Be thankful

[Mark N]

I belong to a longbow forum based in the UK. According to posters there, it is unlawful to own a bow unless you have a good reason to have one-such as belonging to a re-enactment group.  They are considered offensive weapons. Also,since all wild game has been killed off, the only game animals there have been reintroduced, and considered domesticated. Must be because they were farm raised before being released. The statutes apparently came from the time when the Crown owned all land and everything in and on it.  I should clarify that statutes in Ireland are a bit different from Scotland, for instance, where some stag hunting is allowed.

[Leon.R]

Thats not quite true, anybody can own a bow and shoot it, xbows are also sold.
What you can not do is hunt with a bow anywhere in the UK, you can shoot anywhere as long as you have the landowners permission.
With clubs and 3D I am not to clued up but from what I understand most shoots you have to belong to a club to be covered by insurance, thats the big thing and there are limitations put on equipment.
From what I heard its 60lb draw weight or 300fps speed.
I'll check and see if i still have the pdf with all the laws on.

[Don Stokes]

I sold lots of arrow shafts in the UK, through Quick's Archery. Unless the laws have changed in the last decade, field archery is still very popular over there. Self bows must be the most common, based on the spines that Quick's ordered and my conversations with them.

[Mark N]

I hope I'm mistaken. I made the post based on info given in another forum.