I'm curious what you customize your bows with that you feel help you shoot well? Lucky charms of some sort inlaid in your bow? Shooting tips taped to your bow? Prayers? In other words, are there bow adornments that you use to aid in good luck, good karma or good shooting tips?
JOB 12:7
On my recently built Java Man Elkheart I had Gregg inscribe "In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play", a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche, on the upper limb. It's to remind me to RELAX when I'm shooting or out walking :)
Nothing on my bow, but on my quiver, I have a St. Sebastian Medal and a St. Eustachius medal. One was blessed by a local priest, and one was blessed by the Pope. No special results so far.
Dried blood and wedding ring marks. As those two develop a bow seems to shoot better and better.
Sometimes go with a dual colored string, a little snakeskin on my bow quiver hood, natural barred turkey fletching. That's about it. Don't expect they improve anything, but nice to look at. :bigsmyl:
I started doing what my father does on his "favorite" rifle. He would take a brass nail, cut the head off, burnish it and tack into the bottom of the pistol grip for every deer he killed. Pretty cool to see all the "stars" on his gun. So I'm gonna do this with my bows. I figured and started with SS for deer, brass/gold for elk, black for bear, and hopefully I'll put some kind of white plug in my T/D for a goat.
My hunting equipment is smudged and prayed over, and I always offer tobacco if I take a tree or an animal, and offer it if I'm going scouting. While I certainly believe Christ is Lord, I also believe the forest knows who is thankful.
A standard hunting prayer for me would be a petition for fat, slow, stupid game, quiet movement, a strong arm and straight shooting. There's also a promise to respect my quarry by using as much as is possible, thanks for the forest and God's providence, and a desire to keep myself humble and respectful, as well as to be a good provider for my wife.
I do a lot of rituals, but as per the name the sentiments of my ancestors run strong in me. I believe the forest keeps score of who respects it and who doesn't. I want to show it the proper amount of respect, so it will choose to share its blessings with me. Laugh if you will, but it brings me greater peace.
Halfseminole,
My 2 or 3 times great grandmother was full blooded Native American and I respect all faiths and peoples. Nothing to laugh about here! Peace!
a locke of hair from a special someone as a wind feather
I added a bow grip with jasper beading, replaced the shelf with sealskin, added a custom quiver to match, made leather bow tip protector and string keeper, and added a string/silencer to fit my likes. The arrows have BRIGHT wraps to help me find them when squirrel hunting and are adorned with a cross because I always pray and am proud to be serving the Lord even in my hunts.
I also think having knives, calls, etc to match my bow just inherently makes it look a little better. But, maybe that's just me and my style.
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee146/gdpolk/Traditional%20Projects/photo1_zpsbe696cf0.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee146/gdpolk/Traditional%20Projects/IMG_0275_zpsdfa37330.jpg)
(http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee146/gdpolk/Traditional%20Projects/IMG_0344_zpsd429238e.jpg)
Awesome, everyone! Keep'em coming!
Not my name inscribed but that of a fallen Navy Seal.
That's awesome Frank
a foot length of dental floss with a small fluffy feather tied to it.
My 3 main bows all say: Custom made for Dave Lohr "Red Beastmaster"
The Thunderhorn also says: "Let Us Prey"
I inlayed a piece of turquoise in a bow.
The stone was given to me by a friend.
Supposed to help arrows fly true.
...made it even harder to let that bow go...
(http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/xx121/Zradix/Savannah/riserright.jpg)
(http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh205/bushbow/PIN3.jpg) (http://s257.photobucket.com/user/bushbow/media/PIN3.jpg.html)
One of these on every bow I own. A tiny hole and epoxied pin with a little rubber band to hold my arrow tight.
Nothing on my bow, but on my quiver I have a small turkey beard, and 2 incisor teeth from a porcupine. If anyone asks what they are, I tell them they are tusks from a wart hog, although they would be a very small wart hog.
(http://www.constantines.com/ProductImages/inlaymaterials/inlay/SV12.jpg)
I'm going to try to put this wood inlay into one of my bows.
(http://www.constantines.com/ProductImages/inlaymaterials/borders/B16.jpg)
Perhaps a border as well
I always have at least one lucky feather
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2834/11039327385_fc2fccb2c1_z.jpg)
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5498/10565733634_f501a4b1ac_z.jpg)
Buffalo blood.
A couple of mine have parts of game that was taken with them. Or something cool that I found out hunting ect.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v683/timkoi/091_zps75fe7dc8.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/timkoi/media/091_zps75fe7dc8.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v683/timkoi/093_zps297d9f89.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/timkoi/media/093_zps297d9f89.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v683/timkoi/089_zps3a99cdb1.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/timkoi/media/089_zps3a99cdb1.jpg.html)
Not sure if it helps but they look cool. I think it helps.
I have a special bow that started life as a blank...the riser is made from a piece of gorgeous curly grain walnut that my father bought back in the eighties to make a gunstock with...the Alzheimers took his ability to make gunstocks and a stroke this spring took his life...that bow has a bit of him in it every time I shoot it...I am no where near the woodworker he was and that bow will always be a work in progress...I have little incentive to work on it though as it is a phenomenal shooter the way it is
DDave
Awesome stuff!