I was reading the rules of target archery in Witchery, page 254. Check out rule #18:

18. That no archer shall be allowed on the grounds if he is known to shoot left-handed.

I feel this was a fine and proper rule and should be put in place today. Nobody should disgrace the sport by shooting left-handed.

Maurice was also describing shooting methods and wrote the arrow should not be held at full draw for more than 1 second, and you should never so much as even glance at the arrow when drawing and shooting. You shoot by feel. He's correct here too. Today, we have all these prima donnas who hold the bow forever before gapping. Talk about a flock of turkeys! True archers hit full draw and let her rip! It's about time some of you folks return to the traditions and techniques that molded this sport into what it is today.

Joe

Frisky where does that leave Fred Bear he was lefty wasn't he?.Maurice ain't necessarily right either.Hey my last name is Thompson too and I am a lefty.Us Thompsons have been known to make mistakes and if Maurice is some long lost ancester he may have been wrong too. South paw and proud.The grail ain't so good cause the shelf was put on the wrong side.What a pitty. OSR

OSR- I thought of Fred, but he was a righty. Some schumk goofed with his form and caused him to get target panic, so he had to switch to the wrong side to cure it. He did shoot fast though.

Joe

Left handers are the only ones to shoot with the arrow on the "right" side of the bow! So you guys are the ones doing it wrong!

Gee Frisky. I thought you would have asked this thread to be debate free. You are a pot stirrer of the first order.

Gee Frisky, You are a pot stirrer of the first order, X2 LOL

Danny, good comeback. Frisky, one man's opinion. To heck with the 'Rules'. What would the world be without variety? Boring as all hang. And I'm not even a lefty.

I'm speechless Frisky

Looks as if we will enjoy this ride too.Must admit you always provide us with good entertainment Frisky.I doubt I am any relation to the Thompson bros anyway and I am only left handed in archery.My recently departed moms maiden name was Outlaw.Now her being british ,I wonder if any long lost connection to Robbin Hood could be present.Just a fantasy of mine.None the less its always fun flinging arro's.I can shoot right too if need be.

Just a new vicious rumour comes to mind its now a 'Holy fail' for being a righty.It was 'Holy Snail' but no one knows for sure. Seriously its a nice stick though.(jelously) OSR

You wrote it youself (he had to switch to the left to shoot right)

Maybe the Asians have it correct where they shoot right handed, off the right side of the bow?

Us lefties fall into the ten percentile archery category...BUT...we lefties use 90 % of our brains. Conversely, there are 90 % right hand archers which use....well you can finish the sentence.

Go left, or go home...... : O )))))))))

Just a few comments. Nobody should mention me in regard to this thread, as I only quoted directly from Witchery on left-handed shooting.

I've noticed, if a dual-shelved bow is handed to a right-handed complete novice, he or she will place the arrow on the right side. It makes sense. Asian shooters are just making good sense with their methodology.

Take note of the Witchery comments on shooting form. Hold for 1 sec at most and shoot without a glance at the arrow. This is also common sense, lost to today's "expert" archers.

Joe

Fred shot lefty because he was missing the end of a finger on his right hand.

'It's about time some of you folks return to the traditions and techniques that molded this sport into what it is today.'

So what you are saying is this sentence is quoted from 'Witchery', and not yours? Thx. If it is yours, then you should be mentioned. If not, then no.

"True archers hit full draw and let her rip! It's about time some of you folks return to the traditions and techniques that molded this sport into what it is today."

I don't need anyone to define for me what is "traditional" and what is not...especially when making comments this stupid.

If we left handed folks want competition, we shoot with other lefties..

Drove 6 hours to the Michigan Longbow shoot years ago with a left hand recurve.Was told to leave, always thought it was because of the recurve bow.

I read a British article that referred to left handed shooters as being bandits and outlaws, since no servant of the Queen would ever shoot left handed.

William Wallace won independence for Scotland...he was no servant of the Queen... His army of archers probably had some leftys, eh? ;) Border Reivers, aka. Armstrong Clan, of which I am a direct descendent (maternal Grandma was an Armstrong), probably did too.. We don't need no stinkin' rules, Frisky. 'Flock of turkeys?', 'Prima Donnas'? Don't need labels, either... 'Judge not, lest yee be judged...'

Frisky, Do you lay awake at night dreaming up stuff to get everybodys dander up?? You are doing a damn fine job of it though!

All this info makes me want to change to a lefty...Funny reading though

Lefties are better shots :)

FYI Frisky. Fred switched to a leftie because of an injury to one of his drawing finger's on his right hand.

Didn't Glen St. Charles shoot lefty also?

The only reason for banning lefties would be that they had a great and unfair natural advantage over righties.

The only Leftie I'd ban is Obama... Did I say that???

Amazing how all of you get in a twist just because our good pal mentions something that's been in one of the most important & popular archery manuals in the historical record for anyone to read for over the last 100 years. Really, even into the 1950's when I was in grade school all the poor lefties were getting their wrists slapped every time they tried to write or pick their nose.

As a lifetime lefty archer I've always been amused & irritated by that passage. Thinking about it, I considered that during the 100 Year's War- or in any massed archery battles you wouldn't want one archer in ten canting the bow opposite to everyone else- anymore than you can have a lefty fiddle player in the orchestra (You could put someone's eye out!). But, there is a picture of the battle of Poitiers showing English archers- a righty and a lefty- shooting back to back with plenty of room, so who knows.

The Asian right side reference is really stupid. It has to do with the thumb draw, not with "Asian" brains being wired differently or anything. In case you all hadn't noticed, we have opposable thumbs. Put it on the string and draw- and notice how the string is twisting the opposite direction to your finger draw. And yes, we know you can shoot thumb release off either side, but typically, usually, and historically, righty thumb release shooters shoot off the right side. And lefties like myself shoot thumb release off the left side- which means in a pinch I can shoot an ordinary right-handed-for-fingers bow lefty with the thumb draw. And plenty of Asians have their own three finger- "Mediterranean" release traditions- Bhutanese have never used the thumb release, and Mongolians have normal thumb release, "wrong" side thumb release, & 3 finger release.

Glenn St. Charles switched to lefty after giving himself a case of incurable, uncontrollable snap shooting. Later he was able to go back to righty when necessary. All in "Billets to Bows", one of the great archery books everyone should have in their library. He discusses the "Myth of the Master Eye" in that chapter.

Thanks Frisky for spicing things up.

Brad we ought to mention that all the cool shooters in Alberta shoot left handed cause the women think that makes us both handsome and handy...heck even some of the women shoot left handed...come to think of it Cynthia may shoot a compound but I could just sit and watch her shoot for hours and I suspect she started out shooting a recurve

DDave

A lot of the greats are left handed ,,, whoo hoo ,, don't hate ,, it really is ok ......

Yeah...would any one here want to have told Fred Bear and Glenn St. Charles they were not welcome...they both started out as rightys until they got wise

DDave

Yeppers, I too read that in "The Witchery of Archery", back when I had a borrowed copy. I kinda felt funny, thinking how I'd have been banned from all those English longbow tournaments, or even the recreational Sunday day on the lawn.

But then: my Scottish and Irish bloodlines would start to roil, I'd pick up my Vigilante, and I'd scream "FREEEEEEDOMMMMMMM" at the top of my lungs, before "loosing" a 1713 23SRT-x (the ancient version of the 24SRT-x) high into the sky.

Maurice would probably be hiding.......

Too funny!

Don't want to violate any rules, so I'll get "right" on this one.

Ya'll be sure to watch the classifieds for my now worthless, rule breaking LH bows.

Tell this guy! It's Good Friday so I'll keep it to myself. <')))><

The term, "sinister," means left-handed. Look it up.

I am left-handed but shoot righty because I want to be traditional. Never look at the arrow, either, just as Maurice, and Frisky dictate.

Thanks for sharing that information, Frisky. It's good to know that the Legend of the North has my back!

I'm glad you're all getting upset with Maurice and not me. I didn't write the offending remark. It was great to come across it, five pages from the end of the book, lol! I said to myself, I'm gonna blast them thar lefties, right now! I would have banned Fred and Glenn on the spot! I would have told them they weren't even fit to shoot with the ladies! The moral? Start shooting right handed and releasing within one second, and don't look at that arrow on the shot sequence. That will get you shootin' like a real man!

Joe

Frisky, you not only opened the wound about left handers but you took a swipe at gappers. Now the left handed thing I could go along with but shooting within one second and not looking at the arrow....well....that's a bridge too far.

I'm going to have to read your book "Frisky's Snap Shooting Methods: The Fastest Pathway to Target Panic."

Plus, start shooting at 40 yards and beyond, like real men did!

Joe

I don't think there is any such thing as target panic. That's another invention of modern "experts" who need an excuse for poor shooting. I'm going with what Maurice advises!

Joe

Beam me up Scotty... there's no intelligent life here. <')))><

Frisky come to think of it I do shoot right handed, do release quick and do shoot over 40 yards...guess I am okay after all

DDave

I'm sure this means there will be no left handed versions of the ultimate quiver...

What few know is that lefties are not only better shooters but also better lovers. :o)

Probably no left-handed string silencers, either!

I've been debating whether or not I should build a lefty quiver, given the sinister nature of those people.

Joe

I agree, Frisky. Left-handers are the spawn of the devil and should be banned from all archery grounds.

Yes, there is something sinister about a left-handed bow and the people who use them. There's something very wrong about it.

Joe

I herd it said many, many times that leftys were special? I do not know I'm right sided best I can tell. Don't quote out of comic books it could leave you a fool or egg on your face.LOL

Only man I generally quote is the LORD!

Reason being is most men are BS and trouble makers! You know ths saying War Mongers!

We all know how it goes. In order to recieve a blessing try being a blessing.

Lord help us all we all need it.

"Lord help us all we all need it."

Amen Cat

Did Ryman just say that Maurice's Witchery is a comic book??

Guess I can scratch that book off my list.:)

LOL! Say yes when you mean yes and no when you mean no. Anything else is from the evil one.

Joe

"I was reading the rules of target archery in Witchery, page 254. Check out rule #18:

18. That no archer shall be allowed on the grounds if he is known to shoot left-handed."

When Target Archers stand on the line, right hand shooters are face to back. A left hand shooter would be face to face to a RH. This probably caused some self conscious right hander to not like being looked at when he was trying to concentrate on the target so he make up a rule to keep left hander's off the line.

Ron: I think you're right. However, I'd bet those lefties would attempt to intimidate the decent right-handed shooters. This forced them to keep the lefties right off the grounds! It was a fine and proper solution to a big problem.

Joe

You're probably right Joe, if you can't beat em ban em. 8>)

But Frisky, think of this: if three of us "FREEEEEEDOMMMMMM" yelling Lefty Archers could be together, in theory, 3 Lefts DO make a Right......

And we'd outnumber ya while doing so.....

!!!

Harry- the reason I even brought the subject up is to let people know it's ok to hate left-handed bows. If everyone shot right-handed, we'd have a better selection on eBay.

Joe

Am naturally leftheanded myself but grade school was a oneroom schoolhouse ... come recess everyone elsr was rthanded - all the equipmt like ball baseball gloves rthanded so l do most sports that way too. BUT l find l live my life like a Southpaw. Lady yelled at me in the parking lot Hey didn't you see the arrows? I yelled back Hell no - l didn't even see the Indian! :o) 0ly

And Joe, All is Cool! I simply enjoy the Braveheart Movie, even if it is "The Ennnnglish" shooting the longbows at my ancestors.

I keep looking for, in the movie, a lefty, but 'they 'a'int there...

I'll shoot a couple of my Lefties tomorrow in YOUR honour!! (PS: Only 1 came from eBay, and it had 3 sets of limbs...)!

Hey Frisky if they are getting their noses out of joint than its tuff luck.You provide us with so much fun it ain't (funny)Yeah well really it is.I say to the nay sayers take a chill pill. I am in this for the fun . I don't want to be 'LEFT 'out.Excuse the pun. OSR

I think it's important to at least try to feel some empathy for the poor, handicapped lefties. In the past, folks were tougher and reacted differently to those with special needs like left-handed bows. They just banned them.

Joe

Hey Ron on the fireing line two archers being face to face should not have been a deterant.I reckon the righties just weren't tough enough to handle it.Surely a righty could have intiminated a lefty just as much too.As I said before my last name is Thompson and I shoot left and Maurice must be wrong.Besides it one could place lefties at the left of the line and no face to face contact would happen.They weren't real smart back then I reckon. OSR

Whoah there frisky... us Leftys are sort of like Ginger Rogerrs! Everybody thinks Fred Astair was the best dancer BUT Ginger did everything Fred did, she did it backwards, AND she did it in highheels!

i remember shooting a full double york round in a championship target tourney around 1960 with a left handed archer as my partner on the line. we conspired together to mentally destroy a fellow competitor we didn't like. since we were face to face, we would have conversations about how hard the wind was blowing at the target, "am i at full draw?", and other things we would think up. when the guy we disliked complained to the field judge, we both lit into him and told him to shut his mouth and quit bothering us. we said there is no rule about us talking but there is a rule about the competitors behind us talking in a loud manner and bothering us. later in the day, the guy was taken to the e.r due to too many tranquilizers mixed with booze. i have liked lefties since that day!!!

Yeah but look this way if we didn't come back on Joe then just imagine we might never run out of rope to hang him with?

Joes knows we love him and nothing serious. Yes I ment it comic books! Most of them guys hurt their hands so much by patting themselfs on the back they lose focus.LOL

Then some character slips along named Mighty Joe Grail and uses it to light fires.LOL

Take that book with you in your pack and use it to the call of nature while out in the wild wnen needed.LOL

Thats what I think of them books.LOL Others opinions of how things are.LOL

RymanCat- It's important for you to understand The Witchery of Archery was the first American book on the sport and did much to popularize archery in America. In the book, the author inadvertently lets us know that archery is a sport of the elite. It's a sport for gentlemen and dames. It's not a sport for drunken, sinister lefties. They were not even allowed on the grounds! The book has a chapter devoted to Robin Hood, a murderous drunkard himself, but a right hander and a great shot. It also discusses a bum who came upon the archers and declared himself to be a gentleman. They held him in a bit of contempt until they saw him shoot! Now, if a lefty could shoot, I'm sure these old-time elitists would have changed their minds. So, we must approach this book with an understanding of the times and spirit in which it was written. I think you should read it! I can send you a link to the free pdf file.

Joe

As previously mentioned, yes the left hand was "sinister". My Scottish clan badge...MacAlister...features "a dexter (right) hand holding a dagger in pale, all in proper"...along with the clan motto, "Fortiter"...Latin for "Boldly".

Right hand...boldly...Frisky, I think you're on to something......

Don't forget, Joe, that paint chips can have a most deleterious effect on one's cognitive capacity.

I'm guessing the reason for this thread may be that some right handed archer at some point and time was beaten and humiliated by a superior left handed archer and this is the right handed archers demented form or revenge. Now I may be wrong but it's the only reason that makes sense to me.

It's interesting how all these deranged lefties are coming out of the woodwork, like roaches on a feeding frenzy after the light go out!

Joe

Be nice guys,lol. If you wanna hear archery's history you gotta hear it all. Not just the politically correct parts,lol. Frisky is just tryin to teach history? Hmm

Yes. I'm certified as a Social Studies teacher. I'm just trying to teach!

Joe

I don't know where this prejudice for left handed comes from. A psychiatrist would probably conclude that it came from being frightened as a child by a left handed person...maybe spanked left handed. If that's the case it wasn't hard enough to "teach" a lesson.

Do you feel the love?

OR it could be that lefties committed atrocities over the ages, thereby earning their banishment from the civilized?

Joe

Lefties probably developed gapping and crossbows!

Joe

Lefties probably developed gapping and crossbows!

Joe

Ooops! Not too often I get the double post.

Joe

And he most likely did that with his 'right' hand ... hmmmm?

And he most likely did that with his 'right' hand ... hmmmm?

And he most likely did that with his 'right' hand ... hmmmm?

And he most likely did that with his 'right' hand ... hmmmm?

Be careful what you wish for Frisky. :)

This is totally wrong.I now have a daily addiction to this thread.Just can't wait for the next vicious rumour.Better than days of our lives. There should be a new TV show called the Frisky archery show.Hey I would watch it.What do ya all reckon? OSR

The real story is all real Whitch's were left handed thus the Witchery of archery was made for right handers in order to try and help them shoot. He-He-He- Haw. :-)

Hey hey OSR... I agree. And of course the part of Frisky would have to be played by Susan Lucci. Everybody loves to trash Susan! Or or, how about Farrah Fawcet? Remember how we would watch anything, and l do mean Anything, if it had Farrah Fawcet in it! :o)

Hey hey OSR... I agree. And of course the part of Frisky would have to be played by Susan Lucci. Everybody loves to trash Susan! Or or, how about Farrah Fawcet? Remember how we would watch anything, and l do mean Anything, if it had Farrah Fawcet in it! :o)

Hey hey OSR... I agree. And of course the part of Frisky would have to be played by Susan Lucci. Everybody loves to trash Susan! Or or, how about Farrah Fawcet? Remember how we would watch anything, and l do mean Anything, if it had Farrah Fawcet in it! :o)

Hey hey OSR... I agree. And of course the part of Frisky would have to be played by Susan Lucci. Everybody loves to trash Susan! Or or, how about Farrah Fawcet? Remember how we would watch anything, and l do mean Anything, if it had Farrah Fawcet in it! :o)

Hey Frisky, The last portion of ridiculousness that prompted me to sign in was also your brainchild- Back quivers are wrong, and no one knows how to make a good one in any case..........

Just checking in mate- how are your revolutionary designs coming on? you kept refering to how good yours were/would be.

Come on mate, thought you would have something to show us by now..........

Frisky, show us your quivers!

Mate?

Mr. Larry Hatfield, May I some day shoot with you? I'm a Lefty, and I can bring two Vigilantes.....?? Signed, HARRY CARRY, your Gatherer, wannabe Target Archer fellow Leatherwaller.....

Hey weren't leftys feared in baseball and especially in boxing.

See thats a book I would have stayed away from no drunkeness or wild nights out what fun was that?

Poor guy must have blown wind and feather blew back and up his butt. LOL

How could archery have been a game of only kings and the elite whn cave men started things and they were tools of war. Come on now sounds like a snoty yaughty to me? Probably drunk his vino from a siler cup rather than straight from the keg. LOL

a word of advice

We need to calm down here. It's Holy Saturday! The real villains here are the archers from the 1800s, including Maurice (pronounced Morris according to Skookum in his fine book). I'm just bringing an old rule to light. No use shooting the messenger!

Joe

I shot a hockey puck right handed, also a lacrosse ball and a baseball bat but I shoot a recurve lefthanded because my left arm is 5.5 inches shorter than my right arm due to osteomyelitis at age 2 months before penicillin was available. I am right eyed dominant but I still can shoot my recurve as well as a lot of archers

Dazza- I completed the molds for brush buttons and silencers and will have the first prototypes complete this week! I'm getting closer to world domination.

Joe

Who cares?

What we can't shoot the messenger.?Some here would love to pepper your butt with arro's so you look like a porcipine.Me myself I wouldn't be that childish.Although my family name is Thompson I ain't to blame either.Maurice ain't any relation of mine that I know of. So the Frisky vs lefty saga goes on.Whats comming up on the next? I am getting out the pop corn and a beer. Loving it OSR

Frisky ... we have laws against left handed archery equipment and laws banning left handers making bows and strings here ....

The Sheriffs of London and Middlesex were ordered on the 27th of October 1369 to supply 1000 sheaves of arrows and twenty dozen "Bowes of Yewe" not for the "sinister hand"

If any of you are thinking of making and or selling long bow strings in London you could face a fine of up to six shillings and eight pence from the City Chamberlain ... according to the ordinance of the Ancient Company of Longbowstringmakers (all one word) 15th of November 1498.

You'll be called before the Master and Wardens of the company and asked by what authority you were "well and truly governed" so there should be no "false work and no work sold from the sinister hand". If you could not prove that you were "well franchised" and be able to "make true and able work" a further fine of three shillings and four pence is to be imposed and your strings are to be put in the Town Clerks keeping. If it is found that the "foreigner" was not making strings of "well chosen" English hemp but is using "tubbed" or Coleyn Hemp then an additional fine of five shillings is to be imposed ...

Phil- That's interesting. There has to be something to this "sinister hand" or they wouldn't have frowned upon it. Today, we're just too permissive. We need more traditional policemen to purify a once dignified sport.

Joe

We need constant vigilance Frisky against the "sinister" invasion

Ah, Frisky and Phil, to use your vernacular... l have some good stocks and bonds for the pair of ya and l ain't no financial advisor! :o)

Did you know that being left-handed is basically a requirement to hold the U.S. presidency? Lefties comprise just 10 percent of the population, yet the only right-handed president over the past three decades was George Dubya Bush. What does it mean? Are the left-dominant a superior race? Is the “evil” hand some sort of Illuminati-approved symbol?

As of 2012, four (five if Reagan is counted) out of the last seven presidents have been left-handed. In the 1992 election, all three major candidates – George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot – were left-handed. The 1996 election also involved three left-handed candidates: Clinton, Perot, and Bob Dole. Additionally, both major-party candidates in the 2008 presidential election – Barack Obama and John McCain – were left-handed.

According to Daniel Geschwind, a professor of human genetics at UCLA: “[The phenomenon] is statistically significant, and probably means something.”

Obviously left handed people are superior over right handers, whether it be shooting a bow or leading the Country

Wow! So that's how this country got into such a mess,lol.

Keep in mind boys and girls what we teach in NASP is that the dominate eye is what determines bow handedness. My sweet Bec is right handed but left eye dominate so she shoots left handed. We see this more in girls for some reason.

The Presidents being lefties is proof of evil intent, as far as I'm concerned. How many Olympic champs were lefties? Probably none. Is Lars a leftie? Is Byron a leftie? There's nothing special about lefties. They should learn to shoot like the rest of us or stay on the porch!

Joe

Glenn St Charles didn't mind shooting next to a lefty

Ollie, if you think his comment is stupid, then you should see the Grail bow he uses——now, there is something that IS really stupid!

When that photo was taken, Glenn was so old, he couldn't see who was shooting next to him! That said, some folks get a pass and can shoot whatever they want, however they want. Ron is in that category, lol! Honestly though, the only folks who should be banned are three under shooters.

Skookum- I heard something about your 62" recurve coming off a 62" Drake Hunter-Flight form. Interesting!

Joe

I'm left eye dominant but in my neck of the woods they would smack your hands if you did something left handed as a young child. So I ended up right handed in everything except one of the things I learned on my own. I shoot guns left handed. I got a righty bow for Christmas so I shoot bow right handed.

Always felt good about shooting left (3 under). Now I find out OBAMA & McCAIN are lefties...........This may take some time to get over

It is for their own good!

Joe

Whenever the Bible mentions left-handed people, it does not present left-handedness as a weakness. Ehud, a judge of Israel and a mighty warrior, was left-handed (Judges 3:15-21). Judges 20:16 mentions 700 left-handed warriors who could “sling a stone at a hair and not miss.” First Chronicles 12:2 seems to reference bowmen who were ambidextrous. When the Bible refers to left-handed people, it speaks of left-handedness as an advantage, not a weakness.

lol

I stand vindicated--thanks, Ron!

Same exact story as GLF, too. I'm sure it's easier to shoot a bow having a cross dominant eye than shoot a gun that way.

"A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not meet words of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving. Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy acceptance." Proverbs 14:6-9

Frisky, you need to come out with your own line of bait. It really works here.

Na, I don't think his bait worked that well. I think most took it as a joke and posted as such. I know I did, all except the one about getting hands smacked, that is true.

Someone sent me this, Frisky was that you?

I don’t think the deer and the elk that I shot this year minded too much that the arrow came off of the left side of the shelf.

You guys and gals can have your shooting lanes free of leftys and we’ll be in the field chasing critters :-) ?

I hope we all learned a lesson from this. I did. I learned that lefties have a history of rejection in this sport due to sinister behavior. A well-known leftie in this thread is a perfect case in point. I think lefties lack sportsmanship. You have all heard the expression- I'm in the right! Have you ever heard someone say they're in the left? Again, I urge my fellow wallers to return to their roots and reject all forms of evil!

Joe

Wouldn't instigating be a form of evil?

"Prejudice squints when it looks and Lies when it talks"

I'm sorry but RULES IS RULES! This rule has been on the books for at least 150 years. Right around Indiana and Michigan too!

Back in the 80s, I worked with a left-handed convenience store robber named Charlie. When people would come in too late to buy beer, he'd say, "Sorry but rules is rules." I usually just sold them the beer. I paid no attention to no stinkin' rules.

Joe

In the Willy Nelson song about Pancho and Lefty we all saw the betrayal by Lefty. Maybe there is something to all this..

I am right handed, but have a left master eye, so of course I shoot left handed........

Left hand shooters live in the center of the universe,

Although while Fred Bear was a snap shooter it's really a more modern traditional style for mainly short drawing, over-bowed, longbow traditionalist.

Holding long enough after a full draw and trying to figure where your arrow might go predates traditionalism.

Pancho was bandit. Lefty only did what he had to do...out of kindness, I suppose.

Left handed Charlie obeyed the law right handed Joe paid no attention at all

Joe made his own rules, thumbed his nose at the law It sounds to me like a right handed flaw

Frisky, you are the only guy on here that can start a thread that lasts for days and it's always an entertaining read.

"If I hadn't switched from left to right handed I wouldn't be here now"

Guins- I'm always right, and this bothers the old guard who think you have to gap shoot with wooden arrows and crappy selfbows to be called an archer!

Joe

I saw the light and at 45 years old have switched to left handed shooting...

Frisky — what about a whippersnapper who thinks that shooting dinky, artificial plastic arrows, without any discernible aiming method, from a real crappy Grail bow at mini gophers or monstrous Minnesota mosquitoes makes him a magnificent bowhunter?

Skookum- I've met that kind. Crookedstix comes to mind. They all think they're a bunch of legends!

joe

Howdya like this rule??? Me, not so much...

The one lefty I'd rule out...

I believe we can learn all we need to know from the Bible….Ecclesiastes10:2 says "A wise mans heart inclines him to the right but a fools heart toward the left" Now I don't know of he was talking about the direction you cant The bow or the shooting hand but ether way it's quite clear. I suspect it apply's to politics just as well…Just saying!

AK.. All major religions, go hand in hand with politics... They have always been one and the same.. Paul and Constantine are prime examples for Christianity.. Quran, suffers the same problems..

I was born right handed and right eye dominant..so that's how I shoot archery well.

I know many a left handed archer or cross dominant archer who also shoot well..Down the line..to the mark..

The world is sort of a right hander place..

Ever try to use a good pair of scissors in the left hand? They don't cut quite the same as when used right handed..

So many things are made and built for right handed folks.. Handguns, firearms come to mind..

Two of my sons are right handed and left eye dominant..

They shoot firearms and bows left handed and do fine..

When you write a letter..unless it's in the old hebrew..( left to right) right to left lends itself to the right handed writer..:) Now keyboards and typewriters help..

Frisky Joe..thanks for a fun topic..:)Jim

The only thing Frisky does left-handed is give compliments. And a left-handed compliment is no compliment at all!

I think it's important for lefties to realize they were never welcome in this sport and should be grateful for the prevailing atmosphere of magnanimity.

Joe

The only thing worse than being left-handed in a right-handed world is to have a cross-dominant eye. Yet some, maybe many, have overcome that condition and hardly consider it a handicap.

No backcountry, there is at least one thing worse and that is 'stupid'. I don't mean 'ignorant' cus ignorance is just 'uneducated'... but stupid like ugly goes clear thru to the bone! As a farmboy starting out in a 1room schoolhouse l was headed for uneducated or, at the least, poorly educated. But very good fortune saw me thru to a couple of advaced degrees (MS/ Stanford) and along the way l learned alil about people. Skookum hinted that l thot Frisky stupid; Not At All. He much like myself is so confident of himself he can play the part of the jester to entertain us. Frisky ... and risky. I'm afraid l have grown old, and fat, and mostly tired. Too tired to be frisky so l thank Joe for doing it, cuz you know we need it. We all need it. Joe, l consider you a friend that l just ain't met yet!

No backcountry, there is at least one thing worse and that is 'stupid'. I don't mean 'ignorant' cus ignorance is just 'uneducated'... but stupid like ugly goes clear thru to the bone! As a farmboy starting out in a 1room schoolhouse l was headed for uneducated or, at the least, poorly educated. But very good fortune saw me thru to a couple of advaced degrees (MS/ Stanford) and along the way l learned alil about people. Skookum hinted that l thot Frisky stupid; Not At All. He much like myself is so confident of himself he can play the part of the jester to entertain us. Frisky ... and risky. I'm afraid l have grown old, and fat, and mostly tired. Too tired to be frisky so l thank Joe for doing it, cuz you know we need it. We all need it. Joe, l consider you a friend that l just ain't met yet!

Gunman- As one friend to another, I can tell you I wasn't trying to get the lefties riled up. I just want them to be more appreciative of us righties, as we grudgingly accept them, unlike the archers of old.

Joe

Yikes! Man, you mean all these years of shooting south-paw and I'm still not an archer?!!!

G. fellow- Just because you shoot leftie does not mean you're not an archer. You're every bit as much an archer as a righty. You might be a bit sinister, but you're still an archer.

Joe

You're definitely sinister!

My sisters lefty, and annoying as anything, but I don't think the two are related at all. Although she is an annoyingly good archer

Water bottle season is not in right now! I hope that is an old picture.. (lefties)

I shot this mouse as he was running to the left along the top of the wall in my brother in laws cabin. A shot that a right hander probably couldn't have made because his bow hand would have blocked the target as he swung to lead the mouse. One of many situations where a lefty has an advantage.

That's some fine shooting, Ron! What was the distance on that shot?

From the looks of the decor, I'd bet that your sister doesn't visit there very often. She probably wouldn't approve of shooting indoors like that, either (mine wouldn't!)

Like a typical adolescent boy's clubhouse, does it have a sign on the door, "No grils aloud"?

Anyway, it has the general appearance of a really fun, memory-filled man cave.

Sinister? Yikes!!! sinister,...oh great now not only an unarcher because of south-paw shooting but sinister un-archer to!...yikes man!...I forgot how to shoot righty?

Anyone who would kill a defenseless mouse is a criminal of the lowest order. My cats don't even do that!

Joe

I never heard of a cat that won't kill a mouse...it comes natural to them

A cat that is forced to live with someone like Frisky is probably very confused

This was funny! Last week, I saw three of my cats following something across the grass in the backyard. I checked it out and they were in pursuit of a mouse! It just kept going until it found safety, and they were afraid to touch it! Now, Teddy is a different story! I named him after Roosevelt. He came running into the house and set a live mouse down on the kitchen floor where it took off! I put on gloves and grabbed it and set it free. Ted usually kills everything he catches.

Joe

You set it free? ... It'll probably pay you back by getting in the walls of your house, chewing the wiring and setting the house on fire

I set the mouse across the street at the neighbor's garage. Joe

What if it's a "homing mouse"?

An interesting article on the homing instincts of mice

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/5/1/99-0125_article

Well, with Teddy on patrol, that mouse won't be so lucky if he comes back here.

Joe

Hey Frisky my cat will kill just about any thing.Here is the remains of yesterdays lunch.C for cat as we call him gets a steady diet of birds,lizards ,snakes,and rodents and even fish from the neiboughbors ornimental garden pond.We also have a brand of cat food here in Australia called friskies too. Also I though cats were not supposed to be as timid as a mouse.Any cat that can't earn its keep by keeping vermin down ain't worth having.

Try again with the picture

My cats are more sophisticated and civilized than that.

Joe

It probably has more to do with, standing front to back (facing some ones back), there is less chance of an eye poke from a limb tip. Bows were fairly long in those days.

Frisky you should hook up with the cat woman that lives across the street from me. She has 19 cats in her house. You two would get along great.

Is it true cats in Australia must be sterilized and 100% indoors due to their impact on endangered species of lizards and birds? I have always heard that.

I have 5 cats and that's 5 too many.

Joe

I believe cat season in Iowa begins the first day that the baby robins jump out of the nest.

Sorry Osr I meant to pm that.

No worries nolz.No unfortunatly they are not bit should be. Feral cats have devastated lots of our unique native wild life.We probably loose 1 or 2 species per year due to ferral cats and foxes.Both are introduced animals.Yeah we have feral goats ,pigs ,camels ,donkeys, horses ,water buffalo and 6 species of deer all introduced animals running wild.Makes it tough for our native animals.

We don't need(No lefties ) allowed It should be(No Friskies) allowed

We can't do that cause we would miss out on all the fun.hey hey. OSR

Again, there's no sense displacing your aggressions upon me. Time to stop the flow of tears and realize lefties were outcasts under old rules, and rules is rules.

Joe

Too funny. Being a lefty makes me glad I can shoot from either side!

Joe knows as well as everyone else that it was jealousy pure and simple that was the reason behind that rule. Some right hand archers knew they didn't have a chance against the superior ability of the left handed archers of the time so they tried to outlaw them. When fair minded people realized the motive behind the ridiculous rule it was quickly changed.

Still today jealousy sometimes raises it's ugly head from some of the right hand clan. Secretly they admire the shooting skills of the left hand archers and they will travel from miles around to witness and marvel at the amazing demonstrations put on by these lefty's

I don't think Rule 18 was quickly changed. I believe it was in place for years and might still be in place in many places. I've adopted it for my Legend's Range. No lefties allowed!

Joe

Joe, listen to your cat

Well, rule or not....It surely doesn't increase Friskies odds of winning anything.......lol

Nobody is jealous of the left-handed shooter. They are born with a mental anomaly that manifests itself as a physical and moral defect unfit for the queen. Who the heck could be jealous of that?

Joe

Joe, Joe, we know, we know...why you're like you are

Check out the "guns" on that anonymous left-hand archer in the photo Ron posted! Probably illegal to let someone like that hunt in the archery-only season. At the very least, Frisky should be careful not to provoke someone of that stature, especially left-handed ones.

As far as banning such lefties from Frisky's private range--that's a defensible policy. They'd probably shoot out the target vitals pretty quickly. But if that guy in the photo showed up at the range and wanted to shoot, I'd say it would be a smart move to make an exception!

If he showed up at my range, I'd say, Leftie be gone or I'll take a shot at that bear! He get on that Harley and scat! Nobody messes with a legend!

Joe

YOU'RE GONNA WHAT?

Apparently, you have never seen Ron in person.....lol

Nothing worse than having both Ron and Big Jim mad at you, lol! (sticks thumbs in ears and wiggles fingers at adversaries).

Joe

Here is a lefty at Crecy .This from a painting of the battle of Crecy.Archer on the right

I think the artist just painted in lefties for balance in the painting.

I'm surprised this thread bothered some, as it was only about rules from the 1800s, and rules is rules. Prejudice exists everywhere and manifests itself on a daily basis. We just have to move on with life. Rules is rules. Sinister is sinister.

Joe

Frisky I ain't offended in anyway what so ever.I do however love how others actually take all this to heart.Can't thay just enjoy all this. Weather there were lefties at Crecy or not is not important. Here is one to ponder.If you had hundreds of French nights charging you would you really care if the guy next to you was a lefty.?I think not.You would all be shooting hard and fast to stop the onslaught.Yeah those war bows took some shooting.You would need to be one tough fit dude. OSR

Right. In battle, I'd even put up with the handicap of having Ron shooting with me, just as long as he was shooting them Indians!

Joe

Yikes!!! There he goes again with that sinister stuff!!! Yikes! Yikes!...This is getting scary!!!...Well at least I ain't alone as un-archer.

DREAMS FROM ANOTHER LIFE by Ron LaClair

I dream of days so long ago

when a mans companion was his bow

Then men and bow would act as one

sending clouds of arrows that blocked the sun

The iron tipped shafts piercing mail of chain

making horses scream from the arrows pain

The heavy points of the clothyard shaft

spilled rivers of blood in the wheatfields chaff

Gallant French Knights to war did go

seeking glory in battle with their foe

Expecting a fight that was toe to toe

they were killed from afar by the mighty Longbow

These dreams are clear as they can be

5000 left handed Bowman including me

stood side by side with deadly retort

that day at the battle of Agincourt

Truth is, a leftie at Agincourt would have been tarred and feathered!

Joe

LOL!

Frisky, you'd fit right in amongst the Hinterland rovers. I enjoy seeing the results of the sh!t you sling. :-)

LOL!

I think, unlike Maurice, I've always been kind and understanding toward lefties, in spite of their handicap.

Joe

Joe, you can't paint a true picture with the stuff you're slinging

Notice that the "artist" is holding the brush in his left hand? Or maybe he's going to fling the...uh, medium, with his right! He must be ambidextrous, or maybe just cross-eye dominant.

I wrote nothing that isn't in the "good book" of archery.

Joe

Joe, your cat is trying to tell you something

I eat and write left handed but shoot right handed which is the all important criterion to make me a superior archer.

After careful thought I figured out the rationale for not letting left handers on the shooting line way back when. It was so the right handers don't have to smell the horrendous breath of the left handers.

reddogge- I think it's important we refrain from abusing the lefties. They've spent a lifetime doing everything the wrong way, the sinister way, and don't need additional humiliation. I just hope they find a new appreciation for the modern, right-handed archer who accepts them and doesn't kick them off the grounds and out of the clubs.

Joe

I would think the horrendous breath, comes from eating right handers for breakfast..