After I joined my college archery club in the fall of 2009, I began to explore the world of archery. I began rifling through videos on youtube, found some amazing archery forums, and got to know and learn from a professional bowyer. Throughout my explorations one form of archery kept me most interested, the English warbow.
The English warbow drew me in like it does most folks, with its draw weight. Ranging from 70-180 lbs, I was astonished to see men pulling these bows with such ease. The minimalist design of the warbow struck me as beautiful. So simple yet so very complex.
My first try at loosing a warbow came after a typical friday practice with my club. We had been shooting for around two hours when the owner of the property, who is also the bowyer mentioned above, came out to shoot with us. Him and I began talking and the conversation moved onto English warbows. He mentioned excitedly that he had one ready to go for a customer and that he would allow me to try it out. In my excited stupor I happily agreed and waited while he fetched the bow. When he returned, he held in his hands a hickory backed yew, English warbow with a #90 draw! My adrenaline was racing and as I held the bow for the first time the bond was sealed and I knew this was the type of archery I was made for. Using what knowledge I had gained from watching countless youtube videos, I took my first shot. The power of the bow felt immense! Compared to my #55 pyramid longbow, the #90 lb'er felt like a cannon! As mentioned above, my adrenaline was racing and I drew the bow without a hitch. When I loosed the arrow, it bolted away like a laser, and buried itself to the fletchings in the target.
I was hooked, and now there is no turning back! I have since immersed myself into the warbow culture and community.
here is a link to the bowyer mentioned above, Rudderbows Archery:
http://www.rbows.com/index.html
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