Folks: Winter is pretty much here, after tonight, so I got out late on a beautiful night and shot the Grail. I had a tiny bit of shoulder pain, but it was more from rustiness. It disappeared as I warmed up. We can hunt until month's end, so I might get back out there. Still, when you live in the north country, it's important to take advantage of nights like tonight and shoot. Anyone else get out and shoot?

Joe

Yes, sir: not many gloveless December days to be had in MN.

Although I am no Legend, I can now claim to think like one!

Joe...our unseasonably mild weather is going to go to pot after tomorrow! I just hope it don't snow! At least we'll have one less month of winter!....maybe.

Built arrows today,and fixed up some old scabby shooters. It's the only day all week I DIDN'T shoot!

Snow Crow- Yes, our great Minnesota minds think alike!

SB- When the cold sets in, I start working on arrows too.

Joe

I was out flight shooting with four bows--a 1960 Monterey, a 1963 Swift Wing, a 1966 Browning Safari II, and a 1970 Tice & Watts. My target was Planet Earth, and I succeeded in hitting it every shot--even though it was 200 yards away!

Well i don't have to worry about cold weather right now but i was out last night shooting after dark i just laid my LED light down on a stump for light and all was good.

Crookedstix, What was the results of your flight shooting. Always find that stuff interesting

Glad others are still shooting.

1Longbow- His results are always the same. Slow bows shooting short distances with one of the slowpokes being declared the "winner." Anyway Crook, I'm just getting back to finishing the book.

Joe

I shot every day this past week for 1-2 hrs. per session. Took out the target bows, recurves, longbows and compound. Everyday was a geat time, and the weather has been so mild it is unreal.

1:00 PM...60 degrees out ! It's downright balmy for Dec.4 in Minnesota! Winds coming up though. Shot till I got tired already! May have to dig out the long johns for tomorrow though.

The weather doesn't typically keep me from shooting, but the time change does. By the time I get home from work, it is too dark to shoot. I have been thinking about turning on some lanterns and shooting, but I haven't tried it yet. With my daughter's soccer and travelling for Turkey day, I haven't been able to shoot on the week-ends for a while now either.

We are supposed to get rain followed by cold here this week. The weekend is supposed to bring lows near freezing - which is about as cold as it gets here. Regardless, come hell or high water I will be shooting and hunting this week-end. Hopefully I will even get to shoot WHILE hunting.

We had a record high of 64! The old record was 59 in 2001. I just got in from a fast 12 mile bike ride. I wanted to stay out and go 20 miles, but the rain is starting.

Lowcountry- I only shoot at night, with the garage light on, as we can't legally shoot in town. However, being a legend, I'm above the local law. Anyway, try the light at night routine to get in more shooting time.

Joe

"Shot the Grail tonight."

Did you put another hole in your garage window to match your first one?!

If you would have leaned it against your running chicken target I would have taken a shot at it with my Howatt Saber!

In all seriousness it is nice to be able to get out and shoot this time of year. I enjoyed plunking arrows at your place by the garage light! Great fun!

Say hi to your Mom and the cats!

Peter

Pdiddly- I'll say hello for you. What folks here don't understand is you were trying to steal my cats. You left the car door open to lure them in. I didn't figure it out until you were gone. I just finished a head count and have them all inside.

Joe

I try to shoot some every day, even if only half a dozen shots. Today I got a couple dozen in, out in my little three acre woods behind the house. Even when it's very cold, I can go about ten feet out of my basement door and shoot a few and come back in.

George- you have a great setup. Looks like you're in a rovers/hunters paradise! Not so much here. Most of the land is owned by farmers, and they'd call the cops on you if you got lost and accidentally stepped on their land. They wouldn't care about you being lost, lol!

Joe

Your cats were falling all over themselves to get in my car and get to Canada! I was busier than a one armed paper hanger trying to get them out! They heard about our public health care system! ;)

Yep!.....I get "lost" alot hunting sheds in the spring!

I'll have to teach MT how to hunt sheds. He's always talking sheds and never finds them.

Pdiddly- I can still see Tinker standing in the front of the car with her paws on the dashboard, waiting to go for a ride, lol!

Joe

Oh I was going to ask if you used a 22, 410gage bird shot, or just a BB gun. It wouldn't take much. But I was wrong my bad :-).

The jealousy over that beautiful bow still prevails around here.

Joe

1Longbow--

Glad you asked; this is a good chance to convert another dull Frisky thread into a serious discussion of quality bows. Ordinarily I wouldn't trespass on someone else's thread in this fashion, but since it's only Frisky I will.

The Tice & Watts, Monterey, and Safari were all right around 51.5#, and were set up with identical B-50 strings, including my own handmade Barbee-style wool puffs. Same string on the Swift Wing too, but that bow only pulls 49.5 pounds. Two different styles of cedar arrows were used with each bow; Arrow A was about 11 gpp and Arrow B was about 10.5 gpp.

The Tice & Watts was longest, averaging 200.5 yd. and 194 yd. The Monterey and Swift Wing were right together, averaging 196 and 188. The Safari had some brace height issues, so I only shot one type of arrows (186 yd. ave.) before setting it aside. That one needs at least an 8" brace height to be happy.

This was just one of many similar sessions, and past results are in line with this ranking. That 1963 Swift Wing is quite a performer, hanging right with the best of the best despite being two pounds lighter. I'll do a thread about it one of these days.

Okay--we now return you to Frisky's regular drivel about cats and angry farmers.

Oh wait--I should add that the Swift Wing was actually pushing 11 and 11.5 gpp with those two types of cedar arrows.

As an aside, the spines on those cedars are 73# and 75#. That's with my 29-3/4" draw length, and the 73# arrows leave the 51# bows cleaner than any I've ever shot. One of the pluses of buying arrows from David Ellenbogen is that you get to talk on the phone and hear EXACTLY what he thinks you need to be shooting for spine, right down to the pound!

I also took advantage of what was most likely our last nice day - Very nice! 62 degrees (Wow) when i left work for one last pleasant bowhunt. Supposed to drop to 18 by morning and stay that way. Brrrr! Only took a couple shots on the way to the stand. No shots there! :( shot more in basement once I got home and listened to the wind howl. Stay warm fellow Minnesotan's!

Howling wind here too! 72mph gusts a little ways from me. We had 41mph for our top gust. I'm staying inside!

Joe

Wind chill is now at 4°. No outdoor activities for me! It was bad enough just out feeding the cats!......and busting ice out of water dishes!

We can hunt until month's end, woe hold up yur car run out of gas? LOL

Grail needs a redo its about time to spruce that old fire starter stick up there Joe.

I figured it out you ran out of space to rescues live in so you haven't been using car and even you cant take the smell inside because cats living in your wheels.LOL

Put antifreeze in bowls it will warm them up.

What a jerk.

LOL!

Yes...I can still see Tinker up there looking out the window all ready to go!!! What a trooper!

I was worried one would get in my roof carrier and snuggle down and not be seen until I crossed the border into Canada. Explain a cat crawling out of the roof box to a border guard!!

The cat's were obviously attracted by the smell of all the food scraps crookedstix dropped on the floor of my SUV as he ate his way across eight states and back!!

Yes, we know for sure he wasn't eating venison! I decided to save a pack of backstraps for the two of you if you stop by next year. It's the only venison you'll get to eat.

Joe

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