Early, Miller and Seminole counties SW Ga

[Son]

My first store bought bow was an Indian fiberglass longbow. Sometime in the early 50's. Second bow was a Pearson B-1 Hunter, fiberglass recurve. Bought it through the mail while I was stationed in Morocco (Navy days) Third was a Bear Kodiak Magnum, then a Jennings Model T, then a Jennings model W. Moved on to Martin sometime around 82 with a second bow by Jennings, a Woody. Still have one Martin Warthog and the Jennings Woody. Been a bowhunter all my life, miss being able to go at it like I used to.

 

[Swamprat]

Forgot to tell ya thanks for sharing the pics,I never veyed up that way,was that a proven corner,wit stumps?,if so then its a validated corner record,instead of just a CCR.

Stealth, from what I gather they took no witness trees since at that time the mounds really stuck out. This is a proven mound based on other mounds found and going thru the GLO plats and notes to verify. In this area the GLO surveyors actually meandered around a large titi swamp so they never set the NW section corner where this is at which is about 1200 or so feet West of the mound. I have tried to back it in 3 times both from the mound and other monumentation and even though I still get within the same 30' or so area we have found no evidence of any later surveyor.

What got me interested in archery was watching these old Fred Bear videos on Wild World Sportsman on ABC, My first bow, my middle bow, my last bow along with a recurve I bought along the way were all Bear products. I think what has turned me off is that now a good bow with all of the accesories including carbon arrows is more than a good rifle.

It also got degrading when I was taking my 10 year old compound in to have strings replaced, etc and everybody would talk down to what I was shooting. Yeah, it did not have the speed but it shot consistent. Never used a trigger release, just a Damascus glove. I kept telling them that it would still kill just about any animal walking in North America but they all just laughed to theirselves. It got to the point where as technology had changed you could not readily find a quality string/cable replacement.

 

[Swamprat]

Son....I had a Kodiak Magnum then bought a Bear 44 Magnum. Sweetest shooting bow I have ever owned.

Stealth....I just ran airboats for a few years. Figured like most boats it would just be something you pour money into. Buying heads and jugs would get spensive. Knew alot of folks running 110 or 220 Continentals and they were some stout motors as far as having mech. problems.

We would actually run the hill around Lake Poinsett and run over deer in the deeper water. Just roll them over once and they would flounder back up and keep chugging. Probably caught more hogs than anything. Had a buddy with a hog dog that he chained to the front with some type of quick relase from the stand to the collar. Every time he released the dog on a hog it always bailed out in front of the moving airboat and he would run it over. Dog would pop back up, get his bearings and more than likely would catch the hog within 50 yards.

 

[Swamprat]

Son....I hear we are suppose to get a bunch of rain on Tuesday. 1-2" is what they are saying.

To bad cause we are needing you to get out on the lake to supply us with some fish to fry for our whenever it will happen get together.

 

[kmckinnie]

S R you are right about the cost! But I love the hunt with a bow and the ol whitetail got to hard to pull! They laughed at my olbow aswell til we shot the targets! That DXT is smooth and easy to pull , I'll enjoy shooting again at the targets! I think the whitetail shot flatter! I gave it to my nephew! He hunts with it now! The DXT is short axle to axle.Works great out of ground blinds! (don't tell son about that) Ithink I'll try it behind the house this turkey season first. I'm going with a rage 2 blade 100 grain with a X T hunter arrow 5575. I just mite get lucky! If not the 870 3in will!

 

[Swamprat]

K-mac...for some reason I could never get use to a shorter A to A bow...I like the longer bows. My draw length is close to 30-31 inches so pulling back further than the A to A length seemed weird.

Not much on overdraws. etc. Guess I am to old school for my own good. Wonder what Fred Bear would say if he saw what was popular now.

I do like my recurve but unless you practice every 45 seconds it is not a forgiving thing to shoot.

I am also what you call a gap shooter, Son and Stealth probably know about this as some of you all but basically I did not use sights but used the gap between the tip of the arrow to the target as my reference while shooting. Fo some reason it came to me naturally that way and I was pretty darn accurate, nough to kill deer and hogs out to 40 yards. It just takes alot of practice. Will never say I can drill them within 1" of each other for 5 arrows like a modern setup but I could have 5 within a 2-3" group at 30 yards, nuff to kill a animal.

 

[kmckinnie]

I'm the same 30-31, I just did what my friend told me to do with the shorter a-a. Igot a release with astrap to the trigger that shorten the draw by a 1 1/4 I bend my elbow a little now instead of sraight that a little more I'm at 28 1/2 and its feels good! I shot the ol bear for years with no sights! My first bow was a fiberglass long bow 35 pounds I was 8 1969! Rabbits feared me, 3rd grade girls thought I was handsome! LOLs And yes it cost more than most rifles, Its crazy til the bow freaks quit buying, it will stay that way! My whitetail was under 100 new! This was close to 1000! I had better enjoy it!

 

[Swamprat]

I'm the same 30-31, I just did what my friend told me to do with the shorter a-a. Igot a release with astrap to the trigger that shorten the draw by a 1 1/4 I bend my elbow a little now instead of sraight that a little more I'm at 28 1/2 and its feels good! I shot the ol bear for years with no sights! My first bow was a fiberglass long bow 35 pounds I was 8 1969! Rabbits feared me, 3rd grade girls thought I was handsome! LOLs And yes it cost more than most rifles, Its crazy til the bow freaks quit buying, it will stay that way! My whitetail was under 100 new! This was close to 1000! I had better enjoy it!

10-4 bout the rabbits. I just could not get use to a trigger. I like the feel of the string in my fingers. I can for whatever reason decide when I want to shoot. With my finger tips I could actually stop a release but when you hit the trigger it was going. Do like the idea of the trigger though to shorten draw. My last compound I had it set to use a release but after two weeks I just could not get use to it for whatever reason so I had then take the loops off and I went back to fingers. Course they thought I was on crack.

I think my first Bear I paid around 100 for in 1980 or so, my last one I plunked down close to 400 and that was in the late nineties. My recurve I got off of E-bay for like 65 bucks bout 6-7 years ago. Like I said, I am to old school for what is probably the best for me.

 

[stealthman52]

SR,looking kinda wet up your way today

 

[Son]

Raining fellers, ever since around 3 this morning. Really coming down now at 10:30.
Bows. On recurves, my draw was 29 inches, moved up to compounds and it went to 31. Remember this, the shorter the bow, the more the finger pinch, (i'm a finger shooter) And shooting a bow with overdraw is the closest you can be to dry firing your bow with an arrow in it. I like the tab for finger shooting, and am a self taught bowyer. Some call it snap shooting, some call it instinctive. But I aim as I draw, at full draw it's an automatic release. This doesn't work with sights, as I've always had problems using sights on the range. Stealth can tell you, they always beat me on the range, but I beat most of em in the woods. Hunting, I shoot instinctive. There was a time when I would have gone after anything walking with a 55 pound recurve.
This rain might make a mess out of our roads in our hunting woods if they keep hauling today or tomorrow.

 

[Havana Dude]

Crappy day fo sho. Good day to work on the taxes, (if there is such a thing). Getin er done while it's raining. You know, my poor daughter can't win for losing. She was sick week before last with that flu bug thing, or whatever it was, for 8 days. (then my son got it, then the wife) . Now she(daughter) wakes up this morning, both ears pounding, feels like fluid in the ears. To the doc at 1:45, then she has an Ortho appt at 330. If it aint one thing it's another for her. Dang, I just wish I could take on all her problems so she could enjoy life a little.

I'm hoping to get back in the stand tomorrow morning, after this rain moves on out. Then to work. Thursday night, going to see my man George Strait along with Reba, and LeAnne Womack. Seen Reba a couple times, but never George. I had to rob the bank to do it, but I always said if he came back, I was going. My God are they proud of the tickets now!!!!

 

[Swamprat]

Dang HD, your daughter has had some tough luck as of late. Hope she gets to feeling better soon and we will all be praying for her.

Have not been to a concert in years but they were semi proud of their prices even way back when. Could only imagine what todays tickets cost. Have fun at the concert, sounds like it will be a goodun.

Rain moved out fairly early this morning was pretty much done by 8:30 here.

 

[stealthman52]

HD,good luck with the concert,myself I would rather watch em on TV,same wit NASCAR,the latest gimmick is to raise prices to see what the market will bare,but there are skinners that will pay it.
Son,is telling it right,targets were not his bag,but put hair on it,and he nailed it,and as a hunter,thats all that matters.

 

[Son]

It's been a bad season for sickness, our hospital has stayed full of virus and flu patients. I'm hoping I can make it to spring without catching any of it. I don't do concerts or ball games cause crowds always have some bad people in em. And my luck, I get to sit right next to or in front of em. Secondly, I don't like crowds, Had a bad experience many years ago, whe my oldest daughter and I almost got trampled when a crowd stampeded for some reason. Never did find out why. She was about 3, and I held her above my head as I felt crushed by people. This happened at the old Florida State Fair Grounds in Tampa. Never again. But for those of ya who like such, I hope you enjoy it.

 

[Havana Dude]

Doc results: double ear infection. 2 meds.

Ortho: she got her braces off about a month ago, now they put her in retainers top and bottom. She is wishing she had just stayed in bed today, but is a trooper. She was a little down on the way home but is perked up now. They say they are for life, but we all know how that works.

As far as the concert: I hear ya, and I agree. BUT, I made my statement about 15 years ago, and da wemens got a mind like a steel trap. Ah heck, I'm gonna enjoy it, but I hate crowds too.

I squeezed in about 1.5 hours on the stand this evening. On the drive in, saw 2 does bedded in the pines. Then approaching the stand, saw 2 flags run off. Saw nothing from the stand.

 

[Swamprat]

Like Son says...pics liven up a post. So here is some but a little history first. These calls are made by Cecil Fry of Emminence, Mo. He passed away several years ago but his call were displayed at the Smithsonian as part of a Americana/Folk Art exhibit.

Both of my uncles live in Emminence and one of my uncles would supply some of the fence posts to Cecil for his call making. About 2 years before Cecil passed my uncle asked if he could make a call for him, and his two brothers which one of them was my dad. He did make them for them as appreciating my uncle supplying posts.

The bigger call is the ones he made and was passed on to me after my dad had passed away a few years ago, the second I bought off of Ebay to compliment the first one

 

[Son]

I hate it when I see flags leaving when I approach a stand.
Love those box calls.
I've been thinking about making some calls like we used back in the 50's. Just for something different, and for a different sound than what turkeys are used to hearing from hunters these days.

One is a hollow cedar box, narrow, deep and small. A small narrow piece of slate is worked over the edges for sound. Chalked of course.
Another is a piece of slate for a base. With a cedar stick through a corncobb. The stick is worked much like the glass calls they use these days. Again, chalk is needed.
Now for a turkey story. Back in the 80's while pursueing a gobbler over a couple miles distance, I lost my chalk. It got to where the call wouldn't make a sound. I took some dry resin off a pine and rubbed it on the paddle of the box call. It worked well enough to call the old bird in for an easy shot. Two miles or so, that turkey weighed plenty by the time I got back to the truck.

 

[Swamprat]

Son....sounds like you are talking about a Tom Gaskins type of call if I am thinking of the correct style. I have something similar but it uses a cedar block for friction.

Believe Gaskins was a pretty good turk killer back in the day.

 

[stealthman52]

SR,I got one of them square Gaskins,has a cork,chalk is kept inside the hollow area,only problem is,I don't know where it is right now,lol.

 

[Swamprat]

SR,I got one of them square Gaskins,has a cork,chalk is kept inside the hollow area,only problem is,I don't know where it is right now,lol.

Better find it cause they are probably worth 10 times what you paid for it if it is a older one.

I have one of those Lynch Lil Jet slate calls, just fits in the palm of your hand. I think I paid 7 bucks for it mid eighties, worth close to 50 now.

The bigger Cecil Fry call was selling for 1000-1500 several years back when call collecting got popular. Not sure of the value now.