Saxton Pope - Yahi Archery.pdf - Primitiv-bogen.de

1918] Pope: Yahi Archery 123Shooting with us, especially at targets, he stood facing the target, orturning his left side slightly toward it. His position was ratherinsecure, knees flexed a trifle, feet about four inches apart. His bodyhe held quite erect, though in stalking game he shot from a crouchingposition.He never used a wrist guard or "bracer" on his left arm to protect it from the string, although he nearly always pulled up his shirtsleeve. This was to avoid striking any clothing w r ith the string, whichwould check the flight of the arrow. At times the string did strikehis forearm, and bruise it, and after prolonged shooting his left wristwas often sore and ecchymosed. Leather protection for his forefingerhe sometimes used in target shooting, but neither the glove nor bracerseemed needed for the intermittent shooting during a hunt.In nocking his arrow, he paid no particular attention to the cockfeather, or that opposite the nock. It rested against the bow as oftenas away from it. With nearly all modern archers, this is consideredvery bad technique. Since most of the feathers were soft, this howeverdid not seem much to disturb the flight of the arrow.ISHFS RECORDS WITH THE BOWThere are no records of aboriginal archery with which to comparethose of civilized times. That the American Indian was a good shot isconceded by all who know him, and fiction makes him out an incomparable archer, capable of deeds outrivaling those of William Tell andthe redoubtable Robin of Sherwood Forest. But no authentic scoresexist. It is therefore a privilege to have been able to compare theshooting of an unspoiled American Indian w r ith that of modern archers.So far as target shooting is concerned, it is well known that thegreatest archer of all times was Horace Ford of England, whose recordsof 1857 were not approached by any in history, and have not beensurpassed since.There are two well recognized rounds in archery.The English orYork round consists in shooting six dozen arrows at one hundred yards,four dozen at eighty yards, and two dozen at sixty yards, and addingthe score thus attained. The American round consists in shootingthirty arrows at each of the distances, sixty, fifty, and forty yards.The target used is a circular straw* mat four feet in diameter, fourinches thick, covered with a facing on which are five concentric rings.The central ring or gold is nine and one-half inches in diameter, while