Part 1-Making a Paper Tuner

I am still working on building my home bow shop like I'm sure many of you are.  There is a great PodCast, episode #53, on what tools and supplies you will need to start your own home bow shop.  One of the items missing from my shop was a paper tuner.  I have tried many times to quickly tune my bow shooting a piece of paper taped to my ladder rungs.  NOT a good idea and one I would NOT recommend as I put a few holes in the wall of my basement and was out a few arrows.  This blog entry will show you how you can make your own paper tuner by simply going to your local hardware and grocery store and spending around $30.

I know there are many different paper tuner designs on the market and you have all probably seen one at your local pro shop so feel free to alter this design to adapt to your own specifications such as height and construction materials.  The main goal is to have the right type of paper and a tuner that will hold the paper tight so that you get clean crisp tears when you shoot through it.  I will be doing another blog shortly on how to use this paper tuner.

Construction Materials

You can purchase these materials at any Lowes, Home Depot, or plumbing/hardware supplies store.

-3 pieces of 1" schedule 40 plumbing pipe 10' long

-1 piece of 3/4" schedule 40 plumbing pipe 24" long

-6  1" elbows 90 degrees

-4  1" Ts

-2  1"Ts with the leg of the T being 3/4"

-1 roll of freezer paper

-PVC cement

-Tools- tape, marker, saw, rasp or knife to nock down edges after cutting

Step 1-

Cut the 1" schedule 40 into the following dimensions;

8 pieces 24" long,

2 pieces 20" long,

2 pieces  46" long,

and 2 pieces 2" long. 

If you are tall/short and want to increase/decrease the height of your paper tuner then add or subtract from the 46" measurement.

Cut the 3/4" pipe 24" long.

Clean with a knife or rasp the edges that were cut.

Step 2-

The base is made of all 24" pieces from the 1" pipe.  You want to glue this together on a flat surface so that all 6 joints are making contact with the floor.  Start with the two Ts and glue a 24" piece on either end.  When gluing with the pvc cement, lightly cover the end of the pipe and the inside of the fitting and twist together.  After the two long sides are complete, glue the 90 degree elbows and then the connecting 24" ends making sure it stays flat and is not tourqued.

Step 3-

The sides are next and they can be cut to the necessary height.  I am 5' 11" and made mine so that I am usually shooting in the middle of the paper at full draw.  Take the 46" pieces and glue a T to one end.  Then glue the 2" piece  of the 1" schedule 40 to the other end of the T.  The last set of Ts are the ones with a 3/4" opening on the leg that will hold the pipe that the paper is on.  Glue these Ts to each of the remaining portion of the 2" pipe. 

Make sure and align the holes!

After the Ts are glued and aligned, glue in the 20" pieces, continuing the side of the paper tuner.  Finally, glue a 90 degree elbow to the top of the 20" piece making sure that it aligns with the two Ts below. 

Don't glue any 24" pieces together on the upright portion of the tuner so that you can take off the paper and turn the top bar to roll up the excess paper.

Step 4

The 24" piece of 3/4" schedule 40 will go through the center of the freezer paper. 

Place the piping for the sides in the Ts on the base and attach the two sides with the three 24" pieces, leaving the top until last.  Don't glue the 90 degree elbows to the top horizontal 24" piece as you can roll the paper with it as you start to use it.

Step 5

String the paper behind the bottom 1" bar and then take it to the top 1" bar.  Tape it to the bar the length of the paper.  You can either cut and tape it each time you need a new piece or just twist the top bar and roll up the used paper.  You might need to use a small piece of tape on either side of the paper on the bottom bar to keep the paper tight.

Step 6

Place a target 6' behind the paper tuner to allow your fletching to clear and start shooting and tuning.

Step 7

Read my upcoming blog, Paper Tuning Part 2, to learn how and use the paper tuner you just built. 

Gear Review- MSR Hyperflow

I will be doing a number of gear reviews in my blog and this one covers the MSR Hyperflow water filter.  I will be posting a few more gear reviews in the coming months as I evaluate some of the new gear I used this season. 

Growing up I was introduced to backpacking at a young age.  We would filter our water from the alpine lakes for cooking but drink straight from the mountain springs and small streams.  I never once got sick and up until this year I have never carried a water filter on a backcountry hunt.  I hunt near streams or springs that have a very low risk of containing harmful amounts of protozoa, bacteria, and viruses; however, it only takes one bad water source and I could have gotten sick from any of these disease-causing microorganisms.  I consider myself lucky that I have never gotten sick.  Weight and space were also a factor as I didn't want to pack the extra weight of my backpacking water filter, the MSR Miniworks EX, and I always carried backup iodine water tablets in my hunting pack.

This year I started hunting some new areas and I didn't want to worry about the water quality or where I would have to get it from.  I knew MSR was coming out with a new lightweight filter so I waited until they hit the shelf and purchased one after looking it over in the store and talking to the sales representative who had used one.  I discussed with him the concerns I had of clogging and durability which were the main complaints I had been reading about online and he reassured me that I would have no problems.

My first weekend of archery season this year was a 3 day solo bivy hunt where I put the Hyperflow to the test to see if it truly deserved a place in my Badlands.  I evaluated it on size and weight, ease of use, flow rate, and clogging.  I will discuss each of these factors and rate them on a scale of 1-10.

This filter is light on the scale and I gave it a 9 on size and weight.  This filter is the size of a small bike pump at 7 x 3.5 inches and weighs only 7.4 ounces!  I found it to be very easy to pack in the little pouch provided and it was not an item that took up unnecessary space in my Badlands.  This is one of the biggest benefits as size and ounces are critical when trying to keep your pack under 35 pounds for a 3 day hunt like I was.  To keep the weight down more I eliminated the velcro straps on top of the pre-filter and don't pack the quick connect bottle adapter.  After using this filter on a few hunts I don't ever think the Miniworks EX will hit the trail again as it is 16 ounces.

To use this filter is quick and painless so I pumped out a 9.5 on ease of use.  There is a clean side cover for the outlet spout which is to protect the spout from contamination.  After quickly removing the cover, you can either use the quick connect bottle adapter or pump right into your hydration bag like I did.  Then simply place the pre-filter into the cleanest water available and start pumping like you would with a bike pump. 

Clean side outlet is what I am holding in my hand.

I used a two inch piece of the tubing and the Camelback Hydrolink filter adapter which allows you to quickly remove your bite valve and connect the filter.  After bleeding the line, I could simply pump my hydration bag full without the hassle of unpacking and then repacking.  Since my hydration bag is one of the heaviest items in my pack I keep it against my back and in the main compartment.  Before I had this filter, I had to unpack everything that was organized around my hydration bag, pull it completely out of my pack, and then try to fill it up in a spring or creek without filling it full of pine needles and leaves from the brush or water.  Now I simply attach the filter to my hydration line, keep my backpack on, fill it up to the desired level, reattach the bite valve, and continue hunting.

If you don't have a filter adapter then you can also use the quick connect bottle adapter.  This connects to the filter on the clean side and screws on most hydration bags or Nalgene type water bottles.

This filter doesn't drip it rips so I gave it a 9.5 in flow rate.  It comes with a pre-filter that floats on the water and has a large amount of surface area that provides an ample water supply.  This is evident by the approximate 20 strokes per liter giving it an approximate 3 liter per minute flow rate.  I would count my pumps so that I could estimate how much water I had transported to my hydration bag and know when to stop.  In comparison the Miniworks EX has a 1 liter per minute flow rate, a substantial difference.  This pre-filter will stop the larger debris from clogging the main hollow fiber filter and, just as manufactures always advise, I would try to place it in the cleanest water available to maximize the life of the filter.

One thing I did was to remove the velcro straps that are on top of the pre-filter as I didn't see a need for them and they kept it from sitting flat on the water which is important so you don't suck in air while filtering.  The only issue I had while filtering the first few times was that I would occasionally pull the pre-filter off the water and suck in a little air.  To keep from doing this I would put it in a calmer portion of the creek so it wouldn't float away and then tilt up at an angle because it was at the end of its line.  Also I moved the part of the pump with my hydration line and kept the inflow line as steady as possible. 

I haven't had this filter clog or slow down once so I gave it a 9.  I didn't give it a 10 because I'm sure I could have clogged it in some of the muddy waters of the elk wallows I saw this year but I don't know anyone who would filter water from a mud bath pit.  Also the water that I filter from is usually very clean and clear so I'm sure there are some areas that have murky water with lots of sand or silt that could cause a clog or reduction in flow for this or any other filter.  I have never had any issues with a clogged filter and I always try to find the cleanest water source to prevent these types of issues.  If the filter does clog there is a quick backflush process that should clear it.  To maintain the filter and flow MSR recommends backflushing every 8 liters.  Pick your puddles wisely if you have to use them as a last resort.

The Hyperflow retails for around $100 and is effective against protozoa and bacteria.  It will not filter out taste like a ceramic filter will, such as the Miniworks EX, or chemicals/toxins.  In the areas I hunt the water tastes great but if this is a concern just take a pack of Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and Recover to mix in and this filter will work great for you.  Overall I found this to be a perfect backcountry hunting filter that I will now be carrying in my pack until something new comes out that tops its effectiveness and size.  For more information go to http://www.msrgea...ent/hyperflow.asp and learn more about this product.

     I grew up on a farm/ranch in western N.D. which was an absolute blessing for me. With a bevy of big game species and rad territory to boot, even the most serious of big game hunters would find their hands full. Oh yeah, did I mention that the landscape and sunsets are pretty cool too?

     I was very young when I first discovered my love for the outdoors and hunting to be specific. I can remember walking with dad in early September pursuing sharp-tail grouse and Hungarian partridge. The rich smell of the sage brush and the buffalo berries filling up my nostrils brings back memories indescribable. The AutoZone saying “not all happy ours happen in a bar” is probably the best phrase I can think of when describing my passion for bowhunting/hunting. It is truly my “happy hour”, my natural high. 

     I am blessed with an awesome family as well. I’d like to thank my father. Without him I wouldn’t know the hundreds of knots an outdoorsman should know or the hundreds of tactics used to pursue certain quarry etc. Without him things just wouldn’t be quiet the same. I most definitely wouldn’t be the outdoorsman I am today.

     Of course there’s my mom who had and still has the patience of… well, a wary muledeer buck that is playing the waiting game. Man, there have been so many occasions where she could have simply lost it! Whether it was equipment laying everywhere, blood stained clothes, mud and silt on the rug, bloodied knives, and the list just goes on and on. Her patience is unfathomable.

     Then comes my two older brothers. Neither a big hunter, but not being a hunter doesn’t take away their adventurous lust. Both have been to Europe and the eldest having hiked mountains in Oregon and Idaho not to mention the biggest surfing freak are family has yet to see. I mean seriously, who goes surfing off the coast of Oregon in October?

     With that being said, I am looking forward to getting some sweet stories and sweet material out to you guys. Look for the next blog to consist of staying warm and staying as effiecent as possible during the most frigid of conditions.