Trying to Find a Book I read as a kid about a Ranger's Apprentice (Not "Rangers Apprentice" books) 80s or 90s

I am trying to find a book about a young man that goes into the woods and is trained as a Ranger. I remember he received this unbreakable staff that could be strung into a bow. I remember there was one scene when he is fighting someone and they both have perfect form and end up in a stalemate. I kinda remember there being a girl that the young man was friends with as a kid who joined the army as well that the story sometimes followed. I think she used an ax? Does anyone remember this book and know the title? I kinda remember the cover having a hooded man holding a staff with a flared end (Like a bow) with lost of ruins on it. I don't think it was a series but I don't really remember.