Report on Trip to "The Traditional Sportsman"

Learning to Appreciate the Unknown

            I am not a person who knows a lot about hunting or being outdoors. Due to my lack of exposure to and general interest in hunting up to this point in my life, I have not learned a lot about the sport in general. However, I recently visited a hunting supply shop in downtown Lewiston and was able to look around and also to interview the owner. As I was looking around I noticed an automatic bow and although I had seen one before I had never really closely examined one. After talking to the owner of the store about his personal preference for hunting (which was bow hunting) I decided to research some of the history in hunting with a bow and arrow.

            First of all, arrows have been used as hunting tools and weapons for tens of thousands of years and bows for at least five to ten thousand years (Brissee). The original appeal of the bow and arrow system was that one, it was made from wood that was generally easy to access and two, it was effect from a longer range so the hunter didn’t have to get as close to his prey. Throughout most of the world’s early history, the bow and arrow were the main weapons used. It was not until the early 1500’s when the musket was invented that some of the shift happened (Brissee). However, people continued to use bows and arrows.

            As I mentioned earlier, bows and arrows were originally made of wood.  Many cites that I have looked at said that cedar arrows are some of the best quality arrows to use. As I was interviewing the owner of “The Traditional Sportsman”, he also told me that he prefers cedar arrows as opposed to fiberglass or metal ones. He stated that although metal and fiberglass arrows are often more uniform and precise, he prefers the way that cedar arrows break once they enter into the animal (Lamb).

            Likewise, I learned a lot about the different materials that are used for making bows. Although they too were traditionally made from wood, they are not also made of fiberglass, laminated carbon and aluminum (“Types”). There are also about seven different types of bows that are used today, which vary on operation type (manual/automatic), material, and curve and use of bow. I was unaware of the numerous types of bows that were out there. So why is this important to ethics and ecology?

            Well, as I was speaking to the owner of “The Traditional Sportsman”, he gave me a lot of insight into the types of hunting that people do. What he told me was that at least in his opinion, bow hunting was more ethical than hunting with a gun. This went against what I would’ve assumed so I asked him to expand on that for me. He explained to me that first of all, there is an ethical responsibility to the animal that the hunter have good aim, which diminishes the suffering of the animal. Assuming that this is the case, the owner told me that if the shot of the arrow is good, the animal will bleed out faster that with a gun shot and that it administers less shock to the animal’s system. He also relayed the knowledge that bow hunting can leave behind less debris (shotgun shells, gun powder, etc.) than gun shooting and that in general because you must get within such a close range, bow hunters tend to follow their prey and not leave part of the body shot off and leave the animal. All of these things made good sense to me (Lamb).

            Another point is that often, specifically wooden arrows are made by hand and a lot of time and craftsmanship goes into making them well. So if you are using handmade arrows or bows for that matter, you are probably supporting small and hopefully local businesses, which is good for your town and your fellow citizens. It also means that you did not have to ship them, which reduces the amount of oil in the form of gasoline used to get them there and also reduces greenhouse gas emissions (every time you choose not to use a car).

            I feel that it is important to be knowledgeable about the materials that you are using when going hunting in order to be sure that you try to do things that disrupt the animal’s environment and ecosystem as little as possible. Also, the hunter has an ethical responsibility to the animal to kill it as quickly and efficiently as possible so as to avoid an extended period of suffering. I never knew that so much went into the materials and ethics of hunting, but I now know that if I ever become a hunter I will do my best to do it ethically – both in my preparation and weapon choice and use.

Works Cited

Brissee, Tom. "History of Archery." Strictly Bow Hunting N.p., 2000. Web. 4 Oct. 2009 .

Lamb, Mark. Personal interview. 2 Oct. 2009.

"Types of Bows and Arrows." Think Quest N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2009 .