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New hobby - Archery?
-Spitfire-
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I was thinking that I should take up a new hobby, and the more I thought about it, the more the idea of "archery" seems to congeal in my mind. There is, surprisingly, an archery supply store just a few minutes walk from my house (which I never even knew was there) but I don't want to seem like an utter moron when I go there.
I used to enjoy and was quite good at target shooting (as in, with a pistol) but that's not terribly socially acceptable here in Canada. That would probably be the main focus of the hobbt, though I wouldn't be opposed to developing a hunting skill in the future, as the idea of growing/raising/killing my own food is becoming more and more of a moral precept to me these days.
Would anyone have any general sort of wisdom they wouldn't mind imparting on me, especially in terms of questions I should be asking when I go to the shop?
I used to enjoy and was quite good at target shooting (as in, with a pistol) but that's not terribly socially acceptable here in Canada. That would probably be the main focus of the hobbt, though I wouldn't be opposed to developing a hunting skill in the future, as the idea of growing/raising/killing my own food is becoming more and more of a moral precept to me these days.
Would anyone have any general sort of wisdom they wouldn't mind imparting on me, especially in terms of questions I should be asking when I go to the shop?
-Spitfire- on
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I'd imagine if you go into the archery store and tell the people working there that you're interested in taking up the sport they'd be able to recommend a local club to you (as I'd imagine most of them would be members or at least have customers as members).
I shouldn't think you'll be in the market for asking any other questions until you've found a club and talked to people there about how one goes about taking up the hobby. Rifle clubs, for example, would normally have equipment (rifle, harness, ammo etc) for beginners to give it a go before they go out and lay out cash for their own equipment.
I haven't been here that long, so I might have missed them.
I will search away!
When I started up, I bought the following equipment...
1) Entry-Level Recurve Bow ($250 or so - not a "cheap" bow, an inexpensive one)
2) Burlap Target
3) Armguard (You should get some lessons, but while you're learning you're bound to strike your arm a bunch)
4) Plenty of extra arrows
5) Quiver
6) Sunglasses
And that's basically it. Whenever I feel in the mood, I take my equipment to a local deserted park, make sure to shoot in a fashion that won't result in the arrow going foul into a populated area, and have some fun.
Definitely add some sort of finger protection to that list. After five or tens minutes of shooting, the pulling fingers on a beginner will be bright red, huge, and painful. I have this leather pseudo glove that straps around my wrist and then loops over the tops of my index and middle fingers. Love it.
I learned to shoot from some hunters I knew when I was active with the SCA, now we all shoot traditional 3D courses from March to October. Given the variety of shots and the amazingly broad resevoir of skilled archers out there, I'd strongly second looking for an archery club in your area.
Are you looking for traditional (wood bows/arrows), more modern (aluminum or carbon fibre shafts and compound bows), or something inbetween. If you're in southern Ontario I can PM you detailed info on good stores I've personally dealt with or bowmakers themselves if you're willing to spend some money. Though I think trying other peoples gear as you can will give you a better idea of what you may like before you spend a pile of cash.
If you're on a budget and/or still trying to figure out if you like it, see if a local club will lean you some gear on a few weekends to let you get a feel for different things. I love shooting traditional, and I have a small selection of high end bows that I like (including one I made myself), but trad bows are VERY personal and everyone has a different opinion of what works. Compound bows don't do it for me, but plenty of folks love em. The best thing you can do it find people who shoot and see if you can try thier stuff. I know of a store in the Kitchener area of Ontario that has a nice indoor range and customers can shoot a bow before they purchase it. That kind of arrangement would let you try out a variety of styles and if there's a club that shoots there regularly you could easily get time to see if you like it for yourself before buying anything at all.
I get a lot of satisfaction from shooting. It's relaxing for me, and I enjoy making the gear I use, from arrows to bowstrings, to my first osage flatbow and more to come in the future. I have a case of BAD as well (Bow Aquisition Disorder).
Bow draw weight will also be a factor for a newer archer. Stay light for now, 35-45 pounds unless it's a compound bow, in which case you'll need info from someone who shoots them.
35-50 pounds is a good starting weight.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.