Evening star., 1928-09-09

wards In a regulation state tournament.
Mfr. MaXson won the American archery
championship u times during as many
years.
Bicycling's bid for popularity and the
rising interest in tennis, which SWamped
the District sport calendar during Theo-
dore Roosevelts first administration,
! shunted archery into temporary obliv-
ion. The Potomac Archers went to seed
as local amusement organization. This
seed did not germinate and flower again
| for a half decade. Then the organiZa-
! ton was revived. It has enjoyed ever
increasing popularity from then until
now It aspires to outstanding poten-
tialitieS.
Scan the roster of the current Poto-
mac Archers and you will note that its
membership is recruited from the arts
science, business commerce and indus
try Sportsmen in general, and nin-
rods in particular, react enthusiastic
ally to the thrills of archery, once they
have shaken hands with this scientific
sport, which is exciting enough to at
tract the young and not tco violent for
the aged.
MANY of the Potomac Archers are
not content to conf1ne their
craftsmanship to ornate targets made
of rye straw. When the leaves are turn
ing and the zest of autumnal tempera-
lures puts renewed life into the Sum-
mer- sick residents of washington,
these bownlen pack their archery para
phernalia and lunch kits in their auto
mobiles and speed to highland and low
land Of the timbered districts OF near
by Virginia and Maryland, where they
hunt rabbits, squirrels. foxes, bobcats
and whatsoever bird life may be shot
legally. With the. same avldlty WIN
which Washington's army of amateur
sharpshooters begins to spill lead with
the advent of the open cunning season
in these parts, the archers take to field
and forest in quest of game scalps.
The archers use heavier, barb-edgeo,
metal-tipped arrows for hunting than
those which they employ in target
shooting. Where such wild game as
bears, panthers. wildcats or mountain
lions are sought bows OF stronger pull
are also used. For number OF the
Washington archers are not satis1ed
with the bags of small game obtainable |
in these parts. and are venturlng far
afield into the untamed wilderness OF
the Dismal Swamp, amidst the tree
crowned highlands of the Adirondacks, |
to that homing heath of modern hunt
ing, northern Maine. and to the Great
Smokes. The Shenandoah National
Forest, some 100 miles from our Nation
al Capital. also offers shots at OCCASION
al wild turkeys, few bears, wildcats
and deer.
v. A. Sisler, jr, secretary and treas
urer of the Potomac Archers. and Hugh |
Moffet, ir., two of the best bowmen in |
Washington, recently inaugurated the
fN0yo RI
ed trip after bears to the Dismal
swamp. This duo of dauntless arcfers
is the second to brave the dangers of
Virginia's largest unmapped wilder
ness, armed only with bows and ar
rows, in quest of Bruin. They were the
first archers to attempt bear still
hunting" in the expansive, desolate
swampland which covers an area OF
some 1900 square miles.
A pair of adventurous archers from
Norfolk preceded them by several
months into the Dismal Swamp. These
Virginians, however. were hunting with
dogs They eventually treed big
black bear, but were denied the oppor-
tunity of bending bows against Bruin,
because that willy animal sought refuge |
in hole high up in the tree trunk
and refused to come out before dark.
Hunters and naturalists familiar
with the Dismal Swamp estimate that
approximately 10000 black bears still
roam that waterlogged wilderness.
Which explains why hunters from all
parts Of the East and South visit that |
shooting paradise each Fall in search |
of big game The bears range in size |
from $50 to $50 pounds, indicating that |
certain features of the ertswhile wild |
and woolly West are closer to Wash |
ington than most of us suppose.
In addition to choice bear steaks for
hungry hunters, the Dismal Swamp
offers a variety of moving targets, such
as panthers, wild cats. bobcats, Vir-
ginia deer, rabbits, squirrels. muskrats,
beavers, wild turkeys, herons, cranes
and eagles. Archers are more certain
of full game bag each day If they