OUT!! #2: A Duck From Wood

I have an interest in wildlife wood carvings, specifically ducks, that I've held for all my life. Ever since I got a copy of Duck Hunting by Dick Sternberg and Jeff Simpson, I have had in interest in the creation and design of duck decoys. Their unique forms coming from a solid block of wood and being transformed into beautiful works of historic art. The decoy makers of old such as Elmer Crowell, Mason Decoy Company, Harry V. Shourds, R. Madison Mitchell, and many others with their trademark styles, folk art roots as working objects designed for trickery and deception, and their simplistic beauty make them as an attractive of an art form as any of the fine arts.

A first time decoy. Hooded Merganser Female.

As a birder, wannabe hunter, and appreciator of the natural world, I can honestly say that I want this as a personal past time and as an art form. I tried several times through high school to get a grip on carving. My first attempts were to try to create a cardinal from a pine block. I didn't even get an outline done for the first few weeks and I tried to cut it out using a coping saw. "Too much work!", I thought at the time. This past Christmas, the gift of a Dremel and draw knife made the carving process much easier and as of last week, I have completed the first major phase of my Hooded Merganser decoy.

Head details including eye holes. Originally was going to be male (from the pencil marks on head), but decided to make it female to better fit the profile that the head presents.

Being a first time carving, there isn't much to look at. It's rough shape formed from the draw knife's repeated waves and strokes over pine 2x4s. I hope to work with cork next time for an easy supply of multiple bodies. My attempt at New Jersey style decoys (hollow as opposed to solid blocks) failed as my Dremel didn't seem to appreciate the idea of burning through several inches square of pine board. I tried drilling the holes demonstrated by many enthusiasts of this medium to speed the process. I even contemplated using a Native American technique called bowl burning to create the depressions needed for the hollow deek. The idea fell apart. Now I had two perfectly shaped sides (top and bottom) and a head piece I had created earlier. The head piece is made of basswood and looks fairly lifelike, though it resembled a Pileated Woodpecker earlier in the process than that of a hoodie. The pictures I've provided below should give a better impression of what I have come up with.

OUT!! #1: Arrow Bend or Why Carbons are Infinitely Better Than Aluminium Arrows

The victim with pen for scale.

After returning home for my two week spring break, I got the itch to shoot my bow. I've had it since high school, but every time I've said that I would go hunting, I always found something that would get in the way. Over the past semester and semester before, I discovered a love of carving and for this past Christmas, I received the Dremel I'd asked for. Boy did that make carving much easier. Now with this tool in hand, I finally had a new incentive to interact with the outdoor world.

Archery has also been an outlet for me as well. I've always enjoyed the feeling of the arrow leaving the bow, the swiftness with which it strikes its target, and the power the arrow has once contact has been made. As the title suggests, I'm here to talk about the power. I own a PSE Impala recurve bow that has a 50lb draw. This allows me if I wanted to (I don't, but there you are), to pursue the big game animals within my state such as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and black bear (Ursus americanus). It's also a good weight for general purpose shooting and for a man of my stature and size that works well.

As I was shooting today however, I ran into a familiar problem of mine. Aiming. While I've improved my overall accuracy (I can hit the target), my precision is so wacky, it's almost laughable. I was taking mostly kneeling shots as I wanted to simulate a hunting scenario where the game would be on alert, but still vaguely unaware of my presence. I've found that it's easy enough for me to be able to hit the target. I vaguely register where I want to hit the target, aim briefly, and with fairly good accuracy (70-80% in a hopeful guesstimate). On this occasion, I was using my Tough Bag® target and to prop it up, I had secured two aluminum arrows into the soft earth near where an old chestnut (Castanea sp.) used to stand. After several practice shots at 10 paces (baby steps still, I know), I backed up to about 15 paces or what looked to be 15ft away. After several more shots, I was nearing the end of my shooting session. I released an Easton® carbon arrow from my recurve, expecting it to hit the target or maybe even glance off. It was carrying a G5 Small Game Head® and what happened next was totally surprising, but completely expected.

The damage is done.

The noise the head made as it collided with the lower section of the planted arrow was akin to a small "tink". The devastation caused however, belied the small noise made by the small game head. The "tink" left (as the pictures demonstrate) a crippling bend on the hollow shaft. The arrow buckled, as the carbon arrow with its bludgeoning tip, ricocheted off and landed about a foot away. I laughed. I knew that aluminums were prone to bending due to glances and bashes, but having just witnessed the crushing power of a small game head mounted on a carbon shaft, I was all the more impressed by the performance of such a light, yet durable material. Certainly lighter than wood and infinitely more durable. As I picked up the mangled arrow, I remarked at the severity with which the arrow had been crippled. I knew that I wielded a very powerful weapon, but seeing its devastating power up close gave me all the more respect for such a primitive, but still clearly dangerous weapon. As for the hunt I thought; that would have to wait until I could hit a target with precision enough to warrant a clean kill. After all my target is waterfowl, not deer.

Introduction to OUT!!

As the titles suggests, this blog will be updated with regular bursts of activity, before falling into a dormant torpor, much like evolution itself. I hope that I can adapt a schedule that works in a way so I can post with greater frequency and hopefully provide an insight into the natural world that I see everyday. I hope you find something to enjoy.