Archery Series: My New Hobby

It was the middle of 2020 and there was a lot going on all around us. I had recently taken myself off social media due to all of the negativity, which gave me more time to think. I was sitting at my kitchen table and thought, it would be so cool to learn to shoot a bow. I was thinking, not only would it be fun to learn, but I could also provide fresh wild game for my family and protect those around me, if necessary. I grew up around hunting, and deer was the main staple at dinner time growing up, however, it wasn't anything I'd ever done.

I knew I wanted a bow, but honestly I had no idea what type of bow would be best for me. I talked to my cousin, who is an expert hunter, and he told me there were several bow types. After reviewing my options, I decided to go with the compound bow because it was something I could start at an easy draw weight to practice with and work my way up in strength.

If you are debating which type of bow to get check out this post.

There is an archery store in Claremont, NC called God's Country Archery. People come from all over to this store. The owner, Ashley is super nice, helpful, and knowledgeable. I would definitely recommend them. I hadn't ever picked up a bow in my life and I walked into the store and asked to shoot one. Ashley set me up to practice and I instantly fell in love with the bow and had to have one. I ordered my black bow with pink strings and waited for it to arrive.

In the meantime, I wanted to try and build up my strength as best I could to prepare for the bow. I mostly used the moves from this site. I was on conference calls pulling back resistance bands for weeks. I do feel like the moves may have helped a little, however, I will say archery uses all kinds of muscles I wasn't used to using on a regular basis.

To get started I used the gear below.

• Elite Ember Compound Bow

• Freedom Strings: I did pink and black.

• String Wax

• Wrist Buckle Index Finger Release

• Carbon Arrows

• Arm Guard: I didn't think I would need this, but the string has snapped my arm several times now and trust me, it hurts!

• Archery Bag

There are many other things you can get: deer target, extra fletchings, fletching glue, hip quiver, etc. But its all up to you!

I've become pretty passionate about archery. My goal is to set out this fall on my first hunting journey. I would love to share my experience with you to hopefully help some other beginners, like me, but also learn from you.

Feel free to leave a comment or question about your experience and stay tuned for more!