For students of Tom Brown Jr's Tracker School
My First Bow
Last weekend I took a bow making class in Eugene, Or. I couldn't stay for the whole thing, which lasted Friday afternoon through Sunday night, but due to the help of friends I got to take part of it. The goal of the class wasn't to make a beautiful thing that would hang on your wall and crack if you tried to shoot it. This was more of a... take chunks off this stick until you get a stick that bends type of thing. :)
I'd thought about making a bow before. I always heard about the ones that people work on for months and months. You know, the high quality ones :) what an awesome skill! But that didn't seem like a viable survival option for me. If I was lost would I be able to spend months making a great bow? Not unless my other skills were sufficient to keep me alive that long.
In this class everyone made a shoot-able bow and an arrow in under three days. My arrow doesn't have an arrowhead ('cause I had to leave early, I had tests on Monday). My bow isn't pretty :) (truth be told it'll probably crack pretty soon!) but the next one I make will be much better! And I can now make a shoot-able bow from green wood quick enough to help keep me alive. I learned a ton. I love primitive skills!! Can I get an AMEN?
I'd thought about making a bow before. I always heard about the ones that people work on for months and months. You know, the high quality ones :) what an awesome skill! But that didn't seem like a viable survival option for me. If I was lost would I be able to spend months making a great bow? Not unless my other skills were sufficient to keep me alive that long.
In this class everyone made a shoot-able bow and an arrow in under three days. My arrow doesn't have an arrowhead ('cause I had to leave early, I had tests on Monday). My bow isn't pretty :) (truth be told it'll probably crack pretty soon!) but the next one I make will be much better! And I can now make a shoot-able bow from green wood quick enough to help keep me alive. I learned a ton. I love primitive skills!! Can I get an AMEN?
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6 Comments
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Comment by victorD on July 26, 2009 at 5:18pm
- Amen! I'm going to check out those books too.
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Comment by Rebecca Zeff on February 18, 2009 at 3:55pm - That is so true. I got a huge motivation boost from that bow making class. Being around people who were having fun with skills was awesome! It reminded me not to scold myself for doing less than I'd like, but rather to like it so much that I love being able to spend time doing it :) I think that made sense. But yes, the daily activities of the western life style can certainly detract. It is a noble struggle, Trackers. We shall prevail ;)
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Comment by Todd Earhart on February 18, 2009 at 11:33am
- Wow dirt time, yea i have not been doing much myself.Seems like the day to day work i have takes away from dirt time.Its hard to stay motivated to practice skills when everyone else around you could care less.
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Comment by Rebecca Zeff on February 17, 2009 at 1:29pm
- No, I haven't looked at those, but I'm gonna now! Thanks. I'm in the same boat, I haven't developed my skills very much at all. You're right, dirt time is the key. I'm hoping to get some of that in this weekend :)
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Comment by Jimmy Doll on February 16, 2009 at 10:41pm
- AMEN!!!!!!!
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It's good practice though.Your skills will keep you alive that long if you need them too. We have to simply practice these things. I am nowhere near where I should be with any of my skills. I feel like i've been wasting my time on to many other things. Putting my energy into the wrong areas of life.
Oh well more dirt time right. Have you checked out Tom's Field guide to survival or his " Field Guide to living with the earth"???? They have more on bow making in them.
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