it flew into the quickly darkening woods without its head or most of its neck, either.
Whoaaa, did you end up finding the pheasant? How far did it get without a head? I’ve heard about chickens running around but not about decapitated flight.
What kind of bow did/do you use? I hadn’t shot a bow since middle school, so I bought a recurve bow and target while I was in China to practice with and learned real quick how physically demanding my new “hobby” was.
Oh, man, you went hard! Recurves don’t play. 😅 I competed in the compound category in my youth and hunted with the same bow. She was my baby, back then. (“There are many like it”) If the recurve is vicious on your bow forearm (not the one drawing) on release, a couple things: a thin strip of leather affixed to the inside of your forearm can help in practice sessions, but learning to rotate your elbow so it’s pointed 90° from the string’s travel is essential to learning effective archery.
That’s a great place to start, and a recurve is orders of magnitude easier to transport. 👍🏼 (w/o damage, but also bcz bored LEOs often hear see a stick, not an ancient weapon) Also, much simpler upkeep and nearly everything you learn with a recurve can be used with a compound, but often enough not vice versa.
Personally, I find archery meditative— transportive, even. The just world falls away, and all of reality is simply: the target, and my mind. 🖖🏼
Oh, and yes, I found the pheasant and still had to clean it in the dark, downwind of the campfire. First and last time I pointed a gun at a living thing. Just not my jam. 🤷🏼
p.s. By “thin strip”, I mean thickness not width/length, as it only works if it covers ~3" on either side of the trouble spot(s). Thin leather/vinyl panel or whatever supple, smooth(ish), and resilient guard you can find can work in a pinch, but beginner armguards are $2-20 and fancy don’t matter.
Ha, yea, I prefer fundamentals and deep ends. I remember the first day I got it. It felt good, balanced, light but sturdy, and I thought “I’ll give it 20 minutes for my first practice” and maybe five minutes later I was like okayyy ow, this is going to take some strength training and mental adjustment.
They included a wrist/arm guard with the set, but again deep ends, so I refused to use it so that I learned to rotate my elbow. Took a few sessions, but I got the hang of not shaving the skin off my forearm fairly quick.
I figured I’d learn on a recurve and then switch to compound if I went hunting or it became a serious hobby, but it was it was just a fun after-hours thing and I move around a lot so I didn’t want to carry a bow with me or buy a new one in each city. Although I’ve been in Mongolia this month, so maybe I should have. I even went into an archery store the other day, but I was so focused on hammock hunting I didn’t think about the bows!
Makes sense about firearms, a tool that powerful is weird. to be in the world. firearms are weird, impersonal items. I’ve never shot one! There’s a police shooting range in Bangkok where you can pay 20 bucks to fire a pistol, a rifle and throw a grenade. I have no interest in the grenade, but next time I’m Thai-bound I’ll probably try the pistol and rifle.
Thanks, it was a lot of fun and the meditative aspect makes a lot of sense! I kept all the gear behind the desk in the classroom i taught in, and one day all the kids raced in and i hadn’t put the gear away as securely as usual so instantly a half dozen 4-5 year olds ran to the corner and grabbed at the arrows.
I got all the arrows back very quickly, I don’t even think any of the parents noticed, but it was briefly heart stopping(and funny).
ha, from China close to $100 just for shipping right now, so somewhere in that range. i was in an archery store the other day, but I was focused on hammock hunting and didn’t notice the prices of the bows.
Oh, wow! Those are beautiful. And, that leatherwork is fascinating. I can almost catch the scent of hide and wood in the pic. 🤩 I’m curious about the different bow shapes and their uses, as well as the stylistic accents in the leather pieces. Lovely though, even without said answers.
Also, what kiddo could ever resist the mystique of a bow & arrow set? You’ve certainly got a few of the lesser recognized instincts for teaching: vigilance, rapid response, deflection, etc. 🤣
(But seriously, though. Good work keeping them safe!)
Haha, for sure, constant vigilance is key while teaching. Children are great at finding danger. Climbing my glasstop standing desk, rocking their desks back and forward until they fall, sharpening a pencil until it’s sharper than a dagger.
Before I realized what was happening, I could see their eyes all instantly lock on the corner of the room on entering and saw that a corner of the target stand was sticking out from under the desk and then they all just sprinted for the prize. very exciting, and then they’re all gone after 45 minutes, which was plenty of time with them for me.
I really liked those leather quivers too; the store has a bunch of great pictures.
Haha, lots of practice traveling light, although I definitely understand the urge. Everything at that shop looks so cool, and Mongolia is bow country.
But I’m working on getting back into hammock camping after a long break, so I was laser focused on gathering and then prepping DIYing and testing new gear before I leave in a couple days.
I like walls of text, all good.
Whoaaa, did you end up finding the pheasant? How far did it get without a head? I’ve heard about chickens running around but not about decapitated flight.
What kind of bow did/do you use? I hadn’t shot a bow since middle school, so I bought a recurve bow and target while I was in China to practice with and learned real quick how physically demanding my new “hobby” was.
Oh, man, you went hard! Recurves don’t play. 😅 I competed in the compound category in my youth and hunted with the same bow. She was my baby, back then. (“There are many like it”) If the recurve is vicious on your bow forearm (not the one drawing) on release, a couple things: a thin strip of leather affixed to the inside of your forearm can help in practice sessions, but learning to rotate your elbow so it’s pointed 90° from the string’s travel is essential to learning effective archery.
That’s a great place to start, and a recurve is orders of magnitude easier to transport. 👍🏼 (w/o damage, but also bcz bored LEOs often hear see a stick, not an ancient weapon) Also, much simpler upkeep and nearly everything you learn with a recurve can be used with a compound, but often enough not vice versa.
Personally, I find archery meditative— transportive, even. The just world falls away, and all of reality is simply: the target, and my mind. 🖖🏼
Oh, and yes, I found the pheasant and still had to clean it in the dark, downwind of the campfire. First and last time I pointed a gun at a living thing. Just not my jam. 🤷🏼
p.s. By “thin strip”, I mean thickness not width/length, as it only works if it covers ~3" on either side of the trouble spot(s). Thin leather/vinyl panel or whatever supple, smooth(ish), and resilient guard you can find can work in a pinch, but beginner armguards are $2-20 and fancy don’t matter.
Ha, yea, I prefer fundamentals and deep ends. I remember the first day I got it. It felt good, balanced, light but sturdy, and I thought “I’ll give it 20 minutes for my first practice” and maybe five minutes later I was like okayyy ow, this is going to take some strength training and mental adjustment.
They included a wrist/arm guard with the set, but again deep ends, so I refused to use it so that I learned to rotate my elbow. Took a few sessions, but I got the hang of not shaving the skin off my forearm fairly quick.
I figured I’d learn on a recurve and then switch to compound if I went hunting or it became a serious hobby, but it was it was just a fun after-hours thing and I move around a lot so I didn’t want to carry a bow with me or buy a new one in each city. Although I’ve been in Mongolia this month, so maybe I should have. I even went into an archery store the other day, but I was so focused on hammock hunting I didn’t think about the bows!
Makes sense about firearms, a tool that powerful is weird. to be in the world. firearms are weird, impersonal items. I’ve never shot one! There’s a police shooting range in Bangkok where you can pay 20 bucks to fire a pistol, a rifle and throw a grenade. I have no interest in the grenade, but next time I’m Thai-bound I’ll probably try the pistol and rifle.
Love it! That’s awesome! Man, it brightens my day, just reading about your first foray into archery! 🤩🤘🏼
So, uh. How much to ship a Mongolian shortbow to the PacNW?
Thanks, it was a lot of fun and the meditative aspect makes a lot of sense! I kept all the gear behind the desk in the classroom i taught in, and one day all the kids raced in and i hadn’t put the gear away as securely as usual so instantly a half dozen 4-5 year olds ran to the corner and grabbed at the arrows.
I got all the arrows back very quickly, I don’t even think any of the parents noticed, but it was briefly heart stopping(and funny).
ha, from China close to $100 just for shipping right now, so somewhere in that range. i was in an archery store the other day, but I was focused on hammock hunting and didn’t notice the prices of the bows.
they did have handmade bows
Oh, wow! Those are beautiful. And, that leatherwork is fascinating. I can almost catch the scent of hide and wood in the pic. 🤩 I’m curious about the different bow shapes and their uses, as well as the stylistic accents in the leather pieces. Lovely though, even without said answers.
Also, what kiddo could ever resist the mystique of a bow & arrow set? You’ve certainly got a few of the lesser recognized instincts for teaching: vigilance, rapid response, deflection, etc. 🤣
(But seriously, though. Good work keeping them safe!)
Haha, for sure, constant vigilance is key while teaching. Children are great at finding danger. Climbing my glasstop standing desk, rocking their desks back and forward until they fall, sharpening a pencil until it’s sharper than a dagger.
Before I realized what was happening, I could see their eyes all instantly lock on the corner of the room on entering and saw that a corner of the target stand was sticking out from under the desk and then they all just sprinted for the prize. very exciting, and then they’re all gone after 45 minutes, which was plenty of time with them for me.
I really liked those leather quivers too; the store has a bunch of great pictures.
Maaaan, how did you walk out without buying anything? I would’ve had no money left. 🤣
Haha, lots of practice traveling light, although I definitely understand the urge. Everything at that shop looks so cool, and Mongolia is bow country.
But I’m working on getting back into hammock camping after a long break, so I was laser focused on gathering and then prepping DIYing and testing new gear before I leave in a couple days.