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My first Mojam, some random thoughts from this trad archery overload:
Cool weather
Lots of yellow t-shirts
Cool weather
Okie Camp
Staves, shavings and sawdust EVERYWHERE
Ralph's bow-boiling apparatus
Cool weather
Dano's hospitality
the Michaelangelo of wood (John Sturdevant)
Little Tree's beautiful snakeskinned origami bows ("how'd he do that??)
Cool weather
Mickey's HDFH- delicious
Wondering if Bill Metcalf (I hope I remembered his name correctly) is still there making something. He never stopped. Either leading the knapping or machete-working a stave.
Patience of JD and rocdoc in helping me with my first bb bow, a wingnut blank (I named it "Marshall Law")
Cool weather
Gary Davis-the Energizer Bunny of osage
Three generations of Rutters present and flingin' arras.
KS Trapper and Minuteman letting me tiller my bow over their dinner on Sat night.
Cool weather
Seeing first hand why those Georgia boys and girls kill so many animals- they don't miss!
Wishing everyone wore a name tag
POT LUCK DINNER!!
Planning my trip for 2007
Thanks to the Marshall Bowhunters
Posts: 2688 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Jul 2004
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MoJAM was awesome is darn near an understatement.
The camp was great, sure enjoyed the Walleye fillets - thanks to Rob and Pam Reed. John only took a few minutes off each day to sleep and eat, otherwise he was on a bow horse making shavings. John is bow making son of a gun. Sal's Yucca was a hit, those quivers are fantastic. Larry (Caveman) had a great selection of knives, had to snag one. I had a great time, it was easy with fine folks sharing the campsite.
You know, George, we didn't shoot that round. Guess we'll have to do it next year, something to remember. I better write it down, CRS is setting in with a vengence. Mickey, tell Diana thanks again for water bottle holder, will be using it Tuesday, got a hike to look a project site. Thanks to you both for the famous (infamous?) Hot Dogs and for the refreshing root beer floats. Awesome.
Seeya ALL next year. Glad I could meet everyone again.
Posts: 162 | From: Lee's Summit, MO | Registered: Jul 2004
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well boys, not only didnt i make it, I forgot to send money down there to outbid Mickey in the auction. I rememberedat like 1 in the afternoon, tried to call a few people there that had cell phones, they were all turned off. I wanted someone to pick up my shirts. I guess I will have to work a deal out with Mobow if he has any left.
life getting in the way is completely unacceptable.
I missed you guys, I think I am gonna quit reading these threads now.
-------------------- ...gosh this is hard.
Hailey (5) 3 minutes into a pilates workout Posts: 6159 | From: Alberta Canada | Registered: Mar 2003
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Sure looks good to see friend Dano up to his usual tricks and in his glory. He was everything I expected (hoped) he'd be when we met, camped, shot, and hung out at ATAR (Oh, and ate his breakfast too - LOL). Looks like you guys had a ball and he e-mailed me that he sure did. Ya gotta love it!!!
-------------------- Bernie: "Hunters Are People Too"
Ret'd USMC '53-'72 Disbanded Hubert Archers (Treasurer) Traditional Bow Shooters of West Virginia (Official Dinosaur Wrangler, Supporter, and Member) TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 18878 | From: S Coastal NC | Registered: Mar 2003
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Madpig..prices went out of sight, certainly out of my range very quickly. First bid on a hunt in Alabama was $500 (Timo) and he lost by a bunch. Best bargains were an osage bow made by the Okie camp and an elk hide Lakota quiver set up with bow sock complete with bow and arrows. There was some neat stuff this year, including a Mattingly bow. Unlike last year, it was tough to buy anything without a pocket full of jingle.
It was questionable whether a really neat arrow carving by Sturdivant was going to stay in the US or go to Germany but Connie Westvang finally bid enough to keep it in their booth.
-------------------- There is always someone that knows more than you, and someone that knows less than you, so you can always learn and you can always teach Posts: 12891 | From: Cincinnati, Ohio | Registered: Mar 2003
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I took my daughter to MOJAM this year and we had a blast. Here is my report.
I got my Gary Davis bow blank tillered in one day, came out 48lb@27", I was shooting for 50 but its 68.5" long so I am going to shoot it in and then pike it to get the poundage I want. I also bought a beautiful stave of hop hornbeam (couldn't resist two years in a row) and turned it into a pyramid-style bow blank another day.
Shooting-wise, I didn't do a whole lot. Never got to the 3D course. I hit the running pig one time in three shots, didn't make top ten in the clout shoot but my daughter did. She ended up in 7th place and won an excellent arm guard with a tooled antelope and some rawhide backing strips. I'm making a fancy walnut plaque for her lucky arrow. And of course she got a trophy for hitting the target in the kids' shoot (they shoot till they hit it BTW).
There wasn't quite as much osage for sale/trade this year, but it was the year for yew as several people had some. Even Gary Davis is offering yew ELB blanks now, and we had a great conversation with the blacksmith fellow who makes the ELB warbows (Bill, I forget his last name). He brought a 135lb bow this year. He is quite knowledgable about building yew longbows.
We didn't camp, I missed that except the first night the low temp was around 75 and that makes it a little stuffy in a tent. The Comfort Inn there in Marshall is a great motel. I ate 8 polish sausages with kraut over the course of three days. The potluck was tasty, I brought pickled beets and even those got ate. Must've been some HUNGRY folks (actually they were tasty but beet eaters are few and far between).
My daughter got together with some other youngsters her age and they shot and had a great time. I bought her an atlatl and they all had fun with that. It made me proud to see her enjoying the sport I love so much. She doesn't shoot often during the year, but she always has fun at MOJAM as it is such a kid-friendly place.
I bought a very nice drawknife and a hatchet heat from Bob Barnes, some B50 from the Nocking Point, and spent the remainder of my cash on a Loyd Lippert kid's bow at the auction. Too bad, because there were some other bows I would loved to have owned including a gorgeous Primitive Archer collaboration bow, a sinew-backed bow with a bow-and-arrow quiver, a even a bow made by the late Joe Mattingly who was one of the great osage bowyers of our time. Then there was the bow from a Dean Torges blank, tillered by Gary Davis and finsihed by JD Jones, it went for a respectable price as any all-star bow should.
There was a troup of Boy Scouts that came in to make bows, they spent all day Saturday working on their weapons. Gary and Bill? (the Okie fellow) helped them all day and cranked out some seriously good-looking stuff, passing on the tradition.
Also have to apologize to Sal, he and I were vying for a couple of items this year (stave and kids bow) and I somehow wound up with them. All I can say is, you got good taste Sal. That was a great yucca quiver you donated to the auction by the way.
I brought my black lab pup but it was hot so I had her kenneled a lot of the time at a local vet. I did take her a few times, she got to play with a chocolate lab that was almost the same age/size and she had fun at that. And she enjoyed the 30 or so people who stopped to pet her.
People-wise, I met lots of folks at the pavillion. Several first-timers, many repeat customers. Even got to shake hands with CM Sackett, whose book we are all enjoying so much. I missed a few people, Mims, Calvin and Scifres I want you to know I talked bad about you as usual. Next time wear a skirt and blond wig and maybe someone will stop and give you a ride, hitchhiking in your normal state ain't gonna get you 2 miles.
Now to go read the rest of this thread.
-------------------- Lennie aka "Tom Thumbs" "It is better to give than receive- especially advice." Mark Twain Posts: 1954 | From: Hannibal, MO | Registered: Apr 2003
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Hi everyone. Just had to put my 2 cents worth in. This was my first MOJAM, but it definitely won't be my last. I had an absolute BLAST!
I want to thank everyone that had anything to do with putting this event on. The Marshall crew did a great job, and there were lots and lots of people there that did very little except help people build bows.
There were great demonstrations, great food, and best of all, great fellowship. I got to meet some Tradgangers for the first time, and that was neat.
I have to say a special thank you to the Okie camp, especially Ralph Renfro and Mike Hames, for all the help with my bow, along with Mickey(Ferret). This was my first time to meet him, and he was every bit as good a guy as I had expected.
I took an osage stave down there to try and build my first bow, and who'da thunk it, I did it! But I sure had some good help from Ralph, Mike, and Mickey, along with several others during the weekend. It turned out to be a sweet looking little 58" D bow pulling about 50 pounds, and I couldn't be prouder.
I learned a lot, and made some new friends, got re-aquainted with several that I met at OJAM, and added this event to my ABSOLUTELY DON'T MISS list. I also left there with a big handful of river cane and a bag full of full length turkey feathers given to me by a couple of the Okie gang. Planning on making some cane arrers to shoot out of my new bow. I even got to set down and break some rock with Bill Metcalf Sunday morning before I had to pack up and head out. Maybe one of these days I'll get good enough at knapping to make my own hunting heads.
Thanks again to everyone. I'll maybe post a few pics later, after I get a chance to go thru them.
Can't wait till next year!
-------------------- Well, who'da thunk it! Posts: 604 | From: Wyandotte, OK | Registered: Aug 2003
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Fireman_3311, really appreciate your pics of the "stuff", especially the knapping results and tools. Wish I had been there, for sure, for sure.
-------------------- Bernie: "Hunters Are People Too"
Ret'd USMC '53-'72 Disbanded Hubert Archers (Treasurer) Traditional Bow Shooters of West Virginia (Official Dinosaur Wrangler, Supporter, and Member) TGMM Family of the Bow Posts: 18878 | From: S Coastal NC | Registered: Mar 2003
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Walt and I finally got back after our 18 hour straight thru drive (except for a leg stretcher thru the Sidney Cabelas store). Made it home about 2 am last nite. What a fun time, and great to meet new folks and visit with other friends I met there 2 years ago, and of course those on this site! Got a pretty good load of hedge brought back, and unloaded some giant yew boards on the Westvang crew! Thanks again Connie and Mike for you hospitality...and thanks for all you who stayed up late for the slide show and music! Looking forward to my next return trip.
-------------------- My head is full of wanderlust, my quiver's full of hope. I've got the urge to walk the prairie and chase the antelope! - Nimrod Neurosis Posts: 1901 | From: Livingston, Montana | Registered: Mar 2003
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I concur with '46 Mark. Outstanding. I really liked the fact that ya played my favorite from your CD's "Try Try Again" (even if ya did stumble thru my favorite part about the "making my gear with my own hands"..betcha thought no one noticed huh?)Dang Connie and her Margaritas! LOL. Still it was a great show. The power point presentation is a neat thing.
Shawnee you should be proud of that D bow, you did a great job on it.Heck if you had Ralph and Mike Hames helping ya, you had as good of teachers as it gets. Nice work young man!
-------------------- There is always someone that knows more than you, and someone that knows less than you, so you can always learn and you can always teach Posts: 12891 | From: Cincinnati, Ohio | Registered: Mar 2003
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had the best time ever weather was great people were wonderfull.Lennie i hope the kids bow works for her, if not we can do some trading. loyd
Posts: 908 | From: mo. | Registered: Mar 2003
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