Technical Archery Insights - Foreword

Foreword

Upon completion of the first article: A Disregarded Entity, I asked my brother to proof read the article and provide constructive feedback.   As professional engineer, I am trained to write factually and dispassionately about a subject.  In contrast, his response below, written with far more eloquence than I might achieve, sums up the passion that a bowhunter feels about his craft.  After lifelong pursuit of the sport, he struggles to accept that he has drawn the bow for the last time.   He is an old bow hunter now; his last elk hunt behind him.   But his passion for the sport still burns as bright as a roaring campfire.   His words resonate with all of us who draw back the bow. –Darrel Barnette

Bowhunters know very little about the engineering aspects of the sport.  What they do know is that they love their sport and they constantly want to improve shooting and hunting skills.  Archery is a consuming addiction.  You can never be good enough to say you have mastered the art.  There is always something you can do to be better.  But to a degree that's what makes it fun.  All the variables involved in a successful archery hunt or a 3D tournament shoot make the sport a consuming obsession.  The adjustments you make determines your success.  Controlling your heart beat, adjusting for windage, shooting from odd stances, drawing the bow in frigid conditions, preparing for close encounters, etc., etc. Most of this could be said about a gun -- but not really; not when shooting a bow.   The accomplishment and pride felt, especially when taking a large game animal, is breathtaking and fulfilling, unlike any trophy taken with a gun or crossbow.  That is why there will always be a desire to do whatever it takes to improve the "mystical flight".  No, most archers know little about the technical aspects that make an arrow fly as perfectly as it possibly can.  It's mostly just trial and error and constant tweaking.  I think in an archer's mind, there is "no perfect" but there is always room to improve.  And that's why they will seek any information they can obtain that moves them to that end. 

Bottom line to you, brother:  Give them a platform and educate them and they will do whatever it takes to improve the sport that is like no other – such is the nature of the bowhunter.

Doug Barnette, May 2024