who's who

[otis.drum]

hello all,

well i'm sure you guys know each other fairly well but i'm new and i don't so i'd like to hear a bit about each of you if you can spare the time or bother.

just as simple as you wish, or give some detail if you like.

name, age,
where you are from,
what type of bows you're into or have,
where/what you hunt,
and anything else you may wish to add.

a post like this may have already been done, i'm not sure.
i don't mean to pry, thats not the purpose, just interested in who we all are.

for those that are interested this is me;

otis drum, 28, living in weipa, cape york, working for rio tinto mining.

born on mid/north coast of NSW, or just inland (bouraville area), moved to vic when 6 or 7.
grew up farming area around the shepparton area in the north eastern section of victoria, an hour and a half north of melbourne.

have always had an interest in hunting and of the last six months it has turned strongly towards traditional bowhunting. previously i have been a shooter, and still go out occasionally. however my spare time is now focused towards starting/attempting to make my first wood bows. some flatbows and laminated wood longbows. i also have a wood laminated bow on order from Glenn Newell, can't wait.

does anyone else have problems with partners cracking the sads about how much time you spend on bows and not with them?

thats me in a nut shell.

thanks,

otis.

[outbackarcher]

hi, im lewis otto

im 14 born in dalby and have stayed in dalby my whole life. i started getting interested in traditional archery and history in the 10 - 15 century when i turned 13. especially all the english wars and battles during that area in time. at the moment i shoot a recurve but plan to get myself a new long bow when i get a job. i would like to make longbows and ELBs as a hobby but have decided to refrain from making bows until im a bit stronger and can pull more weight on a bow.

i do not hunt but when im older i plan to hunt in the property behind me with my lifelong mate.
100 acres of trees and bush. lots of teenagers i know go out with guns and hunt pigs in that area .

lewis

[Coach]

i do not hunt but when im older i plan to hunt in the property behind me with my lifelong mate.
100 acres of trees and bush. lots of teenagers i know go out with guns and hunt pigs in that area

Well ,, if thats the case ,, don't expect much . Its been done to death mate

[outbackarcher]

i know.....................
one of the kids who does it got best in queensland for target shooting.

[Glenn]

"does anyone else have problems with partners cracking the sads about how much time you spend on bows and not with them?"
otis, I have been married 31 years this year and my wife would like me to spend more time in the shed...Glenn...

[otis.drum]

ha glen,

yeah i can't wait for that day.

don't think it will happen anytime soon though.

[Gringa Bows]

never had that problem and we've been married 32yrs. this year :Di just about live in my shed these days, cant wait till it gets a bit cooler so i can spend alot more time hunting ....Rod

[longbowinfected]

Otis, those ladies are referred to as being "archery widows"

My missus is a crack bare bow compound shot out to 40 metres straight after her beginners class and thought it was boring because you spend to much time retrieving arows rather than shooting. She also thinks it is all too easy.

She loves me going to archery events cos I take the daughter either camping for a couple of days at trad shoots or regularly on a Sunday up at our local AA target club and she has a day off, some "space"....we do this, just for her, out of the kindness of our hearts having to put up with something so boring as shooting arrows.

Mate they even get the dirts when you elect to spend quality time with them watching some soapy TV crap in the lounge /dining room fixing your gear or making new arrows......hard to figure, eh?

Kevin Girard, 54 years young,
larger than life [I am 130 kg and short and hairy......useful to my missus on cold nights in the mountains]
Live on a sustainable permaculture 1 acre block on the outskirts of Sth Katoomba
Been married 33 years
Been a pest controller for the same number of years [always wondered about that]
Mountain Archers, Blue Mountains [great little club 5/25 shoot longbow]
Been shooting 4 years, the last two longbow; trained AA coach [ I do not think they like coaches shooting longbow....I think they worry that beginners might catch something like the longbow itch...as if ever];
Flat laid 49# glassed zebrano/bamboo laminated modern longbow
shoot AA target, field, clout [local, intrastate and like going to the nationals; go to trad shoots at HVTA, Robert's at Wiseman's Ferry.
Hunting as and when there are available gaps....back yard cats, foxes...mates properties mainly bunnies, foxes, cats, goats, pigs.

Enjoy your time with us.

Kevin

[Stephen Georgiou]

Welcome Otis, I hope you enjoy your experience on the ozbow site.
I'm Steve, married, kids and traditional archer. Thats about it.
You will find a wealth of knowledge from the fellows on this site and don't be scared to speak your mind (respectfully of course) and you will be welcomed by these fine people.
One word of advice. Have a good look around the different topics on the Board Index before entering into any serious discussions. You will find that most of the subjects have been covered extensively in the past. Not to say they can't be opened again, but just check first.
Again welcome and have fun.

[prasamaccus]

Hi Otis, welcome to Ozbow, my wife just rolls her eyes when archery comes up, cant get her interested at all, but at least she doesn't complain - too much.

I'm Paul, married 16 years with 2 teenage kids and a 1 year old , i live in Penguin N/W Tasmania and are currently scraping by on a carers pension after the wife got a dodgy ticker. I shoot a 40# Cartel longbow at the local target club (Burnie Bowmen - another great club, 6 longbowmen and 1 barebow recurve lady) with my son who shoots a 35# Internature longbow. We dont hunt at the moment but hope to in the future, just need to find someone silly enough to let us onto their property once we get a bit more accurate.

Paul.

[otis.drum]

thanks paul,

well in an attempt to get my lady friend interested in archery i have ordered her a bow.

i'm not exactly sure how this will go down, but we will see.

it could be like getting her a chainsaw for her birthday.

fingers crossed.

otis

[hue]

hi Otis

my name's Hue.
i shoot a Tartar recurve (55 lbs), Internature Longbow (45 lbs) and a Warbow built for me by Len from Leongatha (73 lbs) and i shoot all kinds of arrows and all kinds of tournaments (target being my first love).
Married 30 years with two grown kids and a wife who used to shoot and was better than i was!
i've got a new bow coming from mongolia, hopefully in the next two months, this'll be the real thing, you know, bone, wood and cartilige composite and at 65 lbs. to my my draw length.
and because i am shorter than average, i suffer from apartheight from the various knucklescappers i hang round with.
enjoy your time here mate, this is the place to learn! great people here and a great spirit of giving here

Hue

[otis.drum]

thanks hue

[Jaydo]

G'day Otis.

My name is jayden, im from canberra and i have 2 bows, a chekmate recure and a stemler recurve,

i havent shot either in a while as my other love, cricket has taken over at the moment,

im an apprentice chippy and love it,

hope you enjoy your time here mate.

jayden

[jape]

Hi mate, I am a grumpy old pommy bloke lives in a shack in the bush, done a lot over the years, too boring and too much to recount in nay detail from building and computers to writing and now just lazy. Retired hurt really, bad back. Got a gf spends her time flat out on the couch watching DVD's in front of the aircon grunting 'yes love' at intervals in case I said anything. She really doesn't mind my love of archery as it means she has to devote less time to me and she can watch zombies and vampires and werewolves without my constant sarcastic commentary ruining it for her. I have a board/boo longbow and a Chekmate Longhorn. Don't get about much anymore, if I did I would be hunting boars and listening to people laugh at my efforts at 3d shoots.

[otis.drum]

thanks jaydo,

thabks jape, where abouts in the bush mate. i was born in the bush. no power, no hot water, kero fridge etc, in the hills on the great divide an hour or so south of coffs.

otis

[jape]

My little place backs onto the Upper Lodden forest Otis, it was isolated not too long ago but its getting like a suburb of Melbourne round here, yuppies putting tennis courts and swimming pools on their little 5 acres and raising miniature cows and pink poodles, spoils it for the retrobates like me. I was better off when I also had battery lights and kero fridge and so on; yesterday when the power went down and my aircon stopped and I had no water-pump I thought I was gonna melt in the heat! So I made the hard decision to drive twenty km to the pub but their power was off too dammit!

[Len]

G'day I'm Len, married with two boys, live in Leongatha, Vic. Make and shoot Elbs , mad on medieval military history, especially the English archers and their campaigns. Have started getting back into hunting again after a twenty year break and have been doing some of the trad comps.
outbackarcher, If I was you I'd be getting into making and shooting elbs now, dont wait to get stronger , make yourself stronger by shooting. I'm just working up to shooting a 100lber and thats probably as far as I'll get as I've started late ( I'm in my forties ) but if you start now there is no reason why you cant end up shooting over 120lb bows when your in your twenties.

[longbow steve]

Hi , I'm 34 I think, live and work in the Blue Mountains NSW. Shoot my own gear in mainly Archery Australia events and Trad shoots, would do more if I could find the time although I am going to make time for more hunting this year .
Steve

[Trad Bound]

Hi i'm TonyJ
I got into archery only 3 years ago, I'm 53, shoot longbow for the past year. I have a Internater Viper delux 45# and I have just got a Nothern Mist Superior longbow 45#. I'm a dabbler in making my equipment. I make my arrows, i do leather work, I make St Charles quivers and I'm attempting to make selfbows. And I belong to Lilydale Bowmens, the group that just held the LB (Longbow ) 100.
Cheers TonyJ

[kerrille]

gday mate im nev and 51 yo been shooting bows since i was 8 shot a compound once didnt like it i live in merbein which is in the top left hand corner of vic not far from the boarders of s.a and n.s.w mainly shoot goats ,pigs and shoot at rabbits got a number of bows 53# long 54# prediter hunter 58# mongol just ordered one of lens 80# elbs and mark easthams d/r longbows also make my own strings and wood arras.cheers

.....nev...

[outbackarcher]

outbackarcher, If I was you I'd be getting into making and shooting elbs now, dont wait to get stronger , make yourself stronger by shooting. I'm just working up to shooting a 100lber and thats probably as far as I'll get as I've started late ( I'm in my forties ) but if you start now there is no reason why you cant end up shooting over 120lb bows when your in your twenties.

len,
i was in brisbane yesterday with dad and we decided to have a look at abbey archery. i needed a new armguard and glove but then i saw there bow rack, and i asked if i could have a go at a 30 pound viper. anyway i had a pull it was easy so they strung up a 40 pond samick longbow, pulled it backed, about perfect weight for me !! but at my draw length it was only 36-37 pounds. but i am surprised, i thought i could only pull 30 max!!

lewis

[Jeff]

hi iam jeff i live in new zealand i am 56 and been married for 33 years been doing archery since i was 16 do a little bit of hunting making knives quivers etc etc belong to the massey archery club in auckland it is about a 5 minute drive from my place could not be better.

[dawallace45]

G'day , I'm David

I live in Miriam Vale Qld

I'm 51 and have been shooting a bow since I was 19 , during that time I've mainly shot Recurve and Longbow and on the odd occasion a compound , I still have a compound but now I mainly use a 55# longbow that I made my self , I also use selfbows on the odd occasion , I make knifes now and then and have been a keen leather worker for over 30 years , I hunt with rifle and bow and am a keen fisherman and also make my own boats and kayaks ,

I'm married coming up on 30 years now

I used to be better with a bow years ago than I am now and find that due to injuries and arthritis I'm having to go down in poundage as I get older , these days the joints don't just go snap , crackle and pop they go click and crunch as well

David

[otis.drum]

thanks guys..,but i feel a little inadequate after ready your posts. i can make toast...

otis

[kerrille]

otis from toast a chef is born listen learn and you'll have great fun ,i was with about 70 tradies on the longweekend and i think we all learnt something ,i think you never stop.


.......nev....

[matt_d]

G'day Otis and welcome to the site mate
My name's Matt, I'm 28 and I live in Bulleen on the eastern side of Melbourne.
I shoot several bows as well as build my own.. recurve, longbow and selfbow of various poundages, as well firearms on occasion. I enjoy the challenge and discipline of target archery but recently have been fulfilling my resolution of spending far more time hunting. I work as a diesel mechanic for Caterpillar, it's great because it allows me to travel interstate quite often to various mine sites and means I can access some great hunting spots! I'm also a motorcycle/dirt bike fanatic and also love kayaking, fishing, and horseriding/rodeo type stuff.
Great bunch of people here..
Cheers,
Matt

[Blinkybill]

Hi Otis! Welcome!
Im Ben, Im 16 years old and ive been shooting for about 3 years. I started with compound but then i found this forum and have been shooting a 38# samick SHB recurve and a 42# Tartar horsebow from wildwood since then. I make my own arrows and quivers. I love horseriding too, aswell as cricket, hockey, squash, etc. And now im saving up for a new recurve (something a bit heavier). Im not really into target archery, mainly field, stump shooting and 3D.

Ben

[otis.drum]

thanks ben.

[Steven J]

Hi Otis,

I'll bring this one back to the top and keep it going for you.

I'm Steve, 32 yrs and living in Bega for the last 8. I teach science and agriculture to highschool students at a really great little school.

Have a lovely wife, 2 daughters and a new son. That makes life a bit busy for hunting and traveling away for competitions and the like. I do most of my shooting around my little farmlet or at school with the kids.

I make my own gear - laminated and bamboo backed bows, leatherwork, arrows, knives, houses and anything else I can find time for. Kylie is kind enough to let me muck around in the shed pretty much when ever I want in the week, so long as I give her and the family attention on the weekend.

I grew up in the northern parts of Sydney and spend much of my youth either in the workshop or in the bush either on foot or with my horse.

I am also involved in the medieval reenactment scene and like to partake in the archery activity that must not be mentioned

Steve