200 yards and a hit in the heart, DRT, from what was likely about a 40lb draw bow with a homemade arrow, most likely from an expert archer who may have been firing from horseback, not looking down the arrow but probably firing as Plains Indians ordinarily did; from a bow held flat and chest height, firing by "instinct" or "feel".
However it was done it was an incredible shot.
Birdwatcher
The athletic ability of plains Indians on horseback--and their bowmanship as well--seems incredible today, but I've seen some demonstrations first-hand that make me a believer.
In the early 1970's I worked parts of each summer for a YMCA summer camp near Seebe, Alberta, which was located on the western verge of the Morley Reservation (Stoney Indians). As part of the Y's lease arrangement, in the summer of '73 the tribe was offered a free camp experience for 7-8 of their boys, and I was selected by the camp administration to take time off my mountain hiking and riding to serve as their counselor. Long story short, what I had thought was gonna be miserable babysitting job turned into one of the most fascinating experiences of my life. I got to know my young charges very well, and learned details of Stoney culture that quite literally changed the course of my life.
One of the things that my young Stoney friends showed me was how good they were on horseback. I was no tyro in the saddle myself, but compared to them I was nothing. They could ride backwards, frontwards, upside-down and sideways, pick up stones off the ground at a full gallop and whip them at each other with phenomenal accuracy, and so forth. I have never in my life seen such riding, and these were 12- and 13-year-old boys. Imagine what they'd have become if they'd kept riding like that into adulthood!
