Reading and writing

First off, I've been shooting about once a week, which won't really do it. I've found that the shop in Queens is cheaper for target practice but takes longer to get to. I need to find a spot somewhere in northern Riverside Park, but that's easier said than done. This is NYC, and finding an out of the way place is tough. I play tennis near there and there are lots of illegal day laborers hanging out in there. Anyway, maybe tomorrow I get up early and try. I'm going to create a small target out of cardboard and foam and hang it with twine. Hopefully this will allow me to get an hour or two extra of shooting a week, and in a semi-relative environment (outdoors, wooded, etc)

The real problem is getting the bow in there without attracting too much attention. The bag I have now is camo and would sort of scream 'hunting gear'. Something sporty or black would go a long way towards making it easier.


Just a list of some of the things I've read and seen that have interested me on this trip.


Nature article

http://www.archive.org/stream/1987montanaarche00montrich/1987montanaarche00montrich_djvu.txt
When I started bow hunting nearly 20 years ago bow hunters were
looked upon with respect. They were generally good woodsmen with
high ethics. Success rates were quite low and it normally took a
few years for a new bow hunter to be successful. Success was
considered secondary to personal challenge and the enjoyment of
the hunt. All hunting was strictly fair chase with basic
equipment. All competition was between the hunter and the game.
It brings me great sadness to see the state of bow hunting
today. Many of todays bowhunters (fortunately not all) will stop
at nothing to kill an animal. Fair chase, sportsmanship, ethics
and challenge seem to be old fashioned words with little or no
meaning to many modern bowhunters. Success is measured in terms
of how many animals con be taken with as little effort as
possible.


http://www.archive.org/details/Bowhunting_right_in_town


A Hunter's Heart: Honest Essays on Blood Sport

Traditional Bow Hunter

Livability By Jon Raymond

finally, a quick story.... so i'm on the subway platform at the bedford ave. L stop. people in front of me as i walk in are scurrying out of the way. A rat has gotten caught on the platform and is running with a mouth full of something. he's clearly figured out that people will run out of his way if he runs at them. when he takes a bead on me i slide my size 11 right boot out to the side and, with my insole just like they taught back in peewee soccer, catch the rat square on the side. he rockets off my foot and slams into the far wall of the track. the food in his mouth explodes into crumbs as his body falls just outside the third rail.