Monday, May 16, 2016

The Use Of Archery Hunting Equipment

By Joseph Butler


Archery is an art that involves the use of bows and arrows. The art has been used in wars and hunting for many centuries by people from different countries and empires. Currently, it is mainly practiced in sports and other recreational activities. The term archers is used to refer to the people who practice this art, while those people who are experts in using archery hunting equipment are known as taxophilites.

The equipment used constitute of a flexible rod tied with a string at both ends to for a D shape. The arrow is shot due to the mechanical energy that is stored on the bow. Archery has been practiced in periods as early as the Mesolithic period and this has been confirmed by the discovery of historic evidences in Germanys Ahrens burg valley. The arrows used in this period were 5.5 to 8 inches long.

Bows and were used by civilizations such as the Egyptians even in as early as their predynastic period. These equipments were also used by the Japanese, Indians, Armenians, and Koreans among others. In Asia, the art of archery showed great developments and it was thereafter considered a type of martial art.

The central Asian tribesmen alongside the aboriginal American red Indians were the best in the art of archery while at the same time horse riding. Experienced archers on horsebacks formed a greater percentage of the army in the steppes of central Asia and they conquered many areas in Eurasia. Shorter bows were more favorable for the archers as they are said to enhance accuracy even when shooting long targets.

Ancient empires situated in Eurasia often associated their barbarian rivals with using these equipment, as shown by the Han Dynasty who always referred to the Xiong-nu soldiers as the bow drawers. The Xiong-nu armies constituting the bowmen on horsebacks were superior to their counterparts and this led to a great expansion of the Chinese empire.

Despite the numerous success stories associated with battlefield archery, the art faced a major blow with the development of firearms. Several countries still insisted on this art due to its historical successes and also due to its effectiveness in rainy weather which hindered the effectiveness of early firearms.

Bows and arrows were also used in recreation activities and competitive sport, as shown by events such as the Killwinning Papingo. In this competition, archers were supposed to drop a wooden parrot from the top of a tower using an arrow. This led to the formation of one of the oldest sport governing body by the archers of Scottish origin in 1676.

The Grand National Archery Society in the US played a major role in ensuring that archery recreation was made a sporting activity by standardizing the society the rules applied in this art. Introduction of new sports like tennis in the late nineteenth century brought about the steady decline in participation of the sport. Such developments did not wipe out this art as it is still being practiced as an interesting leisure activity.




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