How fast can you make a survival bow, and with how little materials...

[paco664]

The string could be made from a piece of para cord *(if you carry such things) or shoe laces. ..

Pretty much any sapling can be bent and strung into a light weight bow capable of sticking a make shift arrow into something. ..

The key word in this is survival. .. i could care less if it lasted  3 days or 5....

I just don't want it to be the last one i ever make. ..

[Pat B]

I watched Stem Wilcock build a quickie survival bow(about 45#) at the Classic a few years ago in about 15 minutes from a green sapling. It shot pretty well.
 Like others have said a bow isn't necessarily your best choice in a survival situation. Snares, rabbit stick, deadfalls, etc. would be more successful.
  I would probably make a bow in the slow time in the evenings around the campfire but it would not be a quickie. I'd do like Gun Doc suggested and collect a dead ERC branch if available or other appropriate sapling. Even a green one can be made somewhat durable with grease and fire over a few weeks time, I think.

[crooketarrow]

  In 87 I took 3 different,  5 day survile coarse. We were allowed to knap a flint scrapper, you got a parter if you wished. My last trip, We built a bow out of a dead hickory sappling. Finished the bow with a arrow (fire dryed dog wood) knapped head all tied on with a dead cow sinew. I found the third day. All in the 5 days, rained 2.

  I cheated some what, It was my third time that year I took this class. So a bow was'nt sp bad.

  I'd stave if I releided on a bow. I'd trap, long before I'd depend on a bow. I snared a hole lot as a kid growing up into my 20's when I only fox (snared) traped.

[mikekeswick]

Well I made a perfectly good hazel bow from a dripping green stave in about a day by drying it over a fire as I went.
As mentioned the string is the hard part but with knowledge of your local plants (or small animals) and a whole lot of PRACTISE it's doable.
How many people out there have tried to live off trapping? You have to be very knowledgeable on this too to have any chance of eating regularly. Even with modern snares etc it still isn't the 'easy way'. I've been taught by an old guy who really is expert when it comes to trapping - talk about having your eyes opened!
Personally I think you would have to be a total badass to actually survive, by yourself, in the wilds for a long time - look at the state Ishi was in. Perfect health and a very full head would be prerequisites.

[Prignitzer bowman]

Yee Haa I am hijacking this thread!! Sorry in advance. Toomanyknots DID NOT ASK IF YOU WOULD MAKE A BOW OR TRAP! He asked how long you think it would take to make a serviceable bow. In my opinion this is dependent on whether I have some tools or not. If I had to use stones as tools it would take me a long time. If I had a small knife and ideally an axe or maybe just some hacking type of knife it would simplify things thus speeding it up considerably.

My scenario: the shit has hit the fan, and it is a survival situation, I have a knife and a small axe. I live in the countryside in Germany, it is let us say spring or summer, living outside or in a camp is doable. I would look for elm, ash or hazel saplings. Black locust does grow here but I think that would be making things harder for me than necessary and I do have elm here so I would go for that. I would cut several as to give myself some choice and expecting breakage. I would also cut hazel shoots for arrows - as many as possible. With an axe and knife I think it is possible to cut and roughly shape let us say four bows. No chasing rings, bark stripped off back of bow finished! In a day. Sounds like I am wasting time but no. They should be dried as much as possible so over a fire along with the arrow shoots whilst doing this you should start making birch resin, you will need this to help sticking any sharp bits of stone on the end of the arrows - (I can't nap)

Mike says cordage is the problem - yes and no. If you have clothes you have cordage, if you find someone dead then their jeans will be cordage. You have to be a pragmatic badass to survive. Elm and nettles and ash bark will make cordage I have not tried this but do think I could manage it would put an extra day on the process though. So, I think I could make a bow and arrows in about 2 days. I would having achieved this and hopefully having a full belly have some time to carry on making a better stronger bow and more arrows. In a survival situation with possibly hostile people (hope to god no one has a gun) having a bow and arrow could be the only thing stopping someone using your clothes for a bow string.

2 -3 days wouldn't be my best bow, or maybe it would LOL

Hope I haven't upset anyone the Prignitzer bowman

[Slackbunny]

With my axe and my knife? Probably 3 days. That leaves room for some fire drying and completely botching my first attempt. I'd probably do like what others have said and start 3 or 4 knowing that only 1 will probably be passable.

If I was without my axe and knife and had to use sticks and stones or improvised tools then I'd extend that out to a week or so. After all you'd probably be reduced to working mostly in the evenings after your other needs have been met, and you'd likely be tired from your ordeal.

A bow would be rather low on my priority list for short term survival. But if the situation turned long term then I suppose its usefulness would increase. But if we were looking at a long term survival situation then I'd probably take the time and make a real bow and not a green survival one. I'd be much more likely to build an atlatl I think.

It all depends quite heavily on your specific situation. If I find myself in an area where I am consistently coming across wild game, or if some other opportunity arose where a bow would be useful then I'd probably make one. If not I don't think I'd waste the energy. Survival is often a calorie game and I think that with my limited accuracy and hunting skills a bow could take a long time to see a return on my calorie investment. Your time would probably be better spent on other things, but under the right circumstances it could certainly improve your situation.

Really, when you think about it, a bow isn't a great survival tool. When you look at the energy and skill necessary to make, use, and maintain one it just doesn't fit. Its really more of a primitive living tool than a survival tool. Its only once you've got survival taken care of that you start to think about such advanced tools.

[mikekeswick]

Mike says cordage is the problem - yes and no. If you have clothes you have cordage, if you find someone dead then their jeans will be cordage. You have to be a pragmatic badass to survive. Elm and nettles and ash bark will make cordage I have not tried this but do think I could manage it would put an extra day on the process though. So, I think I could make a bow and arrows in about 2 days. I would having achieved this and hopefully having a full belly have some time to carry on making a better stronger bow and more arrows. In a survival situation with possibly hostile people (hope to god no one has a gun) having a bow and arrow could be the only thing stopping someone using your clothes for a bow string.

We aren't just talking cordage though....we are talking bow strings! A good bow string is hard to make from natural material collected from round here (northern England) without a detailed knowledge of string making principles and then the botanical knowledge to process your fibers well. There are nettles a plenty and simple cordage is no problem but to make a bow string that doesn't weigh a ton and has decent strength is by no means easy  Retting nettles efficiently is something i've really struggled with...even with a full range of tools!
I stand by my earlier statement...bow strings are the problem. Bow = Easy, Arrows = Trickier, String = Master level cordage maker!!

[bubby]

Mike is on the money, denim would not make a good or even passable bowstring, best bet is to always have paracord shoestrings as it will make a " passable " bowstring, kind of like bad b-50, or kill a squirrel and make a rawhide string

[toomanyknots]

Retting nettles efficiently is something i've really struggled with...even with a full range of tools!

Me too. I've tried a couple times to ret them myself, and never had much success. They always seem to ret themselves pretty good though, if you collect your fibers right after the winter, on a sunny dry day.

[Sidmand]

depending on where you are, there are other cordage options to.  Around my neck of the woods we have a lot of yucca, and it makes a good bowstring without to much fuss.  Agave would probably make a good string to out west, and Dogbane might make a passable string, but I have never used dogbane.  However, I know yucca works for sure, and there isn't much processing involved, scrape off the outer stuff and twist it up.  if you had time to dry it it would be better, it drys quick to once cleaned off.

[paco664]

Note to self. .. make another para cord survival bracelet. ..

[sleek]

I have made bow string out of squirrel before. Two skins hold 30# bow. If I find a dead dude not too rotten.... no other possibilities,  he has sinew. He aint using it no more. Use sinew for string and bones for arrow heads.  After the world calms down, im gonna need therapy after that.... maybe even now because I know id do it if I had too.

[H Rhodes]

tool kit number one....  knife, hatchet and snare wire.  If dumped out in it, I would cut staves within the first couple of days to start the drying.  I would work with green stuff till the other was ready.  Snares for small critters to make a rawhide string to begin with.  If you take something bigger later you can use sinew.  Three days to have something capable of taking game if my snares work like I want them to.

tool kit number two....  how little material?  a knife and a roll of B-50.  How long?  a few hours.

[Newindian]

Well my personal best was 4 hours between cuting (dead branch) and shooting, but maybe another hour to finish, and that's with a hatchet knife and file for the knocks. I'm sure in a survival situation I could speed that up with the same tools or at least keep it the same with only a hatchet.

[JoJoDapyro]

Depending where I was. Where my cabin is there is pine and willow. Atlatl would be the choice. Around home there are more options. Maybe a week if that was the route I was going. If I were closer to home though, I would more than likely eat insects. I have some weight to spare. Anyone down for a challenge? Make a bow with only scavenged or salvaged materials? I'm in if someone else is.