Bowhunting  Bowhunting usually restrict shots to 45 yards or less, depending on factors such as individual ability, the target animal, draw weight etc. Hunters restrict their shooting range in order to ensure quick and humane kills. Because archers must be much closer to their target animal, bowhunting is a unique experience, with special attention paid to the animal’s sense of smell, hearing and sight.   This limit on effective range and greater degree of hunter-prey interaction create an intimacy that some bowhunters find very attractive.  Bowhunting for fish is appropriately called bowfishing. Many variations on standard archery equipment including the addition of a line attached to either a spool or a reel as well as a specially designed arrow make bowfishing effective. Archers need to take into account the refraction angle of their target when releasing their arrow making sure to aim below their target's apparent position as the water gives a false indication of the actual position of the fish.  Bowhunting with compound bows are usually preferred, although recurve bows are not uncommon and usually legal. Longbows are often used by those who want to make the hunting experience as traditional as possible. Crossbows are often permitted for disabled hunters because the shooter does not have to hold back any of the draw weight of the bow.  Bowhunting in North America, as with other hunting methods, bowhunting is regulated by individual provinces and states. Regulations often address issues such as where, when and what type of individual animal species may be taken. In many cases, a special archery season is set aside, to minimize interference from rifle hunters. In addition, in an effort to maximize game recovery and shot lethality, there are often technical regulations, such as a minimum draw weight for the hunting of big game species.  Game hunted by Bowhunters includes all of the North American small and big game species. Genrally in North America, bowhunting season "Bow Season" occurs either several months preceeding or following the gun season for the same species. In many cases "Bow Season" takes place both before and after "Gun Season". Types of bows used for bowhunting are:  A longbow is a type of bow that is tall (roughly equal to or greater than the height of a person), is not recurved, and has relatively narrow limbs that are circular or D-shaped in cross section. Longbows have been used for hunting and warfare, by many cultures around the world.  A shortbow is a much smaller version of the longbow. While it is lighter and more maneuverable, it also stores less energy and hence has a shorter maximum range. However, it is less skill-intensive than the longbow and was sometimes used by rank-and-file soldiers with some training.  A recurve bow is the only class of bow that is shot at the Olympic Games. Its basic working principals are similar to that of a traditional longbow. Its defining feature is that the ends of the limbs curve forwards slightly, which increases the power gained from the bow and smoothens the draw.  A compound bow is designed to reduce the force that an archer must hold, yet increase the overall energy stored by the bow. Most compound designs use cams or elliptical wheels on the ends of the limbs to optimize the leverage exerted by the archer and to reduce the holding force of the bow at full draw in what is known as the "let-off". With less force required to hold a compound bow at full draw, the muscles take longer to fatigue, thus giving a compound archer more time to aim. A compound bow must be adjusted so that the let-off occurs at the correct draw length appropriate to the archer.  A crossbow is a variation on the general bow design. Instead of the limbs being held vertically, they are mounted horizontally on a stock much like that of a rifle. The limb design can either be compound or a recurve but the basic concept of firing is the same. The string is pulled back either manually or with a windlass and locked into place. The string remains in this locked position, held soley through mechanical means until the energy stored in its limbs is released by a trigger mechanism, which launches the bolt. Types of arrows used for bowhunting are:  Wooden arrows are prone to warping, and are not easily straightened.  Fiberglass arrows are brittle, but are more easily produced to uniform specifications.  Aluminum shafts were a very popular high-performance choice in the later half of the 20th century due to their light weight, and subsequently higher speed and flatter trajectories. They were more easily straightened when bent. The material and diameter (and, in the case of aluminum, the thickness of the tube wall) of the arrow contribute to its stiffness, or spine. This must be matched to the draw weight of the bow to ensure accuracy.  Carbon arrows are very light, and fly faster and flatter than aluminum arrows. They became popular in the 1990s. Carbon arrows are quite hard to adjust so that they fly straight when a broadhead is attached to them. The arrow fletching commonly used for bowhunting is:  Fletching is traditionally made from turkey feathers, and the feathers will typically be 3-6" long.  Plastic vanes are also used, plastic vanes will typically be only 1-4" long.  They are attached at the nock (rear) end of the arrow with glue, or, traditionally, some type of string such as silk. The fletching is equally spaced around the shaft with one (the cock) placed such that it is perpendicular to the bow when nocked on the string. Three feathers (two hens plus the cock) is the most common configuration, though four or (very rarely) five are used. The fletching is attached at a slight angle, to introduce a stabilizing spin to the arrow while in flight.  Oversized fletching can be used to accentuate drag and thus limit the range of the arrow significantly; these arrows are called flu-flus. Types of arrowheads used for bowhunting and practice are:  Target points are bullet-shaped with a sharp point, designed to penetrate target butts easily without causing excessively damage to them.  Field tips are similar to target points and have a distinct shoulder, so that missed outdoor shots do not become as stuck in obstacles such as tree stumps. They are also used for shooting practice by hunters, by offering similar flight characteristics and weights as broadheads, without getting lodged in target materials and causing excessive damage upon removal.  A broadhead is used for actual hunting situations and is usually not used to practice with, owing to its relatively expensive price. It usually has two to four sharp blades that cause massive bleeding in the victim. There are two types of broadheads used by hunters. One is the fixed-blade, while the other is the mechanical. While the fixed-blade broadhead keeps its blades rigid and unmovable on the broadhead at all times, the mechanical broadhead deploys upon contact with the target, its blades swinging out to wound the victim.  Blunts are unsharpened arrowheads occasionally used for types of target shooting, or hunting small game, when the goal is to knock the target over without penetration. Blunts are commonly made of metal or hard rubber. Copyright 2001 - 2007.