Checking Out A New Breed

Hail and well met once more, I trust that you are all well and that your stomachs have recovered from the holiday feasting and indulgences.

Since my last update the only shooting that has taken place that I have attended is the Christmas fun shoot, which consisted of battleships, pontoon, and balloon bursting. With food generously provided by club members. On a whole I find that the night went well, though not sort of a few underhanded antics.

Though something of interest also occurred earlier in that week. There have been rumblings within the club about the introduction of crossbows, though there are those for and against. The idea was put on hold until tests could be made. So an old member was called upon who had a crossbow on the verge of the maximum poundage of the GNAS rules, surprisingly for all damage was comparatively no more than a compound or maybe even a recurve. Even I tested out the capabilities of the crossbow and was surprised at the ease of its use and abilities, though I'd be interested to see how it would work upon the field at greater range. If it was allowed I may invest in a more traditional style of bow than the modern and still without a sight.

Another bow brought on the night that sparked an interest was a Korean bow. Though a light bow it was fun to use and sent my ravens fluttering through the air in a way I wasn't used to. Though I have to admit I didn't shoot it properly as Korean bows should be shot with a thumb ring and on the thumb side of the bow, and drawn to the ear. I am tempted to invest just to have something different and more fun to shoot.

I hope those of you that read this were good and received a gifted visit by good old St. Nic, and perhaps aided your archery needs. I myself was gifted by some new points and tools for cutting feathers, and also my beloved gifted me with a copy of 'The Traditional Bowyer's Bible'. I would recommend it to any aspiring bowyer or even fletcher to aid their hobby/trade. It does focus on the American Flatbow but yet there is some good advice for the longbows too. I think its going to be well thumbed through and I will have to have a note book to hand when reading it. So hopefully with its advice and some of my new tools I can craft some more arrows, and possibly eventually my own arrow shafts, to a greater degree of quality.

I wish you all a 'Happy New Year!!', and I leave you with the words of Maurice Thompson written in 1878;

"For good shooting, everything depends upon the arrow. No matter how true your aim, how staunch your bow, or how steady your hand, you cannot hit regularly without perfect arrows."

Flying On The Icy Winds

Hail and well met, welcome to those who are new here, and a welcomed return for those who have come before to this high aviary.

Already December has come and Christmas looms a couple of weeks away, though this has not stopped the flights of my ravens, but their feathers are nestled in the warmer indoor range. Since the last post there has been some interesting shootings. In fact since the last post there I've set 3 new personal records.

Already we are well into the postal leagues, of Bray 1, Frostbite and for our recurves and compounds we have the standard Portsmouth postal, and for longbows we have entered the British Longbow Society Portsmouth, which have slightly different rules.

With the first Bray of the indoor season, the 2nd personal best was set since we moved in doors, with my ravens flying straight and true securing a score of no less of 195, though with the second to last arrow, filled with the drunkeness of success, lept a bit too hard from its perch and landed above the target face resulting in the only miss, though just shy of 200 I'm no less pleased with the result.

The next shoot was the first of the postal Portsmouth league and for me it wasn't my best shooting, not even breaking the 400 mark, which after the success in the Bray was left a little dissappointing. The following Frostbite also left much to be desired. The result of the monthly medal's Bray 1 was 154, though it wasn't good enough to win the medal, though it was still a reasonable score and highier than most of last years scores, so it still shows an improvement overall.

Since december started the Bray's I have been doing have been usually over the 160 mark while the Portsmouths have come above the 400 mark, though I have not yet got close to last years PB and atm is the only one set last year that has still illuded me.

But this update doesn't end on a downer, for upon the day of the last monthly medal shoot. a FITA 18m my personal best went from 278 to 344, with only two misses. But that was not the only reason to celebrate, for with the 2nd to last end of three my ravens decided to make this a shoot to remember for all three landed within the 10 ring, marking a three gold end, probably the first on this size target. It is just a shame I had no camera to hand.

Today though was another where I should have had a camera to hand to take the shot of the hardier member of the club braving the winter chill and standing upon the ice covered field, with 9 archers braving the cold, three of which were longbow archers. But just to show how icy it was, one of our younger archers with a relativly light longbow, despite shooting below the target, the arrow would bounce a slide so much, that despite the target being at 30 yards the arrows would travel over 60 yards. But again this shoot let to a new Personal best making it jump from 205 to 214, with only one miss. Though it may not make too much of a difference it is slightly off putting with the target face dlightly off centre to save the bosses from damage. But aside from chilled hands, the day was a reasonable success, the only real downer being the longbow of Shaun Allen is being laid down for retirement, due to cracks and not bending right.

I finish this with a quote from Tina Jeon:

"Archery is a personal challenge because the sport is focused on the individual"

Until next time my friends.