BLACK POWDER

and I painted the design on it. I like to call this my “war bow,” but it has only been used at rendezvous that include archery among the events.

Most of the rendezvous I’m familiar with do include trails or side matches for archery, with consideration or limitation to the equipment that can be used. For instance, the arrows we use can have steel field points – mainly because the point of the arrow is what takes a beating, even with good hits on the targets – but the arrows must have a primitive nock on the hind end. And our bows must not have sights. Naturally, compound bows are simply too modern, but primitive, or “Indianstyle,” bows are very welcome.

IT WAS LIGHTLY raining on Friday morning when we, the volunteers who keep things going at Rain-De-Voo, gathered at the trailhead to do our rifle shooting. This group of volunteers was smaller than it had been in the past, only eight of us, but