<P> Within the steppe of Eurasia, archery continued to play an important part in warfare, although now restricted to mounted archery . The Ottoman Empire still fielded auxiliary cavalry which was noted for its use of bows from horseback . This practice was continued by the Ottoman subject nations, despite the Empire itself being a proponent of early firearms . The practice declined after the Crimean Khanate was absorbed by Russia; however mounted archers remained in the Ottoman order of battle until the post 1826 reforms to the Ottoman Army . The art of traditional archery remained in minority use for sport and for hunting in Turkey up until the 1820s, but the knowledge of constructing composite bows, fell out of use with the death of the last bowyer in the 1930s . The rest of the Middle East also lost the continuity of its archery tradition at this time . </P> <P> An exception to this trend was the Comanche culture of North America, where mounted archery remained competitive with muzzle - loading guns . "After...about 1800, most Comanches began to discard muskets and pistols and to rely on their older weapons ." Repeating firearms, however, were superior in turn, and the Comanches adopted them when they could . Bows remained effective hunting weapons for skilled horse archers, used to some extent by all Native Americans on the Great Plains to hunt buffalo as long as there were buffalo to hunt . The last Comanche hunt was in 1878, and it failed for lack of buffalo, not lack of appropriate weapons . </P> <P> Ongoing use of bows and arrows was maintained in isolated cultures with little or no contact with the outside world . The use of traditional archery in some African conflicts has been reported in the 21st century, and the Sentinelese still use bows as part of a lifestyle scarcely touched by outside contact . A remote group in Brazil, recently photographed from the air, aimed bows at the aeroplane . Bows and arrows saw considerable use in the 2007--2008 Kenyan crisis . </P> <P> The British initiated a major revival of archery as an upper - class pursuit from about 1780 - 1840 . Early recreational archery societies included the Finsbury Archers and the Kilwinning Papingo, established in 1688 . The latter held competitions in which the archers had to dislodge a wooden parrot from the top of an abbey tower . The Company of Scottish Archers was formed in 1676 and is one of the oldest sporting bodies in the world . It remained a small and scattered pastime, however, until the late 18th century when it experienced a fashionable revival among the aristocracy . Sir Ashton Lever, an antiquarian and collector, formed the Toxophilite Society in London in 1781, with the patronage of George, the Prince of Wales . </P>

When did the bow and arrow first appear in texas