Bowhunting Madness

Archery overwhelms me, starting about the middle of July. It’s time to start practicing with my bow and to begin scouting for fall deer- hunting. I got started in this game a half- century ago, with homemade bows fashioned from blackjack vine. Over the years, I progressed through dime-store models and on to the solid fiberglass bows which could fling a real arrow. I recall that we punched a lot of holes in the tin garage; set a target against the wall and back up, all the way to the fence. No one ever explained that it would be better to stand close and put every shot into the target, gradually working for more distance. I finally managed to buy myself a “real” hunting bow, must have been 1965 or’66. My left- hand model had to be special- ordered; dealers in this part of the country were barely aware that such things existed. I am right- handed, with left eye dominant. It took me a long time and much trial- and- error, with emphasis on error, to figure out my difficulty with aiming. I just kinda bungled along, read what I could find, and worked things out as I went. If formal lessons or even a pro shop had been available back then, I might have saved some frustration. My new hunting bow was a state- of- the- art recurve, laminated fiberglass with a beautifully grained wood riser. A Ben Pearson make, seems they named the model a Javelina. My new bow was a short 52 inch length, and had a draw of 50 pounds. That draw was a bit heavy, I knew, but I would surely become a great hunter. It would be powerful enough to bring down anything in this country, and only a little light for grizzly and moose. Some years ago I practiced too much and stress- injured my drawing arm and shoulder; I had to stop shooting, though I had gotten pretty good and could really plunk them into the bullseye. As a result, I went out and bought one of those bows with “training wheels”. With compound bows, the greatest pull is at the beginning, rather than at full draw, so the different mechanics made it manageable. Also, I fitted it up with sights, so that I could maintain accuracy with less need for practice. I have used the compound for several years, but it doesn’t have the light weight, clean lines, and romance of the stick bow. I keep coming back to the old bow, although the compound is obviously more efficient. My old recurve bow was leaned across my backpack when I crashed that ladder last October; I strapped it to the pack and dragged it out of the woods.