Archery for Everyone at Barefoot Bushcraft
Hello fellow readers,
Although not yet the Dog days of summer, My wife and I are getting an early start our summer activities in Niagara. The sunshine is out and the weather is getting hot and at the time of writing this it’s not quite June yet !
Wolf’s dog Luna protecting the Range
I am writing you today to share a great experience that I and my wife had recently here in Niagara. As part of my “A Day out in Niagara” series of images and video projects. I thought that this Particular outing should be included ! We decided to try Archery.
My wife and I recently came across an archery groupon deal that had 1 hour archery lessons.
All that I knew (from my wife) is that the archery lessons were being held near Allanport Rd., Port Robinson Ontario. For those that aren’t familiar with the area Port Robinson, Ontario is a small town half way between Welland and Thorold, Ontario on the map.
I’m sure most of you beginners like me started out knowing next to nothing other than that you use a bow and an arrow and try to hit a target. I had practiced a little bit when I was a kid in our backyard but we never had proper equipment and almost never hit anything. So, we thought this would be a good opportunity to re-visit this time aged practice and make it a couples activity. It was a very fun activity for anyone looking to try something new in a one hour on an afternoon !
With visions of the movie Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (the Kevin Costner one) in my head, we ventured forth !
In my recent Niagara series I have been bringing along my trusted GoPro Cameras in an effort to capture video and images of my favorite and colorful looking places in and around the Niagara Region. On this particular occasion, The GoPro’s were the perfect camera for the job so I brought them along.
Upon getting to the Location of the Archery range we met Wolf Star child, owner and operator of Barefoot Bushcraft (www.barefootbushcraft.com)
Wolf Starchild – Barefoot Bushcraft
Wolf is very dynamic, good willed and passionate instructor and cares a lot about his business, safety and all things archery. His instruction is top notch and within minutes of listening to his very detailed oriented but helpful instructions we were shooting arrows feeling like pro’s.
Wolf’s Archery range and tent is set up well and was reminiscent of an ancient war tent, packed with bows, arrows and slingshots. A very well thought out layout and design. He set up two archery lanes, one for each customer so that customers who arrive get a chance to shoot and one Slingshot lane for customers to try their hand at that either while waiting for an archery lane or just for something a bit different. Wolf told me that normally he has two instructors present for each lane giving customers access to the knowledge and safety tips required to keep everyone safe, uninjured while shooting. Shooting in a safe and courteous way and walking away without any battle scars is always a good thing. Safety always comes first.
My wife and I took a few rounds of archery to get acquainted with how to shoot and how to shoot straight. This took more practice then first thought however after a few arrows I managed to grasp it. The difficulty I found was how hard it was to actually aim the bow straight enough to get close to the center target. Something of which I’m sure takes a lot of practice and patience. Wolf however did offer some great tips about holding the bow more loosely and keeping my left arm away from the bow’s string when shooting which helped me adjust.
Although we were not the only ones shooting at the range that day and I did not take the top shot closest to the center target (maybe next time !), everyone had fun.
My Wife Genny Lining up for a shot at the target down range
My wife certainly showed some promise as the day went on and her form got better with tangible instruction and re-assurance from Wolf. I think she liked the Slingshot the best as she seemed to do well at it.
All in all we had a great time and were thankful for participating in the experience and for letting us get some great video footage.
Please have a look at my YouTube video to get a feel for this experience. Please like and share. Good comments appreciated.
Wolf tells us that Barefoot Bushcraft does all sorts of outdoor survival and youth type programs in order to bring people back to nature. They can do corporate and team building events as well.
For more information check out their website:
www.barefootbushcraft.com
Contact Wolf Starchild
Barefoot Bushcraft
1 (866) 248-1362 X100
And mention this article by Kevin @ karrgalaxy.com
