Trad Gang

Ah come on Bisch

Daniel,
Sent you a PM with my address.

Ok Chad, you're up next. Get the mojo going! I got good news today, my knee replacement won't be happening until May 22nd! Now I have our entire season to chase turkeys!!!!

Good luck!

Lots of plans for Hope..... details to follow.   ;)

Faith has been with me for several days but rain and work have limited my time with her. Our NC turkey season begins Saturday, so I'm planning to get serious about this pretty quick.

In the meantime, I'll share some impressions about this bow, in no particular order of importance. The fit and finish are top shelf. When I was assembling the bow, the limbs fit to the riser with a very precise fit..not sloppy, not too tight. The fit and flow of the limbs and riser is very well-executed, and it gives you the impression right off the bat that you're dealing with an expertly-crafted weapon.

The riser woods and limb veneers are rich and subtle, handsome rather than pretty, classy rather than rather than showy. My photography skills are lousy and taking pictures as the sun sets bleaches them out, so I haven't come close to capturing the deep, subtle pattern of the limb veneers, like carmel, milk chocolate, dark chocolate and fudge layers . (http://i.imgur.com/9cRQm7Q.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/8iGxrqb.jpg)

As a package, this bow reminds of a 1960's Diana Grade Browning over and under. The finish is matte and feels like it was rubbed into the woods.
(http://i.imgur.com/unFZKjx.jpg)

The first impression as you pick it up with your right arm is of mass. This riser is big and it's dense. I love the mid-1960's bows with the big risers, and this one has that sort of feel.  (http://i.imgur.com/zr9xaGv.jpg)


I am still getting to know the grip. The palm swell and thumb rest are very subtle and minimal, so you aren't forced to hold the bow in a certain way. I'm finding my best results by letting the bow find its place in my hand while I barely hold it. Suffice it to say it is solid and steady at release.
(http://i.imgur.com/grMAepf.jpg)

The "hybrid" limbs, as described above and in the pass around thread for one of Will's bows a few months ago, are not recurve, not semi-recurve and not typical longbow when strung up, and as you draw you know they are something different. The only way I can describe it is that you sense the tension building in the limbs more like a coil spring winding up than a leaf spring bending, and as you get to full draw the sensation is that the limbs are  coming alive rather than stacking . I draw 28.75" and while there is room for more, I am definitely in the sweet spot for this bow, because things happen in a hurry on release.
(http://i.imgur.com/nGPLNhq.jpg)

The bow comes with one of Daniel's Hunter's Choice skinny strings with dense yarn puff silencers , and she's plenty quiet. The note on release is a bit sharper in tone than some of my bows but not louder. Shooting from 25 yards, the whir of helical fletching is more noticable than the string noise.

I tend to be a fan of "flat-shooting" bows rather than striving for 11-12 gpp and significant FOC bias, and I am  shooting well and leaning toward 30" XX75 2016 arrows with 135 gr Zwickey broadheads for turkey season. The bow is set up to shoot off the fairly wide velcro pile shelf, so nock height is critical.  My preference would be to remove the crimp-on brass nocking in favor of dental floss, but that makes it harder for the shooters down the line to set up the bow to their preferences.

I have searched all over and emailed Terry and can't figure out what were supposed to insure the bow for.  Can anyone help me out here?  

I am confident in my packaging ability, but I want to be sure it is done properly!

Opening morning of turkey season was gray and windy on top of the ridge at sunset, so Faith and I started sneaking down the south-facing slopes, with the wind at my back to cover the noise. I snuck up to withing 75 yards of a mixed group of nine turkeys including at least two nice toms, but....they were on the other side of brand new horse fence in a pasture I don't have permission to hunt. While I was contemplating a strategy, a truck drove up to the gate of the pasture and the turkeys ran out the other end, away from me. Oh well..that's hunting. We'll keep after 'em.

Funny postscript for opening day. Around noon, I was in the car with my wife headed to Raleigh, and that same group of turkeys had made their way across the pastures to the road and I passed the two toms, strutting on the edge of the road, at less than 10 feet.

That's turkey hunting for ya! They seem to like "rubbing it in". I'm watching 3 gobblers strutting, sitting on my front porch. They are showing up nearly everyday, but come season, who knows?

Good luck, stay after them! Thanks for posting!

I did get ahold of Daniel last week as I was out of town...

$500 for future reference...sorry for leaving that out.

Not a worry Terry.  Its going out tomorrow.  I just insured it for $800.  


Daniel

Monday morning found that same mixed group of turkeys in the same new horse pasture on the other side of the same new wire mesh and board fence from me and Faith...they must feel like they're in a sanctuary. Once they were on that new clover and stuttin', they certainly weren't going to fly over that fence to get to me in a rush. Saturday they made their way out the low end of the pasture then back uphill along the edge of a different pasture and ended up a lot closer to where I started, but it took them 4 hours to cover that ground.

Anticipation is building.  Got a PM with tracking info.  Hope should be in the Black Hills Thursday!

My youngest son hasn't even gone turkey hunting yet.... says he is waiting for Hope. He is all in on this St. Judes fundraiser.

His favorite bow was bought off the St. Judes auction a few years ago.

So far Faith and I are being outwitted by "rodeo" toms. Tuesday morning was warm and still and I heard gobblers both north and south of the house, so I headed north down into a cove that was platted for a subdivision a few decades ago  but they must have run of money because they quit after dozing roads , including culverts for the small stream. Toms sometimes use the relatively open areas of the roads to do some strutting. But the tom gobbling to the north turned out to be a lot farther off than I thought, clear across the road at the very bottom of the cove. Tuesday coming home from a meeting after work I stopped to snap a few pics of this nice tom strutting his stuff ...in the parking lot of the YMCA soccer and after-school facility 2 miles from my house, trying to coax two hens to navigate the traffic and cross the road from the golf course, which they finally did while I was stopped to take the pictures.
   (http://i.imgur.com/OPMiEQo.jpg)
   (http://i.imgur.com/KK7kwDs.jpg)

This morning I heard birds all around me at first light..but I was walking the dogs before an early day at the office. On the drive down off the ridge, I spied one nice tom strutting in the center of a riding ring on one of the horse farms at the bottom of the cove to the west, very close to where I saw the birds on Saturday, but he was all by himself in that enclosed ring, strutting for all he was worth, while the hens were 20 yards away on the other side of the fence. I wish I had a better camera with me than my phone.
These toms sure like putting a fence between me and them.      :confused:

Lol. They can be right down cruel!

Just got in from a late soccer game and found a box on the counter.

Tore it open and found a bow named Hope. Made the trip to the Black Hills in fine shape.  More details to follow......

(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170414_182829.jpg)
  (http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170414_182946.jpg)
  (http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170414_183202.jpg)  

Hope's Spearfish introduction pictures.

Morning started bright and early. First arrow I released drilled the wiffle golf ball I have pinned to my target bale.  Distance, 18 yards.  

Certainly a good omen and a sign of things to come.  Shot the remaining arrows, including a couple of bare shafts.

Showed perfect tuning!  All the arrows in a nice tight group.  I was done.

On to Broadhead flight check status.  Screwed in some 200gr Magnus, Cutthroat and Eclipse. Total arrow weight 510gr.  Perfect for my 29 inch draw, as I should be pulling Hope to 50#.

First two Broadhead were right on top of each other, the remaining were shot at different dots on the target.  Do not need to be ruining any arrows.   :p

All I did was adjust the knocking point to my standard and check the brace (7 1/4).  It works, may play around some, but with a shortened time, I am going to focus on adventures, not tuning, tweaking gack and minutiae.  

Went in and touched up the heads to shaving sharp.Time to go hunting, long story short, heard 4 different gobblers, but the real ladies were too enticing and I could not get them to play. Had to cut the hunt short as I had some fencing to do at the ranch.

After the fencing job was complete, both of my boys and I shot some more arrows out of her.

We all really like the bow, and shoot her very well.  IMO this is critical with any bow.  Putting the arrow where you want it!

We are all looking forward to spending some time hunting with Hope the next couple of weeks.   :notworthy:

:campfire:

Here is todays update.  Spent the entire day chasing turkeys.

It was a great day to be out in the woods, although the turkeys did not cooperate.

Here are a couple of model shoot photo ops for Hope.
  (http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170415_155520.jpg)

  (http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170415_180237.jpg)

Towards the end of the day we found this track.  Here kitty, kitty, kitty.

  (http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170415_180359.jpg)

We did finally find a gobbler and hens at the end of the day.  We got all set up and the hens came in with the Tom hanging up.  They finally had enough and off they went.

We thought at least we have a good starting point for the morning.  Then I checked the honey hole closer to home after dark and 4 gobblers were sounding off in their roosts.  An even better place to start in the morning.   :clapper:  

Wife is kind of giving me a pass on Easter festivities.  Going to hunt the four gobblers closer to home at sunrise. Have Easter dinner at 11:00, then up into the Black Hills for an  afternoon hunt.    

We will see what happens,  going to attend my kind of sunrise service.   :pray:

Good luck with Hope and Faith guys!

Bisch

Yesterday morning had the birds acting fickle.  Talked with them a little, but were not interested.

They were not super talkative.  Hunted until 0930 them had Easter festivities.

Late in posting my Saturday adventure with Faith. Birds gobbling, me sneaking around, same result. Do you sense a pattern, here?
(http://i.imgur.com/SKXzxoB.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/7j0wNlU.jpg)
A nicely bearded tom was just outside the photo beyond the pine tree, keeping an eye on these jakes, any one of which I fantasized would smoke up quite well, thank you.

Okay, I confess: I am hunting turkeys in high fence private areas. Unfortunately, the turkeys are IN said areas, whereas I am OUT. They are more clever than I anticipated.

I did manage to sneak up on this clump, deep in the cove where the trees hadn't been cut in over 100 years, of heirloom daffodils near the ruins of an old cabin and a family cemetery with seven headstones dating to the 1880's
(http://i.imgur.com/wfGUzHt.jpg)

After taking these pictures, I spent the rest of the day filling a large pothole and have a significant case of bursitis from tamping down the asphalt cold patch. I'm good for about three shots, so if I'm not feeling better in a day or two, Faith is going to find somebody who actually knows how to hunt for turkeys that can be shot!

:saywhat:

I was working late tonight to free up a three day weekend.  Hopefully to get out turkey hunting with Hope.

Wife was at a concert, oldest son was with a friend, so I call to check on the youngest boy.

He tells me he is doing nothing, then proceeds to tell me about the turkeys he saw driving home from school.

I asked him why he was not out hunting, a light bulb went off as we have a blind fairly close to home in a canyon.

I don't think much of it and go back to work wrapping everything up.  
Text comes in "I am in the blind".
Answer back "ok".

Go back to work, 5 minutes later phone rings.  It my youngest son.

I pick up the phone and he is all excited.  Here is a short story, told short.

He set up the decoy, made one call and here comes a turkey.  No gobbling, just a straight bee line.

Walks between the blind and the decoy.  Ian draws and actually has to stand up a bit to clear the blind. Turkey notices the movement, but is still distracted by the decoy.  Ian releases the arrow, turkey runs off in a turkey death wobble, and he watches it tip over.

Shot distance, 4 yards.

(http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170420_200010.jpg)

  (http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170420_195621.jpg)

  (http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170420_200228.jpg)


  (http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170420_201008.jpg)  

As the boys and I were talking in the front yard while taking pictures.  The subject turned to how cool this whole project is and the kids at St. Judes.    :pray:

As one popular tradgang poster would say, "how cool is that?", WAY COOL!!!!!

Congrats to you both!
  :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :archer2:

Congrats! Your son done good

Yes, it is a Merriam's.  The chalky white tips are their trademark.

Congrats!!

Wow!  Talk about exciting.  Your boy did good.   :thumbsup:  

Merriam's are tough.

So this morning I head out at dark thirty.  It was magical, probably heard 6 dozen gobbles from 4 different turkeys.

What a morning!  All that came in was a few hens and six jakes.  The mature gobblers hooked up with more vocal (albeit real) hens and moved off.

Did a bunch of running and gunning, while taking Hope on a tour of the Black Hills. Did hear two different gobbles, but no encounters to write about.

No trip is complete to the Black Hills without checking this out.

  (http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170421_115120.jpg)
Mount Rushmore

Since it is just down the road, checked out this carving in process.
  (http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170421_122923.jpg)
Crazy Horse

With only two days left, our time with Hope is coming to a close.  Oldest boy is going to hunt with her tomorrow and Sunday.

The family is getting it done in the Black Hills!
Lots of gobbling way down at the bottom of the coves around me but no luck running and gunning. They zigged when I took Faith on a zag.

I have a gobbler working right now.  It is a patience game.  Been playing for two days and the last hour and a half.

I will have an encounter with him yet.

 :)

My view

  (http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p20/cscholten67/20170422_172347.jpg)

Unfortunately this gobbler is hung up on the wrong side of canyon.  There happens to be a property line in between.

I have no doubt that some day he will make his way over to our spot.  Just may not be in Hopes time of stay.

Fnshtr,
I believe you are next in line for Hope.

Shoot me a pm or email with your address.  Hope will ship Monday and get back on schedule.

Chad,
Sent you a PM with my address.

Thanks, really enjoyed your posts and pictures!

Wayne

Rained cats and dogs all weekend and still raining this morning, so I found other things I needed to do even though I heard some gobbling. On my way into work today, I rounded a curve at the bottom of the ridge below the house and these two toms were walking along the side of the road, headed down to a pasture where two other toms 50 yards away were strutting and three jakes were trying to dry out their feathers without attracting any unwanted attention. I've seen several solo hens , so I'm guessing the hens are setting their clutches while the boys are trying to find a gal before last call.
These photos were taken from 3 yards... I could have almost reached Faith out the window and touched them.
 (http://i.imgur.com/cKYKIWp.jpg)
 (http://i.imgur.com/jikDWUH.jpg)
 (http://i.imgur.com/g9BblSG.jpg)

Randy Doyle / mnbwhtr , you're up next to host Faith's turkey adventures. Check your email /PM's and send me your shipping address.

Hope is on the way to West Virginia!  Good luck to Wayne and everyone to follow.  What a cool thing to be a part of.    :campfire:

Faith is on her way to Minnesota...Get er done, Randy!

I want to take a moment to talk about these bows. I'm hoping Will Cocke will jump in with some more expansive comments, but there are two things I want folks to know about these bows: outstanding workmanship and mind-boggling ingenuity and dedication to the craft.

There's been references on this thread and the Black River pass around thread about the "hybrid" limbs on these bows. As you can see from photos included in earlier posts the limb profile when strung is quite unusual. In practice, the limbs are very fast for a long bow design and also quiet. But here's how those limbs get that performance:

This is a photo of the limb bases. That's 11 different laminations, not counting the cork limb pad where it meets the riser, and only Will can tell how many different materials.
(http://i.imgur.com/22Fiw6a.jpg)

Moving outboard on the limb, you can see how the wedge in the center tapers down..but doesn't disappear altogether.
(http://i.imgur.com/vn7HpJl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/bS4bd5T.jpg)

That center lamination takes a very low-angle reverse taper in the final third of the limbs to the tips.
(http://i.imgur.com/l4yaAra.jpg)

As you can see, the  limbs at the tips have nine laminations, not counting the overlays, and four overlay layers.
(http://i.imgur.com/QP2KTRh.jpg)

The tips are really nice-looking , string easily.
(http://i.imgur.com/Pf9QW4C.jpg)

When your not counting laminations and studying that double reverse taper, pondering how that gives the limbs their profile and performance, you can look at the stained spalted maple under a matte clear finish and see that these bows are mighty easy on the eyes as well.
(http://i.imgur.com/tjkigdV.jpg)

So, my theory is that the sharp-eyed ( maybe not sharp-witted) toms in my neck of the woods were intimidated by Faith and that's why they kept a fence between us at all times.

Thanks for letting me spend some time roving the ridges with Faith during the prettiest month of the year in these mountains, and a huge shout out to Will Cocke at Black River Bows...handsomely done, indeed!

Hope is on the way and scheduled to be delivered today!!!!

Faith arrived today. Will be in the field tomorrow if the rain and snow let up. Been shooting in the basement and she shoots where I'm looking so watch out Gobblers!

I am so impressed with Hope! Craftsman ship, grip, cast, and speed are all excellent. I've only shot it a couple dozen times under lights in the back yard. Although my arrows are tuned to my heavier bows, she shoots them well.

If it is not raining in the morning, I'll carry her afield in pursuit of an eastern gobbler.

Chad did a wonderful job packing her up, as it took me about 45 minutes to unpack her. He sent a "momento" along with her as I hope to do.

Kudos to Will for a fantastic bow built for a fantastic charity!

Sorry for the disappearing act. Pics and story coming.

Well, it WAS raining and I didn't want to subject Hope to the harsh conditions. Then I was out of town for all of last week.

Yesterday I sat in the blind until about 9 am. Lots of gobbling, but all in the distance, and early.  It was dead in my area. I had lots of work around the house, so I left at 9. It was 33 degrees!

I shot Hope some last evening. I absolutely love how accurate this bow is. I believe I shoot it better than any bow I've ever picked up!

I'm typing this from my blind at 6 am. More to come.

Well Faith has seen a lot of early mornings but no shots yet. Speaking of shooting, this bow really throws an arrow, I'm impressed with the cast it has. Most of the time I shoot about #55 and this bow matches them all. The turkeys are driving me nuts as well as the lack of sleep and it gets lite earlier every day. Maybe tomorrow will be better!

Nothing much to report as the last two days were the slowest of the season. I am confident in this bow should I get a shot though.

Well, my turkey season is over. I'm sorry to say that I never got a shot after the "Hope" bow arrived. Tomorrow is the last day of season and I have two granddaughters that want me to take them out with their shotguns.

I did get a bird today though, a crow. I also shot a short video that my son is uploading to YouTube. I'll post a few more pics and the video link as soon as possible. Whomever gets this bow is going to be happy!

https://imgur.com/a/V33dc

That bird gives a new meaning to the phrase, "Eating crow'.Way to stick after the toms  and be a part of the adventures...you did better than I did!   :thumbsup:

Mark,
My granddaughter asked me what I was going to do with it and I said "eat it". I was waiting on a response like "Ugh!" To which I would have replied, "haven't you ever heard of "eating crow?". To my surprise she said absolutely nothing!   :knothead:

Well, I finally got a shot with Faith, had a jake come to about 20 yards, my bullhead dropped and missed the neck. Got some feathers and the jake walked off. My decoy was at 8 yards but  he wasn't coming any closer. Tomorrows another day.

Cool. As they say, that's the second best shot you could have made!

I was so impressed with "Hope", that I placed an order today with Will. Mine will be 60".

One of the most rewarding hunting experiences I know of is aiming for a gobblers head and being okay with accepting that it is truly a hit or miss shot, no close. Faith has been honored by your shot.

This weekend I went the trad shoot in Rochester Mn. Every left handed shooter got a chance to shoot Faith and a lot of good comments were mentioned. Today I had 4 different Toms respond but avoid me. I moved my blind for my next time out. Got til the end of the month!

Hope is headed for Mississippi! I really thank Will Cocke and tradgang for the experience. I'm hoping and praying that these bows go high in the auction. They really should!

Sorry I couldn't get a shot at a big gobbler, but I really enjoyed my time with the bow.

Suprem Leader and Captain of the F. R. O. G Team checking in.  I have been notified of Hope's pending arrival and her soon immersion into the rigors of war.

I will soon alert the team to prep for our first mission, oh how I pity the fools that mess with Hope.

There will be no hope for them!

Supreme Leader/Captain,
Expected delivery date at your headquarters expected on Thursday, May 25, 2017.

I pity the frogs in your designated area of operation!

(good luck)
fnshtr

Sir,

Seeing you are a "Man of the Cloth" and highly regarded in the Kingdom of God (pronounced as GoDDd).

I request your prayers of safety and of bountiful wisdom in our endeavors against this vile and transformational creature we refer to as the Vietfrog.

And a word of prayer that they may fine rest in the hereafter!

Well Hope arrived!

There are times in life when all seems bleak. And, well, your disgusted with your self, and things in general and maybe somewhat in dispair and then, Hope arrives!

(http://i.imgur.com/NqIQLmg.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/KpKWPYo.jpg?2)

(http://i.imgur.com/Jge9Hz7.jpg?1)
(http://i.imgur.com/gX4miQU.jpg?1)
(http://i.imgur.com/lahEdBM.jpg?1)

(http://i.imgur.com/Ua7Cc6l.jpg?2) (http://i.imgur.com/cmG5OU9.jpg?1) (http://i.imgur.com/jkr3651.jpg?1) (http://i.imgur.com/alL9sax.jpg?1) (http://i.imgur.com/x82BRn0.jpg?1) (http://i.imgur.com/0iyNAE0.jpg?1)

(http://i.imgur.com/PDqsCoF.jpg?1) (http://i.imgur.com/jaDoZsn.jpg?1) (http://i.imgur.com/8uvlTM6.jpg?1) (http://i.imgur.com/4d33rTA.jpg?1) (http://i.imgur.com/0Q9TK30.jpg?1)
(http://i.imgur.com/pUZpDKf.jpg?1) (http://i.imgur.com/wIOMR6J.jpg?1)

Will Cocke of Black River has done an Outstanding job with these bows (I'm sure Faith is as good as this one).

When shooting the bow the very first time I use the arrows that I normally use in my Centaur Chimera GT 5575, (400 spine) 30.5" to back of point with plain insert and 175 grain tip, total wt. 495.

The bow draws 47#@28.  I draw about 29" so approximately 49.5 at that draw and right at 10 GPP.

MY first half dozen arrow few to the right so I changed the point wt. to 150 and got her in the wheel house now the arrows sit at 470 grain and 9.5 GPP draw wt.

She a solid shooter and if I do my parts she put it where i'm looking (problem is where i'm looking gets distracted).

Good performance and no vibrations after the shot. I shoot 3 under and have moved the noc point up some to provide better clearance for me.

My plans are to possibly take her to the HH Classic next weekend if I get comfortable to do so.


After that Possum Head will get a turn with her and we plan to get after some Frogs.

:campfire:

A Frogs Lament...

St. Jude Hope 2017-2018 Bow arrival in video

https://youtu.be/2QBITHP1cg4

I don't see anyone signed up for Faith in June,July or August. Terry should I forward it to Sept?

I'm waiting for pics of those frogs!

HAVE FAITH! Last afternoon sitting on a field with dust bowls when a hen comes in to dust, about 15 minutes she rolls around in the dirt when out of the corner of my eye I see a gobbler coming to her. She gets up and walks by me at about 17-20 yds and then he comes and low and behold my arrows takes him threw the neck, up he jumps and flies about 20 yds and drops. Season over! I'll try to get some pictures posted when I figure out how to. Faith is the answer!

Way to go Randy! Congrats!   :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :clapper:    :archer2:

Supreme Leader checking to give a public advisory announcement, first off Congrats to fellow warrior spirit Randy on the Big Bird!

Second for those seeking sensitive documents such as pictures of the enemy elements, those will be released in due process of the law and not a minute sooner!

In this current political climate where everyone is a "leaker" you will find no such treasonous traitor on the F.R.O.G Team     :eek:  

In fact I'm seriously deliberating on placing such current members in the brig for Major Cyber Security breaches.  One such member as Scout.

During a roll call this morning it was discovered that he has lost his password and may have compromised his secure cryptic  computer account     :scared:  

This could very well allow access of enemy "hackers" to very "Top Secret"  mission codes and battle plans     :eek:  

We will soon know of the damage possibly done once the targeted Forward Operating Base (FOB) is accessible.  Currently it is at 11.2' and rising preventing successful mission objectives.

Once it is below  8' and lowering the Team will be alerted for action.

Please prep for pending battle and detail accounting when that time comes.

To track the progress of possible dates and times when this mission is possible, click on the secure link below and monitor the rise and fall elevation as posted above.

  https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=lix&gage=pgfm6

Way to go Randy! I know you were running out of turkey season, but you made the wait worth it.    :thumbsup:

...Fate has prevented the men and I from our latest attempts at making inroads into enemy territory.

I can only speculate that God has kept us from impending dangers unseen by mere mortals, however advance we are as the F. R. O. G Team

http://imgur.com/a/oP6OT  
Hopefully this will work for pictures

Nice bird Randy!

Congrats Randy! Nice bird.   :thumbsup:

Fantastic

Still waiting on river to recede...

Much rain continues to hinder our operations....

If and when we can get back out here a teaser of what I hope will be the results

https://youtu.be/Y3V0HNxydvU

And this was from the last St. Jude Hope bow from Sarrells

https://youtu.be/T1KHlI7nSgs

We have been in the midst of Tropical storm Cindy for the last 2 days with torrential rain and flooding.

And this will cause the river to continue to rise....

Well it is with sad regret that I as the Supreme Leader and Captain of the F. R. O. G Team must admit......

We FAILED

QuoteZach, Hope is on the way to Montana, and this missions success rides squarely on your shoulders

No pressure of course.   :biglaugh:

Hope is now in MT, delivered today.

I am looking forward to putting this bow through the paces. Superb craftsmanship and finish!  The lines of the bow along with the wood combos really appeal to me and are easy on the eyes!

Thank you John for getting the bow to Billings!  You done an excellent job packing her up nice and tight for the trip here.

I will get some pics of her here in Big Sky country over the next few days and report back in with initial thoughts after running some arrows through her.

My goal is to put an Antelope down with her next month.

:campfire:    :clapper:

I'm ready to ship Faith off to Michael Davenport but am having trouble locating him. Anyone know him?

Thought I would take a moment to report in.

I spent some time a couple of evening this week shooting Hope.

I built a set of Easton Axis 500s that I cut to 29.75" and installed 50 grain brass inserts and fletched with 4" right helical feathers.

I paper tuned and was shooting bullet holes with 125 grain field tips.

I took the bow to a local 3D shoot this morning and had really good time.

Here are a couple of short videos and a pic.

Video was captured by my son with a phone and it's hard to see much but you can get an idea for the landscape that I will be hunting in and around.

(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_11641.JPG)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qyOS3THjsKs

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s6bUVLUAVbY

After seeing the pic I asked myself why I didn't strap the Eagles Flight on it while test driving.
She handled nicely and launched with authority. Will is quiet an artist and those considering a 3 pc. should give this baby serious thought. Now that she's gone the water is falling and frogs are waiting. Sure did wanna ship her with a slime coated riser!   :banghead:

For those who shot both, the recurve and hybrid which one do you prefer and why?
Thanks in advance.

I'll be hunting with Hope in September and im getting ready to make up a set of woodies for her. since our season actually opens August 26th I'll be receiving her and getting tuned after the opener.

Wanting to be as close as possible on the arrow setup so therefore, I'm asking the current holder of Hope to post a degree of center cut to help me select a spine weight.

I think he cuts them all 3/16" past center.

Thanks, Wayne.  With that I should be able to get very close.

I just checked for you and it does measure to be 3/16" past center.

Thanks, Zach.   :thumbsup:

Faith arrived safe and sound today...strung over lunch and taaaaa-daaaa 20 yard bullseye first arrow. I was late back to work after lunch and told my staff I had a hot date with "Faith". Murmurings and rolled eyes  :)  !

I get her a little longer as I have a moose hunt. Truthfully I am injured. Jiujitsu omplaplatta (shoulder locks) and trad archery do not mix. I have had my hands full trying to stay in the game...then along comes Faith.

I am going to kill a moose with this bow. She told me over lunch, whispering sweet nothings over a growling stomach in scorching heat as the arrows made a rhythmic thump into the target.

Stay tuned...

:campfire:    :pray:

Glad Faith got there safely! Good luck on your moose hunt. Randy

Thank you Randy! Appreciate you getting her to me    :campfire:

Good luck Mike! Both with the moose and the shoulder...

It's been almost a month since the last post, so I figured I would let you know I received Faith today from Mike. Due to his shoulder injury he passed her along early.

I was concerned at first about not having an opportunity to hunt with her opening day, but now I have plenty of time to get acquainted. The first thing I noticed was the mass weight. Having shot mostly Hill style bows weighing about 18oz. it took a little getting used to.

The first shot with a bare shaft was to the right and nock high. I adjusted the brace height from 7 1/4 to 7 1/2 and I was right on the money. The mass weight and relatively low draw weight allowed me to take my time with each shot.

I look forward to hunting with her this October for deer, but I just might be able to hunt bear at a friend's property in Pennsylvania. Hopefully this bow will get some good mojo.

Antelope season opened one week ago today here in MT.

I have been out 4 evenings and one morning.  There are lots of goats using the place that I am hunting, several respectable bucks and they are beginning to show some signs of rutting.

Water is readily available on the property which makes it tough to sit on one certain place to wait them out.

I have some pictures that I will update with one day this week when I have time.

I also attended another 3d shoot the weekend of the 12-13.  I shot well, Hope is a nice performer and I have enjoyed shooting this summer with her.

I plan to stay after the Antelope any chance I get for the rest of the month.  As I get closer to the end of the month and finishing up my time with Hope I may consider filling my tag with a doe if that is the only opportunity I have.

Good luck guys!
  :campfire:

Glad she made it safe! I got a shot in my shoulder and switched to righty. I just hope I am ready for whitetail righty by October. Good luck with her!

Hope is in the house.

She arrived yesterday well packaged and in great condition.

I'm trying to get some time to set her up and tune for hunting arrows.  Hopefully I'll get her on the trail of elk early next week.

Just a quick question. Is it too late to be on the list ? I live about a hour from Will and if I was the last person to get a bow I could drive it to him. Thanks

The bows ship directly from the last hunter to the Winning Bidders on the St Judes Auction...

Let me see what the list looks like...and would you please post what bow you would like to hunt with?

Sure thing. Right handed around 45#. Longbow or recurve doesn't matter.  Thanks

Never mind Terry. I was thinking that Will was letting people test drive em and he was getting them back at some point. Forgot they are going to the winning bidder. My apologies. Congrats to the winnng bid

Dalton Lewis!  I need contact info in order to get Hope shipped to you!

Pm sent! Cant wait to get Hope and get started on a great month!

Got Hope in this evening! Took the evening off from hunting in order to get her tuned and ready to go for the weekend. She loves some cedars i had made up for another bow. Shoots great! Really love the weight in hand.

Maybe i can get her bloody here shortly!

 (http://i.imgur.com/Z5R7EkE.jpg) (http://imgur.com/Z5R7EkE)

With this moon, Hope ans I are trying a midday sit.

 (http://i.imgur.com/j3jcbMG.jpg) (http://imgur.com/j3jcbMG)

QuoteOriginally posted by huskyarcher:
Got Hope in this evening! Took the evening off from hunting in order to get her tuned and ready to go for the weekend. She loves some cedars i had made up for another bow. Shoots great! Really love the weight in hand.

Maybe i can get her bloody here shortly!

  (http://i.imgur.com/Z5R7EkE.jpg) (http://imgur.com/Z5R7EkE)  

What kind of quiver is that?
Looks like a modified big Jim??

Thanks

One of those cedars Hope loves got broke yesterday evening...


 (http://i.imgur.com/NJZFCE3.jpg) (http://imgur.com/NJZFCE3)

:eek:    :scared:    :readit:

Beautiful bow!  Your arrow has a different coloration to it.  How'd it break?   :campfire:      :archer:

This is quite the dramatic pause.    :campfire:

Sorry for the delay!

Took hope out on saturday afternoon. I had a ton of pics in an area, and with the wife complaining about the lack of fresh deer in the freezer i figured it would be a good time to try it.

I thought the evening was a waste as the landowner was exercising his 2nd amendment rights about 100 yards from the stand but the deer didnt seem to care. Two yearlings came down the hill to almost right under me to my surprise. Sure i could have waited on a bigger more mature doe, but honestly i was thinking about how tender the yearling would be, and decided it would be perfect to eat.

The shot was nearly straight down, and after i realeased the deer dropped, i immediatly followed up with another arrow as i thought it was hit in the spine, but upon further inspection the spine was just clipped and all the goodies were taken out on the initial shot.

I was tickled to get some meat on the ground, and especially with Hope. I went home and cubed up the meat, and put it right in the crockpot the next morning complete with several veggies. That crockpot full made it about 10 hours between my wife and I. Needless to say that deer was some fine eating.

Took the deer with a cedar arrow topped with a tusker head. Hope is a great shooting bow that comes complete with mojo apparently! Cant wait to see what the rest of the month holds! Maybe we can add to the mojo, as if Bisch needs any more mojo, lol.

Ohh yea, pics:

     (http://i.imgur.com/OXvy0mf.jpg) (http://imgur.com/OXvy0mf)

     (http://i.imgur.com/ibGmA1n.jpg) (http://imgur.com/ibGmA1n)

Congratulations!  Yes, they taste wonderful.

Well done!!

Congrats Dalton! Aim Small, Kill small or something like that...right?

Oh, not your deer, what I meant to say was miss small...oh never mind   :biglaugh:

Way to go! Congrats

Way to go Dalton!!!!

Keep the magic going!!!!

Congrats,

Bisch

:thumbsup:     :thumbsup:

I will need to figure out IMGUR but for now I will report that Faith arrived safely in Ohio.   I had a couple Trad friends over to check her out today.  
Beautiful bow
Workmanship is top notch
Quick bow
Very quiet
I will get some practice time in this week and she'll hit the Ohio  rut this weekend

A little birdie told me Hope was on her way to Texas!    :goldtooth:    :goldtooth:    :goldtooth:    

I Hope I can do her justice while she spends some time with me!

To be continued.........

Bisch

And I have already figured out that I cannot figure out imgur, so I'm gonna have to get one of you guys to post pics for me if the need arises!    :pray:  

Bisch

QuoteOriginally posted by Bisch:
And I have already figured out that I cannot figure out imgur, so I'm gonna have to get one of you guys to post pics for me if the need arises!     :pray:    

Bisch

No worries Bisch! Just let me know when you need them posted and i'll get them right up!

I picked Hope up from the PO today at noon! All I can say is she is one sweeeeeeeet bow!!!!! She REALLY likes my arrows too!

More to come later!

Bisch

Hey Dalton, I'm gonna need you to post up some pics for me!!!

  :bigsmyl:    :bigsmyl:    :bigsmyl:    

Bisch

So, like I said earlier, I picked up Hope at the PO yesterday. I put her together and went to my practice range. The first 5 arrows were real close!

https://i.imgur.com/Fzqd1O4.jpg

I played with the grip a bit, and was soon stacking them in the bullseye!!!!!

https://i.imgur.com/SOFg85R.jpg

I really need to figure out how to post pics again to finish this!!!

Bisch

Send them on over man! lewisda3@appstate.edu

Very nice bows!  I regret to say I share your pain on Imgur Bisch.

QuoteOriginally posted by ceme24:
Very nice bows!  I regret to say I share your pain on Imgur Bisch.

Yeah, but I got pics that neeeeeed to be posted. There's red in a few of them too!!!!

Bisch

Sooooo, after seeing this bow shoot so well for me, I decided I had to go hunt!

I went to a ground blind close to the house this morning. It was a fine cool morning. It was real foggy. Not long after daylight, I caught some movement. It was the first of 3 bucks to come my way. The next one was a really nice buck. I also had a little spike and a doe come in. The smaller 2 bucks kept harassing the doe,  and kept her jumping a bit. After a while the big buck decided he wanted in on the fun, and he pushed her out of the area. After a little while, just the doe came back. Being alone now, she was very calm and eased right in front of my blind at about 10 or 11yds. I picked a spot and let an arrow fly. The shot looked real good, and she busted out of there, stage left!

I couldn't stand waiting, so I got out to look at the arrow. This is what I found:

 https://i.imgur.com/f2hLPzg.jpg  

I was not at all impressed, and began to wonder whether the shot was as good as I had originally thought!

I took up the trail probably a bit sooner than I should have! It was pretty sparse at first, but really picked up after about 25 or 30yds!

 https://i.imgur.com/HcMHo60.jpg  

 https://i.imgur.com/tVgCKCV.jpg  

After about another 30yds, I found her!!!!

 https://i.imgur.com/TumNJ57.jpg  

 https://i.imgur.com/Qjj411h.jpg  

So, less than 24hrs after getting the bow, I had my first deer with Hope! This was also my first deer this season, and the first deer off my new ranch!

I can't wait to see what the rest of the month holds for Hope and I!!!!

Hopefully, more to come!!!!

Bisch

I Hope y'all can see the pics when you click on the links. I can't figure out how to get the pic to post in the thread!

Bisch

Congrats again Bisch!

That's phenomenal Bisch!!!  Great shot!  What arrow/BH setup are you using and what is your DL?
Faith will hit the Ohio woods tomorrow!

Good job Bisch!!!! Congrats!!

QuoteOriginally posted by ceme24:
That's phenomenal Bisch!!!  Great shot!  What arrow/BH setup are you using and what is your DL?
Faith will hit the Ohio woods tomorrow!

Easton Axis Full Metal Jacket, .400 spine, 31.5", 75gr brass insert, 150gr Wasp Traditional broadhead

My DL is 29"

Bisch

Heck yea, man! I knew it wouldn't take long!! Congrats!

Btw, all you have to do is copy the "linked bb code" from the pic on your imgur sight and paste onto here and it will show up!

QuoteOriginally posted by huskyarcher:
Btw, all you have to do is copy the "linked bb code" from the pic on your imgur sight and paste onto here and it will show up!

I don't have a PC right now. All I have is my phone. I can't find a way to copy that BB code anywhere in the imgur app???

Bisch

Great job Bisch!  There is "Hope" for you after all   :biglaugh:

Bisch, my research told me that it isn't possible in the app.  This is my complication as well

Nice job Bisch!   :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:

Bisch, you dont need a laptop. Instead of using the app, go to the imgur site on your phones browser. The linked code will appear when the photo is accessed from the browser.

Only had a doe and small buck come through tonight.  It's surely not a normal November in Ohio.  62 today and will be over 70 tomorrow!  I think it's affecting deer movement

I had a couple close encounters the last two mornings. I saw a new buck yesterday that is a stud 8pt. I "Hope" I get a crack at him at some point! Still in the blind with about another hour left before I have to go get ready for church.

I'm going to be out of pocket for most of this week, but Hope and I will be back in the woods by the weekend!

Bisch

Nice job, Bisch!   :thumbsup:

What's up with Faith up north?

It's gonna be a couple more days till I get to hunt again with Hope!

Bisch

Hey Bisch!  She's been out a bit.  I have 5 days of hunting lined up 11/18 -11/22.  It hit 26 degrees last night and we have a dusting of snow here this AM.  If i can I will get her out sooner as it's gonna get good here!  For now, it's practice practice practice.  This bow is SWEET!

Congrats to everyone. These bows are shooters. I got my hands on hope when dalton had it.

Jeff

I have 3 big does in front of me now! It's supposed to be rut time, so I'm holding off for now.

It's taking every ounce of will power I have to hold off though!!!!
When it comes to shooting critters with my longbow, I have little restraint!    :laughing:    :laughing:    :laughing:    :laughing:      

Bisch

It won't be too much longer before my time is up with Hope.

Danny Red, if you are keeping up with this thread, please PM me with your address,so I can send Hope to you at the end of the month.

Bisch

Faith made it to east Texas today!! She's already shooting good for me, and Will makes an awesome bow. She's quiet and quick, and just beautiful craftsmanship. Be forewarned, hunting has been incredibly slow in my neck of the woods. With that said I'm persistent so she's gonna see a lot of tree time regardless. I have a week off coming up pretty soon and have a little public land camping/hunting trip planned. I'll keep y'all posted!! Oh, my first 3 shots at 12 yards the feathers were touching. I'll post some pics later on.

Good luck with Faith Ryan!!!!

Well, it's near the end of the 4th qtr for me with Hope. I got just a couple more days to try to make something else happen, then she will also be headed to east TX.

I've been seeing a lot of deer, but have not connected on anything else yet!

Bisch

Faith and I will be headed out in a couple hours for our first hunt. The antlerless season for the county I live in ends tomorrow, and I've already used my buck tag here...so it would be awesome if I could see a doe this afternoon. Won't get to hunt tomorrow because of church so this is my last shot here at my lease. But I can still kill a buck in the county that borders mine, and I have a pretty good late season public land spot over there, so all is not lost no matter how this afternoon goes. I'll post some pics and an update when I get home.

A double up; Hope and Faith on the same day, sure would be cool! Let's see if we can make it happen!

Good luck Ryan!

Bisch

No luck on my end!! Had a good afternoon in the woods but not much moving. I only heard one rifle shot all evening and that's odd for around here. This is the old ladder stand we were in.
(https://i.imgur.com/O5rFJWS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/gwsPGyO.jpg)
And the view from the stand. This is normally a pretty good spot. Lots of sign but nothing came through today.
(https://i.imgur.com/AXmOMA3.jpg)
I'll be back at it next weekend!!

Holy huge pics!! Sorry guys not sure how that happened lol.

Hope is on her way to east TX!

Have fun with her Danny!

Bisch

Faith and I will be back at it tomorrow. The counties around where I live are mostly antler restriction counties, with relatively short doe seasons. In my county I can kill 2 bucks and 2 does. 1 buck has to have an inside spread of 13'' or greater, and the other has to be a spike or have at least 1 unbranched antler.

I've already used my big buck tag here, and doe season closed Thanksgiving weekend. So all I can shoot here is a spike or pigs. I can go to the next county over though and kill a big buck on public land still.

That was my plan for this weekend, but my son wants to hunt and hasn't killed a buck here yet in our county, so I'm going to our lease with him tomorrow. I have had a spike or 2 on camera and the pigs are showing back up, so we'll see what happens. If I see a spike or pig they're gonna be in trouble!!

After that I work a week and then start a week of vacation, and while I'm off I'm hoping to be able to camp and hunt quite a bit in the next county over with Faith and possibly connect on a buck there. It is however public land and gets hunted pretty hard. I'll update tomorrow and post some pics from the hunts!!

Good luck Ryan!

Bisch

Another day hunting with Faith today. This morning I set up in a ladder stand where the hogs have been coming in fairly regularly. I heard some but they never showed up. You can see where they've been rooting around a little in here on my corn.
 (http://i.imgur.com/i4GdKA0.jpg) (https://imgur.com/i4GdKA0)
This evening I set up in a somewhat random spot, because I'm limited on what I can shoot here anyway and I wanted to test out this new climber on familiar ground before I start hunting public land with it. Climbed up in a pine with a pretty good trail out front and on my right side, which is perfect since I'm a lefty. Wind was a little finicky and about 5:00 I heard a doe blowing downwind of me, so I guess she caught my scent. Nothing else ever showed, but any day in the woods is a good day in my book. And I think this new climber is gonna work out just fine, so that's a plus.
 (http://i.imgur.com/GiJAd2Y.jpg) (https://imgur.com/GiJAd2Y)
 (http://i.imgur.com/cLNlYpN.jpg) (https://imgur.com/cLNlYpN)
I start a weeks vacation when I get off Friday, so I'll be back in the woods then!! It's been a slow, tough season for me but I'm persistent.

Sounds like a fun weekend Ryan....even not getting one, it is a privilege just being out there...

I am thinking Hope is taking the long way around Tx.Bisch put her in the mail on the 28th of Nov.She made it to N.Houston and now seems to have gone awol.Keeping my fingers crossed she finds her way.

I am only 350 miles from Bisch,its been 8 days.Sent Priority Mail USPS,Just sad!My post office says its still on the way.   :banghead:

That's not what I wanted to hear Danny!!!! I'm out of town, but let me know on Tuesday if you still don't have it, and I'll see I can find out on this end!

Bisch

Hopefully it'll make it soon!! For whatever reason when something headed to or from east Texas goes through Houston, there seems to be problems. Last year I overnighted a big check to our landowner for everybody's lease dues. It never made it and I had to stop payment and drive a check over to her!!

I may not get to hunt this weekend, my son's birthday is today and then my granddaughter's birthday is tomorrow and we'll have her for the weekend. But, I'm off next week and if the weather holds out Faith and I will be headed to San Angelo to hunt the Twin Buttes WMA. Can kill a buck or doe there and turkeys of either sex, and I've never killed a turkey, so I'm hoping everything works out!! If all goes as planned I'll be on the road early Monday morning. I'm shooting this bow really well so hoping I can get a chance at something.

Good luck everybody, looking to see some new kill pic's after these next couple weeks!

Bisch,great news Hope showed up to day!Still well packaged and in perfect condition.Now to see what she likes in my way to large arrow collection.It will be a couple weeks before I get back to the lease.I am thinking she will be more than ready to fill a couple tags I have left just for her.

QuoteOriginally posted by huntingarcher:
Bisch,great news Hope showed up to day!Still well packaged and in perfect condition.Now to see what she likes in my way to large arrow collection.It will be a couple weeks before I get back to the lease.I am thinking she will be more than ready to fill a couple tags I have left just for her.

Glad she made it!! Good luck!!

I'm relieved to hear you got her Danny! Good luck with her!

Bisch

I'm not hunting this weekend, because I'm buying groceries and packing and getting all my camping gear together. Everything fell into place and looks like we will be headed out early Monday morning for West Texas. It'll be about a 6 hour drive to the WMA, then we'll set up camp, find some spots, hunt Monday evening, all day Tuesday, and Wednesday morning then head home. Weather is looking good, supposed to be clear with lows in the upper 30's and highs in the mid 60's. I've talked to several folks who have hunted this WMA and got some good advice.

Another cool thing, my son started shooting a recurve last summer after going to a 3D shoot with me. He's practiced quite a bit and this will be his first hunt with trad gear other than 2 or 3 sits here at home. Hopefully we will bring something back, if not Faith will get to hunt some new areas and we'll have a good time anyway. I'll make sure to take lots of pics!!

So this turned out pretty cool also I thought. Another bowhunting forum I'm on has a traditional archery challenge every week. Last week the challenge was 3 arrows, one at 17 yards, one at 13, and one at 11. Scoring was based on the boxes in the middle of the paper with closest to the bullseye being the tiebreaker if scores were the same. Faith and I won the challenge and got to pick the challenge for next week. This was my first shot at 17 yards.
 (http://i.imgur.com/uj3t69o.jpg) (https://imgur.com/uj3t69o)
Then my second shot at 13
 (http://i.imgur.com/2elX1K8.jpg) (https://imgur.com/2elX1K8)
Then my 3rd shot at 11.
 (http://i.imgur.com/YwUpHCo.jpg) (https://imgur.com/YwUpHCo)
And a pic of my 3 shot group overall.
 (http://i.imgur.com/cr3u0Um.jpg) (https://imgur.com/cr3u0Um)
I'm really enjoying my time with Faith and shooting this bow really well. Tomorrow morning we'll be on the road at 5 a.m. headed to west Texas. I may not post while I'm on the hunt, but I'll take pics and update when we get back. The weather is looking good so hopefully the critters will cooperate!!

Good luck Ryan, to both you and Faith, and to your son too!

Bisch

Well we're back from our trip. It went great, even though we didn't kill anything. My son saw a nice buck, but he has a self imposed limit of 10 yards for now, and this one was a little further than that, so he passed. I was proud of the restraint. I had a buck come in well within range, but he caught me off guard and caught a little movement when I was trying to get my bow in position and took off.

We ended up renting a small cabin at a marina just down the road instead of tent camping, and overnight temps were in the high 20's and low 30's so I'm glad we did that. Tons of deer and turkeys in the park where we stayed, and they were pretty much tame. We did a little stump shooting at mid day both days and overall it was a great trip.

 (http://i.imgur.com/TcfvwYk.jpg) (https://imgur.com/TcfvwYk)

 (http://i.imgur.com/UO7lxl6.jpg) (https://imgur.com/UO7lxl6)

 (http://i.imgur.com/Nfo0Cn2.jpg) (https://imgur.com/Nfo0Cn2)

 (http://i.imgur.com/JOMkl33.jpg) (https://imgur.com/JOMkl33)

 (http://i.imgur.com/5mIO6RH.jpg) (https://imgur.com/5mIO6RH)

 (http://i.imgur.com/LGibnyJ.jpg) (https://imgur.com/LGibnyJ)

 (http://i.imgur.com/22LHRNm.jpg) (https://imgur.com/22LHRNm)

 (http://i.imgur.com/lqnhscu.jpg) (https://imgur.com/lqnhscu)

Well it's not a deer, but got a kill with Faith this morning.
 (http://i.imgur.com/XgzJ3qi.jpg) (https://imgur.com/XgzJ3qi)

Congrats on the tree rat, Ryan!

Bisch

Congrats!

Squirrels are hard to hit, as they don't hold still long and they have quick reflexes..good hunting!

Well I won another first shot challenge with Faith last week. The upside down "V" represents the pocket where you would aim on a deer, and it was one shot seated from 15 yards. Closest to the tip of the V wins. I was right at an inch.
 (http://i.imgur.com/zIkTO4L.jpg) (https://imgur.com/zIkTO4L)
 (http://i.imgur.com/DfvtSG5.jpg) (https://imgur.com/DfvtSG5)

Also, if any of you other lefty's want to sign up there is nobody else on the list until April. If anybody wants her next month email Terry and I'll get her headed your way right after Christmas.

Leaving early in the mourning,my dad and I are heading to the lease.Going for the rest of the week.I saved a couple whitetail tags just for Hope and the axis and sika will be on the menu as well.Not sure about the hogs,have not seen any the last couple trips.We really hammered the hogs before deer season so we will see.

Hey, Danny, if you want to meet up at Simon Bros for lunch one day, let me know, and I'll drive over there!

Good Luck!

Bisch

Hey Bisch,I just now checked in and saw your message.I have not left the ranch since we got here Tuesday.Would like to meet up with you but may not happen this trip,I would like to get you over here to hunt with me sometime.Been hunting hard trying to get Hope a chance to shine.Well this mourning we have drawn blood not once but twice.

:campfire:

On my way home,will have to wait till I get to my computer so I can wrap this up.

So its been cold for Tx this week but had 2 whitetail tags left.I had saved them for my time with Hope and she did not disappoint.This bow was super easy to shoot right from the start,her weight range was right in my wheelhouse.My hunting arrow setup shot perfectly so all we needed was live targets.I hunted 2 of my best setups for a couple of days.Passed on several small does and young bucks,only saw a few small axis does.Had one nice shooter 8 come by but would not come in to my comfort zone.

Changed up my tactics moving away from feeders and started hand corning different spots proved to be the ticket.On day 3 right at daylight had a couple good size does come right in to my setup.I was not picky they both looked the same.I made a good shot tight to the shoulder with complete pass thru.I heard her crash after about a 7 or 8 second run.

Since it was so early I just reloaded Hope and sat tight thinking maybe some thing else would show.In an hour or so I heard animals walking on rocks coming my way.Three does, a button buck and a spike buck came right in to the hand thrown corn.With the pressure of running out of time on this hunt with only one day left.I decided to put my last buck tag on the spike that was now standing 10 yards broadside.The arrow zipped right thru the young buck and he went down insight. I will try to post a couple pics.I have enjoyed hunting with this special bow.

(https://i.imgur.com/YHnfLUh.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/pzxg2Dx.jpg?1)
(https://i.imgur.com/q0Mdymi.jpg?1)

Awesome. Congrats

Now that is how you do it!

Congrats !!  Great shooting.

Great work!

Way to go Danny!

Congrats,

Bisch

Awesome job, congrats.

Good job!! Congrats!!

Good hunting + good shooting = great eating. Way to go, Danny!

:thumbsup:

Jimmy Twitchell,you are next up with Miss Hope.PM me your address and I will get her out to you.

Nice shooting Danny! I sent you a PM

Jimmy I sent the bow out today.Also PM you the tracking info.

Well hope has made it to Utah. I've been shooting it the last couple of days. She tuned up quick and is ready to hunt turkeys this weekend.


(https://i.imgur.com/Rrs4ZlV.jpg)

She is looker for sure

(https://i.imgur.com/S0HVt2R.jpg)

Good luck on your turkey hunt!   :thumbsup:

Good luck,twitchstick!

Bisch

Good hunting twitchstick, Will Cocke did an Outstanding job on these bow!

congrats great job

I think I have been riding the struggle bus this week! I need some help figuring out how to get John Haines display name so I can PM him to get the Hope on the way to him. Thanks for any help. I will post some more pics on my hunts with Hope later

Well I had hope for the last month and it has been fun. What a great shooting bow! I wished I could say that I had some hero pic's for you but it just didn't happen. Between a sudden house closing and a busy work life it only allowed a couple of days of hunting. Now with that said I did have some close calls with turkeys.
   The first day out I sat in one of my favorite spots. I had turkeys all around me but most never came closer than 40 yards or so. The only bird that came in close enough was a big tom but the angle within the blind made it so I could not get the shot off. It was pretty fustrating to have him so close but not get the shot.

(https://i.imgur.com/BmbxBYL.jpg)


Here a picture from the blind

The next trip out the birds were maily hanging out in the privite ground much. This year there wasn't enough pine nuts to draw them out town where there was more feed. They just wanted to hang out in some sheep corrals most of the day.
   On the second evening I had been up on a ridge glassing them feed in the corrals for a few hours then finnally they came out. They started feeding in a dike system that gave me a high percentage stalk. I sprinted down the ridge after them quick. When I got down the ridge I could see 30 to 40 turkeys feeding right behind a big bank in the dike. As I started to get into postion to shoot I notice some of the birds high tailing out of there! I didn't know how they could have seen me until I notice another hunter had tried to come up the other side of the dike! Then before I knew it I had the turkeys flying over my head and out of my life. I tried calling back the busted flock in but this late in the seaon they wanted no part of that. It was still a good day with all of that excitement.

(https://i.imgur.com/SOMWXNW.jpg)


Here is looking back into dike where the turkeys were

(https://i.imgur.com/pXLpuiD.jpg)


Hope and old turkey tracks

:thumbsup:     :thumbsup:

How do I contact Rick Stillman about shipping Hope.  He is next for March but I will ship it before then.  Thanks

Hello??

Rick, I hope all is ok but no post, no call back, no PM reply in over 2 weeks. sending on to next guy on list.

He just beat the clock and I heard from Rick right before I mailed it to Larry.  Rick has the bow, when it left me it was in about perfect condition.  Good luck!

Barry Loving is next up for Faith in April. If you'll go ahead and PM me, I'll get your shipping info and send her out next week so you'll have her in plenty of time.

Any updates?

what is the current status of HOPE??

[attachment=1]

Hope is on her way to Ohio to spend some time with Actionjackson.  I didn't get to hunt her as I'd planned but she is a sweet bow.

Faith is still with me too. Next in line for her this month had to pass, and nobody is lined up for May...so if somebody wants her get with Terry and I'll ship her out!! If she's still here when the auction comes up I'll have to buy her, and then I'll be even more broke than I am now!!

I received Hope last week, but havnt had any time at all to even open the box. I'll try to get some time with her in the next week or two. I "hope" things slow down a little so I can get a chance to enjoy her.

These ladies are now on the auction block.

Ryan and Randy,

When the auction ends please watch the auction threads for each bow and ship when marked as paid, unless you fellas bid and win, of course. ;)


Please continue to add pictures here or to the auction threads.

Will do!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well I'm pretty happy...I was able to win Faith in the auction, so she's found her forever home. I'm looking forward to a lot more hunts with her!!