Archery: sports, hunting, block, children's and traditional, what power, arrows and bowstring, how to care for weapons, operating features

The bow is one of the oldest ranged weapons for hunting and war. It was with the invention of the bow that man was able to hunt over long distances, which made hunting less dangerous and more productive. Archery in the modern world is a sport and entertainment.

It is believed that the archery bow as a species is a relic of the past, and is used only by some savage tribes of South America or Africa. If we mean the traditional bow, then its use is limited to recreational shooting or historical reconstructions (although the power of the traditional Mongolian bow, made using technology, is sufficient even for hunting large animals). But a modern powerful compound bow is not only not inferior to crossbows, but even superior to some guns. True, in order to draw a powerful hunting bow, you need great strength, which can only come after long training.

There are modern models of bows that can easily pierce the body of an animal from a distance of about 50 meters. In addition, bows are silent and practically do not damage the skin of the animal.

Hunting bow, types and features of use and operation

All bows can be divided into three large categories:

Simple;
Composite or complex;
Compound bows.

A simple bow is familiar to any boy, especially those whose childhood was in the 70s and 80s. In those years, films about Indians appeared, and everyone asked their father to make him a child’s bow. The one who was more independent made the children's bow himself. It is clear that a child’s bow, which was the first stick with a rope that came across, cannot be considered a weapon, but even it was able to show what archery is.

The traditional bow (simple), in its European medieval version, corresponded to the height of the archer. It is quite problematic to use such a weapon as a bow for hunting, because it constantly clings to bushes and tree branches, so hunters used smaller bows. Although their destructive power decreased, at close range they killed the beast outright.

More powerful is the compound bow. It was used by nomadic and eastern peoples. Due to its power, it was much shorter than a simple bow and made it possible to shoot from a horse at full gallop. The traditional bow (composite) was made from three pieces of wood, of varying density and flexibility. Sometimes one or two plates were made of horn.

The most powerful is the modern compound bow. Although it looks rather unusual, a compound bow is far superior to any type of traditional bow in terms of performance. A compound bow is much easier to shoot and has much more power than a traditional bow. The main advantages of a compound bow include the following:

A compound bow does not require much strength, since the string is much easier to pull;
Unusual appearance that attracts attention;
High combat range;
A compound bow allows you to easily hunt any game, as its accuracy is simply amazing (we mean high-quality models).

The compound bow is not without its disadvantages:

A compound bow needs to be selected, or better yet, made individually (like a classic one). This is not a shotgun or other firearm that can be mass produced;
After you choose a compound bow for hunting, you will have to customize it for yourself, for which you will need hexagons;
You will have to insert pins into the sight yourself, and there are 5 of them.

Of course, bowhunting is an exciting activity, but before you go there, you must study:

Techniques for safe handling of bows;
Operating instructions for your bow;
Learn the basics of archery.

In addition, before using a bow, it is advisable to take a couple of practical lessons from experienced “archers” who will help you master bows for shooting. You should not neglect this weapon, as a compound bow can pierce through a bull carcass.

Before you go hunting, be sure to practice hitting the target, this will help you tune your bow and understand how best to shoot. Try changing the settings, remembering to note where the crosshair has moved.

Caring for regular and compound bows

Caring for traditional onions is quite simple and consists of following a few simple rules that relate more to its storage:

The most important rule for storing a bow is that it should be stored with the string unstrung;
Onions should be stored horizontally;
The temperature of the room where the onions are stored should be in the range of +15-20 degrees;
The humidity in this room should be 45-55 percent.

While following these simple rules, do not forget that a traditional sporting bow (like a hunting bow) must be carefully inspected before use for various cracks and other damage. If the bow shatters while pulling the string, serious injury may occur.

Caring for a compound bow is a little more complicated and consists of the following:

Before shooting, be sure to visually check the condition of all the mechanisms of the compound bow; this is the only way to avoid injury in the event of its breakdown;
Unlike traditional bows, compound bows do not tolerate “blank” shots. Because of them, the adjustment, alignment and parallelism of the blocks on the compound bow are lost;
The main thing in a bow of this design is the blocks. They should be protected from frost, dust and sand, as well as from blows and touches to branches;
To keep your compound bow (which can cost several thousand dollars) safe, it is recommended to carry it in a special carrier that is secured to your shoulder. You only need to take it off when game is nearby;
Block onions should be stored in a special bag, in a place with low humidity, out of direct sunlight.

If you follow a number of these simple rules, you will enjoy archery for many years.

Choosing a bow for hunting or recreational shooting

Before you buy a bow, be sure to think about what purpose you need it for? For hunting or for recreational shooting? The answer to this question determines which bow you should choose. An expensive compound bow is completely inappropriate for recreational shooting; in this case, traditional bows are perfect.

When choosing a bow, many people try to choose one with the maximum draw weight, since such a bow will be more powerful. You shouldn't make this mistake, because power isn't important for your first bow. Its goal is to teach you shooting technique, and if at the same time you pull the bowstring with your last strength with your hands trembling from tension, then you should not expect an accurate shot. As a result, people who initially chose the most powerful bow are forever disappointed in a sport like archery, since they cannot even shoot normally.

You shouldn’t order onions online; it’s better to come to the store yourself and choose the model that’s right for you. If you are interested in bow hunting, then you need to remember that long bows “hit” well at a distance of more than 50 meters, and short bows - at a distance of up to 50 meters. In addition, short bows are much easier to use in dense forests.

While a traditional bow can be modified to suit your taste, compound bows are best left alone. You should not try to understand the design of the blocks, as they are very easy to damage. Even if nothing happens at first glance, the parameters of the weapon may change irrevocably. If you have a choice between bows with and without a hilt, then it is better to take one without a hilt, such a bow will be much more accurate.

If this is the first compound bow for a beginner, then you should choose a simple model, the sight of which is designed for a distance of 25-30 meters.

Bow hunting is a very exciting activity, but it’s worth taking into account all its nuances and honestly answering for yourself whether you have the patience to master this difficult weapon, or whether it’s easier to buy a traditional firearm.

Bow hunting. Is it possible to rejoice?

Over the past week, no one has spoken out about bow hunting in Russia. By the way, advertisements immediately appeared on the Internet inviting foreigners to bowhunting in the Russian Federation - Russian hunting is now legal in Russia! - someone Sergei invites you to hunt. He offers Siberian ibex, wild boar, Eurasian brown bear and Caucasian tur as hunting objects.

Dear clients of comrade Sergei - this is how he is listed in his contacts!

From the moment amendments to the Legislative Act of the Russian Federation pass in the first reading (and this is exactly what happened two weeks ago) until the third reading, receipt by the Federation Council, signing by the President and entry into force after a set time! (important!), in the case of the amendments to the reload (which went strictly according to schedule and protocol, without modifications or delays), a little less than a year passed. So if history repeats itself, then Comrade Sergei can invite only for the 2021 season.

And it will look very optimistic. Now I'll tell you why.

The story of allowing bow hunting will be much more complicated than the story of allowing the reload of rifle cartridges.

A hunting bow with a power higher than the established one is planned to be included in the list of hunting weapons, the possession, storage and use of which will require a special permit (ROH). And, perhaps, licenses for acquisition - we don’t know that yet. These are new instructions, by-laws, forms and the procedure for their circulation.

Further. Armchair dreamers of bowhunting forget that all over the world the sport of archery is freely open to everyone; but hunting is not at all. A person receives the right to hunt with a bow in the USA after completing a week of training (in class or online) and after four days of practical shooting. The courses are paid, and although the price for a state resident is quite symbolic ($10.00), you may not pass the exam...

Which brings us back to the hunting minimum, and a more complex form of hunting license than we currently have.

And the amendments don’t say a word about a crossbow... But our people are persistent, they’ll remind you, I have no doubt.

That is, I think that the entire package of necessary documents linked to the amendments can be put into effect no earlier than in a year and a half. And if he is tied to the mandatory hunting minimum, then in two and a half.

I would get stuck, by the way.

What questions do reporters most often ask me about the upcoming bowhunting permit? I tried to highlight the most frequently asked questions and will answer them here too.

— Is hunting with a bow more poaching than hunting with a firearm? The reason is that the bow does not unmask itself either by the sound or the flash of a shot.

I answer. The main task of the poacher is the efficiency of catching the animal. You have to get a lot of animals to sell them. Therefore, it is much easier to put a lot of loops or hunt with a firearm that does not require a close approach to the animal at a distance one and a half to two times less than a reliable shot from a shotgun. Forget forever these fables about English archers shooting through a visor at a distance of three hundred meters! A sure shot from a bow at the beast, dear comrades - thirty meters! Or better yet, twenty. By a calmly standing animal, I emphasize. How many of your friends, and even you yourself, are capable of this?

In addition, a bow is a bulky structure, inconvenient to carry through the forest (especially a block one, believe me); To shoot from it, you not only have to be able to do it, but you also have to train all the time, plus have good physical fitness.

One Russian student, studying at one of the US Universities, had to rent a house in the summer with one of his classmates. As a companion, he chose a guy who was a hunter, who, in addition, was a fanatic of bow hunting. During the week of living together, “Luchnik” looked closely at his Russian companion, and then made him a proposal for which, according to the letter of the law, he could be imprisoned.

- Sergey, I know three miles from Fairbanks a large wasteland where deer graze all the time! Let's go there and slap one of them quietly with an onion, and we'll eat meat all summer!

Sergei looked at him in bewilderment and answered: “Tom, do you have a rifle and a car?” Let’s go a hundred miles from Fairbanks, to a place where we don’t have to fend off anyone, let’s slap a deer with a propeller... Or even two,” he added, after thinking, “and we’ll eat a LOT of MEAT all summer!”

This is all you need to know about the increased danger of “archery poaching”.

— Does archery hunting produce an increased percentage of wounded animals compared to hunting with firearms?

Doesn't work if you shoot accurately. This is why the above-mentioned hunter training courses are taken. And, in any case, it produces no more wounded animals than hunting with firearms - when almost every second animal over three years old bears traces of someone else’s wound.

— Is it good that bow hunting is allowed?

Undoubtedly. The good thing is that people will get an additional incentive to study wild animals, understand their habits - I repeat - the normal distance for shooting a bow at a calmly standing animal is about thirty meters! And you must be able to approach the animal within these thirty meters without scaring it off. Well, or wait in hiding. I would like all our Russian hunters to “understand” the beast at a level where this becomes possible for them. But alas...

Another advantage of the ability to use a bow in hunting is increased physical fitness - certainly not at a lower level than for mountain hunting. And physical education is always beneficial...

— How widespread bowhunting can be in Russia?

Here - alas. I think that today the permission of bow hunting in the Russian Federation will affect the interests of four hundred, maximum six hundred people. Well, really, where does it come from in our forbidden state? In addition, this is an activity for fairly wealthy people. The cost of a hunting bow starts from two thousand dollars, arrows and, in general, all archery ammunition are expensive. So there is no need to fear that the next day after bow hunting is allowed, our forests will immediately be filled with robber Robin Hoods whistling - the people do not have that kind of money.

But people will have an incentive to study bowhunting, which is essentially a quiet immersion in nature with the goal of making just one short, well-aimed shot.

And this is, perhaps, the highest level of modern hunting.
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Choosing arrows for a bow

Many, having bought an expensive bow, try to save as much as possible on the purchase of arrows, reasoning that the main thing is a high-quality bow, and the arrows can be anything. Even though bow arrows are a consumable item, choosing cheap ones will hurt your pocket significantly more than choosing quality arrows. Cheap products break after 2-5 shots (some even after the first), but a high-quality arrow can withstand even a hundred shots.

Arrows for traditional bows are made from natural materials, while arrows for sporting and compound bows are made using aluminum and carbon fiber for the shaft. The tips of sporting and hunting arrows also differ significantly from each other. If the tip for a sports arrow is bullet-shaped (which makes it easier to remove arrows from the target), then hunting with a bow requires tips with sharp blades. Modern arrowheads are made from several sharp blades or in the form of stun guns.

Arrow selection

Don't try to buy arrows as cheaply as possible. Economy class arrows can break after the first launch, while elite ones can survive even the hundredth.
Arrows should be selected according to length, rigidity, weight, and aerodynamic stability.
Sporting arrows are not suitable for hunting because they have a bullet-shaped tip, which makes it easier to pierce the target and remove the arrow. For hunting, the tip is made of several sharp blades or like stun guns. In addition, bow manufacturers indicate the requirements for arrows in special large tables, which are usually posted on the websites of the manufacturing company.
Beginning archers should buy ready-made arrows; only experienced craftsmen can make them component by component when repairing or assembling arrows “for themselves.” The design of high-quality arrows is quite complex, so it is almost impossible for a beginner to make them.
Regarding arrow components:
Shank: plastic.
Feather: There are three main types: straight, angular and helical.
Insert: in fact, this is a mount into which the tip is screwed.

Bowhunting and the Law

If you plan to hunt with a bow, you will definitely encounter gaps in the law that relate to this type of hunting. Although hunting is not officially permitted, it is not prohibited, so a representative of the authorities on the spot will decide whether you have broken the law or not.

In the most difficult case, the bow can be confiscated for examination, and if the result turns out that this bow is a melee weapon of the throwing type, then you will face a fine and confiscation of an expensive weapon. In order to legally use a bow, its draw weight must not exceed 27 kgf.

Anyway. If you are caught with prey without a hunting license, you will be fined. If you haven’t shot anyone yet, then you can safely say that you need a bow for target practice and the like.

Sometimes they may try to seize arrows, especially those with sharp hunting tips. In this case, it is necessary to put pressure on the fact that the seizure of equipment that does not comply with the state regulations is not prescribed anywhere and is therefore illegal. If the police officer insists on the seizure, then it should be formalized according to all the rules, with a protocol and witnesses (who are unlikely to be found in the forest).

The main thing is not to say that the bow was made independently; if the examination recognizes it as a bladed weapon, then this is a completely different article.

Bowhunting: legal aspects

In Russia, this phenomenon is quite ambivalent: on the one hand, bow hunting is not allowed, on the other hand, it is not prohibited. Therefore, everything at the moment depends on the understanding of the law by an individual law enforcement officer, the hunter himself and his superiors.

What can a law enforcement officer do?

If a law enforcement agency does not like the bow for any reason, it may be confiscated for examination. And if it turns out that GOST requirements for bows are not met, you will receive a fine (+ confiscation of an expensive device).
If you don’t like the arrows, they can confiscate all the equipment and issue a fine for using weapons not provided for by GOST.

In such cases, the owner of the weapon can refer to legal documents and the fact that the presence of equipment that does not comply with GOST is not a reason for its confiscation (home-made cartridges from firearms are not confiscated), and besides, you did not violate the hunting rules.

There can be a whole bunch of problems (especially considering the total dislike of both sides for reading thick and boring books on law), so it’s better to solve them immediately and forever:

Simply by talking to game owners or local law enforcement. If there have been no unpleasant precedents with bows, you have all the necessary papers in your hands, and you behave tactfully, then most likely you will be allowed to hunt. Of course, at first they will impose some restrictions (to go with a huntsman, not to go somewhere, to hunt at some special time, etc.). But after a couple of visits, when you have already made useful connections and are not creating problems, you will be able to go hunting freely.
Have with you certified copies of all necessary papers (hunting license, hunting permit, documents for the bow - quality control certificate, manual, translation of technical documentation into Russian, sales receipt for the bow). Usually all these jokumenta will not be required, but it is possible that in remote villages the police can get pretty close to the archer.
No production - no problems. If you haven't gotten anything yet, don't say you're going hunting at all. You shoot at banks, take videos - whatever. Why do you need extra problems?
If, nevertheless, the police officer insists on the seizure, and it is not possible to convince him, then it is necessary to draw up a report with witnesses in accordance with all the rules.

With all that said, forget about ever wondering how to make a homemade compound bow with your own hands. Your crazy hands will be taken away along with your bow, and it’s scary to think how much it will cost you to pay the fines.

Tips for the Beginner Bowhunter

In order for bow hunting to be successful, you need to follow these tips:

Never lose sight of your target, especially if it is a large animal that may suddenly appear near you;
Always hold the string securely when shooting;
You shouldn’t aim for a long time with a drawn bow, this is not a gun. If you hold the bowstring for a long time, tired hands may loosen and the shot will not hit the target;
If you hold the arrow on the shelf with your left hand, be sure to release it when releasing the string;
Do not “throw” your hand immediately after the shot, this will reduce the accuracy of the shot, as the arrow will go lower.

Naturally, there are many more nuances, but they can only be learned during training.

Archery is a great sport or pastime. If you have chosen a powerful hunting bow for yourself, do not forget - this is a serious weapon that is more effective than short-barreled firearms.