Bow and arrow Bow and arrow The bow and arrow is a ranged weapon system consisting of an elastic launching device (bow) and long-shafted projectiles (arrows). "Archery" is the art, practice or skill of using bows to shoot arrows. A person who shoots arrows with a bow is called a "bowman" or an "archer". Someone who makes bows is known as a "bowyer", one who makes arrows is a "fletcher", and one who manufactures metal arrowheads is an "arrowsmith". The use of bows and arrows by humans for hunting predates recorded history and was common to many prehistoric cultures. They were important weapons
Modern competitive archery knife throwing as a sport and as an entertainment. While some competition knife throwers have also performed circus acts and there are official organisations that embrace both worlds, there is little or no evidence of such crossover in archery, with perhaps the sole exception of reenactment groups (e.g. Society for Creative Anachronism), where archers can both compete in a tournament (target archery) and participate in combat archery, shooting with light bows and special safety arrows at well armoured warriors (often knights). However archery involving a person in the vicinity of the target is a particularly dangerous practice and, even with