Archery

Hunting – Bow hunting

All about bow hunting.

History

Hunting with bow and arrow has existed since time immemorial. Archaeological findings show that hunting animals by means of a bow with arrows was already happening 25,000 years ago. Like the discovery and use of fire and the wheel, this weapon accelerated human development. On practically all continents, hunting with bow and arrow was and is being done, with success. In the Middle Ages, this popular weapon was elevated to a formidable weapon of war and battles were decided by the archery. Think of the battle of Agincourt (1415) where a French knight’s army was defeated by a smaller English army with a large number of archers. With the advent of gunpowder, the bow disappeared from the scene until the 1900s. In the united States of America, through a chance encounter between a passionate hunter and a native American Indian, Ishi, modern bow hunting was born.

Modern Bow Hunting

Since then, bow hunting has been indispensable in the U.S. and more and more states are following suit. The first bow hunting season opened in Wisconsin in 1936. The first Western country to follow in this was Yugoslavia, followed by Denmark, etc. Meanwhile, it is already quite a list. In Europe, France is the leader and the country of choice for bow hunting. Many compatriots find France the ideal country to live their passion. France made bow hunting legally regulated in 1995 at the request of the hunters themselves who were already hunting with bow and arrow without proper legislation. As technologies continue to evolve, bow hunting legislation in France is being updated. Game management is also finding its way into bow hunting in some cases. Another positive aspect of bow hunting is that it is much smaller in terms of disturbance to the biotope. A bow hunter is almost noiseless and the effective range of a hunting arrow is under 50m; this makes bow hunting extremely suitable for hunting or combat in more densely populated areas and recreational zones.
All information regarding bow hunting in Europe, the countries where bow hunting is allowed and further explanations about legislation and application can be found on the website of the European Bowhunting Federation (EBF), separate map of Europe with the current status regarding bow hunting.

Game species

All game is suitable for bow hunting and all modes of hunting can therefore be done safely with bow and arrow. In drift hunts, bow hunters are placed in the drift, namely in Treestands in a tree, 3-7 meters above the ground and shoot game that slips through the mesh of the net during drift hunting. Bersen or lurch hunting are also ideally suited for bow hunters although this requires a great knowledge of the game and terrain since the average shooting distance is many times smaller than that of the rifle. An American study in which every bow hunter had to fill out a data card when stretching game with the bow indicated that the average shooting distance on a yearly basis was 16 yards ( about 15m ). This shows one of the essential differences between the bullet and the arrow, a bow hunter must not only be a good shot, he will also have to approach his prey much closer than the rifle hunter. And precisely in this increased difficulty lies the challenge of bow hunting for many.

Bow hunting – Deer

Material

Another big difference is the way a hunting arrow equipped with hunting point kills the animal. A hunting arrow will completely pierce the animal in most cases even though it has a kinetic energy many times lower than a hunting caliber bullet. Cutting through the heart, arteries and lungs will cause such rapid and large bleeding that the animal will lose a large amount of blood very quickly, faint and die. The successful bow hunter knows perfectly the vital zone in any game species and will always place a blade shot on lungs and heart to obtain maximum efficiency and a quick death.

Hunting Arrow – Broadhead

Many rifle hunters are positively surprised by the efficiency of a hunting arrow when they encounter an archer on the same hunt. A small test that convinces some is to drop a bullet in an open hand and then ask if they would like to do the same with a hunting arrow fitted with a hunting tip with surgically sharp blades. Most hunters stop short of having their hand pierced by the falling arrow. Even at low kinetic energy, a hunting arrow is extremely efficient. Another test is shooting a hunting caliber through 2 buckets of sand lined up one behind the other. Any hunting caliber will release its kinetic energy into the first bucket and get stuck there but a hunting arrow pierces even the second bucket.

Status in Belgium

What about bow hunting in Belgium, especially in Wallonia and Flanders? In Belgium, there is no law on this matter yet, but in Wallonia it is possible to hunt with the bow, the DNF will not fine you, but you must meet all the requirements of a hunter (insurance, permis,…). The bow is not yet registered as a hunting weapon in the Flemish hunting law. The goal of the bow hunting federation is to be a clear point of contact for both the interested hunter looking for information about bow hunting and the bow hunter himself. Together we want to prepare a concrete dossier that will enable the legislator to include bow hunting in the hunting law as a regular hunting form.

Bow Hunting Training

How do we do this ? Since the beginning of 2013, 4 Flemish bowhunting instructors have been formed through the International Bowhunting Education Program (IBEP). This is an internationally recognized organization that aims to form good and responsible bowhunters. These instructors in turn train responsible bowhunters and only those candidate bowhunters who pass both a theoretical and practical test and thus demonstrate that they are competent bowhunters receive the IBEP certificate. They provide explanations to anyone who requires explanations regarding bow hunting. At the end of June 2013, the first IBEP course was given to Flemish aspiring bow hunters. This course was quickly fully booked and due to the great interest we will give a second and maybe even a third IBEP course in 2013. This only shows the great interest in this new way of hunting.

More information about this internationally recognized IBEP training can be found on the website of website of the National Bowhunting Education Foundation (NBEF).

And gladly the members of the bow hunting federation, are also at your disposal to provide you with any information about hunting with bow and arrow.

Frank Siedentopf – Stefaan Rotthier – Luc Krols – Jan Morias

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