Bow hunting is suddenly being overrun by seven-year-old girls, . The fuel behind this new craze is evidently the popular young adult series, The Hunger Games, which features the strong, bow-wielding protagonist, Katniss Everdeen.
According to Denise Parker, CEO of USA Archery, there has been a marked rise in interest in the sport following the release of the first Hunger Games film in 2012. Over the past two years, membership in USA Archery has more than doubled. To meet the sudden rise in demand, USA Archery is increasing their efforts to train and certify more instructors. “The imagery and the message, it’s all a very new look for archery, and we’ve all collectively got behind it,” “I guess it’s kind of our ‘Got Milk?’ campaign, so to speak, for the industry.
As young women have been crowding into archery ranges to hone their skills, some shops are having trouble keeping up with the rising demand for equipment. Store owner Boyd Wild told NPR that recurve bowsthe model used by Katniss in the filmhave been selling out. “It’s taking about five months to get traditional bows right now,” he says. “I mean, it’s just going nuts all over the United States.”