Got enough arrows in your quiver?

Exhale. Focus on the target. Draw the bow. Concentrate once more - and then release the arrow! Have you always wanted to shoot a bow and arrow and feel like Robin Hood? I'd love to take you on my journey through Michaela and Christoph Hölz's new 3D hunting archery course in the beautiful Altenmarkt adventure forest with its forest high ropes course and now also with the new hunting archery course. I was also curious to find out what makes this ancient practice so fascinating after I swung from tree to tree like Jane in the adventure forest's climbing garden two years ago. I can tell you one thing in advance: On the 3D hunting archery course, ambition, excitement, competitive spirit and lots of fun are guaranteed.

A look at the history of archery tells us that it goes back thousands of years and is closely linked to the history of mankind. Archaeological finds impressively prove that people were already using bows and arrows, waging wars and hunting in the Palaeolithic Age, Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Even the 5300-year-old glacier mummy ‘Ötzi’ was equipped with a longbow, quiver and 14 arrows. As we all know, archery has since then developed into a popular leisure activity and an organised sport. The 20th century brought many technological advances, including the introduction of compound bows and modern materials such as fibreglass and carbon fibre. Archery became an Olympic discipline and different types of archery emerged such as field archery, 3D archery and Olympic recurve archery.

But now back to the new hunting archery course in the Altenmarkt adventure forest. A group of bow enthusiasts met up at the shooting range, which is equipped with targets and 3D targets. Here, a trainer introduced us to the secrets of archery and showed us how to use the bow and arrow correctly and, above all, safely. I was amazed at how quickly I got to grips with the technique of instinctive archery, especially considering how difficult I have sometimes found it to learn other sports and still do.

Anyway, I was really excited when I set off on the course. Would I hit a target? ‘Our hunting archery course with lifelike, three-dimensional animals made of foam continues to inspire children and young people - recommended from the age of six - as well as adults,’ Christoph, the operator of the adventure forest with the forest high ropes course and the archery sports facility, tells us. The ‘hunt’ here is combined with a unique nature experience, as the 18 stations of the course with the replica native animals such as deer, roe deer, pheasant and marmot are located in their natural environment.

You can test your skills and playfully compete against each other at shooting distances of five to 40 metres. ‘The most exciting thing about archery is that the hunters come back with a score, i.e. they write down points for each hit as a reward,’ adds Christoph with a laugh. And then there's the fact that it's an activity in the fresh air, where you're guaranteed to use different muscles than usual, increase your concentration and recharge your batteries. You can even take a break during the round at the Gasthaus Neuhäusl, which offers drinks and a snack right in the middle of the course.

You don't need much for archery: Sturdy shoes and sporty clothing. You can hire a bow and arrow on site. However, you should definitely bring a portion of curiosity and a rucksack full of patience. At least that's my experience ...

If you would like to learn archery even more intensively, you can register for a taster course (Mondays and Fridays from 30th June to 28th July, 9 am to 12 noon) or private coaching at the Archery Academy in the Adventure Forest. Here, trained instructors from the Austrian Archery Association (ÖBSV) and trainers from Henry Bodnik's Instinctive Archery Academy will teach you everything you need to know about this sport. The passionate archer and bowhunter from Germany, Henry Bodnik, who has been teaching instinctive archery and making traditional bows for more than 25 years, writes on his website: ‘Instinctive archery is the art of shooting your arrow perfectly into the target without conscious aiming and without additional aids. This is the origin of archery.’ Well, let's get started ...

photo credits: Matthias Fritzenwallner