Anybody use a back quiver for their main hunting quiver?

I usually do. I miss a lot. That's bout the only way I can keep enough ammo.

Yep. Works great for me.

I hunt a lot with my back quiver. They work great if properly made and used.

With the exception of the first week or two of October when the brush and foliage is just too thick where I hunt, for the rest of the season I hunt almost exclusively with a back quiver and have for years. A back quiver is a hunting TOOL. But in order to get the most benefit from it, it has to fit YOU properly; not you and 1000 other people- YOU!

It has become plainly evident to me over the years that a lot of guys walk around (3-D shoots, etc.) with back quivers that are either poorly designed, or made of leather that is too stiff (and thus does not compress against the back as it should), and/or do not fit properly. These will be the guys that you observe twisting and spinning in half-circles trying to reach an arrow; or the guys that you'll notice abruptly bending forward at the waist trying to get their arrows to fall forward just enough to be reached; or the guys whose arrows will fall out all over the ground when they bend over to tie their shoe. These will also usually be the guys who claim that back quivers are impractical and do not work in "real hunting" situations. OK, everyone gets to offer an opinion.

I had my quiver built per my specifications so that everything I use over the course of a typical season (arm guard, mini-mag flashlight, extra rubber bands, shooting glove, knife. compass, gps, lighter- even an extra sweater or rain jacket) can be attached to or carried in the quiver. In this way, when I get home from work and need to get out the door quickly, all I need to do is grab my quiver and bow- and I'm hunting.

http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/TF/lw/thread2.cfm?threadid=224136&category=88#3004162

lots of good info here.

scroll down to 36bounds post. very insightful, backed up by a great deal of experience.

Sadie thanks for the link, had missed that one altogether.

Seriously good information to consider from 36bound (and some of the other folks) on the other thread. I'm frequently impressed with how much effort you put into sharing your experience with others Monty. Thank you for doing so.

About the only way I can see using one is open-field roving where you would take a lot of shots with field points and not be walking through heavy brush. I dont like the way you have to handle the arrows. Not a lot of control. With todays safety concious world (bowhunters play with sharp things) I dont care for a razor sharp broadhead moving past my head /neck / ears. No, I tried it and wont go back. I'll take a bow quiver please.

I can barely reach to scratch my back so who's gonna reach in and grab me an arrow when I need it? In all seriousness, I love the idea of a back quiver, the look of them, the fact of reducing weight and torque on my bow, but in all honesty there is simply too much brush to contend with and I think a back quiver would be impractical in real world circumstances...at least in my neck of the woods.

I have hunted with, made, many a back quiver. Howard Hill used one after all..as did many other early archers.

The back quiver needs to 'fit' like your best hunting boots however..Should not be too stiff so it'll conform to your body and yet allow the arrows to be withdrawn easily..( and quietly) Some great quiver pics and testimonies from you archery hunters above ..More power to you!

But when all is said and done, making or finding a great fitting back quiver is a tall order for most hunters of big game..unless one is hunting Africa or the really wide open spaces..:)

Small game hunting like rabbits or winged fowl where fast follow up shooting is often done works pretty well..but other than that and aside from appearance and nostalgia the back quiver generally sucks for the dedicated archery hunter in my opinion anyhow..:).

Bulky, noisy,cumbersome, EVERY arrow reached for is like waving GOODBYE to game..Makes it hard for the hunter to carry any sort of backpack if he's hunting other than climbing into a treestand of for the afternoon on the back 20 acre woodlot.

I don't like nor use bow mounted quivers on my own recurves or longbows..but that is another topic..:)

Only things I want touching my bow is my bow hand, fingers on the string and the arrow nocked and drawn..:)

I make and use a side quiver that clips to my belt that allows one to withdraw an arrow quietly and unobtrusively from behind the body rearward, remove the quiver in and instant for the closest crawling stalk thru heavy brush, and will carry as many 'reloads' as any small game hunter or rover needs. I can run with it on quietly.. Has served me well for over 45 years and also served Saxton Pope & Art Young well..Jim

I have tried hip quivers, bow quivers but I have never hunted from a tree stand or a blind. For me in the western US and in Alaska the back quiver has always worked best. I can carry alot more arrows. If I pick up a grouse or rabbit along the trail I can put him in the back quiver. I can even pack a small lunch and keep it in my back quiver.

I can also draw, aim and release an arrow fairly easy within 5 seconds from one arrow to the next. And I do not have to take my eyes off the target between arrows.

I have back quivers I have used for over 20 years and they are still very functional. For me, I would not use anything else. Gary Sentman

Gary, Your's is a good one..stiff enough yet conforms to your back-body. Well made and attractive also..( did I mention aesthetics and nostalgia..:)? Q: When you are going for that second arrow for rabbits running or the third blue-fools grouse or big woodland grouse taking flight..,

Do you use the bow hand to 'bump' the bottom of the quiver to get the arrow nocks up into position so's your drawing hand gets right on them?

Like I said, more power to those who enjoy and use the back quiver well and successfully.. Just wasn't the best quiver for my own hunting needs..

I've seen some that were as bulky, stiff and cumbersome as golf club bags for midgets..:(Jim

for me the backquiver has always been best, but I studied how the masters used theirs and adopted their techniques. For the same reasons 36 and Gary stated, I love them....but I don't like small diameter quivers....the large ones are just too handy....

What circumference do you guys recommend? 22inch? Do you build in any taper. I've made 3 Hill, but I recently bought a nice piece of latigo, and want to make my final quiver. Any dimensions would be appreciated. What shape do you use for the bottom. I drew up these shapes which are in the 8.4-9.6 x 4.4x 4.75 range. I recently heard from someone with some Hill quivers that there was some taper in them which is the reason for the superimposed shapes. they taper from about 22 in to 20 in. But I haven't decided on taper for sure yet.

Nat Steen, Now yours is certainly a golf bag sized quiver..:) Same question for you as I posed for Sentman:

Q: When you are going for that second arrow for rabbits running or the third blue-fools grouse or big woodland grouse taking flight..,

Do you use the bow hand to 'bump' the bottom of the quiver to get the arrow nocks up into position so's your drawing hand gets right on them? I watched many a Howard Hill clip and he always did that as did John Schultz..Jim

Depending on my clothes I may or may not do the back quiver bump.

I made my first back quiver in 1997 and still use it. I have latigo laces braded up hanging from the quiver to hold stuff, jackets, rain gear, small game. I have a favorite Billy Watson knife in a quiver mounted sheath.

And Jim, if I am slipping around and may want a qick shot I have an arrow set up outside of the quiver as seen in the picture. I can reach down and release it from the solo stalker and pull it up to shoot.

It took me almost a year to get it to conform to my back but I do not drop arrows when I bend over and I have tucked it under my arm for some pretty rough going.

Penny, There is certainly something that is attractive, nostalgic and even ( at times) practical about a well made and well fitting ..( hand made) back quiver..:)

Each maker-archer can customize them to suit his tastes and for pure Errol Flynn-Howard Hill FLAIR, no other quiver style comes close..:)

Hope your Christmas season is wonderful for you and family and the new year sees you doing all you wish to do with a smile and good energy! Jim

I also use a back quiver but it has to fit right. Most never have the ability to break in. The angle is usually wrong but that can be adjusted without much effort.

How often do you guys have to sharpen your broadheads? Looks like they would get dull pretty easy.

Jim,

my quiver is a standard 22" wide, folded over itself 1 1/2" and then flattened...same size as Schulz/Hill used all those years...it just looks big. lol. I use my elbow to bump up the quiver, it hangs very low ala Hill/Schulz, so it doesn't catch brush and it needs to be bumped to reach an arrow, then it slides back into position. If the quiver doesn't slide, it's useless to me. I can tie on stuff to the cross stitch lacing, but I try to not make the quiver a pack. Although, they are great for carrying grouse, rabbits, squirrels, etc.... and they are the best for getting a second arrow ready.

You have to maintain an edge on your broadheads no matter what type of quiver you use. The arrows don't move around, because the fletching interlocks them together, so the heads don't move around either, and there is spacing between the heads/edges. With the angles of the edges, they don't touch each other much. Recently, I checked the edge of a broadhead that a fellow hunting partner pulled out of his Boa bowquiver...I was surprised how dull it was, my heads in my backquiver were shaving sharp. A bowquiver is no excuse for not checking your broadhead sharpness before every hunt in my opinion.

I make them,sell them use nothing but them,plain and fancy. The right leather lets the body collapse on the shafts and cut out rattle and lost arrows and a convex bottom like Hill used will allow a quick shift up to get the next arrow.

Clothyard, That is some fine work you did on that back quiver ( and bracer) for sure!Jim

I have been thinking about making one. Does anyone have a kit they could recommend for a starter?

Leanman, Best way to 'kit up' to make any quiver is to use heavy paper and a stapler to mock up your design. You can also use heavier inexpensive fabric but paper works pretty well.Like the old time blotter paper such as was used on desks in a blotter..:)( if anyone recall what THEY were..:)

That'll help you decide about size, length, tapers, straps etc so when you DO spend the mone for good leather, you know how it's gonna go together and know that it'll be right for your arrows and body BEFORE you take the shears and knives to 60.00+ worth of leather.

Tandy and other supply houses have the tools, punches, dyes.. and leather and fittings-buckles etc once you know what you want to make.Jim

Jim - dire wolf - Yes I have made some quivers that were like the heavy duty golf bags over the years. Then I have made some that were so soft and light you could not get the arrow in or out of them. I have been making quivers all my life and I have it pretty well down now. The arrows have a slight lean when in the quiver on your back but I do like to keep the nocks fairly close to my right ear. The quiver should be deep enough so they do not stick up too high also.

Yes I subconsciously push the quiver up to my drawing hand with my bow arm shoving the arrow into my drawing hand. Then I rotate the arrow slightly till my thumb picks up the feel of the indicator on the nock. At this time the arrow is slammed down on the arrow shelf. The draw hand is slightly rotated. The arrow is brought up in line with the target and by the time I reach my anchor, the arrow has been pre aimed and the release is almost instantanious.

I also nock over my nocking point rather than the standard under the nock. I have noticed over the years, archers that nock under are looking down at the nocking point when nocking the arrow. By nocking over the nock, I simply slide the arrow down to the nocking point and I can keep my attention on the target rather than finding the string to push the nock onto under the nocking point. To use this method to nock over the nocking point, one should have the serving fit the nock fairly snug. This method may sound complex but after repetition it is very easy to do from muscle memory and conditioned reflexes. It allows the archer to shoot arrows 5 seconds appart. Even faster with practice. It also allows the archer to completely stay focused on the target.

Gary Sentman

does a back quiver limit you to two blade heads? seems like three and four blade heads would get tangled up.

Sometimes I think I enjoy looking at back quivers as much as I do stickbows. Just some REALLY cool looking quivers, guys.

Sunset Hill, that is one heck of a beautiful bear.

Dire Wolf thanks for the compliment. Try using two layers of upholstery leather laminated back to back with a high quality contact cement. I find Barge to be one of the best. A good pattern base is no wax flooring. You can lay out your quiver and cut it with a utility knife. It gives you a solid edge to trace around.

Gary, thanks for the reply..I have always nocked OVER the nocking point and never touch the arrow except for the nock between thumb and forefinger..as you seem to do also. Years ago I used back quivers a lot...always bumped the quiver bottom with bow-hand to raise the quiver a tad for bringing the next arrow into play..Enjoyed them for roving and small game hunting..Jim

This guy tried many different kinds of quivers, but settled on a back quiver and did pretty well with it.

cnd, I've used the MA3 heads on several jack rabbit hunts over the years and don't recall the three blades being that much different over the 2 blades except for a little more bulk in the bottom of the quiver.

I have tried several different ones and there just not for me. I would much rather have one on my bow, its right there by my hand with easy access and i also like the added weight.

Humorously, the best of quivers when stuffed with a mix of 3 steel blunt flu flus, 2 judos, and big game ready broadheads sharp enuf to shave with can pose certain "challenges" when one wishes to withdraw a certain arrow fast and quietly..:)

Whether back or side quiver is used, place a 3/4" thick dense closed cell piece of styrofoam in the quiver's bottom to stick the broadheads ( 2,3,4 blade) into to keep them where you want them. A divider of various sorts can segregate the field and roving and squirrel and grouse arrows from the broadheads..

Judo points are just a PITA to withdraw cleanly when mixed with other arrows..Can't recall how many times a JUDO tipped arrow dragged another one along with it as I went for a fast second shot on a rabbit or grouse..:) Jim

CND -Over the years I have used the snuffer 3 blade, the Winsel Woodsman 3 blade, the Zwickie Eskimo 4 blade with no problem. However, let me recommend that the thickness of leather and flexibility is very important. If it is too thick and stiff, it is like a golf bag. If it is too thin and flimsy, you can't get your arrows out and almost impossible to get them in without taking the quiver off. Commonly called a pain in the butt. Also it is very important to get the right length of quiver that is compatible to the length of your arrows. In general beware of making a quiver too small. I prefer a medium thickness latigo leather and a heavier stiff latigo leather for the bottom of the quiver.

Gary Sentman

LONG STORY OF WHY I USE THE BACK QUIVER: I was hunting the late archery season in the Alsea unit on the Oregon Coast. It was December and the weather was very cold with snow and rain. The mountains are very steep in this area also. It was approximately 2:30 in the afternoon and I was easing my way down a fern and alder thicket. Down in this deep canyon it was already beginning to get dark and there were foggy patches hanging in the deep draws.

This was a cow Elk only season this time of the year. As I broke out of the thicket, I came eye to eye with a cow elk starring at me. The distance was approximately 20 yards and she was slightly up hill broadside. I drew my 80# longbow with a 2219 aluminum arrow tipped with a 160 grain Grizzly broadhead. I did not see the branch between me and the elk that my arrow deflected on striking the elk just below the hock of the hind leg. It was a complete compound fracture. I saw the jagged bones sticking out of the hide as she ran off down deep into the dark foggy gorge.

I quickly drew another arrow and followed her immediately as it was getting dark with rain showers that would wash away the blood trail. Right here is where the real world meets the orthodox manual that says wait 30 minutes for the animal to lay down, sneek up on it and finish it off.

In my case, I had one objective in mind. Get another arrow in that elk and kill it. When I tried to approach the elk, the elk was always looking back at me and would move on down deeper into the draw. I was taking long shots if I could get them. Some of them may have been 60 yards through a mass deep dark jungle of timber and brush.

I normally carry 12 to 14 arrows in my back quiver when I go down to hunt these deep dark hell holes where the elk stay and hide. I suddenly realized I was down to 6 arrows in my back quiver and still had not been able to score another hit on the elk.

By this time it was really getting dark so I decided to try something different. I tucked my remaining 6 arrows left in my back quiver under my bow arm and took off on a run up and around the side of the mountain. This was a run as hard and as fast as I could go. At this time I was not worried about noise at all. The canyon I was in was very steep on both sides and I figured the elk would take the path of least resistence right down low in the gorge.

When I had run long enough and hard enough I cut down into the deep gorge which was like a dry creek bed. There was old growth timber everywhere. Wind falls, large roots to climb over and boulders, etc. I began to work my way up the bottom of the gore believing that I had to be below the elk. This was a last ditch effort because in another 30 minutes it would be so dark I could not see my hand in front of me.

I hadn't worked my way up the draw very far when I came upon my injured elk. She was lying down with her back towards me looking up at the trail she expected me to be coming on. She suddenly jumped up, looking at me as if to say "Oh no its you again". I made a very easy quick shot through the chest. She was dead within seconds.

If I would have been using a hip quiver, bow quiver or for that matter any quiver that did not hold alot of arrows, I would have had to possibly give up the hunt and return for more arrows.

After the kill, I still had 5 remaining arrows in my quiver for back up. Getting that elk out of there is another long story.

When hunting I have shot snowshoe rabbits, grouse, tarmegin, other table fair and as well as even a racoon one time when I was hunting big game. It pays to have a few extra arrows because the conditions of the hunt do not always go according to the plan.

by Gary Sentman

Gary - Great story.

Hunting in the mountains, it is often impractical to move around with an arrow nocked because the footing can be very dangerous and as you said in an earlier post, with practice you can load and shoot in 5 seconds or less. Except for a Pope and Young style side quiver, I don't know of any other quiver that allows me to load and shoot that quickly.

For me, my back quiver and a haversack or possibles bag is an excellent combination.

Thanks for all the responses!

Leanman. What I did with my first quiver, 20 years ago, was I decided on the bottom pattern I wanted. Then I made a plywood stack about three inches tall, and in the shape of the bottom. Then I wrapped the leather around that, to lay out seam allowance, etc... It's foolproof. But you could just follow Nat's program mentioned above. After my first quiver I built a kit, but it was all wrong. Wrong leather, not wide enough, too many pieces to hang up on stuff.

The fundamentals, are to have the right latigo leather. Tandys has some, and it shows up on ebay. Right design, simpler the better. And the right details, on how straps go on etc...

The actual building of the hill type quiver is just punch holes and sew it together with lace. IF you don't like your bottom, you can sew in a different shape. Using the same holes If you don't like the width, you could make it narrower, making it wider is not quite as easy.:)

These things are reasonably simple, but one catch is the cost of the leather. To make one with the right leather in the body, right strap, and bottom, you are looking at a retail cost for the leather investment of about 400 (2 sides, 20 square feet each, 10 dollars per square foot, by the time I pay tax, trasport postage, my time, that would be before I marked it up, if I was making these for sale. There is other stuff to buy still. I picked up just one side at Tandy, I paid wholesale. I can't afford a side for the bottom. I don't know what I will do for that. Hill is said to have used shoe leather, on occasion. Eventually a piece of latigo will show up, or maybe i will need the heavy stuff for something a little bigger.

Of course you can make more than one quiver out of a side of latigo, if it is everything it should be, but when I go into a store, I got three sides to pick from. Quality wise I might get 2 quivers. I would have a lot of leftovers good for something. If you are doing this as a business, you should be able to spec the leather to your end use more than a walk-in guy can. You should get a better yield.

Of course if one gets a quiver made by Nat or Gary, etc... one doesn't have to worry about the details being right either. I have never seen another one of these things, up here in Canada. I did get to Gold Beach once when Gary was there, but I didn't get past his mailbox.

To date I have not sold any of the back quivers I make. I have gifted a few as well as donated them for charity auctions.

One of the reasons is that the cost of the leather and time invested for just a simple Hill style would make the end cost IMO prohibitive.

No matter what broadhead I plan to use I taper the rear edge so that it does not dig into the leather, or worse cut laces, when I draw the arrow.

And I use a piece of 3/8 plywood cut into a oval to wrap in leather for the bottom. I do not want a broadhead coming through the bottom. You can't see it and it provides a nice bit of safety.

Nice looking quivers guys. Penny Banks thats a great tip on tapering the rear edge. Thanks.

i have, use, and make back quivers.

each to his own...

there are times i use a back quiver in conjunction with a bow quiver. i carry broadheads and judos in the bowquiver for fast access when needed and the field tip/blunts in the back quiver for roving.

the use of a back quiver is neither inconvenient nor difficult when fitted properly.

when moving thru heavy brush i simply rotate the bottom of the quiver forward so the bottom of the quiver is under my arm nearly parallel to the ground.

noise? i simply take some foliage from native plant/tree/shrubs and stuff the quiver with enough of it so the arrows do not rattle...and it aids in scent control.

"or worse cut laces, when I draw the arrow."

I like what Nat did with the running stitch. As a pro he can innovate that way. If I did that people might think I just didn't know how to tie the cross pattern. :)

What about some shots of the strap side of the quivers? While the outsides are pretty. A lot of the action is on the back. This the crude way I did it back in the 80s. I want more angle and more towards the edge.

I like the looks of 'em, but don't like to use 'em. Too much motion to retrieve an arrow. Too difficult to keep broadheads sharp.

Gary Sentman., Good story illustrating how an archer hunting back rough country for tough big game might oughta have more than four arrows in a bow quiver..:)

All of what you describe in that hunt using your well done back quiver fits well also with a well made side quiver reminiscient of Saxton Pope and Art Young days..and my own quiver preferences...:)Regards, Jim

Cat Quiver

I use only back quivers. If you want to hunt with one use it for all your shooting so you get very aquainted to wearing and using it...

I like hunting with the back quiver. I, like anyone, wish to keep my BH's sharp, so I use sheaths. As I pull the arrow from the quiver the sheath falls free. I also keep a solo stalker on my bow for still hunting or working my way those last few yards. I also keep a fletch cover over all but 3 of the arrows to reduce flaging game. The fletch cover can be removed in an instant to allow access to the rest of my arrows.

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