The last time Howdy Davis and I were out trekking about doing a bit of stump shooting, I reached into my back quiver to pull forth an arrow with a Judo head on it (that's the point that has four bent wire things sticking forward so the arrow doesn't get lost in the ground cover be it grass or weeds). As has happened to a lot people who have used them, instead of just sliding out of the quiver by itself, it pulled several other arrows out along with it. Noisy and frustrating, the arrows tumbled over my shoulders and like pick-up sticks fell to the ground. Of course, as I bent over to retrieve them more arrows slid from the quiver and showered my neck and head and neatly knocked my hat forward over my forehead. Talk about feeling silly! I mean something like this shouldn't happen to me - I've been trekking around in the outdoors with bow and arrow for years. But there you are. So I got to thinking about this and wondering how that would have played out had I been hunting and had game in sight. Of course it wouldn't have been in sight long. That made me conscious of the noise that often occurrs because of the nature of back quivers. Which in turn made me think of the hip quivers I have used in the past. For hunting they usually have little clamps the individual arrows snap into to hold them steady. Fred Asbel has modified the idea to be more versatile and is marketing one now. Having an opinion about them that is not quite the same as Fred's, I went looking around at alternatives. And on eBay I found a couple of people selling a unique quiver that I thought could use some modifications. Accordingly, I set about designing one that more ably fit my desires. I should probably keep the information to myself, build a dozen or so, and sell them for the $75.00 on up that they might bring. But that would require more effort than I am prepared to expend.

I have built two, one that will hold enough arrows to last for at least a month, and one for a day or two of shooting, approximately six or eight arrows. My experiences in building them, and their subsequent use, have been enlightening. One I sewed, one I laced. Believe me, lacing may not look as neat, but it is by far easier. In using them I found that they could be carried on the back, or under the arm either with fletching forward or to the rear, or slung low like a hip quiver. Worn on the side below the arm with fletching forward there are no large motions in drawing an arrow as happens when you have to get one from a back quiver. Ergo, less likelyhood of scaring game. The arrows in the quiver do not rattle around, making noises to announce your presence and scaring game. Brush does not catch on the quiver to impede your progress and you have no problem fetching forth that special arrow you can never retrieve from a back quiver without removing the quiver from your back. No more do you fear spilling all your arrows when you bend over to duck under brush or to study a track. I think you will like this quiver if you take the time to build one. Because I've taken so much time extolling the quiver's virtures, the editor probably will not allow me space for photographs and instructions so I will save those for the next issue.

Until then I am yr' svt,

stories & adventures pertaining to those than went before us.

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