West Virginia Wildlife from Eyewitness News

Archery

Not just for deer hunting, archery can be much more.

August 15, 2007
Reporter: Patrick McMurtry
Videographer: Brad Rice

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John Drangmbister/Archery Instructor says:
"Archery is not only deer hunting, you can shoot in your back yard, there are 3 D tournaments, there's Olympic-style archery. This area is a little hotbed of good shooting.

"It's relaxing, yet it can be stimulating at the same time. I don't know how to describe it-once the archery bug hits you, you're bit!"

The versatility of the sport is only one reason people are picking up bows for the first time. The popular Archery in the Schools program is introducing the sport to thousands of kids in the state and that gets the parents interested, too.

John Drangmbister/Archery Instructor says:
"It's something you can do forever, it's something you can do well into your golden years, it can be done by young and old and your whole family. In ten minutes, I have the girls busting balloons and they're excited."

That's key...Early and easy success right off the bat keeps the interest level high. John says a big reason people can pick up archery so easy is because the bow they pick up to learn with makes learning fun.

John Drangmbister/Archery Instructor says:
"It's just incredible, these new training bows have made instructor's jobs so much easier. In the old days, the littlest kid picked up the heaviest bow, righ handers picked up left handed bows and you spent half your time sorting out equipment and now with these new trianing bows, the littlest person to adults shoot the same bow."

And chances are, once they pick it up, there's no putting it down.