Wednesday, January 18, 2017
Howard Hill and Ronald Reagan Bowfishing for Sharks
Below: Old short film of Howard Hill and Ronald Reagan Bowfishing for Sharks.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Archery Craft Toronto
The company made a whole range of bows, from wooden flat bows to solid fiberglass bows to full wood/glass recurves. By the 1970s they were also making wood/fiberglass takedown recurves, as well as full-fiberglass takedown recurves.
As a company the bows are very rare. Some people (especially Canadians) collect the bows, so they are more likely to be bought by Canadians on auction websites. National pride and all that.
The wooden bows and the recurves are the most valuable, whereas the fiberglass bows are comparable to other fiberglass bows built around the same time period.
If the bow is from the 1950s or 1960s the bow will be stamped with two numbers:
- The first number is a product number.
- The second number tells you the poundage of the bow.
During the 1970s Archery Craft Toronto switched to a different system, a 4 digit number for the model of the bow. Thus if it has a 4 digit number on an Archery Craft Toronto bow, you can be sure it was built during the 1970s.
Dating the precise the year of an Archery Craft Toronto bow is very tricky. Ideally you would want to find old archery magazines or advertisements for the company, showing the bow in question and the year it was published. This would give you a better idea of how to date the bow, although often you may have to resort to "Circa 1972" or your closest estimate.
Vintage arrows from Archery Craft Toronto can also be found, although since arrows are more likely to break over time they are considerably more rare.
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| Above: Black Prince, circa 1960s, Archery Craft Toronto |
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| Above: 36 lb Archery Craft Toronto "Model 1907" Recurve Bow, circa 1970s |
Above: Takedown Fiberglass Recurve Bow, circa 1970s
:)
Monday, August 29, 2016
Crossbow murders are very rare, multiple homicides even more so
Crossbow murders are rare. A triple homicide with a crossbow is so rare they are practically unheard of. To learn more about this recent news development, see Triple Homicide with Crossbow in Scarborough.
The autopsy report for the incident was released today.
The female victim was strangled. Her two sons were stabbed with a crossbow bolt and the other was stabbed with an arrowhead, both wounds were to the neck. It is unclear whether the one son was shot in the neck with a crossbow bolt, or whether he was simply stabbed there using a crossbow bolt like a dagger. The other son was stabbed with an arrowhead, suggesting that they were indeed physically stabbed in such a manner.
The very rare nature of crossbow attacks makes them high-profile incidents, and the Scarborough triple homicide where a crossbow was located on the scene is once again pushing forward conversations on regulating the weapons. However the autopsy reports suggest that the crossbow bolt and arrowhead were merely used as "weapons of convenience", similar to if someone happened to leave an axe laying on a table and a would-be murderer simply picked it up because it was handy.
Though police have been deliberately avoiding confirming whether a crossbow was used in Thursday’s attack, which left three people dead, a crossbow was found nearby, and at the time reports released to the public stated that all three victims were struck by crossbow bolts. While the latter might still be true, the cause of death for one of the victims was still strangulation. And the son who was killed by being stabbed with an arrowhead, as opposed to being shot with a crossbow bolt, suggests that he might have suffered only a minor wound from being shot, and that it was the stabbing in the neck that actually killed him.
On Friday, Brett Ryan, 35, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder. His next court appearance is Friday, Sept. 2nd.
There was also a witness to the murders, a fourth person who was stabbed but was later released from hospital. Their testimony will later be instrumental in proving whether the victims were shot or stabbed, who the crossbow was owned by, the motive for the attack, and what actually transpired on a quiet afternoon in sunny Scarborough on August 25th, 2016.
The event is one of only a handful of crossbow related murders in Canada's recent history, and though crossbow-involved attacks seldom occur, their unusual nature makes them high-profile cases, in the same way that "sword stabbing murders" are also quite rare and attract more media attention.
One notable previous case was the fatal crossbow shooting of an abusive father by his son in 2010 inside a Toronto Public Library. That incident involved both a crossbow and a hammer. Zhou Fang was found guilty of second-degree murder and received a mandatory life sentence. To learn more about that incident see Crossbow Murder in Toronto Library.
In 2007, a 26-year-old man was charged with murder and attempted murder after his mother was killed and father injured in a crossbow attack in St-Cesaire, Que.
In 1998, a man was shot in the head with a crossbow in his Hamilton home, but thankfully survived.
In 1991, Ottawa lawyer Patricia Allen was killed with a crossbow by her estranged husband.
Internationally, crossbow deaths have also made headlines, including a suicide in 2015 in England, and the case of Stephen Griffiths, a British man who lured, murdered and ate the flesh of several women in 2009 and 2010, later referring to himself as the "crossbow cannibal" in an attempt to win fame for himself.
In the wake of Thursday’s attack, local crossbow hunters and enthusiasts say they’re not happy the conversation is once again focused on the weapon. The autopsy however seems to suggest the hunting tool was merely conveniently there, and might not even belong to the murderer.
Many crossbow owners are hunters, and like the challenge of learning how to aim it accurately. The level of knowledge and the level skill to proficiently shoot and shoot well with it takes more work.
Though attacks on people with crossbows are considerably rare, they cause enough public discourse that owners will stay quiet about their crossbow ownership. Buying a typical crossbow doesn’t require a licence, but the person making the purchase must be over the age of 18.
"Firearm-like homicides" are very rare according to Statistics Canada, making up less than 0.2% of all murders in Canada. It should also be noted that the murder rate in Canada has been dropping rapidly since the 1990s.
On behalf of Toronto's archery community, we express our condolences to the victims and the families of the victims.
The autopsy report for the incident was released today.
The female victim was strangled. Her two sons were stabbed with a crossbow bolt and the other was stabbed with an arrowhead, both wounds were to the neck. It is unclear whether the one son was shot in the neck with a crossbow bolt, or whether he was simply stabbed there using a crossbow bolt like a dagger. The other son was stabbed with an arrowhead, suggesting that they were indeed physically stabbed in such a manner.
The very rare nature of crossbow attacks makes them high-profile incidents, and the Scarborough triple homicide where a crossbow was located on the scene is once again pushing forward conversations on regulating the weapons. However the autopsy reports suggest that the crossbow bolt and arrowhead were merely used as "weapons of convenience", similar to if someone happened to leave an axe laying on a table and a would-be murderer simply picked it up because it was handy.
Though police have been deliberately avoiding confirming whether a crossbow was used in Thursday’s attack, which left three people dead, a crossbow was found nearby, and at the time reports released to the public stated that all three victims were struck by crossbow bolts. While the latter might still be true, the cause of death for one of the victims was still strangulation. And the son who was killed by being stabbed with an arrowhead, as opposed to being shot with a crossbow bolt, suggests that he might have suffered only a minor wound from being shot, and that it was the stabbing in the neck that actually killed him.
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| Brett Ryan, Suspected Murderer |
There was also a witness to the murders, a fourth person who was stabbed but was later released from hospital. Their testimony will later be instrumental in proving whether the victims were shot or stabbed, who the crossbow was owned by, the motive for the attack, and what actually transpired on a quiet afternoon in sunny Scarborough on August 25th, 2016.
The event is one of only a handful of crossbow related murders in Canada's recent history, and though crossbow-involved attacks seldom occur, their unusual nature makes them high-profile cases, in the same way that "sword stabbing murders" are also quite rare and attract more media attention.
One notable previous case was the fatal crossbow shooting of an abusive father by his son in 2010 inside a Toronto Public Library. That incident involved both a crossbow and a hammer. Zhou Fang was found guilty of second-degree murder and received a mandatory life sentence. To learn more about that incident see Crossbow Murder in Toronto Library.
In 2007, a 26-year-old man was charged with murder and attempted murder after his mother was killed and father injured in a crossbow attack in St-Cesaire, Que.
In 1998, a man was shot in the head with a crossbow in his Hamilton home, but thankfully survived.
In 1991, Ottawa lawyer Patricia Allen was killed with a crossbow by her estranged husband.
Internationally, crossbow deaths have also made headlines, including a suicide in 2015 in England, and the case of Stephen Griffiths, a British man who lured, murdered and ate the flesh of several women in 2009 and 2010, later referring to himself as the "crossbow cannibal" in an attempt to win fame for himself.
In the wake of Thursday’s attack, local crossbow hunters and enthusiasts say they’re not happy the conversation is once again focused on the weapon. The autopsy however seems to suggest the hunting tool was merely conveniently there, and might not even belong to the murderer.
Many crossbow owners are hunters, and like the challenge of learning how to aim it accurately. The level of knowledge and the level skill to proficiently shoot and shoot well with it takes more work.
Though attacks on people with crossbows are considerably rare, they cause enough public discourse that owners will stay quiet about their crossbow ownership. Buying a typical crossbow doesn’t require a licence, but the person making the purchase must be over the age of 18.
"Firearm-like homicides" are very rare according to Statistics Canada, making up less than 0.2% of all murders in Canada. It should also be noted that the murder rate in Canada has been dropping rapidly since the 1990s.
On behalf of Toronto's archery community, we express our condolences to the victims and the families of the victims.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Bow Raffle to raise money for PWA
Hello friends and fellow archers!
My name is Michael Meusel, and I'm doing the 600km "Friends for life" Bike rally to raise money for PWA Toronto. PWA is the largest charity of it's kind that directly assists Men, Women and Children living with HIV/AIDS in Canada. You can read more here at: www.bikerally.org
It's a great cause, and I need to hit a $2500 minimun in order to ride. To raise the funds, I've decided to raffle off one of the bows I make! I'll be starting the bow after the bike ride, but that will allow me to make it close to the specifications you want. It will be a Hickory-backed Osage Recurve, anywhere from 25#-50# at 25"-29". It will be similar to the bow pictured below.
I'll cover the shipping to anywhere in Canada or the Continental US. In order to take part, you have to make a donation to the website and email me with the name or handle you made the donation under. That way all the money goes directly to the charity. Donations can be made with paypal or credit card.
Tickets will be 1 for $10, 3 for $25, and 8 for $50.
Step 1:
Go to www.bikerally.org
Click: Pledge on the Right hand side of the screen
Click: Pledge a 2016 6-Day Rider
First Name: Michael
Last Name: Meusel
Click my name, then click DONATE NOW
Fill out the form and make the Donation of either $10, $25 or $50 according to how many tickets you want. Make sure to remember your Display name. Make sure the boxes for “Display my donation amount” and “Display my name” are checked.
Step 2: Send an email to bowraffle2016@gmail.com with this information:
Subject: (Display Name used when making donation) – (Donation Amount)
Full Name
Mailing address
*Display name: (the name you enter to be displayed on the bike rally website when you make a donation – this can be a nickname or a handle)
Donation Amount: (either $10, $25, or $50)
I'll cross reference your email to the donation on the bike rally website and send you an email confirming your entry. I'll draw the winning name on July 23rd, so entries will be open until then! If you win, I'll contact you via the email you used to enter and get your bow specifications.
Good Luck!
Michael Meusel
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
What is the difference between Instinctive Shooting and Gap Shooting?
There is a lot of confusion around the term "Instinctive Shooting" in archery communities, often due to people who spread misinformation about something they know very little about and often confusing what the different styles of archery are.
Instinctive Shooting encompasses:
Gap Shooting encompasses:
Traditional Shooting encompasses:
Instinctive Shooting therefore is marked by people like Lars Anderson who are the epitome of instinctive archery, and marked by pop culture icons like Green Arrow, Hawkeye, Legolas, etc.
However it is easy to see why so many people sometimes confuse Instinctive Shooting with Gap Shooting, because people who get really good at Gap Shooting will often be able to aim subconsciously - even though they are still technically Gap Shooting.
Thus an easy way to tell the difference between someone who is Instinctive Shooting and someone who is Gap Shooting is to look at whether they are pulling to an anchor spot and how many eyes they have open. Instinctive Shooting = Two eyes open and no anchor spot, Gap Shooting = One eye open and consistent anchor spot.
And then there are people who don't know how to shoot and haven't mastered a style yet. You can usually spot them out in the field searching for their arrows, or their arrows are all over the target with zero consistency.
And lastly, then there is the people who are complete newbs who have been watching too much TV, reading too many comic books, seeing too much artwork that isn't even remotely close to real archery and then thinks it is okay to do all sorts of things that they saw in pop culture - the sort of things experienced archers just shake their head at.
Take for example the art piece below. Yes, she is pulling back NEAR her mouth, but if her hand is in a slightly different position every time she shoots then there isn't much consistency. She is also shooting with both eyes open. Ergo, she is technically using the Instinctive Shooting style.
If you live in Toronto and want to learn more about Instinctive Shooting or Gap Shooting there is only two people we know of who teaches we know of who teaches those two styles.
The first is Charles Moffat from CardioTrek.ca and the 2nd is Matthew Weisman (who doesn't have a website currently). Moffat teaches all five major styles of archery, whereas Weisman only teaches traditional styles of archery (longbow, shortbow, traditional, gap or instinctive). If he does get a website in the future we will update this listing.
Instinctive Shooting encompasses:
- Using no reference points to aim, and not really aiming in the normal sense of the word.
- Not always using a full draw, but instead sometimes using 1/2 or 3/4 draw.
- Not using a consistent anchor spot, and basically ignores the concept of anchor spot entirely.
- Both eyes open.
- Accuracy is limited to shooting at anything point blank (15 yards or less).
- Feet anywhere they please.
- People playing "Archery Tag" will typically be forced to use Instinctive Shooting or some variation of it because the face masks make it difficult to have a proper anchor spot. Complete beginners who have never done archery before are basically shooting instinctive because they have not mastered any other style of shooting and don't even know what an anchor spot is.
Gap Shooting encompasses:
- Aiming using the gap between the target and the side of the bow, sometimes subconsciously.
- Using a full draw.
- Using a consistent anchor spot, typically the corner of the mouth under the dominant eye.
- One eye open. In order for Gap Shooting to aim properly it is necessary to only use one eye.
- Accuracy has no limitations on distance.
- Feet is typically in either Relaxed Stance or Square Stance.
- Gap Shooting can also be used during "Archery Tag", but it is trickier to find a consistent anchor spot. You can usually spot the person using the style because they have really good aim.
Traditional Shooting encompasses:
- Aiming off the tip of the arrow.
- Using a full draw.
- Using a consistent anchor spot, typically the corner of the mouth under the dominant eye.
- One eye or two eyes open. Most traditional archers prefer one eye open for added accuracy.
- Accuracy has no limitations on distance.
- Feet is typically in either Relaxed Stance or Square Stance.
- Traditional Shooting can also be used during "Archery Tag, but again is trickier to find a consistent anchor spot. You can usually spot the person using the style because they have really good aim.
Instinctive Shooting therefore is marked by people like Lars Anderson who are the epitome of instinctive archery, and marked by pop culture icons like Green Arrow, Hawkeye, Legolas, etc.
However it is easy to see why so many people sometimes confuse Instinctive Shooting with Gap Shooting, because people who get really good at Gap Shooting will often be able to aim subconsciously - even though they are still technically Gap Shooting.
Thus an easy way to tell the difference between someone who is Instinctive Shooting and someone who is Gap Shooting is to look at whether they are pulling to an anchor spot and how many eyes they have open. Instinctive Shooting = Two eyes open and no anchor spot, Gap Shooting = One eye open and consistent anchor spot.
And then there are people who don't know how to shoot and haven't mastered a style yet. You can usually spot them out in the field searching for their arrows, or their arrows are all over the target with zero consistency.
And lastly, then there is the people who are complete newbs who have been watching too much TV, reading too many comic books, seeing too much artwork that isn't even remotely close to real archery and then thinks it is okay to do all sorts of things that they saw in pop culture - the sort of things experienced archers just shake their head at.
Take for example the art piece below. Yes, she is pulling back NEAR her mouth, but if her hand is in a slightly different position every time she shoots then there isn't much consistency. She is also shooting with both eyes open. Ergo, she is technically using the Instinctive Shooting style.
If you live in Toronto and want to learn more about Instinctive Shooting or Gap Shooting there is only two people we know of who teaches we know of who teaches those two styles.
The first is Charles Moffat from CardioTrek.ca and the 2nd is Matthew Weisman (who doesn't have a website currently). Moffat teaches all five major styles of archery, whereas Weisman only teaches traditional styles of archery (longbow, shortbow, traditional, gap or instinctive). If he does get a website in the future we will update this listing.
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