April 1937

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VOL. 8,

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April, 1937

ALSEA, OREGON

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Ye Sylvan Archer VOL. 8

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NO. 12

April, 1937

Published the fifteenth of each month bj'

J. E. Davis and J. R. Todd Alsea, Oregon Editor

J. E. DAVIS

.$1.00 Per Year

Subscription Price Foreign Subscription

$1.25 Per Year

Single Copies

15 Cents

Advertising Rates on Application

TABLE OF CONTENTS COMPOSITE BOWS

By L. E. Stemmier

.1

THE NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

By Clayton B. Shenk

.5

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

By Ray Hodgson

.5

EDITORIAL

G

SUGGESTION

By Karl Palmatier

.7

ARCHERS I HAVE KNOWN

By Dave J. Mack

.7

FROM INDIANAPOLIS

By Mrs. W. B. Lincoln

......8

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF ARCHERY Edited by George Brommers ..... .9 -♦

April, 1937

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

1

(Composite Bows

By L. E. STEMMLER, Queens Village, L. I., N. Y. (All rights reserved) Composite Bows! How we archers cores, sinew back or drawing weights have devoured every scrap of infor­ that combinations of these materials mation obtainable. It is exasperating produce are carefully left out. There and tantalizing to read of them and isn't even a decent photograph or still not be able to own and use one. picture of a Composite Bow drawn Most archery books have contained up. Such illustrations as exist are meagre but interesting matter. All more or less conventionalized and of us have read of Ingo Simon, who give no accurate ideas as to shape or shot over 400 yards with a Turkish form. Many bows were depicted with bow and Mohammed Effendi who did tile strings on backwards. Translabetter. Like the marvelous exploits of Robin Hood, legends of Turkish arch­ ery abound. The tremendous shots of old Turkey were engraved on marble columns at Ok Meydan (The Place of the Arrow) in the city of Constan­ tinople. And what shots—six hun­ dred. seven hundred and over eight hundred yards! We have read of these flight shooters of old, but few believed the records of their exploits until over five hundred yards was made With a wooden bow. Now, we’re not so sure but that these distances were actually made.

A great wish to have and use a Composite Bow has actuated the writer’s research over a period of years. It seems impossible to buy a Composite Bow that will shoot. All of them are too old or too costly. The making of wooden bows has always called for skill of a high order, but before even starting the fabrication of a Composite Bow, it meant study, The Author Draws a Composite Bow reading, visits to museums and pri­ vate collections. It meant examining tors of original writers were not the finished products of old masters, bowyers and certainly were not acquiring a bit of Knowledge here archers. No one seems to know just Composite Bows did bend or and a bit there. New friendships were where why. The information appears to made and innumerable questions asked. Foreign correspondence with consist of garbled accounts, maybes Burma and India, England, France and possibilities.

The only real, indisputable fact is and Germany was a delightful adven­ that the bows had been made by ture.

Almost all information pertaining Oriental bowyers. Since they had to Composite Bows that the writer been made, it was conceivable that has investigated. unfortunately, (hey could be made again. No leaves entirely too much to the im­ museum or collector would permit agination. Most of it seems to be by stringing a bow. That would have someone who knew a chap who heard simplified things a lot, for it would about it from someone else. There is have established the pend and given nothing definite about any of it. Such something to work toward. Hence tilings as measurements, explicit de­ (lie only method left was that of trial tails as to thickness of horn, wood and error.

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YE SYLVAN ARCHER

Discovering sources of materials was an exciting game. Shipments of Yak and Asiatic Buffalo horns from half way round the world evoked pictures of the rice paddies of Man­ dalay and the cane fields of the Phil­ ippines. Imagination pictured lines of patient, shaggy, ox-like yaks breasting the snows of some Hima­ layan pass, loaded with brick tea and silk for Russian or Persian. The tinkle of their harness bells, the hoarse shouts of their Mongol drivers and the smell of the dung camp fires became quite real.

For, mind you, no other horns but those of the big, plodding buffalo or the cumbersome yak will do. Cow horn, antelope, goat or deer horn is worthless. It is too brittle, too short and without flexibility. A strip of buffalo horn, one sixteenth inch thick can be wound around the finger, while a piece an eighth of an inch Through has unbelievable cast and snap. Good bow wood and good bow horn are much alike. There are black horns, mottled brown ones, and mot­ tled ' white ones. Just as the best wood is, rare, so the best horn is hard to get. Horn has a grain like wood, and it comes in all shapes and sizes.

Like wood, some might be called wind twisted, and is good only for ornaments. A pair of curly yak or buffalo horns makes a very appropri­ ate archery trophy. When polished, they resemble black agate or mott led onyx.- Homs - vary in texture from bottom to tip. The bottoms are hard and stiff, the centers and ends flexible and softer.

While reliable sources of horn were being established, the search for sinew was under way. All sorts of dodges were tried. Getting friends to save deer sinew and solicit:ng slaughter houses to do the same sounds all right, but try it out as a a practical thing. However, sinew may now be had in quantities, nice and clean, and ready for shredding.

Experiments with wood cores took a year, Kani, an old Turkish bowyer (or at least his translator) speaks of joining various pieces of wood with single fish tailed joints to form the core. From three to five pieces of wood are mentioned by others. May­ be they did use that many. The writer used lemonwood, snakewood, ash,

April, 1937

maple and hickory and glued combi­ nations of all these. After some four­ teen trys, lemonwood and hickory were found to be entirely suitable.

Reflexing the core stock was tried in many ways. Those built up of very thin layers of lemonwood and snake­ wood bound to a properly curved form and glued into shape work out very well and result in a reflex beau­ tified by the combination of colored woods.

Glue! What a simple little word.

Yet, whenever I see it, I want to howl. If anything came near to mak­ ing a jibbering idiot of me. glue was that thing. Many nights, after work­ ing all day on messes that stunk to high heaven. I was greatly tempted to burn down the shop, stow away on a whaler and “get away from it all.”

Hot glue! May Allah have mercy on my soul! What a concoction of the devil. Surely imps of a particularly ma’evo’ent breed make their dwell­ ing place therein. I’d give a lot to see some other poor soul struggling with ten inches of horn Intent on going every place but where it ought, a dab of hot glue determined to set in half a minute, and the wood core of a Composite Bow. That would compen­ sate for a lot. Maybe if a fellow could live in an air tight room heated to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, it might work. Oh. it can be done, but only at the risk of one’s sanity. After a gen­ uine go at it, you’ll never be the same. You’ll have a queer fixed grin, your neck will be awry, and your tongue permanently jammed be­ tween your teeth. So, what little sense I had left persuaded me to throw it all away and start off on a fresh track.

A cold glue with all the strength of the very finest hot glue was what I needed. For many months then, I bathed in Turkey red oil, glycerine, and inhaled glacial acetic acid, which is a virulent concentrate of all the v’negars that ever were. Russian isinglass, fish scales and skins be­ came my regular diet. It got so Felichio’s goat turned a nasty lip, stuck his head in the air, and daintily got to windward when I passed. But all things come to an end eventually, and I got my mixture. It looks like a nice rich molasses and doesn’t taste bad either, as you’ll find out while

April. 1937

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

gnawing a piece of sinew thread from the end of your finger. You really need three hands and a pre­ hensile tail in placing sinew and horn on the core. Sinew isn’t bad chewing cither. It masticates to a nice slip­ pery gum and before you know it you'll have a wad of it between your molars and your jaws will sway in a contented rhythmic motion.

This glue may be used cold; it per­ mits shifting the horn and placing it properly. It hardens in 3 to 4 days, but takes a week to set. In ten days it is really dry. Once it is set, it is set. You can tear horn apart, but many times the glue joint won’t budge. It will glue horn to horn, horn to wood, sinew to wood and sinew to sinew. Casein glues will not glue sinew or horn. When dry, casein glue cracks awav and doos not stick.

After you have spent weeks on ycur bow, after the sinew is all on the back and the horn is all on the belly, you begin to think about stringing it.

There are odd illustrations of Orien­ tals climbing all over and around their bows, hooking parts of them

3

over the shin bone and contorting themselves into strange shapes. You certainly may string a Composite Eow that way, but you’ll get corns on your shins and a permanent “crick” in your back. What you really need is a good, big vice, set on a strong table, and an arrange­ ment of very heavy linen twine that works on the block and tackle princi­ ple. Also one stout fellow, who can stand a bit of rough language and who knows enough to shut up when things go wrong. With this equip­ ment you can string your bow, take a quick look, and begin to tiller it, provided, of course, it doesn’t smash in your face. The writer got so used to that, it was a distinct surprise when they really did begin to string prop­ erly and form arcs that looked like they might be bows some day.

After you do get the thing strung, and your bend is good, in all probabil­ ity your first shot will cause the bow to do a back flip and you’ll be left holding an unstrung bow. The string will he gaily flapping in the breeze and you’ll have a siiiy grin on your

No. 1 is a copy of a Persian bow. No. 2 is another Persian bow. No. 3 is a copy of a Turkish bow. The spurs on it are an idea of mj own to keep the string from popping off. No. 4 is a copy of a bow from India owned by Dr. Elmer.

April, 1937 4 YE SYLVAN ARCHER I’ll confess it was beyond me. 1 don’t face. Until you do get the hang of the things. I know of nothing that seem to take hints easily, but after can figure cut more devilish tricks to seeing the work of weeks blow up in play on a well meaning and hopeful my face and perfectly lovely sinew backs stretch all out of shape, it howyer than a Composite Bow. May­ dawned on me that maybe you just be there’s an old curse on all Infidels and Christians and only True Believ­ couldn’t hurry.

'I hen too, when you got a piece ers and the followers of Mohammed of horn all set and begin binding it are in on the know. 1 tried to find a Turkish muezzin to baptise me in the down with lubber strips, it is no un­ faith of the Koran, but couldn’t, so common thing for the rubber to slip I just had to keep on making all the through your glue covered fingers, mistakes there were. It stands to slap you on the ear and derisively unwind with a merry whir. It accom­ reason that after you make them all, plishes this so fast, your frantic you can’t help but be somewhere clutch is always two inches behind. near right. When you finally do get a Composite Bow that shoots, and Then you call on various gods to you loose a shaft and see it go. witness your trials and tribulations and begin again. you beam all over and the work was worth it. The little jiggers throw Rasping the reflexed ends to shape, arrows like Thor threw his hammer. so that the weight is taken off and When you see one drawn up in an­ stiffness preserved. Is a nice even­ other archer’s hand and take a look ing’s work. Fine saw dust accumu­ at the critter you’ve made, there is a lates in every pocket and in the cuffs satisfaction that is very, very grati­ of your trousers. From there it trick­ fying. les all over the house, behind pictures and under rugs. The coarse wood And now for it. First, a warning!

If any man love his wife and children rasps take fiendish delight in raising and have a comfortable home, don’t blisters and rubbing holes in your thumb and finger ends. attempt to make a Composite Bow. Let well enough alone. Making Com­ You may also count on friend wife posite Bows is only for those strong being most kind and understanding. souled ones who espouse Jost causes, Just because you get glue on your who prefer a rear guard action and shoes and on the pillow cases, miss a who can take it on the chin. If you’ve few meals, which any man may while made yew, osage orange or lemon­ in the throes of more or less creative wood bows, forget it all. The only genius, lose what little patience the asset you have is the skill your fingers Lord gave you and act accordingly, have acquired. You’re going to build sundry unkind remarks seem to be in a bow now, not cut It out of a more order. Naturally, she, being a woman, or less reasonable piece of wood. cannot possibly know how much You’re going to shred sinew until more important a Composite Bow is your fingers arc numb. Then you’re than a leaky faucet, a lawn mower going to dabble in glue until your that needs a new gadget, or grass digits stick to each other, to every­ four inches long that should have thing you touch, and you can’t open been manicured two weeks ago come your fist. You’re going to pick up a next Thursday. However, if you can piece of sinew and find eight other stand all that and stlil be sweetness pieces, a chunk of horn and an ice and light itself, you may find profit pick all over you. You’ll slice funny in reading what follows. looking horns into strips, grind them (Continued in next issue) lengthwise and sideways, then fit reluctant pieces side by side. You In class C of the girls national must have the patience of two or three Jobs. You’ll have to play a winter intercollege archery tourna­ waiting game, and the awful tempta­ ment, Goucher College of Baltimore tion to string your bow, or even bend won first place, Northwestern Illinois it just a little bit, before all the glue State Teachers college second, Cor­ has had time to set must be sternly nell college of Mount Vernon, Iowa, suppressed and mastered. It takes an third, and Willamette University of exceptionally strong will to do that.

Salem, Oregon, fourth.

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April, 1937

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

5

T^ational Tournament

By CLAYTON B. SHENK, Lancaster, Pa., President N. A. A. protect the archers from the sun.

Ample space for three hundred Some idea of the size of the archers in action will be provided grounds may be visualized from the for contestants in the annual tourna­ fact that they contain three football ment of the National Archery Associa­ fields and a baseball diamond. There tion which will be held on the grounds is a space long and wide enough to of Franklin & Marshall Academy, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, July 19 to conduct a 700 yard flight shoot.

23.

Archers planning to enter the Sweeping back of the academy event are asked to make reservations buildings is a wide expanse of grassy as soon as possible in order that ac­ lawn bordered with shade trees. It. will bo arranged to have umbrellas to commodations can be allotted.

Here the next national championship will be decided.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

By Ray Hodgson March 14th was a busy day for the ai chcrs of Southern California. The third bi-monthly tournament (post­ poned from February 14th) was hold in conjunction with the fourth bi­ monthly team shoot at the Griffith Park range.

While these shoots wore in pro­ gress, Howard Hill and Fred Woodley and their “Merrie Men,” of the Art Young Archers, bagged five wild hogs on Santa Cruz island with their trusty bows.

In the tournament there wore many thrills: Mrs. Hodgson ^shot a record National round of 478 and wound up the day with a 672 team round score. Larry Hughes, in his usual way, shot a 729 York, followed closely by Roland Quayle. Veda Buf-

fum and Mrs. (Little) Glen Curtis of the Redlands club, were awarded the Class A emblem for having turned in a score of over SOO in the combined National and Columbia rounds, which is required to enter that class.

George Brommers was high in Class Z but, as his dog license was not paid, the secretary refused to turn in his score.

Archery in Southern California is in high gear. We must find a way to shorten our working hours so that we may keep pace with “The Lure of the Bow.” The fifth bi-monthiy shoot of the Southern California Archery Associa­ tion will be held May 91 h. At that time a special meeting will bo hold to discuss the new proposed team rule? and. also, to talk over plans for the Annual.

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YE SYLVAN ARCHER

April, 1937

Editorial It has been deemed advisable to run the material collected for the proposed “Doghouse Booklet” in Ye Sylvan Archer as a serial. It will re­ place Brommers Bunk for a time. In this issue appears the introduction to the “Doghouse Philosophers Page” by Erie Stanley Gardner. Just what the Doghouse Editor has lined up for next month wo do not know, but we do know he has some lively stuff on hand.

The editor acknowledges receipt of a copy of “Archery Today,” the latest archery book published. It is a 15,000 word handbook on archery tackle of the type that has been de­ veloped and improved within the last five or six years. It was written in the interest of the "average” archer and is intended to help him improve his shooting as well as aid him in selecting and caring for his tackle.

A bow-maker wants to know: “In addition to Earl Grubbs’ enumeration of the 10 cent arrow, the 25 cent yew stave and the 1% cent cigar, I would beg leave to suggest a dollar a dozen bow-maker — and, please Sir—would a four-bit valuation be too high to place on an archer to match such an array of ideal com­ bination in cheapness?” Gosh, if this rating goes on the mints will have to turn out a smaller coin with which to pay subscriptions to archery mag­ azines.

Walt Wilhelm says, “We had fifty members from Redlands club out here last Sunday for a picnic. And did we have fun? There was only two rabbits killed for the gang spent most of the day “Stump Hunting” around in the old "Prowler."

Erie Stanley Gardner was last heard from in Mexico City. We won der if he lugged his trailers along. He is quite capable of doing it, though we understand that the road over the mountains is a motorist’s nightmare.

John Yount of Redlands, Calif., sick for a month, is now able to be around again.

With his radio talks and trick shooting, Larry Whiffen is doing a lot to promote archery in Wisconsin

C. F. Schuler, of Holyoke. Mass., who is a retired lumberman, is vaca­ tioning in Los Angeles. Rumor has it that he contacted a brother timber­ beast in the southern city, and that the bunkhouse logging has now pro­ ceeded to the stage where Paul Bunyon’s last forty is getting ready for a permanent. Mr. Schuler is a mighty nimrod with the bow, or so we are told.

OLYMPIC BOWMEN LEAGUE The return0- of the tenth and final match of the Olympic Bowmen League show the Corvallis Archers in first place with a total score of 30.600 points. Portland Archers plac­ ed second with 30 472. Birmingham Archers third with 30.322. Lockslev Archers fourth with 30 100, Seattle Bowmen fifth with 30 057 and Cascadian Bowmen crowded 30.000 for sixth place with 29.608. In the women’s division the Oregon State College Girls No. 1 took first with a 26.820 score. Seattle Bowmen sec­ ond with 26 359. Portland Archers third with 25 880. O. S. C. No. 2 fourth with 24 110, and the Mill Creek Archers fifth with 20 260. Tn individual scores Gilman Keasey was high with an average of 793 but wa'* closely crowded for first place by Russell Jones of Eugene, Oregon, who averaged 791 4. Those averaging above 700 were N. Reid 756, F. H. Hahn 7^18 Tnm Ewing 736 and Nels Woods 714. Among the women. Viv­ ian Chambers of Portland and Billie Carter of Seattle scored 736.2 and 725.8. respectively, for the ten matches. Mrs. Daisy Hamlin of Eu­ gene, Oregon, averaged 738.4 for nine matches. New records were established as follows: Women’s team high’ average, O. S. C. Girls 2682; most perfects, women. Vivian Chambers 17; women’s hich single team score, O. S. C. girls 2770: hiph single match, women, Daisy Hamlin 764; most golds, women. Vivian Chambers 581: men’s high single team score 3114.

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April, 1937

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

A SUGGESTION

By Karl Palmatier, Kalamazoo, Mich.

You have often heard it said that you find fewer crooks in archery than in any other sport. Why not make use of this and have some fun?

At the national meet only affiliat­ ed clubs are recognized in com­ petition. The individual archer may shoot for the individual high team round score. But in the team round we want to shoot on a team. So those who are not on a team get together and call themselves some funny name and shoot.

The tournament committee must provide for certain rounds at the national meet. But it has the right to add other rounds if it so desires.

Why not add a state team in the same round as the clubs. Here is what I mean: Suppose we take Michigan for an example. Let us say that fifteen archers attend the national meet this year. There would be one club team.

That means that there are eleven who want to shoot but have nothing to shoot on. Suppose that they form three state teams. A member of a dub could shoot on a state team.

Now the fifteen archers from Michi­ gan are all in competition. Three complete state teams and one club team.

Each state team will elect a cap­ tain. He will report the score for each archer and the team score to Louis. He will also register the team before the round is shot. Louis is to take the score as turned in and all of us take a shot at the guy who makes an error in his captain’s report. As each archer’s score is reported sep­ arately on another report it can be easily checked.

Just think this over. What if Michi­ gan team number two should beat number one? Would we ever forget it? Would the competition be on the best of conditions? Would Michigan like to beat Ohio, Indiana. California, Oregon, New York? Would we?

Now remember this suggestion is for fun. It is to replace the odd teams with another name that will mean more to the archer. There are to be no prizes. Just fun.

If this sounds worth encouraging why not let your voice be heard in this magazine. Also write to C. B.

7 Shenk, R. 3, Lancaster, Penn. He is in charge of the tournament this year.

MORE RABBITS Fifty breeding rabbits were placed on the grounds of the Ohio State Archery Preserve last fall after the hunting season closed by the State Conservation Division.

According to the New-Letter. “negotiations are about completed for the establishment of another archery shooting grounds by the conservation division. This one is in Warren county, a few miles east of Lebanon. The proposed tract is one of some 400 acres, not in cultivation.

It will serve beautifully the archery hunters of the southwestern part of the state, who so faithfully made several hard drives last season in order to enjoy the central shooting grounds near Norton."

ARCHERS I HAVE KNOWN

By Dave J. Mack, West LaFayette, Indiana 3. The Mighty Midget — One of Lord’s ever present paradoxes. It is a little runt but insists on shooting tackle that would stagger Little John. Always goes tiie whole hog on his tackle which may take one of two forms, either a tremendously long bow and 30" arrows drawn to the aft shoulder, or a short bow pulling 55 or 60 pounds. Refuses to be con­ vinced that by going a bit easier on the tackle he’d be a better archer. the little Guy wwh

the

Big bow

YE SYLVAN ARCHER April, 1937 8 ARCHERY-GOLF TOURNAMENT GLAD TO HEAR FROM INDIAN­ APOLIS One hundred archers are expected Would you like to hear from our to enter the Ohio Archery-Golf tournament to be held at Columbus Indianapolis Archery Club? We elect­ ed officers March 12th. The 1937 on April 24-25. Eighteen targets will be played on the 24th and eighteen officers taking office are: more on the 25th. There will be a de­ Herman Shields, president; Harold termined attempt by the archers Norcross, vice-president, in charge of from all over the state to take the target shooting; W. B. “Abe” Lincoln, championship away from Cleveland vice-president in charge of field arch­ as that city has held the champion­ ery; Mrs. W. B. Lincoln, Jr., secre­ ship trophies of both the men’s and tary-treasurer.

The club will continue to shoot women’s divisions since the inaugura­ indoors at the Y. M. C. A. Tuesday tion of the state tournaments. “Erase the Floberths and Schweitzers, and evenings through April. By May first the outdoor range will be ready. The keep the Oelschlagers down! Up with the underdogs, and out with the dark­ city Park Board has offered three locations from which to' choose our horses,” is the slogan of the would range. be revolutionists. The Physical Edu­ A dozen of the Indianapolis archers cation Department of Ohio State are planning a week-end trip to University will be host for the gath­ Brown County State Park. April 3rd ering. and 4th, for roving and Hoyle shoot­ ing. The seven of us that spent Sun­ Three tournaments were held in day, March 7th, that way had such the Cleveland. Ohio, district as fol­ a good time we have planned a big­ lows: West wood, February 20; Shak­ ger and better party. In the March er Heights. March 6; and Cleveland seventh group were Mr. “Abe” Archery Club, on the Metropolitan Andrews, and his daughter, Mar­ course. February 27. Winners of jorie; Dr. and Mi's. Walter P. Mor­ these tournaments were, respectively, ton; Hartman Egger, “Abe” and Paris B. Stockdale, Richard NeuJane Lincoln. becker, and William Floberth. Jr., Good wishes to Ye Sylvan Archer. (present state champion). Women’s Mrs. W. B. Lincoln, division in all tournaments was won Secretary Ipdianapolis

by Mrs. Millie Chetister. who eclipsed Archery Club the men in bullseye hitting. “Ever-athreat” J. P. Schweitzer was runnerCLOUT RECORDS UP up in all these tournaments, but fail­ Dear Edtior: ed by a nose.

I see by the last two issues of YSA that the clout record stands at 36-234 According to news dispatches a bill or so. At Los Angeles during the has been introduced in the Arkansas National of 1935, Larry Hughes took General Assembly to encourage the third place with a 36-256. while Ralph Miller could only cop second with a use of the bow and arrow in hunting.

36-264. The clout was won by Wayne The measure provides for a 10-day Thompson of our club with a score extension of the hunting season dur­ of 36-272. I was shooting on the same ing which time hunters must use bow and arrow. clout with the above trio along with F. G. Archer of Long Beach, Calif., who shot a perfect end at 180 yards.

Mrs. Eleanor Groff Adams, a All six of his arrows were in the 48" physical education teacher of Saint straw target. He received no recog­ Paul, Minn., is also doing great pro­ nition other than having dozens of motion work. She loves archery, and has been instrumental in forming pictures taken of him and his perfect several archery clubs, among them end. The above scores are in the the Greenwood Archers. records of the National for 1935.

Yours for better scores, National Tournament, Lancaster, L. H. Atkinson, Pa., July 19-23, 1937.

San Francisco Calif.

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YE SYLVAN ARCHER

April, 1937

9

^3he Lighter Side of ^Archery

By THE DOGHOUSE PHILOSOPHERS

r*Ur

|S£N

ACCO WILLIAMS

RA B 0IT

That

WE

SHOT

INTRODUCTION BY ERLE STANLEY GARDNER The big difference between archery pay your dues on the first. and other sports is that archery And, Lord, how you hate yourself!

I never tried as hard to cure myself doesn’t make you hate yourself, your of my major vices as I did of slicing, manservant, your maidservant and pressing, hooking, and topping. Every the stranger within your gates. lime I’d drive a ball I’d start cussing.

Take golf, for instance.

People hated to play with me and I I was a golfer. Thai is, I thought I hated to play with people. It’s a was a golfer. I got good enough to be matter of record that I hold the Ojai a perpetual meal ticket for golf pro­ go ’ f course record for club throwing. fessionals who cured me of “pres­ I threw a mashie niblick up into the s'ng” by six Jve-dollar “lessons” lop of a big oak tree and the damn then bet I couldn’t drive two hundred thing stayed there until three caddies yards, thereby getting me to press all and my new plus-fours had given over again, so they could cure me their all in getting it down. with six more lessons. I purchased every known make of club and had Take shotgun hunting. spells when I could oniy drive with a You go out with a guy who “knows mashie and approach with a spoon. the country.” He says, “You take When I had the mashie spell, I’d buy that canyon, and I’ll work around dozens of different types of mashie, the slope and drive ’em down to you." etc.

Yen take the canyon, and play dog h r him. 'I he birds go whirring up to I’ll never forget the time I went golfing with the Hon. Harry Lucas, I he slope, nestle down in the brush then a superior judge, now head fifty feet in front of him. He kicks counsel for the Greyhound Lines. The 'em out and every time his gun goes wife asked Judge Lucas what sort of “POWIE” you commit mental may­ ;> go’for her husband really was. hem on him. You don’t even stop with “Madam,” he said with that judicial the so-and-so, but think of his par­ so’emnity of a born jurist.” your ents before him. particularly his maternal ancestors—who may have husband is one of the best equipped been thoroughly mid-Victorian—and golfers I have ever played with.”

Now I know the game for what it much good did it do ’em at a time like (his. You i etui n to the car. He ically is—You take a ball and a bag < f clubs. You hit the ball to where counts out the limit of birds. You try to pick cactus thorns out of your the clubs aren’t. Then you take the posterior with your finger nails. Now, clubs to where the ball is, and hit it to where the clubs aren’t. After three jour finger nails simply won’t mesh hours you got back with both clubs on a cactus thorn for the first six tries, then at the seventh attempt and ball to where you started. You

10

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

you click, and break the thorn off even with the skin. Profiting nothing by the experience, you turn to the other cactus thorns...............

That’s shotgun hunting.

Now take archery.

I’m the hardest loser in the world.

I hate to be beaten in anything, whether I’m good at it or not. I don’t get the shots. He does. I miss mine.

He twangs his bowstring, and thunks a rabbit, and darned if I don’t get as much excitement out of it as he does.

You figure it out. I can’t.

I’ve had the pleasure of hunting with some of the world’s best shots, and I’m the world’s worst. But there’s no jealousy, no sense of rivalry.

We’re hunting together. And when archers come back with a lone rabbit, it’s always the rabbit that “We” shot, and not the one that “Erie missed.”

What’s more, when you get the creeps, or the fudges with a bow and arrow (and I get ’em all and keep ’em c'dl), you don’t want to throw the bow away. It’s a matter of record that at one of the big golf tourna­ ments a player missed a three foot, uphill putt which “ringed the cup” and came drifting back down to him.

Before a gallery of several hundred shocked spectators, he forfeited the match by grabbing the ball in his hands, dropping it into the cup, then holding his hands firmly over the opening so it couldn’t get out. and yelling, “That’s where you belong, you little--------------- Get in there and stay there! And see if you can find some way to get out now, you so-andso of a such-and-such!” That’s what’s known in golf as “addressing the ball.”

And remember the newspaper clipping about the guy that kept missing his shots with the double barreled hammerless until he got so mad he whirled the gun around his head and whammed the stock up against a slump—whereupon the jar exploded both barrels which sent their charges squarely into the middle of his stomach.

Those are both true incidents.

Those of us who have engaged in some of the other “sports” and are, as I am—constitutional dubs—have all experienced similar feelings, even if they haven’t wrapped the gun

April, 1937

around the stump.

But when I pull a bow I get (No. 1) A Gardnerized variation of archer’s paralysis. I can’t pull the thing. I can pull a ninety or hundred pound bow— when I know I’m not going to shoot it. When I’m shooting, I can’t pull a twenty pound bow over ten inches to save my life, unless I deliberately exclude everything from my mind except pulling. In which event I (No. 2) lot the arrow go instinctively and without stopping to aim. As soon as the string hits my cheek, unless I deliberaely concentrate on holding, to the exclusion of all other thoughts, in which event I (No. 3) combat the impulse to involuntarily loose by a spasmodic c’bsing of my fingers, which results in. (No. 4) trying to let go the string and hang on to it at the same time.

This is, roughly speaking, the Gardner technique of shooting.

(That’s when I concentrate on the shot.) If there’s game in front of me to concentrate on, I just use the Gardner ten-inch draw, a plucking release, and at the same time try to speed up the arrow by jerking the bow arm down and forward. The arrows lob harmlessly over toward the game, which runs away unless it does what a coyote once did to one of my ineffective arrows. But I won’t write about that—Brommers does it so much beter (the writing, I mean).

But do I throw my favorite bow down and jump on ft? Do I return from my “exercise” with my nerves on edge so I can’t work for the rest of the day? I do not. I cheerfully wave goodbye to the rabbit, retrieve the arrow, and return so completely relaxed and rested that I can’t work for the rest of the day.

And that, brothers, is why I always do my archery in the early morning.

Now then, advancing over the top, in the rear of this verbal barrage which has lulled the reader into a stupor, (a technique used by Brom­ mers and all other leading exponents of the writing craft) I’m going to get serious.

When I was a shotgun hunter. I went hunting with men with whom 1 “had something in common”, — in short, with verbose lawyers, “digni­ fied” judges and wealthy clients

April, 1937

YE SYLVAN ARCHER 11 (always taking care to pick the mostly composed of chaps I’ve shot clients whose cases I’d won.................. bows and arrows with. They vary I didn't want to be the victim of a from millionaires to day laborers, “hunting accident”). As a golfer . . . and every damned one of ’em is wel­ well, as a golfer, I didn't golf with come to I he shirt off my back, and I anyone. They wouldn't let me. know I could get the shirt off his.

But what I'm getting at is that my And the guy who can ask any associates were guys whom I already sport to furnish more than that isn’t knew. Every one owned a shotgun or an archer—he’s a banker. golf clubs. It was like bridge, a handpicked diversion in which your com­ "My most frequent target,” writes panions were limited to ones own Lieut. F. D. Latta, U. S. N., Coco “set.”

Solo. C. Z.. "is the ever present But how about archcry? iguana. That's just an overgrown liz­ You don’t pick your friends and ard. they run about three feet long, ask them to go bow and arrow hunt­ if you want to count the tail—which ing. You gradually meet a number of is about half of them. I have also archers who like to hunt with bow loosed some shafts at honey bears and and arrow. And then you form friend­ herons, but regret to report that the ships with them because you sudden­ wild life census of Panama has not ly find out what damn good guys been materially affected.” We hope they are. to have an article from Lieut. Latta soon. He has trave’ed widely and has 1 got acquainted with Lloyd Coke out hunting with bow and arrow. I a gift of observation. was a lawyer and writer. He was an The Lansdowne. Pa., archers are to oil worker. He was laid off during the early depression and had night­ have the Philadelphia Fairmont nark as a place for archery practice mares over the advertisements of a and tournaments. Ralph Conrad says, coiTespondence school. He’d wake up “It is level as a billiard table, with at night in a cold sweat, thinking cioce cropped grass. It is over 800 "I’m a failure at fifty”. But Coke had feet Jong and over 300 feet wide. We more real manhood, more things to can have a two-way c;out, plenty of respect, more capacities for’ real targets and all but a 1700 yard flight. friendship than any guy I ever met The field is easily accessible from the on the golf course. I bawled like a trolley and by automobile, yet it is baby when I got the wire announcing out of the regular line of pedes­ his death. trians and such nuisances. Next year And there are the Wilhelm boys we hope to have raised enough dust up in the desert. I sit down with them to have them partially equip it as a and my disposition uncurdles just as public range.” though it had suddenly started smok­ ing up a good cigar. And I wouldn’t lake any money and miss having known Dusty Roberts, George Cathey, and a host of others I could write a small sized book about.

ARCHERY TACKLE I've learned a heck of a lot from YEW STAVES AND BILLETS—Per­ my archery associations. I’ve nicked sonally selected at high altitude. up the viewpoints of men in different walks of life, men who’ve had the Staves $3.50 to $5.00 postpaid. Billots. $2.50 to $3.50, postpaid — Leon F. best educations money could buy as Chapin, Sweet Home. Oregon. well as chaps who graduated from the same school I did—H. K. College.

HUNTING ARROWS, yew bows, As I slide through the late forties broad heads, quivers, cedar dowels. and take stock of what's gone before, Write for list. Harry D. Hobson. and wonder what’s ahead. I find that Chemawa. Oregon. the circle of real FRIENDS whose faces are illuminated by the camp­ SPECIALIZING in Matched Shafts. fires of memory in that drowsy hour Pau1 Leyda, South Oil City, Penn­ just before I drop off to sleep, arc sylvania.______

Classified Advertising

12

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

RELICS AND CURIOS INDIAN RELICS, Beadwork, Coim^ Curios, Books, Minerals, Weapons.

Old West Photos.

Catalog, 5c.

Genuine African Bow, $3.75. Ancient flint arrowheads, perfect, 6c each— ------ Indian Museum, Northbranch, Kansas.

BOOKS AND MAGAZINES

"ARCHERY TACKLE, HOW TO MAKE AND HOW TO USE IT,”

by Adolph Shane. Bound in cloth and illustrated with more than fifty draw­ ings and photographs. Information for making archery tackle and in­

April, 1937

structions for shooting. Price is $1.75.

Send orders to Ye Sylvan Archer, Alsea, Oregon.

WANTED—Vol. 6. No. 12; Vol. 7, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of Ye Sylvan Archer to complete my files.—E. J. Flesher, 2123 Charles StPittsburgh (14) Pa. JUST RECEIVED—A new supply of that fine little book — The Flat Bow — 50c per copy. Have you got yours? Ye Sylvan Archer.

Please mention Ye Sylvan Archer when writing to advertisers.

RUBBERIZED BOWSTRINGS (Patent Applied For) At last, what the archer has been waiting fox?

A genuine rubberized bowstring using live rubber as the sole bonding agent— giving greater resiliency and longer life, forming a permanent bondage between component strands, and favoring a lower pome of aim.

The bowstrings are made of Irish linen thread, have single loops, and are whipped at the nocking point.

Special introductory offer: $.75 per string, postpaid. In ordering, state distance between nocks and weight of bow.

Absolute satisfaction guaranteed or money refunded.

EARL HOYT, Jr. 6424 Glenmore ST. LOUIS, MO.

W

Port Orford Cedar Squares Selected Stock Retail only for better grades SELECT SIX FOOT YEW STAVES

And a few Billets Seasoned over six years in my shop.

E. H. Kern 336 South Maple Street Coquille

:

Oregon

______________________ /

e

1 Harris M. Stafford Manufacturer and Dealer in

Archery Tackle and Materials Yew and Osage bows $12 to $20.

Footed /Arrows $8.50 and up.

Horn tipped Lemonwood bows $6.50.

Also a complete line of other tackle and raw materials. Cat­ alog free.

1936 Allison Ave. DES MOINES, IOWA

ARCHERS ATTENTION! Just off the press!—The latest and greatest BOOK of FACTS about modern archery tackle!

Gives COMPLETE facts about all types of FLAT BOWS — BOW­ WOODS — TAPERED ARROWS, etc! Explains fully the secrets of high-score shooting! Will SAVE MONEY for every archer who buys tackle. Send 31.00 for your POSTPAID copy of

ARCHERY TODAY

by Harry McEvoy, Jr.

THE BROADHEAD PUB­ LISHING CO.

Craftco Champion XXX Arrows Guaranteed To Your Satisfaction Our Triple XXX Arrows have never yet failed to

Increase scores.

9/32 diameter for medium bows.

3/1G diameter for heavy bows.

Price S10 Per Dozen

Craft Archery Co. TULSA,

1739 S. Main OKLAHOMA

REED WILLIAMS

Illustrations for Advertising 1221 North Brand Blvd.

GLENDALE : CALIF'ORNIA

BOX 572 OAK PARK, ILLINOIS

HUNTING TACKLE i>y

Howard Hill Reasonable Prices

•* 12007 Saticoy Street NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALIF.

ULLRICH WOOD "The Choice of Champions” Folder and price list on request.

EARL L. ULLRICH Roseburg, Oregon

HOLLAND-MADE BOWS 6i/2 feet-30 lb.

Hand made of Turkish Oak by Willem Engelen. Heeze, Holland Write Winnie McDOUGALL’S Market Dayton, Oregon

Cassius Hayward Styles BOWYER AND FLETCHER —Tackle that has stood the test—

GLUE FOR BOWSTRINGS 4-oz. can 40c - 8-oz. can 65c Instructions for Making Bow­ strings, per copy, 10c Salmon Twine. 10 or 12 ply, 75c per % lb. ball.

KORE T. DURYEE SOI White Bldg.

Seattle, Wash.

23 Vicente Place

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA

"THE MARK OF DISTINCTION IN ARCHERY TACKLE Exclusive Mfg’r and Distributor for the Howard Hill Hunting Ar­ row and the Howard Hill Broad­ head.

Fine Yew Target and Hunting Bows. Rawhide Backed Lemon­ wood Bows.

College and School Equipment Price list on request Wholesale — Retail EARL GRUBBS 5518 W. Adams Los Angeles, : California

acme GLASS BOW SIGHTS Prism & Plano Glass Sight $4.50 93.50 Prism Glass Sight $2.50 Piano Glass Sigh; Circular on Request THE EL J. REEB CO. 434 N. 21th St. E. St. Louis, 111.

YEW BOWS

For target, flight, hunting and archery golf $8.00 to $20.00

ARROWS For hunting, flight and target.

Steel dies, feathers, nocks and points Write for 3 page catalog HOMER PROUTY 1604 N. E. 50 Ave. Portland, Oregon

Premiums for Subscriptions O—new or renewal­ CHOICE OF— One pair of horn nocks One dozen stainless stool piles One dozen cut feathers PREMIUM GIVEN ON EACH SUBSCRIPTION AT $1 PER YEAR

I

YE SYLVAN ARCHER

'; .>1 r|

ALSEA, OREGON: ■________ 4