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After hunting season is over many folks put away their guns and bows until the season again looms closer. Not I. I prefer to shoot year round in the form of one archery activity or another. Far and away my favorite archery pastime is 3D shooting. I do not compete seriously anymore but do find the time to make it out to at least a few of the local 3D shoots in my area.
Our winter 3D league starts the first Sunday of February. A hunting buddy and I decided to brave the nasty winter elements and hit the first shoot. When we arrived at the club around quarter of seven the sun was just peaking out over the horizon and the temperature was hovering in the mid to low teens. The wind had not picked up at this point but the forecast was for sustained winds in the ten to twenty mile per hour range with gusts up to thirty. That was going to send the wind chill well below zero so Mike and I decided we were going to make as early of a start as possible.
The parking lot already had a few cars in it when we rolled it. It appeared that there were a few other folks with as little sense as us. Mike and I signed in and proceeded to the first target. Thankfully there weren’t many folks ahead of us so the wait was not long. Mike and I were both shooting new rigs this year so we weren’t sure just how the shoot was going to turn out.
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Mike had been spending Wednesday nights shooting the local clubs indoor paper target league and it showed over the first ten targets. I dropped a couple fives while Mike maintained a very strong showing.
Halfway through the course I eventually settled down and starting shooting at the level I am accustomed to.
Neither of us are top tier shooters but I believe either of us could compete if we had the time and determination for it. I picked up some points during the second set of targets and actually felt pretty good about my new hunting rig. I prefer to have one bow specifically setup for 3D shooting so I can work on my form and my score. The hunting bow typically does not come out until July/August when I know I need to become more accustomed to its particular feel. I do believe that once you have the fundamentals down and your bow is setup correctly for you then shooting should become second nature regardless of which bow you decide to shoot.
The last ten targets provided quite a challenge as they were stretched out a bit more than the first and second groups. The club also threw some challenging animals into the mix including this little beaver. I find it is essential to carry along a good pair of binoculars to help identify exactly where the scoring rings are on every animal. We both finished up the course fairly strongly with Mike pulling out a slim victory. We do not really compete intensely but there still is that playful taunting at every event.
Next week is going to be my week.:-)
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