I’m delighted to be joined in the latest episode by Darren of Dal archery, based here in the UK. Be warned we completely nerd out on all things arrow building, including different wood options for traditional archers, along with everything archery, from how he first started in archery to coaching. but especially building wooden arrows.
We talk for over two and half hours on the podcast about his passion for archery, including what he shoots and the appeal of English longbow. Detailing how his passion for the hobby has developed over years to now encompass Dal Archery, his business which he has been running since 2019 supply quality arrow shafts to the community.
To be completely honest I think we could have probably carried on talking for a couple of more hours but Dal need to get back to spinning his latest batch of arrow shafts.
You can listen to the episode via Amazon music or on Spotify
I have a very special guest in this episode of the podcast. I am delighted to have Oliver Lewis the owner of Hemlock Archery.
For those of you who don’t know of Hemlock Archery, they are a UK based business selling a variety of archery related products but most noticeably Hemlock wooden arrows.
In the episode we talk about topics from, how it all started, to why Hemlock wood as his wood of choice for arrow shafts. With Oliver offering his top tip is for any wooden arrow shooting archery out there.
As always you can listen to the episode on Spotify or Amazon music
I suggest you take some time and check out Hemlock Archery website and see some of the amazing wooden arrows Oliver produces. They really are quite amazing and below you can see a small selection.
As always thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the episode. I have a couple more guests lined up for future episodes.
The is no doubt that the last few weeks have been very exhausting, with my Mams funeral in Wales, helping at a weekend long scout camp, half term with associated childcare and more. To finish it all off with an ambulance journey to the local hospital accident and emergency department. Why? Well, it was thanks to knocking myself out at the archery wood, when I fell and hit my head on the car park tarmac (asphalt). So in all it’s been very tiring. Anyway, back to the topic of this post.
Before I dive into the main context of this article, I’d like to mention I have recorded a video and uploaded it on YouTube giving a review and my thoughts on the SRT wild boar target. Feel free to check it out. I’m hoping to do more reviews of this kind so if you find them useful let me know.
Onto the main focus of this episode of the podcast and this is a question which could be at best a hugely contentious issue or at worse a downright explosive one.
Here are links to Amazon music and Spotify versions of the podcast can be played below.
Is it time to license bow ownership in the UK?
I explore this question, offering my thoughts on the matter and consider what possible alternatives are available. So you might wonder why I am posing this question.
Well at my Mams funeral I got talking to my cousin who is a police officer and the subject of knife crime and licensing of bows come up in the conversation. This got me thinking and hence this episode.
I try to approach the topic from a pragmatic view point of what is practical or realistic. If you listen to the various media reports you could believe that all bow ownership whether longbow, compound or crossbow is in some ways unnecessary and they should be licensed as firearms are in the UK.
I don’t think licensing is an option, as those who wish to use a bow for nefarious reasons aren’t likely to register ownership. I do think there are some practical steps that could be taken such as limiting the sale of bows to archery shops or recognised sport shops, where people can be given advice on what is suitable. I go into more details in the podcast.
In an ideal world there would not have to be any thought of restrictions but we don’t live in a perfect world and there are people who will use bows inappropriately. Sadly this is likely to always happen. There is one other factor to consider and that are the current media stories and style of reporting, which can be quite sensationalist in some cases and in turn can greatly influence government policy and the general publics view.
Let me know what your thoughts are on the subject. Thanks for reading.
My Archery Experiences 