Archery

[Lonewulf]

So yeah. I have a short bow, and it's only about a 15 pounder or so. It's rather pathetic, but I don't want anything dangerous in my back yard.

I fire at a board of wood, which I basically carved a bulls-eye into. I fire from a distance of about 10-15 yards (depending on my preference), and am learning how to load an arrow from the ground to the bow as quickly as possible. My accuracy and my rate of fire are "decent", in that I actually hit at least 6" from my target area, which is good; though I continually miss that damn bulls eye!

Archery is fun -- so what do you do or have you done, physical-wise, that can be comparable? Fencing, brawling, wrestling, etc.?

Football and the other boring sports count if you want to talk about them. Bleh I say to them. BLEH!

[FZR1KG]

Done archery, have a 75pound compound bow I use for hunting.

I also used to do trick shooting when I was a young lad (with a rifle), but thats a long time ago.

Motorcycle riding, its actually very hard on the body when pushing it.

Cycling, my favorite was full contact basketball :D

[N C More]

I like to target shoot with a 40lb re-curve longbow. I don't hunt anything, just the target which is affixed to a bale of hay. It's just something I do for fun. BTW, my *backyard* is over an acre in a rural area, so everyone is safe from an *armed* woman.

[tofu]

I have a recurve bow as well, though I've been too busy to practice with it lately. Archery is a lot of fun. There's something very satisfying about that sound, "woosh... thunk."

I also have a number of antique military rifles (does that count as a comparable sport?). The pride of my collection is a persian mauser, it's really beautiful. I also have the collector's standards, both kinds of M-1s, an enfield (of the no. 1 mk 3 variety), a mosin nagant, etc.

[Мастер]

I don't know anything about archery, but am I correct to assume that the number of pounds is the amount of force exerted on the arrow? As this would also depend on the properties of the bow-string, I assume the rating of the bow is some kind of maximum...

[nicozine]

I like to snowshoe in places where you have to go hands & knees up icy rocks and sit down on your fanny to slide back down later. If you don't have at least one out-of-control slide through brush ending in a faceplant in a 4 foot drift, it's hardly worth the trip. And it seems like every time I get to the top of some 3-500 foot lump of rock, I see another one that I need to climb. Best fun there is.

[Lonewulf]

I don't know anything about archery, but am I correct to assume that the number of pounds is the amount of force exerted on the arrow? As this would also depend on the properties of the bow-string, I assume the rating of the bow is some kind of maximum...

I'm sure you've got it, but I'm not really an expert.




I don't like the idea of using a bow as a hunting weapon. It's not very good for it. I mean, it has a far less hit-to-kill ratio to kill a deer, and what's the point? Showing how accurate you are with a bow?

The point of hunting has more to do with positioning and stealth... that's the sport of it. The kill shot is just the aftermath of all that out-thinking and maneuvering. I think it would be wiser to use a rifle, something that's far more accurate and likely to kill, for that kill shot. But that's just IMO.

[St. Jimmy]

I do archery in the summer. I find it relaxing and very enjoyable.

I am running high school Track currently. I have a 5:48 mile.

[Ikyoto]

80lb recurve. Don't worry about hitting the bullseye. Practice getitng the form of the draw consistant. Where you place your fingers, the leght of the draw, the hold of your arm. Get the muscle memory down to the point where you don't think about it.

Then you practice jsut getting the same grouping of the arrows. Doesn't matter WHERE the group is - just get the arrows all in the same place. Then you can learn to get that group where it needs to be.

[FZR1KG]

I don't know anything about archery, but am I correct to assume that the number of pounds is the amount of force exerted on the arrow? As this would also depend on the properties of the bow-string, I assume the rating of the bow is some kind of maximum...

I'm sure you've got it, but I'm not really an expert.




I don't like the idea of using a bow as a hunting weapon. It's not very good for it. I mean, it has a far less hit-to-kill ratio to kill a deer, and what's the point? Showing how accurate you are with a bow?

The point of hunting has more to do with positioning and stealth... that's the sport of it. The kill shot is just the aftermath of all that out-thinking and maneuvering. I think it would be wiser to use a rifle, something that's far more accurate and likely to kill, for that kill shot. But that's just IMO.

The poundage is the draw force that is transfered to the arrow, in a longbow (like a traditional Indian bow) it occurs at the end of the travel on pulling back the bow.
On a compound bow, the maximum force is just before the maximum draw distance, in effect a person can hold it longer whilst drawn. It uses cams to produce this effect.


As for hunting, it is about stalking. To get a clean shot at a deer or any animal for that matter it requires getting very close and personal. Tens of metres as oposed to a rifle which requires only requires hundreds of metres. Hunting an animal that can injure or kill a human with a bow takes serious balls, hunting the same animal with a rifle requires far less balls, skill, patience, energy and stamina.

For a clean kill with a rifle the only real option is a head shot into the brain. Everything else will cause suffering to the animal. For a clean shot with a bow it requires careful placement into the heart lung region.

A rifle causes massive tissue damage, the animal is thumped in the chest (most hunters shoot heart lung areas), this is by no means painless, it is quick but very painful. Larger calibres bring game down faster because they cause more damage, ie, more pain. The theory there is that the animal goes into shock and falls down, it doesn't mean no suffering.

A bow kills by by severing major organs, such as the heart/lungs and causes the animal to die of blood loss.
While this sounds terrible its actualy almost painless if done corectly. Many animals continue to go about their buisness eating or whatever they were doing prior without even noticing. Once the blood flow slows down to virtualy nothing they simply pass out and don't recover. Many people experience a similar effect when stanging up quickly after long sitting sessions. It may be uncomfortable but its far better than the rifles heart lung alternative.

If a person wants a similar effect out of a rifle, they use FMJ's. They go in and out with little damage. The only problem is they scare the crap out of the animal and it runs. This is why they are considered bad hunting rounds. It requires tracking afterwards.

To illistrate the point, armies use FMJ's, many wounded don't even know they are hit unless its to bone etc.

Just thought I'd clear up any miss conceptions since as a hunter I get a fair amount of abuse from people due to lack of understanding.
BTW, sorry about de-railing, just had to explain why some hunters choose a bow over a rifle.

[Lonewulf]

Who's derailing? I was the one that brought it up.

Ehhh, maybe. It sounds like you at least have a point, at the least. I'm just dubious that it's "better" to use a bow; it's much much easier to miss the right spot with an arrow.

[Philip]

I've done archery and fencing to a low level, as in I could hit the target. I used to shoot Match Rifle to a very high standard. I played rugby to a high standard, climbed to a medium/high standard, and did whitewater rafting and kayaking to a medium standard. I also hiked, parachuted, klettersteiged, and was generally exceptionally fit and active. Then I was in a car accident, damaged my back, and do none of the above. Enjoy it while you can, you certainly miss it when it's gone!
(I could still go match shooting, but it is difficult to find ranges in England. Gun control is taken very seriously, if ineffectually. Someone forgot that when you criminalise possession of firearms, only criminals will have firearms....)

[umop ap!sdn]

I've split the gun control posts here because IMO this could be an interesting topic and certainly deserves a thread of its own. :)

[Ikyoto]

Thanks - now back to the OP.

Archery is not something that can be just picked up and after a few weeks of practice gotten cold. I've been doing it for a LONG time and I'm good, but no expert. I can hit within the three circles of center at 50' with each shot, but there was a tiem when it was doubtful that I'd hit the ground unless I was dropping the shafts straight down!

Don't worry about the target. Don't worry about anything else. Just get consistant draw and reliese - get it to the point where you seriously don't think about it. That is the mark of an archer.

[Lonewulf]

I'm practically at that point as-is, though my accuracy still needs some work. I'm accurate usually, but I have my "off shots", where I make one slight difference, and... well, you know.

[Ikyoto]

The arm that holds the bow is actually the more important of the two. It's drift and climb by any amount is the issue. Within a few weeks the point at which you draw to (traditionally just below the corner of the lip. Feel for the lower canine.) is already a bit of memory.

The hold arm must be taught to remain still without shaking. One of the things I learned was to hold my arm and hand in such a way that without the bow I can point the second knuckle of the fist at the target.

Gimme a few and I'll give you an illustration.

[Ikyoto]

Sorry for the delay - I had to scan and run add cleaner lines in photoshop, the I had to add the background and then of course I had to add color and a little of cell style shading... Ok, so I had to play with it.)

[FZR1KG]

Bloody heft handers!!!

What Iky says is pretty much spot on, lean to pull the bow evenly, release evenly first.

Once you have that you can decide accuracy or speed. I went with accuracy first then moved on to speed. So have your bow and arrow ready, pointing down, lift and pull back is one motion then release rapidly, ie without aiming. This is more instinctive shooting and is refered to by some people by that name. The benefit is that its fast, almost as accurate and less confusing since with accuracy you are calculating lift, wind etc, with this style its left to your brain to figure out on the fly without you working it out. More reflexes and experience orientated. Your eye remains firmly fixed on the target. This is what some refer to as letting the bow become an extension of your arm rather than a tool.

Far easier to hunt this way and not get into the trap of over analysing a given situation.

Plus its way cool hitting targets in a second from lifting while others aim for extended periods to get the same result