Author Topic: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW  (Read 3433 times)

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Offline NorthHeart

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Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« on: January 24, 2018, 09:54:25 am »
We spend countless hours making these bows we consider works of art, its our passion right, we put our heart into it.  The finish work can take as long as making the bow, going from coarse grit paper to fine, then wool, then burnishing, then multiple coats of laquer with sanding in between, and then finally the grip.  Whew, just thinking about it makes one perspire.  So am i the only one that gets hesitant when i hand someone my bow to admire?  Because without failure, 9 out of 10 people will "clank" the limb against the closest object(chair, table, etc) within a few seconds of looking at it.  The first time a limb hits a hard corner of an object like wood or metal it leaves a ding(i pray its on the belly).  You cant even imagine me at public ranges, im like an over protective mother with my bow lol.  The fact is that an all wood bow is a bit of a liability in my mind.  Ill admit that sometimes i feel that im being too picky with an item that is meant to be used.  Furthermore, these consistent situations have led me to start spending a lot less time on my finish work that is gonna inevitably be messed up by someone else (or perhaps even me on a careless day).  Am i the only one like this?

Ill parlay this into my next question...

Would you recommend a Yew bow for hunting due to the soft nature of the wood.  It seems to get "dinged up" just looking at it.  Recall my second Yew bow that yall helped me tiller.  It does have a rawhide backing at least.  My buddy wants a bow to hunt elk with so i let him shoot that bow.  It went 165 fps at 28" with a 500gr arrow.  I told him i thought that was sufficient for elk but my that my hesitation is that Yew is a soft wood.  We considered waiting until i made a suitable Osage bow at his draw length.  I know they used Yew wood for war bows, and i have a hard time imagining they coddled it everywhere they went, but who knows maybe they did.  Do yall think normal wear and tear from stalking through the mountains and woods will make Yew a poor candidate for a hunting bow?

Offline Pat B

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2018, 10:05:41 am »
If you are afraid of using your bows for their intended use why bother making them. A bow is a tool to be used, not just something pretty to look at. I have hunted with bows of all sorts of woods and styles but I can't worry about getting a ding if I'm going to concentrate on hunting. As far as letting others handle your bow, be sure you(or they) are clear of anything that could damage it and let them know how much time you have in it and for them to be very careful with it.
 Years ago I used to surf. When I got a new board I was so careful not to ding it that I couldn't enjoy it. Once it got loose and hit the jetty my worries were over and I thoroughly enjoyed the board and experience.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Jjpso

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2018, 10:07:42 am »
i believe yew bow have been used to hunt for thousands of years... should be enough...

Offline Newindian

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #3 on: January 24, 2018, 10:41:38 am »
Haven’t yet heard of anyone who ruined a bow by dinging it on something. I hear you on finish, but it’s a fact of life that it will get beat up, we finish bows to protect the bow, if we then have to worry about protecting the finish it’s a rather lost cause.
I like free stuff.

Offline High-Desert

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2018, 01:09:28 pm »
I primarily take out my yew bows for roving and hunting, and I'm by no means cariful anymore. I was at first, but like PatB said, it's hard to enjoy it when you are so worried about singing a bow. Now, I'll just through my bow down on the ground, use it for moving brush out d my way, and I still don't have any dongs on my bows that are that bid of deal. I even slipped on the recurve end when my foot was covered in elk blood....bows just fine. Yew isn't that soft or delicate. Work juniper and you'll know a soft wood.
Eric

Offline Strichev

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #5 on: January 24, 2018, 01:55:05 pm »
I don't think (no matter how awesome some (most) are) bows can be considered art. Sadly for a bow to be art it would need to be a wall hanger. I'd like to consider myself an artist (ok, let's be real here, the sorry broomsticks I whittle and then call bows are utter garbage for now) but realistically bowyering is a craft. A wonderful craft with an outstanding range of skill displayed amongst bowyers but a craft nonetheless.

Many bows from the fine bowyers on here approach art, almost reaching the status, but in the end a bow is still a functional object. A bow's form follows function, almost to the extreme while in art the object's only function is its form. At least that's how I see it.



Offline sleek

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2018, 02:17:23 pm »
I dont sweat dings too much, even on the back. I was doing a 3d course once, had to lean in for a shot over a metal railing. The lower limb hit the rail on release. Made an aweful sound. Had a dent but the bow was fine. Of course it was elm so.....
Tread softly and carry a bent stick.

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Offline make-n-break

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2018, 02:28:53 pm »
Idk man.. I agree with the rest. You’re putting to much value on an object. A weapon. I put countless hours into building my bows and do my best to give them all high quality finish work, but when it comes time to put meat in the freezer they’re used as a tool. I toss them around, crawl in the dirt with them, push brush out of the way, lay them on rocks, etc.. My favorite Osage bow is still covered in mud from a wet autumn evening hunting deer. They’re more durable than any production bow IMO.

I’ll just shoot it to ya straight. Your mannerisms remind me of my brother in law, who won’t shoot his expensive long-range rifles if the humidity gets above a certain % because he’s worried they could rust haha! In my honest opinion, don’t loan your bow to your friend until you’ve emotionally detached yourself from the inanimate object. It’s going to cause unnecessary stress on you worrying about dings in your pristine finish, and it’s goig to cause unnecessary stress on your buddy if he has to coddle it in the field instead of focusing on his hunt. Also, build backups to your backup bow so you can shrug it off if one breaks 😋
"When making a bow from board staves you are freeing a thing of dignity from the humiliation of static servitude." -TBB1

Offline NorthHeart

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2018, 04:30:33 pm »
Make- if by "production bow" your referring to a compound i could grant that an Osage bow has less parts to break.  But if your referring to a trad fiberglass laminated bow, then those will handle far more abuse than any self bow or even sinew backed bow in my humble opinion.  String a fiberglass bow backwards it'll probably survive.  Pull it back and shoot it strung backwards, it might survive.  Do either one with one with an all wood primitive bow and you'll likely be holding splinters. 

The second part of my post was due to my lack of experience with Yew in the field.  In the time i've finished this bow and added multiple coats of finish, its been marred and dinged from who knows what.  No biggie if its just aesthetic right, but i just dont want my buddy to end up with a bow that if he slips and falls down in the rocks and dents the wood it could break the next time he draws it...where as maybe an Osage bow would have survived.  Seems like the response here is that this won't be an issue.  I'm good with that.

One thing ill stand by.  To me these bows we build are beautiful, historical, functional, deadly art.  A tool yes, but art.  The tire iron in the back of my truck is an example of a tool that is not art.  A machine built it and not to many would see the beauty in it other than its ability to perform the function for which it was designed, to remove a lug nut.  Now if someone custom forged that tire iron in a furnace and engraved it, well you get the idea...

I will agree with one other thing, the more i make the easier it is to detach myself from it personally... even if just a little at a time.  :BB

Offline Hamish

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #9 on: January 24, 2018, 04:42:21 pm »
Your rawhide backing will serve you well on a yew  hunting bow. You don't need to baby a wood bow you just need to stay aware of your surroundings.
If its an English style bow with long limbs, be aware of obstructions at the limb extremities. You hit something solid whilst loosing, that force goes straight back into the bow. It can cause the regular bumps and bruises but more importantly the force can split the wood, or delaminate a spliced handle. Sleek was fortunate with his bow in his account. I did something similar, didn't notice properly until 3 shots ,handle splice delaminated due to the shock. The bow was hardwood and didn't even have a scratch on the finish. I wrap all my spliced handles with string soaked in epoxy now.

If you find you personal method not suitable for yew, go down the hardwood track. Osage  or hickory have to be abused badly to get damaged.

Offline Weylin

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #10 on: January 24, 2018, 08:18:12 pm »
I've spent the last several years tramping around the coast range during bow season which is some thick, tough terrain. I've been hunting with unbacked yew self bows for most of that time. I've never had a problem or concern. I don't baby my bows but I'm also not reckless with them. With a little awareness I've never done anything more than scratch the finish a bit. Not saying it couldn't happen, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Get out there with your yew bow and don't look back. Like someone said, people have been hunting with yew bows for thousands of years.

Offline PatM

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #11 on: January 24, 2018, 08:59:09 pm »
Pope and Young rawhide backed their Yew bows for durability in the field.  Young later went to Osage still.

Offline Philipp A

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #12 on: January 24, 2018, 10:43:14 pm »
I have sympathy for you and I certainly agree that bows are art, but functional art which makes it so special. I have gotten addicted to bow making because it is something you can enjoy outdoors, you make it from start to finish and then hang it on the wall. There it looks good and then turns into a conversation piece when you have friends over. What else can you do that with? The same for my arrows. I love looking at both my bows and arrows on the wall but love even more taking them outside and shooting 3 d targets with them. Next I have my eyes set on hunting turkeys which seem to multiply like rabbits around me. After all I need to replenish my turkey feathers for my arrows!

Whenever I hand a braced bow to a friend, I always instruct them to be careful not to pull them to a full draw (they might have a longer draw length than myself) and to never dry fire the bow. I have not had any problems and I am usually the one that drops one by accident. On this I agree with the other commenters, enjoy your bows both inside and outside, thats what you are making them for.

Offline Dvshunter

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #13 on: January 25, 2018, 04:47:00 pm »
I abuse the heck out of all my bows. Even thw ones made for me by others. I know the people who made them for me want me to use em. My favorite game to play is "pig" with compound guys. When its my turn to shoot, i take my bow, toss it and say, shoot from where toour bow lands." I haven't met the compound shooter yet who will throw his bow.  I win! (SH)
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Offline bjrogg

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Re: Bow abuse, and hunting with softwood like YEW
« Reply #14 on: January 25, 2018, 06:57:55 pm »
I can't think of a better reason to pick up my bow than to take it hunting. I've never picked up anything else to hunt with that has given me as good of a feeling as a bow I made myself. I have one of of DSV hunters bows and one of Badly Bents bows. I love shooting them and have let several good friends that know how to shoot selfbows shoot them. I love watching people shoot my bows. The first thing I do with my hunting bow is scuff it up with steel wool to take the shine off. I take care of them but they ride around in my pickup and do get banged around a little. I've grown to like that worn look.
I think if your afraid to take your finished bow out to shoot you might want to make a more plain Jane bow that you can really enjoy. Otherwise your missing out on a lot of fun.
Bjrogg
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