Hi! I’m Jay.
I am originally from East Preston, Nova Scotia and moved to the highlands in 2014. Already an archer for a couple years at this point, I was travelling with my bow and amazed by all the safe, quiet spaces I could go with my bow while on short vacations and camping trips. I was working and living a very different life in Halifax at this point, and while I grew up on the outskirts of the city, I felt ready for a complete change in scenery.
A couple years after arriving on Cape Breton and moving around constantly in an effort to know more about this amazing place, I started Highland Bow & Arrow in 2017. An idea that was born from realizing that A LOT of people, women and girls especially, had a low key interest in being a bad ass archer. I started my business at a time when archery clubs had waning support and volunteer challenges while being one of the only ways to learn this traditional sport and practice with others. The only way to join tournaments and pursue competing.
There was no place to go pay and learn how to shoot archery in Nova Scotia at this time. I created that place just down the road from where I am located now.
I operated the range solo for years in this location seasonally teaching hundreds of people. Highland Bow helped gain popularity to the sport provincially by guiding new archers into clubs, selling them the proper equipment, teaching new shooters maintenance and providing lessons 6 days a week by appointment. I hosted provincial 3D shooting tournaments in the Highlands of Cape Breton for the first time ever.
Highland Bow has inspired a lot of women and girls to learn archery! I am very proud of that. Below are some photos from the old range.
