Primitive Archery is gaining in popularity within our club.
On this page "Hatchet Jack" Keener will provide us with the
basic knowledge needed to start participating in some of the Special
Archery Events sponsored by the Florida Frontiersmen including the Alafia.

A
This is a Bow Sock. This long bag made of soft fabric will protect the bow until it is used again. Wood or Primitive bows should not be stored strung or braced.

B & C
There are two bows here, they are not braced. Both of them are wood bows and except able at all our Archery Events. Only wood bows are allowed at our archery events. NO FIBERGLASS The B bow is an English Longbow. The C bow is a Flat bow.
Every bow has a Belly, the inside edge that faces you when you shoot and a Back, the outside edge that faces the target.
Here are the steps to Brace or String your bow. 1) Place the lower tip on your bow against the instep of your left foot. (Be careful not to get a lot of dirt on it) 2) Push down with the heal of your hand on the upper back of the bow. 3) With the string between your thumb and index finger slip it over and into the nock of the bow. (the groove at the top of the bow)

D
Tab or Finger Stalls
These are made to go over your finger tips. They can look like these or be attached to a glove. They help to protect your fingers when you shoot. They also help you to make a good clean release of the arrow. Making a clean release is one of the most important and hardest parts of shooting a bow. If you bend the string in any way it can divert your arrow in the wrong direction.

E
Arrows
The arrows used on the primitive archery range need to be self nocked, wood or cane and can be crown dipped or painted. The Nock is the groove that the string sits in. Only Field Points are allowed. NO BROAD HEADS. They tear up the targets! The arrows spine is the measure of stiffness in the arrow.
This is measured in pounds, so is a bow. The arrow Jack is holding is a 50 - 55 pound arrow. His bow is a 50 - 55 pound bow. It is important that the arrow and bow are compatible. You would not want to shoot a 60-70 pound arrow with a 35-40 pound bow.

F
Quiver
This is a Back Quiver. Although a quiver is not necessary it is convenient.
The Back Quiver is worn across your back. Here are the steps to retrieve an arrow from a Back Quiver. 1) Holding your bow in your left hand, push the quiver up with your left elbow.
2) Reach back and draw out an arrow with your right finger tips.
 

G
This is a Bracer. You wear this on your left forearm to protect your arm from being burnt by the string. Also we often have archery events where we wear our pre-1840 clothing and those big billowy sleeves really get in the way, the Bracer helps hold them down.

Other Archery Terms

1) Brace Height or Fistmele. You have heard the saying "rule of thumb" Well it probably comes from the way your measure the brace height of your bow. The brace height is the distance your string is from the belly of your bow. To check this height you place your fist, thumb up against the belly of the bow. The string should be about the height of the tip of your thumb. Although the lower you can keep the brace height and still make a good shot the better! To adjust the brace height you twist the string up " to make it come out higher or untwist to let the string out and make it lower. Too high of a brace height puts stress on your
bow. Remember a a high strung bow is like a high strung person...under stress and subject to break.

2) Nocking Point. You should nock your arrow at the same place on the string every time. You have to find a nocking point that is right for you. When the brace height and nock point are correct for you then you will have good arrow flight.

Jack is pointing to his nock point.
 

Lets Shoot A Wood " Primitive Bow

Okay, brace your bow and put on your gear ( quiver, bracer and tab). Get in a comfortable stance, feet shoulder width apart shoulders in line with the target you are going to shoot at. By the way you can shoot from a standing, kneeling, laying down or sitting position.

Nock your arrow. Always find the cock feather. The cock feather should sit out or bend away from the string so it does not ride across the bow.
Drawing " there are three basic ways to draw your bow. They are:
1) Straight Arm. Use a straight arm pointing the arm in the direction of the target, pull the arrow back to you.
2) Push Pull. You push the bow and pull the arrow back at the same time you aim at the target.
3) Swing Draw. This is a good draw for hunting. You see your target and draw as you bring up the bow.
**Remember a full drawn bow is 99 percent broke. A wood bow is not made to hold a draw for extended periods. You should be doing your aiming as you draw your bow.
Everyone should have a Anchor Point. This is a place you draw back to for the release of the arrow. Jacks anchor point is on his right check next to the corner of his mouth. So as he pulls back he is aiming and when his "third finger" touches his anchor point he releases his arrow.

When you draw your arrow try to use just your finger tips. Draw back to your anchor point and then just let the string go. Keep your hand in place at your anchor as you follow through with your shot. Doing this causes the least distortion to your shot. Jack also recommends canting the bow or tilting it slightly so you can take better aim at your target. He says the saying "Aim small Miss small" is a good idea. Pick a small area on your target and aim for it.

An Interesting Side Note
It seems a lot of terms and sayings that we use everyday have a connection to our past. I have already mentioned a couple up above...ie rule of thumb and high strung. Well there is one more that Jack shared with me. Here is the story Jack told me.

The King of France had the English army out numbered 40,000 to 6,000. So he started boasting that he was going to cut off the third finger of all the English archers. We discussed above how important the third finger is to archers. Well the smaller English army defeated the larger French army (are you surprised), and the English archers all (here is the good part) flipped their third finger at the French King. Well you can see how closely third and bird sound. So was this the first shooting of the bird? Was it the actual first flip of the bird? I will let you decide. "grin"


I would like to Thank Jack for putting on these funny clothes on a hot afternoon and for his time. I was really impressed with his knowledge and appreciate him sharing it with us.