Nestled in the hills of northern Sonoma County, California, not far from the charming town of Healdsburg, Mayacama is a private golf and residential community where a vibrant club life is joined by an active sporting life in an indescribably beautiful valley. Mayacama contracted Hannah Gart of Karma Tales to teach an archery class to some of their members.
While she was teaching, she filmed her young students, and later edited the footage into the video above. When we teach we often use the camera and playback abilities of our phones to show the new student what their form really looks like. It's easier than bringing a full sized mirror out into the field. Hannah Gart of Karma Tales taught a two day Archery Kids Camp at Mayacama. The video features Lauren and Lilly on their second day of Camp!
For more information please contact Karma Tales at info@karmatales.com!
The Slick Stick from Bearpaw Archery is a hybrid longbow. This 58 inch stick bow is in the same family as Bearpaw's Quick Stick line, but it uses cheaper production materials and is clearly a more affordable option. The Quick Stick line starts at $650 while the Slick Stick comes in around $300 and would make an excellent starter bow for someone new to archery or new to the modern longbow.
What makes this a modern longbow is the reflex-deflex design of it's bamboo limbs. More traditional long bows are known for their power and accuracy, but they are also known for uncomfortable hand shock. I've shot longbows that felt more like shooting a pistol than a bow, but the Slick Stick has remedied this by adding just the right amount of deflex in the limbs, which acts like shock absorbers.
The bamboo limbs of the Slick Stick are covered in Bearpaw power glass and they have a non-glare matt finish. The handle of the Slick Stick is made of American Black Walnut. The tips are layered Mycarta which can handle any fast flight string.
The Slick Stick is very light, weighing just under 1 pound. This means that the bow is easy to handle and won't fatigue the archer after hours of shooting. The 58 inch Slick Stick comes in draw weights from 15 to 55 pounds in 5 pound increments and can be drawn to 32 inches. The bow is quite and fast with the provided Whisper String, and the bow itself is guaranteed for 30 years! The warranty is with the bow, not the person who first bought it, so if you decided to sell your Slick Stick down the line, the warranty will transfer with it.
For more information on ordering this bow from Bearpaw, visit www.KarmaTales.com. You can also purchase the Archery Focus T-shirt worn by Hannah in this video at the KarmaTales online shop.
Jack Fang, the camera guy behind the Archery Channel, is hitchhiking around Europe to interview archers and bowyers around the world. This week he posted a video about Richard Head. Jack Fang writes in the video discription, "In this particular video, we get to see a little about how the traditional English longbow is made, in modern England. Unfortunately, a 6 minute video is insufficient to be fully instructional, but hopefully it will incite some interests. Richard Head has over 30 years of experience in bowmaking, and the workshop is located in Melksham, England, UK."
Jack also adds, "If you are interested, I have lots of extra footages that I can compile another video regarding the interview. These footages were not included due to the length." Richard Head Longbows Contact Information http://www.richardheadlongbows.co.uk YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/RichardH...
At first glance, the title sounds a bit like a bad horror film. "In a town somewhere in the heart of the Black Forest, this unsuspecting British lad has no idea what he's in for..."
But that's not true. Grizzly Jim of Merlin's Archery Adventures, has been to "The Gathering" before, and this time he documented his experience. Can't add much more than what's in the film except for the fact that I'm insanely jealous of his experience.
It's not that he got to shoot some arrows in the woods, I do that nearly every day. It's not that he got to shoot some arrows with Henry Bodnik... Ok, that's a bold face lie. I would love to shoot some arrows with Henry Bodnik, but mainly it's the fact that these folks look like they are having the time of their lives!
Here in America it is hard to find events like this that aren't heavily sponsored by bows with training wheels or the newest retractable killing blades. There is an epidemic here in the States of corporate camouflage and gadgetry.
Thank you Grizzly Jim for the great little documentary of your latest adventure. I am watching... and taking notes ;)
Introducing the newest, of the now legendary Quick Stick line; the 2015 60 inch QuickStick and the custom 62 inch Super QuickStick from Bearpaw in Germany.
The QuickStick is a hybrid longbow incorporating reflex-deflex design into it's bamboo limbs. This makes this shorter Longbow extremely fast to shoot and forgiving on the shooter. Bearpaw has layered black and white Mycarta in between beautiful Rosewood and Bubinga to create a low pistol grip handle that is comfortable and fits perfectly in my hand.
The Super QuickStick is the same design and materials just 2 inches longer in overall length and was made to accommodate my 32 inch draw length. The QuickStick is Bearpaw's signature bow, and they have many subtle variations to fit the shooting styles of all archers.
Henry Bodnik has said, "In our opinion, it's performance and comfort are brought to an optimum. This hybrid bow is a perfect mixture of longbow and recurve - with recurve performance and longbow appearance. Short, handy and quick!"
So why does Bearpaw in Germany make such a big deal about this little bow? For starters, it is incredibly fast for a longbow and even my 62 inch custom Super QuickStick is relatively short compared to other stick bows of equivalent power and speed. Bearpaw has accomplished this by crafting very strong, yet very narrow bamboo laminate limbs and multi layered mycarta tips that are guaranteed to last a lifetime. So confident is Henry in his bow design and construction that every bow from Bearpaw comes with a full warranty for 30 years!
What makes this bow so special though is how it feels shooting arrows. Many of us like the added stability that a stick bow provides, but are shocked, quite literally, with the amount of hand-shock that a longbow can produce. The reflex-deflex narrow bamboo limbs and layered Mycarta throughout the handle all but eliminate shot vibration.
…which makes it quiet too!
Stability means accuracy and these limbs are rock solid. Solid, non-twisty limbs are the hallmark of all longbows, and now with the QuickStick, that added accuracy doesn't come with cumbersome length, noise, and lack of power.
This custom 62 inch Super QuickStick which pulls 50 lbs. at 32 inches quickly became my new favorite bow. I can honestly say that it is the best bow I've ever shot. Easy to handle and easy on the eyes this bow has set the bar high for all other stick bows. Bearpaw has several models to choose from depending on your needs and budget.
I would highly recommend getting you hands on one for 3D shooting, target practice, or your next big hunting excursion. This bow will get the job done… like the man said, "short, handy, and quick."
For more information on purchasing the Quick Stick or Super Quick Stick visit:
Chris Unger, Bearpaw's head bowyer in Germany set out to design a bow with the perfect grip. The result was the Mohawk, 60 to 62 inch, take-down, Recurve. The bow comes in different lengths depending on the size and strength of the detachable limbs, and is a perfect beginner bow to anyone new to the sport of Traditional Archery
Being a 3 piece take-down has it's obvious advantages, like being easy to cart around with you, but it also gives you an advantage if you are just starting out in the sport of Instinctive archery.
Most new archers will buy a bow that is too heavy for their skill level, just so they can brag about shooting a really heavy bow. With the affordable, Mohawk, newbies can purchase the correct limb strength for their skill level and know that when they are ready for more power, all they need to do, is change the limbs. Bearpaw even has longbow limbs that will fit the Mohawk riser.
The Mohawk riser is made from layered walnut, mycarta and then walnut again. The limbs are bamboo and Bearpaw power glass, with a non-glare matt finish. The tips are also mycarta and can handle any string.
The bow draws smooth all the way through a 32 inch draw. The Mohawk shoots fast and quiet and would make an excellent hunting bow at draw weights over 40 pounds; it's key features include being rugged and dependable under all conditions.
At just over $400, the Mohawk from Bearpaw is an affordable yet expertly crafted arrow launching platform with a handle that nears perfection. Limbs are sold from 20 - 55 lbs. so there is a Mohawk for every archer, and every bow made by Bearpaw is backed by a 30 year warranty!
Hannah Gart of Karma Tales is now offering the Bearpaw Mohawk through her Wellness Adventure Outfitter business at www.KarmaTales.com. Hannah originally caught the attention of Henry Bodnik of Bearpaw when she made a video highlighting the Bearpaw Navajo. Hannah plans on expanding the line of Archery Equipment she offers to her students in Sonoma County California and to the world by highlighting Archery's more feminine qualities.
For more information on how Hannah is approaching one of the sacred arts, see her ArcherYoga video below.
Easton Archery has been making the Axis line for a number of years now, and in 2013 they launched the Easton Axis Traditional, that was modeled off of the legendary look of Doug Easton's 1920's hand-made arrows.
The Easton Axis Trad features a vintage, wood-grain look, but boasts the same performance as the original Axis carbon arrows. The Axis Traditional is slightly heavier, with a brass insert installed to improve front of center weight preferred by some traditional archers.
This means that the insert is secured further back, closer to the arrows center of gravity, giving the arrow better flight characteristics and deeper target penetration.
The Axis Traditional is also a skinny arrow. At 9/16th in diameter, it was made to fly fast, and the carbon nano tube construction is meant to dampen arrow vibration and tighten your groups.
The arrows look amazing! And paired with some 125 grain field points, these arrows really do pack a punch. These shafts are a 340 spin and fly better than any carbon shaft I've loosed. Most of my targets are "stump style" targets, so when I miss, which happens often, my arrows are often finding there mark in mud, clay, and gravel.
For 2 weeks they took a pounding and the only damage that was done was some minor chipping in the outer wood grain finish. This was unfortunate, but understandable as these arrows have been rattling into each other in nice tight groups.
At the end of my test I thought I would put them through the ringer by launching them into the river bead.
Normally I wouldn't stump shoot here; at this angle, as you are bound to hit large rocks. I've shattered a few shafts down here, but I wanted to see if the Easton Axis Traditionals could take it. I launched a couple into the stones around my target to see how they'd take it, and honestly, I thought they'd be toast.
Amazingly, I was wrong, they were tough as nails. The collars are all scuffed and chipped but that was their purpose, so absolutely no complaints here, the shafts were as strong as ever.
