A river cane arrow with a story

[Tom Leemans]

Oh who are we kiddin', we love challenges like that! Every time I hear "You expect to kill a deer with that?" I answer "Why not? People have been doing it for thousands of years!"

[kerbinator]

Oh who are we kiddin', we love challenges like that! Every time I hear "You expect to kill a deer with that?" I answer "Why not? People have been doing it for thousands of years!"

That is very well said.

[recurve shooter]

honestly part of shooting with the gear we do is to get to see people's reactions. the other day i went and walked around bass pro for an hour with my snake bow just to get to see what people thought about it. 

[coyote pup]

And? What did they think about it?

[Hillbilly]

There is nothing out there stronger or tougher than cane, unless maybe it's solid fiberglass shafting like fish arrows are made from. It will survive stuff that'll splinter carbons and bend aluminum double.

[smokeu]

I had one just like that with a Bone Point that did the same thing...i missed my target and hit the back stop... I was totaly shocked the bone was so tough. Unscathed, before removal of course lol.

[recurve shooter]

And? What did they think about it?

i got a bunch of statements like "people still use tose" and "where are the cams?" and "there is no way that can kill a deer"

sence it was a snake bow i also got alot of stuff like "did you paint the front of it?" and "is there any way you can straighten it back out?"

strange people with strange questions out there. 

[coyote pup]

Yeah, it really is amazing (though not in a good way) how most people believe it's impossible to have something good unless it is boughten. And that goes with anything, not just primitive archery.

I've been in similar situations to what you're describing, and even been put down because of my "stick". Well, guess what - 4 things I won't apologize or say "excuse me" for: My God, my family, my country, and my "sticks". So I found a way to usually put and end to the critics little hayride when they start traying to put down my gear by comparing to their "Matthews 300fps Super-Cam". I was at work one day and a guy who hunts deer a lot was trying to compare. He said,

What kind of pounds does it shoot? I said about 60. He said, "How long can you hold it back?" I said, only a few seconds if I want to shoot straight. He shook his head and said "I'm shootin 80lbs, and I can hold mine for quite a while, got 85% let-off, no problem at all."

"What kind of FPS you get with that? 200, 250?"   I said, nope, about 130. He shook his head and said "I get about 300 with mine."

"How far a shot can you take with it? 30, 35 yards?"  I said nope, I wouldn't take more than about 20 with it. He shook his head and said "I can shoot out to 50 with mine, no problem. Just set my sight and I'm ready to go."
 
I could see where this was going and that he was only trying to put down my equipment, so I decided to throw up a question that he couldn't even HOPE to compete with. 3 words - YOU MAKE YOURS?  He looked at me funny and said "No, I bought it for $1100."
So I just laughed and shook my head. That ended that conversation.
 

[Postman]

Did you get to shoot one of his 15 dollar carbon / mechanical broadhead arrows at your door with his wheelie bow? You should see if he can pull HIS out and hunt with it.

[woodstick]

so easy a cave man can do it. i dont know why they think our things wont work primitive hunting gear has been on gods place way before cams and carbon, so they are just eat up with the old gota keep up with the jones. one thing bout it when it comes down to money if we aint all got none shame on them cause they cant go by a bow and hunt n-joy shooting, where we can go out not spend a dime and make something to hunt with, so who will be the peps giggling in the end. us cave men.

[chasing crow]

That is a great story (LOL). Nice way to shut him up. Seems like people always want to doubt what they don't experience for themselves. Those who learn to fend for and do it yourself, well we just seem to get way more out of it! Happy Hunting.
Chasing Crow   

[Parnell]

My Uncle was just down visiting.  He took his first deer with a recurve decades ago.  Talking to him on the phone over the past year he does the same, pointing out f-p-s, accuracy at distance, etc.  He finally came over the other day and shot a 65# hickory flatbow and something amazing happened.  He got a big smile on his face and laughed, saying "Ah, I haven't shot instinctively in 20 years."  Then he asked when I was going to make him one!

People get caught up in marketing and consumerism.  Marketing firms get paid to make us want to buy more stuff.  More stuff more stuff more stuff.  The six million dollar bow hunter, we'll build him bigger, faster, stronger.  It was great to see my uncle have a moment to realize that he missed what 'simple' things have to offer and what I saw on his face; nostalgia, interest, and a bit of joy.

[El Destructo]

Yep....thats what it is all about too....the Simplicity of it and all of the Equipment....getting Back To Nature....I did the same to My Father four Years ago too...

[banoch]

Yeah, it really is amazing (though not in a good way) how most people believe it's impossible to have something good unless it is boughten. And that goes with anything, not just primitive archery.

I've been in similar situations to what you're describing, and even been put down because of my "stick". Well, guess what - 4 things I won't apologize or say "excuse me" for: My God, my family, my country, and my "sticks". So I found a way to usually put and end to the critics little hayride when they start traying to put down my gear by comparing to their "Matthews 300fps Super-Cam". I was at work one day and a guy who hunts deer a lot was trying to compare. He said,

What kind of pounds does it shoot? I said about 60. He said, "How long can you hold it back?" I said, only a few seconds if I want to shoot straight. He shook his head and said "I'm shootin 80lbs, and I can hold mine for quite a while, got 85% let-off, no problem at all."

"What kind of FPS you get with that? 200, 250?"   I said, nope, about 130. He shook his head and said "I get about 300 with mine."

"How far a shot can you take with it? 30, 35 yards?"  I said nope, I wouldn't take more than about 20 with it. He shook his head and said "I can shoot out to 50 with mine, no problem. Just set my sight and I'm ready to go."
 
I could see where this was going and that he was only trying to put down my equipment, so I decided to throw up a question that he couldn't even HOPE to compete with. 3 words - YOU MAKE YOURS?  He looked at me funny and said "No, I bought it for $1100."
So I just laughed and shook my head. That ended that conversation.
 

I loved your story! Didn't it make you feel sooooooooo goooood? I've built some pretty crude looking boats, all safe and very serviceable yet my brother-in-law (who just has to have a new hunting rifle just about every year) WILL NOT set foot in one. WOOD! he cries! You'll bust a hole in it, I'm not getting in that. I try to explain to him that there was this guy named Noah who built a very large boat once that appearently survived the largest flood in history and did not sink. I think it even had good sized load aboard. I'll go on to explain that for thousands of years that this was THE ONLY material to build a boat with and that fibreglass has only been used for the last 50-60 years or so. Still, he just can not fathom getting in a WOOD boat. I find it truly amazing . Too, you just can not reach these kinds of people. 
Everyone does try to keep up with the Jones. It's all about appearences, nobody wants to read the story, they just want to look at the pictures.
I am really happy that I found PA. Attitude -wise, I fit right in. I do not know 1/10th of what 99% of you guys know but we share the same mentality.

[coyote pup]

Yeah, it really did make me feel good and those 3 words have since become my standard response to any criticism. They usually shut it down pretty quick. My brother hunts with a compound and that's all he wants to use, just cause he likes to hunt a little easier and more power to him. I never say a word about his equipment and he never says a word about mine, and that's the way it should be. Those guys could hunt with their compounds and still respect our equipment without trying to talk it down. I think it really comes down to how respectful (or not) you were raised to be and what your level of inteligence is. Any idiot should know, if we were really concerned about fps we would just pick up the rifle. Not mechanize a bow of steel. Sort of defeats the purpose.