Tag Archives: Archery

A photograph of a perfectly placed arrow shaft in the center bullseye of a Yellow Jacket archery target.

Sometimes They Fly More Than True…Photo by Rocky Tschappat.

 

For Those Who Love to Watch the Arrows Fly

“Nothing clears a troubled mind better than shooting a bow”. – Fred Bear

“Archery is the practice or skill of using a bow to propel arrows. The word comes from the Latin arcus. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern times, it is mainly a competitive sport and recreational activity. A person who participates in archery is typically called an archer or a bowman—and a person who is fond of or an expert at archery is sometimes called a toxophilite”. – Wikipedia

“Archery may not be the Sport of all Kings, but Archery is the King of Sports”. – Howard Hill

A photograph of the front cover of dustjacket of the book A Bibliography of Archery, by Fred Lake and Hal Wright.

The Ultimate Archery Bibliography and Reference

For Sale:

A Bibliography of Archery: An Indexed Catalogue of 5,000 Articles, Films, Manuscripts, Periodicals, and Theses on the Use of the Bow For Hunting, War, and Recreation, From the Earliest Times to the Present Day.

By Fred Lake and Hal Wright. The Simon Archery Foundation, Manchester Museum, England, 1974, 501 pages.

We sometimes have a copy for sale. Please email for quote.

*You Can Find Some of Our Books On Archery Here

The Bull Of The Woods Bugles No More

September 2018

 

Master bowhunter Rocky Tschappat with another beautiful bull in a long line of Colorado public land, elk hunting trophies.

The “Bull Of  The Woods” has stumbled and fallen, but maybe, just maybe, there is another out there just like him, waiting for us.

Congratulations Rocky!

You do make it look easy, even though we all know, it is not…

 

A Bowhunter Poses With A Trophy Bull Elk, Harvested On Public Land in Western Colorado in 2018. Posted by Michael McCarty
A Bull Of a Lifetime – Until Next Time!

 

“Few indeed seem fitted for archery or care for it. But that rare soul who finds in its appeal something that satisfies his desire for fair play, historic sentiment, and the call of the open world, will be happy” – Saxton Pope, Hunting With The Bow and Arrow, 1923

 

A King-Sized Elk Burger Patty; Ground Up With Just The Right Amount of Beef Fat. Ready For The Pan. Posted by Michael McCarty
From The Elk Woods to Table – A Hunter’s Harvest

“Fresh king size elk burger for a starving elk hunter” – Rocky Tschappat.

And might I add, that’s gonna be a lot of burger…

 

For an elk hunter’s taste treat sensation, try:

Venison (Elk) Patties Oregon

It is a particularly good recipe for that big old bull that passed the tender stage some years ago.

  • 2 pounds of venison (or elk)
  • 1/2 pound of salt pork
  • 1/8 pound of butter
  • 2 cups of finely chopped scallions
  • 3 teaspoons prepared horseradish
  • 1 Dash of Tabasco Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard

Put venison and salt pork through a meat grinder twice. Blend thoroughly and add salt and pepper. Shape into patties 1/2 inch thick and 4 inches in diameter and place on waxed paper. In a skillet melt butter, add scallions, horseradish, Tabasco Sauce, dry mustard, and Worcestershire. Blend ingredients, and cook until onions are tender. Spread this mixture over every other meat patty, then cover with adjoining patty and press together. Place the pressed patties on a shallow roasting pan and slide under a preheated broiler. Broil for about six minutes on each side and serve on toasted buttered rolls.

*  This recipe is taken from Game Cookery In America and  Europe by Raymond R. Camp. It is my go-to wild game cookbook, and I highly recommend it for hunter’s and fishermen everywhere.

We generally have a copy for sale in our bookstore stock, if so interested.

And, as you can see, Rocky can be tough on cow elk too, and he took this one just a few days later.

 

A Young Cow Elk, Harvested With A Compound Bow In Western Colorado.
Some Elk Meat Of The Best Kind

 

A Bowhunter Poses With a Dusky Grouse, Otherwise Known As A Blue Grouse, Harvested With A Compound Bow in Western Colorado
But Then Again, Is There Anything Better Than Grouse For Dinner

 

A Bowhunter Poses With A Trophy Pronghorn Antelope, Harvested With A Compound Bow In Northern Colorado
Pronghorn Are A Perfect Warm up For The Coming Elk Season

 

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A Perfect Pair Of Mule Deer Bookends

August 2018

A fine pair of Mule Deer bookends, taken near my ground blind while on a bowhunt for Pronghorn Antelope in Northern Colorado.

 

Two Mule Deer Bucks Seem To Mirror Each Other On The Red Desert Of Colorado. Photograph By Michael McCarty
A Pair To Draw To…!

“From that day on I have been a lover of mule deer…They were my first love and still remain my strongest…Somehow he sight of an old mule deer buck, head high, antlers lying along his broad back, returns me definitely to my childhood and the day I first felt the mystery of wild game and wild country”.

Jack O’Connor, Game in the Desert, Revisited, 1977

Photograph By Michael Patrick McCarty

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Antelope Down – And It’s Always a Thrill

August 2018

 

A Hunter Poses With A Pronghorn Antelope, Taken In Northern Colorado With A Hoyt Satori Traditional Takedown Recurve and Easton Axis Carbon Arrows. Photography by Michael Patrick McCarty
First Kill With The Mighty Recurve

For the last several years I have been fortunate enough to figure out how to hunt a pronghorn, somewhere, to start off my annual bow season. It’s a fabulous way to warm up for elk, or mule deer, or whatever else that you may be after.

They are one of my very favorite animals to bowhunt, for a variety of reasons. For one thing, if you hunt them over the right waterhole, under the right conditions, you can just about be assured that you will have  a fine old-time.

Set up correctly, and it is generally not a question as to whether you will have a shot, or not, but more of a question, as to when. It will probably be a chip shot too.

I have spent a considerable amount of time in my bowhunting career looking over many a good buck, looking for just the right one. There have been years when I have been mighty particular, and that mostly means that one will be spending a lot of time in a very hot, uncomfortable blind.

A Double Bull Wide Deluxe Ground Blind By Primos, Set Up Over A Waterhole While Bowhunting For Pronghorn Antelope In The Red Desert Of Northern Colorado. Photograph By Michael McCarty
Home Away From Home

I’ve learned a lot about them, up close and personal, and I never grow tired of watching them. They are a magnificent creature, and for them I have nothing but great respect.

With that in mind, I can tell you that my opinion as to what qualifies as a great buck has come a long way too. For now, I can make a case that any buck’s a good buck, in my humble opinion.

Why do I say that, you might ask?

Well, the answer is quite easy on that one – and I’ll come right to the point. Just stick a fork in one sometime and you’ll know all about it too!

It is my very favorite of all big game meats, and I can almost never wait to get some tenderloin spattering in a hot, heavy pan.

Time to heat up the stove, right now…

Best,

Michael Patrick McCarty

 

“Long ago I learned that my hunting is not just for meat, or horns, or recognition. It is a search for what hunting can give me, an effort to win once again that flash of insight that I have had a few times: That swift, sure intuition of how ancient hunters felt and what real hunting – honest-to-God real hunting – is all about. It is a timeless effort to close that magic circle of man, wildness and animal”.

John Madson, Out Home, 1979

Back In A Tree – For Me (And The Elk)

A Young Bull Elk Walks Down A Well Used Elk Trail, Underneath A Treestand While Bowhunting In Western Colorado. Photography By Michael Patrick McCarty
I’ve Got You Now!

Once I was a kid set loose to stalk about the northeastern deer woods, and I learned very early on that one did not even think of hunting up a whitetail without first finding a proper tree overlooking a well used trail.

I miss those days completely.

Lately, I have been spending some quality time on a comfortable cedar limb within a few downward yards of freshly laid elk tracks.

With luck, I will find an elk standing in a print of its own making very, very soon.

It has reminded me just how much I enjoy communing with the birds, and it definitely opens up some new challenges in my elk hunting world.

Can treestand hunting for elk be effective?

You bet, under the right set of conditions.

And one thing is for certain when all things come together. You can rest assured that you will have a shot, and it will be a good one. After all, it’s where you place the broadhead that counts the most, and anything that you can do to make that happen is a good thing.

I have not been able to unleash an arrow just yet – but I will certainly keep ya posted when I do!

Wish me luck, until then…

 

The Hoyt Satori Traditional Takedown Recurve, With Selway Arrow Quiver Attached. Seen From A Treestand, While elk Hunting in Colorado. Photograph By Michael Patrick McCarty
Is There Anything Better Than Hanging Out In A Tree…

By Michael Patrick McCarty

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“When a hunter is in a treestand with moral values and with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God.”

Fred Bear

100% Deet – The Breakfast of Champions

Archery Elk Season, 2018

 

A hunter poses with a bottle of 100% Deet Insect Repellent, While bowhunting For Elk in Colorado
A Concoction Of Last Resort. Photograph by Rocky Tschappat

 

What do you do when the mosquitoes are thick as thieves and larger and meaner than a pterodactyl on the prowl?

How do you hunt when wearing your headnet merely slows down the number of bugs trying to find a way down your throat?

Well, the answer is easy, my friend.

And the word is “Deet”. Maybe you’ve heard of it.

It’s about the only thing left when all your bug suit does is make you hotter and more miserable than your already are.

Unless, you choose instead to go running madly though the trees, screaming at the top of your lungs in a state of full-bore linear panic (I stole that from the great outdoor writer Patrick McManus by the way).

Effective, for sure, but awfully hard on the ol’ noggin…I wouldn’t recommend it.

It’s Deet alone to save the day, I say – 100%…

Watch your back, though. If you’re not paying attention you may even find an elk trying to get close to you to find some relief for himself.

Could happen…

Michael Patrick McCarty

Disclaimer: I surely did not mean to imply that Deet was an edible product. Ingestion would be hazardous to your health, and may cause certain body parts to melt inappropriately. Be careful what you spray it on too – it’s some mighty powerful stuff!

*To be doubly honest, I also borrowed “The Breakfast of Champions” title from Kurt Vonnegut, after his book by the same name. Hell of a writer there, may he rest in peace. (The work explores the boundaries and meanings of “sanity”, and “mental illness”, which somehow seemed so appropriated in this case).

We usually have a copy in our bookstore stock, as well as many of his other books, if so interested.

You can search our list of titles Here

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My One-Booted Guessed Wrong Again Would Have Had A Shot Big Bodied Bull

August 29, 2018

 

A Close-Up Game Camera Photograph of A Cow Elk From Northwestern Colorado. Photograph By Michael Patrick McCarty
Watching You Watching Me

 

Bowhunting for elk brings along its own very special set of joys, and mostly pleasant miseries, and my hunt so far this year has certainly been no exception.

The weather has been hotter than Hell’s own glowing brace of hinges; the lack of moisture unprecedented. Add to that an unusually voracious and seemingly endless raft of pterodactyl-sized mosquitoes that descended from the devil’s own desert, and you can begin to grasp the parameters of this particular flavor of outdoor fun.

Still, my summer scoutings and game camera recordings have been fruitful and very enlightening, and increasingly hopeful. The elk trails had been well-worn, and you might say that I felt that I had their fairly regular patterns pretty well dialed in, at least as well as anyone can when it comes to out guessing an elk.

That was, of course, until opening day of this years Colorado archery season, just a very short time ago.

All tracks and other elk sign evaporated completely about one week before season, leaving me completely dumbfounded and at a loss for words. Still, I had faith, and as many of you know one thing an elk is really good at is covering a lot of territory.

After all, they would be back.

Right?

The first few days were elkless, and I returned home for a short, but restless  break.

Then, on  the night before last, I left the house at a much too early hour and arrived at my hunting area in time to change out my footwear, grab my gear, and gain a comfortable perch in my favorite tree stand. I could barely contain my anticipation as the shadow light of the moon waned and the day transitioned to that magic hour known so well to bowhunter’s everywhere.

 

A View From A Treestand While Elk Hunting In Northwestern Colorado, With A Hoyt Satori Recurve And Selway Arrow Quiver In Foreground
Just Me And My Hoyt Satori

 

Blame it on the blood-sucking horde, my sleep deprived eyes, or my too-heavy-for-an-older-man-pack, but it was then, and only then, that I discovered why I had felt so unsteady and disjointed on the rocky trail.

Looking down, I was more than shocked to find but one boot on my left foot, and silly me, a low topped walking shoe and mismatched sock on the other. No wonder I had felt like I had wanted to make a circle as I stepped along, with one leg shorter than the other, however slightly. I don’t believe I have ever done that before, and if I had, I surely would not admit it now, pride being what it is and all.

Well, thought I, if that was the worst thing to happen this day than I shall howl into the oncoming day, but not just now anyways. Time to get ready for my upcoming 15 yard broadside shot, though the elk packing might prove a little challenging under the circumstances!

I knew from monitoring my game cameras that the elk would show by 8 a.m. or not at all, and my full length bug suit did it’s best to preserve some blood in my body as I waited valiantly on. But, as you may have guessed, it was simply not to be.

So it was back to camp for breakfast and a refreshing jug of iced coffee. Time to shelter up from the relentless sun and live to fight another day. But first, I decided to make a slight detour and check the camera at my other ground blind location.

The Double Bull Double Wide Deluxe Ground Blind By Primos, Set Up Overlooking An Elk Trail During Colorado's Archery Season. Photograph By Michael Patrick McCarty
Ready For Waiting

Truth be told this particular setup was my favorite among the two, and my hunter’s intuition had told me to hunt it this morning. Never doubt the “spidey sense” is my motto, and I do my best to honor whatever premonitions are graced my way.

Unfortunately, the morning wind would not cooperate, blowing steadily from the north instead of from its more usual southerly direction. Facts are facts, and one of the most important of them all is that you will never fool the nose of an elk.

Hence, the tree, for me…

And of course, no doubt you have already guessed it. The elk had already arrived, four or five bulls and a cow for sure, just an hour before – and gone, and I would have had a lovely shot, had I been there, one boot or not.

Two Bull Elk Cross In Front Of A Game Trail Camera in Northwestern Colorado in During An Early Season Bow Hunt. Photograph by Michael Patrick McCarty
A 32 Yard Shot At The Big Guy, Or 14 Yards At The Other – Had I Been There…

I knew of this big bull too, and there is a snapshot or two of him in my in my growing photographic collection. He’s a handsome specimen – most obviously big, and heavy on the hoof.

I would surely love to see him again, under slightly different terms and conditions. The season’s young, though I am not, and maybe, just maybe, we shall cross our paths again before the end.

Only the fates can say.

If so, may the arrow fly true and sharp, and the elk and the glory of pursuit live on forever. Yet, for now, what can one do, but lay the head back, and laugh. For after all, I am bowhunter – and I’m used to it.

I will, however, make doubly sure to be fully dressed, …next time.

 

A Large Bull Elk crosses In Front Of a Game Camera In Northwestern Colorado During The Early Archery Season. Photograph by Michael Patrick McCarty
Gone From My Life Forever – Or Maybe Not!

By Michael Patrick McCarty

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“I will still his mighty bugle if it is willed. I’ll claim him as a trophy if my puny arrow flies true. But he will always be the unattainable; with the mountain, the fog, and the silent stones”

Billy Ellis from “Hunter To the Dawn”.

Let The (Big)Game(s) Begin

Early August is scouting time in my big corner of the Rocky Mountains, for as many of you know the Archery elk and deer season is just around the corner and coming fast.

Placing and monitoring a pack of game cameras is one of my new found loves. You just never know what just found image awaits. For a hunter it’s like Christmas and birthdays and all things good beckoning from the end of the rainbow.

And all it really takes to claim your prize is just a little boot leather to get there.

Works for me…

Good Hunting, and may your arrows fly sharp and true!

Michael Patrick McCarty holds a Hoyt Satori Recurve Bow With A Selway Arrow Quiver. Photograph caught on a Browning Command Ops Pro Game Trail Camera, while on a scouting trip for elk in Western Colorado.
Taking The New Hoyt Satori For A Spin
A young bull elk walking on a well worn elk trail on a golden, early summer morning. Caught on a Browning Trail Camera in Western Colorado. Photo by Michael Patrick McCarty
Walking Into A Golden Morning

The Biggest Day in the World!

Michael McCarty, originally from southern New Jersey, poses with his first bow and arrow. A hunter is born.
Is There Any Gift Better Than Your First Bow?

Here is a snapshot of one of the biggest days of my life, circa 1967 (I’m the tall one on the left).

In this case I got exactly what I wanted, at exactly the right time in my rapidly expanding universe. I am forever grateful, for a bowhunter was born!

As you can see, my little brother is quite happy too. My sister never became a hunter, but I give here credit where credit is due.

She had to live with us, and later, deal with whatever game we managed to drag home for dinner.

Long live young boy’s, the still wild piney woods of southern New Jersey, and bows!

My First Bow Was Part of The Scout Fiberglass Archery Set. Does Anyone Know Who May Have Manufactured It?

Michael Patrick McCarty

 

Friends of The Hunted: A Story For Boys by John Howard Jewett. Front Cover Illustration. Decorated Boards.
A Friend I Am

*For Sale:

Friends Of The Hunted: A Story For Boys

by Jewett, John Howard
First edition. Hard cover. Dodge Publishing Company (1909)
Very good. No dust jacket. Signed by previous owner. With gilt decorations on front cover and spine. Bound in red cloth, with some light wear at edges. Internal crack. Quite scarce in any condition, particularly in First Edition

$75 plus $4 shipping (in U.S.)

https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@huntbook/55rc4m-the-biggest-day-in-the-world

Blacktails and Bowhunting – The North American Deer Slam Completed

Michael Patrick McCarty

 

A Bowhunter Poses With a Pope & Young Record Class Columbian Black-tailed Deer Taken in Oregon With A Recurve Bow
A Great Day In the Northwest

 

Ray Seelbinder of Western Colorado has recently completed the North American Deer Slam  with his latest trophy – A Columbian Black-tailed Deer from Oregon. More impressively, he did it all with traditional archery tackle and a bow that he built himself.

It looks like a good one too.

Congratulations Ray! You are an inspiration to us all.

 

A trophy class set of black-tailed deer antlers in a backpack in preparation for the return to camp. Tken with Traditonal Archery Gear.
The End of a Long Road – Or Perhaps…the Beginning

 

Antlers From A Pope & Young Class Columbian Black-Tailed Deer in a Hunting Pack, Taken In Oregon by A Bowhunter with A Recurve Bow
An Impressive Trophy, and a Great Looking Bow Too!

– Word Just In – It looks like this buck might just make the Pope & Young Record Book by about 1″ (green score). Hopefully, it won’t shrink much during the P&Y required waiting period. I’ll cross my fingers for Ray!

 

*The North American Deer Slam includes the fair chase harvest of a mule deer, white-tailed deer,  coues deer, black-tailed deer, and Sitka Deer.

**”Two forms of black-tailed deer or blacktail deer that occupy coastal woodlands in the Pacific Northwest are subspecies of the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). They have sometimes been treated as a species, but virtually all recent authorities maintain they are subspecies. The Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) is found in western North America, from Northern California into the Pacific Northwest and coastal British Columbia. The Sitka deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) is found coastally in British Columbia, Southeast Alaska and Southcentral Alaska (as far as Kodiak Island).”  – Wikipedia

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For an excellent reference on the deer of North America, you might wish to purchase:

 

Mule and Black-Tailed Deer of North America: A Wildlife Management Institute Book. Wallmo, Olof C (Editor)

 

Mule and Black-Tailed Deer of North America: A Wildlife Management Institute Book. Edited by Olof C. Wallmo.

We usually have a copy in stock. Please email us at huntbook1@gmail.com for more information.

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A traditional archer poses with a pope and young class mule deer buck taken in northwestern colorado.
Ray With One Of His Many Colorado Mule Deer Trophies

You Might Also like to read a little about his latest Coues Deer buck at Coues Head Soup.