Trad Gang

After working 15hr afternoon/overnight work shift I was sleepily headed home actually earlier than than I though I would....I got to thinking..."I could probably get home, take a shower and make it to a little ground blind set-up I've been wanting to try"...

At least I figured if I fell asleep, I'd only fall off my stool!

I should have known better....

Got set-up and about 15min. into it, I was falling asleep!!!!!

I was struggling to say the least, saw one deer, but about 8:00 I packed it in and wearily walked to my truck.

When I got to it I noticed that the maples where I park were ablaze with color.  I thought..."wow that would make a cool picture"...

I put "Timex" down, got my camera out, and took this picture...
•    (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex001.JPG)

Kinda cool right?

I was dog tired and got everything packed up and headed home.......or so I thought.......

Got in the truck got turned around and headed home...

I got home about 5 minutes later and realized I didn't have "Timex"!

Now I have to back up a bit....

For those that don't know..."Timex" is my original Jack Kempf Kwyk Styk that Jack made for me in '97. It's the bow I still compare all other to!

I've killed so many critters with it, I couldn't remember them all without going thru pix. But it's also been through hell with me!

Been dropped out of a treestand, dry fired because of bad nocks more times than I care to think about, impacted so hard because of me falling that it's come unstrung countless times.  Even went back to Jack to have a limb repaired....but thru it all...it's still all original and still a weird lookin, quiet, rocket launcher of a bow!

I named it "Timex" many years ago after the watch slogan...."Timex, they take a licking, and keep on ticking"....so for about 8yrs. now, the bow has only been known as "Timex"


So...with the realization that I didn't have "Timex" with me...something else also hit me.....

I remember think as I backed up...gods honest truth..."I don't remember that bump being there"....

I immediately jumped back in truck with a horrible feeling...not knowing whether to puke or cry.....I was sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I pulled up over the hill where I park I afraid of what I was going to see....out it had happened....I'd run over "Timex"!!!!!!!!!!

I almost lost it...how could I have done something so careless!

This it what lay before me....
•    (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex002.JPG)
•    (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex003.JPG)
•    (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex004.JPG)
•    (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex005.JPG)
•    (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex006.JPG)
•    (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex007.JPG)
•    (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex008.JPG)

Mortified....I was afraid to look at it, let alone touch it!

You can see, it's layed with arrows twisted, bottom quiver bracket bent, and unstrung on both ends!!!!!!!

About to cry, I picked it up and put it in the truck and sad beyond words, drove home....

OH NOOOOO!


Will it recover?

Sorry to hear that Curt.Is it repairable? It doesn't look as bad as I would have expected.Hope it works out.Get some rest,seriously.

:(

Uh....em, .....yeah,   :eek:  
What do you say......this is sad....horrible
God,  I will never leave my bow on the ground again.  EVER!!!!   Because I have before....
NEVER AGAIN!
Sorry Curt  

Curt I feel for you buddy,hopefully it can be repaired.  :pray:

you going to leave us hanging after that build up????  what did bow look like when you got home and took off quiver....checked limbs and riser....check bolts for limbs...and did you try to string it?

Enquiring Minds want to know

Did this with one of my wheelies back in the late 80's. Man what a sickening feeling when you realize what that "bump" was. I didn't even have a good excuse, was just careless. That bow went on to take a couple rabbits, multiple deer, and numerous fish. Here's hoping the same can be said for Timex in the years to come. By the way, it is a very cool picture...we rarely see colors like that in this stretch of the woods. I'll be following this one hoping for a happy ending.

As you can see here, the string had actually somehow ended up stuck on my quiver bracket...
•   (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex009.JPG)


So little by little I started looking "Timex" over....

Slowly but surely, I went over the bow and arrows...

It looked to me the the tires went right over the bow at bottom quiver bracket piece...

Somehow, all the arrows survived...a testimonial to high quality carbon arrows!  Broadheads were all un-screwed a little , but they seemed fine.....I thought..."at least I didn't ruin my arrows"...

Through everything I checked on the bow...it seemed fine and my spirits were raising a bit...

Scratched a bit more...but no visible cracks, twists, or major damage...and the string was good.....I slowly and very carefully strung it up.....

Hmmmm.....so far it hadn't come apart......

After a few minutes I looked it over again and decided it was time to pull it back....I got out my safety glasses....

1/4 draw....ok...let up...

Now...I tried 1/2 draw...and I got brave....I closed my eyes and let it go......tragedy!!!!!!!
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I missed the target and smashed my arrow into the wall!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But.....both the arrow and most importantly "Timex", were still in one piece!!!!!!!


Time to go outside......

No kidding the very first shot, about 20yds.....
•   (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex010.JPG)

Next 2 at about 15yds....
•   (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex011.JPG)

"Timex" had lived up to it's earned nick-name!

Afterward I shot all the arrows that were in the quiver just make sure they were ok...and they all shot just fine.....go figure.......

Lesson.....don't go hunting when sleep deprived, and too tired to think straight.....

Thanks for reading     :campfire:

Yeah!

That makes me ill just thinking about it.  I have a friend that drove over his wheel bow.  He was just sick with grief too.  Hope things turn out ok and looking on the bright side, maybe it's time for another one!!!   :) .  Rick.

Glad Timex made it through! I am looking forward to plenty more write ups of the hunts you two share.

Thats awsome, I was feeling for you because my go to bows limb cracked but you fooled us. Great read thanks and get some sleep!

Looks like we were posting at the same time.  Great to hear it turned out ok.  Good hunting, Rick.

Glad it survived.

:clapper:

My father taught me to never lay anything down when you are loading/unloading the boat, car, canoe-pick it up and put it where it belongs.  He ran over a flyrod of his I had laid down and forgotten-got my butt beat but good.  About 10 years ago, I laid a longbow on the roof of the cap on my truck while I dug for my keys.  I never found the bow!!!  Now, I don't lay anything down.

Glad Timex survived.  John Cameron Swayze would be proud!!!

The legend lives on     :goldtooth:

I'm waiting for the day that Cade kills something with it.......I don't think it is all that far off.  :thumbsup:  

David

Whew, close call on a bow that is near and dear to your heart.

Sheeeeesh that was close Curt.....  :scared:

Awesome picture of the Autumn leaves and glad the bow is no worse for wear :-)Almost your most expensive picture huh?

.....and so it's legacy will continue!  What a story this bow will be able to tell.....and perhaps for your son to be the one telling it when it is his bow maybe one day!  Awesome and glad to hear "Timex" is still tickin'!

This is a good advertisement for Jack's bows!LOL
I am gld you ain't lost your beloved bow.

You are very lucky not to have trashed that bow...I think you need to call Jack, have him make you a Timex II and just put it away..........you know, for that rainy day!   :goldtooth:

Whew.  Looks like you named it right.    Next test is hold it underwater.

ROFF 10X....   :laughing:    :laughing:

I remember when Curt bought "Timex" from me. I was just as excited as Curt when I called him to pick up his bow.

What did he do when he strung it in my shop....DROPS THE BOW ON MY SHOP FLOOR!!!!  OMG..
We both held our breath....   :eek:

Luckily the bow made it through that ordeal, then he shatters the limb on Shawns Bunny Hunt...strike two! Now this....the bow has 9 lives Curt...don't worry...just string it up and go hunting...

Ha!!Awesome!!!

:notworthy:

thank goodness it was on soft ground and not asphalt.

Basinboy, a member here, had a bow fly out of his boat while trailering it. He got lucky and someone returned it to him.

Now, get some sleep, Curt!!!    :rolleyes:

Sorry for your loss , R.I.P. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
,,Sam,,

Dang that was scary    :scared:    :scared:    :scared:  but all's well that ends well     .....

Thats one tough bow!Nice picture of those Maple trees.

Holy cow! Most cats dont even have that many lives! Glad hes ok!

That's one tough bow.
Just adds a little more character to it. As much abuse as that bow has absorbed and kept on going, Cade will be passing it down to his children.
  :biglaugh:

Testimony to a finely crafted piece of equipment. And your lucky rabbits foot is worth ten times what you paid for it as well

Wow! Haven't been on here for a while and the first thing I see is this thread. Dang buddy that is one tuff bow and I'm very happy it turned out ok.

Get some sleep and good luck to you and Cade.   :bigsmyl:  

Tracy

You are a VERY lucky man.  Several years ago I placed my custom Keith Stegel-French walnut stocked 30/06 on top of my Jeep...It came off the roof at 65 mph and DID NOT survive!!  Everytime I think of it I still get all choked up.   :(   -(there is not a sufficient emoticon to describe how I feel...)

Good to hear that the bow survived. I often have admired and envied you young guys who hunt so hard without sleep.  :notworthy:  

Now, I think maybe my "sleep first" policy might have merit...  :)

Glad to hear "TIMEX" is ok. Someday you'll run out of things you can do to that bow.   :)  

That is a beautiful picture. I've been taking a few like that around here this week, only differance, I haven't lost or run over anything in the process.  :)  

Steve H.

I am so very happy for how things turned out for you Curt.

Sometimes things just go right.

Thank God!

God bless,Mudd

Bows are like dogs. They will follow you home after you kick em.  not that I recommended kicking a dog lol
\\
glad the bow survived  Curt.

That's unbelievable.Glad to hear it.You are right about being sleep deprived.It can lead to much more serious accidents.Take care.

Holy moley...Good thing you don`t drive an F-350...This has GOT to be a sign of some sort!!!

Had me sweating there bud!!!

Love that shot up into the canopy, beautiful.

WOW some GREAT PICS HERE

Glad she's OK!

:eek:     :eek:    :thumbsup:    :archer2:

:scared:     :scared:    :bigsmyl:

glad it worked out ok for you.

this reminded me of the time i did the same thing. after a hunt i got back to the ute and leaned my bow up against the side of the ute. got 5 minutes down the road before i realised i forgot my bow. i know that exact same sickening feeling when you think you have run over your bow. i thought i would have run over it for sure since i had to do a 3 point turn to get out of where i was. got back there and it was laying there unscathed. i couldn't believe my luck.

your not the only one who has done it curt.

My favorite "Timex" commercial of that time was the one they strapped a Timex to the bottom of an elephants foot. After he stepped on it and the guy looked at it and was asked "What time is it", he replied "Time to get a new Timex"

Glad it worked out for you and the ole gal is still ticking..

I also agree with the beautiful colors. Around here that is unusual but the dry  and mild year has blessed us with a magnificent "Indian Summer"

Wow, thats some serious stress on you right there.  Glad it held up.  I did that with a couple fly rods once. Drove away in the vehicle and forgot I had layed them on the ground. I got lucky too...

Happy for you and Timex.

Oh my!

What a good experience to share...  Glad to hear it all ended up positive.  I found it most interesting that as sleep deprived as you were to have forgotten your bow, that you could still appreciate the colors of the canopy!

Glad she survived Curt!   Now on to more memories with her   :thumbsup:

Happy for you!

Wow! Amazing it was all good except the quiver!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_fKppH8B0g

:clapper:

One tough bow.Glad it was ok.

That is one tough bow but... You should buy a lottery ticket with that kind of luck!

QuoteOriginally posted by joe skipp:
ROFF 10X....    :laughing:      :laughing:  

I remember when Curt bought "Timex" from me. I was just as excited as Curt when I called him to pick up his bow.

What did he do when he strung it in my shop....DROPS THE BOW ON MY SHOP FLOOR!!!!  OMG..
We both held our breath....    :eek:  

Luckily the bow made it through that ordeal, then he shatters the limb on Shawns Bunny Hunt...strike two! Now this....the bow has 9 lives Curt...don't worry...just string it up and go hunting...

Sounds like there's a history of this bow being abused.HMMMM!  :p

schweet!

Wow Curt. Glad it's ok. I was sick to my stomach just reading the first part of your post.

Yeah Joe, talk about be mortified!!  The bow hit the ground so hard when I dropped it on the concrete it totally un-strung itself!   It took us a couple minutes finding it across the room....I should have known right then and there the destiny of this bow....

Thanx fellas...

Unfortunate update.....

It looks like this just may have been the "coup de gras" for Timex!

Over the month or so that I kept shooting and hunting with Timex, I noticed things were changing at the spot on the upper limb that was slightly damaged.

The crack in the glass is traveling and getting worse!

I noticed this about three weeks ago and unstrung it and haven't shot it since.

Here's what it looked like just after it happened...
•  (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex005.JPG)

This is what it looks like now...
•  (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex012.JPG)

The small cut it the full depth of the glass...
•  (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex013.JPG)

And is spreading laterally...
•  (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/curt/rotimex014.JPG)

I'll have to call Jack and talk to him about it.

I wonder if some Lock Tite 420 could be used??

I know I can just get another set of limbs built....but I'm kind'of attached to these.

I hate this!!

Man that is hard to take right there!!!!

Ouch.....you've done the right thing by hanging it up, hopefully Jack can help.


David

That just stinks! I would have thought it would be Ok but I guess since it is in the working part of the limbs, it is a problem.

I hope you can get it fixed!

Benjy

Curt you did the right thing by hanging it up,that limb looks like it about ready to explode.I hope it can be fixed.

Man that stinks Curt! I kinda know how it feels though. Last summer, at a 3D shoot, I accidentally got my recurve limb tip stuck between the cab and bed of a passing truck. It cracked the limd and I had to get new limbs. They are not the same. It made me pretty sick!

Bisch

I think the LocTite 420 would fix it bud. Warm the limb slightly and add the 420.

LT is some pretty amazing stuff.

Good luck Curt.

I'd send it to John Rafferty.  It it certainly looks salvagable.

http://www.bowhospital.com/

How did I miss this?!?!?!

And sorry for the final result...  "Timex" was a given... but that limb doesn't look all that great Curt... Maybe Jack can work his magic, but I think replacement would be in the cards...

I'd sure give the Loctite a go.  Looks to me like if you got it glued and sealed it would be ok.

Mike

Selway makes a great bow quivers.

Looks like you should send it to Jack and get him to build a new set of limbs .. Thats one of the bonus of owning a 3 piece new limbs new life, a friend of Jacks was given Jacks first Kwyk Styk it has a twisted limb and was too heavy for Jack ,, this bow is named the Klunker, Jack took many animals with this bow it's a plain Jane bow however this bow just plain shoots hard and fast ,, Yves the new owner got Jack to build a new set of limbs just in case the old ones ever give up ,, Yves has owned and shot the heck out of this old Kwyk Styk , one thing about Jacks Kwyk Styk bows they allways keep on Ticking had Jack known they would last that long mabe he would have named it Timex instead of Kwyk Styk

OK Curt...experience talking here....First, send the limbs back or to someone for repair.

Now...tonight...dim the lights, sit next to the wife on the couch, pour a TALL glass of wine for her, put your arm around her and softly tell her "You know what I really want for Xmas?" (make sure you wink)...When she smiles back....   ;)  

Tell her a new set of limbs for CY! Then quickly thank her, get up and move before the wine glass hits you in the head....    :eek:  Hey...works for me....Merry Xmas....   :thumbsup:    :campfire:

Boy those pictures make me cringe   :eek:    :(    ! I hope it all works out for you curt, keep us updated, merry Christmas

sacré "coup de gras" !!!   :pray:

Don't take a chance on getting wacked in the head and hurt,,,,,put them in a spot to be looked at and remember the good hunts....get a new set of limbs.....Just my thoughts!