• Many archers prefer the tradition of wooden arrows.arrows image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
  
  The practice of using bows and arrows to hunt or as weapons extends far back in human history. Ancient Egyptians fielded archers in their armies, and primitive hunters have used bows and arrows for hunting for thousands of years. Modern technology has improved upon the bow and the arrow of our ancestors by creating newer, “more advanced” materials to make the bowhunter or recreational archer more powerful, but many hunters still prefer to use wooden arrows for a variety of reasons.
  
  

Holding to Tradition

• Bowhunting and archery in general have a lot of tradition behind them. Rifles and handguns have replaced the long and short bows as the principle ranged weapons of the times, but using a bow, either for recreation or for hunting, reaches deeply into our ancestral roots. "There is something about a wood arrow shot from a traditional bow that feels right in a way that no other material can match," says the New Zealand Archery Products website. For that reason, many bowhunters and archers prefer to use the traditional wooden arrow rather than modern materials.
  
  

Re-creating the past

• The Society for Creative Anachronism enjoys re-enacting life in the Middle Ages. Members adopt the dress and lifestyles of our medieval ancestors when they attend public events as part of the SCA. According to the New Zealand Archery Products website, The SCA requires the use of traditional wooden arrows rather than arrows made of modern materials such as aluminum or carbon fiber.
  
  

Wood arrows can be homemade

• A wooden arrow can be made at home, the way humans have been making arrows for thousands of years. Aluminum and carbon fiber arrows can't be homemade. Many amateur and recreational archers, as well as re-enactors of the SCA, prefer the authenticity of making their arrows instead of buying them in stores.
  
  

The advantages of weight

• According to the website, "African Archer," wooden arrows are heavier than aluminum and penetrate deeper into deer and other game, a fact that makes them more desirable for some hunters. African Archer says "a wooden arrow with the correct spine for a given bow nearly always weighs a lot more than an aluminum one, usually resulting in better penetration on the bigger game species." Although the range of a wooden arrow is shorter than that of the lighter modern arrows, the lighter arrows lack the puncturing power of wood.
  
  

Wood Arrows are Quieter

• Because of their weight, the wooden arrows keep the bow quieter. When you shoot a lighter arrow such as an aluminum arrow, the bow's louder noise is more likely to spook your prey. According to African Archer, the weight of a wooden arrow muffles the sound of the bow, which could make the difference between the deer darting away or falling to your shot.