When I was a young lad of 12 or so, I went to scout camp and was introduced to archery. Mind you this was a rather fast introduction, which involved standing in line for half an hour, being handed a bow and some arrows, and then being told “aim for that large circular target that’s positioned about 200 yards away.” I doubt I got the silly things more than 25 feet in three shots, and that was it. I was shoved aside so the next person in line could have a turn, and I never saw another bow for 20-some years.
Then I started playing video games.
Morrowind, Oblivion, World of Warcraft, Titan Quest, all of them have characters that can use a bow of some form. I love playing magic users, but lately it seems like I really enjoy playing characters with bows and arrows. About a month or so ago I thought, hey, why not try it out for real? Like, go outside (shudder) and aim for targets with a real bow? So I started doing some reading (bows have gotten a lot more complicated since I held one in my tiny little hands) to see how tough it would be. Only real obstacle, it seemed, was price. I don’t have $200-700 to drop on a bow, and that’s without arrows and accessories. Still, I decided to keep researching it, and stopped into a sport and game store to actually pick one up. I got brave enough to ask some questions, and was shown a few used compound bows (under $100) but as I did a few test pulls on the string, I realized that I might have the same problem with a bow as I did with a rifle – I can’t see out of my right eye. Since I am right handed, it’s expected that I would use a right-handed bow, however that means using my right eye for the sight – I can’t do that. After posting a few questions to an Archery web forum, the general concensus was to learn to shoot a left-handed bow. I was a beginner, after all, so it’s not like I had to retrain my brain to switch hands. I just had to train it from the start to shoot with my left hand. It’s not like I was operating heavy machinery with my left hand, all I would be doing is pulling back a string. How hard could it be?
I started looking at Craigslist and found a couple of lefty-bows for sale at decent prices. $150 for a bow with some arrows and a sight, but the more I thought about it, I decided I would get just a bow and add my own stuff to it. Yesterday I found what appeared to be it – a lefty bow, just the bow, for $100. Exchanged e-mail, talked to the guy on the phone, and a few hours later I was the proud owner of a used PSE Nova Game Sport compound bow. He even tossed in a free quiver (one that attaches to the bow to hold six arrows, not the kind that straps to your back like Robin Hood) and a sight, I just had to get them attached to the bow. He recommended a sporting goods shop nearby as well.
This morning, I went to work, but as is the usual on Thursday afternoons, we were dead. Usually one of us takes off for a few hours, so today I headed up to Hillsboro to find Morse’s Sporting Goods. Talked to Randy, who was happy to set me up with a Whisker Biscuit (holds the arrow in place while I am getting ready to fire it) and attached the sight. I also have a trigger for it, which is strapped to my wrist and holds the arrow string until I am ready to shoot. He then took me to their test range and showed me the proper way to shoot. He made some adjustments to the sight and corrected the way I was holding the bow. It took a few shots, but I figured out the best way to hold it. With practice, I think I can do this. 😀