Bow Hunting

Man! Bow season is already here.

I have been shooting the compound and went hunting once this season. I did not see any deer, but after leaving the stand, I heard one snort and it sounded like several fled after a couple more snorts. I stalked the area, but never saw deer hair.

It has been extremely dry in upstate South Carolina and we need rain desperately. The food plots are not doing well. The mast crop is poor due to the late spring freeze and acorns, hickory nuts and soft mast are scarce.

The black bear population is up and the scarcity of mast will force them to come down from the mountains into the more urban areas and we are sure to have some nuisance bears this fall and winter.

My interest is turning to primitive archery and I have a bow kit on order. It is a hickory bow laminated with bamboo and is rough finished. I will have to do the final tillering and finishing. I have to order some arrows and even though I love carbon arrows, I may purchase some port oxford cedar to make some authentic primitive arrows for use with the new bow. I am eager to get started on this project.

If you are interested in primitive archery, check out Rudderbows on the internet. They have some neat kits and some finished bows as well as accessories.

The weather is finally taking a turn to cooler nights and slightly cooler days. This should help the fishing, but the water levels are extremely low. We need soaking rains for days on end to restore the levels.

We're headed to Amish country in Pennsylvania later this month and will be taking a lot of photos as usual. I'll post some on my website (http://www.lwoodrowross.com/). Check it out.

If you want to see some info. on fly fishing go to my other site (http://www.flyfishnorthamerica.com/).

There is another blog on my website with some interesting topics.

I'll be making some apparel available on the site soon (t-shirts, fleece jackets, etc.). I hope you'll take a look.

Enjoy the change of seasons and get outside. Go fishing, hunting, hiking, kayaking, biking, or anything that will get you out in the great outdoors. It always makes us feel better.

Good luck in all your activities.