I've been fascinated by the flight of the arrow since childhood. On more than one occasion as a youngster I found myself in hot water after hacking off a piece of family landscaping for yet another of my hand-hewn "selfbows." While other kids yawned during archery sessions down at the YMCA, I had to be dragged away when the boring swimming pool or arts and crafts followed on the roster. When 10, I mowed maybe 37 lawns to buy a Fred Bear fiberglass recurve with 30-pound draw, a boxed kit including cedar arrows, arm guard, glove and hip quiver. I shot that bow until my fingers blistered. Shortly afterwards neighborhood rabbits remained in a constant state of terror; nearby creek carp gaining newfound wariness. I acquired a 45-pound laminated recurve two summers later and killed my first deer with it by that fall. Since then I've bowhunted with any kind of archery gear conceivable, from the most primitive to tricked-out, high-tech compounds, in locations as wide flung as Alaska and Africa. The flight of the arrow still haunts me.

There's nothing so beautiful to my eye as that moment of arching suspension, a clean arrow spinning toward the intended target. I still can't shake the notion, no matter how modern my equipment becomes, that there's magic involved, directing that arrow into a wee little spot way out yonder. The marvels of modern technology make this no less wondrous, watching slow-motion footage of a released arrow, seeing all those wildly oscillating bow parts, arrows coming off the string like wet noodles. It's always fascinated me that we hit anything at all. Maurice Thompson, one of the very first to write about archery, called it the Witchery Of Archery. There's magic in the flight of the arrow, but you can be the wizard who controls its outcome.

Form And Function
Repeatability, consistency, is what archery perfection is all about. This starts with choosing gear that fits your particular stature, makes it comfortable and natural to shoot well. Tuning follows, matching arrows to draw weight and length, aligning every component so that it works together smoothly to launch arrows true. Shooting form factors heavily, assuring that your arrow is set into motion in the same manner each and every shot. I'll not bore you with a droll repetition of shooting form and tuning details that have been covered at great length already. There's plenty of information out there, plus qualified archery pro-shop professionals are eager to help. Still, I feel inclined to share a few tidbits.

Trained pro-shop employees assure that you purchase a bow with correct draw length most importantly, but also one with reasonable draw weight. This applies no matter your equipment preferences. If you can't comfortably point your bow directly at the target and pull it straight back smoothly, you're shooting too much draw weight. Back it off and you'll shoot better. You should be able to remain at full draw for no less than 10 seconds without becoming shaky, no matter your bow type. If not, back it off.