Help with Presentation -- Back again--

[ssoden]

We are having a Wild Game feed at our church in March and I have been asked to give a presentation on Traditional Archery to a large group of guys .. very few of them hunt and the one's that do use "modern" equipment. Looking for suggestions on material to share with them.


UPDATE: I'm relisting this request. I've been having email issues and lost a few responses I recieved that were very helpful .. if it was you could you please contact me agian with your offer to use material    I have until march 18th to pull this presentation together. Thanks again.

Steve

[David Mitchell]

A brief video clip might be neat for an introduction--maybe the one of Ron La Clair shooting his longbow in all sorts of positions including on his belly!  Then maybe discuss some of the reasons we love to shoot the time-honored equipment. For a bit of humor, the video clip of Peter Stecher doing some fascinating shooting and slow motion stuff showing arrow paradox and peeling feathers off arrows in flight by shooting so close to an upright knife might be entertaining.  You will find that one on youtube--search Legends de Tir a l'arc.  I love to watch that one every now and again. Some great possibilities.

[ssoden]

David .. like your ideas .. Thanks!

[Bowwild]

I do a lot of this kind of thing, multiple subjects. I might suggest:

1. Why Hunters Hunt -- To be a part of Nature rather than apart from it. To spend time with friends and family in God's great outdoors. To put healthy meat on the family's table. For the challenge. Because of heritage and ancestory. Hunting is fun, whether game is taken or not. 75% of US citizens support managed hunting. Less than 10% oppose it.  Fees and equipment taxes paid by hunters (and fishermen) have paid for conservation in the U.S. for nearly 100 years.

2. Why you hunt. Make it a bit personal by telling a quick story that highlights what you get out of hunting.

3. Mention that ther are nearly 20 million hunters. About 6 million hunt with bows. 10% of those hunt with recurves, LB and SB.

4. Archery is one of the fastest growing outdoor sports -- thanks to NASP-2.3 million kids this year (sorry for the plug).

5. Before you start to narrow down to "Traditional" bow hunting I'd make a comment that all hunters are together and supportive. We choose different equipment for a variety of personal reasons.

6. Then talk about what you get out of traditional archery; link to the past, simplicity, elegance of the bow, a bit more challenge for some --average rifle shot deer in the east is 37 yards, average compound bow shot deer is 17 yards. Average traditional shot deer is 14 yards.  All these distances are closer than most people think by the way.

7. Discuss the humane nature of a broadhead-tipped arrow. Most deer that are well hit are dead in seconds, as fast as guns in many cases. Many drop in sight. A sharp broadhead sometimes doesn't even cause a reaction by the deer -- they don't know they are hit (sometimes).

8. Responsible bowhunting: Stay safe, be safe to others, follow the law, Fair Chase, know your equipment, be proficient with your equipment, understand your quarry, and try to stay calm under the excitement of an impending shot.

9. Conclude (maybe) with the a personal story of mentoring someone (child, brother, sister)and their reaction to bowhunting.

10. Of course you'll want to have some visual aids. It is important to keep the visuals hidden (under a blanket on a table maybe) until you want people to see them or they won't be able to pay attention.

11. Always good to end with a quick summary. We hunt because it feels right and is good for nature. Offer to help anyone who would like to know more. You can always refer them to the National Bowhunter Education Foundation.

Hope this helps.

[bolong]

Tell them to check out Trad Gang .com

[Covey]

The opening prayer on Essential Encounters is awesome! That would be a nice video clip.

Jason

[lpcjon2]

If you go on the main page in the legends section you can find some good info on some of the greats.
 
 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?category=10

[Rustic]

As a recent convert from a compond bow to Traditional archery...". I wish I had known about the light weight, strap on quivers.

[ssoden]

Thanks everyone so much for all the info .. it's so very helpful.

Steve

[ssoden]

TTT .. with a update above. Thanks to all for your great ideas!

Steve

[ssoden]

ttt

[Archie]

If you could get ahold of him, Ken Beck of Black Widow Bows could give you a lot of info.  He has done traditional archery presentations for churches in the past.

[ssoden]

Archie .. good thought!

TTT

[ssoden]

Up again for ideas ... Thanks!

[Bowwild]

My son wrote the book (literally) for Centershot Ministries.  While different kinds of bows are used, the message regarding relating the archer and things archery to Christ and his Word are relevant no matter the type bows and arrows.  

The "curriculum" for Centershot is much deeper than the standard "bible search" for scripture containing words associated with archery.

You can go to Centershot Ministries for contact information if you are looking for this kind of depth.

[KSdan]

Great opportunity. . . and I agree with a number of the other practical presentation ideas. Some scenes from Primal Dreams by Wensels could be awesome.

Here is something that may help:

The reason we enjoy hunting and the reason we like the traditional are tied to a very deep theological root of how we were created and the Creation Mandate we were given.

Because we are created in God's image and because of the Mandate there are things "we just know." Its a "finger print" if you will.  Morality, need for purpose, identity, origin, what it means to be human, etc. all have to be placed together within a framework that is coherent, correspondent, comprehensive, and consistent.

A key part of your presentation could be that we are "connected" to the earth in a very key way.  When man rebelled the entire creation went into  chaos (Gen 1-3; Rom 8). One day the entire Creation will likewise be renewed (Rev 21-22).  

An important piece then is how the current modern secular humanism (with a convergence of technology) removed us from a coherent and correspondent understanding of the real world in which we live.

The "intuitive" sense (like the sense we know that things are evil, beautiful, or unjust, etc) when we hunt, use traditional equipment, work the land, reflect on history, etc. is all rooted in a very real history of man created in God's image with a Divine Mandate to care for the sacred; i.e. that which God created as such (human beings, the created order, relationships, etc).

Hunting, and traditional archery in particular, is just one way for man to reconnect and "taste" the transcendent/sacred.  Traditional archery is unique in that it brings together many of these transcendent values like history, using something from the ground, beauty, conservation, human relationships, profoundness of the human being (eye-hand coordination for example), etc. Many who enjoy it (really experience it), may not know its roots or why, but God has clearly revealed the answer.

In a modern/secularized world, people are looking for the missing piece.  This is one reason we see a culture moving to the "vintage," and in our case, back to traditional styles including archery.

Blessings on this one.  Great opportunity.

Dan

[ssoden]

TTT .. still pulling info together .. Thanks!

[ssoden]

ttt

[lt-m-grow]

Since it is a wild game feed, consider talking about the connection between hunting, killing, and eating...

It is real easy to get caught up in the culture of "meat comes from the grocery store and not from animals".

They are already open minded, because they are coming to a game feed.  I would connect the dots for them - food, meat, animals, hunting, bowhunting, tradition hunting and how to get started.

Regardless of whether you use my idea or not, I would avoid trying to make a connection between bowhunting and religion because there isn't one.  There are bowhunters.  There are religious folks.  There are bowhunters that are religious.  There are bowhunters that aren't religious.  It is all good, but this is an opportunity to talk about bowhunting, don't confuse the audience, by positing a pretense.

Make it fun and don't over think it.  People love traditional bows and arrows.  They cannot believe they "work".  Pass some bows and arrows around the audience so they can feel them.  Show them some "hero" pictures...and again have fun and so will they.