How do PVC Bows Compare to Proper Archery Equipment

Last winter I started messing around with the idea of making archery equipment from some of the assorted piece of PVC pipe that I have scattered around my yard from all my aquaponic plumbing jobs over the years.  Well, it didn't take me long to realize that PVC bows work a whole lot better if you make them from new pipe at least schedule 40 or thicker in wall diameter.  Those first few bows just bent right back in my hands.  Once I figured that out, things came along quite nicely.  I tried a few different methods for making them, if you want to check on YouTube there are loads of awesome videos & I recommend Backyard Bowyer as a great place to start, and that all seemed to work out alright too!  So far, so good … right?
I made a quick little video comparing 4 different PVC bows that I had made, or was working on, and thought things were progressing quite nicely.  For the most part the bows were solid and great for starting out or practice in a tiny yard like the one here.  I had a lot of fun with them, but it takes more to make for an ethical hunt in my opinion.  I soon came to the opinion that a proper recurve bow would be required before I would feel comfortable to hunt, or even fish, with it.
This took me on a wonderful adventure to Back Country Sports, a local archery enthusiast turned store owner, to find a quality piece of equipment.  I learned more about how a bow functions in that one afternoon than in the almost 4 decades that came before it.  We ended up setting up a beautiful 45# takedown recurve bow for just over $200.  Not too bad, I've bought cars for less but I wouldn't take them out hunting …
Once I got home with my new bow I just had to try it out.  Off to the backyard with all my assorted accessories that I had put together for the PVC bows to have some fun!
First I tested that wooden archers release that I had made and I can honestly say that I was impressed with how well it did but I can see how some little changes might just make it a whole lot better.  After that came the 3 finger glove that I had cut from some old work gloves and again I was pretty pleased with the results.  In fact, the glove soon won the position of preferred release aid for the new bow!  Great, sort of.  Within the first 50 or so shots the top fingertip had almost come off of the glove completely.  Since this leaves my finger exposed to that string pressure a new way to release was once again required.  That’s how I ended up with the rubber sandal cut into a finger tab that I am currently using.  Not bad, for now, but I will be picking up some proper archers gloves on one of my next paydays.
So really the question is how does home made PVC style archery equipment compare to the proper ‘sport shop’ type stuff.  Well, it’s like this … if you're broke & just getting started then go out and make yourself some gear.  It will be educational and making things yourself can be very satisfying.  A decent PVC bow will work just fine for practice in the backyard or teaching your kids about basic archery.  However, if your interest in archery is a little more advanced and you're thinking about stocking the freezer to feed the family then I would strongly recommend visiting a pro shop and getting someone there to set you up with the right equipment for you.  It’s not exactly one size fits all out there & it pays to get the right fit for you!
Basically both can be great, in the correct time & place.  I hope this has been helpful, comical or both!
Now, go play outside!

Why Everyone Should Try Bow Fishing For Carp

Why should everyone try bow fishing?  It’s simple and I’d be happy to share with you.  Everybody should try it because carp are evil.  Seriously.  They're not thought of as a ‘sport’ fish around here but every time you toss a line out, you can bet your tackle that there will be massive carp around.  Swimming near the surface, teasing us all!
Here in British Columbia, bow fishing falls under spear fishing, if you have the proper license.  As such, you would think that there would be some sort of limit on just how many of these carp you can pull out of the water but nope!  Since they are an invasive species we can remove as many of them as we want!  Good deal!
There are plenty of people here in Canada who don’t think of carp as a great tasting fish, however … I hear from the tourists that those fish are thought of as a delicacy in parts of Europe.  To me this says that we Canadians,  regardless of how stunning we look in our cold weather gear, have no idea how to properly cook carp.  What’s the easiest solution?  Go bow fishing!  The more of them you pull out, the more practice you’ll have at cooking them.
Getting started in bow fishing doesn't need to be very difficult or overly expensive.  Fishing arrows can be made at home easy enough, you can check my ‘Homemade Fishing Arrow’ video for just how simple that can be.  Don’t have a bow?  Did you know you can make a powerful little bow out of a piece of schedule 40 PVC?  It’s true, I've done it.  What if you don’t want to make stuff but want to start bow fishing for carp right away anyway?  Click on to eBay or Amazon and search ‘Bow Fishing Kits’.  It’s amazing just how much is there at an affordable price for most of us.  If it’s too expensive then I remind you of the two options listed above.
Sure, there’s a trick to being successful with any bow fishing adventure.  Aiming below the target is somewhat different from traditional archery where you aim above it to compensate for arrow drop over distance but one get’s used to it.  Sure carp is something of a bone filled nightmare of a fish, so eat it with chopsticks!  Problem solved.  Even if you just cut it up and toss it to the eagles, who love a free carp meal by the way, you are helping to reduce the carp populations in our lakes.  Which is a good thing.
Yes, of course you could just a regular rod & reel to bring in a carp today but would it really be as satisfying?  In my humble opinion … not even close.  That’s it for this little blog post but remember … get out there and give bow fishing a try!
Happy trails from JT Bear!

Starting a Fire with a Flint Striker

I picked up a Coghlan's Flint Striker recently for my bush bag and had the chance to test it in my backyard before I need to use it in the woods, always a good idea to test things BEFORE it really matters I think.  For the price, I picked mine up locally for less than $10, this turned out to be a pretty reasonable tool to have and fairly easy to use.
Having no real life experience with using a flint striker I found myself quite surprised by just how easy it can be to get a fire started.  In my backyard test I decided to try 3 different materials to catch the spark: newsprint, paper towel and cotton pads.  Of the three I tested I will from this point on be carrying cotton pads in my bushbag as they took the spark on the first strike quite consistently.  The newsprint did eventually light, as did the paper towel, but taking spark and providing flame on one strike sold me 100% on the cotton pads.
It seemed logical to try a pad that had been sprayed with 70% rubbing alcohol a few times and that turned out to be a fantastic idea.  With the alcohol using the cotton pad as a wick, it produced a stronger, broader flame that consumed the pad more slowly than when they were sparked without it!  Excellent news!
Both of these items can be purchased at most dollar stores and as such are easily available to anyone, anywhere.
There are a few things about this item that are worth mentioning, but for the price you can't really argue.  First off, the paint on the flint striker needs to be removed before it will produce a decent spark but that's not a difficult task.  Secondly I would recommend removing the little bit of cord that holds on the steel bit, and tossing them both away.  The cord is too short and complicates the stroke in my opinion and that little piece of metal is just something else to poke a hole in your pack.  Besides, you have a good steel knife right?  Right?  The last thing I would mention is that I have heard there is some issue with the rod coming 'unglued' from the plastic handle that attaches the cord.  Easy enough to fix with a little super glue or whatever you prefer.
There are a huge variety of strikers on the market so find one that you like but for me, this Coghlan's Flint Striker is good to go!  If you want to watch the video where I check this out, Click Here! 

Converting an Arrow for Fishing

Since I was unable to find a fishing arrow locally I decided that I would make one myself. I headed off to YouTube and watched a ton of great videos but one that really stood out for me was from Dave Canterbury’s Pathfinder School.  He has a load of excellent videos and a great way of teaching that just works for me and makes it easy to learn. Thanks Dave!

Converting an arrow for fishing, in theory, is an easy enough project to get yourself involved in. As an added bonus, a person doesn’t require any special tools or skills to be able to pull this off! Let’s look at what you WILL need.

1) an old arrow, preferably with a removable tip but use what you have.

2) a large safety or diaper pin, remember in this case, size matters.

3) a pair of wire cutters, most pliers have them built in or even sturdy scissors would do it.

4) a swivel from the tackle box, not huge but not tiny either … be reasonable here folks.

5) some sturdy string or fishing line, I used some old 20 LB line I had sitting around.

6) depending how good you are with knots you may want some sturdy tape.

Now, let’s take a look at what we are trying to achieve here. Basically the line to the reel, connected to our swivel, needs to be able to move freely up and down the shaft of the arrow while not coming off at either end. The tip of the arrow needs to travel through the target in one direction but not the other. Seems simple enough.

Take one end of your string or fishing line and tie it securely in place at one end of your arrow shaft. If you’re not good with knots, this is where the tape comes in. After making sure one end is firmly attached to the arrow slip your swivel onto the line and slide it out of the way. Securely tie, or tie and tape, the line to the other end of your arrow avoiding any twist if possible. Double check to see that the swivel will now move freely along the length of the arrow shaft following the guide line.

Next, open your large safety pin and use your wire cutters to remove the tip and hood portions. Remove the tip from your arrow and thread it through the hole on the end of your cut safety pin. It may be a little tight but simply pressing outward on the points of the pin should open it enough to allow it to fit onto the arrow tip. Once the pin is on, simply thread the tip back onto the arrow shaft and gently bend the tips of the pin towards the back of the arrow. The pin will press closed as it passes through the target and reopen when it reaches the other side.

In theory, your fishing arrow is now ready to go!

If you want to see my quick video for this project Click Here!

Good luck and happy bow fishing to you!

JT Bear.

What is 'Bushsteading'?

Basically, bushsteading is a cross between camping, homesteading and walking away from a broken society. More and more people are tired of feeling that no matter how hard they struggle to succeed in todays world, it only leads to having to give up more of their time and money just to keep from falling behind.

This leads to thinking that maybe things would just be better if they left the trappings of modern society behind and went camping, forever. Aside from the efforts required to stay alive, it's a pretty appealing idea.

I mean, think about it. No car payments, because your not going to be needing the newest or fanciest one on the market anymore so used is fine. No more house payments! Granted, you will need to create a stable structure to provide shelter for all four seasons but that’s really not as difficult as some people seem to think. Our ancestors did it for thousands of years so … I mean really, pretty basic stuff.  Imagine a life with no more trips to the grocery store for food that came from ‘who knows where’ and could contain almost anything. Okay, sure, growing crops takes some time and hunting wild game isn’t exactly a trip to the butcher shop but there is some comfort in knowing where your food comes from and putting the energy into it yourself. I guess the lack of TV would be a bummer for most people. No more news of how bad things are getting around the world, no more ads for things you don’t really want or need, yup … that’s a bummer.

That doesn’t really answer the question of ‘What is bushsteading?’ though, does it. I think of it this way, bushsteading is heading into the wilderness to make a more down to earth life for yourself where you provide for what you need or you most likely go without. It is simple life at its purist. In this day and age, it’s almost impossible to escape completely and personally I wouldn’t want to.   However, I wouldn’t mind being far enough away that I can get into town if I choose but otherwise be undisturbed by the chaos of modern life. Perhaps you could say that bushsteading is returning to a more primitive way of life. The more I sit and think about it, the more I begin to suspect that really … bushsteading is different things to different people but all pretty much the same general idea.

What about you, do you think that you’ve got what it takes to walk away and live off the land? Most people these days don’t even know how to find dry firewood in the forest, it’s not as easy out there as it looks. There is a LOT of hard work, education and dedication that goes into making a home in the wilderness and it takes a special sort of person to be able to do it. If you are going to give bushsteading a try, do some research first and get to know your core skills and tools before you go or odds are, you ain’t gonna make it.

Do you know which mushrooms will sustain you and which ones will kill you? Have you EVER tried primitive hunting? Or tool making? What about building a structure that can provide all you need, including safety? There are loads of great articles and videos all over the internet so look around, these skills aren’t hard to learn but they do take practice. So head on out there and get some!


Play safe!

JT Bear.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Here at Bearfoot Outdoors we strive to bring you useful information to help you with your own "Bush-Steading" adventure.

Whether you're heading out for a single night of camping or Bushsteading for the rest of your life, you'll find tips, tricks and tools to assist you in living off the land, or at least off the beaten path.

From hunting & gathering to setting up a bush camp, sooner or later we'll cover it all!

Check out the Product Reviews! (coming soon)
Visit the posts on crafting tools in the wilds!
Check out the JT's Bearfoot Outdoors channel on YouTube!
Follow and Subscribe to stay up-to-date!