The more modern archery equipment is that much more dangerous. I literally almost died when a compound bow that was brand new exploded. Part of the limb lacerated my jugular and I nearly bled out. Luckily my neighbor was shooting with me and put his finger in the hole which literally kept me alive. After that I only shoot traditional equipment. Great video Kevin ❤ history squad.

As a newly graduated history and museum studies in the US these videos are amazing and captivating. I aspire to be able to be a story teller like you one day.

Bows and arrows can be as hazardous as firearms. At least one doesn’t shoot oneself with a bow whilst cleaning it. When in 6th grade archery class, I witnessed someone loose an arrow at a near 90 degrees up. There was quite a bit of yelling and screaming of “Watch out!” The arrow fell, nicking the heel of a classmate. Your story of the woman pegging her laundry jogged that memory. I participated in college archery. My partner skipped one of his arrows over the top of the butt. It flew for another 50 yards. Stuck right in the side of a brand new Mustang. The Grover parked directly in front of a “No Parking” sign that warned of archery practice. Never saw that Mustang downrange again. Oh, for a camera! Thanks again for a great presentation. Cheers!

Thanks Kevin. It hopefully will remind people that safety should always be foremost, when using anything that sends a projectile at high speed. Firearm safety, bow safety, slingshots, anything like that can kill. Cheers from Texas.

Not quite an arrow, but in 1978, lawn darts were popular. Back then they had a sharpened point, not the blunted ends they have now. A bunch of us kids were playing with them when brothers started to argue about whose turn it was. It became very heated when one brother tried to run away with a couple of the darts. The other brother then threw a dart overhand very hard at the fleeing brother. It hit him in the back, in the left shoulder, driving it to the hilt. We thought he was going to die, it was very traumatic. He survived, but was in hospital for the whole summer.

I have a connection with the shooting of king William Rufus. It was my ancestor, one Purkis, a local charcoal burner, who helped load the body of the king, onto his cart, and took the king into the town of Winchester.

The story about the lady and the laundry reminds me of a story about my father. He was a very kind but also very stern and serious father, so perhaps this is why I like to tell this story. I like to think of him as he was at this point in his life. He had gotten a pellet gun from somewhere, either he bought it or it was a gift. In any case, he had it in his room on the second floor of his parents house one day and started to use the neighbors laundry for target practice. Great fun and he could tell what he hit and where. However, when the neighbor came out to collect the bed sheets on the line and found them full of holes, there was a problem.

Shared your experience , not with an arrow, but with a dart. Hit my playmate right in the head. Nothing serious (thank god) but it haunts me now for more than 50 yrs.

The injuries described are perfect case studies of how effective arrows are. Imagine getting hit by the enemy with an arrow. So effective, so deadly.

I was reading a few journal articles about Tudor longbow archery in a spare moment at my university's library, as I was the president of the archery club there and a fairly serious period longbow archer. In an article that also included the account of the man shot while sleeping, I found a (sadly very short) summary of a coroner's report about one Henry Pert, gentleman, who managed to accidentally shoot himself through the head with his own longbow. Apparently, he was shooting with under-length arrows (as dangerous now as it was then, by the way!) and overdrew the arrow before releasing it. He managed to, by some miracle, avoid shooting himself through the wrist, but the point of the arrow lodged in the grip of the longbow instead, with the bowstring still in the nock and the full weight of the bow behind it. This was apparently interesting enough to warrant a closer inspection, so he turned the bow around for a closer look, the arrow slipped out (or broke through) at just the correct moment, and he shot himself right through the head. Source: Gunn, Steven. “ARCHERY PRACTICE IN EARLY TUDOR ENGLAND.” Past & Present, no. 209 (2010): 53-81.

Wow, that brings back a memory from my childhood in the 1960's. I do not remember who shot the arrow but my friends and I were using our bows in a friends backyard and one got shot almost straight up. What seemed like a long time, the arrow came down and through the roof of a neighbors swimming pool enclosure. When the arrow passed through the metal roof it made such a loud sound that we all went running out of sight. We never did that again and never asked for the arrow back and thank the Lord that no one was hurt. As always, I enjoyed how you presented this video 😀

I was shot with an arrow when I was 12 years old - the trouble was I shot the arrow .I shot an arrow and it had tunnelled under the grass and I was looking for it - eventually I found it .While looking I must have trod on the arrow and it had a hairline crack - I never noticed - picked it up and shot the arrow again .Part went past my hand but part went straight into my hand - it left a piece of the shaft right up inside my hand - being 12 years old that scream must have woken the dead .I still have the scar now and that was 1962 .I still have a longbow - it's not the same one though .

My kids are starting to get into archery. I made very clear the rules about not going to the target when people are shooting and not shooting when there are people at the target. It’s no joke.

I think every little boy who has been left unsupervised for just a minute has loosed an arrow straight up.

Just found this channel and im hooked. Really good work here. Appreciate the content

I'm an avid archer and oftentimes took friends out to shoot. Being from America, NONE of my friends truly took the bow seriously. Luckily no mistakes were ever made under my watch, but I've sure had to replace a lot of arrows over the years. Anyway, awesome video as always. I'm glad you still have both eyes after that little mistake you shared with us.

As always, an excellent video, and gives a good view into the safety concerns when using bows. A story that was told to me a while ago by a colleague was that a neighbour of his was a recurve archer, who always used a 'clicker' (for those who don't know, that is a small length of metal which lies across your arrow, and when the point passes it, the metal comes off the point and strikes a plate behind, hence the 'click', which always ensures you are in the same place each time you release the arrow). Anyhow, this lady decided to try doing a bit of practice in her home, simply drawing the arrow to the same point and then lowering it again. However, it was a good day, and her window was open....and, being used to releasing when she heard the 'click', she drew the bow, the arrow came back, the clicker clicked...and she automatically loosed her arrow! The arrow shot through the open window, straight across the road and embedded itself in the front door directly across from her! Luckily there was no-one in the way, and she of course had some explaining to do, but someone could have been easily killed. Scary stuff indeed.

I read about an MI deer hunter who died of blood loss after arrow brakes upon release and rips through his arm. Thank You for another great video "yeah" !

I wouldn't call myself anything but an amateur when it comes to archery, but the little experience I have didn't leave me any surprises in this video... I'd like to emphasize the two things I found the most dangerous: 1) idiots on the range (be they running in front of the target, behind it, or shooting into random directions) 2) shrapnel (arrows hitting something, or someone using a short arrow on a long bow and getting the tip stuck at the bow because he overdrew) Also, I find it quite noteworthy that sandbags protect from some quite serious firearms, but crossbows, longbows, and spear guns just don't care... They go through water and sand and impale anything in their path... Also, Kevlar doesn't offer much protection on its own either!

As always Kevin your stories are so well said you feel like your are standing there watching it happen. Just amazing.

Fantastic video as always Kevin. You are such a brilliant story teller. Have ever thought about writing a book on your experiences, i would buy it.

Loved your stories. Rough and scary but interesting!

Hi Kevin, I really enjoy your videos. I wanted to share a story that happened about a year ago, I was sitting outside on my back deck watching my neighbors kids with a bow and arrow. As I watched I saw the younger of the two recklessly shooting the bow and nearly striking his mother. So I decided then to go into the house and get my recurve bow and went outside. I asked the mother if I could show her son how to properly shoot a bow and arrow, which she appreciated that. I had set up a target about 15 yards and demonstrated to this young lad what an arrow can do and why he shouldn't be shooting the way he did. As a side note the mother loved the bow I have.

I’ve just recently found your channel and I’m astonished how captivating and in depth all of your videos are, being from the US we hadn’t received much of any European history and now I can’t stop watching. I love all the outfits , props and funny jokes, I’m always looking forward to the next upload. keep up the amazing work

People will often forget that just because its living history, doesn't mean that the weapons used aren't still weapons that can injure or kill someone. Some of the frontiersmen I have worked with use their long rifles to hunt later in the year. And they can take down a deer without too much trouble. Its also interesting how when a weapon is used in a sport people seem to forget that it's still dangerous. Even when they were the weapon of the day. Very nice video and did make me think of my own injuries when things haven't gone right with our muskets. (Flint can explode and it can cut, as does the touchhole flare and burn your cheek if you are too close.) Either way, good video and glad to see one with an undercurrent of a safety video.

It may not mean much coming from a single random guy, but I really love your channel, I'm studying to someday be a teacher and I can only hope to be as cool as you when teaching lol

my first time with a real bow at an archery club I found that the bow was a bit light and that I could draw it further than the arrow length. That meant that the arrow could easily come unnocked at full draw and the field tip could hover right before my left hand. If I had been a little bit too eager to let go the arrow would have launched straight through my hand.

Great video Kevin! That 20 minutes went by like it was two. Nearly every video you do regardless of length leaves me wanting more. You have an amazing gift as a story teller my brother.

I once tried archery, and scored a bullseye with my first shot. However, it was in my opponent’s target. In drawing back to shoot, I had inadvertently swung to one side, and failed to correct before releasing 😬

Great video. I can relate to this as I have a small scar on my neck where an arrow missed my carotid artery by a few mm.

Hi Kevin, Accident with archery... What a wonderful theme. We had one accident in our archery club... It was the day of the open door. There was a guy understanding nothing. Finaly the Instruktion says: Hey, you just hold it in this direction, and when i say now, you let it of. OK?....OK. He shouts NOW !!! ...AND HE LET IT OF... (But he let it of in front and got the bow into his face...)😂😂😂Aua.

Your first story reminds me of an incident when I was a teenager. My friend Eric was messing around with my bow and arrows as we were tenting in the woods near my hometown. My bow looked like a toy. A light blue fiber glass thing with a bright red plastic handle, but in fact it was a pretty strong recurve. And as you did in your backyard, Eric shot an arrow vertically into the sky. A little aside sat a French exchange pupil named Benoit on an air mattress. For some reason he stood up and a split second later with a loud “plopp”the down coming arrow pierced through the mattress in the exact spot where he sat just a moment before. This was a close one, but we all laughed till we fell (careless young idiots that we were). I laughed too until I realized that it was my mattress.

This one got me thinking about my daughter and I practicing Archery in my garage. 35LB and 45LB re-curve bows with field points, what could possibly go wrong. 8 meters/25 feet. Two arrows went right through the steel lined fireproof door to my cellar/furnace room. WOW! I think of this every time Todd and others do an arrows verse armor test.

Hey Kev, great video! I thought I'd share an archery accident I've witnessed about 7 years ago. So, the school I was at was a part of a government summer camp program, and on one of the days there we had an archery practice. It was with those modern plastic bows and arrows (still sharp though). So, one of the girls in my class managed to shoot herself with an arrow. She hit a target's metal leg, the arrow arched, bounced back in almost a straight line, and managed to leave a fairly nasty cut on her shin. Luckily, she was ok, but after the incident, the instructor said that it was the first time he's ever heard of anyone shooting themselves with a bow. Hope it was an entertaining story, cheers!

Fascinating stuff! I imagine there have been thousands of arrow injuries--that didn't lead to a death--never having been reported. When you consider how long and widespread the use of bow and arrow have been, it's inevitable.

Glad to see another archery video!

Great video. Thanks Kevin. I can relate to nearly every mishap you mentioned with a bow and arrow including splitting another arrow stuck in a target. Hopefully your stories will avert someone from having a serious accident.

I had something similiar with a photo journalist in the late 80's at a reenactment event in Noerdlingen/Germany - 30 years War -, but with a cannon. That guy wanted to take a picture when the cannon fired, but from the front, we told him not to since it's extremely dangerous even without a ball in the barrel, so we moved the cannon a few times and that idiot moved with us. Eventually, fed up mightily with that idiot, I put the lintstock to the touch-hole. He got his "picture" and was thrown by the blast right into the mud along with a nice concussion. That taught him a lesson he didn't forget in a jiffy, and he bought us later some beers as an appology.

Mr Hicks Im thankful for all the videos you made.

You know it’s gonna be good when he’s got the Robin Hood hat on.

KEVIN HICKS IS THE MAN!!!! WE LOVE YOU KEV!

Kevin, youre so good at telling stories

Kev has the greatest themes to cover.😊

Good video Kevin! I’ve had a few myself over the years. You are the first who has spoken of having a fletching through the hand as I did as a boy with my first boy. That gets one’s attention!!

Great video and thank you for your first hand insight into the dangers of what most people think is, just a bow and arrow.

I love your additions of accounts to your stories.....it certainly adds more realism to the stories

Thanks Kevin. Tales well told

Never dreamed so much could go wrong. Ouch. There's a whole new meaning to the word Quiver when that crossbow bolt hits a bone! Very enlightening thehistorysquad.

Love your show!!😊

Great video as always!!! ❤ love the mention of 'courting couples' 😂

When I was in high school, I was on the track team.... I was a thrower... a javelin thrower... we didn't use rubber tipped javelins in Oregon... they were legit throwing spears... Well... one night at practice the sprinters finished their workout around the back side of the track ... just as we were doing full strength throws... one of the sprinters finished and not paying attention, casually started walking backwards right across the middle of the field.... this guy also happened to the be the star running back on our football team... Not seeing him... I loosed my javelin as he began across the field... a high arching throw of about 150 feet .. about half the length of the football field.. everyone saw it going right for him... everyone that is, except him... but everyone was silent. . He turned around just in time to see it fly right over his shoulder, inches from the side of his head.... Ya that was scary.

My fiancé and I plan to learn archery 🏹 Its an ancient, beautiful practice/sport. I cant wait! Thanks for another great video, Kevin!

05:54 Kevin just mentions casually that the exploded bow limb gave him a concussion. Did you had to to go the hospital, what was the aftermath of it? So i imagine a bow snapping can permanently damage the archer or outright kill him.

Excellent as always Kevin thanks. I'm surprised you didn't mention King Harold's last words at Hastings though, "watch that bugger with the bow and arrow or he'll have someone's eye out"

The arrow coming back down reminded me of a story from my local area, a couple of dudes were plinking with a rifle, just messing about, firing at some trash, etc. when for some reason, they decided to fire the gun upwards, at an angle, and of course, the bullet came back down, a good distance away (I don't remember the exact distance, but it's the great plains, houses are separated by a ton of fields) and a man was re-shingling his roof, and the bullet went straight through his skull, killing him instantly. The local PD issued a statement for any information and the guys were so distraught they turned themselves in, a sad story, and a reminder to always know where you're shooting

I absolutely love this channel. Thank you

Very interesting Kevin, you are an excellent storyteller thanks for sharing. Cheers

German sergeant accidentally walked into an arrow in France 1940 .

Great video Kevin, like always. I noticed that "Robin Hood" cap. It made me think. Are those hats historically accurate or just hollywood?

When I was a young lad of about 11 or 12 years old, I got my first longbow. We were visiting a relative who had acres of land, so I took my bow out and began shooting at leaves and sticks that I saw. I got bored with this, so I began shooting my bow straight up into the air and watching the arrows land on the ground around 100 yards away or so. It took a while to walk out and retrieve them, so I thought I could speed up the process by running toward them as they landed. It was good fun and being young I guess burned off some extra energy as well. Anyway, I lost sight of this one arrow as I ran into the field. I stopped around where it should have landed when the arrow swished by my head and thudded into the ground at my feet. I stopped doing that! I often thought about how they would have explained how I had committed suicide with a bow and arrow. It still gives me the chills now. Recently, I was practicing with my recurve hunting bow in my backyard. I was shooting at a large bail of hay around 16 yards away. the hay bail was leaning against a large sloping hill, so I thought it was in a safe spot to practice. One of my arrows glanced off of the target and went straight up into the air. I marveled at how high the arrow went until it landed squarely in my neighbor's backyard where their kids sometimes play. I freaked out and had to climb that hill quickly to get the arrow. Luckily, they had moved away which I did not know at the time. I moved my target to flatter ground and in a safer direction. The last thing I want is to hurt someone or have them call the police on me. You are totally right about shooting a bow, accidents do happen all the time. People think bow shooting is safe compared to firearms, but it can be just as deadly. I guess that is why they have used them for thousands of years for hunting and warfare. Great video. I enjoyed it very much.

Love listening to kevins stories

It’s interesting getting the “gun safety talk” from the other side of the pond, and it is certainly a talk that can’t be had too frequently. It’s unfortunate too many people don’t learn to respect tools which can cause serious injury or death until it is too late.

Great video, really enjoyed it. When I was a kid growing up in the 60's in the northeast, we had a Rag & Bone man come round with a horse and flat bed trailer. For a bundle of old clothes you could get a bow and arrow, which more often than not the lads used to get, the very often got a goldfish, just like at the fair we used to visit.

Excellent video as always Kevin, i had an "incident" a good many years ago with a crossbow in a field which resulted in a very angry man striding across said field with bolt in hand, which i had just watched disappear from view, easily clearing 200m! Narrowly missed his wife lounging in the garden apparently. Valuable lesson learned that day but hey, at least i got my bolt back.

Thank you Kevin once again for a superb video !!! I never want them to end 😊

I should know by now to not try to eat and watch Mr. Hicks. I get so absorbed by the tales that he weaves that, before I even know it, my ice cream has melted, my dinner has gone cold, or my sandwich has dried out. Please never stop, good Sir.

Hi Kev, just watched this as I was away at the weekend to the annual Regimental Pilgrimage at NMA. Do you remember the old NI Training film It could be you, about ADs? The culprit was a red haired lad called Bradey. As it happened we had a red haired cook, so of course he was nicknamed Bradey. We was going to the rifle ranges to practise and he tagged along. Someone quipped to him, "Hey Bradey, you don't need to shoot anyone, just feed em!" He broke down in tears, so he got more stick. I grew up around small arms, joining the ACF at 13 and the regs at 17, but I've never fired a bow. Guess I never will now at the ripe old age of 69. Love to hear your stories, especially about Berlin because I served in BAOR at Hidesheim nd the closest I got to Berlin was Helmstedt.

Fantastic! I just started with the SCA about a year ago, and I am in the target archery. And yes, we have to be very careful-but I learned to shoot guns when I was eight, and passed the Illinois firearms test when I was 9, shot a 20 gauge shotgun when I was 10- at clay pigeons. All without accident. And I am a civil war re-enactor, carrying a 58 caliber musket, and 44 caliber pistol (I serve Navy, we're armed to the teeth) and I always am vigilant on the battlefield, double-checking my safety, do I have the right elevation, am I far enough away, it all matters. Twenty-six years of experience helps, but is no guarantee. Same with shooting arrows. Take the time for safety. It matters. And yes, people do stupid things on the field, I heard of one guy that went out in front of the cannon which were loaded and ready to fire on the re-enactment field. At the time of the war, General Ewell was having to explain to an excited teen-age girl with information for him that she considered crucial, that she needed to get away from where the enemy guns were going to fire. Finally he gave up, and said, "Women, if it weren't for spiders and snakes they would make teriffic soldiers," or something to that effect. Considering that Ewell could also turn the air blue with his cursing, he probably said a great deal more as well.

I still remember when I was about to fire my bow when the arrow slipped from the arrow rest right as I let loose and my bow shattered. The limb came round and broke my glasses, but luckily, it didn't actually hit me.

Man... When we were kids one of our friends had a cheap fiberglass longbow. We would shoot arrows straight up and see who could get closest to the arrow when it came down.... Now I get chills thinking about that.

A few months ago I was at an archery class at the local community center that I help at and had a kid walk directly in front of me right when I got comfortable and was about to release the string and we’re lucky I was paying attention. It gave a whole new meaning to pucker factor.

You have so many great and amusing stories, I could be here all day hearing you tell them! : D

Awesome video as usual, thanks Kevin!

I nearly spat my coffee out when you said the king kept his eye on the stag and then the picture comes up and he's still got one eye on something 😂

Love the archery videos, the information comes from a personal source and pov and isn’t just hearsay, it’s genuine experience from a professional

Another great video Kev!! And thanks for the mention. I hope to get some shooting in next week!! Take care mate. Dave.

A poignant video having just completed my Scouts Archery Instructor course. Most of the weekend we were discussing safety and ways to mitigate accidents. Thanks Kevin

That was very interesting and shows how careful you must be with how and arrows!

This resonates so much - from one Bowman to another ✊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇬🇧

I always have enjoy your videos and keep your story coming thank you Kevin

Oh brother, this video reminded me when the gym coach in my high school set up a shooting range with a bow and arrows and then i took a turn the bow string gave me a painful friction burn on my arm becuase i did not hold it well.

I love archery and many a time I have been aiming and thought about the tension going through that bow and what would happen if it were to snap. It never even occurred to me that the arrow could explode, new fear unlocked. All that aside, I absolutely love your videos, you are a fantastic story teller. ❤

I always enjoy your "little videos"!

Great stories! Thanks so much!

I had heard in a bowhunting magazine, about this office worker who would take his lunch break at an archery range a block away from work or so, remember, take off your necktie. I had almost a disaster as well, My first bow was a compound, had about five previous owners, I traded some camp gear and a pellet gun for it, and made my own arrows with dowling and goosefeathers, sanding sealers and then varnish..... some of the most accurate arrows i ever had. Well, I was shooting at the range downtown, and i sure am glad the owner of the range, we had about room for 6 people to shoot at once.... he stopped me from taking the shot, he noticed where I did not, the steel cable was severyly frayed, was being held on by only three or four threads.... one more shot woulda tore my face off. Thank god he saw it, I was too busy looking at the targets and not checking cables. Well, that bow was done, we couldn't get replacement cables for that one, and was too short draw for me anyway. Grandma bought me a new bow for Christmas about a month later. Was so thankful, archer is a part of my identity and dearest loved skill.

Oh my gosh, I almost had the same thing happen with a double arrow as a kid. Aluminum shafts, so no split. Just one tucked into the back of the other. I saw it as I ran to the target to fetch the arrows, so I stopped short. My cousin was also running with me, and didn't expect me to stop early. He ran into me, and I staggered forward, getting an uncomfortable poke in the belly in the process when I ran into the arrow.

Wow what an amazing bunch of stories!!!!

I enjoy these videos more than any show or movie, thank you good sir for sharing these with us all... each one is sooo interesting and you have a way with words

I used to know a guy who would take his work truck down to the artillery range to sleep because no one ever went down there and it was a good hiding place. One day he was interrupted by howitzer rounds coming down. I guess he hadn’t predicted the firing times like he thought lol

ABSOLUTELY ENTERTAINING!! Love the research you do and especially the way you present! Thanks 👍

Thank yew Kevin. Thumbs up.

Greetings once again from nova Scotia, thanks Kevin, I really enjoyed this one. I love the history behind the stories, the reality of it all, top shelf. Please keep bringing awesome videos, and as always best regards, Arthur

Great stuff!!

Back around 1977 or 76 or so my buddy and I were shooting his bow and arrow high into the air using our feet and laying on the ground. The arrow would go out of sight for a while. Then.... it headed for the neighbors pool which had a soft bottom and penetrated it. We could see it at the bottom over the fence. That was our last time shooting the bow and arrow like that. Greetings from Arizona.

Another great video. I have been thinking about joining a local archery club but after seeing this I'm having second thoughts 😮🤣

Yippee another good day when you post . Thanks Kevin and co 🙏

I only found your channels recently, you are very educational in your videos cant wait for the next one!

Great as always Kevin.

Thanks for sharing Kevin. I haven't had the misfortune of any serious accidents with archery. While shooting with smaller arrows than I should have I had a near accident. So I tossed them, they were cheap with plastic fletching so it was a completely acceptable loss especially in terms of safety. Luckily I wasn't hurt at all, and my bow was also undamaged.

Thanks again Kevin 👍great content!