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Archeology all over the world shows that hunting implements, that is, weapons, were some of the first things that we crafted in the ancient history of mankind. Flint arrow heads and spear tips are some of the most prevailing items found around the world.

In those ancient times, people hunted for food and fought each other. We do not know, but it likely that men and non-pregnant young women hunted animals and collected fruit, nuts and berries, while the older family members looked after the children.

It is uncertain when bows were developed, but certainly more than two thousand years before Christ or four thousand years ago. Earlier than this, hunters probably crept up on or ambushed their quarry and then ran after it, throwing rocks and sharp sticks or primitive spears maybe with fire-hardened or stone points.

It is improbable that they often killed their prey outright, they probably wore it out until it bled to death. This style of hunting deer is still practiced by some hunters in South Africa and to other places.

As people lived and learned, so more sophisticated hunting devices were invented and improved on. The first such item would have been the spear and the second either the throwing arrow or the bow and arrow. It is probable that the throwing arrow came first. This weapon is still used by some traditional Aborigine hunters in Australia.

Recurve bows and longbows dating back to 2,000 BC have been found all over Europe and Asia. It seems that the longbow was more common in the north and the recurve bow in the south. Recurve bows can be shorter than longbows and still retain their power, which is perfect for shooting from horse back or chariot.

As farming developed, so did civilization and more and more often, hunting wild animals was left to specialist. The creatures that they killed would be swapped for other items or, later, sold for money.

For most people, hunting became recreational, a sport or a game and the animals they killed in their free time they called ‘game’ and we still do today in English.

Most peoples of the world did not only create weapons to hunt with, they also trained animals to assist them. Dogs, whose forebears were wolves, were almost certainly the first whose assistance was enlisted. Some dogs were used to retrieve the gave after it had been shot and dropped into the bushes or the water, other dogs really did the killing.

Later still, the aristocracy would hunt with no intention of consuming the animal at all: foxes in Britain and lions in Afghanistan. This is still done today. Likewise with falcons and eagles.

Other animals were used to help chase prey. Horses equalized the speed difference between man and buffalo or deer. Elephants were used to even out the strength of tigers and offer a safer platform from which to hunt.

Nowadays, few people have to hunt to survive, but it is still a popular activity, even though for many it is a once a year occasion. The most legendary hunting trips were and still are the safaris, despite the fact that now more people shoot with video cameras than with guns.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on several subjects, but is currently involved with compound hunting bows. If you would like to know more or for special deals, please go to our website at Kids Archery Set.

Archery is as old as Old Nick. The oldest bows to have been found date back to about 2000 BC and bows are almost definitely older than that. Archery is so old that no-one knows where or when the bow and arrow was invented. It has always been used in hunting and warfare. Buddhist monks in the Far East have utilized archery in their martial arts routines for centuries as well.

Archery is even now being used by some tribes around the world for hunting purposes and many millions of ordinary people practice archery for recreation. Buddhist monks still utilize it in their meditation techniques. There are essentially three types of archery recognized: primitive, traditional and modern archery.

Traditional archery involves such bows as the longbow and the recurve bow. Bows of both varieties have been discovered dating back to 2000 BC. It seems that the longbow was more prevalent in northern Europe and the recurve bow was more widespread in southern Europe and east from there all the way to Japan.

The modern compound bow can attain a heavy draw weight by using comparatively little physical strength compared to traditional bows by the use of a set of pulleys or cams, but still a lot of people prefer to use traditional bows. People appear to want to get back to the root of archery.

Longbows are very simple implements, traditionally made from one piece of yew or ash. Recurve bows could also be made from one length of wood, but more often, the tips would be made from wood and horn or bone. Remember that the tips of a recurve bow point to the front when the bow is unstrung.

Because of the recurved tips, a recurve bow is more powerful than a longbow weight for weight or inch for inch, but recurve bows are typically fairly short, so the standard longbow is much more powerful than the typical recurve bow.

However, both types of bow require quite an amount of physical strength to draw them to full power and hold that draw to take aim.

This sequence of drawing and holding without shaking or trembling takes a lot of strength and concentration, which normally has to be acquired. It can take years of training to master traditional archery. The British longbow men of the 14 th and 15 th centuries trained all their lives.

In fact, Henry VIII made it law that all English and Welsh men had to practice with a longbow at the butts every Sunday shooting at targets at a minimum of 220 yards away. Nowadays, 90 metres (100 yards) is about the furthest archers shoot. It would often take ten years to become this skillful, but some archers could shoot an arrow 400 yards and more.

In order to cast an arrow that far, traditional longbows used in warfare had a draw weight of between 160 and 180 lbs, which would send a three ounce, armour-piercing arrow about 300 yards. Not many men could pull a bow like that these days These days, a typical draw weight for a longbow would be 100 lbs and for a recurve something over 60 lbs.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on various subjects, but is presently concerned with archery bows for sale. If you would like to know more or for special deals, please go to our website at Kids Archery Set.