I find my quiver, a tube of cardboard covered with black imitation leather, and seven metal-shaft arrows with nylon feathers. I clip the quiver to the belt loop of my jeans, and then put the arrows, feathers facing up, into the quiver. I pull the Velcro apart that is holding my shooting glove onto the clip of my quiver. In old days, archers would get bloody fingers from shooting a bow, or else they would grow calluses over their shooting fingers to prevent it. In this 'modern age' we now have camouflage synthetic-fabric gloves to cover these fingers, complete with Velcro for easy-on easy-off.

I pick up my bow, a recurve bow that stands approximately 5 feet tall unstrung and has a chestnut coloured mantle with cream on the inside of hte part that bends into the 're-curvature' for which the bow type is named. It is 40 degrees out, a beautiful day for October, but it looks like it might rain, and I decide to dress warm in case the temperature drops. Now I call my cousin that lives in the country. (Actually, it is just about 6 miles out of town, but the city ordinance calls it that.) I tell him I was thinking about going out there with my bow, and ask if there was any reason I shouldn't. He says 'Come on over, my landlord is shooting today too.' I don't drive yet, my friend comes over and is taking me out there. I put my recuve in the back of his truck, and set my glove and quiver beside me on the seat. He wants to shoot some today as well he tells me, he can remember the time when he was little that he had a toy bow. He wants to try it again so I tell him he can use mine.

Earlier, before we left, we had called the Farm Bureau to ask what the price of hay bales was. Hay bales are often used, when set side by side, as archery targets. My cousin's landlord will supply a paper archery target to pin onto the hay bales. We stop by the Bureau and pick up three bales. They are not the best quality. Musty, falling apart, they are fit for nothing but shooting a bow at. Still, they charge us $3.00 a bale. We grumble, throw them into the truck and take off for my cousin's place.

Upon getting there we are now sure it is going to rain before we do much. Persistent, we take out the three bales, taking care so they don't fall apart the rest of the way, and place them one on top of the other next to a large oak in the yard. Then I get the bow ready to shoot. To string the recurve bow, you must take the end where the string is already near the tip and locked down and put the curved part of it behind one of your heels. In this position, the bow should be across the front of your body, and you can put your other leg through the string. Then press down on the curved part of the bow that is near your hands, sliding the loose part of the string up into the socket. Now the bow is strung and ready to shoot.

I watch my cousin's landlord take a shot with his compound bow. The difference between recurve bows and compound bows is that the tautness of your string is adjusted by wheel-like gears on the top and bottom of the compound bow. Recurves are better for beginners. He makes it onto the target, and then adjusts something on his bow. I nock an arrow into the string by putting the string in the groove of the arrow's fletched (feathered) end, the odd coloured feather is facing away from the bow. I slide the tip of the arrow onto the arrow rest and draw both arms in opposite directions, the left in the bow's handle, the right holding the arrow that takes the string back with it. Drawing the arrow all of the way back to my chin, while keeping the other arm straight, I look for the yellow center of the bulls-eye, about 30 feet away to line up with the tip of the arrow. I release. The arrow sails high over the target, into the woods beyond. Later I let my friend shoot, and he loses a few arrows as well.

My cousin's landlord attempts to shoot 'fighting-monk- style' as he calls it. This is accomplished by standing completely side-ways, pigeon-toeing your feet outwards, making a funny face and attempting to pull the string back while squinting to see the target. He looked funny, a bit like Mr. Magoo.

It begins to rain and I put my equipment away of which only three arrows are left out of the seven. One of the arrows I still have is missing the arrow nock off of the end. That is not hard to fix. Then we get back in the truck, because it is about 7 PM, and drive back to my house. By the time we reach home the rain has changed to snow, it is the first snow of the season. My friend drops me off, comes back 20 minutes later and gives me my bow, which I foolishly forgot in his truck bed and then goes home himself.

All in all, the second time I shot my bow has turned out to be good, even with the modern day helping agents skill takes time, and I am glad it does. I look forward to my next bow-shoot.

******
I received a 91 on this essay, which was meant to be a step by step procedure of how to do something. The teacher did want to know what function the essay served besides the storyline of the bowshoot.

Rhe Winger
March 13 1999