a few yards in the timber, and quickly worked my way ahead of the
calf, and cut back out to the shore.   A clump of low brush screened me, and I nocked a blunt and
waited for the calf to come within range. Instead of letting the calf work past file,  I stepped out and shot when the calf was still about 30 yards away and coming toward me.  I hit the calf dead-center between the eyes, and the blunt bounced off in an arc and into the lake.  The calf let out a beller, jumped into the water, and splashed around in confusion.

Satisfied to a degree with my shot, and fully aware that I had not hurt the youngster, who was
about the size of a young heifer, I turned to continue up the shore. I stopped at the sound of a snorting crashing sound ahead of me.   The next thing I knew a big bull trotted into the clearing
looked down the shoreline toward the calf it turned his huge rack the other way, and started up
the shore away from me.   It was then that I first spotted the large cow farther up along the shore.

The bull trotted towards her, and she lowered her head waiting.  When the bull got within about 40 yards of her, the cow started toward him at a gallop,  and squealing in a high-pitched yell like a scared Holstein!

At the moment I had to laugh, for that bull put on all four airbrakes, spun in the shale, feet flying
for a grip, and came back down the shoreline in overdrive!

Gutting into the timber and out of sight, I could hear the bull busting through the timber for quite a
distance as he headed for other parts of the Province. The cow had stopped her charge where the bull turned into the brush, and now was coming down the shore toward me at a slow walk, head stretched forward and low, and every hair on her neck standing straight out!

Only then did I realize that the calf behind me was hers, and that her present disposition was due to the racket the calf had made when I bounced the blunt off its head!

With ample distance still between the two of us, I decided to get out of there as quickly as possible; for if that bull had deemed it best to avoid an argument, who was I to have any words
with the old gal!

I looked for an opening to duck into the timber, but the brush was thick and would resist any attempt to do so!  Back-pedaling, I kept looking for an opening, and mama kept a’coming at that
determined walk. Now and then she snorted and called to the calf. The calf kept splashing around
in the water behind me.

I finally decided to turn and run, hoping to find the opening where I had circled ahead of the calf,
duck into the timber, and hope that the cow would go to her calf instead of taking after me. I found the opening, took a quick look over my shoulder and saw that the cow was still at a fast walk, and headed in on the game trail.

As I moved in along the trail as fast as footing would permit, I heard a noise ahead of me. That
darn fool calf had run back into the timber, and was heading up the game trial which I was on!
A small back-water lay to my left, and on the opposite side was a boulder about 10 feet high. I
turned and splashed through the water which was about thigh deep in the middle, made the other
side, and scrambled up on top of the boulder. I had barely made my perch when mama came lumbering down the trail, caught up with the calf, and stopped and stood her ground! The two moose were no more than 75 feet away from where I clung to the rock, and the old gal kept grunting, moaning, and looking in my direction as she kept lowering her head with her ears laid flat against her head.

I kept looking around my boulder to make sure there was no way for the cow to get at me, and
crouching as low as possible so as not to reveal my outline. The cow started back on the trail in my direction, and I drew another blunt from my quiver, figuring that it might turn her if I bounced one off her body. Luckily, the calf started running the other way on the trail, and the cow turned and followed.

I built a fire, took off my shoes and socks to dry them, staying close to the boulder-just in case.
My guide yelled from the shore and I answered to give him my location. When he joined me at my
fire, and I related my experience, he remarked that a cow moose with a calf was just as unpredictable as a bull on the prod. I had surmised that the size of the calf meant it was on its own. The guide said this was not the case, that many times a cow will keep a calf with her long
after it has been weaned. He also said the cow had run the bull away because the calf evidently was a female, but the bull had wanted to court her instead!

The case and point is that any moose can be a problem when you meet the animal within the ranges at which a bowhunter must work. Rutting bulls may spook or charge you. Sometimes they merely are coming closer to get a better look at you. This can prove an added advantage when a
shot is planned. The important thing is to be ready for the right move if necessary.

You may hunt moose and never experience other than tire conventional crashing exit of a spooked animal. It seems that most of the desired trophies are prone to leave in a hurry-but-you
may run into one that has other intentions. If you do, give that moose all the room he or she
wants!

As for the claims that moose are a pushover -I’d say it could well be the other way around. After you take your first bull with the hunting bow, you tell me whether it was easy, or whether it turned out to be one of the biggest thrills of your bowhunting experiences!

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Dream Buck- By Randy Templeton

September 2005

When Dan Nordstrom of Coal Valley, Illinois. crept into the woods one afternoon last November, he had no idea what was in store for him. For sure Dan didn’t know what he’d see, much less shoot one of the largest bucks, killed by any archer in the state during the 2004 season.When Dan started bowhunting 14 years ago, he had a dream of someday shooting a buck that would break the 200-inch barrier. That dream became reality when a giant non-typical stepped into a clearing this past fall. Let’s take a look at the exciting events that led up to Dan scoring on this buck of a lifetime.

Post season Scouting Pays Off

“I spend a considerable amount of time in the woods during the post-season, and I don’t worry too much about spooking deer since the season is still several months away, and any intrusion will be forgotten Dan explained. ‘That’s why the off season is a good time to thoroughly dissect a piece of land. I typically search for rubs, rublines, old scrapes, bedding areas and trails that lead to and from feeding and bedding locations.”

In the late winter and early spring, Dan also spends time hunting for shed antlers. In fact, in the spring of 2003 he picked up a set with striking similarities to those on the buck he shot this past season” Although Dan said he can’t be certain, it’s quite possible the sheds are from the same deer or perhaps from another in the same gene pool.

In addition to scouting, Dan utilizes the post-season to clear shooting lanes or drop trees to create a funnel. By the time the season rolls around the deer are pretty much programmed to travel where he wants them. For example, if a buck is traveling just out of bow range, Dan says, dropping a tree in the trail can shift his travel pattern enough to put him within range.

Dan continued; ‘Late winter is also a good rime to identify potential locations for food plots. When planting time arrives in April or May, I’m ready to get started. I’m still experimenting with food plots, like clover, alfalfa and recently chicory.

“Several years ago I purchased 90 acres from a friend of mine who’s a logger by trade. The property is unique- there’s about 25 acres of creek-bottom marsh that borders 65 acres of hardwood timber. The big, mature trees were logged off, but it sparked a lot of new growth, and it’s gotten pretty thick since. It’s become real deer habitat.

“A couple of years later I bought an additional 10 acres that butts up to the other” Dan added. “That piece consists of 20 acres of pasture and 10 acres of timber. It might be only 120 acres total but it’s got a little bit of everything to offer in terms of habitat. When considering how the land is laid out, plus all the improvements I’ve made with adding food plots, it’s a hunter’s dream come true .”

Dan’s Bowhunting Strategy

“Face it, in the Midwest we’re not hunting Large-timber whitetails. The woods are typically small ranging from 25 to l00 acres. We have the upper hand after harvest, mainly because most of the deer are funneled into and concentrated in these small wood lots, and we’re able to take advantage of that. Our biggest challenge is getting to and from stands undetected. I do a lot of edge hunting to avoid burning out my timbers.

When it comes to hunting big deer I think we’ve all got different opinions on how to go about it. Likewise, I’m confident that we can all pretty much agree on what not to do. For example, if I already know there’s a big deer running on my property, it doesn’t make any sense to penetrate his bedroom or private area and risk bumping him out altogether. Throughout the summer and until the season starts, I stay completely out of the woods. Instead, I spend a lot of time glassing crops from a safe distance to learn where and when deer enter the fields to feed. “My favorite time to hunt whitetails is during the hard pre-rut, which begins about Oct. 25 and ends around Nov. 10 in Illinois. I think it’s the best time to identify a big buck’s pattern, which makes it possible to
close the distance.”

Scent Control A Must

Although I’d like to believe most hunters throw caution to the wind and take measures to avoid detection, Dan suspects that some hunters are more concerned about what the wind is doing at their stand, rather than what it’s doing as they go to and from it. The savvy hunters feel that it’s important to know and understand what the wind is doing all the time. Like many, Dan takes all the necessary precautions before a
hunt, showering with unscented soap and storing his outer clothes in a scent-free bag or container. Most important, Nordstrom claims that wearing a full-length Scent-Lok suit, rubber boots, and spraying himself down and gear with HS Scent-A-Way spray has been the key to bearing a whitetail’s keen sense of smell.

The Season Begins
Here is Dan Nordstrom’s account of the start to his season: “For years, my friend Dan Coons and I have always hunted together on opening weekend. We both try to put a doe in the freezer early so we can then concentrate on hunting a buck. As it turned out, Dan shot a doe
the first afternoon and I killed mine during the second. “l actually hunt several places, but to avoid burning any of them out too early, I typically spend the first three weeks of the season spreading out my days hunting different spots.

“On Halloween my brother, Mike, and my nephew, Ross Nordstrom, came in to town and wanted to do some deer hunting. I took them out and tried to put them on a deer, but it just didn’t happen. ‘A friend, Jonathon Lujan, was up from New Mexico that same week hunting with another friend of ours, Jeff Campagna. It was Nov. 1 and I remember it was raining that day. We all got together for lunch and sat around dis-
cussing whether or not we were going out. The rain let up a little, so I ended up going out that afternoon and it paid off.
“I gathered up my gear and headed for a stand along the edge of a small picked cornfield. About 3:40 that afternoon,
three big bucks entered the secluded corner on the far end of the field to feed. The deer seem to like that corner because
it’s isolated and hidden from any roads. It’s not unusual to see 15 or more does feeding there in the evening. During the pre-rut and rut, the bucks seem to hang around the edges and come out every so often to check on the ladies.
“Unfortunately, I d forgotten my good binocular. Using my small compacts it was difficult to tell just how big the bucks were, but one was exceptionally bigger than the others and definitely a shooter. “The bucks fed for a while, then slipped back into the woods using the same trail. I already had a stand set up close to where the biggest buck went in. In the worst-case scenario, I figured my longest shot would be 30 yards.

The wind was out of the northwest and if it stayed steady, I’d hunt the stand the next evening. If the buck came from the west again, the wind would be at his back, so chances are I’d get a shot off long before he winded me. “The next afternoon, I was running a bit late. When arriving, I quickly slipped into my Scent-Lok suit and sprayed down my outer clothes and gear with Scent-A-Way.

I made way toward the stand and arrived about 3:20. “After getting settled in I bleated a few times on ‘The Can.’ I normally do this because I think it has a calming effect on any deer that might have heard me walking in. Chances are they think it’s just another deer and not a threat.
“Shortly afterward, a doe and button buck cautiously moved through and began feeding. I don’t think they smelled me, but the doe knew something wasn’t quite right. It was exactly 20 minutes after climbing into the stand (3:40) when I spotted a buck walking up the fence
line. He was coming so fast I didn’t have a lot of time to look him over, but he was definitely a shooter! It looked like the same buck I’d seen the afternoon before.

“I got in position to shoot, but just two or three steps short of giving me a broadside shot, he stopped. Only a few seconds passed before he turned and started walking away. I quickly drew the Hoyt UltraTec bow and mouthed a murrp. The buck stopped quartering away, so I tucked the pin behind the last rib and punched the release. The arrowed buried itself to the fletching and the buck charged off with his tail tucked between his legs. I visually marked the location 50 yards away where I’d last seen him. Seconds later I heard a crashing noise that led me to believe he’d gone down.

“I waited maybe 30 minutes or so before climbing down to take up the trail. I went to where I last saw him, but didn’t find any blood right away.
With my binocular I scanned the area ahead and spotted his white belly just 40 yards further down the hill. I approached cautiously, but he was down for good. It wasn’t until I walked up on him and grabbed the antlers that I was able to grasp how big the buck reality was. I’ve been waiting a long time to shoot a buck like this, and words can’t express how I felt at that moment. This was the fourth buck I’ve shot that will qualified for the Pope & Young Club record book, but also my biggest to date and a dream season come true!”

One thing that’s interesting to note is the time of day Dan killed his deer. The giant came meandering down the same trail heading toward the
field to feed and check on the does at exactly the same time as he did the previous day. It goes to show that big bucks can be patterned and killed during the pre-rut.

After the mandatory 60-day drying period, Dan took his Warren County giant to Tim Talmsley and had it officially measured. The buck had 18 scorable points and gross scored 203 6/8 and netted 194 0/8 inches. There were a couple of deer killed in 2004 that scored higher than the Nordstrom buck, but from a personal viewpoint, none were nearly as impressive.

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Understanding Arrow Trajectory – By Roy Marlow
Bow Hunting World  – February 1995

The Effect of Arrow Speed and Weight

On a pretty autumn day several years ago. I was cooking breakfast  after a morning’s deer hunt when I looked up and noticed a nice buck several hundred yards away. I watched him for several minutes before realizing that if he kept to his course, he would pass on a trail only about a hundred yards from camp. When he moved into the woods, I quickly donned my camouflage, grabbed my bow, and moved into the timber across the creek to intercept him.

Just as I got to the edge of a small opening, he appeared at the far edge. The setup was perfect except for a large oak tree in the middle of the clearing which had a tangle of low limbs right in line with the deer. I knelt down to allow for the estimated trajectory of the arrow under the tree and made what I thought was a perfect shot. Unfortunately, I did not allow enough room, and the arrow neatly centered a 3-inch branch. So much for that opportunity!

In reviewing the situation over my cold breakfast, I realized that I had not clearly known the arc of my arrow. In this regard, I was probably not much different from many bowhunters. A lot has been written in the last few years about depth-of-kill for different arrow speeds, and most serious bowhunters have a pretty good feel for the trajectory of an arrow just in front and behind an animal.

But very few hunters have an intimate knowledge of an arrow’s trajectory over its entire flight path. I know I didn’t, and this cost me a nice buck that morning.  In this and the next issue of  Bowhunting World, I will be discussing arrow trajectory.  I will cover the general effects of arrow
speed and weight in the absence of wind drag. The examples given are the flattest trajectories that can be obtained for the speeds listed. Drag can dramatically affect trajectory, but many clean-flying, low-drag arrows used today can come very close to the trajectories given. In each example, I am assuming that the shot is over level ground and that the shooter is anchoring three inches below his eye at the comes of his mouth.

The Effect Of Speed
The trajectory of an arrow is determined solely by its speed at any point in time. In the absence of wind drag, it will have a constant speed, and its path can be described by a type of curve called a parabola.
The only force on an arrow between the time it leaves the bow and it hits the target is
gravity. Since gravity is pulling it downward, the arrow must be shot at a slight upward angle with respect to the line-of-sight. This is called the angle of departure. The initial direction of the arrow before it starts dropping is known as its line of departure. An arrow will usually start off below
the line-of-sight and will cross it several yards in front of the bow. It will then rise to its maximum height about mid-range before starting its descent to the target. If shot corrects, the point where it crosses the line-of-sight the second time is where it will hit the target.

Table 1 and the accompanying graph shows the trajectories and several other items of interest for three different speeds of arrows shot at several different distances. I used 180 feet per second (fps) to represent a recurve or longbow, 210 fps to represent an eccentric-wheeled compound, and 240 fps to represent an overdraw cam bow. These are typical speeds for most hunters using
average-weight hunting bows and average arrow weights.

Trajectory Height
Most hunters today shoot bows that are faster than those of a few years ago, but still, their trajectories are anything but flat. At 20 yards, a 180-fps arrow will rise about four inches above the line-of-sight. A 240-fps arrow will rise by almost two inches. At 60 yards, the 180-fps arrow will rise by a whopping 47 inches while the 240-fps arrow will rise by 26 inches.

These values are interesting in light of the opinion that some hunters have of their equipment. At a 3-D shoot a couple of years ago, I heard one shooter tell another that his speed bow would shoot as flat as a bullet out to 50 yards. After listening to the conversation a few more moments, I realized that he actually believed this. I have often wondered how he would have explained the multiple pins on his bow.

Depth-Of-Kill:
For hunters who use sights, knowing the depth-of-kill of an arrow is usually much more important than knowing its maximum arc. This is the distance over which the arrow will pass through an
animal’s kill zone if the shooter misjudges the range. Most whitetail deer have a vertical kill zone of 1 to 8 inches. However, it is common to assume a 6-inch kill zone to insure that the arrow hits the vitals solidly instead of just nicking the edges.

The right-hand columns of Table 1 show depths-of-kill for a 6-inch kill zone. If a hunter using an average 210-fps bow shot at a deer that he thought was 30 yards away, he would kill the deer if it was actually standing anywhere between 26.8 and 32.4 yards. At the closer distance, he would hit the top of the lungs while at the farther distance, he would cut through the bottom of the heart.
(this assumes, of course, that the deer cooperates and doesn’t jump the string.) This gives a margin of error of 3.2 yards on the close side and 2.4 yards on the far side of the animal, or a total of 5.6 yards. For the 180- fps bow, the total margin of error would be 4 yards, while for a 240-fps bow, it would be 7.8 yards.

Because an arrow is always dropping faster at the tail end of its arc, the margin of error in range estimation is always greatest in front of the animal, as shown in the “In-Front-Of-Target” and the “In-Back-Of-Target” values in the table. At long distances, this difference is minor, but closer in, it can be significant. For example, using the 210-fps bow above and shooting for an estimated distance of 20 yards, the maximum rise of the arrow would be 2.6 inches above the line-of-sight.

If the deer were actually standing anywhere between zero and 20 yards away, we will kill it. If he was beyond 20 yards, however, we would have to guess the range correctly to within 3.8 yards to kill it.

Time Of Arrival:
One reason frequently given for using faster equipment is to minimize movement of the animal due to the sound of the shot. Even the fastest equipment, however, falls short of meeting this goal totally. Humans have a simple reaction time to sound of about 0. 15 seconds. This is the time required for our brain to receive and process the sound and instruct our body to start moving. Although a deer’s reaction time has never been scientifically measured, evidence suggests that it is significantly faster than this. Once he hears the string, a deer still has to have time to move out of the way of a shot. Videos have shown that a deer can drop by over twelve inches at 20 yards
and can completely duck a 200+-fps arrow.

As shown in the second column of Table 1, a 210-fps arrow will take almost three-tenths of a second to travel 20 yards. This is twice the reaction time of a human and probably several times faster than a deer’s reaction time. At 20 yards, a 180-fps arrow has an arrival time of one-third second while a 240fps arrow will take a quarter of a second to cover the same distance.

At 60 yards, a 240-fps bow will take three-quarters of a second to reach the target. This is about four times longer than a subsonic .22 Short bullet. A 180-fps bow will take a full second. Even for the fastest equipment shot at normal bowhunting distances, a deer can react to the sound of a shot by enough to spoil the best of aim.

Effect Of Weight
Just as many hunters often don’t have a good feel for an arrow’s arc, they often fail to appreciate fully just how much the weight of an arrow can affect its trajectory. On a Westem mule deer hunt a few years ago, a good friend of mine leamed this point the hard way. Bill normally shot heavy 650-
grain arrows for his close shots on whitetails.  For this hunt, however, he switched to 500-grain arrows to give him a little flatter trajectory at the longer ranges he expected. When he packed for the nip, he threw the 650-grain arrows in the truck to use as backups. He had sighted in his bow with the lighter arrows but had no idea how the trajectories of the two shafts differed.

We got to the hunting area late at night and assembled our equipment the following morning by flashlight. Unknowingly, Bill put the hear,y arrows on his quiver and did not realize the mistake until it got light.  About mid-morning, he spotted a beautiful buck and was able to work his way to within 40 yards without alerting him. He was shooting what he considered to be a pretty fast bow and figured that the difference in arrow weights wouldn’t make that much difference. He aimed a few inches higher than normal, released, and watched as the arrow passed just under the deer’s chest. Later, back at camp, we found that the difference in trajectories between the two arrows was almost a foot at 40 yards.

If there is no wind drag, two weights of arrows which are shot at the same speed by different bows will have identical trajectories. But if shot from the same bow. their speeds will be different, and they will have different trajectories. Table 2 compares the trajectories of different weights of arrows to a 500-grain arrow that was sighted in correctly. The launch speeds are typical of a 60- pound eccentric-wheeled compound.

At 20 yards, a difference of 50 grains in arrow weight will move the impact point by over an inch. A difference of 150 grains will move it by 3 to 3-1/2 inches. As distance increases. the effect of weight differences becomes much greater. At 60 yards, adding or removing 50 grains of weight will change the impact point by over 10 inches while for 150 grains of difference it will change the
impact point by about 30 inches.

Small differences in arrow weight should also be addressed. For example, I shoot resharpenable broadheads, and I will often use the same heads for several years as long as they don’t become dinged up or bent. Before every hunting season and several times during, I will resharpen them. Recently, I went back and reweighed a dozen arrows that started out with identical weights and was surprised to find that several of them had changed by 20-25 grains due to resharpening. I usually shoot at close ranges, so this has never caused a problem. But if I had taken a little longer shot-say 40 yards- this difference would have been enough to throw my aim off by a couple of inches or so. In some cases it could have been enough to cause problems.

Measuring Trajectory
In the real world arrows have drag, and their trajectories will be a little higher than the examples -given above. For this reason, it is always a good idea to test your equipment so that you have a good feel for what it is  actually doing. This is especially important for hunters who use a single sight pin.

Measuring trajectory is a simple task that can be done as part of your normal sighting- in procedure. First, find a piece of cardboard or other material that is 1 to 3 feet wide and
several feet long. Three-foot by 5-foot panels work well and can be bought at businesses that sell packing supplies.

Next, put an aiming spot in the center of the cardboard and sight in your bow at a given distance. Then aim at the spot from several different distances and see where your arrow hits. For example, if you have sighted in a pin at 30 yards, you might shoot at distances of 7.5 yards (1/4
range), 1 5 yards (mid-range), 22-1/2 yards (3/4 range), and at something beyond 30 yards.
Shoot several arrows from each distance to get an average, and then commit these figures to memory.

To determine depth-of-kill for deer, find the distances where your arrows hit 3 inches high and 3 inches low. For larger or smaller animals, you can adjust these values to correspond to the different-sized kill zones.

Summary
With the increasing interest today in long- range shooting, some of the examples given above are very sobering. They show fairly dramatically that even with today’s fast equipment, bowhunting remains a short range sport.Even the fastest equipment will have trajectories at longer ranges that
are high and looping and that will require the ability to estimate range at very exacting levels. Taking the time to become intimately familiar with the trajectory of one’s equipment should help any bowhunter to understand its limitations and to capitalize on those hard-earned opportunities.

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Aspirin Busting at the Famous Iowa Deer Classic

(Des Moines, Iowa) The Iowa Deer Classic is one of the country’s premier hunting shows.   This event is held the first weekend of March and is always a popular show for TV hunting celebrities, well known seminar speakers, and features booths with everything the sportsman needs.  You can see trophy whitetail bucks and talk to expert taxidermists, deer hunters, and outfitters.  There are also manufacturers at this event.
 
There were three big seminar rooms and there was a variety of speakers each day.  The stage set up at this event was first class.  Each show started with Ted Nugent’s “My Bow and Arrow” song playing on the PA system. I like Ted’s “Fred Bear” song but his “Bow and Arrow” song is perfect to play before each performance.  We had good sized crowds at each show even though Saturday’s 2 shows  were scheduled at the exact same time as my friends Nic and T-Bone with the Bone Collector Crew.  My assistant Garrett did a super job tossing targets for me.  At the end of the shows I did a Question & Answer session which the audiences seemed to enjoy. 
 
The Bone Collector crew is a great buch of guys and my parents enjoyed having the gang in bear camp last Spring.  Nic and T-Bone told me Michael Waddell was at the Dixie Deer Classic in Raleigh, NC while they were in Iowa for this event. 
 
I also ran into Myles Keller,  Pat Reeves and Nicole Jones, and several other well known hunting personalities.  I also got to visit with Tom Hoffman, a well known bowhunter who took the SuperSlam with his bow.  Tom had been the guest speaker at a bowhunter banquet and stopped by the show to look around.

Antler Dog’s Roger Sigler and I had dinner one evening.  Roger’s seminars are always popular and he was there Friday night.  Roger tells his audience how to train their dogs to find shed antlers.   These are entertaining seminars and I always enjoy seeing Roger.
 
The new Hoyt Formula RX bows are shooting great!   The audiences seem to like the six arrow shot, the two balloon shot, and the smaller balloons.  During Sunday’s performance I nailed the baby aspirin the second shot and then it was time to wave so long and head for home and get ready for the next show.  The Iowa Deer Classic is a legendary show and is a great time.  I look forward to getting back to Des Moines and this show.  Special thanks to John,  Garrett, and the rest of his family & staff for the great time.

Martin Pro Series Scepter – February 1995
Bow Hunting World

New level in Bow Design
The Ultimate Bow Available in Hunting or Target Colors

Discover the Magical Wizardry of Martin’s New Scepter
DISCOVER THE MAGICAL WIZARDRY OF MARTIN’S NEW SCEPTER!

The R & D Wizards of Martin Archery have produced a riser that is so well
balanced, so vibration free and so accurate that you won’t need to ask the
mystics why your scores have improved!

A new level of machined aluminum riser design! The Scepter riser
features Martin’s new Tru-TrackTM Arrow Rest System (patent pending) as an integral part of it’s design, Like no other Arrow Rest System, the Tru-Track (patent pending) incorporates on extendable arrow rest mount that extends from within the riser in any position.
Shoot full length, long overdraw or anywhere in between for ultra fine tuning!

An arrow shelf pocket enables the Tru-Track rest to recess completely below the path of the arrow’s flechings,  No other riser design provides this level of clearance!

The Scepter owes it’s total lock of noise and vibration to Martin’s new V.E,C, System (patent pending), The V,E,C, (Vibration Escape ChamberTM) system incorporates a vented riser chamber that is designed to accept optional vibration absorbing inserts.

As the Wizard wields his staff of power, this year’s top shooters will be wielding the new Martin Scepter

Speed Rating: Equipped with new “Z” Cams

the Scepter provides on IBO rating of Over 300 f.p.s.
Machined Aluminum riser in anodized brite blue, red, violet, and hunter grey

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80 Years With Fred Bear – By Bob Brandau
March 1982

We’re damn lucky to have Fred Bear around.  In a time when folks tell us there are no heroes left, we only need look to Fred to know it isn’t true.
For the bowhunter, Fred has done it all. He’s taken world-class big game on every continent and built a career around his love for a sport. He stood and was counted as a conservationist when the word was still unknown to most sportsmen.

The John Wayne of the bowhunter’s world Fred attracts a crowd wherever he goes. Autographs, handshakes and flash bulbs are as much a part of his day as the sun. Yet unlike many other people in that position, his sincere smile never fades and his patience while listening to another
hunter’s whitetail adventure is unending.

His ability as a woodsman is equalled to or surpassed by his talents as a businessman, and inventor. Much of the archery tackle we use today is based on inventions cultivated in his fertile mind decades ago. Along with a few other adventuresome pioneers, Fred turned an obscure hobby into a national pastime and industry.

Starting in a depression torn 1933 in the United States, Fred slowly built his archery company from a garage in Detroit to the world leader it is today: His factory now produces products known around the world and employs about 350 people.

Fred’s cunning as a hunter and friendly nature have brought him many honors and thrills. He’s dined with royalty and dipped beans out a can with African bushmen.  Some of the adventures he’s had would seem outlandish even when printed in a young boy’s favorite book.

And of all the game Fred has taken through the years, what has been the toughest
to hunt? The whitetail deer.

“There’s no doubt about it, the whitetail deer is the smartest craftiest game animal a man can hunt with a bow,” he said- But what does Fred consider to be the toughest most dangerous game to chase with bow and arrow? Excerpts from the book, Fred Bear’s Field Notes, and an article printed in Outdoor Life in the early 1960s show that to be the African lion.

“Of all the “if-you-start-it, I’ll-finish it” game a hunter can go after with either gun or bow, the two big wonderful cats of Africa and Asia, the lion and tiger, head my list. There is something about them that no other animal can match, a mysterious, regal quality of fearlessness and arrogance and terrible power. In my book the man who kills either of them has reached the pinnacle
of the trophy hunter’s world.”

Fred said recently that the animal he had long considered to be the top hunter’s trophy also provided him with his most exciting and memorable hunt “Well, I had a lot of most memorable hunts, I guess. The most exciting of course, was when we were ambushed by a lion for half a night in Africa. I’ve spent a few nights in a tree with a grizzly down below and a couple cape buffalo have come close and then there were the polar bears. I guess you can call them memorable in terms of excitement.   In just the case of excitement my most memorable hunt would be the lion because in most of the exciting experiences I have had, the high point was over in a second or two. You knew you were either going to get in trouble or not. But the case of the lion went on for about six hours and that certainly was memorable.”

A short time after his encounter with the lions of Portuguese Africa in 1965, he recalled the story like this:

“I eased to my knees and picked up my bow. There were two lions, both big-maned males lying beside the wildebeest carcass.  Quietly as I moved, they saw me instantly, stopped feeding and stared balefully at the blind.

“One was broadside to me, with his head turned in my direction. The other lay
behind him facing us head on. I picked the closest one and drove my arrow for a spot
behind his shoulder.

“There wasn’t enough light to follow the arrow’s flight but the lion left no doubt that it had been hit. He ripped out a roaring blood chilling snarl and both animals sprang to their feet.   The rear one shot off to the left running in long bounds. The other curved hell-bent toward the blind, growling and roaring But when he was only yards away, he swerved off to the left and streaked past
within a few feet of us. The last we heard of him was an ear-splitting roar out in the gathering darkness.

“For another 10 minutes; there was dead silence, with five pairs of ears straining for some sound that would tell us where the lions had gone and what they were doing. When it was full dark one of the pair announced his return with a roar that came from no more than 20 yards away and rattled the very leaves of the blind

“One thing we knew for sure. If either lion was bent on revenge, our brush blind would no more stop him than a garden fence stops a hungry deer. He wouldn’t even have to smash through it. He’d come sailing over and the last we’d see of him would be his black silhouette against the faint light that still lingered in the sky.

“There was half an hour of agonizing silence. Nobody moved, spoke, coughed or even cleared his throat My legs were getting stiff and cramped but it was imperative to endure it without stirring. It was cold but no one so much as touched his blanket Tension and suspense filled the blind like fog.

The lion ripped the night apart once more with a long series of roars and snarls, again only a few yards beyond our barricade. I’ve heard bears, tigers and even elephants scream their anger and defiance, and any one of them can make the hair on a man’s neck stand up like porcupine quills. But I don’t believe any other sound that comes from an animal’s throat is as awesome and frightening as the roar of a lion close up.

Another half an hour went by, seeming like half the night.  Then the situation took a new turn.
A lion spoke up from half a mile away giving the half purring half moaning get-together call and another answered farther off in the distance. I had listened to those typical sounds of the African night before and thought them interesting and thrilling. Now they turned my blood to water. Our lion didn’t give us much time to worry about any other, however he let go another bone-shaking roar.

After a few minutes, the lion roared again. The silence settled down and nothing happened for an hour. At the end of that time, Luiz (one of the native guides) inched over to our side of the blind.
“Baas, I can hear lion eating,” he said. ” I think he feed on the dead one.”

We cocked our ears and sure enough we could hear the ripping of flesh and the clicking of teeth out there in the dark, 50 or 60 feet away.

For the first time we had something to go on. It was very unlikely that a wounded lion would be feeding and if this was the unwounded one, quarrelsome as he was, we were in less danger than we had feared. But if Luiz’s hunch was right by morning, the pelt of my lion would be torn and worthless.

“Will one lion really eat another?” I asked Wally, my guide. “Indeed they will,” he assured me.

By this time the tension in the blind had become too much for the native guides to bear, and they issued the ultimatum of either climbing the trees or going back to camp. Knowing that the trees would not support the three natives, and that any commotion was likely to bring on a charge from the lion, Freds party decided to make a break for it in the car.

Taking nothing but the guns with them, they piled into the car, stomped on the starter and knifed out into the African darkness.

“To my immense relief,” Fred continued, “the first thing we found when we went back the next morning was what was left of the python (shot the day before by Fred while making the blind). We agreed that it might have been the snake on which we had heard the lion feeding and our hunch proved good. When we picked up the blood trail of the lion I hit and followed it for 200 yards,
we found a magnificent cat stone dead since the evening before. Needless to say, I didn’t give the python another thought “My arrow had gone in low, back of a foreleg and ranged through both lungs, causing severe hemorrhage. A full-grown male with a heavy mane, he weighed 460 pounds and measured an even 10 feet pegged out.

“Looking back on those thrilling hours in the blind, with the lion growling and feeding in the darkness, I couldn’t blame the guides for not wanting to lion hunt again. But when I got back to camp, and I saw him reaching four feet above my head with the tip of his tail brushing the ground, I knew I wouldn’t trade that night for anything that ever happened to me on a hunt He was the greatest trophy I have killed, and he left me, as a bowhunter, no place to go.”

But Fred’s conquests as a hunter did not end after that long six-hour wait in a blind on the flats of Portuguese Africa He went on to down a polar bear, after three trys, 500 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska and a 1,800 Asiatic buffalo in Brazil. Even today he is a familiar face around many campfires in the United States, offering a tale of adventure or two.

Anyone who has been lucky enough to hear Fred spin a tale has heard one of the masters. You may be sitting in an auditorium, but when the griz growls and the guide’s hands are skinned as he climbs a tree for safety, you can taste the adrenalin in your mouth. With the gestures of a magician.  Fred can tell a story that rivals those of Davey Crockett and Mark Twain. Those
who have heard his tales more than once may notice slight changes in “fact’ as he draws them together for the audience, but it doesn’t matter since the end result of excitement is always the same.

Fred is one the few individuals who has had the opportunity to hunt most of the game animals the world has to offer. He has hunted above the Arctic Circle, at the Equator and in lands untouched by modem civilization. Based on that experience, he said that if a hunter had only one “exotic” hunt to go on in his life, he should go to British Columbia or Alaska.

“Now, Africa is great,” he said, “but in British Columbia or Alaska you can drink from any stream you happen to run across.  The hunting conditions are much better and the terrain won’t be burned up like it is in Africa during the dry season when you hunt. The mountains, the snow capped peaks and trees-yes, that s what I’d recommend. You won’t see nearly as much game, but after all the kill is the anti climax. You go to enjoy yourself and to have fun in the outdoors with the birds, the bees, the animals, and the people.”

To say that Fred represents that last generation of the wild and free American hunter would be unfair. To say that his contributions to both bowhunting and conservation make him an outstanding American would be much more appropriate.

And although Fred’s tales of excitement are untarnished with the years, the role of the hunter has taken on an increasingly important duty. Today’s hunter, Fred said, should be more concerned with environmental issues. With the nation’s foremost conservationist Teddy Roosevelt, to serve
as his “idol,” Fred has taken a leadership role in backing sound conservation practices. People should take time out of their leisure hours to help promote conservation practices, he said
“Too many hunters today place too big an emphasis on the kill. When you read the stories, the emphasis is too much on the kill-instead of being in nature’s great outdoors,” he said.
“Too many people are uncomfortable in the woods. They don’t feel at home when actually they should be. The woods is a friendly place. Yes, the woods is big place to get lost in, or to get into trouble in, but the main thing when outdoors is to use good judgment stay out of trouble and have a good time.

“A downed animal is most certainly the object of a hunting trip, but it becomes an anticlimax when compared to the many pleasures of the hunt.  A period of remorse is in order. Perhaps a few words of forgiveness for having taken a life. After this there is a self-satisfaction for having accomplished a successful stalk and made a good shot.

“But a hunt based only on trophies taken falls short of what the ultimate goal should be. I have known many hunters who, returning empty-handed, have had nothing to say of the enjoyment of time spent in nature’s outdoors.

“I like to think that an expedition should be looked upon whether it be an evening hunt nearby or a prolonged trip to some far off place, as a venture into an unspoiled area. With time to commune with your inner soul as you share the outdoors with the birds, animals and fish that live there.

And  in another vein, if it is a lengthy trip, select your companions well. A hunting trip
is a great place to test the mettle of your friends.  “I feel like one of God’s chosen people, having had the experiences I’ve had in his great outdoors,” said Fred. <–<<

Oneida Eagle–by Norb Mullaney
February 1983

It may not feature pleasing lines, but it sure is one sweetheart of a bow

Long before anyone gave any thought to a compound bow, the principle of the recurved limb was used to increase the tension in the bow string in the early stages of the draw. This was possible
because the recurve effectively shortened the limb moment arm thus requiring a higher draw force to bend the limb in the initial draw.

Many bow designs employed non-working recurves in the limbs – recurves that did not bend to any significant degree when the bow was drawn. Subsequently, modern recurve design went almost entirely to the working recurve. By permitting the recurve to flex along with the rest of the limb it is possible to obtain a smoother drawing bow and greatly reduce stacking in the later stages of the draw.

John Islas’ Eagle, manufactured by Oneida Labs of Canastota, NY, employs non-working recurve limb sections of composite laminated construction, in conjunction with short, solid, tapered F.R.P. power limbs, programmed cams, and a synchronizing system. All of these power and control elements are blended together to produce one of the smoothest shooting, high performance bows that we have tested to date.

In establishing the geometry for a bow it is common practice to locate the center of pressure of the grip on the horizontal centerline of the handle-riser. The Eagle has the center of pressure about two inches below the centerline so that the centerline is actually slightly above the shelf and closer to the point of arrow passage. It can be argued that this arrangement offers a more balanced distribution of push and pull forces along the vertical axis of the bow.

The handle-riser is a magnesium alloy casting with a decided reflexed geometry. The structure has a full length vertical groove on the string-hand side to accept the synchronizing or timing cables. This arrangement relocates the usual crossed cables of most compound bows so that there is no chance of interference with arrow shaft or fletching and, obviously, no need for a cable
guard. The shooting string is located in the plane of the vertical centerline of the bow just as for a straight or recurved bow.

A molded slip-on grip is provided. This grip bridges the cable groove where the hand contacts the handle. The usual AMO standard mounting provisions are provided for bow sight, quiver and stabilizer. The riser is drilled and tapped for a cushion plunger. Very early Eagle bows had this hole positioned too close to the shelf, causing some interference with vane fletching. This has subsequently been raised and is no longer a problem.

At each end of the handle riser a pair of aluminum alloy sheet brackets extend from the face of the bow angling toward the center. These pylon brackets carry the programmed cams and synchronizing pulleys which are tied together and mounted on the same axle. In this manner, the programmed cams are forced to synchronize and thus cause the limb systems to operate in unison. An adjustment slot is provided on the upper synchronizing wheel for exact timing between upper and lower limb systems. The short, solid power or working limbs are fitted with half-cylindrical bearings that rest in receptacles in the ends of the handle riser. Socket-type flat-head limb adjustment bolts are used with countersunk washers to retain the limbs. These power limbs are set at an angle close to thirty degrees to the horizontal, so that most of the flexing action is
vertical rather than forward. This is one of the reasons that this bow has little or no recoil action.

The recurved limbs feature conventional laminated composite construction with significant double taper. Hinge mechanisms with the hinge pins located three inches from the butts of the recurved limbs, attach these limb elements to the tips of the power limbs. In this manner the two limb elements actually overlap for three inches, with a lever arrangement established that can vary from from about 1 to 1 to close to 3 to 1 as the bow is drawn and the recurved limb pivots. Review of the accompanying photographs will clarify this verbal description. The rigging arrangement is also unique. A double, uncoated 3/32 inch diameter power cable runs from the hinge bracket assembly at the tip of the power limb to the two center grooves on the four groove programmed cam. It is retained in the cam by a transverse roll pin. A second double cable assembly (1/16
inch diameter-coated) is anchored in a transverse hole in the cam and threaded in the two outer cam grooves or tracks. It is spread by a special yoke clamp to clear the power limb and is then looped over a molded fitting that is bolted to the extreme butt end of the recurved limb.

The limb and cam action works as follows:

1. Force is exerted on the tip of the re-
curved limb by the act of drawing the bowstring.

2. The recurved limb pushes against the
power limb at the pivot axle and also pulls
on the yoke cable. This combined action starts
the cam to rotate toward the handle-riser.

3. As the cam rotates, the cam lever ratio changes,
requiring more force from the yoke cable to bend the
power limb.  However the lever ratio of the recurved
limb has been increasing at the same time.  This
counteracts some of the  effect of the change in cam ratio.

4. The net result is a rapid rise to peak draw force.  At
this position the oblong cam is centered angularly between
the power cable and is just about ready to roll over.

5. Further draw on the string moves the cam past center
and let-off begins.

6. Let-off continues until the cam rotates to the point
where the power cables lie in the flat sections of the
grooves at the inner ends of the cams.  At this point the
bowstring is perpendicular to the tip section of the recurved
limb and a bottoming condition is established.

Other bows carrying the cams on the handle-riser have employed a simple figure eight cable loop connecting the synchronizing pulleys.  This leaves the cable exposed close to the riser and generally necessitates offsetting the pulleys to provide cable clearance.  On the Eagle, John Islas has provided for routing the synchronizing cables through the  handle-riser using a pair of idler pulleys located between the pylon plates.  These idlers  are mounted on axles set in lugs which are integral with the risers. The idlers are located tangent to the cable groove. The cables run
from the synchronizing pulleys, over the idlers, and through the groove to establish the
timing loop.

It should be understood from the foregoing that the recurved limbs are just as much a part of the force-draw characteristics as the programmed cams and the normal limb-string geometry of the bow as it is drawn. The recurves shorten the moment or lever arms of the secondary limbs, assisting in obtaining greater string tension at brace height and a steep initial slope for the force-draw curve.  However, this desirable trait is also a function of the cam design. At brace height position, the cams have lever ratios also designed to promote high string tension.

It is important to recognize that the recurved limbs are very rigid and essentially non-working. Measurements taken across the distance from tip to butt varied only about one-eighth inch between brace height and full draw.

For the Eagle, the force-draw characteristic is a very complex function of string angle, recurved limb angle, instantaneous cam ratio and power limb angle and spring factor. All of these elements work together to provide the highly effective and very smooth force-draw curve.

The Eagle uses a straight forward shooting string much like a recurve bow, except that it must be strong enough to withstand the stress imposed by the high level of energy generated.

At the present time this bow is available in a single adjustable draw weight range of 45 to 65 pounds. Draw length can be obtained in four nominal ranges; 28 to29,29 to 30, 30 to 31 and 31 to 32 inches. At the factory, draw length variation is effected by modifying the recurved limb bolt hole pattern and changing string length. For short draw lengths a change of cam is required.

The spreader yoke can function as a positive draw check or stop if desired. It is a simple operation to set it and this does not affect the geometry of the yoke cable. The socket-head cap screw that clamps the yoke is loosened and the yoke is repositioned to bottom against the face of the power limb at the desired maximum draw length. A strip of pressure sensitive tape can be applied to the limb at the line of contact to prevent marring. Care should be exercised to bottom both yokes at the same draw position. A left-hand model is planned but is not yet available.

Admittedly an unusual looking bow, the Eagle is cleverly designed and well-built with
evidence of thoughtful engineering throughout.

The Tests

The Eagle we have had for test was rated 45 to 65 pounds draw weight with a draw length
of 29-30 inches. It was equipped with a cushion plunger and a flipper rest which were used for all test shooting. Preliminary hand shooting revealed several surprising characteristics that would require thorough investigation during the test program. First, at 60 pounds this bow seemed as easy and pleasant to draw as any compound we have tested.  Second, it was remarkably smooth during the power stroke with almost imperceptible recoil action. Third, even without the aid of chronograph verification a high level of performance was obvious.

Our test program was established for three levels of peak draw force; 50, 55 and 60 pounds, with a common draw length of 30 inches (AMO). The static tests always give a good indication of what we can expect in the way of performance – the Eagle was no exception. Fig. I displays the force-draw curves we obtained for each of the test conditions. In a number of ways these curves differ from both the conventional (eccentric type) and the programmed cam characteristics. Like the programmed cam they reach peak draw force early in the draw cycle (about 12 inches) but they do not have a lengthy dwell. The longest dwell is two inches at the 50 pounds P.D.F. level. Beyond the peak, the let-off is similar to a conventional eccentric with a very precise and consistent bottom between 30 and 31 inches draw (AMO).

The let-off varied between 39 and 41.7 percent, increasing slightly with increase in
draw weight.

The design of these force-draw curves is such that the draw seems exceptionally smooth and unstraining, so that it leaves one somewhat unaware of the amount of stored energy that is being generated. However, note the tabulated values of stored energy and the S.E./P.D.F. ratio. They are noticeably higher than for conventional compounds and rival the values we associate with programmed cams. This is a forecast of the performance we cited previously.

Static hysteresis is a measurement of the friction in the compounding system. The Eagle shows about two percent higher than a typical two-wheeler in this characteristic. It isn’t difficult to pinpoint the cause. Running the synchronizing cables through two ninety degree bends (idler pulleys) and also through the handle-riser will account for more than two percent. The basic cable system must be quite efficient.

Table 2 is a tabulation of values of bow or dynamic efficiency and arrow velocity for a wide range of arrow weight for each of the three test conditions. Curves of the arrow velocity given in Table 2 are plotted in Fig. 2.

Bow efficiency is the initial kinetic energy of the launched arrow expressed as a percentage of the stored energy of the bow. It is a measure of just how well a given bow transfers to the launched arrow the energy required to draw it to the specified draw length. We have generally found that the very high performance programmed cam bows have lower efficiency than we find for the better class of two-wheel compounds using circular eccentrics.

We do not attribute this general trend (which ranges from minus three to minus ten percent) entirely to characteristics inherent in the bow. There is significant evidence to argue that some of it is caused by losses involved in transferring the higher level of energy to the arrow and to increased reaction forces on the arrow. The Eagle demonstrates minimum efficiency loss when compared to the better two-wheelers with eccentrics. This is also obvious in the arrow velocity levels obtained in the machine shot and chronographed tests. Despite its easy-drawing feel it achieved a Rating Velocity (60 lbs.-30 inches-54O grains) of 219.89 feet per second.  Using mathematical synthesis we also calculated relative Rating Velocities at the 50 and 55 pound levels. These showed slight improvement when compared to the 60 pound peak draw force. This can be attributed to slightly improved bow efficiency and energy storage ratio as draw weight was reduced.

For those readers familiar with our prior Rating Velocity standard of 50 pounds-28 inches-500 grains, we also computed that rating at the 50 pound test level. At 198.25 feet per second it is nearly 10 feet per second higher than the best eccentric two-wheelers we have tested.

Without question the Eagle merits placement in our “super performance” category. But beyond that, we must also salute it as exceptionally smooth and pleasant shooting.

General Commentary

As with other programmed cam type high performance bows, we found that the Eagle favors heavier and stiffer arrows. At 60 pounds P.D.F. we obtained good launch and flight from Graphlex Yellow and 2216 aluminum shafts up to 30 inches draw length. This included field points as well as broadheads of various types. We liked 2117 shafts at 55 pounds and 2117 and 2018 shafts at 50 pounds. Release shooters may be able to stretch these poundages somewhat but we could not obtain consistently clean launch and flight with lighter shafts than those cited.

We have already commented on the remarkable smoothness of the Eagle in both draw and release. It is also a relatively quiet bow.

Because of its unusual limb action. the string angle at full draw is more acute than on other 48 inch bows. This means that there is more finger-pinch present. We didn’t find it objectionable at 30 inches draw; however, it is inherent in the bow design. Also inherent in the limb design and action is unusual stability and tiller control. We felt that it seemed quite resistant to bow hand torque.

Perhaps the Oneida Eagle is an odd looking bow. Its only claim to grace and beauty may be the recurved limbs, unless you’re an engineering type who perceives beauty in function and mechanism. But we suggest that you reserve comment until you have an opportunity to shoot this bow. We believe it has a combination of fine shooting qualities that are rare indeed.

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Gila Miracle – By Eddie Claypool

September 2005

http://www.bowandarrowhunting.com

Every twist and turn haunts this bowhunter as he makes his way through the New Mexico wilderness.

For the past twenty years I’ve been an impassioned, do-it-yourself elk bowhunter. Over this time, I’ve been involved in about every kind of situation imaginable – both good and bad. It seems that the bad memories stick in my mind indefinitely, while the good memories migrate to the back recesses of my mind. I think this is only a natural process since it’s the bad experiences that leave big scars, while the good memories are constantly being shuffled to the back of our memory by new, good times afield.

A few seasons ago, I went on a solo bowhunt for elk in the Gila country of southwestern New Mexico and made memories from both ends of the spectrum – incredible misfortune, followed by seemingly impossible. In the end, simple perseverance was the key to pulling something out of nothing. Let’s take a look at an outing that was one of the most bittersweet elk hunts I’ve ever been on.

High Hopes

I’d been coming to the Gila for a lot of years; I knew the resource and how to take advantage of it. I’d come alone for a reason – to hunt long, hard and effectively. Since I was on a mission to harvest an exceptional bull, I was willing to sacrifice the benefits of companionship in order to better focus on my self-centered goal…sometimes a guy has just gotta do what a guy has just gotta do.

Two days before the bow opener found me at a remote trailhead packing my mule(Runt) for a trip deep into the wilderness. Past Experience in the area had shown me a couple of remote ridges where groups of “bachelor” bulls liked to spend their summer while growing their massive crowns. I knew that if I could get into an area where such a situation existed, I could very possibly get a bull to respond to my calling. The element of surprise, coupled with the “virginity” of such unbothered bulls, could put a big bull in my lap fast – it had happened before.

As I headed down the trail, I was excited and my hopes were high. A long six hours later – with 14 miles behind me and almost 4,000 feet below me – I was dragging. Picking a spot for my camp, I began to get situated. After unsaddling Runt, I led my long-eared helper to a nearby creek so that he could get a drink. Hurrying along, in a split-second, I somehow manged to let a tree limb rake across my left eye. Knowing that I’d scratched my eye rather badly, I figured that I’d simply have to put up with some serious discomfort for a day or two…little did I know.

Sometime during the early morning hours, I awoke to a burning pain in my eye – I knew that something was seriously wrong. Now what? It was the day before the season opened, I was 14 miles from the truck (90 more to the nearest town of any size) and I couldn’t function! There was a battle going on inside me – the hunter side of me wanted to tough it out and go hunting, while the common sense side said that my eye needed immediate medical attention. By the time that day-light had finally arrived, I’d rolled around in my sleeping bag for long enough to know that I had to get to town and find out what the problem was- what a nightmare!

Deciding to leave my camp where it was at, I snapped a lead rope onto Runt as a new day dawned around me and began the long walk out. Seriously unhappy about the mess that I’d gotten myself into, I mulled the situation around in my mind. My eye was swelled so much that I could hardly see from it; it was six hours to the truck and another three hours to town! The question was, could even I get to town in time to get in to see a doctor today? Man, oh man, I sure needed too.

The Twilight Zone
Rolling into Silver City, New Mexico, at 3:30 p.m., one of the first places I saw was an optometrist’s office. It was open! Wheeling into a parking space, I jumped out and ran inside. Yes, they’d see me. The prognosis was this: I had an eye ulcer, probably caused by some type of bacteria that had gotten into the cut on my eye, and the condition was serious. I would be treated with antibiotic drops and pills, and if the condition hadn’t shown signs of improvement within 24 hours, I’d be sent to an ophthalmologist for further treatment. I would have to get a motel for the night, then come back for another check-up the following evening. This was more than I’d planned for. After all, I had a mule unattended, elk that needed to be hunted and a hunting trip budget that hadn’t allowed for all this extra expense. Could it get any better than this? Oh, yeah.
The following evening (the second day of bow season) I plodded back to the doc, praying for a release-it wasn’t to be. Things weren’t worse, but they weren’t noticeably better either. Doc said, “You need to come back the next day.” My head was spinning…could I leave Runt unattended another day? What if he’d knocked his water tub over the first day? Almost certainly, he had. I couldn’t believe it-what a nightmare! Finally-on my third day in town-the Doc finally saw what he was looking for-improvement in the eye. He would release me for three days, then I had to be checked again. Unbelievable, what a nightmare! How was I ever going to hunt elk under these circumstances? There was no way I had time to get back to my wilderness camp and get any hunting done! Well, maybe I could at least get back to my camp and pack it out to the truck. Maybe I could at least hunt from the road somewhere? So much for my original high hopes and dreams. What a nightmare.

And The Beat Goes On
Dashing back to the trailhead, I arrived at sunset on the third day of my “hunt.” Heading to the spot where I’d left Runt staked out, what should I find? No mule-only a rope, one end tied to a tree, the other end loose. Could it get any better than this? Oh, yeah.

After a mostly sleepless night, I set about searching for Runt the next day. I wanted to be mad at the mule, but the truth was, if one jackass had tied the other one up better, neither jackass would be in the situation that they were now in. After a full day of fruitless searching, I was in a mood, fit to be tied.

Late afternoon of the next day (the fifth of my hunt), I finally found Runt at an outfitters’ camp, about 5 miles down a trail into the wilderness. He seemed to be perfectly content socializing with his newfound horse friends. As a matter of fact, he didn’t seem very glad to see me at all- guess I was giving out bad vibes. I rounded him up and we headed back down the trail. Getting back to the truck at sunset. I picketed Runt, whipped up a meal on my Coleman stove then fell into the sack. Tomorrow was my doctor’s appointment-in that town 100 miles away-oh, joy! What a nightmare!
Noon of the sixth day of my hunt found me reading about elk hunting while sitting in the waiting room of the doctor’s office-man, was I ever praying. I needed a permanent release from civilization so that I could get into the woods-my shorts were getting in a permanent wad. Luckily, a short hour later, I was out of the doctor’s care for good. I headed back for the trailhead, Runt, and some wilderness elk hunting as fast as my old Ford could go-sadly, that wasn’t very fast.

When It Rains, It Pours
On the way back to camp that evening, I had two flats on my truck-simultaneously-and I only had one spare. I was starting to think that this elk hunting thing just wasn’t meant to be. Never had I been involved in such a non-ending nightmare-would this endless procession of pit-falls ever come to an end? And if it did, what kind of an end was that going to be? Feeling cursed, I wondered if I should just load up and head for home? Having never been a quitter, I reached deep inside for the perseverance to keep up the fight. If
nothing else, I’d go down while screaming defiance at the demons of defeat.

The following day, I finally got back on the road again, headed for camp and and Runt (I hoped). I’d long since forgotten what day of the season it was, but I knew one thing for sure – I didn’t have many more days left to work with. What should I do? Did I have the time to pack into the wilderness and start over, or should I simply day hunt into much more accessible areas? I felt the tug of my original dreams pulling at my inner being, so the matter was settled.

Going For Broke
Bright and early the next morning, Runt and I were to be found plodding submissively down an old, familiar trail.
This would be the third time that we’d hiked back and forth on this trail in the past 10 days. As of yet, the only positive to have come from all this hiking was that I was becoming much more mentally and physically tough. Now, if I could just combine this with some actual time spent hunting, maybe something good would come from all the fuss. After all, things had to go my way soon, didn’t they? Right….

Reaching my old campsite, things fell into place quickly. Grabbing my Mathews bow, I headed for the hills. Ah, it sure felt good to finally have the monkey off my back for a while. As I hiked for a distant ridge, I was finally at peace-things seemed to finally be going my way. Huh, those dark clouds coming in from the west surely weren’t a threat, were they? Wow, that one cloud sure looks like a monkey….

By the time I reached the 2-mile-from-camp point, I knew I was in for trouble. Boiling, black clouds were pouring in and distant thunder was starting to roll down the valley toward me. It just so happened that I’d forgotten to throw my rain suit in my daypack and I knew that my Scent-Lok camo would provide little protection from the rain. Since it was clear what was about to happen, I turned around and hurried back to camp. I’d no more than dove into my dome tent when the downpour and wind hit. For
the rest of the night-and well on into the morning-the storm of the century raged. I’ve never seen it rain harder or
longer-it was a genuine life-threatening flood. Everything was running water, including the higher flatter ground that I was camped on. Water in my tent, in my bag, water down the crack of my…well, you know what. I never thought the next morning was going to come. The next day was spent recuperating from the storm-everything I had was wet. Luckily, the sun came out midday and I was able to get almost everything dried out by sundown. To top it all off, it was a fact that I wasn’t going to be able to hunt the next day either because all the valleys and ravines were raging torrents’–I wouldn’t be able to get across any of them.

Going Out In Style
After another day spent doing nothing-with only two days of the season left-I was about to go blind-staggering wild. I was nearly two weeks into this trip, and as of yet, hadn’t spent a single day hunting! Loading up my backpack
on the morning of the next-to-last day of season, I finally headed out to do some hunting…I hoped.

By evening, I was in a vast trailless area that I knew for certain held elk. Toward sunset, a distant bugle drifted to my ears; Hurrying that direction, I closed the distance-but not before dark caught up with me. Throwing up my spike camp, I hit the sack, drifting off to the sound of near-by bugles. I hoped that tomorrow would be a good day.

At first light, I was within 200 yards of the belligerent bull-he’d sounded off all night, never getting out of earshot. Pulling our my bugle, I sent a challenge toward the hot-to-trot. A piercing scream came back immediately, shortly followed by the sound of breaking brush. Clipping my release on my bowstring, I slowly slid an arrow across the prongs of my rest. As my hand touched my face, big antlers came bobbing into view. As the big bull stepped briskly into an opening at 40 yards, I stopped him with a cow mew from the diaphragm
in my mouth. He’d do just fine-thump…the arrow left my bow. Center-punched, the big bull darted out of sight.

Later, as I knelt over the trophy, I had to marvel-this trip had been unbelievable! I’d endured everything that the
anti-hunting demons could throw at me, yet, after having hunted for less than 24 hours, I was tagged-out with a whopper 7×6 bull-I’ll take luck anytime! –

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