Hunting With the Bow and Arrow

In 1914, 49 year old Ishi, the last of the Yani tribe walked out of the woods near Oroville, California. Ishi was the last of his people and he was the last "Wild Indian" in America. Anthropologists throughout America wanted to learn as much as they could from this wild man and he was soon living and working (as a janitor) at the University of California, Berkeley. Having no immunities to most disease that we are used to, he spent much time in a nearby hospital where Saxton Pope was a teacher. Anyone who has ever learned of the hardships of Ishi's life can't help but remember this fascinating historical figure. This book however, is not about Ishi although his teachings and skill are an important part of what you will read. This book is about what the title says "Hunting with the bow and arrow". Saxton Pope learned to use a bow from Ishi and carried the love of bow hunting for the rest of his life. This book covers everything from making your first bow to killing your first Grizzly in a pleasant and easy to read style that keeps you reading and wanting more. You can and will learn secrets that you would have never thought of , secrets that before Ishi, had been so completely forgotten that Dr. Pope had to reintroduce the techniques to other Native American Tribes. I am not a hunter, I have never used a bow but I have a great love of the outdoors and I loved every moment of this book. I feel like I have learned enough to supply food for myself and my family if the need arises. Along with the wealth of information I gained by reading Hunting with the bow and arrow, I feel that I have also stood witness to a wonderful adventure and lived through the excitement of the hunt. Even though, once again, there are no diagrams or photos with the Kindle edition, Hunting with the Bow and Arrow will never be removed from my Kindle.

This book is a grand adventure, the history of the last Native American in the wild, and the beginning of modern bow hunting. I read this book decades ago as a young man and it inspired me like few others. Today is August 2025 and it's impossible to fathom a professor and doctor in San Francisco being the founder of modern bow hunting. But it's true.

This is a classic, written many years ago by one of the two legendary bowhunting icons who later became the inspiration for the founding of the Pope & Young Club. The amazing hunting adventures of Saxton Pope and Art Young will entertain and delight. The book will also acquaint the reader with their befriending and civilizing of Ishi, the last 20th-century native American Indian to emerge from the wild and come into contact with the White Man. Among many other things, the book is a fascinating historical work, written by a cultural anthropologist --- and a great outdoorsman, to boot!

Dr. Saxton Pope's "Hunting with the Bow and Arrow" is highly informative and masterfully written. This particular printing has no publication identification other than "Las Vegas, NV, 27 July 2025." The printing quality is good. The only illustration is the splendid color image of a Plains Indian holding a bow, on the front cover. This edition does NOT include the 48 illustrations of the original publication of 1923/1925. These B&W photos and line drawings add much to Pope's descriptions. At the low purchase price of this version, these illustrations apparently could not be included. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, minus the illustrations! To see the images, search for the Google Books online version, or purchase a more expensive paper version that does include the 48 illustrations. D. Davenport, Level 3 Coach, USA Archery and the National Field Archery Association, Bakersfield, CA

Excellent book!!! I read this book as a young man and it helped me then to appreciate the history and art of a traditional archery --a sport that I had already loved.Saxton Pope did everyone a great favor in writing of his friendship with Ishi(the last of the Yani tribe)and of his companions, trying to emulate and improve on what the native master had taught them.I ordered this again after losing my original copy years ago, and found it revived my appreciation of this wonderful sport yet again.I have started using the information and techniques this time around to make arrows and soon a bow with my son.

I discovered this book in a sideways sort of way. While working with Native American Rhetoric as a English graduate student, I read Theodora Kroeber's book "Ishi in Two Worlds" the account of the last known member of the Yahi tribe. During Ishi's final years, he developed a close friendship with his physician, Dr. Pope. Kroeber spoke of their mutual love for archery. I wondered if this could be the Pope of the Pope and Young Club who developed the scoring system for wild game taken with bow and arrow. The answer is yes, and that led me to this book. The book contains a brief account of Ishi written by Pope and discussions on the making of a traditional bow, arrows, quiver, and even arrow heads - all skills that were demonstrated to him by Ishi. While researching which of the several versions floating around would be the best purchase, I found several versions that excluded the photographs and diagrams that Pope included in the original book. This Kindle version (yellow and blue-gray horizontal pattern on front with the title in a framed box) includes all the photographs and diagrams. The Kindle price was less than any of the print copies available and the book has been easily accessable on my reader.

This is a classic for archers, especially those who are interested in traditional archery. The first section of the book is absolutely fascinating in itself, as it is a first hand account of one of the last wild indians in the United States. The rest of the book is more informational and a bit drier but still written by a true world class master of traditional archery and old fashioned hunting.

A nice book with interesting information. Seemed a bit expensive after reading through it the first time. Good photos and well described steps. Good fun for this summer. I just wanted more.

Plenty of detail for keen archers - from making your own bow, arrows and even bowstring, to using them on targets and game. (Budding Robin Hoods please note, that using bows and arrows for shooting animals is now illegal in the UK.) Although not an archer, I found this book enjoyable, as it gives an excellent picture of the first part of the twentieth century and will appeal to readers who enjoyed works by Horace Kephart.

a classic and must read for any traditional archer / bowhunter, very entertaining and lots to learn. I've had an edition for years but it's now in bad shape, I wanted a new one....

My son says it's the Bible of the whole subject; he was thrilled!! It is well written and also illustrated.

What an enjoyable book for anybody who loves the outdoors, Archery or Hunting. Pope captures the spirit of Hunting, it is not about killing, its about being out there and experiencing something vivid and real. One of my heroes. Also the stories are really exciting in places! Josh Smerdon

nice little bits of info and good value in kindle format ,informative and interesting read for the price ,might buy it in book form.