I use to shoot a lot of competitions. I have gotten away from them for the most part when they stopped representing the type of shotsI get in the woods.

I shoot in maybe one or two a year, I am a Investigator with the Houston Police Department so I shoot in the anual Texas Police Games. I only get to see these guys once a year, if lucky I run into them when we hunt the same ranches.

I spend a lot more time practicing on 3D targets I own that are shot from Treestands, Ground blinds, up hills, down hills, placed in the brush, in the shadows. I figured out a long time ago that very few of my shots were taken on level ground, in the open across areas that look more like a golf course.

When we started shooting, it was called "Heavy Tackle Shoots" meaning hunting gear. We didn't have 3D targets then, we used card board cut-outs of animals, life size, with the kill area drawn in pencil in the correct area. You could not see the area 7 to 10 yards away.

We set them up on dirt banks, and shot broadheads for score. We had treestand shots, kneeling shots, leaning around tree shots. We had a lot of fun, and by hunting season we were ready.

Now the only time I can do things like that are when I take my three - four 3D targets to the woods. I guess 3D shoots have their value, if for no other reason than the fellowship, and it makes people shoot their bows past the hunting season.....