shoot a bow and arrow

it actually was a pretty thing to try a few times, even if i did manage to slice my finger with the feather a considerable number of times. :)

I was 14 when I first read the story of Atalanta and although I’d always had an interest in archery, it was that book that really set off my interest.

I looked through the classifieds in the papers for bows, but all I could seem to come across was composite bows.

Now, don’t get me wrong, a composite, I’m sure, is a wonderful bow, but it’s not for me. I’m not a hunter, I don’t WANT to be, and even then, the composites are just so technical that even Brian of Hatchet fame, opted for a traditional longbow in Brian’s Return.

(Great, I go to Amazon to get links for the books, and now I see Gary Paulsen has come out with another Brian book. You lied, Gary! You said Brian’s Return was the last one! ...And we were at the library on Friday, too…)

Anyway, my dad took me to look at a composite bow once, when I was 16 or so, but the draw weight was too much for me. Even when I knew I would never be able to pull it back, I didn’t like the design and feel of it. I really always wanted a bow like you imagine them or see in Robin Hood-esque movies.

I gave up on this goal months ago, so imagine my thrill when we were in the sports section of Wal-Mart and what do I see, but a long bow!

I would have been thrilled with a shortbow, but a LONG BOW? WOW!

It is 60 inches before it is strung, with a 30 lb draw weight that even my six year old brother can pull back. It is dark green, interchangeable for left- or right-handed people, and came with two safety fibreglass arrows with blunt tips, paper bulls eye target, a fingerguard, armguard, and quiver. It was made in the US by Escalade Sports.

I’ve been out twice since we bought it four days ago and it is great! We haven’t yet set up a target as 1) we didn’t know how far an arrow would travel, and 2) it’s been chilly and really windy both days we were out to shoot.

Plus there was four of us to take turns on day 1, and six of us on day 2.

My husband had a junior bow when he was young, and he was a wonderful help showing me how to draw it back. My little brother and sister had a great time too, though I’m not sure which they enjoyed more – shooting or being our instant arrow retrival!

I am in love. This is SO MUCH FUN!

Something I’ve wanted to do almost 10 years. I never went to camp, so I didn’t have the opportunity. My dad even looked into getting a bow and arrow for me, but I couldn’t handle the draw weight.

I don’t want a fancy bow with all the gadgets. I want something more old fashioned and simple.

Maybe one day.

SOO much fun!!

It was more difficult than I expected, I wasn’t very good, but it was a fun experience. :)
If I am ever living in the wilderness and had to hunt for my own food ….. we may have a problem ;)
but I’m not anticipating that LOL!!

Actually I didn’t get a bullseye but it was still fun.

I teach archery to 4Her’s at camp. I am also a Level 2 Nationally Certified Instructor. That means that I can teach adults to teach (work) with children. I find that it is very rewarding, and it is definitely a discipline that works on building patience.

Having a bit of a general interest in the ancient arts of combat and survival, I have always been interested in archery and its many applications both in modern and ancient times. I studied the art using the longbow, then the compound bow, then the crossbow, then moved on to various ethnic variations of the aforementioned.

Hitting targets was something with which one could easily and very quickly become adept, even at an appreciable distance. Since the course of the arrow can be tracked by the naked eye as it makes its way to a distant target, improving one’s technique requires less initial experience than with a rifle or pistol.

Living in Korea was a unique experience in this respect, because it is renowned as the nation responsible for most of the world’s greatest archers, most notably their female Olympic archery team – who win so consistently that it causes one to wonder if they are even on the same level as the rest of the world.

In Korea I studied briefly with the traditional bow and flirted with the use of the old Japanese rider’s bow. The ability to hit a moving target with an arrow is one that I have come to greatly respect through my own practice, but far more do I respect the ability to hit a moving target from a moving platform like the back of a horse. The level of coordination required it truly remarkable, and I would hope to have an opportunity to try it again in the future.

The beauty and simplicity of the tools of archery make it a very enjoyable sport; and the fact that one can hit marks without noise and even reuse the arrows afterward, makes it inexpensive and easy to accommodate when compared with practicing the use of firearms.
To any who might try it, I wish you the best of luck.
Most Respectfully:

the cheapest bow and arrow in the world, but fun for a buck or two. I would love to make this a hobby some day.

I bought a compound bow and some hunting arrows from ebay and I didn’t really have a clue what I was doing. I could barely draw it back.

I set up some boxes to about 6 feet in the back yard, put a target on it, stood about 10 feet away and fired an arrow at it. I hit the target on my first try, as I expected, but the arrow continued right through the boxes and split a post in the new fence… I didn’t expect that. I hid the damage and ran away :)

Ridiculously fun! Also pretty dangerous. Be careful.