Bow Making: Hickory Long Bow
Birth of the Handmade Longbow
The advent of archery marked a technological leap for humankind that began at least 10,000 years ago and quite possibly up to 64,000 years ago and that is still widely used today. The bow and arrow was universally considered one of the quintessential survival tools among many, if not most, of ancient peoples around the globe. Hunters and warriors alike depended on their ability to craft, use, and maintain their bows to defend and provide for their families.
Two Day Crafting Intensive with Optional Campout
In this class, we will spend two full days on a private ranch reconnecting with the ancestral knowledge of handcrafting a long bow in the style of the native North American plains people. We will hand carve a longbow from a rough hickory bow stave to a finished and strung traditional bow.
Camp with us overnight on a historical ranch/museum. Eat, laugh, and relax at our group campfire and sleep under the stars. Bring your own snacks and meals.
- How to tiller a hardwood bowstave into an efficient bow customized to your unique physiology
- How to customize your bow to match your personal biomechanics
- How to finish and protect your bow using common and easy to obtain materials
- To hand twine a bowstring from natural and synthetic materials
- The fundamentals of traditional and instinctive archery.
*Bowmaking students will receive a discount to our Traditional and Instinctive Archery Intensives.
Location: Santa Fe Springs, CA
Schedule: Saturday & Sunday (10am – 5pm)
Early Bird ……………………………………………… $195
Standard Registration .………………………….$215
Materials Fee …………..………………………….…$130
*Includes bow stave + 3 premium cedar arrows
*Optional Traditional Archery Intensive with discount, at checkout.
Location: Santa Fe Springs, CA
Schedule: Saturday & Sunday (10am – 5pm)
Early Bird ………………………..… $195
Standard Registration ……….$215
Materials Fee ……..………………$130
*Includes bow stave + 3 premium cedar arrows
*Optional Traditional Archery Intensive with discount, at checkout.
Jul 13th – 14th, 2019 (early bird ends 9pm, 7/6) Contact us to be added to the waitlist or learn about the next class date.
2019 Bow & Arrow Making Class Schedule
Receive Primitive Class Updates & Announcements!
Related Classes
Traditional & Instinctive Archery
Learn how to shoot a traditional, North American Plains style long bow using traditional and instinctive archery techniques. Join our five week comprehensive archery series

Arrow Making
Our ancient hunter ancestors relied on their ability to craft and maintain their arrows for survival. Learn how to hand craft and tune arrows for your bow and archery style using primitive methods and materials and more modern, traditional methods.

Natural Movement
Efficient and effective physical aptitude is essential to archery for both target sport and hunting. Learn to move as a wild human with strength, balance, and grace through any environment with our ReWild fitness program.
Receive Class Updates and Announcements!