I saw an old 1960--1970's documentary where one of the tribes in very northern Alaska a person made a bow exclusively from Caribou antler and part of the skull for the handle/riser part. The tribe was so far north they did not have any wood to make a bow with. The summer homes in another video were made of stiff rawhide (untreated hide) that was pressed into a dome shape after it was stiff, sometimes using two caribou/moose hides. In winter they actually lived in Igloos.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

very cool

@caseysmith544

10 ай бұрын

@@clayhayeshunter It was on KZread if you want to try and find the documentaries.

@willyboi8915

10 ай бұрын

Tuktu, aye?

@caseysmith544

10 ай бұрын

@@willyboi8915 I think that was the name of the Native Innuit.

@GR-kt4le

10 ай бұрын

This? kzread.info/dash/bejne/fKGau6x7mMSdg7g.html

Yeah buddy, we want to see more of this uncommon “emergency-survival” bow concepts bring back to life by your expert craftmanship 👏🏻

Seeing this made me remember things I used to do when I was a kid. With limited options and a lot of creativity. I remember making a collapsible bow with a piece of PVC pipe and bamboo. Fast forward to now my wife is wondering why I was watching a guy making a bow for half an hour instead of mowing the lawn.

@mtman2

10 ай бұрын

Have her doit w/push-unit...lol

@Svensk7119

10 ай бұрын

Tell her it's a guy-thing.😂

@rubenskiii

8 ай бұрын

Mowing the lawn is something you want to put off because it's stupid: you are basically harvesting useless (for us humans) plants because society is obsessed with it but barely has any function, let the grass grow a bit(unless it's a jungle lol) and make a bow. Much more fun!

@JohnDoe-ls2ww

8 ай бұрын

@@Svensk7119lol so is mowing the lawn. I kid i kid...My wife enjoys mowing.

@Svensk7119

8 ай бұрын

@@JohnDoe-ls2ww Now THAT is a progressive wife!!

Love how this man humble himself to not edit out mistakes he's made, leaving the mistakes to show that he's not perfect and also how to overcome them

@Sk0lzky

9 ай бұрын

It helps newbies too by showing what can go wrong, so they check twice (or more).

@kyleauchtung7715

7 ай бұрын

18:47?

you could give him a toothpick and dental floss and he'd come back in an hour with a 50lb bow

I am always so impressed with your ability and knowledge. I hope your boys realize how lucky they are to have a dad so knowledgeable about so many things. Hopefully they are soaking it all in like sponges. All of it seems so second nature and muscle memory to you. 👍

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

You are so kind

@aidanakach-yn9pz

10 ай бұрын

От

@erzsebettoth8933

8 ай бұрын

That definitely opens up a lot more wood options.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Yep!

This is a first time i saw a cable backed bow. It looks wonderful and it's much easier from any other backing techniques i know of. But i loved a bit different part of this clip. Showing how to handle a hatchet. When i was a kid, my grandpa tought me how to split firewood and how to use a hatchet. Later when i got into bushcraft, i learned a bit more on how to use this very versatile tool. And i have to say, you handle this tool very well Sir! Thank you for sharing and spreading good ways of handling one of the most basic tools humans have designed🥰 [edit] Oh, just one tip (you might know about this one). I picked it up on TA Outdoors channel. If you stick your knife into a small wood piece, you will get a nice handle for a makeshift drawknife. It makes a bit easier work with debarking :)

This is honestly wonderful and such a coincidence as I began getting a stave ready for steam bending to get the classic cable backed inuit bow design and shape to make one for myself but I wasn't sure on how to do the cable backing. I was getting ready to make it just a self bow as the reading I did I couldn't come up with a good alternative or way to make a decent cable backing. And then this video drops and saves the whole thing! Thank you again for the awesome content and for covering such a cool and unique way to back a bow

Super cool. I have a maple bow I am working on ( learning on ) and you have shown me two things that blow through my two major issues. I love the draw stump! I can remember it from the books and survival manuals now that I saw you doing it. I will combine it with my sanding stump( bone glue/sand) and leave just enough room to drop my double bit on the edge of the sanding surface. Flipping game changer😊 . The second nugget was confirming that I can bake the wood dry under tension. Saved me two weeks at worst or another broken bow in the pile. I am going to pull the tips towards the back of the bow with 550 and then tiller the back while she is green. Once even(ish) I will dry with fire. After the set has taken place from baking I will back the bow with drywall tape and bone glue ( works well). When that has dried I will begin floor tillering . My setup is near identical to what you have here and it was awesome watching you do it. I have another dwarf maple that I will start a cable build on. Tyvm

really appreciate the recognition to indigenous people

Love this video - great informative stuff. I've always had a fasciination with bows but the steep learning curves in both building and being accurate (not to mention the time commitment of making ammunition) has always been a huge obstacle. I've relied on snares for most of my bushcrafting expeditions, mostly because I'm solo (and can stay fed on small birds and rodents), but also because I have no efficient way to prep and store the meat on larger animals.

Great video Clay! Years ago I made one using artificial sinew . It stretches too. I kept the cable close to the back of the bow and had to tie it on in several spots. I would love to see a pine bow build. I was helping a kid build one but it never got finished. Keep up the great videos!👍👍🏹🏹

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

That’s on the list for sure

I wish I knew that when I was 8

Loving these primitive bow builds! This is the first time I've seen a cordage backed bow built and shot. just curious, but have you ever looked into making horn bows like ones from the Sheepeater tribe or like the ones from Asia? A bit of a different beast from this build but I bet it would be cool nonetheless.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

I’d love to one day. Just gotta find some good horn.

Mourning dove cooing nearby. Beautiful!

Your a badass Clay. I always feel a little more manlier when I get to wow these average Joe's emulating your teachings . Thankyou brother.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Rock on!

the interesting thing to me about this design is the ability to increase the draw weight ! although it probably wouldn't be like 100lbs on a bow that was initially 20lbs but it could substantially increase the bow strength if needed. easilly doubling the strength. although the cable back design has it's draw backs, it certainly is a viable bow and in survival conditions it may well save your life.... thank you....I never would have thought of this ! I am an avid archer and feel the bow and arrow are so often over looked for self defence. a bullet proof vest is not a problem to a strong bow...most people do not know that ! I grew up with a Howard Hill bow 58lb pull at 28", my Dads was 68lb at 30" I practiced all the time and got to be quite good even getting birds for my cat( which he loved) but the down side was braking all the arrows just before bow season and my Das was not happy....because of that I got the nick name of brokenArrow on the CB radio LOL

Saw this guy win on alone. Best season of that show.

You continue to impress.😊

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

I get it right on occasion!

Great video brother thanks for sharing.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

no problem

Cool video as usual. Since you mention spruce: Having messed around with spruce branches (trunk wood is completely unusable for bows over here in southern Germany. The branches come closer to arctic spruce) . I have this kind of bow in mind for a couple of years now. Never got around to try, though. Reminds me to get back to it... BTW The lower half of spruce branches make pretty a good bow if you put a backing on (tensile strength is lousy). I made one bow with rawhide and one with a hazel backing. Both over 70#@32" and they are great fun to shoot.

Great video! Aside from the bow making I really liked that you dug down in the earth to have good dirt all around your fire. If you don't go to dirt you risk the fire burning down a few layers and then burning horizontal underground. Well after the camper is gone a forest fire then can start. BOB

Beautiful ASMR 😊

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Thank ya

So cool bruv. This is why I love archery, it's such a complex but simple concept. Just one stick makeing another stick deadly and accurate.

Living legend

Love your videos Clay! They are a respite from the hustle and bustle of a complicated world. Thanks.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Glad you like them!

Thanks for a very instructive video, Clay! I've gotta try this one.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

You bet!

@gideonkugbonu9768

10 ай бұрын

Can you suggest any tropical African wood suitable for bows?

@shivaram4110

10 ай бұрын

​@@gideonkugbonu976854r ki

Great walkthrough! I appreciate the fact you show it can be done with limited tools and materials, great inspiration! Yeah! The conifers will be interesting!

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

It was the first time I had ever heard and seen a drawstring bow. This is a very new thing for me, and I may have to find more information to make myself more aware of this new thing.

Great skills! God bless

Blew my mind on the Penobscot and now here’s ANOTHER type of bow I’ve never imagined…awesome!

Really cool video! Do you have a video, or would you consider, making one that goes in-depth into what you are considering and feeling for when you are finishing the stave. I can see you are feeling for how flexible it is etc. but for someone that has no experience with what the "right feeling" is it would be really interesting to hear more about what you are looking for.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Search for bow build for beginners on my channel and you’ll find some vids.

I haven't made a bow since I was a kid but watching you made me want to try it again. Very impressive. Thanks.

Very meditative watching you work. I've found that to be true working with any kind of bush craft. You tend to immerse yourself and forget much of the BS in life.

@clayhayeshunter

8 ай бұрын

Very true!

its kind of nice to see imperfect motion in your work, feels a lot more genuine

I was making apple wood bows with stick and string when I was a kid. Now learning how to really make a bow. Thanks for the video.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Glad I could help!

@stephenballard3759

10 ай бұрын

Just as an aside, apple is actually very good bow wood, if you can find a suitable stave.

@jameshall5784

10 ай бұрын

@stephenballard3759 I was just talking stick and string and a flat piece of wood sharpened on the sidewalk.

@stephenballard3759

10 ай бұрын

@@jameshall5784 I understood. Good luck, have fun.

Great video Clay. I have a ton of knives but 2 that I have from Elijah are in my top 10 favorite. I want to get one of his hatchets but he hasn’t done any for quite awhile. Thank you for sharing 👊.

Excellent video! Spruce and paracord it is!

Perfect message at a perfect time; Thanks

it looks like an alternative to the one where there was another piece of wood in front of it. now its cordage and blocks. pretty damn cool and never would have i thought of doing this or that it would have that effect

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Exactly

Hey Clay, thanks for this build! I was thinking throughout the video if you would have taken down your deer in Alone with this bow. Imagine being the only one on the show who replaces the bow with a quilt duvet! That'll be some legendary legacy! Haha!

That's pretty interesting for sure!

Can you do a Bhutanese split bamboo bow? Its quite simple design, would be great survival tool.

Really enjoyed watching this.

Next time you go into the wilderness to make a bow, I'd suggest to take a Jointer, a table saw and a chainsaw. I realize that this is a survival video, but I couldn't live without those machines !

It also makes a much more snappy bow if you go a bit beyond just drying. Toast it a little. Fire harden it. You do the same for the tip of a wooden spear.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Agreed

@rawr6306

10 ай бұрын

That’s what I thought he was going to do actually. Glad you brought it up. 👍🏻

Hey Clay , hope your doing good , this is a very nice survival bow really impressive, I just have a question : Can I still make an efficient Osage bow with a stave that got tiny worm holes on the back of the bow , and is oak a good bow wood for beginners, Thank you as always 🤍.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

It really depends on where the holes are. If they're in the working part of the limb, it's probably safest to back it with something like rawhide. Oak will make a decent bow. good to learn on.

@multiversevariant4944

10 ай бұрын

​@@clayhayeshunterthank you .

Thank you for sharing so much knowledge. ❤

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

You are so welcome!

Shoots very well.. especially since its a quickly bow! Very nice to see the primitive skills out there!

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

Very educational I'm not in to hunting or killing game but I enjoy watching you make bows.

Wow this is interesting, gonna try to make one

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Get after it!

Looks like something out of far cry primal! Super cool

Love the fact that the hatchet is sharper then most of my kitchen knives.

Japanese craftsman: bow needs three years to dry Clay Hayes: hold my maple syrup

@clayhayeshunter

8 ай бұрын

😜

Thank Goodness that you did not loose and eye when the bridge released from the back of the bow! It would have been nice to know the draw weight, draw length and a measurement by a chronograph (arrow eight and length as well) to measure energy.

Hi, Clay. Very interesting concept. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Incidentally, I thought I might help your Japanese (seeing as I lived there for 24 years). The word "yumi" (弓) just means bow, whereas "daikyū" (大弓) is the typical bow used in kyūdō. One mind boggling factoid is that the string is held and released by the thumb, not the fingers, and that the draw length extends to well past one's ear. Further, so as not to excise said ear, you actually twist your bow at the time of release, creating an outward arc in the string's path. Utterly too weird for me to adopt, so I stuck with kendo in lieu of kyūdō.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Interesting!

Thanks, really enjoyed this! What kind of knot is that you're using at the 8 min mark to crank down and tie the bow to the log before drying? Looks like something akin to a taut line but with more loops. Does it have a name? Thanks!

I saw lots of cable backed bows in the museum when I lived in Alaska. I always wanted to make one. They used spruce and willow in them where I was living up there.

Clay, did they use Sinew for strings on these traditionally, in the Arctic?

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Yes, I think so. As well as the cable backing. Gut could have been used as well.

If you had to choose between the cable backing or the Penobscot that you featured previously, which one would you personally choose in a survival situation?

@19adhyayandas77

10 ай бұрын

I think the Penobscot bow is more powerful than the cable backed bow.

@garethbaus5471

10 ай бұрын

​@@19adhyayandas77Either technique can be pretty much made arbitrarily powerful.

Nice. I definitely want to try this now.

Hi Clay. I've just picked up your channel because my teenage son is showing an interest in greenwood bushcraft, something I dabbled in happily some years ago. I have a Parang on its way to me and, as money is tight, it will have to serve as axe and froe, with my old carving knives for detailed work. I may even try a bow- on the hills here we have a sorbus variant called Rowan or Mountain Ash that grows in profusion and is resistant to the die off were getting on Ash. I think that might make a unique bow and a great experiment. First though we will make a hexagonal long staff and see how Rowan takes to crafting. Local tradition holds that Rowan has magical properties when worked. Thanks for the inspiration. Love your videos.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

I’ve heard it’ll make a good bow.

@druidjuicer636

10 ай бұрын

@@clayhayeshunter That's great. Thanks for the answer.. Cheers!

It's amazing that there was zero technology transfer from neighbouring New Guinea, where the natives had bows, a wide range of tools, maintained gardens and farm animals. Although the humans interacted traded, and travelled, no such weapons made their way into Australian culture

I love these videos. This would be a fun past time. I wanted to suggest you try doing a video of making a primitive tillering system like how you have with the wall and pulleys.

Thanks lot for sharing ❤❤❤

@clayhayeshunter

9 ай бұрын

My pleasure 😊

Hola hermano 👋 muy lindo arco.. que madera usaste para hacer ese arco ??Hello brother, very nice bow. What kind of wood did you use to make the bow?

Great watch, you make it look easy. thanks for the video

@clayhayeshunter

9 ай бұрын

You bet

Clay, your production quality on these videos is just insane. In particular, I would love to know what you do to get such good audio quality. I'm an aspiring filmaker and your channel is a but of an inspiration to me. Do you have a gear list you could share or a behind the scenes video on your patreon?

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

This was shot in a Sony A7 iv 24-70 2.8 lens with a Rode NTG shotgun mic on top. A lav mic also comes in very handy.

@gabejohnson97

10 ай бұрын

@@clayhayeshunter While you're talking audio, spray some permethrin (carefully) on your AV gear and you'll have fewer insects buzzing around your mic and lens!

Really appreciate it. Thank you for your work

I've often wondered about these bows. What a great way to contextuallize it, and present it. Makes a guy wonder how bones would be used. Can large rib bones be utilized for bow purposes?

@jacoblee935

10 ай бұрын

not really as they don't flex without breaking, but bones can be useful as nocks, emergency arrow tips, the spacer blocks across the back, etc.

@jacoblee935

10 ай бұрын

The closest you'll get to a bone bow would be horn bows

@stephenballard3759

10 ай бұрын

Yes rib bones have been used for making bones. But any kind of bone or antler is one of the hardest materials to deal with for this use. It has to be very thin to bend at all, And because of this, tiny (TINY) variations In thickness will destroy the bow. However, most bows that I know of made of bone were made in the fashion Clay just in here.... They were sometimes made not to bend but actually pinned like a hinge. So you may have a 5 section bow with each section being stiff, but which bends at the hinges. The sinew cable, then, is the only thing storing energy as it stretches. Similarly, bows were made out of things like driftwood, which would be entirely unsuitable without this design feature. If you look up the Smithsonian's ethnographic collection from North America, you can see exampes. They are fascinating, the engineering is incredible.

You always provided the most fascinating content Clay. Thank you 🙏 ❤

Clay, you produce excellent videos. Never vain or overbearing; only true, detailed information- and I call that entertainment.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

I appreciate that

Always a 10 thumbs up for Clay :)

Love your bow videos like this! Absolute treasure. Thank you brother, love from Texas.

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Glad you like them!

That is a fine hatchet for sure

Interesting concept of quick survival bow next show the making of the arrows for in survival we do not bring them alone have make them !...

Ficou boa de mais 😂 eu queria uma a sim 😃

Wow! Awesome

yay! it's Clay!

That's a custom made hatchet. I have made the same. Great job.

Incredibly fun watching this video! It opens my imagination for survival weapons

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Thank ya

Very nice bhaiya ❤❤

Wow Clay, the way you used that hatchet. Masterful. 😎🤘

@clayhayeshunter

27 күн бұрын

Thanks 👍

Never seen a bow like that . Ill have to make one.Nice work

I really do wish you would explain each step as you do it.... it would be really helpful. Just a thought for future videos.... thank you for this one

Great substitute for sinue backing. Awesome video thanks

Always a pleasure to watch skilled hands at work. Thank you for thinking up projects for my sons and I. I am in NewBrunswick Canada. Maple , ash, oak are the most common hard wood. Spruce pine fur and birch making up the majority of our woods . What wood out of those would you think best for a bow build .

@blessed8543

10 ай бұрын

Birch will be the easiest to work with, hard woods like maple and oak will be incredibly difficult

Good job, brother

At 0:55 seconds left the arrow hit then went bang😂 What are you not telling us?

Love the ingenuity

I know that cracking was the bark…but it still went into my soul! Heard that too often mate. That’s my favourite alternative bow so far 🤙🏼 Cheers Clay

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

I bet this would work well with some of the woods you have.

@didjhopkins4135

10 ай бұрын

@@clayhayeshunter I’m sure of it!! Will be giving it a go this summer, Clay. Thanks mate

Surviving on warm sunny days are the best!

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

definitely!

You ever feel comfort being in the shelter camp like u were in on alone ? Kinda put u back there in spirit ? It seems u never left kinda , there doing cool bushcraft projects

Perfect asmr

Clay, great skill set. Love the embedded axe as a shaver. Our native woods are hard and short grained so do not readily lend themselves to bow making. Of all the bows you’ve made, considering time factor per performance, what would you consider is your best? Many thanks. 🇦🇺🦘🤟

Going to have to call like I see it, that was bad ass!

Dude! You are simply amazing. Thanks for sharing your talents with us. 🏹

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

My pleasure!

Definitely gonna try to make a bow this way! Awesome bow clay!

@clayhayeshunter

10 ай бұрын

Go for it!

I was interested to see you leave the bark on the back until after drying. I would have probably done it first and then had longitudinal cracks. lol. Did you pre stretch the parachord? Synthetic chords stretch a fair bit as you mentioned. I always pre stretch artificial sinew when I use it and am always surprised at how much it stretches. Well done and very interesting. This is the first cable backed bow build I have seen and the first one I have seen in action. Keep up the great work.