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Rico, my lab, posed nicely as we waited for some birds to come.  You’ll remember that I hadn’t had a chance to test the 80# line in the field, so that is what I had attached to my Centaur longbow.  It took a little while before I could convince a nice fat greenhead to drop his bright orange feet and glide into the ultra close bow range.  I let the string slide from my fingers as he started to backpedal.  My excitement vanished in a blur when the bow lurched forward and my arrow whipped behind me and then again in front of me.  The arrow stood there in the mud as I figured out what had just happened. 

I thought that I might have gotten the string wrapped around some part on the reel but that was not the case.  The light line that I had tested flawlessly at home, had somehow managed to only pull four feet of line out before binding up in a pile of knots.  I had just warned you of this danger and then it happens to me.  The line abruptly stopped, stored enough energy, and launched the arrow dangerously back past me. 

I was very blessed that I came out unscathed and can easily conclude that the 80# line out of the AMS reel is a complete and dangerous failure and should not be attempted.  The search for the perfect waterfowl arrow retrieval system continues…

I finally got a chance to test the line a put on the other day.    It is getting dark so early now that I had to do my testing in the dark.  I really like the improved performance of the lighter line.  It has significantly less drag and flows very easily from the bottle.  I am very cautious as I test these new setups because equipment failure can literally be fatal.  If the line were to snap to a stop just feet from the bow, enough energy can be loaded into the line to recoil the arrow right back into the shooter with potentially fatal results.  I’ll have to do some more testing before I feel completely confident in this setup.

I am still trying to find the best line for my AMS reel that will maximize the arrows retained energy and range (line capacity).  The braided dacron I had ordered finally arrived.  You can see how much smaller it is compared to the original #130 pound line.  I am optimistic that this line will work perfectly.  As you recall, 45# was a complete failure, so who know how this will work out.  I’ll walk through step by step on how easy it is to change out he line.

Detach the line from the arrrow and start wrapping it around something anything.  I had thought about using a dowel in a drill so that I could take the line off very fast but I didn’t want the small coils that would likely result.  So instead I chose a plastic pitcher because of the larger diameter and ease or rotation.

To avoid adding twists to the line, I made sure that I rotated the pitcher rather than wrapping the line around a stationary pitcher.

Holding it like this, I was able to keep a little tension on the line also giving me a little more control to reel it on evenly.

After all of line was removed from the reel, I needed to free the line from the bottle.  All I had to do is pull the plastic plug from the bottom of the bottle.    The line goes through the plug and has a knot on both sides.  The two knots keep the line from coming all out way while shooting and keeps the line from falling out the bottom.  The washer helps to distribute the force generated from the arrow hitting the end of the line.

Untie this knot and I could finish removing the old line from the reel.

 Here are the parts laid out in order:  line, reel, bottle, washer, and plug/stopper.

The new line must be fed through the front of the reel…

and out the back were the bottle screws on.

The line goes from the reel, through the bottle, through the washer, large knot in the line (I tied this), through the plug, and one more large knot tied in.  I had to make sure the knot was large enough that the line cannot pull through even with some decent force.

Asssemble the parts back together and I am ready to reel the line in. 

I was able to get about thirty yards of line onto the reel but I had to make sure that I kept the bottle upright and shook it slightly at least once to help it settle.  I am disappointed that the line capacity is not greater and the thin line tends to shoot out the bottom if I am not careful when reeling.

There a couple sure fire ways to decoy ducks and I proved it once again this morning.  Let me explain just one of these little secrets.  Set your bow down and take eight steps in any direction.  Now it’s important that the ducks know that you are unarmed, so make sure your hands are visible and that your movements are out in the open.  Sneaking around in the reeds will not produce the same results.  As soon as the duck makes his appearance and tries to land on your head, that is when it’s OK to conceal yourself.  And that is one tip on how to get ducks in your decoys.

At the end of the slow morning, I left my bow where I had been seated in the reeds and started out into the water to retrieve my stashed boat.  Like magic, a duck fell from heaven and lighted in the decoys only a mere six yards away.  UNBELIEVABLE!!  Of course I should stand and flush the bird for a fleeing shot, but my bow is 15 feet way!  I had waited all morning for that golden opportunity and now I am crouched in the water with Rico, my yellow lab, quivering at my side.  He was dying to make the easy retrieve and I had to keep telling him to stay so he wouldn’t forget what he should in all his excitment. 

A minute or so went by as the beautiful drake redhead settled in between two of my decoys.  Then, plunk, he was underwater.  He seemed to stay under for quite a long time before surfacing.  He shook the water from his head and dove once again, but this time I had an idea.  When he surfaced again, I was ready.  He preened himself a little bit, then down he went again.  Ready for his underwater feeding, I rushed for my bow and splashing through the water as soon as he when down.  Before he surfaced again, I was seated with my bow in hand and Rico at my side.  I couldn’t believe it worked and all the commotion hadn’t somehow alarmed him. 

My first thought was to flush him and take the shot, but I had a better idea.  I let him dive once again and I hurried into the water at the edge of the reeds, ready for the attack.  I scanned the water, just yards in front of me.  The bubbles from his submersion were still clinging to the surface.  A swirl to my right startled me and I turned to get a shot but there was nothing there. Blasted bluegill!  Behind me I heard the little redhead break the waters surface.  With a couple kicks he was airborne and I had spun just far enough to draw.  As the bow began to bend against my draw, something was missing.  Somehow the nock had freed itself from the string and harmlessly splashed into the water at my feet.  All I could do was watch the lucky duck shrink to nothing on the horizon.

We are getting really close publishing In Flight Archery’s Introduction to Aerial Archery.  I feel like this has be a long time in the works but we are really close.  We hired graphic designer Kara Pothier, to do the cover design work and she is doing a great job.  She just sent me a proof that we tweaked just slightly and hopefully we can have everything off to the duplicator before the end of the week.  I’ll keep you updated on the progress of our upcoming dvd.