leg tendons or backstraps

[finehuck]

Hello everyone,
I am new to forum. Iam carefully following and learning details for hunting my first big game. I wish to make my own organic composite bow for that. I need leg sinew or backstrap from elk or moose. I also posted similar add in the section of main land hunters for that need. Some of you guys may be in my shoes. Please share your knowledge to help me to find some elk or moose tendons.

Thanks in advance

[Tenacious Billy]

3441...........

[835]

He didnt mention "BUY" in this one.

You would get what you are looking for faster if you looked at your local butcher for cow parts. They will be the same as a moose. Or you can look up an elk farm from somewhere.

You cannot buy animal parts that were hunted.

[300H&H]

Hey...didn't your other thread about this get locked ?

Just a matter of time and this will be locked too.

[yukon john]

Take a rifle, preferably a large magnum, and shoot a moose

[gibblewabble]

Good luck with this........until Aug/Sept rolls around there wont be much of that laying around.

X2 for the above post.:wink:

[greybark]

Het finebuck . Are you talking about backing a selfbow ?

[Walking Buffalo]

From my experience, I would stay away from tendons, look for full backstrap sinew.

Tendons don't have very much length to them, and it is very tedious to get strands separated. For strength, the older the animal, the better.

This old buffalo provided strands of sinew up to 30" long. There is enough on one bull to back a few bows. This pic shows about 1/4 of the backstrap sinew I saved off of him.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy10/keetspics/PIC_0114.jpg

[M@B]

http://www.3riversarchery.com/product.asp?i=4354
http://www.3riversarchery.com/product.asp?i=4311
http://www.3riversarchery.com/product.asp?i=5987

[finehuck]

He didnt mention "BUY" in this one.

You would get what you are looking for faster if you looked at your local butcher for cow parts. They will be the same as a moose. Or you can look up an elk farm from somewhere.

You cannot buy animal parts that were hunted.

I do not look for cow tendon. They are not lean and not long enough. I am making primitive and horn bows for starting to hunt not for selling. Elk and moose tendons are ideal since they are long but not fatty. Thank you for your suggestion about elk farms. I hope I can get them shipped and receive before they start to get rotten. I dont expect them to sell dried ones.

[finehuck]

Het finebuck . Are you talking about backing a selfbow ?

I have made several take down selfbows lying around and they are not heavy enough. I will be backing them.

[finehuck]

Take a rifle, preferably a large magnum, and shoot a moose

Thanks for the advice John.

[finehuck]

From my experience, I would stay away from tendons, look for full backstrap sinew.

Tendons don't have very much length to them, and it is very tedious to get strands separated. For strength, the older the animal, the better.

This old buffalo provided strands of sinew up to 30" long. There is enough on one bull to back a few bows. This pic shows about 1/4 of the backstrap sinew I saved off of him.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy10/keetspics/PIC_0114.jpg

It would be lovely to have 30" long sinews. I provided address in USA and ordered from an American site. betwen 12" and 20" elk and moose sinews. But I will start to search buffalo farms right away. Thanks

[M@B]

Tendons don't have any "fat" content to them. it doesn't matter if it's from a cow, deer, moose, elk. one won't have a higher fat content than another. Traditional mongol horn bows were backed with leg tendons of water buffalo. Midieval french cross bows were made with cross sections of cow horn and cow tendon.
A tendon is a tendon. I've used deer, moose, cow, and elk. it's all the same, absolutly no difference.

[Monashee]

I've used tendons from deer, elk and domestic cattle. Without a doubt cattle tendon processing is greasier , the outer sheath is definitely greasier and to me so is the tendon if only slightly but I noticed it . It works though . Given a choice a wild animal tendon is always my choice.

Mongolia has no water buffalo , domesticated cattle yes , a very hardy breed adapted to the harsh dry climate. Mongol bowyers used a wide variety of animals for tendons there were plenty to choose from , horse , camel , deer , elk and more

[finehuck]

Novadays they use the term "developed" for the cattle breeds. Mostly genetically modified cross breeds. They gain upto 4 times more meat and produce sometimes more than 10 times milk comparing to ancient breeds. They have pretty strick diet and gain lots of fat. It is experienced by professional bowyers that todays beef indutrty is not an ideal option for suppying tendon. I just follow some experienced guys about recipes. I will make sinew glue with left overs and fat content is crucial for that purpose too. Bowyers notice the grease easily when they make glue out of sinew since grease is visible on the surface during boiling. I would use any tendon of ancient breed cow had their natural diet. Tendon . Thank you for sharing your own perspective.