Getting food in the wild often means hunting! In Germany you should only do that if you own a hunting license. But if you have no choice and desperately need some meat, this exceptional life-threatening situation stands above the law. Unfortunately you need a tool for hunting, one that kills from a distance- if possible. The easiest way would be to throw stones. Yet, building an arch would be even better. An arch consists of an upper and lower limb, a handle and two installments, in which the bowstring is clamped in. Professional arches come with many other features as well, but when fighting for the survival that is unnecessary luxury we cannot afford.
The best kinds of wood for arches are yew, ash, oak, birch and maple.
1. Look for a big branch or a small tree, which is about 1,20 -1,70m high.
2. Peel off the rind and try to carve it symmetrically.
3. Cut small notches at the top and the bottom for the bowstring.
As a bowstring it’s best to use a cord made of animal intestines. If you’re lucky enough to find such a carcass and know how to get the string from the gut, you’ve won! For all of you who won’t do this, get an elastic cord. Fishing-cord is pretty good for this as well as shoe laces or a cord from your backpack.
To carve the arrows, it’s best to use hazel branches. These grow very straight. Put feathers onto your arrows after you’ve straightened all the roughness of the wood and sharpen them. If you find flint, you can use them as small arrowheads. Glue the lace and feathers to the arrows with a mixture of ash and resin!
Now you’ve built your very first own arch. Don’t try to shoot deer and wild boar right away. That won’t work with this arch. However, for birds, rabbits and etc., this should be sufficient!
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