Best Places to Hone Your Archery Skills in St. Louis, Missouri

I remember the first time that I tried to shoot a bow and arrow. I was in my early teens and I remember it was at some kind of picnic. There was a shooting range set up with large red, white, and blue targets attached to bales of straw. I watched for a few minutes while I waited my turn. It looked pretty simple, after all how many Robin Hood movies had I seen in my short life? Finally, I picked up a bow and arrow and stood facing the target. I remember fumbling with the arrow, trying to get it in the center of the string. It was really hard to pull the string back too. I centered my sight on the target and pulled the string back as hard as I could. My arms shook. I hoped that no one was watching. I closed my eyes and let go. There was a stabbing pain in my right ear and the arrow had flown all of eight feet in front of me. Seems I had pulled the string back behind my ear and when I let go, it caught, nearly ripping my ear off, or so it felt. That was my last experience with the sport of archery until a few weeks ago.

They believe that the use of a bow and arrow to hunt goes all the way back to some 50,000 years ago in Africa. Seems it was easier to carry through heavy wooded areas than a spear. The bow and arrow was an important military weapon throughout history, piercing armor and helping small forces overcome larger ones. Archery was first introduced into the Olympic Games in 1900. Everyone's familiar with the stories of Robin Hood and William Tell. To this day, the legendary shooting of an arrow straight through another one is called a "Robin Hood." So where can you go in St. Louis to practice for your own Robin Hood? Here are a few suggestions:

Midwest Archery Outfitters at 3302 Woodson Rd. in Overland has a 20-yard indoor range with assorted targets for practice shooting. The facility also has an archery simulator where hunters can practice shooting at a video of moving game. Midwest supplies a bow and arrows and basic instruction for $10/hr.

St. Louis County Parks and recreation offers group archery instruction throughout the year. They have outdoor ranges at Buder, Creve Cour, and Jefferson Barracks parks. The shooting time is free, but registration is required for tournaments and classes.

St. Louis Bow Hunters at 301 Tecumseh St. in St. Charles has an indoor range open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. Target and hunting leagues meet there during the week. Little Hills Youth Archery offers Olympic development courses for children aged 7-8. The program aims to foster interest early on in archery as a sport. Classes are $20 per student for a ninety-minute class.