Self bow shooting tips

 Tips on how to shoot a Self bow

First protect your knuckles if using a bow without an arrow rest and check to make sure all things are in working order, then warm up the bow and line up the arrow so that it is perpendicular to the bow, find the center of the bw with your bow hand by checking for a "sweet spot" when pulling back on the bow. Make sure that the bow is right side up.
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Taping the Knuckles and Checking for sweet spot while lining up the arrow

The grips that I have found to work well with primitive bows and arrows have been the one finger, two finger and three finger bow hand grips. 

Note the finger positioning on the bow and the tilted wrist



My shoulder position is usually 35° from the target.  Noter that the arrow is directly in line with my eye.

These two pictures abover show that the shoulders can open and close the stance regardless of feet placement. As in all things regarding form, consistency is crucial to better groupings.



Stance while shooting is important because you must have steady feet, legs, torso and shoulders in order to have steady hands and aim.

Here you may observe a closed grip on the bow hand and a mediterranean string hold, ie one finger over, and two under the arrow



Here we can see the full grip on the bow is different than the two finger grip used above. I find the full grip to be ineffective and prone to wrist slapping








Anchor points are another vital part of your form. Here we can see a hunting form I use where the base of the thumb is pressed snug against the front of my cheek bone.

It is a shorter draw, and very accurate. Note too, the alignment of the forarm and the arrow, allowing a clean release that goes straight back and not to either side.

For more information and videos on self bows and arrows you can check out my site at www.northwoodtraditonalarchery.com

Ancient Arrow Heads

Many Greetings Friend,

I wanted to give you a little history info to help round out your knowledge of archery in general on this beautiful spring day!



Arrow Heads of the Ages

Earth Tribes used available resources to make all that they needed.  A diverse array of shapes and materials were available to these early hunters.

The materials varied from stone, antler, bone, and wood.  Let us discuss them and what they were used for.

Wood
  A fairly simple wooden point on the end of arrows made from wild shoots offers surprising resilience.  These were yesterday’s “field points” for practice,  blunt tips for small game, and piercers for fowl.

Bone
  This material can be used to make harpoons, broad heads and chisel shaped heads.  Broad heads were serrated, while chisel shaped points where polished sharp, both for hunting large animals.  Harpoon points were useful for bow fishing and fowl hunting.

Stone
  Older points were simplistic and unifacial with a larger “tang” for better securing the point to the arrow.   More modern points were mad bifacially and with less tang,  making them more apt to detach in the victim and so being a tool of war as well as hunting.

Iron and Steel
  These points differ only slightly from ancient predecessors in shape and profile,  but are heavier and require more uniform weight than the lighter points of old.  They are more durable against chipping or breaking.

Check up on our Arrows

for more information and videos check out our website at www.northwoodtraditionalarchery.com

Hunting God/norse bow

Odin - God of Ancient Hunters

Odin – Norse Hunting God

Long ago in ancient Scandinavia, lived Hunters who lived by Bow and Spear.  Their survival depended upon those ancient skills to hunt bear, stag and boar.   They had no horses and so carried little.

By examining the gods that these people worshipped and prayed to, it gives us insight to the core values they revered in hunting.  Their ancient gods are lost to us,  but the heirs lived on, and I believe that the more recent gods would be alike to the ancient ones from that area.  So let us look at Odin, the Norse God, more closely.

Odin was the hunting god of the Norse,  appearing through out Germanic cultures as Otan, Odan, and Odin, and yes, Santa too.  Odin was the one eyed ruler of the Aesir, the Gods of Asgard.  He resided as the ruler of  Thor, Tyre and other Hero Gods. He had many children among mortals who became heroes and was the ruler of wisdom, justice, hunting, wanderings  solitude, and runes .

 His wisdom was such that he knew all that had been and all there ever would be. He knew the fate of all the Gods and Giants, for in that old world, even the gods would die.  Odin could throw his spear, Gungar into the center of any Target regardless no matter how it was thrown. Odin was a wanderer of the worlds.

Often Odin was associated with Wolves and Raven’s. Among Native Americans, it has been said that the raven possesses the gift of having a secret language,  as they are seemingly erratic,  but Odin understood them well.

Odin would sit and talk with the ravens every night to learn what had happened that day,  much like the ancient trackers who knew bird language to locate prey and predators.  The wolf is the ancient friend of the raven,  and the raven will lead wolf to prey.  We are a wild animal as well when we become a part of nature.  Perhaps the wolf represents our ancient spirit of the hunter.

Odin reminds me of the ancient clan leader, the sage wandering the hills, the oracle, the scout, and the hunter all in one.

Archery helps to embody the strengths of Odin and other ancient gods of hunting by making us focus on the center, perfect our form, clear our mind and connect with the world around us. I hope that you are inspired in your own archery practice by the ancient heroes of legend as well.

Till Next time,
Greg
 

An Ancient Norse Bow

The Holmegaard bow was in use in Denmark from 10,000 BC and the design was prevalent for thousands of years.   It is likely that the people who used this bow for hunting in those ancient times also preyed to an ancient hunting god like Odin
Check out more info on this hunting bow

Get a new start on archery with one of our historic bows

Begin to use a custom made set of arrows

A Primitive Camping Story
By Greg Anderson       

  It was time for my friend Justin and I to visit the wild.   No sleeping bags, no modern fire making tools, no tent or tarp, and no water purifiers.  We arrived a few hours before sunset.  While sitting by a stream we discussed the best areas to explore and find shelter and we hiked and gathered fire materials as we went.  A wind storm was coming through with 40 and 50mph winds and it was 36 degrees.

  Justin and I knew the area well.  A valley with streams and hard wood forests on the mountain sides and wet fields, swamps and sandy brush on the valley floor. With seeps to drink from and forests to make shelter.

  After finding a good site, we collected as much wood as we could in one hour. Sticks were laid upon the ground to make beds and keep us from the cold earth. Then we assembled bark shingles above them on wooden frames.   The fire would go in between us.

  Snow was still on the ground and the sun was going down.  As we made the fire with a bow drill,  it began to hail and the wind blew harder.    Rocks were placed by the fire to absorb heat, these would be our heat sources under the wool blanket that each of us brought. The hail stopped and the wind continued.

  Venison roast seasoned with mugwort and spruce, pemmican, and pine tea were for dinner.  Justin and I laughed whole heartedly about the wind storm and talked into the night as the temperature dropped below freezing.

  Smoke blew into my face for hours as I hid under my blanket to try and avoid a headache.  A couple of red cedar logs in the fire seemed to make it worse.  Three warm rocks close to my body kept me warm.  A fox began to bark at us in the middle of the night and the owls began to call.

  In the morning the wind was gone and I watched a squirrel hop along near camp. “I will set a trap near there.”  I thought.

  We banked the coals under the ash and went about setting primitive traps nearby for wild game and we gathered cattail roots in the valley.  We kept our throwing sticks ready in case a squirrel or rabbit came along.  Sitting by the stream cleaning and cutting the roots in the warm sun was very relaxing.

  On the way back to the camp site,  I was carrying a large flat rock to set a raccoon trap near a slow muddy stream when suddenly a rabbit darted out in front of me and froze in the bushes ahead.  I dropped the 50 lb. rock to grab my throwing stick but in doing so sprained my thumb.  I told Justin to go for the rabbit but it was gone. “What rabbit?” Justin asked.

  My right hand was now swelling and I applied acupressure to let the qi flow.  It’s always the most random accident that gets you.

 When we got back I tended to the fire and roots as Justin collected the nights wood supply.  I uncovered the coals and lit a new fire.   The sun was going down as we roasted cattail roots and drank hemlock needle tea with warm rocks in our beds.

  The next morning Justin offered me more of the roots and I instantly felt nauseous.  He laughed and offered more of the pemmican.  “I think I’ll pass for now.”  I couldn’t take another bite of the stuff.  I hoped that one of the traps might have gotten something, but of the four we set, none were full.  I wished we could set more since I had brought over twenty,  but we were leaving that afternoon.  “Maybe next time.” We agreed.

  My family picked us up around noon and we entertained my daughter with our stories on the drive home.  “How big was the rabbit?” She asked.


  Coming back I felt grateful for the luxuries I enjoy every day.  My bed,  my grocery store, etc.  But I couldn’t help but wonder, “What if I woke up earlier and set fifteen traps?  Maybe I should bring my bow next time…”

A Picture of My friend Justin and I when My family picked us up....
                           


Thanks For Reading, and I hope you get a chance to play in the woods soon!


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Snake Bows

 There are a lot of things one may do to change the appearance of a bow,   but few are as elegant as the application of a snake skin backing. 

 Originally this was seldom performed on Woodland Indian Bows, as it was more applicable to protect a sinew backing from weather, such as with shorter bows from the mid west.. However lack of evidence is not proof of absence.

I find the effect to be heightened by applying the snake skin to a bow which has a natural ‘wiggle’  producing a very alive presence.

While wavy grained wood is more time consuming to make into a bow, they are just as powerful when made by skilled hands.  They are Available Made To Order at North Wood Traditional Archery.

Woodland Indian Bow

 There were many, many tribe that would be classified as Woodland Indians.  And each of these tribes had customs and craftspeople that set their bows apart as being unique.  

These individual and tribal variations were endless, however the principle of bow making,  the tree species available and qualities of those wood types also produced some ‘generic’ Woodland Indian Bows which were cross cultural.

The relative qualities of these bows are cross section, wood type and profile.  Many Woodland Indian bows were rectangular in cross section and between 50 and 65 inches.  They bend slightly in the handle and have a universal longbow profile and are made from 'white woods' such as Ash or Hickory.  

  

In recreating many bows I am still very fond of these cross cultural woodland Indian bows Available and Made to Order from www.northwoodtraditionalarchery.com 

Their beauty is in their simplicity.

Seneca scalloped edge bow

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The scalloped bows used by the Seneca People were  very creative and beautiful.  I wish that I knew what importance these wave like patterns had to them.  What is apparent is that they have no advantage in bow performance, but are extremely difficult to make and very lovely.

These bows could be made of various woods, but hickory was the most documented.  It should be noted also that the Seneca were considered very fierce by neighboring tribes. 

In recreating these fine bows, I have come to appreciate their rebel like appearance and how incredibly unique they are.  They are available made to order at North Wood Traditional Archery