The imminent sportsman Teddy Roosevelt believed hunting was vital. Not just for humans but for the animals as well. Hunting, as a practice, allows both man and nature to sharpen each other.
The evolution of devices and techniques through time have given man a superior edge in hunting. That said, it has also helped the animals.
Recent studies show an overall reduction in wounding rates. This comes from a combination of technique and especially the force of modern compound bows.
Changes in bow technology have been slow coming but steady. Always steps forward with no tech lost. Outside of the sword, no other weapon has inspired as much artistry and skill.
Compound Bows Step by Step
Several factors have contributed to the continuing evolution of the bow. New strides are taken today even after the invention of other projectile weapons. One is the expansion of human ability.
The visceral nature of taking aim and following through to deliver a blow promotes something primal in us. This is true across all martial arts. The Japanese art of Kyudo and the Native American improvements of the atlatl exemplify this pursuit.
The history of ranged weaponry fascinates generations who go back to retrace the steps. Mechanical engineers frequently use bow tech as am metaphor.
Modern bow advancements have cropped up for the second reason, broader audience. While hunting may still be seen as a strictly manly affair, increasingly women and teens get involved. The hunt has become a family affair with many participants.
This guide will walk through the steps of the bow as a projectile weapon. We’ll start in the distant past when the shape had not yet come together. Then we’ll move into the middle ages and beyond to the modern mass-produced items.
Along each step, we’ll discuss what was learned from the past iterations and show the trajectory of the next advancement. After reading this guide, you might find yourself discovering the next great advancement.
Primal Bows
Before the wheel stole all the glory, the most important human inventions were about survival. In the world of weaponry, the hierarchy was sharper followed by longer.
Spears gave way to spear throwers. The atlatl was the most effective of the spear throwers. It worked through a process of centripetal and centrifugal force. In this way, it resembles a sling almost more than a bow.
While the Anasazi tribes are widely known from making the best atlatls, they were also discovered earlier in France. Early Franc tribes discovered that it takes a lot less work to huck a spear at something than to run after it.
The other alternative, particularly in boar hunting, was to guide the beast to a narrow location. This required many hunters and some planning to execute well.
With an atlatl, a lone hunter could do the work of a whole tribe. This greatly increased food supplies.
Hunting more dangerous game was another contributing factor. Wounding a bear or wildcat before it could close distance would slow it down and give hunters more of a chance to escape the predator or kill it.
What We Learned
The atlatl is different enough from modern archery to create a split. The angular momentum goes out the window once you start pushing the projectile from behind. The atlatl prompted thought into the release point that made this possible.
Springier wood or wood that could quickly snap from a rubbery form into a rigid one delivered more force. The American Southwest provided better materials for this advancement than areas of France.
A strong, direct release force could move a projectile faster. Removing the perpendicular movement allowed a hunter to spare energy and work in tighter spaces.
The First Bows
The first bows appear in 3000 BCE in Egypt. While spear points and arrowheads date back to 20,000 BCE, it is unknown what they attached to.
This definitive step in bow evolution produced low-powered but recognizable weapons. Materials used for bows differ greatly in the earliest incarnations.
What didn’t vary was the construction. Bows made of single staves, rather than multiple kinds of wood bound, were most common. Binding along the grip provided comfort and kept the bow from breaking.
These early bow designs, known as “self-bows” were thin at the grip and wider at the limbs. They also used a shaping process that made the front facing side flat. The rear of the bow was rounded.
These bows had estimated draw weighs under 50 pounds and flight distances of up to 150 yards.
The strings were made of animal sinew or plant fibers. In Europe, these would be reinforced with beeswax. In areas such as Egypt, beetle-based insect glues were used.
The Americas used sap resins. These bits of sticky material kept the string from drying out and also provided a tackiness that helped hold an arrow notched during the draw.
What We Learned
The original bows gave insight into how wood reacted when under load. The looped notches on the limbs provided an anchor for the string. The shape, flat to round, provided power as the wood contorted.
The integrity of a bow had a lot to do with the quality of the wood. As a bow was made of a single stave, inspecting the material for cracks was vital. Reinforcement at the grip helped distribute the load along a larger area.
Still, pinch points existed in the grip and the string loops. These areas were the sites of catastrophic failure for bows.
Two other major issues remained in primitive bows that needed fixing. We’ll talk about those as we hit the first compound bows.
Longbows
The first improvement over the “self-bow” was to simply build longer bows. This was possible partially from the ability to cut and process trees with iron and later steel tools.
The second improvement came from fletchings and arrow regularity.
English longbows were the pinnacle of this innovation. The combination of yew staves and longer 30-36 inch arrows provided superior draw weight and distance.
These bows boasted 90-110 pound draw weights. They fired arrows out to 240 yards.
The longbow was the weapon of prominence from 1200 to 1600. The power and ease of construction gave the weapon a lot of longevity. These bows also had superior piercing power because of the heavier arrows and broader arrowheads.
During this time, three fletched arrows became more common. Two-fletching arrows provided adequate direction for a shorter bow. Three were needed to spin the arrow in the air and not lose momentum over distance.
What We Learned
Making a bow longer than a person was tall gave more power. Japanese bows, much smaller in diameter used this same principle. To draw such a bow featured a person to angle the bow up and then bring it down to aim.
This motion provided more overall strength to the archer, as the mechanical motion of the body maximized force.
The heavier arrows could fly further and more accurately. In part, this came from the ability of the projectile to ignore wind factors. The other part was heavier objects deliver more force.
The changes to fletching started research into how spiraling objects behave in the air. This would be a principle point in creating rifling for guns much later. For arrows, this allowed a heavier tip to be used and still reach the target before dropping.
Recurve Bows
While the longbow dominated the battlefields of northern Europe, other developments occurred. Cultures interested in mobility were thinking along other lines. Horse riding groups such as the Mongols and Ottomans needed something shorter.
Recurve bows changed the usual D shape of a bow into more of a C shape. These were the first multi-material bows. In the Americas laminated bows were common. In Asia, these were made with glue and horn.
The process of production for recurve bows was extensive in comparison to previous bows. In part, this was a result of the multiple materials. The larger component was the effort to string such bows.
A recurve bow starts with a single material stave. To this, layers of plant fibers, sinew, or bone are attached with glue. This more rigid bow has several layers that can store force.
Finally, craftsmen pulled the bow into a reverse of its original C shape for stringing. This provided a second dimension of power to the bow as it wanted to return to its original shape.
Recurve bows have been reported to fire arrows up to 900 yards. Their draw weight doesn’t reflect their power, much like modern compound bows. While their draw was in the 40-50 range, the resulting force was much greater.
What We Learned
Most importantly, recurve bows showed the power of combining materials. The shape of the bow also related to power. Rather than making a bow longer, so as to achieve more angle of tension, shorter with more tension worked.
These bows were easier to draw in a shallower motion, which made them perfect for horse riding.
A major drawback of the recurve was in the production. A bow made with even minor flaws would rip apart under its own power. Restringing a bow was also not a one person job.
Compound Bows
Finally, the history of compound bows arrives at the HW Allen prototype built in 1969.
Allen worked for years to make a mechanical bow that outperformed traditional designs. His concept was published in 1967 as “Archery Bow with Force Multiplying Attachments”.
The original design used slightly oblong pulleys and a separate grip and limb system anchored with broad screws.
The design worked but failed to gain much attention. Tom Jennings would partner with Allen in the late 1960s to bring prominence to the idea.
With Jennings’ influence, the final two issues with archery began to get lined out. The first was customization. Before the advance of compound bowhunting, a hunter needed multiple bows to remain effective across the game. Now, with tuning and hardware changes, a single bow could do all jobs.
The second issue was in how an arrow flew from a bow. Previous bows had to fire around the grip. The string was in line with the grip but the arrow was forced around it.
This created a wobble as the arrow fought to regain shape from the launch force. This required a higher degree of skill to aim and still hit a target or to compensate for wind forces.
What We Learned
The magnification of force was adequate but relied on the shape and position of the pulleys. Better positioning would mean a smoother release. Also, the riser shape and position could now change to affect aim.
The Cam vs Pulley
We mentioned mechanical engineers earlier, they have a few thoughts on pulleys and cams.
Essentially, the shape of your cam dictates a lot about the way it behaves in a fluid motion. The angular motion of the atlatl comes back into play in designing cams. They need to pull smoothly and deliver force without skipping.
Oblong cams allowed engineers to form more accurate string angles. This shortened the limb length further. These advances also allowed the bow to deliver more power at lower draw weights.
The Riser
All previous references to ‘grip’ affect the riser. This is the middle section that limbs attach to. Previously, the grip gave a rest for the arrow and a place to center the fulcrum of a draw.
Disconnecting these components allowed the riser design to change. Wider risers could hold more force without adding length. A person can move the grip position left or right of the center for different handed hunters.
Hunters can place a release, rangefinder, or sight and stay in-line with the string without throwing off balance.
Modern carbon fiber compound bows also use cutouts to reduce drift on the bow itself when firing in strong winds.
Take the Shot
The technology of the compound bow crept along for thousands of years before speeding up in the past 50 years. Today’s compound bows allow hunters to customize and change the bow to their needs.
All of these options make finding the right bow for you daunting. We have a review of the best bows of the year to help out. Contact us for more information on bows and bow hunting.
