Forwarded by Ed Ingold, Editor, PA
My name is Kevin Kelsey. I am 14 years old and from Bozeman, MT. I made this bow from a hickory board using instructions from various magazines. This is my first bow and I would like to submit it to the June or July Bow of the Month. It took many tries before I built a bow that didn’t break during the tillering process. No one in my family has ever tried to make a bow let alone bowhunt so I taught myself the art of building a self-bow. This bow is 68 inches in length. The limbs taper from 1 ¼ inches to one inch at the nocks. The bow draws 45 pounds at 27 inches (I was hoping to hit 50 pounds). I was surprised at how smooth the draw was. Though the weight is more than my laminated Martin recurve it feels much lighter. The arrow rest is made of mule deer antler and the handle is wrapped with a heavy twine. Out of all of my bows this is my favorite because it’s one of a kind and is so simple. Next year I plan to harvest a whitetail with it. The thought of harvesting a deer with a weapon made of a tree that deer could have rubbed on really helps to feel close to the deer. Now I am hooked on primitive archery and cannot see myself going back to modern archery. Here are some pictures of my bow.
[attachment deleted by admin]
