Tamworth Archery and Hunting in Taminda is the only specialised archery store in the city, servicing a growing band of bow hunters.

Business owners John and Mckyla Hull, both avid bow hunters, said they had been surprised at the broad demographic of customers they had serviced since opening two weeks ago.

“I thought I knew everyone into it in Tamworth but I’ve seen a lot of new faces,” Mr Hull said.

“Just last week a couple of girls that would have only been 15 or 16 came in to buy some cammo gear and they said they loved going hunting.

“There must be thousands of people around here that do it – it’s a massive sport.”

The business sells everything from $3000 bows to simple arrow heads, and Mr Hull even has plans to build an indoor archery range at the site in future.

He said despite some people’s perception bow hunting was cruel, the sport was bound by a strict etiquette.

“True bow hunters respect the animals and want to make a kill quickly and humanely,” Mr Hull said.

Hunters normally targeted goats, pigs, foxes and rabbits, especially in areas where they were in plague proportions.

Participants use state-of-the-art bows and can spend hours stalking their prey, he said.

“It’s a real challenge and it’s not as easy as shooting an animal with a gun,” he said.

“There are a lot of variables in the sport, especially with the arrows themselves.

“You can’t just go and grab one off the shelf, you need the correct flex in the spine and the correct weighted head.”

He said surrounding areas such as Murrurundi, Quirindi and Werris Creek were popular with bow hunters.