RAYMOND - Hunters who want a challenge leave their guns at home and instead use a bow and arrows.

Mark Smikowski takes it a step further, eschewing compound bows for a more traditional long bow or recurved bow. "There's a trend back to traditional archery," Smikowski, 54, of Franklin said Saturday.

He had just been at a sale and swap meet at the West Allis Bowmen clubhouse, 11601 Highway G, where he hoped to sell some of his homemade archery accessories. "I bought more than I sold," he said.

Smikowski has been involved with archery all his life and teaching hunter safety for more than 25 years. Although overall hunter numbers have declined, within that group he senses a growing interest in more traditional methods.

"I think a lot of people just want the challenge," he said. "It just seemed to get a little too easy." A compound bow, Smikowski said, greatly reduces the strength one needs to hold the bowstring back while waiting to release an arrow.

This is a weekend for the roughly 60-member West Allis Bowmen to sharpen and test their archery skills, but also one for opening their 58-acre grounds to the public. For a fee, archers can use either the field targets or the 3-D course, which has artificial animals as targets.

In keeping with Smikowski's interest in traditional archery, as a hobby he makes arrows and quivers - American Indian-style. He had a selection of both to sell Saturday.

Smikowski even knaps flints to make his own arrowheads for his arrows. A skilled knapper can make an arrowhead in 10-15 minutes, he said, although it takes him a bit longer.

His quivers he had made of such materials as coyote pelt, deerskin and a piece of his wife's old rabbit-fur coat.

Smikowski wasn't the only do-it-yourselfer at the event. Roger Tiarks of West Allis was selling various items including his homemade bow strings. "I learned this from someone in Kenosha who bought some bows from me," he said.

Tiarks then made his own jig on which he winds a Dacron string to start the process.

Outside, several archers were practice-shooting at spot targets. The range captain, Gary Strom, said those contests can take place from 15 feet to 80 yards away from the

target.

Members pay $90 annually for a single or $100 for a family membership, Strom said. They're also required to give 25 hours a year of work time to keep things maintained.

Strom, 53, said he knew nothing about archery until about 13 years ago, when he retired from the U.S. Navy. It fit his No. 1 reason he goes hunting: to spend time outdoors.

"I learned archery," he said, "because I could hunt for three months instead of nine days."