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Author Topic: kangaroo sinew?  (Read 8904 times)

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Offline bolsjedyr

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kangaroo sinew?
« on: January 17, 2012, 05:13:26 pm »
I've been wondering about backing a bow with sinew and thinking I might want to try kangaro sinew...
Found a few threads mentioning it, but nothing much.
Has anyone good experience and where can you get it (I live in Denmark, Europe, but technically it is possible to import from AU of course).
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If two men are to compete, it should be in archery. As they face the same direction, trying to accomplish the same goal, it is the most civilized of sports." Confucius

Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: kangaroo sinew?
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2012, 09:04:53 pm »
Kangaroo sinew has to be tough stuff!  If you watch how they move around, their hopping stores large amounts of energy from when they land and releases it on the next hop.  And because of the anatomy of the critter, their back sinews apparently are really long and super tough!  Amazing stuff, should sinew back a bow rather well. 

I just hope it isn't as expensive as 'roo leather.  I spent biiiig money on just a couple square feet of it this fall.  Tough?  A quarter inch wide strap less than a millimeter thick is too tough for me to break with my bare hands.  Tried breaking it while wearing work gloves.  Gave up.  And that 18 inch piece only gained a half inch of stretch as I was reefing on it!  Guess that's why falconers love it.
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Offline toomanyknots

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Re: kangaroo sinew?
« Reply #2 on: January 18, 2012, 12:07:11 pm »
God I wish we had kangaroo's where I live. I would be eating kangaroo burgers every night, lining every room in the house with kangaroo rugs and stock piling kangaroo sinew up the the ceiling. I'd have a kangaroo head stuffed and mounted in our front room. I saw some I think one time on the internet being sold as a dog chew? Here's some (probably cooked with all kinds of crap added to it, but,... it's kangaroo sinew???  :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:): http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300635679336
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: kangaroo sinew?
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2012, 10:55:42 pm »
When I was younger I had a cast iron stomach, could eat anything.  I just can't eat kangaroo anymore. 

Makes me jumpy.
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Offline WolfPupTee

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Re: kangaroo sinew?
« Reply #4 on: January 18, 2012, 11:42:19 pm »
Was that a funny JW?  :laugh:  I found it funny regardless of your answer. I truly can't find any other place that sells kangaroo sinew on the web and I would love to get some for Easter.
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Henrik

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Re: kangaroo sinew?
« Reply #5 on: January 19, 2012, 07:22:25 am »
Hey Bolsje

hvor i DK befinder du dig? er selv ny i hobbyen, men det er da temmelig vanedannende :)

To all non-danish speakers I just said hi to Bolsje :) first Danish bowyer I have seen here.
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Offline CraigMBeckett

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Re: kangaroo sinew?
« Reply #6 on: January 19, 2012, 11:48:21 am »
Quote from: bolsjedyr on January 17, 2012, 05:13:26 pm
I've been wondering about backing a bow with sinew and thinking I might want to try kangaro sinew...
Found a few threads mentioning it, but nothing much.
Has anyone good experience and where can you get it (I live in Denmark, Europe, but technically it is possible to import from AU of course).

Roo sinew is good, there are a number of bowyers over here in Australia who back their bows with it. Roo tail sinew is, or can be, very long. Now comes the crunch, Roos like all native fauna are protected here in Australia, they can only be legally shot/killed if you/the hunter are in posession of tags for culling them. While you can get roo meat, its even sold in some of our supermarkets I believe the quantity of animals used for human consumption is fairly low with most meat going for pet food. So I doubt that there is any comercial processing of roo tendon. Most people I have come across that use roo sinew collect it from roadkill or from illegally harvested beasts.

Craig.
« Last Edit: January 19, 2012, 12:33:30 pm by CraigMBeckett »
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Offline toomanyknots

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Re: kangaroo sinew?
« Reply #7 on: January 19, 2012, 01:48:53 pm »
Quote from: JW_Halverson on January 18, 2012, 10:55:42 pm
When I was younger I had a cast iron stomach, could eat anything.  I just can't eat kangaroo anymore. 

Makes me jumpy.

 :laugh:
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"The way of heaven is like the bending of a bow-
 the upper part is pressed down,
 the lower part is raised up,
 the part that has too much is reduced,
 the part that has too little is increased."

- Tao Te Ching, 77, A new translation by Victor H. Mair

Offline bolsjedyr

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Re: kangaroo sinew?
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2012, 06:50:24 pm »
Thank you guys. Well, it seems I have to buy it from AU to get the stuff :laugh:

@Henrik: Let's stick to English, since this is an English forum ;-) else use PM.
I live in Sønderborg, and yes, making your own stuff is quite addictive :-)
Where in DK do you live?
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If two men are to compete, it should be in archery. As they face the same direction, trying to accomplish the same goal, it is the most civilized of sports." Confucius

Offline JW_Halverson

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Re: kangaroo sinew?
« Reply #9 on: January 20, 2012, 11:14:28 pm »
Makes me wonder about the qualities of brain-tanned 'roo? 
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Offline devonly

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Re: kangaroo sinew?
« Reply #10 on: March 14, 2012, 12:41:39 pm »
i was doing some research on recurve bows / composite bows and began wondering the same thing. I live in Melbourne Australia, and it's rare for me to see butchers even stock kangaroo meat. From what I understand it's an acquired taste.
Perhaps out in the country areas it might be a bit more common.

Anyway, the sad part is that in some parts of Australia Kangaroos are seen as a pest and killed on mass we're talking millions.
I'm not sure what they do with all the by products but i'm guessing the most valued parts are the meat and hides. But yeah, there's probably plenty of left over legs and tail to get tendons from. Which you could probably make you own sinew.

You could try some of our government agencies, they usually have professional shooters and station owners who they issue licenses to and permit to kill. Maybe they could refer you to someone and you could arrange for them to strip off the tendons before they grind it up with the bone to make fertilizer?

Have a look at the quotas they've put out and this is only in one of our states
http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/wildlife-ecosystems/wildlife/wildlife_permits_and_licences/kangaroo_harvesting.html

Anyway hope that helps
- Devon
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