3Rivers has been instrumental in the revival of bowhunting as a “primitive” discipline. In the 1970s and 80s, traditional archery was considered a dying art. However, due to suppliers like 3Rivers, membership in organizations such as the Traditional Bowhunters of America has stabilized and grown.
Unlike Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shops, 3Rivers functions as an educational institution. Their website hosts “The TradLab” and a vast library of PDFs and video tutorials. Topics range from “How to fletch a helical feather” to “Tuning a wooden arrow for broadhead flight.”
Furthermore, the company sponsors the 3Rivers Archery Traditional Hunt , an annual event that emphasizes ethical shot placement (limiting shots to 20 yards or less) rather than technological advantage. This event reinforces the company’s ethos: the hunter’s skill, not the bow’s speed, determines success.
The company also serves as a repository for extinct skills. Through their catalog, modern archers can purchase plans for the “Penobscot” two-stave bow or the “Cable-backed” bow of the Plains Indians—designs that were nearly forgotten by the mid-20th century.