Making a Primitive BOW & ARROW using only a KNIFE!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ม.ค. 2025
- Learning how to make a primitive bow and arrow just takes a little time and practice. Bow building doesn't have to be expensive. You don't have to buy an expensive bow stave or bow building tools. In this video I'll show you how to make a primitive bow using only a Bowie knife. And we'll do it in under 24 hours from live tree to finished bow ready to hunt. This would make a survival bow very capable of taking big game. For this build, I'm using a small swamp dogwood tree which can be found around the river bottoms of Florida. Hickory and elm also work great for these selfbow building techniques. Since I'm using a green tree, I rough out the bow and dry it over a fire before beginning the tillering process. Later, once the bow is nearly complete, I fire harden the belly and waterproof it with pine pitch. I'm using river cane for primitive arrows. It's a wonderful material. The bow string is made from sinew. This knife was sent to me by the Montana Knife Company to test out. The edge held up remarkably well as you can see from the video. I didn't sharpen it once during the entire build. The only thing I didn't like was that the spine wasn't left sharp to use with a ferro rod. But a few strokes with a diamond stone will fix that. Here's a link to the knife if you're interested. I'm not getting any commission, just thought folks might want to check it out.
www.montanakni...
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#primitivebow #bushcraftskills #selfbow
This is absolutely incredible man. Thank you so much for choosing us for your tool of choice and that bow turned out amazing!!!
Knife worked out great. The edge held up very well with all the hacking and scraping. I’ve used it on this bow and one other from a very dry hard guava stave and, although it won’t quite shave at this point, it’s still very sharp. Fine work. I like it.
@@clayhayeshunter
That knife and the way how you are using it reminds me a lot of the way how Philippine natives use their Bolos...!
Which model is it
@@michaelhennessey4634 Montana Knife Company, the Marshall. Had to look it up. Definitely on my wish list.
@@gregoryjennings3818 I want one so bad definitely on my wish list
One of the prettiest bows you've made yet. Really like the silent build videos.
Thank you very much!
@@clayhayeshunterhow many LBS you think this one turned out to be?
'shut up and carve a bow for me pretty boy' basically..
One of the best I've seen. Absolutely amazing build.
This was a whole learning experience and barely a word was spoken. Really enjoyed this and saved to watch again. So glad it didn't break! Looked like a lot of work and a great finished product
Glad you enjoyed it!
Osiyo Clay! I up in the Cherokee Nation and I’m part of the Walkingstick family. As a teenager my uncle taught me how to make bows out of Osage Orange. I’m curious if you’ve ever rubbed the charcoal ash into the bow during the curing process?
After a stint in the military I settled in South Louisiana where Osage aren’t but Dogwood abounds; thanks for the idea. I have a 14 year old working towards becoming an Eagle Scout, this would be a great project he would remember forever and also pass a Cherokee tradition down to the next generation. 🙏🏼
I haven’t tried that. Elm also works great. You should have plenty of that as well.
Walkingstick name sounds familiar. I’m in the Cherokee nation as well. Eastern Oklahoma
You have created another work of incredible ingenuity , looking so easy for you now. Amazing man. I am blown away at the skills my friend. Thanks for sharing this amazing skill!!
Yep lots of people know the walkingsticks
Better watch out man in the beginning of the video I saw vicious wolf right behind you
Clay is making this look far too easy. Guys, remember, he has over 20 years of bow-building experience. It's okay if you don't succeed in your first attempt(s). Keep at it!
Fr (mine looks like a j)
Im trynna see where someone was asking but I can't find it
@@AceVentito i hope you find happiness and satisfaction in your day to day life
@@cf8979 someone is a mad baby
@@AceVentito ❤️
The grin after the first shot with your dog thinking it’s about snatch up a rabbit…priceless. It’s like watching missing pages from survival books…thanks for dropping some knowledge!
Subscribe now or risk losing this amazing channel in all the fluff. One of the best examples of an American, father and outdoorsman that you can find. To those too old or disabled to get out there anymore, or to dads wondering what a simple fulfilling life looks like and how to set an example, these videos are truly priceless. Clay doesnt have fans, he has the earned respect and loyalty of patriot brothers. That is the real thing missing today and how you achieve it is here on full display every time. Thank you as always Clay & family.
Much appreciated
Agreed
@clayhayeshunter He forgot to mention
your [Patriot Sisters], who Respect him &
We are very Loyal, as well... 💯🤗🎯
You sound like a fan
@@m7rtim532 maybe something like a kinship and hope for a dying breed lol
Only a knife, but what a knife. If we were allowed to carry such a tool here in Germany, I´d buy it now. Lovely blade, great to watch you shaping that stave, and your dexterity twisting the sinew! And once again, what a beautiful bow!! Thanks Clay 👍
Many thanks
Fantastic!!!!
JoergSprave from the Slingshot channel has some great suggestions for knives [and more] in Germany...
Doesn’t “Survival Lilly” carry a knife of similar size? I thought she was in Germany.
@@andymytysyeah until someone reports her. maximum blade length is 12 cm/4.7inch
When I first started bow making in 2009, I was using fancy draw knives and all sorts of different tools. For the last 6 years, I just use a heavy type chopping knife, a farriers rasp, sandpaper, and a burnishing tool, usually a bit of antler. I too, have built bows with just a knife. I really love the idea that one can build a long-term and efficient bow with nothing but one tool. The extra length of the blade allows for control when scraping/tillering. This is an awesome video, thanks man.
Many thanks 😊
Whats the specs on the knife you use?
@@justinmurray4652I use an ESEE Junglas or Becker BK9. As long as it’s over a pound in total weight and has a working edge of at least 8 inches. Using it as a chopping tool, but being able to use it like a draw knife to get rid of the chop mark so you can use it as a scraping tool to tiller. Clay covered everything in his video.
You're full of bull shit...
I’m an MKC employee and even I don’t have a Marshall bushcraft knife yet, this video is a great promotion lol
😉
My wife “ where are you going with that big knife”? Me “ I’m going in the woods to go play see you in a few hours “ what an awesome video 🏹🎯🔪🙌🎉🇺🇸
Wish we had. Guy. Like. Him. To show us how to ,make. Bows. When was young. Ours were crap. Then. !!!!!
yea but why is your dog such a distinguished gentleman?
Who knows his dog is the best gentleman
Watched all 29 minutes as if entranced. Felt like five. Wish I had someone to show me all the intricacies of bow-making. Love this content.
Tallow also makes a great coating for the bow when finished. It not only waterproofs it, but also helps keep the wood supple so the bow doesn't become brittle and splinter.
thank you for sharing your skills, inspiring!
Clay your talents never cease to amaze me!
You have such a natural feel for bushcraft, survival and just natural native skills. And you make it look so easy!
Another amazing lesson!
Thanks Clay!
Thanks 👍
Wow very nice, these are my favorites types of videos. Great project , visually well documented, no explanations required. Sit back and enjoy. That knife is something else. Thank you for sharing 😊
Bless you, Clay. Your an inspiration
ASMR are some of my faves. It's a privilege to watch you work.
Outstanding as always! My favorite channel. Young men, watch Clay and be inspired!
Hehe I love the doggo walking around, chilling and minding his own business
Love that Montana Knife Company Bushcrafter!
What an AMAZING TRADESMAN, TO DO THAT BOW BUILD WITH THAT AMAZING KNIFE! KUDOS TO YOU. YOUR BUILD VIDEOS ARE ALWAYS AMAZING!🏹CLAY YOUR WORK SHINES!!
Simply excellent work Clay...Thank you for sharing this...
If I tried this build I wouldn't have any fingers left to draw the bow, you're a skilled man
These are the skills I aspire to learn. Thanks for putting out those videos and being an inspiration for us all!
Glad you like them!
That's an awesome knife no wonder they're all sold out, amazing work Clay 💥🎯
Absolutely amazing video. Totally loved the whole process. And the slight cracking when you drew it 😍
Just amazing!
@11:41 this shot was incredible. The entire video was amazing, but this shot had me getting out of my seat to just take everything in. Such a simple, yet brilliant shot.
Truly a master of his craft.
you're an absolute bushwizard clay!! great work, love the drying method, thank you for showing me with a bucketful of patience a bow can actually be hand in the woods.
Thank you! Cheers!
*_This is absolutely craaaazy! Freakin' incredible skillset this guy has!_*
Thank ya
Thanks!
Thank ya🙏
You're very welcome. Love your videos, especially that one.
Your dog is so cute
Yeah! I swear I was also watching Clay making that beautiful bow, but Cedar (on his collar) is so distracting!
Enjoying very much by watching ur video crafting the bow and all primitive ways. Loved it thank you.
Thank you so much!
Day 1 of attempting to build a self bow and I now only have 2 fingers left and have sliced an entire knee cap off! 😂
The confidence that you're using a new knife and building it in the bush is incredible and such a pleasure to watch! Thank you for the videos Clay!
😜just takes a bit of practice
very therapeutic i could watch this from beginning to end over n over again
That turn out real nice .. You've found little tricks to help with the entire build. That fire hardening I want to try. You know your a real Bowyer when you can carve one out with just a knife ! Adding a little bit of saliva on your sinew string will blend the fibers back in.
Nice bow. Thanks for making tutorial of making bow with only knife. Respect ++
best ad for a knife a company could want hahah
Incredible! I just came across your channel. You are a true artist. I just started watching videos like these it’s so soothing and amazing what you’re able to do! Thanks for sharing your videos sir!
Welcome!
Hi Heyes ,it is a good knife ,brother,Jesus loves you and bless you.
The sound it makes is sooo addictive. Great job!
I have made tens of selfbow..primitive bow..but used axe and knife. One bow I made with Skrama,,Skrama from Varusteleka, here in Finland .,big knive, good tool .
great skills demonstration from Mr.Hayes....again!... [I also loved the comfy ''work chair'' great option for semi-perm camp... it takes some time to build out of a log...]
Thanks again!
Rumor has it Mr. Hayes once made a selfbow while sleep walking.
Great job Sir,your skills and precision are top notch👌🏻
Thank you very much!
This is awesome... one question... would this kill a deer.... an elk? What do you think the bow draw weight is here with a 28" draw? Oh... one more question... how long do you think this bow would last with the original draw weight being made from green wood? Looking at the views you got on this video, compared to your other recent videos... it's clear your viewers absolutely love your bow-making videos :-).
Wow. That there is why i watch your channel learn something new everytime
Brother built a bow then didn’t show a shot
Learnt how to take a stave from nature in John Wiseman's survival book over 20 years ago... But you have gone the extra '10' miles to make the improvised bow something exceptional.
Love the fishing arrow.
How to on the helical fletchings is in another video... of course.
Cheers Clay, from Downunder.
Objection - Click bait - Wood was Clearly used in the making of the bow and arrow's. LOL Well of course that's a given but can you do it the Real way primitive people did.. with a knife made from rock shards or shells? We really need to learn That because we won't have a knife where we are stranded.
Yep, a Stone Age build is definitely coming.
@@clayhayeshunteroh yea
Question is ... how the heck did you get stranded and not have access to a knife or at least something steel to sharpen? I ALWAYS carry a knife or 2 in my daily routine, and if I'm deliberately going out to the bush, I'm packing several sharp steel tools. If the apocalypse were to arrive tomorrow, we'd have tons of available steel from years of modern civilization. I think the unlikely scenario of "Naked and afraid" would only come about if someone maliciously dropped you off in the middle of nowhere naked, and left you alive just to screw with you.
Somebody always got to bitch.
@@rudamchu Well that's just the point now isn't it.. None of us has any guarantee when TSHTF we will be in a favorable position. You can Never Ever guarantee you will have the tools or resources you thought you might have.
Clay, that's just so professional and down to earth, what a exellet video!
And the pitch waterproofing, cherry on the top! Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Love all your content. I thought I had you all figured out. And then you stroll in, blowing minds with this video, wearing Crocs. Lmao you may be the only human who could convince me to get me a pair. Amazing work. You deserve all the credit and I wish I was there to help you and make one of my own.
Get some, you’ll love them 😜
Do you have a bow button/badge for them Crocs? 🏹
You enjoy doing what you do and it shows. Great Craftsmanship and Artistry. Thanks for sharing your gift🗡
Thank you very much!
Excellent video Clay! Youre videos and book taught me how to make my first recurve selfbow out of hikory. Keep up the amazing content. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Great to hear!
Clay you inspired/taught me how to make my 1st,2nd, and my next bow! Been with ya since before the fame and you ain’t changed a bit. Great job!!
That is awesome! Thanks for following along.
Nice bow and video, Clay. Thanks for sharing your project.
This is where a Scandi-grind would have been a huge advantage. Awesome work man. Thats really neat to watch you make the bow this way. Impressive to say the least.
Awesome. I admire the making of the string as much as the woodworking
Mate, I live your videos. Learning allot too. You're a brilliant engineer of the wild.
Man! That is hard work! Muscle and ENDURANCE. Not to mention knowledge. Thank you for this video! Swamp Dogwood. New to me and I'm sure new to many other people. I hope someone is keeping an eye on that handsome dog as he roams around. Can't identify that bird, either.
Ol Cedar doesn't look too impresed, but certainly is enjoying his nap, heheh. Awesome build man! Peace!
That’s pretty incredible. Amazed at how well it fires an arrow.
Thanks
Thanks so much!
Great shooting bow Clay awesome skills
Like the. Dog , thanks for the pace of your work , shows a lot of skill much resoect
Fabulous craftsmanship 👌🏻and joy to watch, thanks for sharing‼️
Thank you very much!
Very nice bow craftsmanship👍
Ok, I am impressed. I now want a knife like that to replace my old survival knife. Great video.
Damn good way to start a Saturday morning, thanks Clay.
Your best video yet! Extremely impressive!
Glad you think so!
great format. equally talented in videography and bowmaking, i'd say.
Wow, thanks!
Beautifully done!
Thank you for this very interesting and easy to understand video. You are very professional
Always enjoy your videos but really enjoyed this one. I had rotator cuff surgery 2 weeks ago so I cant work on bows or slingshots for a good while. Made my day to watch this!
Hope you’re able to get back after it soon
WOW I'M LOST FOR WORDS INCREDIBLE You got me Sir
A True Raw Prepper👍
Heck yeah! Some great American folks getting together!
Great work hard work but awesome y beautiful blessings
That silhouette with the crouched position of shooting a fish from the creek hasn't changed since the bow was invented. Really puts time in perspective
This is a fantastic video of a tutorial and the craftsman ship is top notch
Dammed impressive. A big tanks Clay you thought me heaps about making self bows after a few they are looking a shooting pretty good now! Seriously,ate you’re a legend!
Calling it a primitive bow doesn't do justice to its beauty. A very skilled man.
Great video! Your precision and control with a knife is incredibly impressive. Around 7:08 is where I would angle the knife to steep, pull hard and the whole thing would be ruined 😂 Great to watch your skills and try to learn from them. Keep up the good work!
This skill Sir ... is Awesome ..... Wow !!! nice Job .... 100%
Man that was an awesome video!!!!!!!! I love your channel!!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
22:17
Love this moment.
Caption
Clay holds up the braced bow, assessing the uneven bend.
Seeing one stiff straight limb, he thinks stoically...
"not quite there yet, innit?"
Mocking the brits is bonus points.
A moment later, we see what the tiller efforts yield, a much more even braced bow...
👍🏹
That is something on my bucket list, I have lost most of the use of my left hand a couple years ago so it's going to more of a challenge but not off the list. Thanks for the video it was awesome.
You can do it!
9:46 best camera work of the whole video. 😂 great job. Thx.
Thanks for this video . Very interesting my Grand mother was Cherokee she and my granddad taught me very young how to do this but everyone has their own way about doing things 😁😁😁
The Pup did all the work... Fantastic video!
This guy has very strong arms ( and a great knife)! Love this! I do wish he could explain a little what he’s doing!
I’m surprised you were able to even it out so good. That’s pretty cool.
I have a couple of MKC's (magnacut) and I love them. The stonewall skinner, easily my new favorite skinner. I've contemplated getting that very knife even though I'm not generally a fan of large knives, but I was unsure about that steel. Nice to see it perform so well, impressive.
Absolutely awesome skills Clay, love it 👍🏻
Thanks 👍
Love the no commentary, very relaxing
I’m always so excited to see new content from you!
Hope you enjoy!
I thoroughly enjoyed!
Dude's definitely an artist.
Your maker videos and amazing, thank you
Glad you like them!