THE bow was man’s chief weapon down through the ages until the invention of firearms. With the bow, man hunted for food and protected himself from his enemies. The great military nations of the past gained their ascendency through the ability of their archers. Over eight hundred years ago the Mongol horde was turned back into Asia by the long bow.

With the advent of firearms, the use of the bow in English warfare rapidly declined, although archery was enjoyed widely as a sport during the middle ages. The Scots today compete for a silver arrow dated 1603.

Primitive peoples of all countries except Australia have the bow and it was used as a military and a hunting weapon. The American Indian used the bow as his chief weapon, but contrary to popular belief, his skill was not as great as the writers of fiction would have us believe. Feats of which the legendary Robin Hood would have been proud are performed every day by the modern archer whose tackle and equipment has so improved in the last twenty years that records are no sooner established than they are broken. Modern archery tackle is far superior to that used by the Indians and contests between Indians and white men leave no doubt as to the superiority of the modern weapon. The Indian depended on his skill in stalking to secure game, and his kills were made at short distances. Indians of the western plains killed buffalo with the bow and arrow by riding their ponies alongside a fleeing buffalo and discharging their arrows at short range.

Following World War I the late Saxton T. Pope demonstrated that a skilled hunter armed with a medieval broad-headed arrow and a yew bow was able to kill practically every type of game animal in North America including the Kodiak and Grizzly bears and the elusive mountain sheep. The modern Dean of bowhunters is Howard Hill, who not satisfied with matching his skill with the bow against the game of the North American continent, has extended his conquests of wild game to Africa where the mighty elephant has fallen to his bow. His book, “Wild Adventure,” published by The Stackpole Company is a thrilling account of his adventures in hunting and photographing wild game.

If you’ve been told that archery is not an expensive sport then someone sold you a bill of goods. The truth is that archery costs a lot more than most popular sports. And that is primarily why it does not garnish the same attention as other sports such as fishing, running, or badminton. The first thing you have to do is get your archery equipment together, at least one bow; there are several different styles and you need to know what you want. You will also need a number of arrows. These range from the very inexpensive to very high end. Now you need to find a range - these are few and far between in most cases and will charge you a fee. Of course you can practice in your back yard if it is big enough and you can shoot accurately enough to avoid killing the dog.

At one point or another, every archer is going to be in the market for a new bow; his old one is broken, he is just getting into the game, or it’s time for an upgrade. It’s time to keep his eyes open for a sale.

The bow in central to any archer’s game. It is this one piece of equipment that the majority of his sport budget is earmarked for. The type of bow he chooses depends to a great extent on what kind of archery he will be participating in. If he is a bow hunter he has several options. For maximum power he will most likely select a crossbow. If he wants a more challenging hunting experience it might be a compound bow. Most novice archers will be competing in traditional shooting or simply target practice. There is a good range of bows that suit this purpose such as the longbow, the recurve, or a compound bow.

Any of these bows might be found at a comprehensive bow sale. When is the best time to look for a sale? Like automobiles, the best deals are found when the new lines are getting ready to be released and the retailers must make room. With archery bows this time is when the year is drawing to a close. To stay in the know, ask to be placed on your retailer’s email list.

Why not begin your search on the internet? You will be saving time and gasoline. Also, the sales competition on the internet is fierce for bows just like anything else so if you search diligently you are bound to find the model you want at a price you can afford. As a bonus, many online shops offer free shipping or will throw in some kind of bonus teaser, perhaps a discount on arrows or on a case to use when the archer travels to competitions.

If you loose your job due to accident or injury, quite often your company’s disability policy is not enough. The state and federal governments do offer some temporary compensation to help with job loss but what happens when it runs out. This is where unemployment insurance comes in handy.

Many are looking to private companies to top up what the government or their employers currently offer. However, with the growing number of unemployment insurance policies being sold, there unfortunately are a growing number of fraudulent insurance policies on the market.

Fraud can mean someone telling a little white lie to extend their benefit or it can be very serious and include actual bogus policies being sold.

Fraudulent insurance policies are widespread across the insurance industry and the cost is overwhelming. Many who think they can depend on their policies suddenly find they have to use their life savings just to cover expenses. Sometimes homes and other valued possessions are lost when there are no savings to help them survive.

Insurance companies and those who sell fraudulent policies realize it will likely be some time before you actually collect on your policy. This makes it very easy for them to take your money and run. By the time you actually claim on your policy they are long gone.

When purchasing unemployment insurance take the following advice. If you see a company advertising on line, make sure they have a fixed address and phone number. If they have neither of these then don’t purchase from them. This company could be here today and gone tomorrow. Do not give any personal details over the internet. Once they have your account numbers they can do far more damage than a fake insurance policy. See if this company is registered in your state, if not then don’t purchase anything from them. Finally, it is best to purchase policies from large companies. They may be more expensive but their reputations are sound.