Amusing Archery Story

sheepherder · 10-16-2011, 11:05 AM

...Prompted by the 'flaming arrow' story now going around...

Back in the 60's while attending Junior High, I was given a bow & arrow set...Not a toy, but a beginners archery set, with handguard, etc...Something like this -

...but not as ornate...Strictly utilitarian...And I quickly learned why you wear the handguard (and why not many women shoot bows)...

Anyway, sometime in the 70's after military service, a friend of mine bought a bow and when I stopped by to see what was new, he showed me his new bow & arrows...Another utilitarian set, could be used for hunting (he wanted it for the expanded bow/deer hunting season in NYS)...

He took me across the street to the junior high athletic field and took a shot at a target...Very weak shot, lots of arc...He handed it to me, it was strung the same as my old bow (like the one above)...I held it in shooting fashion, and it felt very...wrong...The grip was awkward, and when I looked closely at the tips of the bow, the cord was not fully seated in the grooves...

I was puzzled...I asked if he had the box/instruction sheet, he just laughed...So now I'm really puzzled...and I turn the bow around, so the cord is out in front of the bow...and suddenly, the grip fits my hand comfortably...It's a pistol grip...but the bow is facing the wrong direction...So now I look closely at the tips again, and realize the cord is on the wrong side of the bow...

I tell him, "You've got it strung wrong"...he gets annoyed, and grabs it back, nocks an arrow, and lets fly...Another weak shot...30 or 40 feet...

So I tell him about my old bow, and then suggest that I show him how I think it should go...He gives me the bow, I put one tip on the ground and use my leg/knee to unstring it...Then reverse the cord, and start bending it so that the cord is on the other side and the cord ends [loops] lay in the grooves...I do the leg/knee bending again, and this time it bends a *lot* before I can get the ends on...Something like this one...

Now the grip fits right; the cord is in the grooves where it should be, and it's a real bear to pull back...I give it to him, and he takes aim, and lets fly...Using the same grip he had when it was strung backwards...the arrow penetrates the target & haybale and travels most of the length of the football field we're using as an archery range...In a nice flat trajectory...And we're both suddenly aware that this thing is a weapon...

He never thanked me...I probably should have let him go hunting with it as it was...The Real Hunters would have gotten a good laugh about it...

FNorm · 10-16-2011, 03:07 PM

Yeah, and ya ever hear a deer giggle?

FN

Ice · 10-16-2011, 05:16 PM

Good show! I'm an archery man from way back and I appreciate your story.

Charlie

sheepherder · 10-16-2011, 06:07 PM

BTW, Here's the 'flaming arrow' story, if you haven't heard it yet...Probably makes the rounds every couple of years...

[NOT my story!]

Around age 10, my dad got me one of those little bada*s compound bow beginner kits.

Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you know that a 1955 40 horse Farmall tractor tire will take 6 rounds before it goes down? Tough sumbich.

That got boring, so being the 10 yr old Dukes of Hazard fan that I was, I quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place.

One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and saw a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (Ether). A light bulb went off in my head. I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just spray out in a controlled manner once pierced by my arrow. Lets face it, to a 10 yr old mouth-breather like myself, (Ether) really doesn't "sound" all that flammable.

So, I went back into the house and got a 1 pound can of pyrodex (black powder for muzzle loader rifles). My intention was to sprinkle a little bit around the (Ether) can but it all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie, a 1 lb. pyrodex and 16 oz (Ether) should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker. You know what? I'm going back in the house for the other can. Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it out on the stump too. Now I am cookin'.

I stepped back about 15 ft and lit the 2 stroke arrow. I drew the nock to my cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a clunk as the arrow launched from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my dad getting out of his truck... He just got home from work. OH SHOOT!

So help me God, it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a WTF look in his eyes.

I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of pyrodex and into the can.

Oh wow!!!

When the shock wave hit, it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just my reflex jerk from 235 fricking decibels of sound. I caught a half a millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering 1 ft above the ground as far as I could see. It was a low fog layer full of grasshoppers, spiders, and worms.

The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this: THE FRICKING DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE.

There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate going into the pasture. Notice I said "was." That sumbich got up and ran off.

So here I am, on the ground blown completely out of my shoes with my thundercats T-Shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback:

âECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE. DAMN IT CEASE FIRE!!!"

His hat has blown off and is 30 ft behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000 ft. over our backyard.

There is a Honda 185 3-wheeler parked on the other side of the yard and the fenders are drooped down now, touching the tires.

I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this moment. I don't know - I know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really matter. I don't remember much from this point on. I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain, blacked out again, woke up later... repeat this process for an hour or so and you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR, and Dad screaming "Bring him back to life so I can kill him again!!!" Thanks Mom.

One thing for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again. Mom had been complaining about that thing for years and dad never did anything about it. You gotta give me credit for stepping up to the plate and taking care of business.

Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later.

I still have some sort of bone growth abnormality, either from the blast or the beating, or both.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, get your kids into archery. But only under close supervision. It will teach you parental responsibility.

-- Author Unknown

nukem556 · 10-16-2011, 08:41 PM

Funny story, but as a former teenage pyromaniac, I have to call foul...ether and a couple pounds of uncompressed Pyrodex wouldn't do anything like that. Way back in my substance abusing, Led Zeppelin / Pink Floyd days, a good buddy of mine found a duPont blasting cap while doing roofing work....I knew we had aquired the Holy Grail......this was 1979, way before Homeland Security or such things. We gathered a couple more idiots, bought a case of Schlitz Malt Liquor, a 10 pound bag of ammonium nitrate, a gallon of No 1 fuel oil, and headed for a nearby state park....our ignition train consisted of a bucket, a concrete block, and 75 feet (yes, 75) of speaker wire.....we assembled our WMD , and touched it off to the battery of the driver's Chevy Nova. The anethestic properties of the Schlitz (among other things) cushioned the concussion a bit, but noone could hear very good for a day or two...ah, freedom....

10-16-2011, 11:05 AM	#1
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,195 Thanks: 1,414 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	Amusing Archery Story ...Prompted by the 'flaming arrow' story now going around... Back in the 60's while attending Junior High, I was given a bow & arrow set...Not a toy, but a beginners archery set, with handguard, etc...Something like this - ...but not as ornate...Strictly utilitarian...And I quickly learned why you wear the handguard (and why not many women shoot bows)... Anyway, sometime in the 70's after military service, a friend of mine bought a bow and when I stopped by to see what was new, he showed me his new bow & arrows...Another utilitarian set, could be used for hunting (he wanted it for the expanded bow/deer hunting season in NYS)... He took me across the street to the junior high athletic field and took a shot at a target...Very weak shot, lots of arc...He handed it to me, it was strung the same as my old bow (like the one above)...I held it in shooting fashion, and it felt very...wrong...The grip was awkward, and when I looked closely at the tips of the bow, the cord was not fully seated in the grooves... I was puzzled...I asked if he had the box/instruction sheet, he just laughed...So now I'm really puzzled...and I turn the bow around, so the cord is out in front of the bow...and suddenly, the grip fits my hand comfortably...It's a pistol grip...but the bow is facing the wrong direction...So now I look closely at the tips again, and realize the cord is on the wrong side of the bow... I tell him, "You've got it strung wrong"...he gets annoyed, and grabs it back, nocks an arrow, and lets fly...Another weak shot...30 or 40 feet... So I tell him about my old bow, and then suggest that I show him how I think it should go...He gives me the bow, I put one tip on the ground and use my leg/knee to unstring it...Then reverse the cord, and start bending it so that the cord is on the other side and the cord ends [loops] lay in the grooves...I do the leg/knee bending again, and this time it bends a lot before I can get the ends on...Something like this one... Now the grip fits right; the cord is in the grooves where it should be, and it's a real bear to pull back...I give it to him, and he takes aim, and lets fly...Using the same grip he had when it was strung backwards...the arrow penetrates the target & haybale and travels most of the length of the football field we're using as an archery range...In a nice flat trajectory...And we're both suddenly aware that this thing is a weapon... He never thanked me...I probably should have let him go hunting with it as it was...The Real Hunters would have gotten a good laugh about it... __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

10-16-2011, 06:07 PM	#4
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,195 Thanks: 1,414 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	BTW, Here's the 'flaming arrow' story, if you haven't heard it yet...Probably makes the rounds every couple of years... [NOT my story!] Around age 10, my dad got me one of those little bada*s compound bow beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you know that a 1955 40 horse Farmall tractor tire will take 6 rounds before it goes down? Tough sumbich. That got boring, so being the 10 yr old Dukes of Hazard fan that I was, I quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place. One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and saw a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (Ether). A light bulb went off in my head. I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just spray out in a controlled manner once pierced by my arrow. Lets face it, to a 10 yr old mouth-breather like myself, (Ether) really doesn't "sound" all that flammable. So, I went back into the house and got a 1 pound can of pyrodex (black powder for muzzle loader rifles). My intention was to sprinkle a little bit around the (Ether) can but it all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie, a 1 lb. pyrodex and 16 oz (Ether) should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker. You know what? I'm going back in the house for the other can. Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it out on the stump too. Now I am cookin'. I stepped back about 15 ft and lit the 2 stroke arrow. I drew the nock to my cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a clunk as the arrow launched from my bow. In a slow motion time frame, I turned to see my dad getting out of his truck... He just got home from work. OH SHOOT! So help me God, it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a WTF look in his eyes. I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of pyrodex and into the can. Oh wow!!! When the shock wave hit, it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just my reflex jerk from 235 fricking decibels of sound. I caught a half a millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering 1 ft above the ground as far as I could see. It was a low fog layer full of grasshoppers, spiders, and worms. The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this: THE FRICKING DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE. There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate going into the pasture. Notice I said "was." That sumbich got up and ran off. So here I am, on the ground blown completely out of my shoes with my thundercats T-Shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback: âECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE. DAMN IT CEASE FIRE!!!" His hat has blown off and is 30 ft behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000 ft. over our backyard. There is a Honda 185 3-wheeler parked on the other side of the yard and the fenders are drooped down now, touching the tires. I wish I knew what I said to my dad at this moment. I don't know - I know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really matter. I don't remember much from this point on. I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain, blacked out again, woke up later... repeat this process for an hour or so and you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR, and Dad screaming "Bring him back to life so I can kill him again!!!" Thanks Mom. One thing for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again. Mom had been complaining about that thing for years and dad never did anything about it. You gotta give me credit for stepping up to the plate and taking care of business. Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later. I still have some sort of bone growth abnormality, either from the blast or the beating, or both. I guess what I'm trying to say is, get your kids into archery. But only under close supervision. It will teach you parental responsibility. -- Author Unknown __________________ I like my coffee the way I like my women... ...Cold and bitter...

10-16-2011, 03:07 PM	#2
FNorm Patron LugerForum Patron Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Colorado Posts: 978 Thanks: 68 Thanked 127 Times in 108 Posts	Yeah, and ya ever hear a deer giggle? FN

10-16-2011, 05:16 PM	#3
Ice User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 552 Thanks: 13 Thanked 69 Times in 57 Posts	Good show! I'm an archery man from way back and I appreciate your story. Charlie

10-16-2011, 08:41 PM	#5
nukem556 User Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Irmo, SC Posts: 625 Thanks: 35 Thanked 168 Times in 107 Posts	Funny story, but as a former teenage pyromaniac, I have to call foul...ether and a couple pounds of uncompressed Pyrodex wouldn't do anything like that. Way back in my substance abusing, Led Zeppelin / Pink Floyd days, a good buddy of mine found a duPont blasting cap while doing roofing work....I knew we had aquired the Holy Grail......this was 1979, way before Homeland Security or such things. We gathered a couple more idiots, bought a case of Schlitz Malt Liquor, a 10 pound bag of ammonium nitrate, a gallon of No 1 fuel oil, and headed for a nearby state park....our ignition train consisted of a bucket, a concrete block, and 75 feet (yes, 75) of speaker wire.....we assembled our WMD , and touched it off to the battery of the driver's Chevy Nova. The anethestic properties of the Schlitz (among other things) cushioned the concussion a bit, but noone could hear very good for a day or two...ah, freedom....