In Greek mythology, the Olympian god Apollo helped Paris slay Achilles with an arrow during the Trojan War.

Roman Legions included trained archers, later defeated by mounted Hun warriors with bows and Goth and Vandal armies of archers.

English bowmen using longbows helped defeat Britain's foes until guns became the preferred weapon of war during the 16th century.

Australia is the only continent that has had no evidence come to light of some type of bow and arrow used in hunting, warfare, or sport in prehistoric times, said Milt Beens, owner of Wild Cat Canyon Archery, west of Durango.

Today, many hunters still prefer using a bow and arrows to hunt.

Dennis Howell, 48, of Hesperus, an archery hunter for 27 years and a prostaff archer for several companies, said that thousands of archers hunt in Colorado each year. The state boasts 10 big game species including bear, antelope, elk, mule deer, white tale deer, mountain lion, big horn sheep, desert big horn sheep, moose and mountain goat.

Howell hunts with a bow because of the challenge, he said. He appreciates the intense nature of the hunt. "It's seeing nature in its entirety. Bow hunting is strictly a mind game - you're on a one-on-one basis with an animal." He has to stay in top physical condition for bow hunting. He said he once hauled the skin of a mountain goat on his back for nine and a half hours to get to his truck so the Colorado Division of Wildlife could tag the animal properly within 72 hours of the kill. Then he returned to camp for the meat.

Beens also said he bow hunts for the challenge. "It's a whole different hunting realm than using a rifle. You live in the animal's back yard, you actually find his bedroom."

He also noted the passion archers feel for the sport. He quipped, "There are two kinds of archery hunters. There are those that use the bow to hunt and those that use the hunt as an excuse to use their bow."

As an added incentive, the weather is typically better for archery seasons than it is for rifle hunting as the archery seasons for big game are held earlier in the year.

In the woods, there are fewer hunters and animals are less 'stirred up' than they are during rifle season, said Jerry Becay, Durango native and archery hunter for 50 years. He also joked, "Well, you don't have to worry about the meat spoiling 'cause you're never gonna get anything."

Others agreed. "When you see an animal and you're hunting with a rifle, you'll most likely get a shot at it," said Richard Ellis, owner of Gardenswartz Sporting Goods and Gardenswartz Outdoors. "That's not always the case with bow hunting. But, you have a lot more close encounters with elk when archery hunting than when hunting with a rifle," he said.

"You might stalk an animal all day. Your heart's in your throat the whole time, especially if you're bear hunting," said Becay.

There are different types of bows these archers use in hunting. Two of the archers interviewed use the traditional bow, which is made of wood or a fiberglass/wood composite. The bows have bowstrings made of linen and waxed with beeswax to keep them waterproof, shrink proof and stretch proof. The wax also helps prevent the strings from stretching and shrinking. Traditional bows are usually 'unstrung' when not in use. Arrows fired from a traditional bow fly between 150 and 200 feet-per-second. These bows can be shaped like Robin Hood's longbow or like Cupid's somewhat curlicued bow.

The compound bow is made of man-made materials including for example, steel, and has pulleys and cables to increase the speed of the arrow. Arrow speed from a compound bow is about 300 feet-per-second with some shooting arrows as fast as 400 feet-per-second.

In contrast to these bows, a bullet from a 30.06 rifle flies about 2800 feet per second.

Bullets from some high-tech guns can get into the 4000 feet-per-second range and can hit targets 700 to 800 yards away.

Becay said, "Archery gives the edge to the animal; guns give the edge to the hunter."

The desire to use a primitive weapon to bring home meat, the appreciation of hunting in nicer weather, the close connection with nature and the challenge are some of the reasons hunting with a bow is the passion of these men.

(Gretta Becay is a local resident and freelance writer.)