Long the weapon of choice, the bow and arrow are not seen on the battlefield these days, replaced by high-tech artillery. But a bow still has a place in a survivalist’s kit. It is quiet, it makes no demands on ammunition supply, and you can build one from materials lying around in most woodland with nothing more than a sharp knife.
There are two ways to approach it. A properly seasoned wooden bow takes months of drying, or at the very least days, and gives you a weapon that lasts. A survival bow skips the seasoning, can be used right away and will not last as long, though with decent care it will serve for longer than you might expect. This guide builds the second kind, then covers arrows, shooting, hunting with the finished weapon, and keeping it in working order.
A short history, and why it still matters #
Cultures around the world have hunted and fought with the bow for thousands of years. The design survived because it works: a flexible limb stores energy as it is drawn and releases it into a light projectile. Understanding that principle is the whole of bow making. Every step below is about getting both limbs to bend evenly and keeping the back of the wood intact so the energy stays in the bow and not in a break.
Gathering materials #
Wood. Traditionally, Osage orange, black locust, oak, hickory or maple make great bows, and yew and hickory are classic choices for their flexibility and strength. In the wild you can make do with any strong wood that springs back to its original shape. Look for:
- Straight branches, free of twists and knots, which are easier to shape.
- Wood that is already dead but not rotten. Dry wood needs no extra seasoning time, which speeds the whole process.
- A stave about 2 inches in diameter. Thick staves mean removing a lot of wood, so thinner is easier to work.
Tools. A drawknife, sandpaper and power tools make shaping quick at home. Out in the wild, a sharp survival knife does a decent job.
Step-by-step: making a survival bow #
Step 1: Cut the stave #
The stave should be about as tall as you are. Another way to work it out is to take your desired draw length, double it and add six inches. Longer bows need less bending to reach full draw, so they are less likely to break.
Aim for dry, dead wood with a thicker centre. In an emergency, green wood works, but it won’t give the same draw power. Cut the branch cleanly with no cracks, which could split the limbs in use.
Find the natural curve #
Every piece of wood has a natural curve, however slight, and it decides where the limbs, belly, back and handhold go.
Stand the stave upright on the ground and press the middle lightly. The bend shows its natural curve. The inner side of the bend is the belly and the outer side is the back.
Leave the back of the bow untouched. The back carries the most tension when the bow is drawn, so any split or crack there can break the bow.
Mark the handhold with charcoal, three inches either side of the midpoint. The handhold is the 6-inch section in the middle, with the upper and lower limbs on either side.
Step 3: Shape the bow #
Find out where the limbs bend easily and where they don’t. Rest one end on your foot, hold the other end vertical, and push the belly side outward to see whether the bow bends equally along its length. Where the wood is stiff, use your knife to take off wood until the limbs bend evenly.
Only remove material from the belly. Never take wood off the back. What you want is a smooth curve with both limbs bending equally and mirroring each other, with very little bend at the handhold and the limb tips. Be patient and check progress often, and take extra care with narrow staves, which need little shaping.
Cut the string notches #
Once the bow is evenly shaped, cut notches near each limb tip to hold the string. Filing or carving, take care not to damage the back or cut so deep that you weaken the limb. Start from the sides and carve into the belly towards the handhold, only going deep enough to seat the cord once you have tied loops at both ends.
For the string, use fishing line, plant fibre, nylon rope or synthetic cordage. Avoid anything very stretchy, which cuts the bow’s power. Make the string about 2 inches shorter than the bow so both are taut when strung. When strung, aim for a gap of 5 to 6 inches between the taut string and the handhold.
Do not pull the string to full draw at this point, since that can break the bow. Sinew works as a traditional string material, as does nylon, and either must be strong enough to hold the tension of repeated shots. A badly strung bow can fail under load.
Step 5: Tiller the bow #
Tillering is probably the most crucial step. Out in the wild you won’t have a tillering rack, but you can hang the bow horizontally from a tree branch by its handhold.
Give the string a slight tug and watch how each limb bends. Pull downward, note which limb bends less, and shave off the stiff part, leaving the weaker spots (which bend more) untouched. Keep tugging, a little further each time, and fix the limbs, checking between each cut. When you can reach full draw (the distance between your jaw and the handhold) with both limbs bending evenly, tillering is done.
Test the draw weight #
Draw weight decides what you can hunt. To measure it, stand a five-foot piece of 2x4 vertically on a bathroom scale and balance the bow on top by the handhold. Pull down to full draw length, and the scale will show the draw weight.
Making arrows #
The shaft #
Ideally, arrow shafts are dead, dry, straight sticks. Wood is the practical choice in the wild, and it is easy to work. Bamboo and carbon fibre also make durable, accurate arrows if you have them. If a shaft is crooked, heat the bent spot, move it slightly past straight in the opposite direction and hold it there as it cools. It will keep its new shape.
The point #
The simplest approach is to sharpen the end of the shaft into a point rather than attaching a head. If you do have heads, the choice depends on the job:
- Broadheads are for hunting larger game.
- Bodkin points were designed to punch through armour, so they have little use for hunting.
- Field points are for target practice.
The nock #
Cut a nock into the rear end of the shaft that fits the bowstring snugly.
Fletching #
Fletching stabilises the arrow in flight. Feathers are preferred for traditional arrows, and they damp the arrow’s movement and keep it steady. Plastic vanes also work. If neither is available, pine needles are a field alternative, and so is duct tape. Sandwich the back end of the shaft between two pieces and trim to the shape of a traditional fletching. It will not fly as well as feathers, but it helps considerably and takes minimal effort.
Learning to shoot #
A bow is only as good as the person using it. Focus on stance, draw and aim, and adjust your form until your shots group tightly. Shooting needs focus, technique and precision, and it improves with repetition. Practise under some pressure as well, since a calm target session tells you little about how you’ll shoot when it matters.
Never fire the bow without an arrow on the string, since that can break it.
Hunting and defence with a primitive weapon #
A bow is quiet and efficient for small game such as rabbits, squirrels and birds. The same range and accuracy that works for food can deter predators or threats, but a survival bow is a limited tool and should not be your first answer to a dangerous encounter. Where a bow is out of reach, survival snares and traps are the quieter alternative.
If you hunt with it, the ethical standard goes up, because the margin for error is smaller. Weigh draw weight and accuracy honestly, and don’t take a shot you aren’t confident about. Aim for vital organs to kill quickly and humanely, and keep practising on targets at varying distances and angles to simulate real hunting. Learn the habits of the animals you target, move slowly and quietly, and take only what you need within the local seasons, bag limits and reporting rules. Spears are the other primitive option. They are harder to use and effective only at close range, which is one reason the bow tends to win out. Safe and sustainable hunting for food sets out the wider ethics.
Care and maintenance #
With care, frequent tillering and periodic oiling, a quickie bow will last a long time.
- Oil. Smooth the belly with sandpaper and apply a light oil, tung oil or linseed oil, to prevent premature drying.
- Inspect. Check regularly for cracks, splits and frayed strings, and replace a worn string before it fails.
- Re-tiller. If a limb starts taking a set or bending unevenly, shave carefully to rebalance it.
- Store. Keep the bow and arrows in a cool, dry place away from moisture and sunlight.
Making your own bow and arrow takes patience and persistence. It is a skill worth having, and one you will understand properly only after you have made your first bow and broken it. More like this is in the survival skills section.