| THE bow was man's chief weapon down through the | | | | established toward the end of the 18th Century by the |
| ages until the invention of firearms. With the bow, man | | | | formation in England of the Royal Toxophilite Society |
| hunted for food and protected himself from his | | | | of London. The Grand National Meeting which |
| enemies. The great military nations of the past gained | | | | determines the Championship of England was first held |
| their ascendency through the ability of their archers. | | | | in the year 1884. |
| Over eight hundred years ago the Mongol horde was | | | | Organized archery on the English pattern, which we |
| turned back into Asia by the long bow.With the advent | | | | commonly call target archery, was introduced in the |
| of firearms, the use of the bow in English warfare | | | | United States in 1828 by the formation of the United |
| rapidly declined, although archery was enjoyed widely | | | | Bowmen of Philadelphia who shot regularly in that city |
| as a sport during the middle ages. The Scots today | | | | for thirty years prior to the Civil War and whose |
| compete for a silver arrow dated 1603.Primitive | | | | trophies are on display with the Pennsylvania Historical |
| peoples of all countries except Australia have the bow | | | | Society. |
| and it was used as a military and a hunting weapon. | | | | In 1878 the National Archery Association of the United |
| The American Indian used the bow as his chief | | | | States was formed. This is the ruling body for target |
| weapon, but contrary to popular belief, his skill was not | | | | archers in the United States. A group of target archers |
| as great as the writers of fiction would have us | | | | conduct a tournament in a manner similar to that used |
| believe. Feats of which the legendary Robin Hood | | | | on the rifle range. Shooting is under the control of a |
| would have been proud are performed every day by | | | | Field Captain and the targets are set at predetermined |
| the modern archer whose tackle and equipment has | | | | distances from the shooting line.Field Archers constitute |
| so improved in the last twenty years that records are | | | | the other large group of archers who are organized on |
| no sooner established than they are broken. Modern | | | | a national scale under the National Field Archery |
| archery tackle is far superior to that used by the | | | | Association. Field archery is intended to simulate |
| Indians and contests between Indians and white men | | | | conditions found in the hunting field and at the same |
| leave no doubt as to the superiority of the modern | | | | time provide group competition in the sport of archery. |
| weapon. The Indian depended on his skill in stalking to | | | | A scheduled field shoot under conditions prescribed by |
| secure game, and his kills were made at short | | | | the national organization provides a variety of shots |
| distances. Indians of the western plains killed buffalo | | | | over hunting terrain at unknown distances.Affiliated |
| with the bow and arrow by riding their ponies alongside | | | | with the national organizations are the several state |
| a fleeing buffalo and discharging their arrows at short | | | | archery organizations whose purpose is to promote |
| range.Following World War I the late Saxton T. Pope | | | | archery in all its phases within the state boundary. A |
| demonstrated that a skilled hunter armed with a | | | | strong state organization is essential to coordinate the |
| medieval broad-headed arrow and a yew bow was | | | | tournament schedules of the various archery clubs, |
| able to kill practically every type of game animal in | | | | sponsor state championship tournaments, and to serve |
| North America including the Kodiak and Grizzly bears | | | | as spokesman on legislative matters that pertain to |
| and the elusive mountain sheep. The modern Dean of | | | | archery.The greatest factor in the resurgence of |
| bowhunters is Howard Hill, who not satisfied with | | | | archery today is the growing use of the bow in the |
| matching his skill with the bow against the game of the | | | | hunting field. Local bow hunting clubs are appearing in |
| North American continent, has extended his conquests | | | | ever-increasing numbers. Together with the existing |
| of wild game to Africa where the mighty elephant has | | | | target clubs, they form an all important group who |
| fallen to his bow. His book, "Wild Adventure," published | | | | working together have measureably increased the |
| by The Stackpole Company is a thrilling account of his | | | | sport during the last decade.The Author is Publisher of |
| adventures in hunting and photographing wild | | | | a website containing great information and e-books on |
| game.Modern archery as it is known today was | | | | Bowhunting and Archery. |