Primitive Bow and Arrows

[will ghormley]

Hey Guys,

Last spring I started on my project to make a primitive bow and arrows as was done by the First Nations people.  I got it done and took it on my first archery deer hunt.  Here is a link to the webpage that shows the gear and the hunt.  I didn't get nuthin'.  I guess I need to bone-up on my huntin' skills some.  It 'aint that easy gettin' within 30 feet of a deer on purpose, without a truck anyway.

http://www.willghormley-maker.com/BowHuntinDeer.html

Will

[GunClick Rick]

Well i don't know Will,if a deer was in your front room camofluaged like a couch would ya know he was there??

Just thinkin about ya this mornin wonderin what you was up to,now i know and i'm gonna go look and read..You beeter be filmin this stuff,hollywood would love it..

[Slowhand Bob]

Great piece Will, you do any group treks with the Longhunter groups?   A real close up shot is really not that hard to get, if you use the right technique.  The most common technique is called the snare and it will let you get reeeal close!  Here is a shot from my front porch, at two years old Im told she is already on borrowed time, usually around 18mos in these parts.  She is half the size, or less, of a normal doe her age.  Though she is wild and very timid the wife named her Goat and will probably be heart broken when Goat disappears.

[will ghormley]

Hey Slowhand,

No, I've never gone on any treks with any Longhunter groups.  I'm pretty poor and have to stay pretty close to home.  My adventures are homemade and cheap.  My time away is hard to come by.  The two day deer hunt I took happened on a Thursday/Friday because that's when my wife didn't have night classes and I could be gone.

When you talk about gettin' close with the technique called the snare, are you talkin' about an actual snare, or some sort of movement or plan.  Ioway don't allow snares on non-fur-bearin' critters.

That is one wild colored little deer you got there.  She should be worth somethin' for a zoo, just for the oddity of the coloration.  The hide would be pretty novel too.

Will

[Curley Cole]

Dang it Will , I have said it before and I say it again, I just really envy yer life style....

can I come play with ya...? huh..

curley

[Cliff Fendley]

Looks like a lot of fun Will. I've thought about doing some more primitive hunting but have never got serious about it. Getting close isn't a problem, getting off a shot with a bow at that range is the challenge.

If you get off of the ground you better your chances, I was hunting on the ground last year and had a couple young nosy does come right behind me and one walked around and nearly sniffed my gun barrel. I was barely breathing and I closed my eyes as not to make eye contact. If you make eye contact your busted. There is no way I could have gotten them with a bow as it would have taken too much movement.

I was in a tree this weekend hunting with my muzzle loader and had them right under me, never knew I was there.

[Slowhand Bob]

Will, I used to read any information I could obtain on the old Long Hunters and later western Mountain era and those who were recreating the life style, I think they trfer to themselves as living historians.  Problem was, here in the South you could not find anyone wanting to go earlier than the CW reinactors.  Like you I would never have gotten beyond daydreaming as the guns alone were a months salary and the wife n kids just woodnt agree to go that long without food.  What you are doing is far beyond that which most of us will ever do so keep the adventures coming so that we can share in them with you.

The snare thing was in jest and I am sure no state would allow using such for deer, or any other game animal.  With that said I would think various traps might well have been a popular method of gathering game by Native Americans.  Goat is what is referred to as a piebald deer, which is a genetic defect.  It comes with some pretty heavy health problems, usually heart defects, in addition to the small size and color.  We actually talked about trying to catch her for the petting zoo ar Magnolia Gardens but figured it might not be in her best interest. She seems well established as a part of a large herd here.

[will ghormley]

Hey Curley,

Come and play anytime, just bring the sourdough.  We can camp far enough away to make a fire for biscuits.

Cliff,

Thanks for the tips.  I'm thinkin' to be successful with the bow, I'll have to build a blind out'a alder brush next year.  I think they would remember me doin' it now and avoid my new home.

Slowhand,

Piebald like the horse.  I never liked ridin' a piebald horse, they just never seemed "right" to me.  I wonder if they have defects that go along with the coloration too?

Will

[Cliff Fendley]

Thata work Will, just find a funnel between food/water, and bedding area and build the blind ahead of time so they get used to it being there. Pay attention to the wind and stay down wind of the trail. You may need more than one so you can use either depending on the wind.

Dang you got me wanting to do the primitive thing now. Trouble is I've already got more ideas than time.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thanks for the link, Will. It was really interesting to see how the bow, arrows and quiver were made. Even more interesting was your journey. Great stuff.

[santee]

Thanks for sharing that expedition with us, Will. Great fun reading it.

[buckskin billy]

great adventure will.  i like the quiver you made. that is on my winter project thing to do list. i got me a short pony bow. just can't shoot it to save myself. more of a gun guy.

i brain tanned a pie bald deer last year for some guy. he never came and got it. it got me to wondering about them so i did a little research and what i found out was the pie bald deer is a result of in- breeding, which is a sign of over population. as said they usually have health issues and it is recommended to "cut them from the heard"

heres a picture of the hide i done, though its not as spotted as the one shown

[JD Alan]

Nice job Billy

[Slowhand Bob]

One of the local DNR guys told me that the little females do not survive the first breeding due to weak hearts.  I think the older fawns consider her another fawn as they act very playful with her in comparison to the larger females.  At any rate the wife and another area female neighbor has declared her as a protected species around here and can almost tell you night by night which woodlot she sleeps in.

[buckskin billy]

thanks jd. that was a very small spike. at least that is what the boy said who shot it. it was a button buck but it was older than what it looked. it had probadly reached its full potential when trigger happy shot it

[GunClick Rick]

Nice hide

[will ghormley]

Hey Buckskin Billy,

You said you brain tanned the piebald, how does that work with the hair on?  I've got it in my head to trap beaver this season, scrape it down and stretch it on willow hoops, sand it when it's dry, and do pen & ink drawings on it with colored inks.  But, I was also thinkin' about tannin' some and makin' a cape or blanket.  I've brain tanned deer hides after scrapin' all the hair off, but I'm curious about the process for hair on.

Will

[buckskin billy]

when doing hair on hides it is more important not to cut or nick the skin side while skinning as this will cut the hair roots and will make for a spot to go bald. so make sure you pull more than you cut while skinning.
  and don't soak the hide in water as this will make the grain swell and make the hair slip. you will have to flesh the hide fresh.
after you flesh (removing the meat and fat) make up a mixture of salt water and alum. for a deer hide i usually mix up a pound of alum to a pound of salt. i buy the cheap live stock salt in a 50 pound bag and aluminum postasium sofate. you get this at a hard ware store. it is uaually around the fertilizer.
so anyhows mix this up in a 5 gallon bucket full of water. throw hide in bucket and cover with a lid. every time you think about it stir the hide around for a few minuets. for about a 100 pound deer it will take 3-5 days. i make a small cut at the neck and if the skin is white all the way through its done. this is called struck through by the big boys.
after that i take it and rinse with a water hose to make sure all the salt is gone. what you have just done is called alum tan. it sets the hair and keeps it from slipping.
i then throw the hide over a line with the hair side out and allow to drip dry. this will vary on time. what to look for is on the skin side if it looks blue and is cool it is too wet for brain penertration. you don't want it raw hide dry but a little damp is fine. you'll have to play with this and get the feel.

next mix you up some brains or eggs. i'll assume you know how to do this step. but if not shout out and i'll explain in detail.
lay hide flat on a table or something and i take a paint brush and brush the brains on. fold in half and set over night. repeat again the next day.
you'll need a cable and i have found a trapping snare cable works good. work the hide acroos cable until soft and fluffy. you may not get it as soft as brain tan as the grain is still on, but it should be flexible. if not smoke  and repeat the braining process.
hope i aint lost no one hear with all of this talk on brains.
if you got more questions just ask

[GunClick Rick]

My mountain man buddy here used to work in a title office his dad owned,he had a keg and did this in his office.When he told people what he did they said eeeww tanning stinks,he would say no it doesn't see,and lift the table lid off and show them the hide soakin I gave him a bear hide once and he teaches mountain man living to students at schools all over,he would let the kids do the brain tanning and coach them on,that bear hide came out real nice

[Major 2]

I have read this thread and enjoyed the links Will offered.... I began thinking    days ago

WHAT IF ?   you all have seen the so called reel-alatry shows ..Dysfunctional family making garish motorcycles.
Bear Grylls and his Marriott at night survival trips  ( ask me how I know ! )
Crab fishing .... Driving trucks on ice .... some cheating bimbo dumps her husband or vise versa .... or they build some cool car on a deadline and spend the entire show crying about the limited time ..."look we did it in X number of hours  "


HOW ABOUT a show ... real people , real dug-outs   

Real mountain men.... survival 18-19 century style.