Chapter Seven ARCHERY EQUIPMENT hunting safety principles and practices. Lesson 1: Introduction to Bowhunting In this lesson you will: unique hunting experience. Brief History of Bowhunting For thousands of years, people have hunted with bows and arrows. The bow was an essential hunting Ishi’s teachings in the early 1900s tool until firearms were invented renewed interest in bowhunting. in Europe during the 14th Century. From that point until early in the 20th century, interest in bowhunting University of California, befriended Why Hunt with a Bow? decreased greatly. By the late 1800s, and treated him. Ishi passed along Hunting with a bow and arrow no one other than tribal people living his bowhunting skills, including is unique because it provides in remote areas of the world hunted how to make bows and arrows, to close encounters with wildlife and with bows. The knowledge and Dr. Pope, Arthur Young and Will requires refined hunting skills. skills for making bows and hunting Compton. Later, these three men Typically there are fewer hunters in game with them disappeared demonstrated to the world the bow when these people passed away and arrow could be used to hunt or adopted the customs of modern big game. society. All that remained of archery Though Ishi died of tuberculosis was target shooting. in 1916, he launched the discovery Then, on August 29, 1911, of modern bowhunting. Interest in Ishi, the last Yana Indian raised hunting with bow and arrow grew without influence of white rapidly. In 1934, Wisconsin held Each bowhunter people, wandered into Oroville, the first bowhunting season in the has his or her per- California. He was about 50 years United States. Today, it is a popular sonal reasons for old, starving and emaciated. Dr. and legal method of hunting wild choosing to hunt Saxton Pope, a physician at the game in all states and provinces. with a bow. TakeTake youryour HunterHunter EdEd onlineonline && earnearn $100$100 inin Rewards.Rewards. GoGo to:to: www.www. Outdoorroadmap.com/HunterEdOutdoorroadmap.com/HunterEd the woods during archery seasons. which may be padded with That can mean more opportunities leather (traditional bow), foam small leather to see wildlife and a more (modern bow) or other material patch to enjoyable hunt. to cushion the archer’s hand. protect the Here are some reasons why bowhunter’s people enjoy hunting with a bow. bowstring where the archer Finger Tab 1. Feeling the satisfaction of nocks the arrow for consistent, known as spending time outdoors and accurate shooting. a tab, used for being a part of nature shooting the 2. Enjoying the hunt in a wound tight around the middle of longbow and traditional way using simple the bowstring to prevent wear to recurve bow. hunting tools invented thousands of years ago container or 3. Appreciating the challenges of pouch attached to bowhunting and developing Accessories for Bowhunting the bow or worn skills to become more accurate Except for the quiver, each of by the bowhunter 4. Studying wildlife behavior the following accessories that holds the and preferred habitats, so the is optional equipment. bowhunter’s pursuit of wild game has greater arrows. meaning and value or sheath to protect a bowhunter’s forearm, Arm Quiver This chapter is an introduction also known as a bracer. Guard to bowhunting. Check the regulations for the state or province you plan to hunt in to know the educational and skill requirements for hunting with a bow. Lesson 2: Parts of a Bow In this lesson you will: bow. bows. Parts of the Bow All bows have two main parts: section or handle of the bow; they store energy when the bowstring is pulled. ends of which are attached to the limbs. Additional parts for the bow include the following: the arrow on the riser or handle until the bowstring is released. bow, also known as the handle, TakeTake youryour HunterHunter EdEd onlineonline && earnearn $100$100 inin Rewards.Rewards. GoGo to:to: www.www. Outdoorroadmap.com/HunterEdOutdoorroadmap.com/HunterEd Take your Hunter Ed online & earn $100 in Rewards. Go to: www. Outdoorroadmap.com/HunterEd depends mainly on how much or specially shooting an arrow from how little modern technology is designed glove a bow, also known as desired. Traditional bowhunters that helps protect Shooting loose. prefer the longbow or recurve bow Glove because these are simple, effective from injury when Different Types of Bows hunting tools. Modern bowhunters drawing and shooting a Today’s bowhunters can favor compound bows, compound longbow or recurve bow. choose from a wide variety of crossbows and recurve crossbows, bows, including: which give them the advantages of device attached to the modern technology. bowstring to help reduce noise. String Compound Bow Silencer The compound bow was How Does the Bow The recurve bow and longbow invented in 1969 in Missouri Work? are called traditional bows—they are by Hollis Wilber Allen. Its When a hunter pulls back on similar to the bows used by our early development since then has been the string to draw the bow, energy ancestors. The compound bow and extraordinary. Today’s compound is stored in the limbs. When a compound crossbow are modern bow consists of a lever system bowhunter releases the string bows—they use various inventions to draw back the limbs using the with a nocked arrow, this energy developed in modern times that transfers to the arrow, sending the make it easier to use them. arrow forward. The type of bow a hunter selects attached to the cams; when the Special Terms for Shooting a Bow distance that an arrow will be pulled at full draw, where the apex of the string is at the corner of the archer’s mouth—the anchor point. Draw Length force, measured in pounds, needed to bring a bow to full draw, also known as peak weight. the bowstring to the anchor point with an arrow attached in preparation for shooting. Take your Hunter Ed online & earn $100 in Rewards. Go to: www. Outdoorroadmap.com/HunterEd The lever system shorter and more easily handled of the compound than a longbow. bow lets the A recurve made from a single bowhunter draw piece of wood is called a “self back on the string bow.” If it is made with natural until peak weight wood laminates or includes animal is achieved, which parts such as horn, sinew and glue could be 60 lbs. or to strengthen the bow, it is called a more. At which composite recurve bow. point the bow “lets off” to a much lower Longbow bowhunter draws the bowstring holding weight. The compound The traditional longbow also the pulleys turn, which causes the bow is relatively easy to hold at has been used by hunters for limbs to bend and store energy. full draw because the “let off” thousands of years. A longbow is typically as tall as the person the riser that holds the cables The compound bow has other who uses it. If it’s made from to one side to prevent arrow distinctive features. It has limbs a single piece of wood, is that are typically shorter and much called a self bow. Common cables during a shot. stiffer than traditional bows, such hardwoods used to make a as longbows and recurves. Because longbow are: cable guard that helps keep the the parts of the compound bow bow quiet by preventing “cable are aluminum alloy, magnesium, slap” during a shot. carbon fiber or fiberglass, its durability and performance are limb on a compound bow, also affected very little by changes in called bow eccentrics; its shape temperature and humidity. There is may vary across different bow no wood used in the main parts of Long Bow designs. a compound bow. The compound bowhunter wheel that works in association launches arrows with a mechanical When animal horn, with the eccentric cam wheel to release, similar to a trigger on a gun. sinew and glue are used to facilitate taking the bowstring to Also, bowhunters often use a construct a longbow it is called a full draw. sight system on a compound bow, “composite bow.” which may include magnifying Limbs of the longbow are on the bow enabling the user to scopes, laser sights, or a peep sight narrow and straight when the increase or decrease the draw in the bowstring and pins on the string is not attached. When weight. riser. The hunter should consult hunting regulations for the of the riser for attaching upper state or province where the Additional names for the longbow and lower limbs to the riser. hunt will occur to determine are: straight bow and stick bow. what equipment is legal for bowhunting. Recurves and Longbows the cam that pulls the limb tips toward each other when the Traditional Bows fixed draw weight, ranging from a shooting string is drawn. Recurve Bow low of 10 to 15 pounds for children Hunters have used to 60 pounds or more for adults. that the arrow is nocked to, as traditional recurve bows The draw weight of a traditional different from the power cable. for thousands of years. bow is determined by the bow’s The recurve bow is easy to design. As with all traditional modern bows that is a cutout of tell apart from other bows bows, when pulling back on the riser, allowing the archer to because its limb tips curve the string, the draw weight see through the sight. away from the bowhunter when increases as the bow is drawn. Typically, there is no attached to the bow to help reduce bows may be preferred for sight on a traditional bow.