For all the appearances of bows and arrows in movies, how often do you actually see someone taking a shot at archery?

Chances are, not very often.

But the sport is alive and well on O'ahu, where a dedicated group of archers take aim every weekend in Kapolei.

To experience some of the old Medieval sport, Hawaiian style, head out to the Puu O'Kapolei Archery Range, located just off H-1 in the Second City. On Saturdays and Sundays you'll find members of the most active group on the Island, Da 6 Pak Bushwackers Archery Club, honing their skills, kicking back and having a good time.

And you're more than welcome to join them.

"(For) anybody who wants to get into archery, I'm more than happy to talk to (them)," said Arrik Black, president of the Bushwackers. "They can come to the range, and take a look around. And there's a lot of good people to talk to."

The range has a modest atmosphere, with leather seats and benches scattered under a hut overlooking a series of targets of various distances. It's perfect for talking story, having a casual competition or tuning up equipment. The targets are generally well-maintained, and there's even an indoor shooting range nearby.

But every other month or so, the Bushwackers get serious. That's when they have local tournaments sanctioned by the National Field Archery Association, a national governing body of the sport. The big event coming up is the 3-D Animal Unmarked State Archery Championship at Pu'u O Kapolei on Dec. 10.

Like any good sport, archery is relatively easy to pick up, but difficult to master. The basics involve placing the back of the arrow, or the nock, on the taut bowstring, and letting the arrow shaft rest on a shelf above your front hand's knuckle. With the arrow in place, the most common technique is to aim by looking down the arrow shaft at the target, using three fingers of your dominant hand to pull the string back below the arrow, and releasing.

"It's a mental discipline," said Weyland Bailey, a math teacher at Kapolei High School and the director of the Hurricanes' archery club. "You focus on a single task at a single moment."

The rest is all about repetition.

The flight path of an arrow is determined by the angle of an archer's arm as they pull back the string, and adjusting the angle of the bow for range. By bringing your draw hand to the corner of your mouth just before release every time, experts find you get the most consistent results.

Of course, it also helps to pick up a few pointers along the way, and the Bushwackers are more than happy to help.

Black said every member of the club he can think of — 20 to 35 people show up any given weekend — is also a hunter, but it's not a required thing to be in the club. Black goes after wild boar with his bow and arrows just about every week.

There are three basic types of bows: recurve, compound, and longbows, for starters. Recurve bows tend to be the most beginner-friendly, as they are the cheapest variety — between $100 and $200 — with a quiver and set of arrows. Compound bows are the middle variety, and longbows are more expensive, often upwards of $400.

Joseph Lacuesta and Eric Wat, Kapolei High School sophomores, recently practiced shooting targets at the range with hickory longbows. Both are part of their school's archery club, which has about 30 members.

"With your friends, you have competition," explained Wat, a one-year member, between aiming arrows at a fist-sized target. "And you get to meet new people."

The two were attempting to hit the same area with a series of arrows at the closest distance — 10 yards — before moving to 20 yards, 30 yards, and so on.

One of the signature elements for members of the Hurricanes' club is having to make their own bow, arrows, and armguard (to protect against drawstring release) from the start. Bailey said the early time invested helps keep youths around the sport longer because they want to put to use the things they make.

"You gotta take care of your stuff, since you made it," said Lacuesta, who just joined the club a few weeks ago.

Wat and Lacuesta said memories of shooting a bow during a fifth-grade school trip to Camp Erdman got them interested in joining the Kapolei club, which was created about four years ago.

"Most wanted to jump into it because of the movies, because of 'Lord of the Rings,' " Bailey said. He believes Kapolei is the only school on O'ahu with an official archery club. "Some try it and say 'Oh, it's not like the movies.' (But) there always seems to be student interest in it."

Perhaps the most telling sign of a successful sport isn't in the hype from Hollywood, but in the passion of its participants.

"I checked it out," Lacuesta said. "(Now) I keep coming back."