Flint glue arrow shafts and in one post

[iowabow]

Well this story begins and ends with flint knapping. The story in between is about the techniques and skills I've learned here on PA web site. This morning I shot and missed a running deer and I learned a lot about my equipment. First the dogwood a arrowshafts are tough as nails. Second the pine pitch glue and the sinew worked perfectly. This arrow was fired into a sandy rocky creek bank survived very very well. I make my pitch with willow. I feel like the  good information that i learned on this site make the difference in quality equipment. I learned that carefully attaching of the point is very important. I think jackcrafty has a great video on  the reheating of the point after  wraping with sinew.   Anyway the last photo is a picture of the resharpened point

[TRACY]

Very cool John! Bummer on the miss, but looks like you got that arrow primed for the next target.


Tracy

[YosemiteBen]

Iffn that had been a steel point youd still be sharpening! Too bad about the miss.

[Trapper Rob]

Nice arrow better luck next time on the deer.
Rob

[JackCrafty]

Glad to see that arrow lived to fly another day!     Cool post

[iowabow]

This arrow is great! Tough luck this morning I missed another doe well i did hit hair. I had a muscle cramp in my arm as i pulled back and I blew the shot. But this is about the point and its attachment. It is just fine after a second shot  and in need of no repar. The glue is fuctioning perfectly. If you have not seen jackcrafty's video on the reheat you really should. This process sets the sinew into the pitch and make a very strong bond.

[YosemiteBen]

Missed twice? Maybe you need new glasses!

[Tower]

Hey, that's my method. Throw arrows until you hit something.   Just kidding. Great posts .

[aaron]

excuse me if this sounds harsh, but you shot at a RUNNING deer? you may have learned alot about making arrows, but you may have alot to learn about hunting. Most hunters I know would only take a shot if the deer were standing still. I followed your previous hunting stories on this site (titled "just for the record books") and I'm happy for you that you got your deer last year, but you shot 28 arrows, as i recall. Now I do not profess to be the most accurate or ethical person out there, but I think we owe it to the deer to only take high probability shots. And just for the record books, the first arrow i ever shot at any animal killed a deer- I had hunted for several years before that and never took a shot because I never was presented with a really good shot- I saw deer, but made the choice not to shoot.

[iowabow]

Aaron just for the record that was harsh.

[Tower]

In defense, I've been bow hunting almost since diapers. I've shot at running deer. Both with a rifle & bow. It 100% do able. All it takes is practice.  I've  done it before & I'd do it again. Have fun with the game GOD has provided for us. The highways kill more deer than bow hunters . Keep the stories up, I love-em.  And for the record I was 2 for 2 last year, & I'd shoot at a running deer or one outta range. Its good practice.  Tower

[iowabow]

I just want to be honest about how hard this can be and I practiced that running shot and I forgot to lead. If you forget you will always clean miss by 8". I even set up a running deer at the house. I also went to the club and practices on their running target. It is just hard to remember everything.  I had very poor equipment when I started primitive hunting but thought it was good because it was the best I could make at the time. The learning curve for some is great challenge. I missed many times due to poor equipment and lack of experience using a self bow. Many of the misses were because of last minute site corrections because I second guess myself. Other times I hit limbs and stuff that you dont clear because a compound arrow can clear a small hole.   I missed a bunch because I did not understand that the tree stand was so different from my ground target. So this year I bought a tree stand and a 3d target.
 I am an amazing hunter...I hunted and put over a 100 deer below my stand and shot at 28 within 15 yards. I am 100 times better shot than I was. It is not ethics that cause me to miss as

you indicate but I just kinda chock in the final 15 sec before I shoot. I sent scott a post this morning about how I s@#% . But this post is really about how happy I am to have arrows that dont and glue that does not.

[bowtarist]

I see you've started this season similar to last season Jonh?    Saw 5 yesterday, first day out, none in range that wern't behind something.  Good shooting Buddy!!  oooga booga, dpg 

[RidgeRunner]

Back to the original post...

What do you mean by " I make my pitch with Willow." ??

Thanks
David

[iowabow]

I have used a couple of different types of charcoal to make my pine pitch. This willow charcoal makes a fine grained powder and is very smooth if you draw with it on paper. I did some reading about charcoal and some people believe it has a greater surface area. I think (and I could be wrong) that the increased surface area allows the pitch to have more area to hold onto so my theory is that this makes for more surface contact with the stone. With the addition of small fiber (I use milkweed) the mix is amazing. I used hardwood glue and it is just a little different not that it is bad but the particles seem to not be mixed like the willow. They say soft wood is not good I have no option on that but willow will work as you have seen on this post so far.