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TECH TALK-
BOW TUNING & HUNTING SEASON WARM-UP
by Eric Vance
http://www.oldbow.com
Hunting
With Bow & Arrow
Hunting with the bow & arrow is likely the reason, or high on
the list, for the survival of our species. It enabled man to reach
beyond arm's reach and stone or spear's throw with lethal force,
gaining position at the top of the food chain. This allowed
humans the means to support and defend growth of the species. As
the primary tool in this way, it has been our closest companion in
need until the age of guns. From then we see it somewhat disappear
from military history. Archery has surfaced slowly over
the last few hundred years in all forms of recreation to an Olympic
sport. For those devoted to all forms of this sport is undoubtedly
shared a feeling for its deep-routed association with mankind for many
thousands of years. In future articles we may discuss field &
sport archery. Here we will simply look at hunting with a bow
& arrow in an overview of what makes it special & different.
Ethics of hunting aside, we will let statistics speak for it in
maintaining the balance of nature in relation to maintenance of
healthy species of fowl & mammals as well as prevention of
extinction of any if possible. In hard reality, it's SO much
easier hunting with a gun if all one is after is to fill the freezer
with a supply of meat. Likewise, we can do that from the
supermarket! So why are we out there snooping around the woods
hunting with bows & arrows? It's all about the bow & arrow
and sensing some of that ancient kinship with it. It's just
the same as how animals know when it's hunting season. We'll see
them all year 'round and then, pouf! - it's wit vs wary through open
season. They've been hunted as long as we've been able to do so,
and to any outdoorsman, hunting is practiced or accepted.
Hunting with a compound bow allows an archer to reach a little farther
yet with confident accuracy. While most compound archers
utilize tree stands & fixed blinds, I know many who still hunt the
old ways of stalking & still hunting. It's generally a little
more difficult moving about with a compound bow. It is compact,
but heavier and usually accompanied with peripherals like range finders,
binoculars, a support tool kit for the bow, and whatever else, it all
adds up to a bit more weight & gear than a traditional bow hunter
needs in the field.
Traditional recurve & longbows (non-mechanical bows) take us deeper
into archery as most of us have some experience with. Proficiency
with these bows is all about practice. You will find that
traditional bow shooters likely spend more time shooting year 'round in
practice & friendly competition, keeping their skill sharp
and ready for the hunting season. A well-sighted compound bow
is a ready tool that should shoot just as accurately with a steady hand
& good eye as it did when last used. Not true with a longbow
or recurve. It's up to your level of practice to make the good
shot when it counts with all likely factors against you. While
this is true with any sport, mechanical aids are always a shortcut of
means to an end. In that light, and with my personal love of
traditional archery, much of my reference here may be in that direction.
Let me say, though, that I own a compound and enjoy it. It really
makes no difference to me which your preference is between traditional
of compound. It's like riding a motorcycle - so long as the wind
is in your face, its all about the ride.
The extended hunting season allowed bowhunters helps manage the balance
of herds to some extent. More does are usually taken in the early
season, while frisky bucks during the rut and gun season are more
likely to be less wary and encounter the hunter's wile. Bow
hunting also allows hunting in more restricted areas where problems of
overrunning deer populations and the usual resulting increase of
predation with threat to humans often come into play. Bow hunters
have often been called in to areas where these problems arise due to the
quietness and limited range of the weapon and relative higher safety
factor.
In choosing a bow for hunting (compound, recurve, or longbow ),
for many of us, the choice is already made. For those seeking to
enter the sport, or expand their own hunting experience, one must
consider his or her own way of life. If you are not likely to be
in a position to practice constantly and keep your skill level up, then
you should probably lean toward a compound bow fitted with well-adjusted
sights that will require less input to prepare for the season. If
you are indeed enamored of the sport as well for its history &
heritage and have time to practice, then by all means try traditional
bows. A recurve will be a little closer to home for those coming
from a compound bow in terms of feel in the hand and having easier
accuracy with a centershot shelf. If you are attracted to longbows
for their deeper history and graceful appeal, then go for it.
These days a longbow, with advances in limb design, will perform as well
as a recurve and offers more in developing "instinctive"
accuracy.
Instinctive accuracy is basically shooting without sights. While
there are several ways to approach accurate shooting with a traditional
bow with no sights, many of them are indeed methods of actually
"aiming". True instinctive shooting is when the archer
maintains FULL FOCUS with both eyes down range on the mark, then raises &
draws the bow in one motion, releasing upon touching anchor with the
string-pulling hand. A compound shooter is likely using pin sights
out front and perhaps a peep-sight installed in the string. Simply
lining up the pin in the rear peep with a steady hand should bring the
arrow to the mark. Aiming with no sights means that you are using
some foreground perspective off the bow and/or arrow itself in alignment
with the bullseye to get your arrow there with some consistency.
An example of that is called "gap shooting". This is
when the archer uses the point of the arrow in relation to its
distance from the bullseye in estimation of elevation required to
cover a given distance. Gap shooters generally are holding the bow
vertical and bisecting the bullseye with the bowstring to eliminate or
reduce "windage", or left/right drift. It can work with
a "canted bow", but is a little more difficult to see, using
an imaginary "vertical plane" via the dominant eye over the
shaft of the arrow. Another way of aiming without sights is to
visualize the "sight window" that is usually cut into recurve
bows, and seldom in longbows. The cutout sight window on a bow is
the "scoop" in the handle, or "riser", over the
arrow shelf. This scoop may be short or tall. Whatever size
it is, the archer tries to visualize a "circle" that size
hanging off the bow at the sight window and tries to find the
"sweet spot" where the bullseye lives and focus there, with
remaining attention to the "gap" & elevation adjustment
for the distance, once again.
Whatever method you may employ to attain accuracy, there is always
practice involved. It may be less practice with well adjusted
sights, or much practice over the course of the year as you enjoy the
sport for its attraction and meditative qualities. Archery
requires dedication and focus to maintain a consistent good shot.
The fact that it is quiet and unobtrusive to the immediate surroundings
and calls upon ones concentration, make it a wonderful stress reliever
and fun & demanding pastime as well.
All bowhunters, culminating in the experience of the traditional archer,
enjoy an experience that takes us back in time and induces the primal
instincts common to us all. Outdoorsmen & women appreciate the
stimulation of the senses that comes with being out in nature -
something that is out of touch with most folks these days.
Bowhunting is not a necessity, to survive anymore, but it's still a part
of our heritage on an instinctive level and a passion with those who
find its fascination. For me, it's being out in the
early morning with my bow in hand. The sun comes late through
the green canopy. The woods are alive with silence. I move
like a ghost through the flickering shadows. My quarry
awaits........
Eric Vance
Traditional Archery Supply
www.oldbow.com
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