Author Brian J. Sorrells shares his time-tested training program for developing shooting skill and provides guidance on all aspects of traditional archery, from choosing arrow shafts to entering your first tournament.

• Now in full color, updated and revised throughout • Information on choosing a bow, setting up the bow and arrows, selecting tackle, and ordering a custom bow • Practical advice on storing and transporting bows and gear safely • The history of the bow and arrow and stories of the fathers of traditional archery • Includes a glossary of archery terms and advice for teaching beginning bowshooters

"An overview of one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of European and non-European archery-related materials in the world. This book presents color photos and descriptions of some 300 items - including bows, arrows, quivers, and thumb rings- that represent traditional archery techniques, practices, and customs from around the world"--Provided by publisher.

I can't really explain my attraction to the bow and arrow. I can't explain the pull of a camp fire either, or the ocean, or the open hills where you can see forever. It's just there. These things are in all of us I think, some vestige of our primitive past buried so deep in our genome as to be inseparable from what it is to be human. What we think of as civilization is a new experiment in the eyes of Father Time. Experts say that humans have been around for some fifty thousand years. We've been carrying the bow for maybe five thousand (atlatls and spears before that), and pushing the plow for maybe two thousand. We have been hunters forever. We are built to run, to pursue big game on the open savannas, to kill and eat them. With the dwindling of the Pleistocene mega fauna, mammoths and such, the bow became more important and indeed helped to make us who we are today. It still holds that attraction, same as the hearth. When I was a kid I would make crude bows from green plum branches, big at one end and small at the other. A discarded hay string would serve as a bowstring. My arrows were fat and unfletched and would scarcely fly more than a few yards, usually tumbling over in midair. The small creatures around our home were plenty safe. When I was about 12 or so my brother brought me two old Ben Person recurves he'd found at a yard sale. One was a short bow, probably no more than 48 inches and the other was more of a standard size. They both drew about 50 lbs if I recall. That fall happened to be a good year for cottontails around our little farm and I spent countless hours walking the fields and shooting at them as they busted from underfoot. Although I'd get several shots a day I never did hit one on the fly but I remember that fall fondly nonetheless. The pleasure of jumping rabbits and seeing the feathered shaft streaking toward them was a thrill I've never forgotten. I made my first "real" bow when I was in high school, after getting a copy of the Traditional Bowyers Bible in the mail (more on this in a moment). My first bow, a decrowned mulberry flatbow, broke within about 10 shots. The second held together quite well and is probably still around somewhere and capable of shooting an arrow, though it would probably draw about 70lbs. When I first started making bows I used the woods I had close at hand; mulberry, common persimmon, red maple, white cedar, etc. I'd probably made more than a dozen bows of various woods before I ever saw a piece of Osage. People often ask me where they can find a bow stave and, invariably, I tell them to use what they have close by. No matter where you live, you'll have something near that will make a bow. Go cut it down and get started. This book is an attempt to share some of what I've learned over my years of bow making. The Traditional Bowyers Bible series, as mentioned earlier, is still a great source of information. Why write another book on making wood bows you might ask? The simple answer is that there are so many ways of doing and explaining things. There are still unanswered questions and we'll cover many of them here. We will cover all of the most frequently asked questions, and lay out a simple plan that should guide you through the entire process, from finding a stave to stringing your bow and shooting your first arrow. Some of what you'll find here, you'll find nowhere else.

Book To the Bear Archery traditional bow enthusiast and to the archery community at large, this book Bear Archery Traditional Bows: A Chronological History (1949–2015) represents a singular compilation of the chronological history of Bear Archery traditional bow production through the Bear Archery Company’s full timeline. This illustrated reference manual not only preserves the history and heritage of Bear Archery traditional bow production since 1949, it serves as a helpful reference to any and all archers interested in collecting and dating their vintage Bear Archery traditional bows. Each chapter covers a detailed chronology of factory production specifications for each specific bow model or group of related models. It includes photos of bow models for almost every year. The best part is this: at the end of each chapter, there is a table that allows readers to search out the characteristics of their bow by year, AMO length, riser material, medallion, limb glass colors, overlay colors, limb tip colors and where applicable, the two-digit serial number prefix.

The Traditional Bowhunter?s Handbook?History, How-To and Practical Information for the Traditional BowhunterFinally, the definitive book for the novice and experienced traditionalist alike that covers all facets of traditional archery and bowhunting. As the Editor/Publisher/Founder of Traditional Bowhunter Magazine, T.J. Conrads is considered one of the leading experts on traditional archery today. Everything from the history of bowhunting in the United States to selecting, tuning and shooting a traditional bow, building arrows and bowstrings, to an in-depth look at bowhunting equipment is covered in this one book. In addition, there are numerous appendices, a glossary, and complete contact information for all traditional archery supplies, bowyers, fletchers and related manufacturers, as well as a complete list of all 50 states? fish and game contact information. There is more useful, practical information in this one book than you will find in over a dozen other books on the same subject. Cross referenced, indexed, footnoted and richly illustrated, this is one book every traditional archer should own. Forward by Glenn St. Charles.