I have been making bows a little over a year and have made about 15 to 20 bows, so far. I was able to make it over to the shoot in Alabama, this weekend at Tannehill State Park near Birmingham. It was the first time I was able to shoot one of my bows in a "real world" situation like a 3D shoot. I was really nervous to have my work exposed to the public with thoughts creeping in like, "what if she blows up?" You and I know wood can be unpredictable, but I didn't want her to snap in a crowd of more modern bow shooters and give self-bowyers a bad name. Well (big exhale), I can say everything went without a hitch. I shot the ranges with this bow...
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,35344.msg465203.html#msg465203and got to shoot the first range with Eric Krewson (maker of the tillering gizmo), who also makes a lot of bamboo backed osage bows. By the way, it was a humbling experience as he is a very good shot. Since I don't have anyone in my area who is a bowmaker, it was nice to get advice from someone with a lot of experience and let them see my work in person. I had also brought along a bamboo backed osage bow I had been working on to let him look at. I am glad I did. Maybe I can fix some trouble areas that he pointed out before I finish her up. I was only able to be there Saturday, but there were a lot of people there and I got a lot of positive feedback from people about the bow I was shooting; particularly the unique design. I shot reasonably well for a guy that shoots mostly at a 10 yard target (while bow testing) in my back yard. All in all it was a great time and I am even more stoked than ever!! I want to thank all of you for all your help over the last year or so. Thanks to you, Eric, for all your help. My son and I enjoyed shooting with you.
