Bowhunting.Net 3rd Annual Bowhunt - 2006

| To Bowhunting.Net | Online Hunts | Bowhunting eNews | BowhuntingTalk.com | BowhuntingStore.com |.

Bowhunt and on the spot pictures -- by Robert Hoague Online Whitetail Bowhunts - 2006 | Sponsors of 2006 Whitetail Bowhunts | Bowhunting.net Annual Bowhunt |  To 2006 Deerhunts HOME PAGE | Wade Nolan Hunt HOME PAGE Custom Arrows For This Deer Season | Gateway Feathers | Arizona EZ-Fletch | EZY-Eye Wraps | Not so long ago I cringed at the thought of making arrows the way I like them. I love crested arrows. To me an arrow with a crest is a real arrow. Back in the day wood arrows came crested. Originally aluminum arrows were also crested but the cresting process got laid off when the compound bow took off. But I missed the crest. After all, Fred Bear used, made and sold crested arrows. That alone is good enough for this bowhunter.  Making your own crested arrows once took a bunch of specialized (and expensive) equipment; a feather chopper, a feather burner, some dipping tubes, a fletching jig and the gadget to spin the shaft so you could paint the crest over the dip. First you dipped the bare shaft into the dip tube with paint and then hung the arrow up to dry. I'm sure archers that did this a lot didn't, but I got paint drips all around. It took a couple of days for the paint to dry hard. Meanwhile you cut the raw feathers all to the same length. Next you put the feathers on the arrows -- with your expensive fletching jig. ONE arrow at a time.  A dozen arrows took 36 feathers. We're talking a long time getting this done. Then you heated up your feather burner and cut your feathers to the shape you wanted. When I was 16 it was all out fun making arrows this way. Ten years later it was a hassle and I stopped making them. * For anyone who wants to try making arrows like this you can get a Feather Burner or a Feather Chopper -- which is a bit easier and much nicer smelling -- from Gateway Feathers (see Accessories). ONWARD... Things change with time, as the saying goes, and they definitely did for arrow making. A few years ago at the ATA show I took particular notice of the new arrow wraps and the AZ EZ-Fletch -- which put on all 3 feathers at a time.  I had to find out how big a deal it was to make arrows this way and purchased a package of EZY-Eye arrow wraps, one AZ EZ-Fletch, and a pack of matching Gateway 5-inch feathers. Truthfully, I wrinkled up the first two wraps getting the hang of it. But once I was wrapping smoothly I was impressed with three things: how easy it was to wrap and fletch the arrows, how nice the finished arrows looked, AND how fast this new stuff made arrows. I was hooked. Ok, call me an odd ball but I honestly enjoy making up half a dozen arrows at a time and customizing them differently than any pervious group. Here is what I used and how I did it for my deer hunting arrows this season. The arrow cresting is EZY-Eye Wraps in florescent yellow and florescent pink. At this year's ATA Show I asked Nick Roden for those colors and he sent them. (Thanks Nick.) To start the project I wrapped all 6 of the camo shafts.  Next I started fletching. I used bright pink, 4-inch Parabolic shape Gateway Feathers. The way this works is to put a feather in each of the 3 arms of the Arizona EZ-Fletch and put glue on them. Stick the arrow in the EZ-Fletch. The nock clips in and is always held in exactly the right position for consistent fletching.  Close the arms of the EZ-Fletch and slide the cap on the end (below).  I use 3 EZ-Fletch units and by the time I get the 3rd one done the 1st is ready. Take the cap off and open the arms.  Below Pic: (Left) the arrow I am putting glue on, (Middle) the arrow that the glue is drying on, (Right) A finished arrow. (Below) Any flat surface will do for a work place. I use my wife's butcher block table (see below). Note that I also bought florescent yellow Gateway Feathers to see which I liked the best, pink or yellow. Also, contrary to popular opinion I prefer all the feathers the same color. And the coffee cup, with hot coffee in it, is an asset to the doing of the task at hand. In less than an hour I was outside shooting my new arrows and making sighting adjustments.  Brand new arrows for a brand new deer season. 2006 Bowhunting.net Deer Hunt Sponsors BOWTECH GRIM REAPER Broadheads Arizona E-Z FLETCH CAM TRAKKER Game Cameras MyTopo Aerial & Topo Maps WILDLIFE Research Center ELIMITRAX TROPHYSCORE WOLVERINE Boots Sticks N Limbs Camouflage GATEWAY FEATHERS ROPE RATCHET HOT TRAILS Scented Hunting Candles Jim Fletcher Archery Essential Gear CARBON EXPRESS Arrows NIKON Optics To The Home Page For This Bowhunt

Elimitrax Call 800-670-8729 Fax 417-887-8339 Email: info@elimitrax.com Web Site: www.elimitrax.com

| To Bowhunting.Net | Online Hunts | Bowhunter eMagazine |