How a kid started Archery and his Dad gave up Blackpowder!!

bountyhunter · 02-02-2011, 06:09 AM

Around age 10 my dad got me one of those little recurve bow beginner kits. Of course, the first month I went around our land sticking arrows in anything that could get stuck by an arrow. Did you know that a 1955 40 horse Farmall tractor will take 6 rounds before it goes down?

That got boring, so being the 10 yr. old, I quickly advanced to taking strips of cut up T-shirt doused in chainsaw gas tied around the end and was sending flaming arrows all over the place. One summer afternoon, I was shooting flaming arrows into a large rotten oak stump in our backyard. I looked over under the carport and see a shiny brand new can of starting fluid (Ether). The light bulb went off in my head. I grabbed the can and set it on the stump. I thought that it would probably just spray out in a disappointing manner. Lets face it, to a 10 yr old mouth-breather like myself, (Ether), really doesn't "sound" flammable. So, I went back into the house and got a 1 pound can of pyrodex (black powder for muzzle loader rifles).

At this point, I set the can of ether on the stump and opened up the can of black powder. My intentions were to sprinkle a little bit around the (Ether) can but it all sorta dumped out on me. No biggie, a 1 lb. pyrodex and 16 oz (Ether) should make a loud pop, kinda like a firecracker you know? You know what? Screw that I'm going back in the house for the other can.

Yes, I got a second can of pyrodex and dumped it too. Now we're cookin'.

I stepped back about 15 ft and lit the 2 stroke arrow. I drew the nock to my cheek and took aim. As I released I heard a clunk as the arrow launched from my bow. In a slow motion time f rame, I turned to see my dad getting out of the truck... OH Crap! He just got home from work. So help me God it took 10 minutes for that arrow to go from my bow to the can. My dad was walking towards me in slow motion with a WTF look in his eyes. I turned back towards my target just in time to see the arrow pierce the starting fluid can right at the bottom. Right through the main pile of pyrodex and into the can. Oh Nooooo.

When the shock wave hit it knocked me off my feet. I don't know if it was the actual compression wave that threw me back or just reflex jerk back from 235 decibels of sound. I caught a half a millisecond glimpse of the violence during the initial explosion and I will tell you there was dust, grass, and bugs all hovering 1 ft above the ground as far as I could see. It was like a little low to the ground layer of dust fog full of grasshoppers, spiders, and a worm or two.

The daylight turned purple. Let me repeat this... THE FRICKING DAYLIGHT TURNED PURPLE.

There was a big sweetgum tree out by the gate going into the pasture. Notice I said "was". That big tree got up and ran off.

So here I am, on the ground blown completely out of my shoes with my T-Shirt shredded, my dad is on the other side of the carport having what I can only assume is a Vietnam flashback:

ECHO BRAVO CHARLIE YOU'RE BRINGIN' EM IN TOO CLOSE!! CEASE FIRE. DAMMIT CEASE FIRE!!!!!

His hat has blown off and is 30 ft behind him in the driveway. All windows on the north side of the house are blown out and there is a slow rolling mushroom cloud about 2000 ft. over our backyard. There is a Honda 185s 3 wheeler parked on the other side of the yard and the fenders are drooped down and are now touching the tires.

I wish I knew what I said to my dad at that moment. I don't know - I know I said something. I couldn't hear. I couldn't hear inside my own head. I don't think he heard me either... not that it would really matter. I don't remember much from this point on. I said something, felt a sharp pain, and then woke up later. I felt a sharp pain, blacked out, woke later....repeat this process for an hour or so and you get the idea. I remember at one point my mom had to give me CPR. and Dad screaming "Bring him back to life so I can kill him again". Thanks Mom.

One thing is for sure... I never had to mow around that stump again, Mom had been beetching about that thing for years and dad never did anything about it. I stepped up to the plate and handled business.

Dad sold his muzzle loader a week or so later. I still have some sort of bone growth abnormality, either from the blast or the beating, or both.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, get your kids into archery. It's good discipline and will teach them skills they can use later on in life.

Ronny · 02-02-2011, 06:25 AM

That sounds like something would have done.
I got a good laugh this morning.

biggen · 02-02-2011, 08:17 AM

Ha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOBSTER · 02-02-2011, 09:28 AM

That was a great one to start the morning off with. Derek, I could not repeat that either until my kids were grown and left the nest. Sure would not want them to know I would do something like that.

But I do know what is was like hunting anything that would move with my bow when I was a kid, and some things that did not move

.
Bob

LostHawg · 02-02-2011, 06:45 PM

I hope Catie doesn't read this!

axisbuck24 · 02-02-2011, 08:48 PM

Derek,
Well we know your Mom was successful with the CPR, but did your Dad end up doing.....some of this

bountyhunter · 02-02-2011, 09:01 PM

I'll confess, this isn't a story from my childhood. I did a lot of things, dumb things that is true. In fact what caught my attention when I was sent this was the flaming arrows. My brother and I did do the flaming arrow thing, well we did until one summer day we set the hay field on fire. Let's just say neither of us could sit down very well for a week or so......

Hot4huntin · 02-02-2011, 11:06 PM

What a cool story!! Beats the heck out of me shooting my Dad's hen instead of the mean old rooster that use to chase me with my homemade bow out of a carved stick, grandma's sewing elastic and a carved and sharpened stick (arrow). Pretty sure I got in just as much trouble though!

bountyhunter · 02-03-2011, 06:21 AM

Dena I have a rooster shooting story too. My granddad had one that would chase us and I just wanted to scare him, but I planted the arrow right under his wing and it went through to the other side. He ran off and we tried our best to catch him before granddad saw but never could. Next morning when granddad went to the barn to feed, sure enough there was his rooster running around with that arrow stuck in him. We did finally caught him and pulled the arrow out and that darn rooster lived another 4-5 years, but he never chased us kids again.

rtread · 02-03-2011, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bountyhunter

Dena I have a rooster shooting story too.

Lol I have a rooster story too....but it doesn't involve bows and arrows. I used a rod and reel and little frogs for bait. I had to clean the nasty rooster and cook it for supper.

(Good story, Derek) Amazing what kids can get into.