English man “Down under”
In 1363, Edward III (who reigned from 1327 to 1377) now felt that archery practice across the realm was rather lax. Edward III was particularly aware of the tactical benefits offered by the longbow on the battle field having been at Crécy (1346) and the commander at Poitiers (1356). He therefore issued a specific law compelling compulsory archery practice on Sundays and holidays, as well as prohibiting certain pastimes;
Whereas the people of our realm, rich and poor alike, were accustomed formerly in their games to practise archery -whence by God’s help, it is well known that high honour and profit came to our realm, and no small advantage to our-selves in our warlike enterprises -and that now skill in the use of the bow having fallen almost wholly into disrepute, our subjects give themselves up to the throwing of stones and of wood and of iron; and some to handball and football and hockey; and others to coursing and cock-fights, and even to other unseemly sports less useful and manly.
whereby our realm -which God forbid -will soon, it would appear, be void of archers: We, wishing that a fitting remedy be found in this matter, do hereby ordain, that in all places in your country, liberties or no liberties, wheresoever you shall deem fit, a proclamation be made to this effect: that every man in the same country, if he be able-bodied, shall, upon holidays, make use, in his games, of bows and arrows… and so learn and practise archery.
Moreover we ordain that you prohibit under penalty of imprisonment all and sundry from such stone, wood and iron throwing; handball, football, or hockey; coursing and cock-fighting, or other such idle games.
‘Edward the Third 1363’
Who would have thought, that a country whose fate, and much of its history, lay hand in hand with the bow and arrow so much that, by the law of all things, it was compulsory to practice every Sunday after church, would be the very same country that bans its use in modern day times as an effective hunting weapon.
If it were not for the kings of old who passed these laws of mandatory practice for war, then making new contradictory laws prohibiting the use of bows in forestry areas (which most of England was), to protect their sport of hunting, maybe it would still be legal to hunt with a bow and arrow in England.
Little did I know that these laws made centuries before I was born, would have such an effect on my life and would be one of the main reason for me to leave England at the age of 25, to start a new life in Australia where I have the freedom to do what I want to do; hunt with my Bow and Arrow.
At the time of writing this article, I have been living in Australia for eleven months and to date I have taken 1 pig, 3 goats, 3 rabbits and 1 fox. Not a massive bag, but I have taken these animals with my longbow and all were one arrow humane quick kills, to me that means a lot.
I’ve had the chance to meet a few fellow hunters so far and have been on numerous memorable hunts alone and with others. It’s finally good to be able to speak to fellow archers about hunting, as this is a very short conversation in England with target archers and is taboo among many.
I’ve found Australian bowhunters quick to offer their services and knowledge, especially through websites like Australian bowhunting forum and publications like South Pacific Bowhunter, which in England would find itself tucked away on the top shelf of the newsagents with the adult magazines.
After establishing a place to live here and a job, I set about finding some properties to hunt on, my new job has sponsored me for four years and has given me the chance to travel Australia, which is giving me the potential to gain access to properties and to see what game is in what areas. I’ve even been fortunate enough to take my bow along and hunt a bit. I’ve found that if you buy the right people a few beers in country pubs, it can lead to a chance to hunt on their properties, which is further enhanced by the fact that I want to use a bow rather than a gun.
So far my most memorable hunt has been for pigs and goats in northern New South Wales. This hunt saw me take a pig at two meters after being on the property only fifteen minutes and then my biggest billy so far twenty minutes later on the same hunt. Just as dusk was rolling in, I stalked in on him so he would end up crossing a small valley to my left, then after putting one Port Orford cedar arrow over his back at twenty yards, which thankfully didn’t bother him. I slowly slipped another tapered shaft out of my quiver, keeping my eyes on the goats’ chest I rolled the arrow between my forefinger and thumb until the indexer on the nock assured me my cock feather was facing correctly. Then feeling the dull click as my nock settled on my string I was ready for another shot.
Topic: English man "Downunder" (Read 958 times)
