NA arrows / some food for thought

[half eye]

I guess everybody knows I like short bows. This year I decided to shoot as authentic as I'm capable of. I cant pinch grip cause of the right hand......so the question became how far could they actually draw their arrows.

What i did was make a eastern woodland, 3 fletch to the length of just under 26". The examples I found in the museums had the vast majority between 25" up to 26"....easy enough untill you realize the museums list the overall length from poit tip to anterior end. There is usually no mention of the head length or knock depth.

So I made up a practice arrow that was just under 26" with an average size "lake Erie" or "Stanley" flint head and made my usuall self knock.....took pictures.....
turns out that "average" arrow has a max draw of 23-1/2" just thought I post this little experiment for anybody who may have wondered about it....enjoy the photos.
rich

[Ifrit617]

Very interesting Rich. I always figured they drew around 24" so this makes sense.

Jon

[H Rhodes]

Thanks for posting this Rich.  I had a feeling that there were some shorter arrows to go with those short bendy bows, back in the day.  Practical, if you think about it.  Probably  easier to find shaft material....  I mean it is easier to find 26" of straight stick than it is to find 30" of straight stick....  right?  Scaled down from what we are used to in bow/arrow length, the performance is probably as good as the longer ones and a helluva lot easier to carry in the bush.  That is a beautiful arrow my friend. 

[tattoo dave]

Nice lookin arrow there Rich. Thanks for sharing. Back when I was talking to you about shooting from my kayak, I was pondering that short draw length. I tried it a few times. I wasn't very accurate, but I'm sure that could change. I'm kinda liking the idea of revisiting that short of a draw. Gonna have to practice. I really like these short bows, and like rhodes said...a lot easier to carry in the bush.


Tattoo Dave