Best archery books according to redditors
We found 58 Reddit comments discussing the best archery books. We ranked the 26 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 58 Reddit comments discussing the best archery books. We ranked the 26 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
What Lars says is to some extent based on what he supposedly read in Arab Archery (I wrote "supposedly" since I have not read it myself so I can only assume). As to why he says things the way he does? Well, it's a YouTube video. It needs to "sell" itself. He did it to stir things up and get traction. Or atleast that's what I choose to believe since the alternative would be "Lars is silly and actually believes the nonsense he's saying". However don't be the other side of the coin and go "hurr durr, history bows were 180 lbs war bows" etc. There were many kinds of bows. It's a topic as wide as the sea.
It's an old discussion and I'd say it's not worth your time. It was commented to death many times allready.
Also go pick up The Traditional Bowyer's Bible: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SFSV5PS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
There's 4 in the series, but the first really covers everything you need to know as a starting bowyer.
Well,,, you never said what style you are doing soo,, here is all the resources I could think of. I hope you are not afraid of reading...
/thread???
Edit: MOAR MOAR LINKS!!!
Dennis Pagan - art of paragliding
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Paragliding-Dennis-Pagen/dp/0936310146
for basic weather things you can also check out
dennis pagan- understanding the sky
https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Sky-Dennis-Pagen/dp/0936310103/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=understanding+the+sky&qid=1569001262&s=books&sr=1-1
This isn't going to help you much immediately, but there's no one right answer for longbows. What works for me and what works for you might be completely different, and that's the beauty of the longbow form (it's really more about discovering what works for you and understanding why it works)
I too shoot longbow and it works out best for me when I cant the bow. Mechanically, how much you cant the bow doesn't really affect arrow flight that much (because archer's paradox and the right spine of arrow will correct for pretty much any cant you have on a longbow), but the reason why this works best for me is because the more I cant the bow, the greater my field of view (and target picture) is going to be, which allows me to focus more on the target. Focus is everything with traditional shooting styles.
Some people shoot better with the longbow held almost vertically, some people do best when they hold the bow flat. Part of the reason why I think longbow is the hardest style of archery to learn is because unlike olympic/target/compound shooting, there's no one right form to learn because so much of your longbow form is dependent on your body's make, shape, strength, etc.
That being said, if you're shooting longbow, it really helps to set your anchor so that the arrow is straight in line with the middle of your dominant eye-- this allows you to use your secondary/blurred vision to line up the arrow with your target (all of your focus needs to be on the target). This means you might have to lean forward and hunch over the bow a little
Some helpful books:
http://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Hard-Way-Howard-Hill/dp/1568331460/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410501267&sr=8-1&keywords=hunting+the+hard+way
http://www.amazon.com/Become-Arrow-On-Target-Series/dp/091330509X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410501281&sr=8-1&keywords=become+the+arrow
And some videos:
(part 2 of 4-- skipping part 1 because it's mostly a rant about traditional shooting)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98fuYYD5LOM
(part 3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJKOZ6KfRRs
(part 4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jJh15ErDII
(also I tend to cant the longbow at slightly more than 45 degrees, unless I'm shooting while crouched (bow's held mostly parallel to the ground) or over an obstacle (bow's held almost straight up))
I don't see why you couldn't practice stalking an animal. See Hunting the Hard Way.
Re moving targets I personally would not take a shot at a moving animal but I can't speak for others.
I second /u/otis888's suggestion of looking up the work of Nicholas Tomihama. He has several books out on Amazon, The Impossible Bow among others. He also has a YouTube channel showing people how to use heat from a heat gun, stove top or even a box filled with electric light bulbs to heat form the PVC into very slick tapered bow shapes. These PVC bows made by tapering the PVC outperform non-tapered PVC by quite a bit, and his bows have been known to shoot arrows (at around 10 grains per pound) at more than 160 fps. Some arrows have been clocked at up to 196 feet per second, when shot from a 65 pound bow made form $1 worth of 3/4 inch PVC.
I've made a bunch of these bows, some for myself and some for my kids and their friends. The youth bows cost me under $2.50 each, including the PVC, strings, paint, etc, and shoot as well as any commercial bows you can buy for less than $100. It takes me less than an hour to go from unfinished PVC tube to a nice, working hungarian style horse bow, or a traditional recurve. Another hour to paint it and put on a comfortable hand grip, and it's ready to take out and shoot.
So far, I've used my main shooter (a 40 pound recurve) shoot over 1000 arrows with no signs of degradation at all. I can still hit a 4" target from 20 yards away with it, and the arrows sink the same distance into the target today as they did the first time I used it.
Some of my friends, upon making bows for themselves or their kids, tell me that the PVC youth bows shoot faster than the bows that they have bought for their kids in the local sporting goods store. I know the weights are about the same - 15 to 22 pounds, depending on how long the bow limbs are and how much you recurve the bow during the build process.
This is what got me started. It's a full text book that will get you from unboxing your first bow and not knowing what the hell to do with it to putting 3 inch groups on target at the range.
https://www.amazon.com/Shooting-Stickbow-Practical-Approach-Classical/dp/1602642443
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HV2J7Y/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
This one is bar none my favorite. All these guys do is hunt public land in Michigan too, so it is very relatable for me.
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Hunting-Butchering-Cooking-ebook/dp/B00Q1IFKOG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499783919&sr=8-1&keywords=the+complete+guide+to+hunting+butchering+and+cooking+wild+game
This one is really good too, more aimed towards beginners though.
These helped me:
I read this thru when I started, and then touched on some of it later once I had some ideas about what I was doing, it was really quite helpful. It does a good job of explaining (as best as words can) what your body should feel like during the shot process. The main olympic recurve chapters are written by KSL himself, so its not some random, dude knows his stuff.
https://smile.amazon.com/Archery-USA-ebook/dp/B00AMLD8YW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1495117552&sr=8-4&keywords=Archery
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow - Saxton Pope
The book covers making primitive bows like many other books. I enjoyed the opening chapters about the authors time spent learning archery with Ishi.
http://www.amazon.com/Hunting-With-Arrow-SAXTON-POPE/dp/B004ZVJHC2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishi
Edit- Learning Ishi's style of archery.
Oooh oooh ooh, [Byron Ferguson's Become the Arrow] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Become-Arrow-On-Target-Series/dp/091330509X/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0TCA8CRDMQBYP95760YE) is great!
Aswell as the Beginner's Guide to Traditional Archery :)
I anchor my knuckles on my cheek right up against my ear. It brings about more repeatability due to parts of the body lining up.
Arab archery manuals describe an Occluded Eye aiming technique for aiming. You use parts of your bow's belly and or hands as aiming points, keep both eyes on the target, and line up the aiming points on your bow/hand to put the arrow where you want it to go. As with all things, this requires good form and a clean release.
Vertical stringing can be caused by several things. Shoulder collapse, inconsistent anchor point, shifting the arrow by pressing too hard against the arrow with your ring finger, not placing your hand on the bow in the same way, etc. Horizontal stringing can be caused by many things. Bad release, poor khatra, arrows with too weak of a spine, etc.
Kim Hyung-Tak's Archery and Ki-Sik Lee's Total Archery are the go-to textbooks and should be your first stop if you have any questions/problems
USA Archery's book is also supposed to be pretty good but I haven't read it
Also, am I the only person who noticed OP asked for recurve archery? Why are people going on about compounds and zen and trad bows?
Not sure what you mean by "traditional" (as many people have differing ideas of what this does and does not entail).
However when considering traditional bows, I found Chapter 1 of Volume 1 of "The Traditional Bowyer's Bible" to be very instructive in explaining things like: basic physics of bows (i.e. the physical effects of: brace height, limb width and depth, stacking, string angle, reflex/deflex, etc...); as well as the basic advantages and disadvantages of various bow styles (flat vs self/stick vs recurve etc...)
Might be a reasonable starting point
https://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Bowyers-Bible-Jim-Hamm/dp/1721670076/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TKDYW75NCRTQ&keywords=bowyers+bible&qid=1574747307&sprefix=bowyers%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-1
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Again the first chapter of the first volume is a nice overview. I ended up buying all 4 volumes and have been slowing working through them as each section goes into more detail than the overview
I'm not as experienced as a lot of the people here at archery, but I'm pretty good. IMO, the best way to get started is to just get started. I started with this bow, this target, some Easton arrows and this book, all for a little over $150 new. I shot almost every day for about 20-30 minutes and within a month I was pretty good at 20 yards. If you're just starting, get something simple... if you still like it in 6 months, upgrade.
Everyone here is right. And nope, there's no correct distance to start with. Bryan Ferguson says "If I can see it, I can hit it." He tries to see the smallest part of whatever he's trying to hit. Another way of saying that is that if you try to hit the deer you're going to miss. If you try to hit that dime sized discoloration you can see in the hide, you're going to hit it. Instinctual shooting requires a zen-like focus and years of practice. You either get addicted to that regimen or you don't. I did.
Good luck man, and just keep shooting! Pick up some used books on amazon too. You'll pick up something a little different from each one. Become The Arrow is a great place to start.
Man has been hunting without 'baiting' deer for a millennia.
Tried and true tactics for those who don't throw out a pile of bait for young stupid deer to feast on:
In my experience you will never see mature deer at a bait pile during regular hunting hours. Especially in pressured states like MI. The mature deer will scent you and will simply visit your bait pile during the midnight hours.
Also, if you are really wanting to challenge yourself I suggest reading a few of John and Chris Eberhardt's books. They are a father and son team of hunters from Michigan who only hunt public land and permission-given private land. They rarely bait, and instead rely on heavy scouting and a scent control regime to pattern and profile their deer. They also offer plenty of practical advice for hunting on a budget and in situations where you can't or wont use bait, or are hunting property adjacent to a hunter who does bait. I highly recommend reading them if you live in a heavy hunting pressure state like Michigan.
Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails
Bowhunting Whitetails the Eberhart Way
Precision Bowhunting - A year Round Approach to Taking Mature Whitetails
While these books focus heavily on bowhunting the tactics and advice can be applied to any season.
Awesome! The first step I'd recommend would be getting a book called Understanding the sky. https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Sky-Dennis-Pagen/dp/0936310103
From there read as much as you can online as well. There's tons of great info in blogs and on the youtube machine. Watching fluid dynamics videos alone will help visualize where turbulence could be on your route: https://paraglidinginfo.com/category/meteorology/
Beyond that, a lot f knowledge is gained through hanging out with experts. The experts in this case are generally the glider folks. They are somewhat forced into as they have to read the weather to get where they are going. You won't level up as a glider without good weather knowledge. If there's a glider site near you, try to make friends with those guys. Have a unique condition pointed out to you by an expert is tough to beat. Making those connections can be hard in the motor world. In the end the goal is to use the usual weather services to inform your own forecast for that area. Start small, then expand it out when making your XC trips.
Start with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for your state. That should answer most of your technical and legal questions. As a general rule of thumb, whitetails are only hunted in the fall/early winter (Oct-Dec), thought that varies from state to state. Turkeys generally have 2 seasons - Spring and Fall. Again, check with your state DNR.
If the state wildlife biologist is worth anything (ours isn't) he/she should be able to give you some insight into what the game you are hunting is eating and where they have been sighted in the highest numbers.
If you've never hunted before, you might want to consider starting small (i.e., squirrels). That will help you to hone your stalking and still hunting abilities. Plus they usually have a long season.
You also might want to consider going on a guided hunt for your first outing. First, you'll be able to learn from an experienced hunter; two, you should have a better chance of success; and three, it will help to get the first-timer jitters out of your system.
If you're teaching yourself, be prepared for a lot of frustration as you figure things out. A book can only teach you so much. There are some things you just have to learn through trial and error.
As to the archery aspect, I would suggest reading "The Bowhunter's Guide to Accurate Shooting" by Lon E. Lauber. It's a slightly dated book, but an excellent tutorial on all aspects of bowhunting. Also, I would suggest getting involved in a local archery club or, if you have the time/energy, start one.
Its pretty uncommon to shoot ten arrows in a single end, the max you generally see in competitions is 6 so i'd recommend 6 so you get more frequent breaks. Recovery between ends is crucial because it allows you to mentally recuperate as well as let your muscles rest and gives you time to reflect on your shot process. Id wager that if you did that you'd shoot a higher volume of arrows before you started to fatigue. Your comment about getting physically stronger is a missing a point that archery isn't just about shooting as many arrows as you can, its about shooting with good efficiency every time which is harder than it looks. Shooting 50 arrows with good mental concentration and focus on form and movements takes more strength than shooting 100 arrows in 10 arrow batches.
Consider giving yourself a few seconds after a shot to reflect on how the shot went also, like how it felt, did you feel strong throughout the shot? shaking while aiming? feel off balance during a windy shoot? i picked up a mini e book that really helped me, even though i shoot sighted recurve and compound, it basically sets up a framework that most archers can work around, it talks about reflection in it as well and would probably help out.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Developing-Your-Archery-Sequence-Book-ebook/dp/B00FL5MU7U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510940560&sr=8-1&keywords=archery+shot+sequence
Buy a copy of Core Archery. Fantastic book for compound shooting. http://www.amazon.com/Core-Archery-Shooting-Proper-Tension/dp/0913305189
Contact them and ask what they supply.
My wife did this for me. The place she picked supplied the equipment and coached us along through the basics. They offered two courses that meet each Saturday for six weeks. At the end of the second course we decided we liked it so much that we went to a 'local' pro-shop and got set up with decent equipment that should last us for quite some time. I put local in quotes because the closest pro-shop to us is a 90 minute drive.
Now we've joined a local club, shoot regularly and are thinking of going to some tournaments.
For books, here's the two I bought:
Archery - Steps to Success
Archery - USA Archery
Interesting if this true it means this Danish guy did his homework.
He reviewed Muslim Archery
Native American Archery
VERY INTERESTING, but I hate that computer A.I. sound and the lack of should I say articles about him
Toxophilus is a historical book on archery, and the first of its kind I believe. Might be a bit advanced for a school library, but I wouldn't mind getting hold of it myself!
To add to that list:
For something philosophical/religious:
If they're fascinated by the construction of traditional bows and arrows:
Core Archery by Larry wise is probably the highest rated. It's only 8 bucks and has everything to do with proper archery form. It also has good pictures to go with the explanations. Can't recommend this enough if you like reading and want a better understanding of proper form.
Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:
amazon.co.uk
amazon.ca
amazon.com.mx
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You could start by buying Jake Kaminski's book on how to get sponsored.
Then write your own book. Look you have a career! :-)