Archery is both the skill and the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows and hit a target. These days, it is a renowned sport of precision and accuracy but this skill dates back to early history as a tool for hunting and a weapon in conflict. Archery was seen in the histories of the different cultures all over the continents, all except Australia.



The initial evidence of archery is the "tya," which is a bow that was probably used for hunting and was later turned into a weapon for combat. These bows ultimately took over the use of the "spear-thrower" as the main tool for launching projectiles. The spear thrower launches projectiles by using leverage to gain a greater velocity. It is made of a shaft with a hook where the end of the spear rests and is thrown by the movement of the upper arm and wrist.

The use of Archery in hunting is more commonly called Bow Hunting. In our modern society, hunting is no longer our main source of food and livelihood. This is because we can buy food and almost anything in shops and grocery stores. In this day and age, hunting is considered as a sport, calling the kill 'game.' And, as in all sports, hunting is regulated by a lot of rules and regulations. Some people also target fish and use modified bows. This is called bow fishing.

In North America, for example, regulations for bow hunting concern the hunting unit, which means the location of the hunt; the season, pertaining to the particular time; and what type (male or female) of animal species can be hunted down. Most of the time, Bow hunters are given a special season to hunt so that conflict with rifle hunters are kept at a minimum. Also, there are technical regulations in the hunt such as the minimum draw weight that is applied to the hunting of big game species. This is to maximize shot lethality and game recovery.

Bow hunters are different from rifle hunters because rifles can shoot from a range of more than 200 meters away. A good archer is careful and will restrict his shots to less than 60 meters, taking into consideration several factors such as the archer's ability, the draw weight regulated and the target animal among others. Good bow hunters also choose to restrict their shooting range and prefer to shoot from a shorter distance. This is to make sure that the target is killed swiftly, humanely and with as little arrows as possible. Shooting from a closer distance allows the hunter a far more personal hunting experience because they get to test the target's senses of sight, hearing and smell as well as their own. This limit in range is a huge challenge for the hunter and is one of the main reasons why archery hunting is a very striking sport.

As with weapons of war, there are a lot of types of bows that an archer can choose from. Traditional bows like the self bows, the longbows and recurve bows are able to accurately launch their arrows from a distance more than 20 yards but they shoot best when shot from a range of less than 20 meters. Nowadays, compound bows are usually preferred by bow hunters but seeing hunters with recurve bows are also common and legal in North America.

The favorite though is still the longbow because most hunters prefer to make the whole hunting experience as traditional as possible. However, more skill is needed to manipulate a longbow and achieve a clean hit than with other types of bows. Crossbows are generally used by the disabled hunters but its use by able hunters has been allowed in several states in 2005.

True to any weapon, proper training, skill and practice of the archer are needed to be able to bring out the best in a bow and hit a bull's eye. Even more will be required to take down an animal target cleanly, humanely and with one shot if possible. An excellent archer can kill with one well-placed shot as efficiently as a hunter with a rifle.