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Archery

Equipment, Equipment Types & Selection | Shooting Styles & Technique | Tips & FAQs | Misc.

How to Select a Compound Bow that's right for YOU Like many products, compound bows come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and levels of sophistication. If you’re new to the sport of archery, we’ll guide you through all the jargon and technical hoopla and help you to make a better-informed choice on your new bow. No advertising hype or sales pitches here.

Basic Bow Types Basic facts on long, compound and recurve bows

Basic Recurve Equipment & Setup Common equipment and setup for recurve bows (includes guidelines for FITA tournaments).

Recurve Bows, Care Of An FAQ on caring for a recurve bow, stringing and string selection.

Stabilizer Main Page To give some idea of how important I think stabilizers are, when advising newcomers with a limited budget, I always suggest that they invest in a simple longrod even before they think about sights. Sights can be improvised, especially for indoor shooting - which is how most beginners start in the UK - but a stabilizer can’t, and it will produce a bigger improvement in score than any other ‘optional extra’. In fact, stabilizers aren't ‘optional’ at all, for any modern bow.

Bow types Bow Selection Tutorial. One of the first considerations of the interested archer or bowhunter is the proper selection of a bow, listed here are common bow types with short descriptions.

Martin Cam Systems and Tech Info Click on any of the cam systems to get an overview of that system and what it can do for you and your bow! To the left you can find spec charts from now into the past for your Martin products. Just click on what you need to get started. If you cannot find what you need, or need a little extra help, contact customer service or visit the Martin Archery Tech Forums to look through previously answered questions or post your own. See also: Bow Manuals

Setting Up a Peep Sight A complete guide to installing a peep sight on your compound bow.

Basic Compound Setup Basic equipment and requirements for Compound bows.

The Archer's Reference Guide (Recurve) A comprehensive guide to recurve archery, published by Balbardie Archers.

Archery Desktop Wallpaper These wallpapers can be downloaded in three different sizes, 640X480, 800X600 and 1024X768 pixels.

Setup a Peepsight & Calibrate your Sight part of a how to faq

Basic Gear & Basic Gear-2

Shooting Styles & Technique

Shooting Styles FAQ General tips from other archers on shooting style and technique.

Target Shyness Looking for some hints on how to overcome this problem? - Look no further!

Bowfishing This is a section of the FAQ for alt.archery.

Shooting a bow Fairly basic, but interesting info.

Archers Reference A very complete guide to archery in PDF. The author/editor is Murray Elliot

Target Archery Overview Summary of the basic principles and styles of target archery covering equipment and competitions.

UK Archery Rounds A guide to the most popular rounds shot in the UK including printable charts covering distances and number of arrows at each.

Clout Shooting FAQ All you need to know about clout shooting

Solving Problems with Archery Equipment (Arrow Patterns).

Solving Problems with Shooting Form (Arrow Patterns).

Solving Problems with Shooting Form (Mental).

Tips & FAQs

Beginners Guide all the information you need when starting at archery.

Robert's Rules Of Archery Archery is a challenging sport and Bob tells you what is important.

Frequently asked archery questions This link is dedicated to topics that may be frequently asked in the field of archery… Why such a link? Well, one always needs more than one source of information… And second, this link tries to achieve a clear and non biased answer to the questions.

Tips and Tricks on Range Estimation Range estimation can be one of the most frustrating aspects in archery. In 3-D Bowhunting tournaments, an archer who is a very good shot but a very poor judge of distances, will most probably lose a lot of arrows. Here are a couple of tips to improve your range-estimation accuracy.

Glossary of Archery Terms: Not all inclusive

Archery Frequently Asked Questions All the Archery FAQs together. Yikes! Are there really this many archery FAQ’s? Separated by category - Reference, Construction & Maintenance, Form(s), Shooting, and Organizational FAQ’s. Check them out!

"The Ten Basic Steps of Archery" A .GIF series on Stance, Finger Placement, Hand Placement, Bow Arm, Drawing, Anchoring, Holding, Aiming, Release, and Follow-Through. Easy to follow, basic primer.

Archery Fitness Archery fitness consists of three main factors; flexibility, strength & diet.

Misc. Articles

Primitive Archer Articles. They've gone subscription, but you can still view their feature article selections here.

The Art of Archerie By Gervase Markham (1568?-1637)

"The Steel Bow of India (269b.c.)" Really fascinating article by D. Elmy of ancient steel bow, and even a steel arrow, from ancient India.

"Observations of the Returning Arrow" Wild article based on ancient Arab text describes the making and use of an arrow that returns to the shooter (with deadly intent). The principle idea was to either nail somebody standing next to you or to let him nail himself by giving him the arrow to use. Article swears it works!

"The Sling & The Bow Hand" Interesting article! Want to shoot more accurately? Read this article on the use of a bow sling.

The Decline of the Longbow An interesting historical article.

The Archery Tradition of China What can you recall about archery among a great nation of two billion people with a written history spanning four thousand years? If it is not a great deal, then don’t blame yourself. A great tradition has existed in China, and it has died. But literature and archaeology have left enough strands of DNA for the tradition to be brought to life again. This is the project that I am engaged in present. © Stephen Selby, 1997

Concerning the Archery of al-Islam Those familiar with the bows of al-Islam will know that they bend one way unstrung and the opposite way when they are strung. And when the bow is strung and held to be shot, the belly of the bow is towards the archer, and that is horn; the back of the bow is away from the archer, and that is sinew.

Defensive Archery Techniques The Assyrians along with having the advantage of iron weapons over their bronze using opponents, made highly effective use of archery in war. The bow was a primary weapon and of major importance in their battles. Unlike the armies of Medieval Europe they provided protection for their archers. This protection was in the form of teams of shieldmen that were responsible for stopping incoming arrows.

The Mental Game This monograph was created for presentation to archers engaged in competitive SCA archery events. It therefore references archery terms, techniques and equipment. This in no way invalidates the application of these basic concepts to other forms of competition or training. Note also that I did not say "target" competition. The basic techniques here are applicable to any form of competition from archery to salesmanship. There are no champions who do not take advantage of a variety of these techniques. Hopefully some of these ideas will help you raise your level of competition as well.

HAFTING AND NATURAL GLUES By Charles Spear (Bulletin of Primitive Technology, Spring 1994) The methods of hafting used by 'primitive' man involved natural materials, which by their very nature resist change contrary to many modern adhesives which deteriorate over the long haul of time. To greatly overstate the case most natural glues are the residues of deciduous and coniferous trees and the glues from animal hide and bones. In the case of deciduous trees I have found black locust, tulip, white ash, wild cherry, apple to secrete a gummy residue, which are water-soluble glues. They are quite sticky and dry to a hard tenacious binding when coupled with fiber wrappings. In addition, when dry they resist water unless they are soaked.

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Arrow Making

General | Modern | Primitive/Wood | Just Fletching | Just Nocking | Just Points | Tuning | Quivers | Misc.

Select your own Arrows part of a how to faq

Modern

Make up a set of Arrows part of a how to faq

Primitive/Wood

Arrow Straightening by Dick Baugh: The use of heat for manipulating the shape of wood is a fundamental Stone Age woodworking technique. Heat is and was used initially to straighten spear and arrow shafts and also for periodic maintenance of straightness...

Survival Arrows by Longbow (Alton Safford) In an emergency situation, there are two ways to make arrows. You can split them out of logs and whittle them round—the White man’s way. Or you can use tree shoots or river reeds—the Indian’s way. They both work.

How To Make Wooden Arrows - Alternative Tutorial A guide to making your own arrows from the beginning.

Arrow making This section of the archery newsgroup FAQ is a procedure by Rob McNeur for making your own wooden arrows from scratch. The procedure has been left in the form of replying to the original request for the information.

Arrow Making From Scratch The English didn't tend to use Cedar for war arrow shafts as much as things like oak etc, as they needed a very heavy and strong timber that would stand the strains of being fired from 100+ lb warbows and impacting steel plate without shattering. Of course, this wasn't a problem with hunting bows/arrows, which could be made of lighter timbers.

Arrow Stiffness (Spine) Spine is one of those things that everyone talks about, but few completely understand. I'll try to provide some basic information and hopefully won't make too many mistakes.

Care & Maintenance of Wooden Arrows With the minimum of routine care and maintenance, your wooden arrows should provide you with long and faithful service. The few areas requiring your attention are all fairly self-evident, but to remind you.......

Assembling a Wooden Arrow by Larry Wise

ARROW WOODS and ARROWS Arrows have different work to do, and are, therefore, made of different woods. Knock-about arrows, beginner's arrows, roving, field and hunting arrows are made of birch. Better target arrows are made of imported Norway Pine and Port Orford Cedar. Excellent hunting arrows are also made of these woods.

Billets and arrows part 1 Wooden arrows crafted with care from a single block of wood, spined, weighed and matched to the bow. Wooden shafts, after being rounded and sanded smooth as silk, stained and crested with your own mark, sealed against moisture and the elements, and finally, fletched and properly tipped with a point intended for its crafted purpose. The effort and time invested yields a final product that radiates the warmth of not one, but a thousand campfires.

The Archery Centre Using the short blade of the taper-tool, sharpen one end of all the shafts almost to a point, just like sharpening a pencil, only not right to the end. Put a small drop of fletching glue on the side of each sharpened point, and put a nock on each one. Turn each nock round a few times to spread the glue, and then give it a firm push on...

Arrow Making The art of arrow making has been around for thousands and thousands of years, dating back at least 25,000-30,000 years, and maybe even as far back as 100,000 years ago. Ancient Egyptians, Persians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Chinese, Japanese, Greeks, and Romans all relied on the bow and arrow for hunting as well as warfare. Soon the bow and arrow became the most important weapon used across Europe, Eastern Asia, Africa, the Americans, and the Arctic regions.

Footed Arrows Crafting wooden arrows can be almost as challenging as making wooden bows. Wooden arrows embrace mixed emotions of pride, accomplishment and self-reliance in archers who prefer to make and use them to good effect. For those who are burning to do so, why not try your hand at crafting a truly fine arrow: the footed arrow.

a thought on how to straighten wooden arrows Forum discussions

Just Fletching

Fletching Arrows If you are shooting your bow all winter, like me, the fletching on your arrows are probably in pretty tough shape. In this article, I will give you the down-low on re-fletching arrows.

Arrow Fletching for Hunters Fletching selection is crucial to accuracy with hunting broadheads. It is one thing to shoot streamlined, non-veering field points or target points, and quite another to use fixed- blade broadheads with air-catching flat surfaces and a potential mind of their own.

Fletching By Hand by Jon Jeffer: I started to make my own arrows just about the time I finished my first primitive bows. This may conjure up an image of a guy with a new bow, looking at it and scratching his head. That was about how that happened. I had the weapon, but I was missing the ammo! It probably happened just like that back in the Stone Age!

Fletching Jig by Mike Richardson: I just came up with a wonderfully simple idea for fletching arrows or atlatl darts. Now I'm no genius, and I'm sure some ancestor in the past had to have thought of this, because it works so well, but it seems to have been lost over time. Maybe there's one of these fletching jigs in the "Mary Rose," but no one has identified it yet...

Stripping a Feather by Klaus Appel Arrow fletchings can easily be made from feathers that are stripped instead of split. The advantages are: (1) It takes only seconds to strip a feather and much longer to split one. (2) The stripped feather glues or ties down flush with the arrow shaft, leaving no sharp end that can cut your knuckle as the arrow leaves the string and skids over the hand (this assumes you shoot a bow without an arrow shelf).

The Nitty Gritty of Feathers The most popular feather shape in the US is the Parabolic / Round Back. This lower profile shape provides quiet, fast and accurate results. The Shield / Shield Back provides a higher profile for increased stability, forgiveness and "Traditional" looking appeal. The Magnum / Banana Cut is even more feather for arrows tipped with larger / heavier broadheads. The Cut Section / Full Length feathers are made for Archers to design their own shapes and sizes by using a feather burner or chopper.

Arrow Feathers - Feather Fletching Guide In general, for hunting arrows tipped with broadheads, we have found three 5 inch feathers or four 4 inch feathers work well. Light weight carbon arrows have been successfully fletched with three 4 inch feathers. Due to individual differences in equipment and shooting style, larger feathers may be required. It is also possible that good flight can be achieved with smaller feathers. Test shooting is the best way to decide on any particular set up...

Arrow Fletching FAQ (extract from the blackboard) For the target archery disciplines that dominate Sagittarius, fletching pretty much means Spin Wings. Beyond that, however, there has been endless debate, fueled in part by the small and reclusive nature of the company that produces Spin Wings. The issue of the characteristics of the different types and especially colors of Spin Wings remains unsettled. There is also continued debate about whether they should be straight or helical, and about how best, mechanically, to align and attach them.

Arrow Fletching Options Making your own arrows leads directly to better shooting. Doing it yourself is the only way to control all the variables that are involved in tuning and accuracy, and one of the primary variables to consider is fletching.

Dart/Arrow Fletching As with the straightening process, a dart can be fletched just like an arrow, and for the same purpose. The fletches help to stabilize the dart in flight. Fletching can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. It can be as simple as tying two feathers on opposite sides of the dart, or three fletches spaced evenly around the shaft, as with an arrow. It can also be fletched in the Cherokee styles (two feathers are partially stripped and bound on either side of the shaft). Turkey, chicken, crow or even grouse feathers can be used. Do not use feathers from birds of prey, such as eagles, hawks or owls as federal laws protect these.

Quick arrow and atlatl dart fletch with duct tape At the 1998 Rabbit Stick Rendezvous (September in Rexberg, ID) Scott Jones and I were engaged in a learned dialog on the virtues of river cane, Arundo donax and Japanese arrow bamboo as shaft material for arrows and atlatl darts and the importance of tuning the oscillation period of the dart to match the thrower. One of us, I don't remember who, casually suggested that it would be easy to make a temporary fletch out of duct tape for a dart. It really works!

Arrow Fletching 101

Just Nocking

Nocking Height The nocking height is the distance the bottom of the arrow nock above (or very occasionally, below) the level of the arrow rest.

Michigan Hunting Safety Course - Nocking an Arrow A nocked arrow should be positioned about a quarter inch above the arrow rest on the bow handle. On most bows, a small brass band called a "nock point" is crimped onto the bowstring to mark the correct position.

Just Points

Making Crane Beaks: - Markland-type heads that can be reused.

Making Markland Arrows A modified Markland arrowhead is one that has a streamlining cone on the back of the head. They fly reasonably well and usually make enough of a thump when they hit to be noticeable. Please read this article all the way through before trying this procedure.

Buying Baldar Blunts

California Knapping The shaping and sharpening of the edge of a struck flake normally involved the technique of pressure flaking. Pope recorded that Ishi selected one of the pieces of obsidian he had struck to pressure flake into an arrowhead. It would be about 3 inches long, 1-1/2 inches wide, 1/2 inch thick and of appropriate shape and grain. Larger pieces were desirable for a gift or war arrow, a knife or spear; smaller and flatter for the oval heads he used for bear.

Arrowhead Types and Styles Information on the styles and materials used to make arrowheads tips and broadheads throughout history. The types of point to use for different applications are also included

South Carolina Hunting Safety Course - Types of Arrowheads

EFFECTS OF STONE PROJECTILE POINTS AS A MASS WITHIN THE ATLATL-AND-DART ~ MECHANICAL SYSTEM AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE BOW-AND-ARROW by William R. Perkins: Very technical, but may be of some use.

Tuning

Bare Shaft Tuning An introduction to bare shaft tuning, with details of how to carry out the process and advantages of it.

Precision Arrow Matching

Technical Tuning Tips Arrows are usually given a spine rating on arrow spine charts by their manufacturer. For example Easton produce a chart for all their arrows with Easton Nocks on them. If you want to change the nock to say a Beiter or Magnock then this does change the effective spine and tune of your arrow.

Tuning Arrows to Traditional Bows In the years since I began shooting traditional bows I have sought to achieve perfect arrow flight as a means of obtaining maximum accuracy. In the early days, I would spend hours bare shaft tuning a particularly spined shaft only to discover that after cresting and fletching, the finished arrow simply did not produce the desired result. To say that I was frustrated was an understatement.

Archery arrow tuning method and apparatus - Patent 5902199

Quivers

Quiver Making Guide Make a quiver! Just follow these simple instructions and you will get a quiver that makes all your friends go wild! These instructions are for four arrows, but if you want a bigger quiver, simply use larger measurements.

A 15th Century Italian Quiver In making such a fine piece of equipment, one can learn many simple but beautifully effective techniques of the medieval leatherworker. The assembly is so simple, and modeling such an easily gained skill, that surely others will find such a project of some merit.

Making A Cloth Quiver Soon after the first Siloflex arrow was completed it became obvious that some sort of quiver would be needed to hold and transport the arrows on the battle field. There were plenty of designs on the internet for traditional quivers for archery, but nothing was found which could effectively hold combat archery arrows. Traditional designs were either too small, not strong enough to hold the arrows, too expensive to make, or too hard to make. So, this design was created.

Closed Quivers The horse riding nomads of the Eurasian steppe lived in a harsh environment made more difficult by their sometimes hostile relationships with their more sophisticated neighbours to the South and West. Subject to the extremes of a severe climate and the limitations of their technology, they had to develop solutions to the special problems of maintaining and carrying their weapons. When the Scythians burst onto the world stage in the eighth century BC, they already had their characteristic quiver and bow case combination, the gorytus, developed to overcome the particular problem posed by archery equipment. This protected the arrows and the bow in a single case, with the arrows on one side of a partition and the bows on the other.

Archery QUIVERS Big, sturdy, functional, good traditional looking back quiver.

Plains Style Quiver I used what is known double-split leather. It has a suede finish on both sides. Not only is this the cheapest type of leather you can buy, but the soft texture on the inside surface holds your arrows securely, while the soft outer surface quiets those unexpected brushes with tree limbs and such.

the_quiver I doubt there is such a thing as the perfect quiver. But, if you use wooden arrows, two blade broadheads and are comfortable with around a four arrow capacity, here’s one that comes close. It’s cheap to make, quiet in the woods and protects your arrow from broadheads to fletching.

Misc.

Arrow and Bolt Construction This is intended to provide an introduction to arrow making. I'm sure I've forgotten something and I also know that for every procedure I mention in here there are thousands equally good used by others. The best way to learn to make arrows is to find someone who knows how and ask them to teach you. Watch and ask questions and you will be rewarded with knowledge and skill and more information than I have been able to put in here.

Precision Arrow Matching If you have a set of properly matched arrows you can greatly improve your archery scores. Most archers think that if they buy a set of matched wood arrows from a supplier that they are fully matched. However the arrows are only matched in weight (within five grains), diameter (all five sixteenths or eleven thirty seconds, etc.) and spline (within five pounds-twenty five to thirty or thirty to thirty five, etc). So you see that they are not matched exactly.

"Turkish Flight Arrows" Article by Fred Isles explains the mechanics of the famed Turk long-distance arrows purported to fly accurate out to 950 feet! Detailed and interesting article with text and graphics and tables. Enough to produce your own authentic Turk Arrows.

Ballistic Properties in Ancient Egyptian Arrows A piece on arrow spine by a non-engineer.

Whistling arrows The history of the noise making arrow.

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Bow Building

"Bows & Arrows - A Chapter In The Evolution Of Archery In America" 1963, by Paul E. Klopsteg. This article, as a first objective, is intended to acquaint the reader with the sports and other pastimes which have to do with the bow and arrow. Among the pastimes, perhaps surprisingly, are the serious theoretical and experimental studies of these ancient implements, which contributed in large measure to the unparalleled increase in their use in this country during the past 30 years. As a second objective, an account of the technological advance which resulted from the studies seems worth presenting, since the development is interesting in its own right and because it is probably unique in sports history.

Self-Longbow plans: according to Rob McNeur's "General Bow Construction"

Cordage Backed Bow by Dick Baugh: I had always been intrigued by the meticulous workmanship that went into Inuit (Eskimo) cordage backed bows. These hunters of the North put the same craftsmanship into their bows that went into all their hunting weapons. It was part of their way of showing respect for the animals which they killed for survival...

A Note on Indian Bow Making or the Secrets of Sinew Revealed by Dick Baugh: Sinew, the shredded fibers of animal tendon, was used for cordage, binding points on arrow shafts, and for backing material for bows. Why sinew? What are its properties which make it so desirable for these uses? Obviously it is tough and it shrinks when it dries, but how much? A fairly extensive search of the Stanford library, asking professors of biomechanics, mechanical engineering, and archeology yielded no useful information. It looked like I would have to get my hands dirty and do some experiments on the stuff but first, what did we already know about sinew?

Selfbow Secrets Kind of a Q&A series.

Dimensions of a Hunting Bow & The Case for Intelligent Design A hunting self bow is a special kind of bow. I've broken some laminated and backed bows these past years while I've tried different glues, experimented with tempering bamboo, played with limb design, worked with patches and tested the limits of wood faults and stresses. Backed bows can be sexy and curvaceous, especially these reflexed/deflexed bamboo/osage bows with which I like to play. Their allure comes from the fast life they live. But they are temperamental and demanding and you need to keep your wits about you playing with them. The very fact of their complexity requires it.

Making a Wooden Longbow Enjoy the photo essay on the basic process of making a wooden bow. From stave to bow...roughing out the lines, tillering, shaving and shaping, to finishing and handles. It takes a long time and a lot of bows to become a master bowyer. And it's fun in the mean time...

Be a Back-to-Basics Bowyer To craft bows of high quality, all you need is a small workspace, a few common hand tools, four inexpensive C-clamps, and a woodstove or other source of heat. Nature will provide the rest of your tools and — if you keep your weapon strictly primitive — all of your materials.

Osage Kid's Bow I love to make kid's bows. They are easy to make and make use of small or flawed pieces of wood that won't make a full-size adult bow. Don't get me wrong, you should be just as thoughful about making a nice bow for a kid as you normally would but design can be seriously overbuilt since they often shoot very light arrows at short ranges and kids aren't nearly as worried about performance as adults are.

For the First Time Bowyer Part I by Steve Hulsey This article was written for the first time bowyer; for those of you that want to reach back in time and know the feeling of harvesting an animal with a bow that you have made yourself. This article is straight forward and to the point. It has been solely and specifically written for anyone who has never made a bow, and deals with only the self-bow made from a single stave of wood. The explanation and construction of this one specific type of bow will allow the first-time bowyer to get his feet wet and end up with a lethal hunting bow.

Making an Asiatic Composite Bow by Markus Klek: What is an Asiatic composite bow? It is the most sophisticated and technologically advanced type of bow, being made entirely of natural materials like wood, horn, sinew, and hide or fish glues. These type of bows have been developed in multiple styles all over Asia and were in use until slowly replaced by firearms. Several of these bows are still being made by professionals today...

Making a Bow From a Sapling Since this is a project that a lot of people are interested in periodically, I have pulled my thoughts together on this. A bow from a sapling can be as potent a weapon as you could hope for and will take big game, and can be made successfully with a minimum of tools.

A Foolproof Method for Bow Tillering by Dick Baugh (Dec. 28, 2003): The purpose of this article is to present a simple, systematic method for checking the tiller (evenness of bending) and draw weight of a wooden bow before you even string it. This is a quantitative method of doing what an experienced bowyer does in a very subjective, qualitative way...

Making a Survival Bow by Longbow A bow is not difficult to make, relative to arrows and string, that is. Really! All you need is a good knife. However, two knives are better: a machete-like Bowie and a good pocketknife. Plus, you will need a knife sharpener.

General Bow Construction Answers to many questions that arise when constructing your own bow, but is also a complete guide to building a longbow or flat bow.

Manual for Building a 40 lbs. longbow Complete guide to building a 40lbs. longbow, includes easy to follow diagrams for beginners.

Bow Building - A Basic Introduction A straight-forward guide to bow construction, and also contains a list of which types of wood and their availability in different locations.

Basic Bow Construction Basic introduction to constructing your own bow, complete with diagrams.

Bow Finishes A full tutorial to possible finishes to your newly constructed bow.

General Bow Construction This is a section of the FAQ for alt.archery. This is intended to give guidelines in the construction of your own traditional longbow, mainly of the Self-bow style. For those interested in traditional composite and/or recurved bows, I recommend the Asiatic-Turkish section of the FAQ.

All Wood Composite: Bow Building 101 This article is for bowyers who are looking for simplified instructions on building a durable all wooden bow which is economical and when properly constructed, will out perform all but the most meticulously crafted and best maintained self bows.

Hickory Backing--The Available Alternative After building self bows for several years, I slowly became aware of several truths. Many pieces of wood in my possession can never be self bows. Some are at best questionable. The wood is too valuable to burn, yet not up to the standard needed to sell. Consequently, these pieces of wood accumulate and tempt me daily. In addition, I have made bows too light for anyone to shoot, flawed due to my lack of patience and haste in trying to produce a shootable bow. They also accumulate and multiply. How can we resolve this very common and perplexing situation?

Building a Durable Hickory (White Wood) Bow, Quickly First off, thank you for taking the time to read this article. I'd also like to extend my thanks to Paul Comstock and Tim Baker for their patience with me. You may already have your stave in hand and possibly are wondering where, exactly, to begin. I hope these instructions are to the point and will be helpful to you.

Red Mulberry, Its characteristics and application in Wood Bowyery Now that I've got your attention, let me explain what I 'm talking about. I am very much aware that Osage and Yew are the best known traditional bow woods. Some of us however, simply don't have much access to these historically and admittedly great bow woods.

Follow The Grain, Practical Advice for Working With Osage and Other Woods Don't be put off or intimidated by the prospect of following the grain. All you will accomplish by setting a stave in the corner and waiting until later is waste time. After a bow or two the process of removing the bark and sapwood, then following the grain the length of your stave, will take less than 30 minutes in most cases. Go ahead, you can do it.

Primitive Archer | Bow Building & Usage This is their free article page - updated monthly. For more, you'll have to subscribe.

"N. American Sioux Indian Archery" Fairly detailed article by Robert E. Kaiser explains the construction of Sioux bows & arrows. Includes photos.

Some Speculations on the nature of Longbow strings What were old strings made of?

Archery and Mathematical Modeling Enough to keep you busy for a while! Covers the modeling of recurve bows.

On the Mechanics of some Replica Bows A further investigation on the modeling of bows.

Glossary of archery terms. Less common archery terms explained.

Joe Tapley's Arrow Flight Simulator This is a piece of software (free to download) with some documentation on arrow flight simulation.

Ötzi's Bow by Dick Baugh, Vttorio Brizzi & Tim Baker (January 20, 2006): In 1991, the archaeological find of the century was made in the Ötzaler Alps near the Austrian-Italian border. In addition to Ötzi's body frozen in the snow there were clothing, tools of stone, copper, bone and antler and archery equipment. This was a snapshot of the technology of 5,300 years ago. It is a challenge to derive as much information from the scanty set of data that he left for us. Oh, for a time machine!

Chronology of the Longbow

The Decline of the Longbow Prior to the advent of firearms on the medieval battlefield the longbow had been all-powerful. Bowmen were infantry and artillery combined; indeed archers were designated "Artillarie" in Henry VIII's reign when the Honourable Artillery Company was formed to encourage the "science and feat of shooting long bowes, cross-bowes and handgonnes". Unlike hand- gunners, bowmen needed no pikemen to protect them. See also: The decline of the Longbow (different)

The English Longbow - (on 'TheBeckoning') Perhaps the first order of business is to define the longbow. There are many different styles and materials used in making longbows, but there are a few constants. The longbow must, of course, be long. It is generally regarded that the bow must be as tall as the archer to be classified as true longbow, but any bow over 5.5-6 feet in length would also be called a longbow. The bow must also have straight ends (not recurved). The English longbow has additional requirements to be traditional. The bow must be wider at the arrow plate than any other spot on the top limb. Arrow rests are not allowed (though arrow plates are). The arrow is laid over the top of the forefinger for shooting.

How to Make A Rattan Bow A rattan bow could easily be made to 30-40 pounds. How strong you get the bow depends very much on the quality of the rattan and, of course, how thick the limbs are and how long the bow is. The strongest rattan bow made in Uma was over 70 pounds from peeled rattan. However, if you use a rattan stick with the skin still on you generally will get a stronger and more endurable bow. Also available HERE

Manual for Building a 40 lbs. Longbow More so than is the case when building an American Flatbow, the traditional English Longbow requires more skill, as it is much more inclined to break. The elasticity of the backing and the compressibility of the belly should be considerable, so that the wood one uses has to meet very high standards. For thousands of years yew was used to build bows, as its sapwood possesses a high degree of elasticity and its heartwood can be compressed without much trouble.

The Medieval English Longbow From the thirteenth until the sixteenth century, the national weapon of the English army was the longbow. It was this weapon which conquered Wales and Scotland, gave the English their victories in the Hundred Years War, and permitted England to replace France as the foremost military power in Medieval Europe. The longbow was the machine gun of the Middle Ages: accurate, deadly, possessed of a long-range and rapid rate of fire, the flight of its missiles was liken to a storm. Cheap and simple enough for the yeoman to own and master, it made him superior to a knight on the field of battle. Yet, important as this weapon was, most of our present day beliefs concerning it are based upon myth.

Oriental Hinged and Take-apart Bows Although the hinged bows one sees are generally of Chinese origin, specimens from Tibet and Java have come to light recently, indicating perhaps a distribution of the type by Chinese traders and colonists.

Steel bows from India Throughout the ages experiments with steel as a bow material have been made in various countries. The Indians were the first people, I believe, to have overcome the problems presented by steel and produced a weapon, which, while it may not have had the cast and range of its predecessor, the composite bow, was nevertheless a decidedly workable weapon.

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Bowstrings

Making Cordage By Hand ~ Text and Illustrations by Norm Kidder (Reprinted from the SPT Bulletin of Primitive Technology, Fall, 1996): Cordage (rope and string) can be made from many different fibers including (Bast) Dogbane, Milkweed, Nettles, Hemp, Flax; (Leaves) Cattail, Yucca, Agave, Douglas Iris; (Bark) Willow, Maple, Basswood, Cedar; (Root) Leather Root, Beach Lupine; (Whole stem) Tule, straw, Juncus. Each material has specific requirements for extracting and preparing the fibers, but there are only two basic ways for using the fibers to make a cord: braiding (or plaiting) and twining. Braiding was usually done with flat, split materials such as cattail or flattened straw. The instructions in this article will deal only with twining, specifically with two ply (S-twist, Z-ply, also called right-handed) cordage.

Cordage fiber shredder made from bone by Dick Baugh © 1996 Get Primitive. File recovered from now defunct AboTech website and converted to Onsite PDF.

Cordage Materials ~ Sinew Sinew is made from the ligaments and tendons of an animal's body. The tendons would come from the animal's hind legs or from along both sides of the spine beginning at the neck and running just past the ribs.

Grow Your Own Bowstring by Dick Baugh (5/7/04): It's easy to grow your own flax for bowstrings, sewing or anything else. Properly processed flax fibers are very strong and have little stretch, the two most important characteristics for bowstrings. There are different horticultural varieties of flax, one optimized for seed production and another optimized for fiber production...

String Making Bow strings are probably the easiest thing that can be manufactured or customized for a bow. The most commonly used string is the continuous loop that most people are using for recurve and compound bows. There are other types, one of which is called "Flemish Twist" (usually used on traditional longbows, and for now that's where we will leave it) We will only concentrate on the former.

Essentials of Archery The simplest kind of a bowstring is made of linen or flax twine prepared especially for this purpose. All that is required is to splice an "eye" in one end and fasten the string to the bow.

Making Natural Cordage Cordage — that is, thread, string, or rope — is all but indispensable in a survival situation. It can be used for (among other things) bowstrings, fishing lines, trap triggers, snares, and lashings. Most people would likely despair if forced to make their own rope or string. However, the materials needed to do so are plentiful in most places (you'll find a list of possible options accompanying this article), and the techniques required are actually quite simple to master.

A Note on Indian Bow Making or the Secrets of Sinew Revealed Sinew, the shredded fibers of animal tendon, was used for cordage, binding points on arrow shafts, and for backing material for bows. Why sinew? What are its properties which make it so desirable for these uses? Obviously it is tough and it shrinks when it dries, but how much? A fairly extensive search of the Stanford library, asking professors of biomechanics, mechanical engineering, and archeology yielded no useful information. It looked like I would have to get my hands dirty and do some experiments on the stuff but first, what did we already know about sinew?

Making Bow Strings PDF/Adobe Acrobat File. To shoot a bow you need a string, preferably one made of the new synthetic fibers. But which type of material will make the best string for my application? How many strands should I use? What length should I make my string? All of these questions and more will be answered in this three-part series.

Building Bowstrings By Larry Wise . While most dealers buy ready made strings from bow or string manufacturers, some make their own to improve profits or to get the customer’s string replaced quickly when a particular size isn’t in stock. Customer’s needs for special bowstrings may demand that you learn to custom make the string that serves those needs. If so, or if you are just one of those do-it-yourself types of dealers, this article is for you.

Continuous Loop Bow Strings PDF/Adobe Acrobat File. In primitive times, bowstrings were made from raw animal and vegetable fibers, depending on what was available. Later, linen came into use because it was strong and did not stretch as much as the earlier fibers; two primary requirements for bowstring material. In fact, several battles of medieval times may have been won or lost due to the condition or dampness of the bowstrings. Modern materials in use that are not as subject to stretch and dampness are standard Dacron B-50, or special materials such as Fast-Flite string. Care should be used with materials other than B-50 since many older bows will not hold up to the performance characteristics of some of the newer materials.

How to Make Your Own Bowstring The majority of the following is intended for the fabrication of an 'endless string' style of bowstring, however a 'Flemish' type bowstring is more appropriate and authentic for traditional bows (longbow and flatbows) and details for this have been appended at the end.

MAKING A FLEMISH TWIST BOWSTRING by Ron Harris. The techniques I use to make a Flemish Twist bowstring are not necessarily the only way to do it, but it works for me. Making a Flemish Twist string is relatively simple. It's sort of like tying your shoes--easy to do, but difficult to describe and a whole lot easier if someone shows you how. Also available HERE

The 'Flemish' bowstring The Flemish style does *not* need a string jig at all. The Flemish style of bowstring was the style which tended to be used most often in European bows. Asian and Arabic bowstrings used a different style totally but will work quite happily with either the Flemish or Endless strings. See also: Crafting the Flemish String & Crafting the "Compact Flemish Jig"

Making a Bow Stringer by THL Brandon Smythe. A bow stringer is a basic accessory for the archer that can be made using common materials in a very short time. See also: Making a Bow Stringer [PDF] Better details.

Traditional Bowstring Making The majority of the following is intended for the fabrication of an 'endless string' style of bowstring, however a 'flemish' type bowstring is more appropriate and authentic for traditional bows (longbow and flatbows) and details for this have been appended at the end. See also: Bowstring Making | Ropemaking - Bowstrings

Make a Bowstring Part of a how to faq

Native American Visions - Traditional Indian Art and Crafts Stronger than any thread, sinew is used in both fine and heavy applications; from sewing quills and beads, to making bows and rope. Genuine sinew used as thread can be prepared wet or dry. This information sheet describes one technique using water that will allow you to convert a sinew piece into threads for future use.

Forest Knights - Sinew preparation from deer leg tendons Sinews are fine thread-like fibers created from animal tendons. The animal most commonly used to provide these sinews are members of the deer family but any mammal could be used if necessary.

Cordage The following is a partial listing of natural materials which yield good fiber for complete and other cordage materials may await rediscovery. Information given on when to harvest plants is intended only as a guideline. Species, climate, environment, genetics and intended use may all effect when plants can or should be harvested. Fibers may be cleaned and separated by many methods.

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Crossbows

The Crossbow Defined - (on 'The Beckoning') I am the first to admit that I am rather a novice in the ways of crossbows, but I will do my best to help you understand the parts of the crossbow, and help with some terminology surrounding the crossbow. I have also added a number of terms for regular bows. Some terms apply to both, while others only apply to one.

Crossbow FAQ: Everything You Need to Know

Crossbow Hunting & Crossbow Fishing Very short articles.

Howstuffworks "How Crossbows Work" The crossbow, a weapon popular with Wookiees, vampire slayers and some modern hunters, looks like a cross between a bow and a rifle. Like a bow, it uses a fast-moving string to launch projectiles, but it also has a trigger and a stock, like a rifle. Based on these similarities, some people may think that the inventor of the crossbow took pieces from a rifle and attached them to a bow.

MRNF - Hunting - Crossbows Over the last few years, the use of crossbows for hunting has developed considerably. Crossbow hunters now have more opportunities to practice this activity, and more people now have access to hunting, thanks to recent developments in this field.

Crossbow Aiming and Hunting Techniques Literary and physical evidence suggest that the crossbow originated in China during the 4th century BC, though a type of crossbow called the gastraphetes may have been independently invented in Greece at about the same period. It wasn't until the 10th or 11th centuries AD that the crossbow became a significant military weapon in Europe.

Hunting with Pioneer Weapons [PDF] Small pamphlet

Crossbow Regulations Regulations by State 2004-2005

Recurve Crossbows: Why Choose Recurve Crossbows? Recurve crossbows have been around for literally thousands of years - they date as far back as 341 BC, in fact. Since that time they've evolved substantially in design, have become lighter in weight, and are dramatically more accurate as well.

Crossbow Field Performance. What to expect from your new crossbow..... In modern day, the crossbow has largely evolved into a weapon for sport and recreation, but it's fearsome medieval heritage has unfortunately given rise to some misconceptions. The most common misconception is that a crossbow has long-range capabilities like a gun. IT DOESN'T!

Barnett Crossbows: Operating Manual - Crossbow Pistols

Ballistics of the Bullet-Shooting Crossbow The arrow-shooting crossbow has been known since antiquity and was extensively used in warfare and for hunting during the Middle Ages and through the Renaissance. In the 16th Century, a two-stringed crossbow was developed which shot smooth stones, or pellets of baked clay, and was widely used for birds and small game. These "stone-bows" differed in construction from regular crossbows in that the center portion of the stock was curved downward so the stone, held in a pouch between the strings, could fly freely. The early stone-bows usually had relatively thin metal bows which were bent (cocked) by hand, as opposed to hunting crossbows which usually required some mechanical means of cocking them.

Crossbow Connection Magazine - The Magazine for the Crossbow ... Crossbow Connection Magazine is the first and the fastest growing crossbow publication dedicated to the crossbow enthusiast ever! Each issue is filled with many interesting and informative articles on all phases of crossbow shooting, from hunting to tournament shooting to crossbow maintenance and tips. We keep you up to date regarding the latest on crossbow legislation.

Build a Wooden Crossbow Plans These Popular Mechanics plans are for a wooden crossbow. This repeating crossbow has all the handling characteristics of a fine repeating rifle of the slide-action type. In the hands of an experienced crossbowman it will deliver five shots in five seconds with near-rifle accuracy over ranges up to 40 yards.

The Classic Crossbow: You Can Build Your Own! An archer might consider it kin to a firearm ...a shooter, on the other hand, most likely would think it a stock-mounted bow ...and you wouldn't need a poll to know the general public's feeling: It looks sinister enough to be a lethal weapon!

Crossbow FAQ - designing crossbows - maintained by Ausbow Industries

There is a plan for a medieval crossbow stock and trigger on Jim Koch's web site. The .gif was too big for my puny 14" screen, but printing it out shouldn’t pose any major problem. Or saving it with a right-click and opening it off-line in a .gif viewer.

Inexpensive 2x4 Combat Crossbow Plans By Wulfric Alemaker. These things won’t win any beauty contests, but they are an effective munitions-grade weapon and a great way to get started. All the materials can be purchased at hardware or farm supply stores, and damaged components are easily replaced.

Crossbow FAQ Includes a glossary, brief history of the crossbow, current manufacturers, a reading list of books & periodicals, crossbow designs, and more. Maintained by Ausbow Industries.

Crossbow Prods Crossbow prods, as used in SCA target shooting, are generally made from one of three materials. These are fiberglass, aluminum, and steel. Each material has different characteristics. They are listed below along with some comments on each...

"Fellwalker" ABD Crossbow Bolts and Arrows "Fellwalker" anti-bounceback device crossbow bolts began active experimental combat use in Caid in January of 1998 and were approved as a legal arrow for SCA-wide use at the April 1999 BOD meeting after successful multikingdom use at the Estrella War. They are currently used in Caid with heavy (1000 inch pound maximum) crossbows in heavy rattan combat.

Stefan's Florilegium: Crossbows This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I (Stan) have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

About the Stonebow There are a number of weapons similar in design to the crossbow. A ballista for example, is basically a very heavy crossbow used as a light siege engine. Of the portable off-shoots of the crossbow though, the stonebow was debatably the most common. Depending on the source, the stonebow was first mentioned in Europe in the 14th. century (Paterson, p. 92), or it was developed circa 1500 (Payne-Gallwey, p. 158). Also available HERE

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Flint Knapping

California Knapping [5 page article!] by Paul D. Campbell: Eleven thousand years ago Clovis mammoth hunters ranged over North American and left a record of the knapper's art in beautifully fluted spearheads, not two exactly the same. What followed Clovis and the later bison hunting Folsom tradition was much cruder, yet even these points were often well crafted and certainly functional and a pleasure to view. After the passing of the big game and the Paleo-Indian, distinctive regional cultures took form. In California it was the San Dieguito...

What Tools are Needed and How to Make Them What are the basic tools? The important tools to have are a billet, hammerstone, abrading stone and a pressure flaker. That is it! Of course, it is highly recommended to include a leather pad (one for your hand and one for your leg) and eyeglasses for protection. You will however find that as your ability grows, so does your toolbox.

FLINTKNAPPING As a Lab Deliverable in Experimental Archaeology, for our SBSC 324sl, Archaeology: From Map to Museum class, at CSUMB, we studied and participated in the production of stone tools. Our professor, Ruben Mendoza, conducted the workshop, and here is a summary of what we learned!

The Stokes Tool a slab working tool! This innovative tool really helped me and with Jim's permission, I want to let others know about it.

Tool Care and Maintenance help your tools last a lifetime! I live in Arizona where the climate is quite arid, even indoors. That has forced me to come up with a standardized procedure to assure that my tools will last! Here are some suggestions.

Flint Hints and Tips Tonnes of advice courtesy of Bruce Mensinger!

Tips for the Beginner by Johnny Maduzia

Countering Shock by Doug Land So you've spent the last thirty minutes completing that nice sized biface using soft hammer percussion, only to strike it in the middle to detach one last thinning flake and "whack", the biface breaks into two parts. Frustrated, you lay down your tools and take a break - pondering the mysteries of stone. Been there - done that?

My Flintknapping Kit My percussion tool Kit is very basic. I use a combination of modern (copper), and ancient (antler).

Make your own Copper Bopper Now that you have made a great billet for next to nothing, go get a few nice spalls and BUST UP some rocks!!!!

Make your own Pressure Flaker

The different types of Stonethat I have worked with... and the results.

Tipsthat I have picked up that might help you out.

Cooking Rocks. A long time ago, the Natives on this Continent learned a wonderful technique. They found that many types of their favorite tool making stones were much easier to work after being heated.

Fluting Those Paleo Wonders This series of pics are a composite of work on 2 different preforms. After each of the flake removals in the first few pics, remember to clean up the little overhangs just like you do when making a biface.

Lap Knapping This page is about one of the hottest and most exciting forms of Flintknapping being done today. Lapknapping, or Lapidary Knapping, is the process of first grinding a preform into shape, and then pressure flaking it to achieve a finished point.

Making a Dalton Point arrowhead.

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History

The Medieval English Longbow Characteristics and origin. An article about the early longbows and how they came to England.

Oriental Hinged and Take-apart Bows And you thought the recurve take-down bow was modern?

A Brief History of Archery The discovery of the first stone arrowheads in Africa tends to indicate that the bow and arrow were invented there, maybe as early as 50,000 BC. It was probably developed in conjunction with the invention of the spear thrower. A short bow would be a better hunting weapon when used to stalk animals in wooded areas, rather than carry around long spears. The shape of the earliest bows can only be guessed at, as broken or worn out bows would probably end up on the cooking fire, reshaped into different tools or just thrown away.

A short history of the English Longbow The English Longbow, more than any other weapon of its time, was responsible for vast changes in the nature of medieval warfare. In doing so, it made England the foremost power in Europe during the 14th and 15th centuries. England's armies became the most feared units in Europe, and with good cause. Almost every battle fought was won by an intelligent utilization of massed archers and men-at-arms. Upon many occasions, English troops were sorely outnumbered, only to win the day.

A History of Archery Archery is one of the oldest arts of ancient times which is still practiced today. From its first development until the 1500s, the bow was man's constant companion and has been the most widely used of all weapons in recorded history. The bow allowed the prehistoric human to become the most efficient hunter on earth, providing him safety, food and raw materials such as bone, sinew and hide. From that time on, archery has played an important role in many of the world's civilizations.

Archery History From 25,000 bc to the future.

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Hunting

Bowhunting Tips These tips were extracted from a large collection of archery and bowhunting magazines... I based my tips on articles that had a reoccurring subject or theme. This is only intended to help a young bowhunter not to be used as a set of rules that one must follow.

Bowfishing This is a section of the FAQ for alt.archery.

Hunting with the Bow and Arrow, by Saxton Pope Reading the book online is fine, but to get the full effect you need to download the .zip HTML file for access to the photos and illustrations. You can also d/l the .zip file from our archive if Gutenberg misplaced the link.

How Seasonal Changes Affect Fall Deer Movement There are several factors that determine when and where deer move during the fall. An understanding of these factors can explain the reduced sightings of bucks during the hunting season.

Let's Talk Turkey My hunter and I quietly waited as the sky became brighter. After several minutes I heard a gobble, followed immediately by another gobble, and then two more. See also: Wild Turkey Hunting & Let's Talk Turkey by TR Michels - Turkey Hunting Articles and Stories

T.R.’s Tips: Elk Scents and Calls; Where, When And What Scents are one of the most widely used methods of attracting deer species. Manufacturers have responded to the demand by archery hunters who know scents work on deer by providing hunters elk scents. Wildlife Research Center first came out with elk urine at my prompting about ten years ago. They now offer Bull Rage bull urine and Elk Fire cow estrus urine scents. I have had excellent success with both products while elk hunting. Many hunters use fox, coyote, mink, raccoon and skunk scents as either cover or curiosity lures. Some hunters use unnatural or human scents to block game from using escape trails. This vast array of scents can be confusing if you don't know which ones to use and when to use them.

Post Season / Winter Whitetail Scouting After the deer season is over and the hunting equipment is put away many deer hunters lose interest in heading out to the wood. But, for the dedicated deer hunter the next hunting season is just beginning.

Deer Calling Many folks rely on game calls strictly during the rut, or possibly for a brief period prior to the peak breeding activity. Truth be known, there are a variety of deer vocalizations that hunters can employ. From the earliest days of bow season, to well into winter, game calls can often tip the odds in the hunter’s favor. See also: Deer Grunting - The Bowsite | Rattling Whitetail Deer - The Bowsite | Pre-Rut Deer Calling Strategies | Moon Phase Hunting Guide | Deer Calling | Can You Hear the Deer Calling? | Deer Calling Tips

Doe Activity During The Pre-Rut and Rut During the rut does move shorter distances per day and concentrate their activities to a smaller portion of their range. But there is lots more... See also: Understanding the Turkey Rut: Using the Right Tactics at the Right ...

Whitetail Security Factors During my seven year study of white-tailed I discovered that deer are affected by several meteorological conditions that I call Comfort Factors, that affect daily deer activity. Many of these same factors also affect the health of the deer and can be considered as Security Factors. See also: Moon Phase Hunting Guide

Rut Phase Hunting Tactics As an outfitter, guide, and game researcher I'm always trying to figure out how the activities of game animals change throughout the hunting season; if and how different ages and sexes of animals act; and the best hunting techniques to use during the different activity periods of the animals. In the case of white-tailed deer I wanted to know the best techniques to use on both dominant and subdominant bucks during the different phases of the rut. Also available HERE

Trophy Whitetail Areas If you are interested in a trophy whitetail buck you should start by researching the record books of individual states, and the Pope and Young and Boone and Crockett records. A few years ago I checked the record books prior to 1988...

T.R's Tips: Whitetail Breeding Behavior Factors Deer are greatly influenced by the drive to breed in the fall. In some instances, especially with dominant breeding bucks, the breeding urge can override all other factors. Breeding Factors are one of the most powerful influences on fall deer movement and the change from summer to fall activity. Also available HERE

Best Tactics For Rutting Bucks No matter which phase of the rut you hunt, or what type of weapon you hunt with, the key to seeing bucks on a regular basis is to know where they bed, where they feed, which doe home ranges they visit, and how they get there. Also available HERE

Late Season Deer Tactics In 1994 I began researching deer, using a journal, and keeping a record of all my deer sightings, their location, sex, size and activity; along with their direction of travel, the temperature, wind-speed, wind-chill, humidity, dewpoint, cloud cover, precipitation, barometric pressure, moon position and moonlight. Also available HERE

Do Carbon Suits Really Work? ABSOLUTELY! Sometimes an idea or an invention comes along and radically changes things that have always been considered unchangeable. Such was the case almost twelve years ago when a somewhat frustrated bowhunter had the vision to create a hunting suit using activated carbon to filter human odor. Since that time the idea has morphed into an entire multi-million dollar industry that is dedicated to products that big game hunters are successfully using around the world. Also available HERE

Bowhunting Basics Bowhunting is a sport rich in heritage and tradition. However despite it's roots in American history, this challenging sport continues to grow and evolve year after year. With a seemingly endless supply of newer and better equipment available to archers often times the basics of bowhunting can be overlooked. This article will hope both beginners and seasoned veterans get back to the principles of bowhunting.

Dealing With Bowhunting’s Downtime Anyone with even a few years worth of whitetail bowhunting experience can relate to the phenomenon. It’s the second week of October. The big bucks you were seeing with regularity during the early season period have literally fallen off the face of the earth. And it isn’t only that you’re not seeing those deer either. You’re also having a heck of a time finding any fresh rubs or scrapes. In fact, you’re not finding any fresh buck sign at all. But to be quite honest, you knew this was going to happen, because you’re smack dab in the middle of bowhunting’s downtime.

Big Bear—Variety Is The Key to Success! The bear caught both of us by surprise. I had just turned to whisper something to my son, Jake, when I saw his eyes suddenly go wide. “There’s a bear right there, dad,” he said excitedly. Jake was looking directly over my right shoulder. I turned and immediately saw the bruin.

Tree Stand Secrets of the Experts Most bucks are taken from some sort of elevated stand. This article is the result of conversations with nationally recognized trophy whitetail hunters, as they shared how a tree stand can help the hunter harvest a good buck.

Practice Makes Perfect Imagine a bowhunter sitting crouched in his stand for hours. His complete concentration tuned into the woods. He strains to catch a sound that will mean a whitetail buck draws near. He intently watches forest for a glimpse of whitetail. He is near the climax of his hunt. As the rack pops into view, his chest heaves and his heart starts hammering. Adrenaline courses through his body. He nocks his arrow and draws back his bowstring, saying a quick silent prayer that the arrow will hit its mark.

Bowhunting Black Bears When I think of spring, my mind automatically conjures up visions of big black bears easing silently through the scrubby jack pines of Northern Canada. For almost a decade, an assortment of my most unique friends and I have made the annual trip deep into Canada in pursuit of big bruins with our bows.

Basic Equipment for Deer Take a close look at everything you carry into the woods. If there's anything that can possibly let you down during the moment of truth, get rid of it.

Texas Buffalo by Bob Baldwin Though we successfully circumvented the herd, as we worked up a little ridge, the herd caught our scent, and began to move away through a little valley. Apparently, the scattered remnants of the herd could hear the rumble of the moving buffalo and began to follow.

Virtual Turkey and Buffalo Hunt by bowhuntingINFO staff

Wyoming Whitetails by Tom Nelson

Rouge Bull with Greg Abbas by Bob Baldwin

Texas Hogs with Greg Abbas by Bob Baldwin

The Making of a Champion - Linda Janecek

Kodiak Adventure with a Long Bow by Lenny Rock

Bear Essentials by Tom Nelson

WI-Massive Deer Kill Sought By MEG JONES of the Journal Sentinel staff

Locked Bucks battle to the death Courtesy, Mark Morgan

Namibia Safari By Tom Nelson, Host of American Archer on the Outdoor Channel

Virtual Bear Hunt bowhuntingINFO staff

Cronic Waste Disease By ROBERT IMRIE Associated Press Writer

Pronghorn Playground Tom Nelson bags a nice Pronghorn

Too Much Weight Are you drawing too much weight?

New Archer Where do I start?

Louie's Outpost & Timber Wolf Air featured outfitter

South Texas Whitetails by Tom Nelson, host of the American Hunter

Pillow Talk - Turkey Style Early morning turkey talk

Practice, 3-D or spot shooting? Which practice is better for preparing for a hunt?

Communication - That's the Key Penny Hunter has done it again. Please stop! My sides hurt from laughing!

10 Steps to a Successful Bowhunt by Tom Nelson, bow hunter and host of the American Archer

Moose Hunt Ala Buck Another article by Penny Hunter. No one could hunt Moose like this and Live!

Arrow Speed and Kinetic Energy Archery tips from our own Bob Baldwin

Deer Oh Dear You have got to see this funny article from a women's perspective. This won't be the the last article we will see from Penny.

Safety Belts Follow our young hunter as he learns that safety belts may not work as well as a GOOD hand (and foot) hold!

Measuring Success Turkey hunting may not always result in tagging your bird, but being outdoors with your family is what it's all about.

Third Times a Charm This article shows that patients really does pay off in the long run. So sit tight for some good readin'.

Panda's Bear You will enjoy this family bear hunt, while you read about Panda (Amanda) and her father's first joint Bear Hunting experience.

PMI's Cover System A unique package of camouflage.

Bullseye Outfitting A Past featured Outfitter

L.J. Armstrong Big Game Outfitters A Past featured Outfitter.

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Targets

Creating your own Archery Targets Creating your own Archery Target can be a cost saving technique. It can also be quite rewarding and save time due to back orders on some replaceable cores.

Paper tuning tips The paper tuning test is the most commonly used test by compound shooters to fine-tune the arrows release. This test is only recommended for experienced shooters that have gained enough experience to become consistent and shoot small groups.

Collection of targets to print and use in archery and shooting To print the images save them to your computer first, then you should be able to modify the size of the image to print larger or smaller targets.

How to Make Archery Targets - eHow.com There is a wide range of archery targets available for sale; buying one can be expensive, while making one yourself can be quite simple.

Free Targets Printable Click a free target to print. Targets must be printed in Adobe Acrobat for correct measurements. Targets print on standard 8 1/2 x 11 paper.

Free Archery Targets Everybody likes free archery targets that can be printed on a nearby color printer. The novel thing about my free targets is that they contain an overlay of grid lines spaced by 1moa. These targets can only be used correctly at their rated distance, but provide a very powerful tool for the analysis of groups of arrows.

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Tuning

Ted Nugent Bow Tuning Tips Bowtune, arrow tune, paper tune, timing adjustments, tiller, fiscmile, brace height, knock point, rest clearance, cam rollover timing, cable guard, front of the wall, back of the wall, peak valley, draw weight, arrow spine, balance, forward of center percentage, arrow oscillation, perimeter weighted cam, helical fletch, peep sight, anchor, feet per second, trajectory, kinetic energy, archers paradox. I wonder if Geronimo worried about such stuff with his circle of bowhunting friends.

Recurve Tuning FAQ's FAQ's including Walk back tuning and paper tuning.

THE FACTS ABOUT ARCHERY This page is about archery and bowhunting. It presents accurate concise facts to help state and local departments of wildlife and bowhunter organizations establish proper bow hunting seasons and regulations. The information on this page was collected from years of field experience, testing and evaluation by skilled bowhunters and nationally ranked target archers.

Tuning Your Bow - Alternative Tutorial An alternative guide to tuning your compound bow, also contains recommended books for tuning.

Paper Tuning Your Bow A guide to paper tuning your bow, with the key things you should look out for, and a step by step guide.

Tuning Tips Equipment tuning tips for both recurve (Olympic) and compound archers.

Basic Tuning Bow tuning is adjusting the bow to the archer's style of shooting to achieve the best performance and achieve the best arrow flight. Tuning the bow and arrow setup go hand in hand with the archer's shooting style. To get the most from bow tuning the archer's shooting style must be consistent. See also: Advanced Tuning

Tune your Bow part of a how to faq

Bow Tuning Properly tuning your bow could spell the difference between shooting your next big buck and shooting at it.

Bow Tuning 101 For most bow hunters, tuning their bow means being able to hit what they are aiming at. And for others they just hope their bow will become tuned by itself. But they are wrong. Tuning your bow now might mean the difference between trophy and tragedy.

Practical Bow Tuning A bow should be tuned so you get good arrow flight and you hit where you are aiming. Nothing else matters. You will hear some people say your sight pins should be directly over your arrow or you should have a clean tear in paper. While that may work for some, it won’t for everyone.

Walk-back Tuning FAQ Because the subject of tuning the bow is still a bit controversial, I will give you my philosophy (which I also apply on shooting style)

Tips On Recurve Bow Tuning When it comes to tuning a recurve bow, many people learn the hard way. Too many archers spend hours analyzing everything and fiddling with their equipment, searching for those elusive few points that would push them up the leader boards. It doesn't work, but it certainly provides a very neat excuse.

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