Depending on how serious you want to get, there are several things you can work on. There are 3 things to focus on with 3D. Shooting good shots, knowing the distance, and knowing where the 10/X ring is exactly. I actually have a written out shot sequence that is specific for 3D because I am nerdy about this kind of stuff........[8D].
Good glass is one of the most important pieces of equipment IMHO. You already have some Monarch's IIRC, and those should work great to pick up lines when the target is in the shadows. If you ever shoot an IBO event you will be restricted to 8.5x or less though, keep that in mind. Being able to glass each and every target before the shot is soooooo critical and goes to help you know where exactly that 10/X ring is. It is very important to have full confidence at full draw that you are aiming at the right spot.
Shooting good shots from places with uneven footing, etc is also very important. There is no way to really practice shooting under less than ideal conditions other than just doing it. Shoot as many local events as you can. Join an indoor spots league over the winter to really perfect your shot sequence and form, if you know you can shoot a perfect shot under ideal conditions it will make it easier to work on the shooting when footing/angle/lighting isn't in your favor. This really is a big advantage, so many 3D guys aren't indoor spotties and drop easy X's at close distances where judging distance isn't really a factor.
Walk everywhere with your rangefinder. I carry mine to work with me even. Picking good distance numbers consistently is the most important piece of this game IMHO. You must be able to pick within 2 yards of actual distance at 40 yards to have a hope of hitting that 10 ring in the HC. Michael Braden suggests to actually buy a 35 or 50 yard rope (depending on what class you shoot) with clear markers tied onto it every 5 yards. Tie it to your quiver belt and walk around the woods with it. Guess distance to an object, walk to it, then look back to the rope and see how far it is. I pick yardage numbers by breaking down into 10 yards chunks. I pick 10 yard chunks to specific items on the ground between me and the target, then I pick 10 yard chunks from the target back to me. I get a rough idea from that and then I take the time to look at the target. How big does it look? How far is the tree it's next to? How much detail from the molding process of the target can I make out? How much time does it take for the other guys arrow to get there judging by sound? These are the things I am looking at while the other guys in my group are shooting. This spring I plan to work hard on learning to pick better numbers and will be working weekly with a local that has a Worlds Semi Pro title and ASA SOY title.......specifically on picking numbers. He picks better numbers than anyone I know and has the titles to prove it as well........he will actually train as much on picking numbers with no bow as he will actually shooting at something. I am pretty good now but drop 2-5 arrows on average out of the 10 ring on the average 30 target course due to bad number picking. Almost 90% of the points I drop on a 3D course is due to picking the wrong number.
For your quiver, you cant go wrong with Fist quivers. Simply the best out there in my opinion. They are $$$ but are among the nicest setups out there and probably the most popular among guys that are at the top/elite level. They are all handcrafted in the USA out of leather specifically for you. I really want one bad right now for the 07 season and am hoping to have the $$$ soon once I am done purchasing a few more items for my cabin.
www.fist-inc.com
This is the one I want with my initials carved into the top there. I will probably order one of his belts with my name carved on it at the same time and a leather accessory pouch for the belt as well.
