Centuries ago, a homemade bow for hunting was the only weapon of an Old Russian warrior. In addition to military campaigns, onions were used for food. Hunting with throwing weapons is embedded in the genes of any Slav, so do not be surprised at the spontaneous desire to acquire a bow, master the shooting and go hunting. If the purchase of firearms is stopped by the problem of obtaining permits from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a license from hunting grounds, then things are a little simpler with throwing weapons. Having studied the legal norms, you can begin to search for the required weapons.
Legal regulations
There are many disputes on the Internet between owners and potential buyers regarding the legality of the acquisition, carrying and use of throwing weapons, which include bow and crossbow. Each state of the post-Soviet space has its own legal framework. For Russia, for example, there is the Federal Law "On Weapons" 150-F3. If you put together articles 3, 6 and 13, we can conclude that throwing weapons in Russia are allowed only to participants in sports sections and for scientific, research and preventive work related to the immobilization and injection of objects of the animal world. Bow hunting is free to hide behind this law. There is also GOST R 51715-2001, which permits the presence of throwing weapons, the tensile force of which is not more than 12 kg.
What is really going on
Given the fact that sellers of all weapons stores provide a certificate that gives the right to use throwing weapons without permits for sports and recreational shooting, we can conclude that the bow purchased in the store will not bring the new owner problems with the law. So that the licensing authorities do not have a lot of questions when importing projectile weapons into the country, manufacturers go on tricks, reducing the power of the shot, in the kit for the bow there is an enhanced set with complete installation instructions. Sometimes weapons, especially professional block bow for hunting, are sold in parts at all. In any case, it is important for a novice hunter to remember that any person who is caught with a gun and a carcass at the crime scene receives an administrative violation under the article “poaching”. "If" will be caught!
An interesting loophole for novice hunters
Recently, the Russian Bow Hunting Club appeared in Russia. A rather interesting organization in a country where bow hunting is prohibited, immediately attracted the attention of both hunters and animal lovers who “put sticks in the wheels” to club members who want to legalize bow hunting in the vastness of Russia. This club is attractive in that it holds seminars on training in shooting with throwing weapons, and as a result of the exam it can hand in a license that allows you to engage in bow hunting in countries that do not have a ban. And there are about thirty such countries in the world - there is where to roam! For example, in nearby Belarus, bow hunting is permitted. Also for trophies you can easily go to Bulgaria or Africa, the club is ready to help with the organization of the trip. A license from this club allows hunting in Russia in special enclosures registered in the unified state register. Over the past year, about a hundred such enclosures have been registered in Russia, their area is 100-1000 hectares and includes forest land. There is something to think about.
The right approach to buying onions
You can understand people who recommend purchasing the cheapest classic option as the first onion. With minimal costs, it will not be so hard to say goodbye to the finances spent on the acquisition of weapons in case of loss of interest in it. Yes, professional athletes think differently. Having picked up a toy and not getting the desired result, the desire to shoot from a bow can disappear forever, and a real bow that can break a centimeter board from fifty meters will become the idol of any beginner shooter.
There is only one conclusion: if bow hunting is supposed, then the choice should not fall on a cheap purchase. Cost savings can be achieved by choosing entry-level weapons. The bow tension must be at least ten kilograms, otherwise you can forget about hunting. Ideally, for a novice hunter of feathered and furry animals, the purchase of "thirty" is recommended - 30 pounds, this is a tension of about 13.5 kg.
What are they different
A huge selection of throwing weapons on the market will lead to a stupor not only a novice hunter, but also a seasoned shooter. Narrowing a wide range of products will help determine the need: inexpensive price, the purpose of use is “hunting” and ease of shooting. As a result, the selection of onions will be made of four categories.
- Olympic. It is also called classic due to its appearance, the style of which has been maintained for more than one century.
- Recursive. In terms of quality and efficiency, it will not yield to the classics, but its weight and size are reduced for easy transportation.
- Traditional. Each state makes such an onion according to its own technology, and often its appearance causes distrust. However, high efficiency quickly puts everything in its place, and bow hunting promises to be effective.
- Blocky. The innovative developments of the engineers made it possible to make a bow, consisting of blocks and allowing with a little effort to get excellent shot power.
Mastering a simple device
When wondering which bow is better for a beginner to hunt, many people look in the direction of block devices, the price of which is much higher than competitors. All beginners, without exception, are advised to purchase the Olympic bow as the first throwing weapon. And do not think that after the shooter learns to use weapons, interest in the bow will quickly disappear. The classics have great potential for improvement. The installation of a stabilization system and sight will be of interest to any hunter.
It will take more than one month, and possibly a year, until the novice hunter has mastered the basics of archery. For full-fledged training, professionals recommend shooting about a hundred arrows per day, so that the hand is used to weapons, the bowstring tension is not painful, and the arrows are flying in the right direction.
From simple to complex
Shooting from a classic bow from a distance of 20-30 meters into a matchbox and “beat a squirrel in the eye” are completely different concepts, for example, because a matchbox has no legs. Most hunters got the ease of firing at a moving target with long and hard training. Recall at least the old Russian poem, where gray-haired archers are mentioned, to whom there are no equal in the world.
Before buying, a novice hunter needs to be prepared for the long-term training that archery requires. Hunting will be effective only for a person who is fluent in throwing weapons. There is an opportunity to speed up training, but you will have to fork out for this, because buying a block onion requires serious financial costs.
The best throwing weapon
Yes, a blocky bow for hunting is considered to be an expensive but very effective purchase. Learning to shoot from such a device is not difficult. All thanks to specialized bowstring tension mechanisms. Naturally, block bows are of several types, which have their own advantages and disadvantages.
- Solo block. It is a single unit in a rigid version. The lightweight design is quite simple, and any beginner can handle it.
- Hard block. The dual system with rigid blocks has incredible power and high accuracy when shooting. However, a complex system requires respect and ongoing maintenance. For the professional, this is the best blocky bow for hunting.
- Round blocks. It is impossible to shoot quickly with such a bow, but they have no equal in accuracy and noiseless shooting.
- Soft blocks. Along with high power, they provide good accuracy. You cannot call them silent, but the simplicity of the design may interest beginners.
Do you want to do well, do it yourself
Neanderthals, having at hand only "gifts of nature", somehow created weapons for hunting. A person of the 21st century has significantly more opportunities. What do you need in order to make a bow for hunting with your own hands? For its manufacture, wood should have a number of useful properties: be uniform, durable, flexible and look attractive. To create onions, you can use juniper, birch, oak, cedar, willow, mountain ash and elm. Be sure to remove the bark from the workpiece. The size of the bow is quite simple to determine, you need to measure the distance from the beginning of the thigh to the tip of the index finger of the outstretched hand of the shooter - this will be the length of the throwing weapon. Having retreated 1.3 cm from each edge of the shaft, shallow grooves for the bowstring are cut out. After that, the onion needs to be grated with animal fat and dried. A bowstring is recommended to be made from rawhide or silk threads. Fans of experiments should try to pull a thin rope or twist a “pigtail” of Chinese nylon threads for fishing.
Creation of a shooting complex
A homemade bow for hunting is ready, and you need to decide what to do with arrows. First of all, the arrow length is determined. It is equal to the length of the arm starting from the shoulder joint and ending with the tip of the index finger of the shooter. The boom should be smooth, even, straight and have a diameter in the range of 6-8 mm. There are a lot of options for creating arrows, and you won’t be able to find a perfectly flat workpiece. In any case, you have to modify the arrow with a knife, a plane and sandpaper. A blank of the right size can be found in the forest by carving from a tree branch. In urban conditions, the processing of mounting glazing beads, albeit with great time costs, has proven itself well. Many beginner shooters use bicycle knitting needles as their first arrows. The user has to invent the plumage and tips independently, because their creation is a creative approach that depends not only on the imagination of the author, but also on the knowledge of physics and aerodynamics. It must always be remembered that the flight of an arrow depends not only on the efforts of the hunter, the plumage strongly affects the flight.
Alternative option
There is another way to make a bow for hunting. You can order the manufacture of onions to the real master in the production of throwing weapons. Until now, in many countries of Asia, Southeast Africa, South America and the Far East of Russia people are actively using bows and crossbows for hunting. Naturally, they do not buy weapons in the store, but they make them personally using ancient family technologies, which are transmitted from one generation to another. Real traditional bows are in no way inferior to more expensive and advanced block designs. And their reliability and ease of use for a long time will provide the hunter with fresh meat in the house. As an alternative, you can search for the desired weapon at foreign auctions on the Internet. Sometimes worthy things come across.
Finally
Each beginner shooter determines for himself the best bow for hunting. This is not to say that the classic bow is better because of its cheapness, and the block device is undeniably superior to competitors with incredible power and accuracy. For each person, possession of a weapon is a story of his own, which sometimes haunts him from childhood. Often, many beginner shooters learn hunting with their own made bow, and some, exploring other people's history and traditions, are eager to immerse themselves in the atmosphere and culture of a thousand years ago and order the manufacture of weapons for craftsmen in Yakutia or the people of Nivkhi. Each hunter independently determines his fate.