Long Bow Roving?

[dump of the stig]

hi chaps been a will since ive been on, bit out of action due to medical reasons, anyway I digress
ive just got hold of a traditional English long bow, and im very keen to get out there and practice
the ancient sport of roving (one guy picks the target, tree stump ect, fires, you fire, nearest arrow
gets to pick the next target and so on, you rove "roving")
I understand that neither arrow or bow is classed as an offensive weapon in this country, and this
would not obviously be done down the local park, but as far out as possible (as possible on the south
downs anyway). With all shots being considered with safety in mind as tho it was a fire arm.
Anyone practice this sport, or at least know the law on it?
cheers in advance chaps!

 

[HillBill]

There was a perpetual law passed in 1514 that i don't believe has been repealed yet...


CAP. IX. An Act for the Maintenance of Artillery, and debarring unlawful Games. "RECITAL of Stats. 3 H.8.c.3. & 6 H.8.c.2. Several new devised Games the "Cause of the Decay of Archery. - All Men under the Age of sixty Years "shall have Bows and Arrows for shooting. Men-Children between Seven "Years and Seventeen shall have a Bow and 2 Shafts. Men about Seventeen "Years of Age shall keep a Bow and 4 Arrows - Penalty 6s.8d."
S1,2,3. "Shooting at Rovers. Shooting in Yew-bows. The Inhabitants of every Town "shall cut Butts and shoot at them."
S4. "Common Bows shall be made of "Elm, Ash, &c."
S5. Repealed 8 Eliz.c.10.s.6. "The prices of the several "Sorts of Bows."
S6. Repealed 8 El.c.10.s.6. "Sale of Seasonable Timber "by one Fletcher to another."
S7. "Bowyers and Fletchers, &c. not free "of London, shall upon Commandment dwell elsewhere."
S8. "Aliens shall "not convey Bows or Arrows beyond the Sea."
S9. "Aliens shall not use "shooting in Long-bows; Penalty forfeiture of Bows."

By the the looks of things, there is a still a legal obligation to practice archery

 

[mrcharly]

I think it should be fine as long as you choose your shooting area carefully. Maybe check out the laws regarding shooting with a firearm (no shooting over waterways, footpaths or within x distance of a public highway, I believe).

Be prepared to spend a lot of time searching for arrows. Always be aware of your backstop.

 

[santaman2000]

I think it should be fine as long as you choose your shooting area carefully. Maybe check out the laws regarding shooting with a firearm (no shooting over waterways......

No shooting over waterways with a firearm? How do you hunt waterfowl? Or is that law more specific? I.E, "no shooting over 'navigable' waterways?"

 

[dwardo]

I think it should be fine as long as you choose your shooting area carefully. Maybe check out the laws regarding shooting with a firearm (no shooting over waterways, footpaths or within x distance of a public highway, I believe).

Be prepared to spend a lot of time searching for arrows. Always be aware of your backstop.

Pick very short grass if possible or as bove its starts getting expensive quickly!
Very few places i have found are suitable. Either too short or too many opportunities for a dog or walker to catch a stray arrow.
A club might be a good idea if its your thing, i am lucky to have a friend with some land which is a godsend.

 

[dump of the stig]

fantastic! cheers for the replys

 

[HillBill]

Simple way to avoid losing arrows........ don't miss

Not difficult if you start close and take a couple of steps back every 5 shots or so. I got quite a way out before it became easier to miss than hit. Maybe 60/70 yards. This was with a compound though.

 

[dwardo]

Simple way to avoid losing arrows........ don't miss

Not difficult if you start close and take a couple of steps back every 5 shots or so. I got quite a way out before it became easier to miss than hit. Maybe 60/70 yards. This was with a compound though.

Can be harder when stump shooting, sounds awful that doesnt it? Constant distance and elevation changes is where the challenge comes in. Well a challenge without optics, distance markers, stabilizers, wheels etc.

 

[calgarychef]

Get yourself some "judo" points and you won't lose any arrows.

 

[HillBill]

Are those the ones similar to small game tips that make the arrow stand up when it hits the ground?

Get yourself some "judo" points and you won't lose any arrows.

 

[mrcharly]

No shooting over waterways with a firearm? How do you hunt waterfowl? Or is that law more specific? I.E, "no shooting over 'navigable' waterways?"

A 'waterway' is by definition something that could be navigable (even if only by canoes). I did a quick google and it seems the same applies in the USA. It's ok to shoot over dams and lakes.

It's a sensible law. Rivers and large streams are usually well below the general lie of the land so it is difficult to look and ensure nobody is there.

 

[HillBill]

Stump shooting - Hmm... tried shooting a stump the other day. Snapped an alu hunting arrow in 3 pieces when it hit. And the arrow was rated for an 80lb bow.

I don't use all the frills on my compounds. I have one with a fibre optic frontsight/peepsight and stabiliser, and the other set up for instinctual shooting.

Still got 2 more to set up aswell when i get time.

Can be harder when stump shooting, sounds awful that doesnt it? Constant distance and elevation changes is where the challenge comes in. Well a challenge without optics, distance markers, stabilizers, wheels etc.

 

[santaman2000]

A 'waterway' is by definition something that could be navigable (even if only by canoes). I did a quick google and it seems the same applies in the USA. It's ok to shoot over dams and lakes.

It's a sensible law. Rivers and large streams are usually well below the general lie of the land so it is difficult to look and ensure nobody is there.

Shooting lead shot over a waterway is illegal over here but not shooting in general. All waterfowl hunting is done over waterways (with non-lead shot) Indeed some is actually done from boats on said waterways.

Navigable over here has a very specific definition: At least 30 feet wide and 3 feet deep (these qualify as part of the highway system) In addition for a lake or pond to qualify, it must not be contained entirely within one persons land (in the case where it is so contained, said lake or pond is his private property. I own two such ponds)

 

[Damascus]

Dear agony aunt

I sleep knowing that I have done my bit for queen and country, being armed, maybe to many arrows and bows and practice at least once a week, i worry that fellow members of this affiliation are not doing there bit, all I say for them is keep an eye out for the bow and arrow police you don't want to get caught.

what is the current fine and do you get fixed penalty points on your bow?

yours

concerned archer

 

[boatman]

If you use blunts then the arrows won't stick in other than things like molehills but can still be observed hitting the target which is what Tom Foy uses for roving.
http://archery-centre.co.uk/ see arrowheads, blunts.

Might be interesting to practice roving on one of those golf course constructed on a Common. You probably have an equal right to the golfers to be there. Or try archery golf.

 

[21st century pict]

Roving is just magic fun, After me and my pal became accustomed to all the different distances on the range of our field coarse roving became the only real fun we had left and we mainly used judo points, hexblunts and bludgeons, Flu flu arrows were also great fun.
I have always found the Heritage shafts from Corbon Express as tough as old nails honestly solid as a rock.

From left to right 3 and 5 are two of the usual suspects, No4 is a 357Mag shell blunt on a 11/32 wooden shaft.
Hilary Greenland recommends 9mm in her book The Traditional Archers Handbook but whatever floats your boat, they all do the same job + or - a rim. I don’t have a picture of a hex blunt handy here but the face of the hex-blunt is cupped or hollowed which is supposed to help prevent skipping and seems to work just fine.

 

[dump of the stig]

absolutely chuffed too bits with the replies, great work chaps!

 

[palmnut]

Please please be careful. A bow and arrow, even with blunts can certainly kill a human if you hit them in the right spot. The sport is very lightly regulated by law in the UK just now - we don't need any accidents starting a campaign to have this changed!

Rant over - sorry.

BTW, you shoot a bow, you don't fire it. The only way to fire a bow involves a box of matches (or a flint and steel, of course) ;-)

Rubber blunts or judo points very much recommended.

Peter

 

[mountainm]

Please please be careful. A bow and arrow, even with blunts can certainly kill a human if you hit them in the right spot. The sport is very lightly regulated by law in the UK just now - we don't need any accidents starting a campaign to have this changed!

Rant over - sorry.

BTW, you shoot a bow, you don't fire it. The only way to fire a bow involves a box of matches (or a flint and steel, of course) ;-)

Rubber blunts or judo points very much recommended.

Peter

Can you fit rubber blunts over field tips?

 

[boatman]

Can you fit rubber blunts over field tips?

NO NO NO do not in any circumstance put a blunt over a field point. We check arrows with blunts for this before a re-enactment battle because the point can move forwards through the blunt and injure someone on impact.