Why Snakeskins on Bows

[huskyarcher]

It just looks wicked.

[coaster500]

YORNOC, beautiful skins !!!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

The last guy that handed me a snake skinned bow laughed at me when i dropped it and stepped away....

Then he cried when i slapped leather and shot it with my 45   :eek:    :eek:    .....  

[Zradix]

Originally posted by YORNOC:
 

That is the best fitting snake skin I've ever seen.

The way the pattern tapers proportionally with the taper of the limb is outstanding.

VERY WELL DONE!
     

[graybarkhunter]

[pumatrax]

I like the looks of snake skins on bows but I always wonder if it might disguise a problem under the glass...nice wood or bamboo under clear glass looks good to me...

[Kingsnake]

Just a quick note from a recent canebrake study here in the Old Dominion . . .

Current Species Status: The canebrake rattlesnake [(Crotalus horridus) Coastal Plain
population] is listed as state endangered under Article 6, Title 29.1 of the Code of
Virginia. There is no federal status for this species. Its range in Virginia is limited to the
lower York-James peninsula (i.e. York County, cities of Newport News and Hampton),
Isle of Wight County, and the cities of Chesapeake, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach.
In 1993, it was estimated that 55% of the known range (32 of 58 sites) in Virginia had
been lost (Mitchell, 1993). An additional 36% was expected to be lost over the next ten to
twenty years from habitat loss due to commercial and residential development. Today,
the largest, contiguous areas of habitat are primarily in the cities of Suffolk, Chesapeake
and Virginia Beach. Other threats include small population size due to habitat
fragmentation and human persecution.

[Kingsnake]

FYI . . .I am not judging those who use skins ...just making my fellow hunters (Amreica's best conservationists) aware that some snakes are considered threatened in some areas.

[landman]

A bowyer goes to great lengths to pick woods and work his magic on a hand made, essentially one of a kind creation.   He looks forward to showing his creation, even if he's made the model numerous times because he knows each is different from the last.

Then.....someone decides to glue the skin of a snake to his bow.  To enhance it?   To strengthen it?   To make it more unique?  

I dunno.   To each his own but I've never thought that any bow looked better after being skinned by a snake, a shrimp, a chicken or a fish.   Matter of fact, I always wonder if the skin is being used to hide a blem, a crack or some other imperfection.

[LimBender]

I got copperhead because we have a lot of them in our area, I wanted to cover the carbon back and adding a veneer may not be best over carbon.  I think you are seeing some increase in use due to carbon backing on bows.

Landman, I disagree about looks, and think it makes a cool looking natural camo.  All you are hiding in many cases is a thin veneer on the back of the limbs - hardly a slight to a bowyer's "one of a kind creation."

Snakes, unlike shrimp chicken and fish, have proportions and patterns that seem like a perfect match for bow limbs.

[YORNOC]

Originally posted by Kingsnake:
FYI . . .I am not judging those who use skins ...just making my fellow hunters (Amreica's best conservationists) aware that some snakes are considered threatened in some areas.

Absolutely. Even deer are hard to come by in certain areas. Always follow legal game laws for any given area. Timbers and canebreaks are endangered in some areas and overflowing in others. We all have to pay close attention to this. As a big snake fan, I wish I had brought it up!

[YORNOC]

[sawtoothscream]

they look great. Im going to wait awhile then get my omega longbow skined

[LongStick64]

For the same reason people wear snakeskin shoes, it's downright SNAZZY !!!!

[Earl E. Nov...mber]

Although they perform a very functional purpose in the appearance I can't help but class them with wood paneling or vinyl siding and an old house..
Never quite sure if they were put on to improve appearance or to hide ills.
Mostly that pertains to older bows, but still always a consideration.

[YORNOC]

I'm pretty surprised at how many people think skins were put on to hide something.
Has anyone ever found this? I've bought and sold HUNDREDS of bows, refinishing and either stripping skins ,putting them on, etc..
I've never seen a skin hiding damage yet. Yet!

I just do it for fun so the answers dont effect my income whatsoever. Just dumbfounded, I have worked on more bows than the average guy by far and have never come across it.
Any time I see a dull( in my opinion of course) black or brown glass bow, my mind is searching for the perfect skin to compliment the riser woods.

Landman, you have me stumped too. I totally respect your opinion, I just dont quite understand. Many of the best bowyers in todays world regularly apply skins per customers request. Why would the bowyer care? He/she is getting paid to do what the customer wants, not what the bowyer wants.
On the other hand, if it was a bow owner skinning it instead of a bowyer....its THEIR bow! Again, why would a bowyer care...its not their bow, someone bought it.
Now..I could totally see a bowyer being a bit peeved if they made a bow for free as a special gift to a friend or family member after spending considerable time picking special woods for a certain reason.  But thats about it.

[RM81]

I love snake skins.  I wouldn't cover up a nice exotic veneer with one though.

[Kyle Lancaster]

I will skin some plain (to me) limbs that may be black/carbon, green glass, etc. Again, that's my opinion and I know others think that those limbs look nostalgic. I will not skin a highly figured veneered limb.

Kyle

[Shakes.602]

THE  Best Camo Patterns on the Planet!!  

[wooddamon1]

I like 'em! Even if I'm not that good yet...