Drawing the Bow: Archery in the Modern Gun Culture
I’m pointing the finger of blame squarely at Ex-PH2; she’s the one who suggested an article on archery for TAH. I am not a writer like she is, so I hesitated at first; however, the idea grew on me. Perhaps, in the lines that follow, you’ll see why.
I’ve owned and handled firearms all of my life, and didn’t pick up a bow until I was 50 years old. That is one of the great regrets of my life now, and if you were to ask me why I never shot a bow until recently, the only answer I could have given you was that it never occurred to me. Having been an archer for about three years, I wonder why it never occurred to me.
The bow is an ancient weapon, and archeologists keep pushing the age of the weapon back further and further as evidence is found around the globe for older and older examples of this tool. 3000 years would be a practical working age – the classic shape vividly depicted in art on walls and pottery — but there is evidence its existence goes back much further than that. Today, an echo of this practical weapon is found in modern armies, in the example of the crossbow, still used now as it was so long ago, to carry cord across rivers and silently remove sentries.
There are two major tracts in the current archery world, modern compound bows versus traditional bows. I have never shot a compound bow; I began with a traditional recurve bow, and have since begun the shift to primitive archery, now working with a longbow. I have gone from composite arrows with state-of-the-art steel arrowheads, to wooden arrows with hand forged, iron arrowheads. The local archery shop where I shot my first target bow is both bemused and fascinated by my work with “stick and string.” I am very much out of place on their indoor range, with my hickory longbow and wooden arrows, amid rows of beautifully modern, technically advanced compound bows; and yet, they make me welcome – and ask questions. Why do I shoot a primitive bow? Why not take up a fine new compound bow, a powerful and certainly lethal weapon? I do have several reasons, which are why I decided to write this article for TAH. Those reasons are the bedrock of why I shoot a primitive bow.
As I have mentioned in the past, I consider myself a prepper, and with that mindset comes the question of weapons. Very simply, bows are sustainable weapons. Not only do the bows and arrows last for a long time and are reusable, but they are renewable. It does take skill to build both bows and arrows, but nothing compared to attempting to make, or repair, a modern firearm. Another reason is a major attraction of this weapon – it is silent. Not only does it not push animals out of an area with loud noise, it also does not alert other people in the area to your presence. Another reason is that a bow is a lightweight weapon, and easily carried over long distances. My personal opinion is that primitive bows are better for prepping than compound bows, because of their simplicity, but someone skilled with compound bows may wish to differ with that opinion. For someone of basic skills such as myself, the primitive bow is more attractive.
And what about my firearms? As a prepper, my collection of firearms has simplified; the bow has taken the place of all of my medium range weapons. If you should decide to join the ranks of modern archers, you will have to answer this question for yourself. I can tell you that the bow sings a siren’s song, the song of an ancient weapon that even today, maintains pride of place as both a practical and lethal weapon. In Zen, it is said that a master archer first takes aim at himself. I invite you to explore the mystery that awaits you as you bring your first bow to full draw.
Category: Who knows
Good article and brings back memories. Dad started me out with bow and arrow before firearms. Some of the best times we had in my early memories involved that time spent together in that activity.
I do prefer a compound bow with locking cams for hunting. It’s easier to acquire and stay on target and results in fewer arrows lost. While arrows are indeed retrievable, they can bury themselves downrange and be difficult to find.
Nice job, PN! Good article, and you touched all the points for embracing this weapon.
Blending old with new; using my wood/epoxy skills, I would like to rip some strips of hickory, very thin, laminate them together, and from that shape and finish a long bow. Hopefully, with my upcoming Pacemaker installation, I can return to gym and track and get some muscle tone back. With my present lack of muscle tone, I doubt that I could pull, and hold, a very strong long bow. I too, have no desire to own a compound bow, instead, letting my 5.56 take its place.
Here’s some music to read by…
The ancient art of the Archer does not always translate into modern society. Ukraine Got Talent…for what I am still pondering.
Yeah, those target points will penetrate…
Darwin just won’t be denied sometimes.
Here’s a pic of Dave’s Ukrainian shooter as a younger man. It explains a lot:
https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-cross-eyed-young-man-image23649254
great story, but you forgot some practical things like…
when it’s 13 F outside and you take your shot only to find the glue on your rest is so brittle that it fly’s off with your arrow sending it in to the tree about 10 ‘ high and 15’ to the left
Or
when you have to contort in such a way to get the shot that not only does it hurt to draw, but the string slap leaves a 1/2″ high welt across your forearm for about two weeks
or
you get laughed at by a bunch of kids with their + new fangled bows until you man up and out shoot everyone of them with your 40+ year old bear re-curve.
its these things that i remember the most, I have a $50 bear compound that is around +30 years old, a few primitive Asian horse bows as well as my bear Kodiak re-curve that my pop traded an old busted Kentucky rifle for in 1975. It became my birthday present that year and went on to win a lot of competitions and what i took my first deer with. As i push 50 now, i picked up a cross bow for the first time last year since it became legal to hunt with them in NY state now. I still shoot my bows ( as a matter of fact that was what i was doing this fine Sunday morning prior to coming in to read what TAH had to say today) i,like you with the bow, can not understand how i missed out on a crossbow for the past 35 or so years. It has replaced pretty much everything in my gun cabinet (except for my 45-70 and my Rem mod 10 shotgun)for most things around the house. judo points for varmints and anything trying to eat my chickens and broad heads for the black bear and deer that i still hunt but don’t shoot anymore (lost some of the fun when i realized that don’t shoot back) i am a believer.
The archery gods had some fun with me this morning! Results: two broken arrows, three lost arrowheads — one of them one of the forged iron ones, that sunk itself over an inch into a railroad tie! Then I come home and see my blurb, and fall down laughing. No problem with an inflated ego today, lol!!
Ever heard of Mad Jack Churchill? He was a captain in the British Army in WWII and supposedly no relation to Winston. Mad Jack was a bit of a strange dude.
In one incident in France in 1940, he initiated an ambush by shishkebabbing a German officer from 40 yards out with his Welsh longbow. The other krauts were apparently so dumbfounded by the fact that their lieutenant had a fucking arrow through his face that they didn’t even return fire, and Churchill’s men mowed them down. In Sicily in 1943, it seems he not only led an assault from the front, but terrified the living piss out of the jerries by charging through rifle and MG fire, screaming like a maniac, zeroing in on the first kraut he saw, and running him through with his broadsword, specifically a Scottish basket-hilt claymore. I could not find any information regarding whether or not Captain Churchill wore a kilt or painted his face blue for this engagement, though he famously said that, “Any officer who goes into battle without his sword is improperly dressed.” He was captured by the Germans in Yugoslavia in 1944, playing his bagpipes after a mortar strike wiped out the rest of his unit. He escaped, was recaptured, and was repatriated when the nazis gave up. He immediately volunteered to fight the japs in Burma (with his sword and longbow, of course–he is said to have relished the thought of engaging a katana-armed Japanese officer in a sword fight), but they surrendered the day before he was supposed to go into combat. Upon hearing about Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a very pissed off Mad Jack was heard shouting, “If it wasn’t for those Goddamned Yanks, we could have kept this war going another ten years!”
Mad Jack Churchill still holds the record for the most recent confirmed kills with both the longbow and the broadsword.
Mad Jack Churchill – I’ve heard of him.
Pinto, GREAT article.
Regarding “Mad Jack” …. here’s a photo of him with sword in hand; however, it’s just a training excercise. You can see him on the far right with his sword in hand. NOTE: he’s carrying it by the scabbard, just below the basket hilt, point forward.
With longbow at the 1939 World Archery Championship:
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/churchill-archery.png
His write-up on “Badass of the Week”:
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/churchill.html
Ya gots ta read it — hilariously written!
To bring this back on topic:
I have a 6′ English warbow, single-stave, Pacific yew … but since I’m an old man, it pulls only #45 at 30″ (I think ….)
My second bow is a Plains Indian horse bow, about 36″ and pulls #45 at 21″. 10 arrows at 20″– measured from knock seat to the base of the point. Points are hammered iron made from a barrel-band. The bows and arrows I had made for me since I’ve no woodworking skills; however, I made a nice beaded bow case, quiver, and strap for it.
I never heard of him until your comment here. Thanks for posting that — a great read!
Pinto, Whitey, JSF, this is why TAH and the TAH comments section are so superior to so many other forums- you are in constant danger of actually learning something or being fed a rare dish called “food for thought.”
Regards
I never had until TOW’s comment. The guy was a certified, card carrying badass. I wonder how the German’s death was listed? Small arms? Arrow? My mind is a terrible thing.
Been considering the bow for a couple of years … for much the same reasons you listed. Soon as I can get sufficiently ahead financially, I’ll begin experimenting.
Nice post, PN!
The guys on the range mostly have “sporterized” compound bows with multiple pulleys, strings that look like they’re running all over the place, balance rods, scopes, and triggers. Their arrows fly a straight trajectory and true (whereas I have to elevate about 10~15º … I at least can hit the excelsior bale at the same distance). (^__^)
Hell …. they might as well as be shooting target rifles than loosing arrows (ya doesn’t “fire” arrows). One of my friends was a tech-head at a Silicon Valley firm (Stanford MS, etc.). All of his rifles had all the gadgets. When he bought a bow … hell, his bow looked a lot like his rifles!!!
Me? I’m with Pinto regarding the purity and essence …. the “majik” of the bent bow. There’s something primitive there calling to me … I’m totally tuned out of the engineering rat-race when I draw in my longbow and loose (sometimes lose!) my arrow. I can’t explain it.
–A Feller Archer
>>>>———>
Want to see something impressive check out this kid’s stuff. He makes a bow and arrow using only stone age tools and methods. All his videos are incredible.
Outstanding video. Thanks for posting it.
Really cool. Some folks are taking it even further, and hunt with spears. Those videos are on YouTube, too. (They aren’t for the squeamish, however.)
We to enact comprehensive common sense crossbow regulations.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20160627_Philadelphia_woman_shot_with_crossbow__boyfriend_in_custody.html?mobi=true
Crossbows don’t kill people, steel tipped arrows piercing vital organs kill people.
This last Christmas, my gf purchased a recurve for me, as we had discussed getting a recurve in lieu of a composite, and we just finally shot it this last weekend and loved it! We can’t wait to delve in to the sport of it even more now.
When you buy arrows, make sure you know how many pounds your bow pulls, and what your draw length is. Arrows are matched to the bow; it makes a difference if the arrow spine is too weak or too stiff.
It’s a 40 lb draw with 28″ on the length. I’ll definitely keep an eye on the arrows. My gf bought the shafts for me, in addition to the bow. Thanks for the info!
Here are two photos of my plains bow case & quiver that I mentioned up-thread. I did all the leatherwork; bow and arrows made by Chickasaw bowyer Eric Smith (http://www.chickasawtimes.net/Web-Exclusives/Archive/2016/April/Chickasaw-bowyer%E2%80%99s-art-featured-in-%E2%80%98The-Revenant%E2%80%99.aspx).
1. Showing the arrow bucket. Made of rawhide (“Indian plastic”) it shapes and protects the bottom of the quiver; arrows can be extracted by pulling the beaded handle.
http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y306/rgr1480/Leatherwork/Bow%20Case%20amp%20Quiver_zpsnwh5wnqe.jpg
2. Same view, but how it looks “fully loaded.”
http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y306/rgr1480/Leatherwork/Bow%20Case_zps4jls73p2.jpg
Oh, and the arrows fly true and stick deeply … I imagine how the iron tip could bend around an arm bone …..
–Just Some Archer
Leatherwork … okay — bought the buckskin from Crazy Crow. Didn’t want y’all to think I killed Bambi and tanned her hide, Clyde.
That’s some beautiful leather and bead work! My quiver is handmade, black saddle leather with rattlesnake inlay on its two pockets. I didn’t make it; bought it from man who’s made them for about 20 years.
Thank’ee, Ma’am! Your quiver sounds nice as well.
I think you can see my other projects from that link. I’ve been playing with beads for a couple of years … I get bored … then get excited over a new project. Beading just takes soooo much time.
Went to a Pow Wow about 15 years ago and met a male dancer with a solid white set of fringed buckskins, beaded top to bottom with traditional Blackfoot designs. He told me it took his wife and him about two years to finish the beadwork on that outfit.
All the above reminds me of a story about Fred Bear (for whom Bear is named) – according to Peter Capstick (another interesting fella) Fred was on a quest to drop the world’s big game using bow and arrow. He shot a Cape Buffalo (who are rarely in a good mood anyway) and was putting succeeding arrows into it as it was charging him, until his guide managed to stop the charging buff with a very fine shot which literally dropped the buff with one of his horns on Fred’s feet. Everyone in the party was shaking at how close a thing it was…and then Fred said “You know, that really doesn’t count” since a gun had come into play. The man was milliseconds from death …and then says that. (He got his buff legitimately, without a gun, a couple of days later.)
There are times when tree stands are a matter of prudence.
A story in one of the archery magazines recounts the story of a man who went after an Alaskan Brown bear. Saw him grazing in a meadow, and put the sneak on him around a large deadfall. Bear ambled around same deadfall. Came nose-to-nose on the other side. Bear stood up; hunter shot him in the chest, and had to step out of the way when he toppled. Distance from bow to fur? THREE YARDS.
Holy-Moley! Hope he made a gnarly bear claw necklace out of his experience.
Do you recall the weight of that bow? I think mine would just irritate the critter — but I know better than to hunt big game with only a 45-pounder.
Cheers!
–Guy
If I remember correctly, the bow weight was 70 lbs.
Mine, the top one pictured above, is 45 lbs. I don’t ever intend to hunt anything that bow can’t take (not enough freezer space, lol!)