Great that someone finally made a video clearing up all the legalities around archery in the UK. Cheers

I am grateful for the UK inspiring our founders to write our constitution the way they did... And for the Bill of Rights...

Re hunting in England see the tales of Robin Hood. Peasants were never allowed to hunt since way back then.

Very informative, thank you, Now I have to look at the rest of your content.

I think it’s a real shame that the British people can’t hunt game with archery equipment. Such a long history using bows, and in 2023, it’s completely banned there.

In America we can shoot most anything, most anywhere with most anything. I love freedom.

Great video. Thank you so much.

Back in the 1950s and 60s we used to make our own bows and arrows out of saplings and dowel wood. We didn't have all these petty laws back then. Fun times.

In England, it is illegal to wild camp and 98% of waterways are private with no public access. The country is run by the few, for the few.

what's surprising to me is that bows and crossbows have all this regulation but slingshots, which can cause just as much damage in a lot of cases, and are much more compact, have no laws surrounding them (to my knowledge).

Interesting that you can’t bow hunt, wonder what the rational is behind that Always surprises me how complacent the British are in giving up rights compared us in the USA

great video, thanks robin hood 🏹

Great video sir

When I lived in England, I was in the backyard of a place I was renting, and the Constabulary was called because I was shooting it and the bow looked scary because it was a camouflage compound bow.

I've had the Police in my House, my Asiatic bows are on display, with arrows as ornamentation, Police didnt care, or even comment, Archery in the UK is seen as a gentile sport, not an offensive weapon, if you had a Crossbow on display, they might have asked why you needed that thing! I practice Archery in the back garden and I am very proficient, I even sometimes shoot up a local field, if I took an airgun out these days, the Police would probably be around. Yes, Bow Hunting is illegal, tbh, so is speeding, people do do it, mainly with crossbows in the UK, not just youths, but poachers, I have hunted with Trad bows in the US, its not something I would do in England anyway, its just too crowded here and the wildlife has a hard enough time of it, plus bow hunting, is mainly waiting around in a hide for hours, unless stalking, nailing rabbits, wild fowl etc. Self defence, a bow has limited value imho, the advantage of a bow, is I can have it on open display unstrung, unless you are a Burglar, who knows how to string and shoot Trad bows, it is useless to them, but I can string it in seconds, and basically, if I can see you, I can probably stick a broadhead through you, would I, probably not, first off, at close range, I have better tools, arrows with a broadhead are lethal, they can kill a grizzly bear, but its not like the Movies, animals/people dont just fall down dead, arrows often go straight through game, and they die a few minutes later, so as a immediate results, self defence weapon, not ideal, but people have taken care of Burglars in the US with Bows, for threatening a burglar, a crossbow probably much better, stick a laser dot on it for added scariness, often there is more than one burglar though! Best advice for weapons in the home, is dont use anything thats primary purpose is a Weapon, think claw hammers, carpentry and garden tools, rather than Medieval weapons, if you dont want robbed or feel unsafe, get a trained German Shepherd tbh. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/odR4ZZmCvK6UcWg.htmlsi=wtgduZjCeKfK-gr1

Can't hunt with archery in the UK? Is there no respect for English heritage over there? I would've figured that archery would be encouraged with the population densities.

thank you.

When it comes to self defense, you have to show that you are unable to retreat, and they would no listen to warnings to stop.

I think much of this advice is questionable from a legal viewpoint. For example, in general people are not allowed to possess weapons for self defence in the UK. You can keep a bow in your house as an item of sporting equipment, but you cannot keep it as a weapon. If someone breaks into your house and your bow happens to be handy, then it may be legal to use it as an improvised weapon, subject to the laws of self defence. But you cannot keep a bow (or any other item) in preparation for a self defence situation.

Great video as a newbie

are there modern cases in the UK of people being shot with a longbow?

Not many people realize that when you give someone the fingers, it was a sign from the English to the Norman Knights, to show them to watch out as they still had their bow fingers. As it was customary to punish with their removal.

Question: hence common law, do no harm to others

Ok a good video overall. Some general advice though - if faced with an intruder then using an item designed as a weapon of any kind should be a last resort in desperate fear of your life. I have swords as well as bows. When faced with an intruder 20 years ago that was trying to crawl through the bottom panel of my door that he's just smashed with an axe that was still in his hand - I hit him with the telephone table. The police were entirely comfortable with that. The intruder wasn't. Think first - is that thought of reaching for that weapon the right thing to use? A sword, a baseball bat, a cricket bat - such things can be contrued as having an offensive weapon to hand that was there to be used as an offensive weapon. In other words - premeditation. That can land you in prison for a very long time.

It is stupid UK people are arrested for carrying english longbow in public which was a part of their culture.

When shooting in your backyard, if you shoot with your own house as the backstop, you will have fewer problems with neighbors than you would using a common fence between properties.behind your target.

What happens if you kill the kings deer?

Side note...while you are speaking, are you putting the bow tip onto/into the ground? This could scratch the bow and/or force dirt up between the string and the bow.

Ok. If I as a hgv driver stop somewhere and go on a field to shoot arrows.......that field or meadow surely belongs to somebody so it is illegal for me to do this because no permission given to me by owner.......so hypotheticaly outside archery is illegal in the UK because every inch is owned by someone.....

Good video, just one comment, did you shoot your arrow across a public footpath without checking no one was walking down it?

hiya adders, what do you think will happen with the new uk regs?

What if they turn their back on you and start walking backwards and saying "If you shoot me in the back you'll go to jail." Then they stand right in front of you, 2 feet away, and start yelling at you while still turned away from you.

Sheeple problems.

I own a Recurve bow but would'nt use it for self defence or my Katana which is hand forged in the tradional manner but a Sword that's in the style of a Samurai Sword but not layered steel is illegal

The trouble is we have so many morons in this country who can't control themselves and spoil it for the rest of us. I haven't shot my field bow for years for fear of getting into trouble, though that's partly because we are overcrowded here in Devon with stupid dog walking incomers.

The barons and kings never allowed the poor to hunt food on their thievedoms lands...nothing changed.. except you don't get slung in a dungeon to rot.

Yet we CAN use catapults to hunt (approved species ofc.) The law...as Pepys mentioned, is an ass. 😂

So the moral of this story is not to live in England.

that looks like my 70lbs Mongolian style horse bow by hunting door, just dolled up

That is not a broadhead. That is a leaf head. Leaf heads go back to early medieval times or before - pre-400AD. Broadheads are characterised by being - broad. That one is not broad.

If I can't hunt with a gun, I'll hunt with a bow, or crossbow, and if I can't buy one, I'll MAKE one. The ONLY law is "Cause no harm, take no shit", everything else is just waffle.

1000lumen flashlight with one touch strobe is a better safer self defense alternative than a bow or a crossbow, the attacker will be blind for several seconds while with a bow or a cross bow your adrenaline will make it very difficult to do any meaningful work with it. I buys the concept of a bow or rather a crossbow in a survival scenario but for self defense no.

Thank you, full of good sound and helpful advise but, then you spoil it all by stepping behind the tree line to shoot an arrow at a target which crossed a tarmac public right of way - cyclists, joggers, people 🏇🏻🚴🏻‍♂️🛵🚜🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️🧑🏿‍🦯👩🏼‍🦽‍➡️🧑🏼‍🦯‍➡️🐄🐑🐖🐕🦮🐈🐾🐇 pets/farm animals/wildlife, all have actions that are to-often unpredictable. Sorry fella, in my book you took an unnecessary risk that had the potential to endanger life! Gone are the good old days when we had public information films to help guide us and inform us of change to the law. Nowadays we are expected to know, as ignorance is frowned upon, and does not form a defence………..🕊