Please introduce yourselves, I'll start

[Ragnarok Forge]

Hi,

My name is Clay Walker, I am a happily married man with a wonderful wife ( NWTRADWIFE ) and two teenage daughters.  I have a BS in Civil Engineering and work for the City of Gresham, in Oregon.  I run a fishing guide business in Washington State, and also have a forge where I make Tomahawks and Knives in my garage as a hobby.  

I spent 8 years of my life seving in the WARNG.  I loved serving my county and still miss it a lot.  I spent 12 months in 2003 / 2004 blowing up enemy equipment and munitions, walking up to roadside bombs, and defusing / destroying them during that time frame.  If you have seen the movie, The Hurt Locker, remove the bomb suit and the robot and just make that me with my helmet, flack jacket, and anywhere from 1.5 lbs to 60 lbs of C4 and you get the picture. I was a 12B  Combat Engineer  ( light ).  

That year was exhilirating, terrifying, sad, happy and at times awesome all rolled into one crazy year. We saw our first EOD detachment at month 9 as they drove by us going the other way on Highway 1.  Did you know a tank turret will flip up to 3.5 time while flying into the air from a 40lb crater charge?  Who knew?  


I have hunted just about everything that is legal in my home state all of my 42 years on this big blue ball.  I have traveled around the world twice and have been on 4 continents.  I switched back to trad from compounding about a year ago and will never look back.  I am back in love with archery now.

The good lord has blessed me with a wonderful family, a wonderful life, and great friends. I figure every day you wake up is a good day.  I have not had a bad day since I got back home in 2004 and don't see one coming anytime soon.  
Great thread Mudd.

[sendero25]

My absolute pleasure in meeting all of you that have chimed in so far!  What wonderful people we have here!
John

[HATCHCHASER]

I am Waldo Strickland.  I'm a JR so I have always gone by Wally. I'm 33 and I've been happily married for going on 12 years.  I have a 4 year old named Ezekiel who is my other Love. I'm a blood bought beleiver and try to live by the golden rule.  Sometimes I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut and pointing out the obvious.  

I use Hatchchaser as a handle cause I'm a bonified Trout Bum.  I have hunted and fished as long as I can remember.  I picked up a compound about 12 years ago only to lay it down a few years later.  I got real bored with it.  I picked up my first trad bow back in 2005.  The only hobby I have enjoyed as much is my flyfishing.  I just like the idea of making things more challenging and doing it oldschool.  The closest thing to flingin an arrow with a longbow is painting a fly on the water with a slow action fiberglass rod and a double taper line. I enjoy the journey.  To me a successfull hunting trip is the comrodery at camp and helping a freind drag out and dress a critter.  If I get one that is fine too.  I can honestly say I'm a tradbow junky and wouldn't have it any other way.

I love this place and would be proud to share a real campfire with yall anyday.  God bless.

[sendero25]

Hatchaser,
Ever notice how similar the shape of a trad bow, a fly rod, and a canoe are to each other?
Or is it just me that gains great pleasure from these simple, graceful shapes?

[Kapellmeister]

Hi, I'm Gene here in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania.  I love my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ and my greatest blessing in this life, my family.  I've been a semi-professional musician all my life and work in the computer industry. Currently, I direct a choir and play piano in church.  I was a late bloomer when it comes to hunting... not 'til I was 45 did I kill my first deer - with a compound bow. I've been hooked ever since! This is the year that I plan on abandoning the "training wheels" and take my first deer with a traditional bow! I'm presently shooting a 45# osage selfbow.

I'm also into 18th century reenacting, hunting with flintlocks (.50 rifle, .62 & .75 smoothbores), and enjoy fly fishing. My 18th century personna is that of a German immigrant (hence Der Musiker).

I'm a newcomer to this board... spend most time here lurking and learning... and look forward to getting to know some of ya.

 

[longarrow]

Well, here's Mud in your face!  I'm a retired Army guy, rode hard and put up wet for near 25 years! I've been retired (semi) since 1994. Run a small business to support my drinikin' and huntin' and travel! Been married for almost 30 years,and almost as many conflicks! Nora (my wife) and I have two great girls, aged 27 and 25!! I enjoy huntin, fishin, and campin' and most of all just wakin'up on the green side of the grass! I love traditional bow huntin' and want to thank my my brothe (shaft slinger) for gettin' me started! Just wish we could get more bowhunter together! See you all at Compton!!  

[HATCHCHASER]

Good observation sendero.  Simple traditional lines are very nice.  I think it is a certain type of people who take up these styles, trad archery, fly fishing.  It's my kinda folks.

[Zradix]

Hello! I'm John Kelley. I'm 34 years young. I've been happily married for the last 6 of em. I have 3 great kids. Son 6yrs, and two daughters 3yrs and almost 1yr. I live in Shelby, MI. Shelby is a small town of 1900-2000 people. It's located about at the "pinky knuckle" area of Michigan. I've worked as a crystal growth engineer for 20yrs at the Shelby Gem Factory. I actually "grow" rubies,emeralds, diamonds and such. I started hunting when I was 14. First bow was a darton compound. In 2001 I picked up a hoyt compound. I was fairly successful hunting with both. In 2007 I switched to a recurve....no looking back now. I really love it. I like the fact that it is simpler yet more difficult.
I like firearms a lot. Do a bit of gunsmithing. I reload for everything I have cept .22. My favorite gun is my .58 cal muzzle loader that was given to me by a great friend.
Besides my family and hunting stuff my other biggest interests are motorcycling and the American Lemans Series.

[twitchstick]

My name is Jimmy Twitchell I am 38 have two lovely girls my wife Maria and daughter Amanda who is 17. I have been married for 15 happy years and I met my daughter(wife's) when she was 9 months. They are my pride and joy. I live in southern Utah in Cedar City. I spent most of my life in some form of management and the last few years in sales which I quite in october to keep my morals. I have lead a blessed life never rich but rich in life and in the outdoors(thanks dad). I work hard and play hard. I spend as much time hunting,fly fishing,skiing,hiking,scouting as possible. A 3 day trip is a long one by my standards so my adventures are usally close to home but will hunt almost every day of a hunt. I like the simple things in life and traditional ways of life. Most of my hunting has been with a bow in my hand and still do some waterfowl with a shotgun mainly for my other blonde girl friend my lab Abby. I started with a fiber glass long bow at 12 bought a compound at 15 for the first two years of big game. Went to recurves and longbows in the late 80's until the mid 90's.  Shot a compound in barebow style until year ago. One year with sights and release and that what did me in. Always would pick up the long bow here and there and was always lerking in my thoughts. I will hunt with traditional gear now until my body fails. I enjoy intoducing people into the outdoors ecspecaly flyfishing and archery,just ask any poor soul who has worked for me. It is what saved me form becoming a looser so I like to help others find there way. I have even converted several veggies. I also have a artistic side to me enjoying painting and photography which I'm taking my life in that direction now. Most of my artistic work has be in oil paints(landscapes and wildlife) and now playing with acrylic paints. I have had some of my art work published and some photos in fishing mags,you would never know with the pics I put on here. Thanks for letting me share a part of my life with the good people here. Good thread Mudd  

[T Lail]

I am Tony Lail from Vale, North Carolina , am 51 years old and have  been married to my wife Anna for the last 27 years....we have a son, who is in seminary and a youth pastor here in NC and our daughter who will graduate and take her nursing boards in May.......have shot a bow and bow hunted since I was around 12 years old......love to squirrel hunt and my favorite big game is pigs.......I am a technical service rep. for printing equipment but am really a full time kid.....also hike and camp A LOT and am fairly content any time that is spent outdoors.....met Fred Bear ounce and still have his autographed picture on my book case.....

[Danny Rowan]

Danny Rowan here. Born and raised in West Texas, San Angelo,Odessa and Ozona. Went to college in Nacogdoches Texas and then joined the U.S. Navy.Spent 21 years traveling the world for my country and retired with honors in 1993. Worked for the Government of Guam for three years in a powerplant as an underpaid Instrument Tech. and in 1999 went to work for Uncle Sam again as an Immigration Inspector. Still working for Uncle Sam as a Supervisory Federal LEO and certified Firearms Instructor, only now we are called US Customs and Border Protection. Married to my lovely wife Julie for 22 years and we raised 5 wonderfull children, a son and 4 daughters who have given us 9 awesome grand kids.
Started shooting bows when I was 15 years old and have never stoped. Started with longbows on the heavy side,up to 80#, but now shoot recurves from 56 to 64 pounds. Tried a compound once, not for me. Used to gun hunt but have not hunted with a gun in over 10 years, strickly my recurves now. I live on the Island of Guam, a US Territory in the Pacific. I am 59 years old and plan on shooting and hunting as long as I can pull a bow, hopefully another 20 years or so the Lord willing. I love archery, bow hunting and fine knives as well as a fine bow as most of you know, I go through a few,LOL.

Danny

[Trooper]

My name is Murray Landry.  I use the handle "Trooper" because I've been with the Louisiana State Police now for 26 years.  I've been married now for 23 years and we have two daughters, 16 and 19.  My passion is hunting the whitetail deer with recurve or longbow.  I'm a Fred Bear fan and hunt with my F/B T/D or St Charles longbow.  I haven't hunted with a rifle in about 10 years. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and I try to live my life in a way that glorifies His name.

[BOWMARKS]

Hello Gang  

Name is Mark Sharpe I am 55 years old started out like most with one of those old red long bows way back when, shooting at any thing around the fields in the old neiborhood with little acuracy but had alot of fun trying. In my late teens picked up a set of wheels and fell in love with the sport target shooting and hunting,it took a few years to figure out what the heck I was doing but our gang had a good time doing it. In my mid twentys began to get some skill and luck in the sport.We shot every Sunday at the many clubs in our part of the country they set up courses of 30 targets on hay bales and slowly moved to 3D targets making things much more enjoyable!Things went very smooth untill marages children and parts of the gang moving away,we slowly broke up in our late thirtys.Well about 8 years ago I was heading for a docters appoitment and passed out causing me to total a brand new car and ending up stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.After learning how to live with the stinking problem I stopped at a local archery shop to look around and try my hand at things from the chair,well my old form of shooting with compounds did not work.I was leaving the shop very dissapointed when I seen a man shooting a very strange looking traditional bow.I was watching him and was quite amazed at his accuracy.Took up a conversation with the gentallman and he offered me to try my hand at it.I shot a half of a dozen arrows and right then and there I fell in love with the sport again.I found that the bow was a Saluki horse bow got Lukuses internet sight and told my new found friend I would be ordering with in the week. Well I had an old Howatt recurve at home and began showing up at the shop when ever I could. With the help of my new friends I slowly began to pick up the idea of what I was trying to do. It has been a diffucult time learning the sport as I was going right eye blind and would not give up but finally I gave in and went left handed ,it was not to long and things started to turn around.Well I have become a regular member at this indoor shop and enjoy every moment of the sport.I even went as far as to pick up an ATV to hunt from and got lucky in 2008 and harvested my first traditional deer.I do not think I will ever give up this fully enjoyable sport target or hunting!!  

Glad to be part of this great bunch of memmbers!!   MARK

[Renaissance Man]

Wow, I am impressed Mark. Sign of character for sure.
In fact I am very impressed with the entire crew I have read so far on this post.
I also see we all have a lot in common, brothers by different mothers I think the kids say.

[Muskoxman]

Howdy,

John Nash here, 45 years old. Born and raised on a farm in Palmer Alaska. Seen a lot of changes in Ak can't say for the better. Been married for about 14 yrs now and I have 6 yr old triplets A boy and two girls.  As far as my affiliation I'm a confirmed agnostic. Just been bow hunting for about a year now, so far my biggest kill is a snowshoe hare. I do believe thats probably the funniest hunting I've done yet. I started bow hunting probably for the same reason as a lot of us, to find the fun in hunting again. Hunting just got to be where I'd go out, find a critter, blow their brains out and then the work began. Loving this traditional archery though, couldn't quite see the point of these new compounds, seems like there just a vertical crossbow to me. Anyhow now I'm thinking about heading south maybe to Colorado so I can spend more time out riding my mule and less time plowing snow. Plus there'd be a lot of different critters to hunt !

[loyd]

hello iv been loyd lippert for 65 years now, raised up in so central mo.hunted with bow and gun as a kid, still a kid but most of my getup and go has got up and gone. still like to make bows especialy for kids.make a knife now and then, always making something new. been with the same woman since i was 18 she puts up with a lot, gota love her. have 8 greatgrand kids that keeps me making bows. the wife and i will be taking our first vaction this tear in a teardrop camper that i built, told you she puts up with a lot. loyd

[Roy Steele]

I'm 49 been with the woman for 20 years.2 sons HUNTER 15 and BRIER 10.Started hunting with my grandad at 6.He was a turkey hunter but I didn't start turkey hunting untill I was 9 till then Ijust tagged along.Deer hunting at 10.Unill my late teens I traped everything from muskrats to foxs when I became a serious BUCK hunter.That year my granddad died this is when I started seriously spring turkey hunting.
 For my grandad that was 90 and spring hunted 82 springs in a row.He quit counting at over a 100 that was 1960.Probely over 300 he thought.Sence I stared I've killed 31 with shot guns 13 with bows,9 of those with selfbows 3 of those with knaped heads.
 I switched to a recurve for a compound after 10 years.Shooting a recurve for 5.Then in 89 I started building and hunting with selfbows.
 But my main hobby is bucks.97 in all,33 With my own selfbows.I have many other hobbys fly fishing a close second then theres Ginsang which turner in to a little bissness.
 I craft everything primitive from cain arrows to knives.I grew up doing anything survial and primitive you name it.I hunt from 50 days to 118 which is my record.That was in 4 state's that year. I've hiked in 11 country's and 1000's of mile's in the US.
 Untill 05 when I had 2 STROKES.I missed 05 and 06 hunting seasons.Could'nt walk or talk for a year.I've pushed hard I could'nt spring hunt in 07[ by now I only bow hunted] for gobblers but by falL.I still had suckie corration on my right side,Still can't walk in the dark if I can't see the ground,dizzyness.But I slowly gotten better.and shooting better as time go's on.Even though I was all ready a ground hunter it's made me a total ground hunter for life.Which is fine.
 I still killed a 6 point my close's at 3 yards in 07 of that year.God must have sent him to me.The following spring I missed one and then  arrowed a 3 year old.11"beard with 1 1/4 spurrs.I've slowly gotten better.Can now shoot fairly good at 20.I never shot a buck over 15 in my life.Shot and 8 point with a recurve was my longest shot ever with a bow.
 I was lucky and I know it.Now I've slowed down not by my choise.But thats OK it's made my out look not just on life but many other things totally different.All totally for the best.
 It's took me alot of hard work and a long time to get to where I am today now I still do all things I did before almost.But all a little differently and have a great time doing them all.

[Gray Buffalo]

Hey guys and gals. My name is Jerome c. Bauman  (Jerry) and I'm 68 this month and some days I feel 168 but that's another story. My brother and I got Beebe guns at age 5 & 6 and promptly shot the windows out of grandpa's shed and lost our guns. The next Christmas we cried until Dad got us some bows and arrows and that started a love affair with the bow and the flight of the arrow. My first bow was a 30# @ 28" lemon wood longbow. A few years later I moved up to a Ben Person old Hickory 40# @ 28" and hunted small game because there was very few deer around at that time. I hunted with that bow until I went in the Navy. I was discharged in Nov. 1964 came home and started with the bow almost from the first day. The next spring I got my first real recurve a Ben Person Pinto 50# @ 28" and started deer hunting the same year. In 1971 I went to the dark side of archery and shot a com@^%* until 1976 taking a deer every year and winning the state indoor pint sight division. It stop being fun so I went back to the long bow and started having fun again.
I found this site when on another site people started getting smart-alecky and I lost interests.  I am a Christian tying to do my best. I love the fact a man can talk about his Christian side on this site without people giving him or her trouble. I love all the help one can get here. Yes at times old men need help too. Just good people that hang here.

[red hill]

Mudd, this is one of the best threads I've read since joining a couple of months ago.  It was a good day when I stumbled onto this website.

My name is Stan.  I live in El Dorado, AR (pronounced "L Doe Ray Doe").  I've worked in public school education for 25 years now.  Been married to Belinda for 27 years (also a teacher) and have two sons.  Logan is 19, Heath is 17.  

My daddy took me deer hunting when I was 5 and I've been in love with hunting ever since.

As a kid living in the sticks my cousins, younger brother and I made bows out of sticks and string to play "Indians".  But when my daddy whittled a bow out of an ash sapling for me, I became curious about making my own bows.  

After several unsuccessful attemps over a spread of many years, I recently stumbled onto poorfolkbows.com.  So far I've made 4 board bows.  The first broke but the last three are still shooting.

Now I am attempting a stave bow out of a hickory log I found on my last firewood gather. I'm afraid it isn't going to work out because the hickory wasn't cared for appropriately.

I've been hanging around the fringes of this site like several of the rest of you and have learned a tremendous amount about making selfbows.  I also see many similarities among the respondents to this thread as well as between traditional archery, fly fishing and canoes.  

This world is forever getting smaller.

Glad to get to know you guys.
Stan

[ishi1archer]

My name is Scott Moore I live in Bucks Co. Pa. I'm 54 yr.old. I've been hooked on trad. archery since i was in 3rd. grade when a new fiend in school gave me a little fiberglass bow. my next real bow was a Blackhawk Scorpion I got for Christmas 2 yr. later which I still have. I went thru the compound period like a lot of guys. Now I'm back to trad. only. I shoot anything from selfbows, boobacked and fiberglass. I've made several selfbows and boobacked but would like to try a glass lam.bow. I shoot and collect alot of vintage Bear bows. My first trip to Denton Hill Trad shoot 10yr. ago really got me back to trad and away from the compound. I've been married for 33yr. to my wife Maureen, have one daughter and one 2yr. old grandaughter and a grandson due in May. Most of my hunting is for whitetail deer in Pa. I'm a life member of the United Bowhunters of Pa. Belong to the Bucks Co. Fish and Game Assoc.