Well the quest began 2 years ago. I remember my wife and I had been married about 2 months when i set up my mind. I said, "Baby, i want to build a longbow", being the AWESOME wife she is, of coarse she said, yes. After several emails back and forth with binghamprojects and some help from my uncle, i had my materials on the way to my house!
I had been tracking it through UPS for several days.. I watched as the UPS man drove through our apartment complex just like he was supposed to, as he approached our complex.. he drove right by! I was thinking, we maybe he is going to drop it off by the office.. nope! I got in my car, chased him down and told him about how UPS website says he was supposed to be delivering my bow materials to me, he said he didn't have my package, i assured him he did, he checked through once, i asked him to check again, i showed him how UPS said it was out for delivery, he then checked again and found my box(DANG UPS!!!).
Well over the next few weeks my uncle and I began gluing, sanding, shaping, cutting and drilling out all the necessary cuts and what not to make my longbow.
this is about a day in(glue time, waiting, etc.)
I then began to sculpt the riser exacly like i wanted it.
well needless to say, there was still a ton of work to be done at this time.
strung the bow up for the first time...
well the next few weeks, i began fine sanding, hours upon hours of sanding with basically paper towels.. (don't miss that part).
I eventually added a clear coat and the bow was ready to be shot.
finished results:
66" #64@28 R/d longbow that was built with a lot of love!
*i later refinished the limbs to lighten them some so i don't know the exact # now.
It came out a little stiffer that i would have liked for it to, but being a young man, i had to shoot my beautiful creation!
I finished the bow around Christmas of 2011. well i had just picked up trad archery so needless to say i would have had to be touching a deer to kill him!
I began my traditional archery hunting campaign in the fall of 2012. It was the second day of the season, i was sitting in my climber. I look down at my watch it is 6:15(about 30 mins til dark). I think to myself, i might as well stand up for the last 30 mins. As soon as i stand up and look to my left, there was a doe standing aprroximately 17 yards, she had no idea i was there.. Needless to say, my heart started POUNDING, i was afraid she was going to hear it. I turn, prepare for the shot, begin to draw back and hear something above me, i look up and my top limb is touching a small branch, i try to cant the bow, but now my climber top is coming into play and messing up my shot opportunity! I see an opening about 10 yards ahead of her that i will have a clear shooting path, i sit and wait for what seems like forever, but in reality was only a minute or two. She gets up to the opening, her head leads the way, when she gets about shoulder height out of it, she turns and walks out about 30 yards and then crosses.. my heart dropped, i was not upset because i always love seeing wildlife, but nothing would be going home with me and my beautiful bow i had just made..
Well the year passes by and through work, college, wife, etc. I don't get any more opportunities with the longbow.
Well a few weeks ago, a friend of mine who has a lease in Arkansas asked if i wanted to go check him trail cameras with him, we go up there and he has some monster hogs! We go back in an attempt to kill one, the hogs must not have received the invitation(Dang UPS!). Well one sunday morning we decide that we are going to try to sneak up there before church and return for church. We leave the house around 5, drive the hour up to Arkansas, get out of the truck about 610. We slowly crept towards the first feeder and there stands a hog at roughly 100 yards down the lane. I draw back my longbow, make the proper arch, release and arrow, watching my lighted nock all the way down the lane and BAM! IT HITS PERFECT!!!! (SIKE!!!). LOL. Back to reality, we got our game plan together, decided that we were going to attempt to stalk up on it through the pines.. well after about 2 steps we realize that that will not be happening. We quickly change plans and decide to creep down the side of the shooting lane. Well at about 100 yards away, i thought, "no way its happening". At 75, "there is a chance". At 50, "Oh goodness" 25, "Thank you Jesus!" at 20, i slowly took another strafe step, draw back my bow, released an arrow. I watch the arrow disappear between the hogs ribs. The hog took two steps and looked around. (my friend had a 10 gauge with 3 1/2" turkey loads) He shot the hog center mass, the hog began to run, he shot it again in the side of the head, the hog turns to run towards us, i jump out of the way, my buddy shoots him point blank in the head, the hog just keeps running, we take off after him. Greg(my buddy) is shooting the hog with the 10 gauge while he is running through the pines, the hog finally stops and appears that he is ready to fight, well i put an arrow through the pump house, the hog stands for a few more minutes, falls and was trying to get back up, i shot one more time in hopes of finishing him off.
If looking at the close up of the shots, the first was the top left, the second the one in the pump station, and the 3rd was the long gash while he was thrashing on the ground.
Overall, this was one of the most amazing feeling i have ever felt while hunting. This hog was kill my a bow that i sculpted out of various woods my heavenly Father created, the arrows i fletched up myself, the broadheads were sharpened with a 9" bastard file the night before.
The most impressive thing to me was that i had 2 complete pass throughs on the hog. One at 20 yards and the arrow was found 15 yards behind him, and the other was at around 12 yards where the arrow was about the same distance behind him!
GOD IS GOOD!
Topic: IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!! (Read 2981 times)
