Read The Unofficial Hunger Games Companion Online
Authors: Lois H. Gresh
The Unofficial Hunger Games Companion (19 page)
Most of the common arrowhead shapes were developed during the Stone Age:
Lozenge.
Barbed.
Swallowtail.
Leaf.
Triangular.
Chisel.
The shape of an arrow’s shaft is important to its projection toward the target. The shaft must be flexible, but not
too
flexible. If too stiff, it will swerve sideways in flight and miss the target. And if not stiff enough, it will continue to bend in flight and slow down.
Also important is the type of arrow you use. Wooden arrows are the most common. Fiberglass arrows break easily but can be fitted to the archer’s draw length and weight. Aluminum arrows are durable and can use different arrow tips, but they’re expensive. Carbon and aluminum-carbon arrows are very expensive but quick in flight.
The nock of an arrow is critical to the performance of an archer in hitting her target. Typically, it’s a tiny piece of plastic that is pushed into the end of the shaft or glued directly onto the shaft. It must fit snugly on the string but be loose enough to enable the arrow to fly when you release it.
If the nook is at all crooked, you might aim perfectly but still miss your target. A slightly misaligned nook is all it takes to push an arrow sideways and make it fly way off target.
Fletching refers to the feathers or plastic vanes on the bow. Most feather fletching is made from the primary wings of a turkey. While vanes might be more durable and quiet than feathers, the latter is much more effective when using a bow that doesn’t fit you perfectly. Feathers compress and enable a smoother aim at your target, whereas plastic vanes don’t compress and might flicker off target as you shoot. Feathers are also lighter and provide a faster initial speed to the arrow. So in the case of the Games, it would be to Katniss’s advantage to use feather bows rather than plastic vanes.
The fletching size is also important, and today, it’s common to see arrows with three 5-inch feather or plastic vanes. To make the arrows lighter, some hunters use three 4-inch fletches. But as with everything related to archery, the fletching size is also affected by the arrowheads.
Perhaps the most interesting aspects of bows and arrows in the trilogy are found in the third book,
Mockingjay
. When preparing for outright military combat, Katniss uses weapons that are loaded with “scopes and gadgetry” (
Mockingjay,
68).
Scopes attach to bows and enable more precise aim at the target. As with everything else having to do with bows and arrows, the scopes come in many types. For example, a laser scope projects a red dot onto the target, so you can pinpoint exactly where you want to hit before you release the arrow.
For beginners, scopes are useful to reduce the anxiety caused by killing creatures. They enable you to focus on the red dot rather than the animal. Sad, but true.
It’s unlikely that Katniss would prefer all the gadgetry to what she’s accustomed to using. Sometimes, if you have to think too much about what to twiddle and fuss with, you lose focus on your prime agenda, which is killing your target quickly. If an animal is racing away through a thicket, for example, it makes more sense to do what Katniss has always done: shift position quickly, aim, and shoot—without overthinking the situation.
Scopes and Gadgets: A Partial List
Fiber optic scope | This is the most common type of scope on a bow. It channels light into the tip of a pin, and from there, emits a bright dot (usually red) onto the target. The scope includes a pin guard to protect the fibers. |
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Single-pin scopes | For close-range shooting a fixed single-pin scope may suffice. But for shooting at variable and longer distances, movable single-pin scopes make more sense. Here, the hunter can adjust her “sight” to the correct distance while pinpointing her target. |
Multiple-pin scopes | Most pin scopes have four-to-five pins that you can set in increments of approximately ten yards. When the distances shift constantly between you and the target, these multiple “sights” enable you to stalk and kill prey with increased precision. But using this type of scope also requires that you pause and frame your target within the correct pins in your configuration, and then shoot. If battling to the death in a Hunger Games arena, good luck! |
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Dot scopes | Most of these scopes are electronic and illegal in some US states. They rely on batteries, which can die during the hunt. Also, a dot scope requires a heavy mounting bracket, so it’s not particularly useful when you’re running from killers and shooting tributes to save your own neck. The dot sight looks like a fancy, old-fashioned camera device, with a long, protruding “lens” and several focus knobs and handles. The red target dot is displayed inside the scope itself. |
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Rife-Bar scopes | This device has a rear “sight” as well as a front “sight” that’s on a foot-long steel bar. You have to adjust the “sights” for various distances, so this probably isn’t a great choice when using archery in battles to the death. |
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Crosshair scopes | A very common type of scope, the crosshair enables hunters to target their hits accurately without missing a beat. An added “peep sight” lets the hunter view the target although the vertical string of the crosshair scope might be obstructing her view. |
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Laser scopes | Laser scopes are electronic and illegal in some US states. Similar to a dot scope, the laser variety projects the red dot onto the target rather than displaying the dot inside the scope itself. If too far from a target, the red dot will not display accurately where you want it. The beam’s strength is highly dependent on distance. |
Mechanical release aids | Most archers today use mechanical release aids, which grip the string at one point, thus enabling each arrow to fly from the identical place on the string. You squeeze a trigger on the mechanism to shoot the arrow. As with everything else, there are many types of mechanical release aids, among them, finger held, concho, and wrist strap. |
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Shooting gloves | These are typically made out of leather and have slots for three of your fingers. Also included is a leather strap to secure the glove to your wrist. |
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Finger tabs and spacers | A finger tab is typically a small leather pad secured to your middle finger with a tiny ring. A finger spacer is often used with a finger tab. You place the tab between your fingers and the string. |
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Arrow rests | This device holds the nocked arrow in place and is considered vital by many archers. It helps keep the arrow aligned correctly at the moment you release it. |
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Nock sets | These are placed at the nock point of the string. They consist of either extra thread wrapped around the nock point or a couple of metal rings. Nock sets help prevent the arrow from slipping. |
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