Apocalyptic Prepping

Willows grow straight and are light-weight which makes them a good option for making arrows. They can also be found all throughout the United States. In fact, willows can be found on 5 of the 7 continents, so its a good wood to learn how to use.

The Wood

Pick a willow that is generally straight and the same thickness for the length you need. Wood can warp as it dries. You can use this to your advantage though. With water, steam and/or heat you can further straighten your arrow wood.

I generally don’t remove the bark , but I do run a sanding sponge along it to make sure there aren’t any rough edges. I have scars on the hand that holds my bow from rough arrows passing over it and scraping up the skin there. Arrow rests are nice to help avoid this, but on a survival bow, you don’t always have that luxury. Sanding it, even with a rough stone, can help remove rough parts that can cause you pain and discomfort later. The more comfortable your arrows are to shoot, the more accurate you can be with them. You’ll flinch less and be able to focus on the target more.

Fletching

Fletchings are the arrows or fins at the back of an arrow. These provide some drag to the back of the arrow and keep the arrow flying point first. To make my fletching I start with a long feather. Goose, pheasant, or turkey feathers work really well for this, though I’ve used others as well. I then run my knife down the middle of the feather, in the spine or quill portion, and split it in half. I then have a few long strips of fletchings. I’ll cut those into 3-4 inch pieces and use 3 per arrow. 3 has become the common tradition. I like 3 on home made arrows because I’m able to situate it so there isn’t a feather that will hit my hand or arrow rest when I shoot it. People have used 2 or 4. Either works, but 3 is my preference.

I like to use waxed dental floss to attach the flethings and the points. It’s pretty strong and the wax helps it adhere to itself while making the arrows. I can also put a small pack of it like this into my pack and I can essentially make arrows from scratch where ever I’m at. I’m not strictly a traditionalist, and have also used duct tape to both fletch arrows, and to hold the fletchings in place. I honestly prefer the floss and feathers though.

Arrow Heads

Arrow heads can be made from flint, obsidian, glass, or a metal. I use whatever I have handy, and have made arrow heads from sheet metal, nails, or even just fire hardened points. You can actually buy hand made flint arrow heads on amazon, in the same style that Native Americans used. They’re also surprisingly inexpensive, especially based on how long they’ve taken me to make them in the past. These work really well in making your own arrows.

To attach the point, I sharpen the stick, then I’ll split the wood for about an inch down the point, and saw out a bit of a gap to insert the point. I sharpen the stick even though I’m adding an arrow head because I want the wood to taper to a point as well so it can penetrate easier, otherwise there would be blunt edges next to the point that would slow down the arrow. I then secure this tightly with the dental floss. Raw hide or sinew work as well. I don’t like to glue these into place because points have a tendency to break, and I like to be able to replace them without too much difficulty.

I have made some with fire hardened points. These I will sharpen, then I’ll stick the points in a fire to blacken them. If you’ve never fire hardened wood, experiment with it. It’s not as good as an arrow head, but it is still effective.

The Nock

I cut the nock in the back of the arrow. Unlike the point, I do not want the nock to split the wood. I’ll even reinforce this area with an additional wrap of string (floss) in order to keep the wood from splitting. I do like the nock to be tight enough that it will stick to the bow string, but only barely. Modern nocks are tapered so its tighter putting the arrow on the string, but once its on, it’s not held as tight. I’m not that fancy with a knife, so I just go for just a little tight. If you cut too big and its a little loose, it’s not a big deal. It’ll still work.

The Better Alternative- Carbon Fiber:

I know how to make these arrows, but I haven’t shot them as much now that I’m older. Now-a-days I like to shoot my nice compound bow with carbon fiber arrows. I’m building up my arrow supply, but plan to have at least 100 in my gear storage. With these arrows and my good bow, I’m pretty accurate out to 100 yards. With my home made bow and arrows, I’d only shoot out to about 30 yards in a hunting situation- but would prefer it to be at 20 yards. Being able to make arrows is a great skill to have.

I do still make bows and arrows though from scratch. I recently, for the purposes of keeping my skills up and for writing an article, went out to the woods where I hunt and fish, a few miles from my home, and found everything I needed to Make a Bow and Arrow quickly in the woods. These are old skills, but they’re skills worth having.

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