Archery – The Revival

Drawing a bowstring and a crowd

By Robert Michon

Let’s face it, archery’s had a pretty bad run the past few hundred years. Accustomed to modern conveniences, the majority of us aren’t hunting for our own food these days. And those who are, aren’t often favouring bows and arrows. But thanks to a current pop-culture obsession with all things Katniss, archery is enjoying a spike in popularity. Not only are Edmontonians eager to learn this lost art, there are ranges, like Wyld Archery, just waiting to get you started. Care to take aim? Here are a few things to know.

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A Growing Community

Edmonton has always had its hunting suppliers, but when Wyld Archery’s founder Justin Watson set up shop, his was the only dedicated archery range in the city. “I’ve been shooting for 30 years now,” he says, “and during most of that time there were just never any official lanes that I could use. Eventually, I just decided to fill that gap myself.”

It took a while for the idea of dedicated lanes to catch on, but over the years, Wyld Archery has built a solid community of shooters, which continues to grow along with the rising global archery trend. Edmonton’s archery community has grown so much in fact, that while Justin may have been the first in the city to open up dedicated lanes, he wasn’t the only one who noticed a business opportunity. There are over half a dozen archery shops, complete with ranges, open across the capital region today. While many of these shops cater more towards the hunting community, Wyld proudly serves every kind of archer you could imagine. “We’re an archery shop first and foremost,” says Justin, “We don’t care if you want to hunt, shoot at paper targets, whether you’re amateur, pro, young, old—whatever. We just want people to have fun shooting.” And true to this philosophy, Justin does get quite a wide range of customers, from kids on school field trips, to sharp shooters, to historical role-playing groups. Wyld welcomes anyone looking to hone his or her skills.

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The Hollywood Effect

If you’re wondering who is responsible for the sudden rise in the popularity of archery, you need look no further than Hollywood. Justin keeps track of archery on the big screen. “Pretty much any time we see something new in the media that highlights archery in some way, we see a huge surge of people coming in to shoot. The Hunger Games, Arrow, The Avengers, Brave—Disney has honestly been great for us. They get people excited about archery.”

While all kinds of people are starting to pick up bows, Justin has noticed that women are coming out in especially large numbers. “In my first few years of shooting, I only knew of two female shooters, and they were both coaches of mine. I really like seeing more women getting into the sport. I think a lot of it does have to do with movies like The Hunger Games and Brave. Women are seeing these positive role models in movies and saying, ‘If she can do it, then so can I.’”

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Practice, Practice, Practice

Of course, many of these archery hopefuls lose interest after about a month of shooting, disappointed that they have not quite become Hawkeye or Katniss Everdeen. But each surge also brings in new people who excel at the sport and quickly become archers for life. As a veteran archer, Justin has the same advice for all newcomers, “What people really need to understand is that archery is a patience sport. It’s rewarding, but you have to expect to put some practice in before you start seeing results.”

If all of that practice sounds daunting though, don’t worry, you’ll be improving more than your aim. Archery works out muscles that you really don’t use in day-to-day life. Master archers might not notice the strain, but as a beginner, you’ll feel the burn.

So whether you’re looking to get into hunting, historical re-enactments, sharpshooting or just wanting to try out a fun new activity this summer, look no further than your nearest archery range. The lanes are open, the bows are strung and your target awaits.

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Where to Shoot

Wyld Archery Pro Shops and Lanes:

14805 Yellowhead Trail, Edmonton

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Cabela’s North:

15320 37 Street NW, Edmonton

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Cabela’s South:

6150 Currents Dr NW, Edmonton

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Jim-Bows Archery Edmonton:

13955 156 St NW, Edmonton

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Capital Region Archery Club:

5618 76 Ave NW, Edmonton

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Sherwood Park Archery Club:

51419 Range Rd 223, Sherwood Park

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