Bow hunting in America

Memories of Bow Hunting

It’s a hobbyists dream to pass down skill and treasured bows from generation to generation, from the unskilled beginner to the avid marksmanship of a skilled professional, there’s no better place on earth to hunt with a bow than in America. American’s take great pride in a prized bow, the American Indians contributed to American’s fascination with bows and it’s not always easy to find that one of a kind bow that will shoot straighter than a star, it’s all in the hands of the craftsman.

The easy usefulness of a bow may be in the hands of the craftsman, but the sheer agility and expertise comes from no one but the owner of the bow.

When hunting, the owner and the bow are in sync with one another, from the hands that steadily rise, shaping the bow into position for a good shot, the draw back of the string, the certain precision it takes to let the string go at the perfect time and hit a target perfectly centered, well it takes a lot of practice. Avid hunters load up by the truckload and head out into the wide open in search of wild game. Among some of the hunted species from the smallest of creatures, wild turkeys, deer and even some of the biggest of elk known to man!

While it may be feasible to practice in the backyard and hit a bull’s eye every day, hunting takes a lot more skill and more than what can be gained in the backyard. American’s don’t care though; we love the bow and appreciate every small detail.

But the place I come from, bow hunting wasn’t the only respected sport. I grew up in rural Kentucky, a farming community where hunting was a beloved sport no matter what the tool of choice was. Even the biggest celebrity we all knew of, the famous country music singer John Michael Montgomery would come down occasionally to hunt deer around a small area of Pottsville, just fifteen minutes from Springfield, Kentucky. It wasn’t odd to see John Michael at the local country store tagging in his deer but he wasn’t the only celebrity hunting in the woods either.

It was rumored that Hank Williams Jr., also hunted somewhere around the outskirts of Bardstown, Kentucky. I saw Hank a few times standing in the yard of Booker Noe, the famous Master Distiller of the world famous whiskey known as “Jim Beam” that still produces Kentucky bourbon whiskey in Clermont, Kentucky.

The fact is, it doesn’t matter what part of the country you go to in America because bow hunting is virtually a state of mind and a growing lifestyle. Parents who love the art of the bow have gotten their children involved and bow hunting has become a family activity, children love learning about the bow because of its history. Personally if I had a quarter for all the Saturdays I spent in my own backyard with my daddy learning the art of the aim and release—I’d be rich!

To this day, I’m a poor excuse for a bow enthusiast but there’s nothing that can take away those memories of the weekends my dad and I spent, each trying to out shoot the other. My dad was pretty good, but every time we finished daddy made sure that we wiped down our bows and returned them to their prestigious places on the rack. The bow is one of the most interesting pieces of American history that is still very much alive and bow hunting will remain a fixture in American culture for hundreds of thousands of years to come. If you’d like to learn more about bow hunting, find the right bow for you and take a weekend trip bow hunting in America!

An Archery Enthusiast