In article >, George Shirley
> wrote:

> On 2/17/2014 9:58 AM, Dave Balderstone wrote:
> > In article >, George Shirley
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> Not to mention a large supply of various weapons and ammo for them,
> >> include a few bows and many arrows. Sling shots are good for small game
> >> and don't make a lot of noise. A large cache of Victor traps and lead
> >> for the slings and for your ammunition, reloading equipment, steel for
> >> arrow heads (chipping flint is a real job), stash of bow wood and arrow
> >> shafts, wouldn't hurt to set up a small smithy.
> >
> > Firearms and ammo a definite. I've been considering a bow, maybe a
> > crossbow. A fellow I work with built a powerful recurve bow out of PVC
> > piping. Yew and Ash are more traditional. Of course, learning to fletch
> > arrows would be a good skill too.
> >
> > Oh, did I mention duct tape? Lots and lots of duct tape...
> >
> My ancestors here in the New World made bows from Bois de Arc, aka Osage
> Orange, native tree with inedible fruit. When I was in my early teens I
> made lots of bows from the straight limbs or from saplings. Cut,
> skinned, dried in the attic for about six months to a year. Really good
> wood for bows here in the New World. River cane made excellent, easy to
> make arrows. I used arrow heads cut out of galvanized sheet metal, easy
> to cut and sharpen, not very heavy. Bois de Arc makes good spears and
> quarter staffs too. Made a recurve bow once too, based on the Mongol
> horse bows. Went to the local abattoir and pulled a lot of cow horn out
> of the discard pile and went from there. Took a good while to do it
> right and, since I didn't have a horse at the time I sold it.

I'm WAY too far north for Bois de Arc, alas. Ash, oak, and maple are
fairly common here, maple (box elder) by far the most common. I'm not
sure what would be suitable for arrows... Lots of willow but it may not
be stiff enough at the diameter I'd want.

Back to preserving, my elk hunt is on for later this week, and we hope
to get some boar as well. Bacon, ham and smoked chops from the boar,
hopefully, and as for the elk... sausage, jerky, and lots vacuum sealed
and into the freezer.

My tummy is growling in anticipation. Wish I didn't have to drive 5
hours to get to the hunt zone, though. My Envoy doesn't get the best
mileage towing my trailer...

djb

--
³Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness
sobered, but stupid lasts forever.² -- Aristophanes