The oldest signs of the bow & arrow are in Europe come from north of Hamburg Germany and dates from the late Paleolithic, about 10,000–9000 BC. The arrows were made of pine and consisted of a main shaft and a 6 –8 inch long fore shaft with a flint point.
The bow & arrow quickly became the leading weapon for warfare, shifting the balance of power to those who proficiently used them in numbers and remained effective until fire arms were invented. While single shot muzzle loaded fire arms had advantages in accuracy and distance, they could only shoot about one or two rounds per minute (accurately), where as a bow could shoot 6-10 rounds per minute. Once repeating fire arms was invented, guns became the best weapon for modern warfare, but were not something the average person could build for themselves like the bow had been.
Still today, shooting a Bow & Arrow, is a primitive too that has tremendous advantages.
- Silent making it ideal for stealth hunting or guerrilla warfare.
- Can be built with simple tools by the average craftsman.
- Accurate out to 40 yards; effective out to 100 yards.
- Simple to aim by aligning the tip of the arrow with a spot on the string a few inches above the point where the arrow is notched to the string.
- Less expensive than most guns.
20 Yard Accuracy after a few hours of shooting a re-curve bow.
Re-curve and flat bows are inexpensive and easy to shoot. Every survivalist and hunter should have one and learn how to shoot it.
60 yard accuracy shooting compound bow
Compound bows are more expensive, but also more powerful, more accurate and easier to shoot. After you become proficient with your re-curve or flat bow, then consider one of these if you want to move up to the next level.
100 Yard Accuracy with a compound bow
Even children enjoy shooting a bow
A bow for kids are very affordable and a lot of fun. Every serious survivalist should have one of these for training the children in the family.
Building your own bow and arrows is much easier if you use the right wood. From top to bottom, we have Hickory, Osage Orange, also know as horse apple, and Pacific Yew as the top bow woods.
Pacific Yew for bows & arrows
Wood for arrows is more diverse, with Ash, Birch, Black Locust, Cedar, Choke Cherry, Dog Wood, Douglas Fur, Hazel, Hickory, Maple, Oak, and Willow. Maple is one of the more common trees through out the US.
Maple for arrows & bows
Flint napping is how you make your bow tips, which is basically chipping off small pieces from flint to make a point. Building your own bow is a good skill to practice and enjoy.
Flint Arrow Tip
Your bow string will be the hardest part of making your own bow. Bow strings most frequently were made of sinew (animal back or leg tendon), rawhide, or gut. The Dakota Indians also used cord made from the neck of snapping turtles. Occasionally, plant fibers, such as inner bark of basswood, slippery elm or cherry trees, and yucca were used. Nettles, milkweed, and dogbane are also suitable fibers. Well-made plant fiber string is superior to string made of animal fibers because it holds the most weight while resisting stretching and remaining strong in damp conditions. However, plant fiber strings are generally much more labor intensive to make than animal fiber strings, and the preference in the recent past was for sinew, gut, or rawhide.
Making a bow & arrows can be challenge, but a lot of fun. Even if you don't make one, get yourself a long bow or re-curve bow and practice shooting it.
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