| The bow comes in second only to the stone and the spear with regards to its years of experience as a hunting tool. It is a rather challenging weapon to use; anything less than a perfected form, duplicated with each shot, will likely result in a a poor hit that causes the shooter to wonder why on earth he or she would ever resort to using such equipment. Learning to shoot a bow is, indeed, an interesting experience, but in the end, it all pays off. There is no feeling on earth that compares to that of having just harvested a deer with a bow! Short of a spear (I guess...I have never used one), no other weapon requires the skill and concentration of a bow. The shooter must phase out any thoughts beside that of the necessary, the checklist that covers and maintains your form and anchor point, and with practice, the necessary will become the effortless. The recurve, and longbow, stress this further. Correct form and anchor point must be second nature, as it is necessary to place all of your concentration on the target picture, and every passing second represents exponential loss of endurance and stability as a result of the total lack of letoff. With the additional challenge, however, comes additional joy and gratitude whenever a deer is finally felled with this primitive weapon. Some of the advantages to bowhunting are obvious; you get an early start on deer season, and at no other time during hunting season will you see as many deer; in some cases, you may even get extra hunting time at the end of the year. By far, however, the greatest reason for using a bow and arrow is not only the challenge, but the self respect and joy you will gain from having successfully used this weapon. |
