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.Following World War I the late Saxton T. Pope demonstrated that a skilled hunter armed with a medieval broad-headed arrow and a yew bow was able to kill practically every type of game animal in North America including the Kodiak and Grizzly bears and the elusive mountain sheep. The modern Dean of bowhunters is Howard Hill, who not satisfied with matching his skill with the bow against the game of the North American continent, has extended his conquests of wild game to Africa where the mighty elephant has fallen to his bow.

His book, "Wild Adventure," published by The Stackpole Company is a thrilling account of his adventures in hunting and photographing wild game.Modern archery as it is known today was established toward the end of the 18th Century by the formation in England of the Royal Toxophilite Society of London. The Grand National Meeting which determines the Championship of England was first held in the year 1884. Organized archery on the English pattern, which we commonly call target archery, was introduced in the United States in 1828 by the formation of the United Bowmen of Philadelphia who shot regularly in that city for thirty years prior to the Civil War and whose trophies are on display with the Pennsylvania Historical Society. In 1878 the National Archery Association of the United States was formed. This is the ruling body for target archers in the United States.

A group of target archers conduct a tournament in a manner similar to that used on the rifle range. Shooting is under the control of a Field Captain and the targets are set at predetermined distances from the shooting line.Field Archers constitute the other large group of archers who are organized on a national scale under the National Field Archery Association.

Field archery is intended to simulate conditions found in the hunting field and at the same time provide group competition in the sport of archery. A scheduled field shoot under conditions prescribed by the national organization provides a variety of shots over hunting terrain at unknown distances.Affiliated with the national organizations are the several state archery organizations whose purpose is to promote archery in all its phases within the state boundary. A strong state organization is essential to coordinate the tournament schedules of the various archery clubs, sponsor state championship tournaments, and to serve as spokesman on legislative matters that pertain to archery.

The greatest factor in the resurgence of archery today is the growing use of the bow in the hunting field. Local bow hunting clubs are appearing in ever-increasing numbers. Together with the existing target clubs, they form an all important group who working together have measureably increased the sport during the last decade.

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By: John Philmore