This week on the channel +684K views this week

Black ash becomes a longbow on My Self Reliance

Shawn James pairs hand-tool bowmaking with garden shutdown, gear maintenance and duck hunting with Cali.

Channel:

My Self Reliance Story of October 18, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.

Crafting a traditional longbow from black ash #bushcraft #archery

An ash tree behind the cabin supplied Shawn James with more than firewood: it became a traditional longbow, shaped with hand tools. That project gave My Self Reliance its most-watched new upload in an eight-upload week, reaching roughly 102,000 views.

The explanation behind "Crafting a traditional longbow from black ash #bushcraft #archery" is as much about time as woodworking. James writes that making his own outdoor equipment began as a way to spend less time earning money to buy it, and more time outdoors. Bows, strings, tool handles and restored wooden canoes all fit that thinking, though he acknowledges that figuring out which projects repay the effort takes a lifetime.

Viewers bring their own history to the work. One recalls discovering his bushcraft videos during COVID; others contemplate making a bow themselves or wish they could buy one of his. Cali gets a separate thread of attention, with a viewer imagining the dog waiting for something to be thrown.

The rest of the week follows the equipment out of the workshop. "My Vegetable Garden is Done for the Season | First Hunt with my Homemade Longbow" connects seasonal garden work with the bow's first hunt, while another upload covers bowstrings, gear wax and an axe/leather review. A Killarney foraging trip adds berries and rocky shoreline to the mix.

Channel viewing is close to its usual daily pace, and subscribers were unchanged over the week. Nearby outdoors channels B2B Castaways and Field Days had larger weekly view gains. Here, the strongest current momentum belongs to "Off Grid Life: A Day in the Forest Duck Hunting with my Dog": James and his golden retriever, Cali, take a pair of wood ducks for dinner from the pond behind the cabin.

Published on Trari

Where next?

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What viewers say

This man is the first bush crafter I watched years ago during COVID.
@No_Name-v8eSee it on YouTube
Pup's waiting for him to throw the toy...
@mr_mack_indenver7807See it on YouTube
Very cool 😎 Im going to make one .
@Superbowfin60See it on YouTube

2 more comments

Great now i gotta make a bow! I'd rather buy 1 that you made😂 how much?
@buckeyeguy26See it on YouTube
This man knows his stuff with a great companion (Cali) ! 💪🏽💪🏽🤩🤩💯💯👏👏
@marygordon3032See it on YouTube

Public comments from the video's page on YouTube