CA-Hunt-Tips-art - 9/10/98 "Hunting Tips for Combat Archers" by Octavia. NOTE: See also the files: c-archery-msg, C-A-Handbook-art, crossbows-msg, p-archery-msg, T-Arch-Child-art, Arrow-Inspect-art, arch-supplies-msg, quivers-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ [Please note this was written from the viewpoint of a combat archer in the SCA kingdom of Ansteorra. Weapons and armor may differ in different kingdoms. - editor] Subject: ANST - Hunting tips for Combat Archers Date: Fri, 04 Sep 98 08:40:13 MST From: DAFPIG at aol.com To: Ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG Greeting all, Well, its that time of the year again. The weather is starting to cool down(maybe) and the roars and grunts of the fighters can be hear echoing through the wood and fields. Once again it is archery season. I have put together a few tips for those of you hunting these extordinary creatures for the first time. 1. Baiting: the use of an object/s to encourage your prey to come to you. A. Heavy Fighters: The best bait for these massive animals is the use of decoys. They cannot seem to resist the clashing and banging around of thier own kind. When they see other fighters fighting, they tend to rush headlong to join them. If you don't have access to such decoys, try spreading some bright shiny objects around such as stainless steel gaunlets or a shiny helm, using long peices as ratten is also effective. Heavy fighters are drawn to such things as these. B. Light fighters: Oh, the rare and elusive light fighter, We usually don't hunt these graceful creatures because of thier rarity. They don't seem drawn to the noise of others fighting. So I have found that to effectively bait them into range, one must use other objects to entice them. The use of a few yards of expensive trim or lace seems to work, What always does the job though, is the sight of very sharp, fancy clothing. This approach has never failed me yet. 2. Choosing your hunting Terrain: have a working knowledge of the terrain you will be hunting in. A. Open field: The open fields are the most common area to find both heavy and light game. This is the area they perfer to engage in their ritual combat. Because of the lack of ready cover, an archer must stay alert and on thier toes at all times. Being spotted by one of these fierce creatures can be dangerous. B. Bridges: For some unkown reason, Heavy fighters tend to gather at bridges. They strive to reach the other side, push and fighting thier way through. Ironically, it doesn't seem to matter which side they start from, as long as they end up on the opposite bank. It is here that we archers revel in the ease of the kill. Often it is too easy to bag your limit and only the fact that your quiver is empty do you stop. 3. Types of archery equipment: What tips to use, and when. A. There are ,of course, a multitude of tips avaliable this season, the Markland, Thistle and 2 types of Baldar blunts. We won't be discussing the disgusting golf tube thingys. Remember, Heavy fighters are encased in an armor-like skin. The thickness of this pelt varies with each individual. I usually start with a fine Markland tip or perhaps a baldar blunt for average game. I switch to my Thistle tips ,at close range, when I encounter thicker pelted fighters. Often these massive animals are unable to feel that they are dying, stuck on the end of a wonderful shot. It is during these times, One should verbally remind them of this fact. Often a verbal reminder will do the job. B. +++ Special note for the lighter game. Use only the foam covered Marklands to hunt this prey. These animals tend to be VERY thin pelted and are usually easily damaged. 4. Safety tips: when to run like heck. A. A combat archer must ALWAYS be on thier toes and aware of what is going on. For some reason, most of the massive heavy prey hate archers on site and will go to extreme measures to kill us. Upon sighting archery equipment, Heavy fighters tend to foam and fleck at the mouth, in a desperate attempt to stop us. So be aware. One way to avoid such encounters when being chased by these lumbering mammonths, is to run directly into another group of heavies. This tends to confuse the pursuing fighter and they usually stop to fight with the heavies you are hiding among. If you are caught out in the open with no means of escape, Fall to the ground or your knees yelling "I YEILD". This has 2 effects on these animals. 1st, they stop their headlong charge on you and 2nd, instead of whompen you, they tend to just tap you. I don't know if they are confused by the yelling or the falling to the ground. Well, These are all the tips I have for now. The season is opening for a majority of us this weekend at Gothic Wars. Come on out if you can and go hunting with us. Octavia Edited by Mark S. Harris CA-Hunt-Tips-art Page 3 of 3