Aloha all,
It's been a while since I've posted, but yesterday I finally had my first harvest with a selfbow! I was able to take a small wild sheep from about 18 yards.
It was the first selfbow I made, and I've put a lot of hours in practicing with it (way over 10k shots through it), and a lot of hours finding and stalking wild sheep. The stave was from a fellow PA member who I traded with in early 2019. I posted the build here
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,66507.msg934765.html#msg934765 and the bow is still in great shape. It actually has gained ~2lbs of draw weight since then, despite taking a little bit of set. It has also developed a deep honey color.
Thanks to everyone who has provided great advice for building selfbows, and for anyone who has tried hunting with one but hasn't had much success, keep at it! The feeling of accomplishment is worth it. I've carried this bow well over 100 miles on various hunts in hot sun, cold, wind, rain, all of it.
I made a video of the hunt, but I can't remember if we are allowed to post YouTube links here (my channel is not monetized). I'm happy to share if I can.
Aloha and happy hunting!
