Archery and the Holidays

The holidays tend to illicit images of pine trees wrapped in multi-colored lights, boxes of various shapes and sizes covered in decorative paper and sealed with a bow, and even snow covered hills just waiting to be slid down at near-reckless speeds on a wooden platform with rails or on a large plastic disk. What we tend not to envision however is, an archer holding their trusty bow with a nocked arrow drawn back and ready to shoot., however archery and the holidays have more in common then you might believe.

The holidays, at least for the traditional American family are all about family, friends, and yes turkey. Without these critical components the holidays just would not be the same. The same can be said for archery.

Archery is very much a family affair. While it’s certainly true that some archers stand alone in their families, more often then not archery is something that a family can and often does do together. According to a poll taken by the Archery Trade Association back in 2014 39% of America’s archers indicated their family’s interest in the sport as their number one reason for participating themselves. That’s two fifths of the archers in America, and that doesn’t even account for those that listed family as a more secondary or tertiary reason. Clearly family is of major importance both to the holidays and to the sport of archery.

Much like family, friends also play a huge part in archery and the holidays. The same poll mentioned above indicated that for 13% of the American archer population friends were their number one reason for participating in archery. Something about archery just is not the same without someone there to share the experience with and the same is true of the holidays.

Finally we come to the humble turkey; the final link between archery and the holidays. Historians disagree about whether or not turkey was served at the first Thanksgiving Day feast in 1621, however it is an undeniable fact that turkey has become a staple dish of the holidays today. According to a survey conducted by the University of Illinois, in 2012 68 million turkeys were consumed between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Clearly turkey is an integral part of the holidays. Likewise bow hunting for wild turkey can be one of the most challenging and thus one of the most rewarding experiences for the aspiring bow hunter. Many hunters report between 30% and 100% success rates on their turkey hunts, varying largely based on tactics it would seem (with the higher success rates being reported largely by blind hunters). However it’s not just the challenge of hunting turkey that makes them a huge part of archery, but also the fact that the primary feathers from the turkey’s wings provide some of the best natural arrow fletching available today. I’m sure the irony of the best arrow fletching being among the most difficult to take with a bow and arrow is lost on no one. Though it’s clear that the reasons for the turkey’s importance to archery and the holidays are different it is very much vitally important to both none the less.

At last we can see the connections between archery and the holidays. So while you’re celebrating this holiday season with your family, your friends, and your turkey, remember that while the holidays bring together these elements once a year, archery can fill the void and bring these elements together as well, all year long.