The Adventures of 'Hope' and 'Faith'

BenBow · November 01, 2006, 03:31:00 PM

JC · November 01, 2006, 03:42:00 PM

Good story David...the result was worth the wait.

bentpole · November 01, 2006, 05:10:00 PM

Yeh folks keep throwing those "logs" on the fire. I can't wait to read the next one!Vermonster you just made my day!!!LOL you know why don't you? come on X-MAS !!! This has to be the best bow reveiw ever.

vermonster13 · November 01, 2006, 05:43:00 PM

The Hornes are real nice people. The Brush Bow is a real good length for hunting our thick eastern woods too. At $475 for the standard model it's a real steal especially when you see the price of so many of the mass production bows now. I have a feeling the orders for it are going to be going up soon.

Guru · November 02, 2006, 05:03:00 AM

Good stuff David!!

Go get'um Chad...I know you will!!

Pinecone · November 02, 2006, 08:51:00 AM

Congrats, David! You should be receiving my contribution to the medicine bag either today or tomorrow.
Okay, Chad...now it's your turn!

Claudia

vermonster13 · November 02, 2006, 09:51:00 AM

Just got it Claudia, nice addition. We're starting to build some serious mojo here folks. Save your pennies for the auction!

Huntrdfk · November 02, 2006, 05:04:00 PM

Way to go David!

David

Walkingstick · November 02, 2006, 05:42:00 PM

The posatal service made a trip up the drive this afternoon and I signed for the black case I knew held "Faith".

I kept cutting wood, knowing I did not have the time to properly introduce myself to the bow. My wife and I had our evening meal and I just unpacked the bow. Pictures do not do justice for the beauty my eyes beheld. I have always loved the grain in real woods and also the color and the Horne's did an awesome job combining it all into this piece of artwork. I applaud their work and their generosity

I always wondered if bows where feminine or masculine :confused: and I guess there is room for both but this is a young lady, through and through. Slender with graceful curves in the right places, petite yet somehow determined and strong willed within. I put her together, drew her once and sat back and absorbed the beauty before me. I could never look upon a metal riser and mishapen limbs and wheels the same way I do a traditional longbow or recurve. :( This bow is a beauty and I could easily put her right into my corral. I have not been home too long from our five month summer job and when we return home after 5+ months there are things that must be done. Hence, even though the seasons in both PA and neighboring NY have been in full swing I stayed home doing things that should be done and forgoing the woods. I have done some minor scouting as I know the woods around home well and I have seen a couple of good bucks. Now they are starting to cruise and do some serious rubbing and scraping and I have placed out 2 stands and my blind in anticipation of my guest. She comes at a time I needed a boost. Tomorrow we will shoot some and get acquainted and hopefully by tomorrow evening or Saturday we will hit the woods for the short time we will be together......Mac~

BenBow · November 02, 2006, 05:50:00 PM

She's a Gracefull lady alright, enjoy!

bentpole · November 02, 2006, 07:02:00 PM

hello Mac haven't spoke to you in a while. Still have that great string you made me on my longbow and it drew blood this season. Enjoy Faith, if there is anyone that deserves to spend time with this bow it has to be you.I'll be looking for your stories.

Walkingstick · November 04, 2006, 10:27:00 PM

Tom, glad to see you posting and hope that string has some powerful mojo.

I have a little more time tonight and some pics to play with. My wife and I have been away from home for 5 1/2 months so there was much to do to prepare for winter. My heart hasn't been in the archery thing as in the past. Last year left me soul searching over a lot of the beliefs I held about traditional archery and archers and left me with many questions. My heart was not into it although I did shoot over the summer. I almost told Terry to send Faith to someone else but then realized what a beautiful opportunity this was to be part of and I started to look foreward with some anticipation. So Faith has come to Potter County, Pennsylvania. Part of the Big woods or God's Country. Here are some pics of what it is like around my home. Much prettier when leaves are changing but still beautiful to me none the less. Although I usually head back into the hills I am finding much sign around home. This is a photo or two from the lane above my home showing the hills and the valleys witha few homes.

As I said earlier I had scouted a little when we started to see rub activity on trees in the yard and on field edges. Dale, my trusty companion, and I found rubs plentiful and of good size. We actually saw one of the bigger bucks when out one day. Here are some of the rubs.

Walkingstick · November 04, 2006, 10:30:00 PM

All this activity is limited to about an acre area on the fringe of the bigger woods. I believe with us gone and no activity that the deer have found a quiet, safe haven here. Scrape activity has become prominent.

These scrapes are under a pine tree we can see from our home and are used annually for the last 15 years. We have learned a lot about deer scrapes watching this from our home. Also a few others deeper inside under an old apple tree.

Dale even located some grouse.

Walkingstick · November 04, 2006, 10:45:00 PM

Friday morning we awoke to snow covered ground. I got to shoot some and set out late afternoon for a few hours hunt. The snow had melted on the southern slopes from the sun but the northern exposures held on to it. The wind was raw and cold and my arthritic hands and knees let me know it too. Going to have to start with more pain killers. Heard some turkeys a couple benches up in the beech woods probably feeding on beechnuts. Later something scared them as they soared past my treestand like B52's and banked to land in the fields below. They would be going to roost soon. About an hour before dark I saw this small doe. She knew from the swirling winds that something was in the area.

you can see her left of the bigger tree as it limbs out toward the top of the photo. A short time later I saw a large, dark deer cross out in the woods but I never saw it again. I think it was heading down by the big scrape by the pine and then into my neighbors fields to check does. Seeing these made me hungry and as I left I got to look at the Rutting Moon...on schedule by Charlies predictions in Deer and Deer Hunting.

It wasn't in it's fullness due to cloud cover and approaching snow.

Walkingstick · November 04, 2006, 11:00:00 PM

Today found me out before morning light for a switch and I also had obligations with my grandkids that only gave me the morning. It was not in vain. As daylight stared I could see the light snow that had fallen again overnight. I saw some does or family groups way off in the distance and then around 9 I had this buck come by but he never offered a shot. He was slightly uphill and about 25 yards out. You can see his antler in the photo...he's a good one for around here. He left unaware I was there. I will have to be careful not to overhunt the area now but maybe we will meet again. I have all reason to believe we will....I hope it is with Faith when it happens.

Roy from Pa · November 05, 2006, 01:17:00 PM

Nice pictures Willy..
Here are two of my Buddy:)

Walkingstick · November 05, 2006, 01:38:00 PM

Those pics should be in reverse order. While I was sleeping I was blackmailed in the photo with the beercan and when I awoke I was the one left with a skeleton to pic for my supper. That's all the good brothers from PATHA left for me...LOL Roy

the Ferret · November 06, 2006, 07:53:00 AM

Great pics Mac. Hope your season brings renewed vigor for our sport.Wouldn't be the same without you.

JC · November 06, 2006, 09:37:00 AM

Great pics Mac, you live in beautiful country. Hope you have found what you were looking for, we've missed you around here. God bless.

Walkingstick · November 06, 2006, 07:00:00 PM

Well we hunted both ends of today but should have stayed in bed. Early this morning I hear voices and my beighbor, his dad and his boys were going off onto the hill to hunt turkeys. They main group wandered up the pipeline to my right but two of the boys came right through my area heading toward an old logging road into the beechwoods. Later in the afternoon as evening was starting to settle in there was shotgun fire above me and again turkeys came sailing down over my head. Always knew those guys stayed at it all day as down over the hill they came again walking right through where I was hunting. I stayed until dark and my tally for today was one chipmunk.....didn't shoot him cuz he didn't have enough meat. :D ...real story is I couldn't hit the darn thing anyway. :( ...Mac~