For you folks that requested I post some pics of my new Sheepeater...here they are.
59#@28" Bocote Handle with Leather, Tonkin Limb Back under clear glass, Black Glass Belly, Osage/Bacote handle belly overlays, Bacote Tip Overlays, and Sheep Horn Tips over Bacote.
I named her "Double Vision" for the cool "extra" eyeball (grain knot) she has in the Bacote Handle. She's a looker aint she? Brent thought she may be the purdiest yet. She shoots so well for a short/short bow you have to get behind one yourself before you will believe me. Must be the Static tips. Anyway...it'll be fun totin this beaut around this spring for Turkey and Bears. I'm not the best photographer and the clouds were thick but you'll get the idea.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0512.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0513.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0514.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0515.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0518.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0519.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Ranman/IMG_0521.jpg)
SWEET!!!
Pretty bow.
Mike
That is a good lookin bow there.
Sweet little one you got there too!!
Awesome bow Randy, congrats.
Cute kid!
My wife wants to know what the dark thing is mounted on the wall in the full draw pic..Javie?
these bows look really nice, and seem like very "down to bussiness" hunting bows. that one is really nice with the bacote and tonkin.
does it have clear glass on the back - or no glass?
Beauty goodluck with the bow!
Nother question...is it hard to string?
did you have to ask for the leather grip?, the ones on thier website are something else
Their standard grip is rattan...and it is really comfy and easy to hold onto sweaty paws and all.
I had the opportunity to shoot one of these at the expo this year----and I am here to tell ya' they are just AWESOME! Short, light, and just plain fast.
I am saving for one right now....
Jeff
nice looking bow.
NIce bow
Wingnut...those are some fine looking bamboo lams there arent they. They have some of the purdiest Osage I've seen too, but you may know that already. ;)
Ferrets wife...thats my "Beauty from the Boulders" Black Bear mount in that pic. Kind of hard to see back there.
Are they hard to string?...you do have to pay attention but I wouldnt say it's hard. I use the stringer with the nylon sheath at one end and the rubber slider on the other. About half way into the pull you have to slide the rubber thingy down about 3 inches with the string loop in front of it, then finish the pull and then loop the string on. I got good real fast.
longbow357...yes clear glass
Ian...just tell them leather grip, shelf etc. They will (try to) bend over backwards to get you want you want. I doubt Brent or Mark can actually bend over backwards anymore ( I know I cant). :help:
Jbiorn... you have shot this bow so you know you are gonna like it but I'm gonna say it anyway...Jbiorn, you are gonna love your bow.
:thumbsup:
Nice looking bow. Your going to enjoy it.
Mine is on their website. It's the one on the left with the floppy leather rest. I see you didn't go for the wrapped handle. I like it very much.
Mike
Nice pics, Randy. That is a beauty! Randy was fortunate to have a hand in helping build his bow, - adds to the fun of toting it.
We will add a shelf in the riser, with some limitations....and will also do leather on the handle....but I'm with Mike, I love the rattan. The rattan will also outlast that leather grip by a longshot. But I know guys have their preferences.
Nice finish on that bow there, Randy...now go and kill something with it! - Mark
Well guys, the news is out, we are now producing the Sheepeater Spirit in bamboo! That's what I'm Tonkin about. Don't even wonder, we are getting these beautiful lams from some guy named Mike at Dryad Bows. Mr. Westvang was kind enough to produce a run of Tonkin for this project. If you have ever had any questions about the quality of Mike's work, don't know why you would, rest assured he is a perfectionist. Quality materials make quality bows. Thanks Mike and Jason. How does it shoot? I couldn't believe it. This material is simply awesome. It is an east meets west dill that works.
Brent
Brent, "east meets west dill"? You are gonna wind up in a pickle. :D
Yeah Justin, east.......Tonkin Bay China bamboo and west meaning we are in the west. you take the two, add epoxy, cure for four hours at 150 degrees, carry the one, do the guzentas..........east meet west dill.
You still aint over me eating your sandwich in Boise are you?
You ate my sandwich?
Don't you know that the best way to avoid a criminal conviction is to remain silent! Haha. I was making fun of your Texican. East meets west 'deal' is of course pronounced 'dill' as you wrote it ....which is a weed/spice used in pickle making. Are you confused yet? I'm doing my best.
Seriously, I enjoyed meeting you guys at the show. Congrats on the awesome bows.
OK Justin, time for some TeXican cultural training. A deal is someting you make with your paw in order to keep from getting a whoopin after you got caught. A dill is a thingy. I wernt thinking of making a deal with the east in order to "excape" a whoopin, but it is a dill, an East Texas slang used to confound and amaze. And I dont use weed!
The sandwich, ei. sammich, was insane, you shoulda et with us. tasted like chicken.
Haha. Gotta craving for a Mega Meat Lover's plate from Denny's? Even after all the pain I ordered another one a couple of day's ago.
I have no idea what you'all are talkin' about :smileystooges: ....all I know is that is one awesome little bow!! :thumbsup: :notworthy:
Enjoy it brutha......lets see a pic or two this spring with a nice merriams and another "beauty form the boulders"
Brent,
Thanks for the kind words on the lams. Yep, it's true we are in cahoutes with them Yankees from Montana (actually only one is a yankee). They use our lams to make beautiful bows and we use the yew they supplied us to do the same. Pretty good dill for everyone.
LOL
Mike
Mark...looks like the website is down?
congrats on the success...the bows look great.
Bob
Thanks Curt, nothin would make Brent and Mark happier than a nice big bird or Bear notch on my (theres) bow. Brents gonna take me to his bear honey hole this spring and I'm gonna call one in for him. :scared: If he lets me. Gotta warm up first on some gophers though. They are out!
:bigsmyl:
Dang, I need to move :knothead: Hopefully I'll be back out your way come Sept.....
Oh yeah? You puttin back in for a tag this year?
I wish you better luck than my Vermont buddies have had the last few years. Yeah big game hunting practically year-round if you want to aint such a bad thing.
Yeah Bud, Decided at the last minute to put in for a deer tag,and I'll put in to get my antelope tag later on.....
Curt...maybe this time we'll have a chance to meet up. I missed you guys last fall. Hunting season has a way of messin up the social scene around here!
I plan to use my Sheepeater to hunt antelope it should work great from a blind or stalking.
Mark, Social scene? Our social scene around here this morning was about a zillion songbirds happy to see spring, turkeys gobbling from the mountain above the house, Canada geese honking over head and elk mewing in the field below the house. Nice time of year.
Is my new bow done yet?
Chad, you have a Sheepeater coming? Oh man now we have to do a bear hunt this spring. Maybe we can get Mark and Brent and maybe Walt and Doug to join in. Walt sounded interested the other day when I mentioned it to him.
Curt, that deer only tag is a tuff one. It is a pet peeve of mine the fish and game doesnt give out more of them. My buds have drawn that one once in 5 years. They drew it there first year and not since. They put in for the combo this year to up there chances about 5 fold. Hopefully you can beat the odds...somebodys got to right? :pray:
Dianne, Brian and I applied for the Montana NR deer tags this year. Tough to draw huh?
Dang, I wish I knew that!! But truth be told,I just couldn't afford the combo at the deadline...so we'll see :( :readit: Had I known that though,I might have worked a bit harder to get some stuff done :banghead:
Still will probably come out to hunt 'lopes though...
Looks like I might get a chance to shoot one of these wonderful little bows ;)
Dang, another bow to consider for my next purchase! Too many choices, too little money!
Mark, some queistions:
If no shelf, wht kind of rest do you put on? What is the turnaround time frome ordering to shipping?
Man, I gotta stop reading these posts about new bows!
Lee :banghead:
Good luck Curt on the deer tag,I hope you draw bud.I am just putting in for the Antelope tag for my son and I.This will be his first antelope hunt and he is pumped,So am I.
Sure hope to meet up with some of the Montana trad gang while we are there,Looking forward to it.
Tracy
Sorry to do that to ya Lee, Mrs. Lee. :p
Ferret, Curt...yes very hard to draw for a "Deer only" tag. The state only gives out slightly over 2000 of them. With everyone applying the odds are around 1 in 8. I've heard 1 in 10 also but not sure its that bad. Odds for drawing Elk/Deer Combo are almost 50%. They pretty much force you to put in for the combo but who can fly out in Sept. for Elk and then come back for Deer Rut. Not a bad deal if you can spend a month but who can do that. My friends drew their deer only tag the first time they applied so maybe they give preference to first timers or they were lucky. Problem was they thought there luck would hold no matter how many times I told them what the odds were and they have been unsuccesful the last 4 times puttin in. They finally found the odds/numbers for themselves and believe me now. They put in for the combo this time around. Now they complain about preference points and gettin Nickel and Dimed to death. It's always somethin aint-it? :thumbsup:
Randy we applied as a group, does that raise or lower your odds?
QuoteOriginally posted by Lee Viv:
If no shelf, wht kind of rest do you put on? What is the turnaround time frome ordering to shipping?
Lee
Lee here are a couple pics of mine. The rest is a piece of leather and I highly recommand it over a shelf. It's as close as you'll get to shooting off your hand without the drawbacks.
Sorry for the poor pics. My camera is due to be replaced.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/capurso/KIF_0491.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/capurso/KIF_0490.jpg)
Lee,
I can cut a shelf into a Sheepeater like Randy has in his pics. Mike's is the traditional handle with a leather rest. I personally shoot without a shelf off the leather tab. I find it more forgiving and allows you to shoot a wider range of spines, weights and arrow materials. Turn around time is 90 days or so at this point. Curt, I sent you a pm, let me know.
Brent
FWIW,IMO cutting a shelf and a window in Brent's bow is sort of a tragic mistake-not because he can't do it,obviously he can, but the bow functions perfectly as originally designed. Shoot, I think I'd request leather floppy and plate on both sides-The perfect bow for switch hitters..er...umm.. I mean that in a good way.
Ferret, unfortunately putting in as a group doesnt change your odds. They just use the first name on the application (the captain so to speak) and it goes into the drawing.
Tree man, "tragic mistake"...isnt that getting a little dramatic :p
Or you could have a shelf on one side and a floppy on the other, both worlds then.
Seriously though it's what you like and are used to in some cases. These bowyers can accomadate a wide range of "used to's".
Thanks for the pics of the leather rest. I like that! Randy or Mark, what is the turnaround time for the bows. It's gonna be for my 50th birthday next May, so I need to know when I should order to get it by then.
Lee
Sorry Brent, I posted the turnaround question before I read you post completely!
Lee
No problem Lee. I would be honored to build you a bow for your 50th. Give me a call if you have any questions about the shelf/rest. We can talk and we will take an informed look at it. My home # is 406-222-3378.
Brent
Randy, Perhaps calling a sight window "sort of a tragic mistake" was a bit dramatic but I didn't want to go over the top and accuse those who order one that way brain damaged/mentally deficient ;) I 'm certainly in favor of people getting waht they want. I'm also not antishelf-The grip and shelf design on Owl bows was developed with my recommendations and feedback-anyone who is appalled by the presence of sightwindows, shelves and a contoured grip with a slight palm swell on natural materials bows can blame me-Dad always has used a shelf except for replicas where it was inappropriate but the current grip and radiused shelf/window grew out of my requests and suggestions. However, I think Brent and Mark have hit a grandslam with the Rattan grip on the forward handle with the floppy shelf and no sight window. There is absolutely nothing in the way, it shoots great , isn't too spine critical and maximizes strength while being near enough to centershot from either side to shoot very well. People ordering a sight window and shelf would mistakenly think that they are ordering improvements...but they aren't.
Lee....looks like you got your questions answered, I hope you keep us in mind for that "special" 50th b-day bow!
Mike...great pics of the leather rest. I hope you don't mind, I borrowed them for future use or reference, as they are better than the ones I've taken thus far.
Justin...nicely put description of the "rest" feature on the bow. It really is the best version we build, we think. It sometimes is hard for folks to accept something out of the "norm", but we will try and accomodate those without the foresight or trust in our assessment. The shelf works too, albeit with some limitations. Bottom line is that this bow is really a "Zen-like" design...no fat just pure stored potential. That's the beauty of the bow, simple and very effective. There is not a lot to work with in terms of altering the original design....the small grip and riser section is part of what makes this bow the shooter that it is, and there is no room in this size package to alter it much. It ain't broken, no need to "fix" it. But for those who need the comfort of a shelf, we can accomodate you, but there is an increased stress put on the remaining riser in doing so...and, you lose the "give" that the rest affords you in tunability.
This is the only bow I know of that you can shoot either side, right or left, off your hand, and turn it upside down, and do it again, right or left, without sacrificing accuracy or performance. It is perfect balance in design.
Randy, I just realized that the beautiful 'boo backed Sheepeater of a couple of pages ago is yours and has a shelf and window cut out....Doh, please don't let my previous comments offend you- your bow is beautiful and I'm certain it is a great performer ... I'm just totally sold on the standard grip/shelf design. I love it when bowyers do something "unconventional" that really works. Brent and Mark's basic Sheepeater is a true winner.
Mark,
Not a problem use them all you want. My camera is a piece of ####. The pictures show the shelf OK but don't do the bow justice with regards to color.
Love the bow.
Mike
TreeMan, no worries bud, I love my Sheepeater with the shelf. Shooting without a shelf is "weird" for me although I am sure I could get used to it and I agree that the bow of course works just fine that way. Arrow impact point is off to the left by a ways when shooting off the side of the bow compared to the more centershot version. It all goes back to what I am more familiar with and confident shooting. Be a shame for those like me to not have the option at all. Judging from the bows Mark was finishing the other day I'd say the shelf cut-in is gonna be a popular option. Time will tell. Either way it's a great bow and fun will be had by all...in there own way. :thumbsup:
Randy.
My Sheepeater will be with the Rattan grip and no shelf. I think it will work great, should know before too long.
With my run of luck and a bow named Sheepeater the Karma should be good to draw a bighorn permit.
Mark, Brent, et al:
Thanks for all the info! My 50th isn't till May of 2008, so I have some time. Jus trying to get all the info beforehand. Will only be 49 this May, but sometimes feel like 59 going on 60!
Looks great, can't wait to order!
Lee
No problem, Lee...we will still be building bows, I hope, this time next year! Does'nt hurt to plan ahead. I just turned 47 a couple months ago, and the way the years have been flying by, I think I'll start planning for my 50th now as well. I'm thinking a hunt is in order....
Chad...I know your lucky and all, but you might be pushing it a bit, huh? You did just draw an AZ elk tag, did'nt you? A sheep tag might be just a bit much this year. I think maybe you should just stay out of the draw altogether...by the way what unit are you NOT gonna apply for? I think the odds may be one guy better!
I gotta find a new moose unit to put in for since the wolves have decimated the moose around here. Better start doing my homework.
Lee, You only turn 50 once, with a year to plan you should get 2 or 3.
Mark, My luck continues, I drew a turkey tag for this area, first one in 17 years. After over twenty years trying to draw sheep, goat, or moose in Montana I figure I'm about due. Sheep and goat country can be tough and I'm not getting more agile. I apply for local units so if drawn I can spend a lot of time scouting and most of the season in the mountains.
I just saw news today that the wolf population grew the most in NW Montana this past year, seems the new wolves are taking over territory from the wolves that have always been here.
Randy, my bear season is in jeopardy. I just landed a major design contract, good news in some ways but bad news for hunting time this spring. I will be in touch.