By Jerry Long, August 30, 2010 

In this series of blogs I share the day-by-day journal from my archery safari experience with Dries Visser Safaris in the Republic of South Africa.  The entries will likely contain more detail than some desire, but in keeping with dv’s Mostly Archery mission, I want to help you be more successful and I think the extra details will.

August  13th, 2010 – Travel Day 1

Note:  There won’t be lot of pictures during the travel days entries.  Please bear with me, they are coming.

I checked in with United Express in Milwaukee.  I was planning to be quite solemn when it came to my bow case.  It was larger than the 62 allowable inches (length plus thickness plus width), but to me this is a scam.  I could find no airline approved compound bow case on the market that fit in this allowance.  The counter attendant never said a word.  She tried to get me to take an earlier flight to Chicago O’Hare which I refused.  Conceptually, I wanted my luggage and I to be on the same plane.  I am glad that I refused as its doors closed before I got through security.  My flight was overbooked, but I made it safely onboard.

The SKB double parallel limb bowcase.

Upon arrival to Chicage O’Hare I navigated my way to the Dulles departure gate.  Boarding this flight went well also.  Once at Dulles I found the international departure gate for the seventeen hour South African Airway’s flight and settled in for the seven hour departure wait, perused the gift shops and scouted out dinner.  I read and listened to the radio via my I-pod while making sure it was charged for the long flight. 

At some point the counter called for us to change out our originally issued boarding passes for new purple ones.  I did it quickly, but despite many calls others did not.  Upon boarding these passengers had to go stand in line again to get a purple boarding pass.

Turns out I was seated next to Tim from Oregon who was also a bowhunter.  We passed the time off and on by sharing stories.  I had an outside aisle row seat and it turns out passengers can’t store stuff under the seat in front of them in this particular seat.  That was an inconvenience since my pack was loaded with things like water, No Jet Lag pills, two I-pods, books and magazines.  It ended up working out to store it in the overhead, but it was, again, slightly inconvenient.  Doug at Gracy Travel had helped me choose the aisle seat since I get up to the call of nature a lot and, due to a left calf blood clot from 2007, I wanted to move around occasionally. 

The meals and beverages were decent, filling and frequent.  The personal entertainment system, consisting of a TV mounted in the back of the seat in front of each passenger, had plenty of good movies, music, TV shows, games, flight map and silly exercises to choose from.  I read and never even got my I-pod out.  Every two hours I took my No Jet Lag pill and walked to the back of the plane.  The stewards and stewardesses were very accommodating.  Having suffered a blood clot in my left calf in 2007 I had been advised by the Hunt Doctors to wear compression socks (I simply used some extremely tight-fitting soccer socks that also double for winter running) and ensure I got up and moved occasionally.  I performed a series of upper and lower body stretches as well as some toe raises to get the blood pumping each time. 

Each time Tim would get up and return he brought something back with him; juice, chocolates, sunflower seeds (which actually turned out to be instant coffee).  That helped pass the time.  The one-hour fuel stop in Dakar was uneventful.  The associated fumigation was also not that bad.

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• WWAC – What Would Africa Cost?
• dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part I
• dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part II
• dv Goes To Africa – Bow and Arrow Set Up
• dv Goes to Africa – Packing List and Packing

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 By Jerry Long, August 23, 2010 

Completing the Customs and Border Protection Form 4457, Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad, in preparation for traveling to the Republic of South Africa.

If something is “supposed to be done” I generally try to do it to be on the safe side.  The subject of whether or not to complete the CBP Form 4457 was tossed about on various African hunting forums.  Some bowhunters said they completed it while others said they didn’t.  One bowhunter said he had been asked for his.  For serialized items other than firearms the form prevents a traveler from having to pay tax on an item over and over again.  Once completed, the form can be used forever according to the agent who helped me.  For firearms the form is required in conjunction with the South African Police Service (SAPS) registration form.

A completed CBP Form 4457.

Although I am taking no firearms I decided to complete the form just in case.  I downloaded and filled it out to include my two I-Pod Nanos, rangefinder, binoculars, camera, video camera, cell phone and bow.   Once that was done I located my local servicing office here and gave them a call.  The closest office to me is a one-man-band covering two counties.  This guy is as busy as a cat in a dog kennel.  After playing appointment tag with him for a couple of weeks he suggested I go to the next closest office.  Turns out that was good advice. 

I was able to walk in with my bow, electronics and ID (they preferred my passport) into the much larger office, cautiously waiting to be tackled by a CBP officer for carrying a weapon in their midst, the same day.  After showing the officer my items he checked my passport to make sure I wasn’t wanted anywhere, then stamped and signed my form.  All in less than 7 minutes.  He indicated I should carry the form with me at all times while traveling and keep it ready for producing when asked to do so.   Again, he also indicated it was good forever.  Some forum contributors did note that for firearms a separate form should be completed for each as a traveler cannot pick and choose which firearm off the form is traveling with him or her. 

That was it.  Quick and painless.  So, take a lesson from me if you are near a smaller office.  If you run into problems making an appointment go to a larger location.

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Short Draw Bow Speeds And Technical Discussion
• Short Draw Bow Kinetic Energy And Trajectory
• WWAC – What Would Africa Cost?
• dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part I
• dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part II
• dv Goes To Africa – Bow and Arrow Set Up
• dv’s List Of Archery and Bowhunting Don’ts
• dv Goes to Africa – Packing List and Packing

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 By Jerry Long, August 16, 2010 

Here’s a trip report from a hunt to Shiloh Ranch Hunting Camp in Stonewall, OK.

High school classmates 20 years later; Brian, Will and myself. 

1) Outfitter: Shiloh Ranch Hunting Camp

2) Owner: Matt & Cheryl Napper

3) Address: 28570 CR 3630, Stonewall, OK, 74871

4) Phone: (580)265-4462

5) E-mail: shilohranch@tds.net

6) When: March 19-21, 2007

7) Where: Stonewall, Oklahoma

Guided: Pointed out stand locations, offered advice, etc.

9) Drop: No

10) Transportation to hunting area: Hike in & out, used quad vehicle to recover harvested animals.

11) Accommodations: Shed type cabins including WELL-equipped cooking / dining cabin, lounge cabin, sleeping cabin, shower, and privy. 

12) Trophy hunt only: No

13) Species hunted / harvested: Feral hog and Fallow deer.

I took a nice 132 pound sow. 

Lifetime friend Mike “Bluehawk” Adams took this nice hog with a traditional percussion blackpowder rifle.

My father took a nice sow with his .75 caliber flintlock.  Awesome dad!

Buddy Brian with a nice fallow doe taken from a Double-Bull blind.

14) Tools used: Bow, blackpowder (.50 traditional caplock and .75 traditional flintlock).

15) Land hunted: Private

16) Cost: $295 per person per first feral hog or wounded hog, $1.50 per pound for additional hogs, Fallow deer variable depending on sex from $300 up.

17) Challenging terrain adversely affect hunt: No

18) Did weather adversely affect hunt: No

19) Quantity of game: Excellent

20) Quality of game: Excellent

21) Guide’s Competence: Excellent. For better or worse (our shooting) we utilized Sage the tracking dog on three occasions this trip.  I really enjoyed seeing her in action and recovering the fruits of her labor.

22) Guide’s Hunting Ethics: Excellent

23) Condition of Equipment: Good

24) Food: We provided our own and it was enhanced by the well-equipped cooking / dining cabin. Shiloh can provide meals upon request without prior notice.

25) Accommodations: Good. The shower is cumbersome.

26) Trophy care: Not required, but could be handled by local locker.

27) Meat care: Shiloh has teamed up with a local locker, P&P Deer Processing, with outstanding results. Fifty dollars (up $10 from last year) paid for a “basic” hog package that included some OUTSTANDING pork sausage. Plus, Alvin and his employees couldn’t be nicer. 

28) Number of outfitted / guided hunts for myself: 4

29) Contact me on Bowsite, handle dustyvarmint if you have questions.

30) Recommended: I HIGHLY recommend Shiloh Ranch. I specifically recommend Shiloh for an archer’s first hunt or someone who wants to build experience and confidence.

General comments: This was our second trip to Shiloh.  There was a $30 or $35 tracking fee for use of Sage the tracking dog.  On the second or long day of hunting, hunters were required to be out of the field from approximately 10:00 am to 12:00 pm so that corn could be spread on the internal and external roads.  I sat stand two the entire time this trip and felt the hogs were more skittish this time than in 2006.  Additionally, despite sign to the contrary, the ranch was certified chupacabra free by Cheryl (I didn’t ask for industry qualifications).

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• No Bird Left Behind - A Turkey Tale
• Outfitter Report – Javelina And Hogs In Texas
• Boar Attack – Anatomy Of A Hog Shot Gone Wrong
• Pronghorn – Rained Out
• The Best Valentine’s Day Ever – Winter Bowfishing
• WWAC – What Would Africa Cost?
• Return On Investment – Outdoor’s Style
• dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part I
• dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part II
• Passing On The Tradition
• dv Goes To Africa – Bow and Arrow Set Up
• dv’s List Of Archery and Bowhunting Don’ts

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 By Jerry Long, August 10, 2010 

For a change of pace I attend the National Trapper’s Association Convention in Marshfield, WI and get to spend some time with my father and an old family friend.

Not quite a year ago dad called and said he and long time family friend Harvey King, Harvey King Custom Knives, would be attending the 2010 National Trapper’s Association Convention in Marshfield, WI.  Since dad and Harvey live in Kansas and I live in Wisconsin this would be a great opportunity for us to get together.  Outdoors buddy Seth and I traveled to the Two Brothers’ Cabin on Friday night, partaking of the hot tub, checked out Camp Pug food plots on Saturday morning and then ventured up to the Marshfield fair grounds.  There we met dad and Harvey.

Dad with the shiny head like mine, Seth and Harvey in front of Harvey’s knife table.

Seth is much more of a trapper these days than I, but I grew up trapping and worked in a fur-buyer’s skinning shed for a few years in my teens.  I do love trapping, but it is just one more thing that competes with my available time for bowhunting.  I’m hoping that once I get caught up on my available vacation I can take a combined deer hunting and trapping vacation each fall.

Anyway, as one would expect, there were traps, some big enough to catch me, and accessories every where.  The wafting essence of skunk cover scent was ever present in the air and two days later seems to revisit my nostrils.  While trapping basics remain the same there have been some really neat innovations.

These traps are large enough to catch me.  Note the bow in the background.

One of the greatest new things in my mind is a hydraulic or winch powered skinning hoist that would easily reduce a fur-skinner’s labor by fifty percent in my estimation.  There are clamps at the bottom or at waist height that allow the “opened” flaps of skin from the hind-quarters to be clamped and then hydraulic or winch power is used to pull the hide off with very little need of knife work and no need of “hunching” like I used to do so much of.  Hmmm, deer application?  Also, I am quite impressed with the dog and cat proof “coon cuff” type traps that are species selective by design and seem quite humane.

There were a lot of great everyday people vendors.  Being a sucker for beautiful wood products I was immediately drawn to Kip Feroce of Ferocious Calls out of Lower Burrell, PA.  He had beautiful box calls from quartersawn sycamore, purpleheart, Osage orange, walnut and many more.  The boxes were beautiful, sounded great and were reasonably priced.  I highly recommend them.     

Kip Feroce of Ferocious Calls holds up a beautiful quartersawn sycamore box call.

We also ran into Steve and Tess Greene of Dunn’s Custom Knives.  Originally based in Kansas, now in Florida, I can remember barely being tall enough to look at the founder’s, Melvin Dunn, knives on his display tables.  I’ve always dreamed of owning a Dunn knife, but my custom knives have one thing in common.  Unfortunately, years ago, I lost a beautiful Harvey King Custom Osage orange scaled knife given to me by my father so now they all have orange scales.  When I asked about different scales Steve explained he was just too busy and too old to make custom orders.  Guess I’ll stick with my Harvey King Custom Knives. 

Tess and Steve Greene at their booth.

A Harvey King custom hunting knife of my design and a filet knife of Harvey’s design.  Note that both have handles easily spotted in the woods and grass. 

I was particularly impressed with the offerings at Northern Shire.  Since Mrs. dustyvarmint is a basket maker I have an appreciation for what goes into a fine basket and what they are worth.  I felt Northern Shire’s baskets were outstanding and of extremely reasonable price (maybe too reasonable).  I also have a life-long interest in blacksmithing – yet another hobby that I don’t have time for.   Northern Shire offers iron products for the hearth, campfire and other hardware. 

A sampling of Northern Shire’s baskets with some ironware visible in the background.

Seth and I had great time at the NTA convention.  We both declared it the best outdoors event we’d attended together.  The people were nice, the products were down-to-earth and reasonably priced.  The convention comes to Columbia, MO in 2011 so if you are in the area you might want to consider it.

happy trapping, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Forschner Knives – Buy Now, Thank Me Later
• How To – Use A Sharpening Steel
• Deer & Turkey Classic Review
• Judging An NWTF Turkey Calling Contest
• 4H Archery

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 By Jerry Long, August 3, 2010 

Bowhunter and friend Gary Martin harvests the Tule elk turning his Super Slam 28 into the North American 29.
 
Over time you’ve read about and seen pictures of local Super Slam bowhunter and friend, Gary Martin, here on dv’s Mostly Archery.  He called last Friday morning to tell me he’d taken a 6×6 Tule elk via spot and stalk on the second day of his hunt. Gary estimates he may be only the eighth person in the world to complete the North American 29 using a bow.

Gary with his Tule elk.
 

 
After years of conservation effort Tule elk hunting was re-opened in 2009. According to Wikipedia Tule elk are a subspecies of elk found only in the grasslands and marshlands of California.  Tule are the smallest species of American elk.  It is estimated that 500,000 roamed the regions when Europeans first arrived, but by 1895 habitat loss and hunting had reduced their population to only 28.  Today it is estimated that the wild population exceeds 4,000.
 
Gary completed the archery Super Slam in 2008.  He is sponsored by Muzzy, Strother, Easton and Vital Bow Gear.  He’s been a contributing member of West Allis Bowmen for more than 25 years as well as a lifetime member of the Wisconsin Bowhunters’ Association, a National Bowhunter Education Foundation instructor, a lifetime North American Hunting Club member, a lifetime Foundation for North American Wild Sheep member, a National Rifle Association member and a Grand Slam Club member.  

However, unless you knew him and asked him about hunting you’d never know how accomplished a bowhunter he is.  He often bowhunts, bowfishes and shoots with us “everyday” bowhunters and Gary has locally mentored future archers for the past eleven years through 4H at our local club, West Allis Bowmen. 

happy hunting, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Packin It In And Out – Treestands
• Photographing Your Hunting Trophies
• No Bird Left Behind - A Turkey Tale
• Outfitter Report – Javelina And Hogs In Texas
• Boar Attack – Anatomy Of A Hog Shot Gone Wrong
• Pronghorn – Rained Out
• A Clothing System For Cold Weather Bowhunting
• The Best Valentine’s Day Ever – Winter Bowfishing
• WWAC – What Would Africa Cost?
• dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part I
• dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part II
• Preserving Bowhunting Memories
• Passing On The Tradition
• dv Goes To Africa – Bow and Arrow Set Up
• dv’s List Of Archery and Bowhunting Don’ts
• The Foundation of an Outdoors Person

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 By Jerry Long, July 27, 2010 

As departure for South Africa looms large I finalize my packing list, see what luggage I need and do a packing “dry run”.

Strategy

“Pack your bags then throw out about one-half of everything you packed.”  I’ve seen that recommendation a couple of times when people ask what to take to South Africa on a bowhunt.  Since I’ve been known to pack not only a kitchen sink, but a spare kitchen sink as well, I thought I should heed that advice.  I’ve made my list, checked it 25 or 30 times and am fairly confident I know what I’m taking.  Besides the standard check lists I use for every hunt I took a lot of input from a Tips and Packing List thread on Accurate Reloading. 

Here is my packing list in both Microsoft Excel version and Adobe Acrobat versions.  If you see something I’ve forgotten or something I’m taking unnecessarily please leave a comment below.

• Africa Packing List in Excel - Hunting List
• Africa Packing List in Adobe Acrobat – Africa Pack List

Laundry is done daily in camp so a lot of extras are not needed.  I went with olive drab cargo pants for the most part so they can serve double duty as hunting and travel clothing.  Blackout gear is prevalent on the list for blind hunting.  One odd item, I suppose, is the long underwear.  The performance material tops serve as blackout outerwear alone in warmer weather so are a good double-service option.  Additionally, as a runner, my body fat tends to be less than five percent and I’m often chilly in mild temperatures.  It will be winter in South Africa in August.

Luggage Choices

After reading innumerable discussions about one bow or two and rolling duffels versus hard cases I chose an SKB double bowcase.  I’ll pack my two bows and arrows in the case cushioned by much of my daily clothing.  Another small suitcase will hold the remainder of clothing and gear.  Finally, a large backpack will serve as a carryon.  It will hold my in flight necessities such as I-pods and reading material as well as all my electronics including camera, video camera, rangefinder and binoculars.  That way they are close at hand and not in my checked luggage.

An SKB double bow case, small suitcase and backpack.  Note the lime green Gracy Travel tags.

Dry Run

A couple of weeks ago I grabbed all my gear and packed everything up using my packing list.  My bow case came in at forty-four pounds which is quite acceptable.  Despite my best efforts and my check list I managed to forget my primary release.  So, the effort was definitely worth my time – I learned a lesson to be more careful.  Hopefully, all this work will come to fruition with a successful trip to South Africa.

happy hunting, dv

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Short Draw Bow Speeds And Technical Discussion
• Short Draw Bow Kinetic Energy And Trajectory
• WWAC – What Would Africa Cost?
• dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part I
• dv Goes to Africa – Expenses Part II
• dv Goes To Africa – Bow and Arrow Set Up

Feedback, Questions & Comments 

I’d like to hear your tips, feedback, comments or questions.  Please leave them below.   

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 By Jerry Long, July 20, 2010 

Some of us tend to think we’ve been involved in archery for a while.  Not necessarily so when it comes to West Allis Bowmen.

Hollis Allen began work on his compound bow in 1961.  He was granted the patent in 1969, the year I was born.   Can you imagine being involved in archery for decades before that and still being involved today?  Can you imagine witnessing the changes in archery technology over that time?  And what about the change in archery’s sporting culture?

The local archery club I belong to, West Allis Bowmen, has been at its current location since 1962.  Oddly enough, it isn’t located in West Allis, WI.  Rather, we are in Franksville where our founders located a decent chunk of land for a decent price.  Our history indicates WAB actually started in 1948 with Burt Straw as the first president.  Our 10^th president from 1969, again, the year I was born, is in his mid-70s, shoots a Hoyt Powerhawk and inspired me to try a different type of fall-away rest.  At least one current member was involved in the club before 1962. 

WAB has approximately 63 acres, a club house with 20 yard indoor range, kitchen, work room, basement storage, bar with pool table, an outdoor field archery range, practice butts out to 60 yards with broadhead pit, two 3D courses, broadhead course, storage barn and campground.  Additionally, WAB membership includes a Super Slam hunter as well as national and regional title holding target archers.

To honor this immense heritage and to give thanks for what we have WAB recently hosted a Founders’ Day Banquet inviting all former members we could contact back for a free lunch, literally.  Certificates of service were awarded, club logoed pens were given as tokens of appreciation, club histories were distributed as well as presented to the attendees and an excellent slide show of years gone by was shared.  Here are some representative photos from both the past and our banquet.

The photos in our collection show a different demographic than today’s; many more women.

Fred Bear during a local visit.

Michelle Ragsdale at a local shoot.

In the days before McKenzie’s, Reinharts and Delta’s.  These targets were all handmade and many have survived throughout the generations for today’s use at West Allis Bowmen’s Labor Day Safari Shoot.

An honored member shows off his lifetime membership card.

Ron, on the right, has been involved in archery since at least 1962.

Presentations to honored members on the range.

Roger presents a club history.

What about you?  Do you have archery heritage in your midst?

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Archery Range Improvements – Work Day
• Hello From dustyvarmint’s Mostly Archery
• dustyvarmint On Up North Journal Tonight!
• Return On Investment – Outdoor’s Style
• Preserving Bowhunting Memories
• Passing On The Tradition
• Judging An NWTF Turkey Calling Contest
• The Foundation of an Outdoors Person
• 4H Archery

Feedback, Questions & Comments 

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 By Jerry Long, July 13, 2010  

Is it really necessary to spend $75 or $175 on a TV antenna, GPS, marriage counseling, toast making stabilizer?

Back around 2002 I started looking for a new stabilizer.  I was always a fan of the old Saunder’s Torque Tamer, but boy was that thing heavy and mine had weathered a lot.  I noticed that most of the stabilizers combined a space ship steering wheel with some mounting threads.  I didn’t need a space ship control, just something with a little weight on the end that would “roll” the bow forward after the shot.  Sure, vibration reduction was great, but I wanted my stabilizer to actually stabilize.

I contacted my archery mentor and friend, Rhonda, who suggested a Quiet Tune.  They’d just been bought out by Cobra.  I think I paid $16 for their hunter model which had a light weight 6″ aluminum extension bar and a heavy steel dampening assembly on the end.  It worked great for years, but I wanted something longer for greater stability and that “roll”.  Unfortunately, Cobra killed the Quiet Tune line.  In Overhauling A Hunting Bow I switched to the Sims Xpress Stabilizer, but that still wasn’t what I was looking for; not weight forward enough.  Then, I stumbled onto some stabilizer posts in Archery Talk’s DIY section – a bunch of them.  Maybe I could make what I was looking for. 

Parts

I went to the store and gathered some parts:

(1) 5′ section of 1/2″ copper pipe, $5.97

(2) 1 ¼ inch, ¼ x 24 hex headed bolt, $0.98

(5) ¼ x 24 nuts, $0.55 (.11 cents each)

(1) 1/4 x 24 connector nut, $3.40 (ouch)

(1) An end weight of some kind.  In this case I used the Quiet Tune weight.  Archery Talk forum users utilized gear shift knobs (skulls, 8-balls), odd things hanging around in tool boxes, etc.

(1) marine epoxy, had it laying around…

Assembly

Here’s the steps:

1)  Decide how long you want your stabilizer to be.  I looked at a number of “high end” hunting model stabilizers and determined 8″ was the right number for the extension bar.  Cut the pipe to length.  The table saw with a carbide tipped blade works fine for copper and aluminum.  Be sure to wear safety glasses.

Cut the copper pipe on a tablesaw using a carbide tipped blade.

 2)  Configure the bolt, nuts and washers as shown in the picture.  Besides the end weight I wanted to add a little more weight forward so did so with the extra long bolt and nuts.

Configure the bolts, nuts and washers as shown below. 

3)  Grind the corners off the nuts so they fit the inside the pipe.

4)  Epoxy the bolt/nut configurations in place and allow to dry.

Marine epoxy and a close-up of the coupler nut.

5)  Prepare the pipe and forward weight for painting utilizing sandpaper from 150 grit up to 400 grit.  Degrease with denatured alcohol or acetone.

6)  Insert the weight into the extension bar.

7)  For paint I went with 3 coats of flat black and then followed that up with 3 coats of matte clear for protection.  So far this finish has with stood both normal use and bug repellant.

Flat black paint and a clear coat.

The finished stabilizer.

Note:  Many AT forum users were filling their extension bars with various dampening items including chopped up rubber fishing lures, rubber pellets, oil, etc.  I chose not to do that as I wanted all weight up forward.  Also, a number of forum users drilled holes in patterns in the extension bar.  I wanted to do that, but after two attempts it became obvious I didn’t have the right tools to produce a quality product, even after the assembly of a drilling jig.  Since I’m picky about my stuff I threw that idea out the window (well, not literally).  Pictures of these failures can be seen in step 2, above.  Also, carbon extension bars can be had by salvaging the shaft from a golf club – check your local thrift store (or put on your camouflage and test your stalking skills at a local golf course…). 

So, for about $12 I built the stabilizer I wanted and obtained the performance I wanted.  I used it for our last 3D league and am quite satisfied.  I also have enough material left over to make some more.

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Overhauling A Hunting Bow
• DIY $25 Bow Press
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call – Part 2
• How To – Make Your Own Turkey Friction Call – Part 3
• DIY – Arrow Squaring Rig
• DIY – Solar Lighted Stabilizer
• How To – Use A Sharpening Steel

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 By Jerry Long, July 1, 2010   

Coaching the next generation of archers. 

When I think of a Super Slam archer someone who teaches 4H archery really isn’t what comes to mind.  However, friend and Super Slam archer Gary Martin has run the 4H program at West Allis Bowmen for seven years.  I met outdoors buddy Seth, see The Foundation of an Outdoors Person, while coaching him in 4H archery back in 1995.  After that Uncle Sam pulled me away and career progression seemed to keep me away from the program.

Shooters “on the line”.

This year Gary asked me if I’d help out and I thought it was about time.  I’ll be honest, though.  As many of you who participate in volunteer organizations will attest, they are, well, all volunteer organizations.  People get done what they can get done how they can get it done.  I was not looking forward to going back for 4H volunteer orientation.  My first exposure to it back in 1994 was enough to leave an indelible “beware” stamp on my brain.  Orientation is just painful, awkward.  I’ll sum it up into two sentences, “Don’t touch the kids,” and “Report it if you think someone else is touching the kids.”  There we go, 59 minutes, 30 seconds, saved. 

These archers are working that bear over.

I also was not looking forward to National Archery Association (NAA) Level 1 re-certification.  Although I didn’t have a brain stamp I’ll say maybe it was just a wrist stamp…    Summing up Level 1 certification, “”Say, “Hold your bow this way,” not “Don’t hold your bow this way.”"  Anyway, I suffered through another round of unavoidable volunteer orientation, but was able to avoid NAA Level 1 re-certification since I’m just assisting, everyone else is certified and I won’t be alone with the kids while shooting is going on.   

Interestingly, in an environment where it seems us sportsmen are always under attack, the shooting sports programs are the number one participated projects in the county.  Number one.  West Allis Bowmen is one of four local archery clubs with 4H archery programs (note that each club’s is the “best”, of course).  There were 106 young men and women signed up.  Seventy-nine ended up shooting and while I don’t have exact demographics I would say there were about 35-45% women.  I’d sure like to know where they go after 4H as we could sure use the varied demographic in our sport. 

Young archers are taught to pull their arrows without poking their (or their friends’) eyes out.

Here’s how the program works.  We do two orientation sessions per night for three nights.  These sessions lay out the rules, go over equipment and then discuss basic form.  The archers are broken up into beginner and advanced levels.  Then we shoot two lines per night on Monday and Wednesday nights for four weeks during the month of June.  The course of fire consists of shooting 4-arrow ends at five burlap targets of varying distances from a close line.  Then they repeat the course of fire from a far line.  The targets are animal outlines on burlap with 5-point “kill” and 3 point “body” scores for a possible 200 points. 

The bear was the longest shot for the beginners at 10 yards. 

Archers must shoot six “shoots”.  Their ribbon award is determined by comparing their last shoot (the fair shoot) to the average of their first five shoots.  If it is within ten points they receive a blue ribbon.  The “the fair shoot” is no longer shot at the fair for whatever reason.  Gary has the program set up so that food is provided in the two middle weeks.  A cookout of burgers, dogs and brats on one night and frozen pizzas the next.  The nights are swapped the following week, pizza on the Monday and cookout on the Wednesday.  Gary the silver tongued devil talked me into cooking this year.  I’ll give you the high lights of that – grill don’t work, go home get mine, get late start, Mrs. dustyvarmint lights bad grill on first try, flaming gas grill at over 800 degrees singeing hairs off my arm, 7 pizza ovens scattered around the club to avoid popping breakers cooking 44 frozen pizzas in one and a half hours.  Need I say more?  I’ll stick to coaching next year…   

Form – the good, the bad, the ugly – let ’em fly.

The program has about eight Mathews Genesis bows, arm guards, finger tabs and a slew of arrows.  That isn’t nearly enough so participants bring in their own equipment.  As somewhat of a bow “techy” I spent about 35% of my first couple nights tightening screws, fixing peeps, determining bows were incapable of being lowered in weight, looking in astonishment at compound bows so old I’d never seen such a weight adjustment systems, fixing string stops and more.

Lots of different bows here.

Coaching here is a delicate balance for me.  I want the kids to be successful, but I want them to have fun also.  Some don’t want help, some don’t have the attention span to accept help, some have parents who don’t want their children to have help and some have parents that are so over bearing the kids develop target panic before they are taller than the bow.  There are others that are naturals.  You also see where equipment plays a significant role in the sport.  I had a hard time getting my little buddy Joe to develop good form with the Genesis in bare bow style.  After visiting a local shop who sets up and rents bows to the 4H kids Joe returned with a full modern “rig” and shot “lights out” the rest of the time.  It warmed my heart and I shook his hand with vigor.

4H archery is another opportunity to give something back to the archery community.  Only one of the five coaches has kids in the program so don’t let a lack of little ones stop you from participating.  I just wish I knew how to recruit larger numbers of this generation into long term participation in our sport.

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Archery Range Improvements – Work Day
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 By Jerry Long, June 24, 2010 

Participating in the “The Craziest Frickin’ Day Of Your Life” sounded like an excellent way to celebrate my 19th, errrrr, 41st birthday. 

What Warrior Dash Is

What is Warrior Dash you ask?  Similar to the event I wrote about in Bowhunting Fitness – 5K Obstacle Run, Warrior Dash combines a 3.1 mile run with various obstacles.  Compared to that run, though, Warrior Dash is on steroids.  Here are a few excerpts from Warrior Dash to get a sense of what it is all about.  

Why do we get warrior helmets?
They’re awesome.

How do I train for Warrior Dash?

1.   Day one: run as far as you can. Go home. Day two: do the same thing.

2.  Find the dirtiest pond in your neighborhood and snorkel in it – in your slippers, without goggles.

3.  Practice your climbing and crawling skills at your local jungle gym.  Ignore the small children and parental glares.

4.  Do not shower or shave for weeks in order to obtain a true Warrior look.

Are there showers available after the challenge?
There will be a fire truck and hoses to help spray you down, but stay home if you don’t like getting dirty.

Most races do (blank).  Why doesn’t Warrior Dash do it that way?
Warrior Dash is not most races.  Warrior Dash does what Warrior Dash wants to do.

Warrior square was a muddy, mucky mess.

The Obstacles

Here’s a link to the course map for as long as it is available, although the obstacle sequence and course were slightly changed just before the Dash.  Besides the one ever present and over abundant general impediment, mud, obstacles included:

Splintering Spools – An impenetrable line of large wooden cable spools.  Up, between and over. 

Walk The Plank – Cross a muddy ravine on a plank.

Junkyard Jam – Scale the cars to continue along the course.  I could leap up on the hoods or trunks, but they were just high enough for my short legs that I had to pause and regain my balance each time.

Satan’s Slope – Actually, going down the slimy slope wasn’t even a challenge.  Going back up elevation was the tough part. 

Tunnels of Terror – Tubes big enough to navigate through with rocks in the bottom to gouge your knees. 

Paintball “Hogan’s Alley” with Barrier Entrance – Scale a 36″ round drainage pipe with an immediate steep down hill followed by a course through paintball city.  Scaling the 36″ pipe was my toughest physical challenge.  I could only jump to about the 11 o’clock position and had to drag myself the rest of the way over.

Slithering Swamp – Water and mud just deep enough to suck the energy out of your legs.

Warrior Wall – Scale a series of 40″ wooden walls.  Unlike the drainage pipe these were easily scaled with a “saw horse” type hand-assisted leap.

Hay Fever – Climb a hill of straw bales.  I was most fearful of this obstacle – reminiscent of my allergy to the stuff and my days growing up in Kansas working in the hay fields.  Turns out it was a cinch to scale one side and slide down the other. 

Cargo Climb – Ascend and descend a cargo net over an obstacle.  This is easy right?  No so fast.  The net’s rope moves, sags and shifts under your weight and attempts to scale it.  Having climbed cargo nets in order to return to ship after mid-ocean swim call, I was prepared for this one – steady as she goes and be sure of my next grip or step. 

Tire Obstacle – The normal old “run through tires” routine.

Hell’s Hills – The most mentally challenging obstacle for me.  I don’t know how many 3-12′ hills I ran over.  Just as I thought I’d crushed them the course looped through another section.

Warrior Roast – Two fiery speed bumps with mud pits before, after and between.  Leaping over the fire was easy.  Remaining upright in the slime pre & post leap was the hard part.

I’m between Warrior Roasts.

A close up of Warrior Roast.

Muddy Mayhem – Navigate through the mud and slime under the barbed wire.  I chose not to dive in, but buddy Roger did.

Doing It

At 11 minutes in I was approaching Warrior Wall, my chest was on fire and my upper body felt like ragged jelly.  I judged I had probably completed a mile.  I couldn’t hear the band anymore and desperately wanted some musical motivation.  By the two mile point I’d started trying to motivate those who had begun walking.  Then Hell’s Hills beat me down mentally and I uttered barely intelligible words to them.  

I finished in 23:26:65, number 12 out of 258 in my age group and number 259 of 5,246 total runners for the day.  Both in the top 5%.  By goodness, I can live with that and I say, “I am a Warrior.”  As Roger and I walked to the showers I heard someone say, “I have a lot of medals, but this one means the most to me.”  I second that.

Just after Muddy Mayhem I approach the finish line.

Buddy Roger and I pose with our medals (can you find them?).

Overall

Originally scheduled for one day the event sold out QUICK.  When a second day was added it sold out nearly as quickly.  Warrior Dash was well run including off-site parking and shuttles.  Packet pick up, which I dreaded due to the shear volume of people, was smooth – there was one person in front of me.  Participants included 66 year old females, 77 year old males, a female 39 year old with a gender winning time of 20:20:95, a group of less-than-athletic women assisting their inflatable team mate and many, many more.  I recommend Warrior Dash to anyone looking for something athletically different.  It was a blast.

Donated shoes are cleaned and provided to those in need.

happy hunting, dv 

If you liked this blog you may like the following:  

• Half Marathon Down
• All In – Registered For The Wisconsin Half Marathon
• 7 Miles In – Training For A Half Marathon
• Get In Shape – Keep It Simple Bowhunter
• Of Bowhunters And Runners – Extreme
• dv’s List Of Archery and Bowhunting Don’ts
• Bowhunting Fitness – 5K Obstacle Run

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