The bow was man’s chief weapon down through the ages until the invention of firearms. With the bow, man hunted for food and protected himself from his enemies. The great military nations of the past gained their ascendency through the ability of their archers. Over eight hundred years ago the Mongol horde was turned back into Asia by the long bow.

With the advent of firearms, the use of the bow in English warfare rapidly declined, although archery was enjoyed widely as a sport during the middle ages. The Scots today compete for a silver arrow dated 1603.

Primitive peoples of all countries except Australia have the bow and it was used as a military and a hunting weapon. The American Indian used the bow as his chief weapon, but con­trary to popular belief, his skill was not as great as the writers of fiction would have us believe. Feats of which the legendary Robin Hood would have been proud are performed every day by the modern archer whose tackle and equipment has so improved in the last twenty years that records are no sooner established than they are broken. Modern archery tackle is far superior to that used by the Indians and contests between Indians and white men leave no doubt as to the superiority of the modern weapon. The Indian depended on his skill in stalk­ing to secure game, and his kills were made at short distances. Indians of the western plains killed buffalo with the bow and arrow by riding their ponies alongside a fleeing buffalo and discharging their arrows at short range.

To read more, go to the Archery Equipment website by clicking on this link.