3D tips?
 

I'm thinking of taking the plunge and sticking my toe into the 3D waters this year, and want to know if anyone can provide any useful tips and/or suggestions... One of the biggest reasons I never did was that I thought all shoots were always held on Sunday mornings, and we're always in church then, but it appears that some are held around here on Saturdays, too.

I know I'll need a good field or hip quiver, as that seems to be standard. Suggest something nice to me that's useful, and let me know why. If you've seen my archery room and other pics, you know I have no qualms about buying the best... just let me know why it's the best.

I thought I may need some sort of stool too to sit on in between long waits, but someone told me that's only for larger shoots? Is that true, or would I still get some benefit out of one?

Any other thoughts?

I asked a few questions in the IBO 3D section, but it doesn't appear that forum gets much traffic.

RE: 3D tips?
 

My best advice is to just go.


Once you have shot a couple,then you can make a determination as what kind of plunge you will want to take.

Right now just stick to the basics.Take your hunting setup and have some fun.No stool needed.


If you decide that the competing is for you,then the sky is the limit.Anywhere from $100.00 sights to $600.00 sights.$30.00 stabilizers to $150.00 stabilizers.

Just remember that ANY movable sight will put you in the open class and you probably don't want to jump into that in the beggining.;)

RE: 3D tips?
 

LOL.

Dude........you needed to start a thread to get 3D shooting tips? [:-];)

RE: 3D tips?
 

And one of the very biggest reasons I've never went yet... Being an athlete my whole life and absolutely thriving in the competitive arena, I'm scared of getting sucked into something that will consume me in the future.

RE: 3D tips?
 

3-d can definately consume you.It is great ,clean fun.

RE: 3D tips?
 

Don't forget binoculars. Shooting 3D just a few years ago binocs were not allowed, now they are..........geesh. I treat 3D for fun and practice for judging yardage getting ready and staying sharp for hunting season. But you need binocs to see the scoring rings and trust me.......those 12 rings aren't where I would shoot at a buck much of the time! I don't need a stool for our local club although we average 110 shooters each monthly shoot. Guess you are lucky, all of our club shoots and the surrounding clubs all shoot on Sunday.

RE: 3D tips?
 

Greg, it's addicting, I can tell you that..but no more so than is bowhunting in general. Experience is where it's at.....I don't know what to tell you other than to just do it.

RE: 3D tips?
 

I'm no expert by no means. I've never won or even came close for that matter, but dang are they a blast. I have prolly only shot around 10, but one that i liked was pretty close to you is the perryville shoot. Im not sure if they are on saturdays or not. Anyway, I see a lot of people using a fatter arrow to help in cutting lines for a higher score. Im not sure what kind of arrows you use but, an example is the GoldTIP UL series 22. They are a bigger diameter shaft without the weight. Just a suggestion. Another thing is I see a lot of people have a bow holder. It is a plastic peice that attatches to your stablizer that acts as a tripod to stand your bow up while you go to check your score. Again you dont need these things to go. I dont use either one. I just bring my hunting setup and go have fun with some friends. So my main suggestion is to get some buds together and go have a blast.(And making fun of them is all the more fun)

RE: 3D tips?
 

Your gonna find that 3D shooting is alot of fun and challenging and your right your gonna need a good hip quiver.
Most 3d range pro shops sell alot of archery stuff and I'm sure you'll find one there but if you want one before you start.
A real nice quiver will cost you about $ 50 .00 to $ 60. 00 and you shouldget one that has a four tube arrow holder about 22 inch's long.
It should also have pockets for your binoculars and clips for your score card and water bottle and other thing you might want to bring along.
As for a brand name goes Vista makes a good product there durable and come in assorted patterns who knows you might find onein predator deception.

RE: 3D tips?
 

MO, the one in Perryville is on Sundays only... there's one held the same weekends in Glenallen on Saturdays too. I've got those programmed into my Palm already... :D

RE: 3D tips?
 

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.

RE: 3D tips?
 

I can't believe no one has told you this one yet......but the FIRST thing I'd buy is a $7.99 arrow puller.

Like you, Greg....I've always been into sports. I played all sports in high school.....played college baseball.....became a PGA Professional.....and I've always been EXTREMELY competitive in any endeavor that I pursue. I'm glad 3D isn't that big around here.....or I'd be all over it. I think archery is a LOT like golf. I see similarities in almost every facet of the sport (target shooting as a sport). I'm finding it less and less fun to go to the indoor 3D course at my archery shop (indoor shots to 43 yds) and just shoot "for fun". I'd like to compete. Sounds like we have some similar tendencies.

Good luck.

RE: 3D tips?
 

Greg;
The stools can help to take the load off sometimes, but isnt always needed for every 3D Shoot, sometimes I feel like just hip quiver shooting also..... When I prefer toshoot feeling not weighed down........I let my stool carry ice, drinks, snacks,towel, extra nocks,bug spray, cell phone,arrow puller,target reference cards, umbrella, writting pen's,a few field bow tools. extra D-Loop materiel, a lighter, cameraETC.

FLW makes a very nice stool, that you can add Golf tubes to for your arrows, and the inner compartments on the chair will hold ice to keep your drinks cold most of the day on those hot and humid days.

Find some fun folks to shoot with and keep it fun.... have a good time.:D

If you want to get serious about it take pic's of your targets with the 12 and 14 rings visable in your pic's and then use these as a refernce to memorize where those rings are at.
Learn to judge yardage not only by ground judgeing, cause the ground wont always be there...... with practice comes the memorization part of the game.. after you shoot the same targets over and over and over you will notice that you are beginning to know what thaT ANIMAL LOOKS LIKE AT 33 YARDS AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AT 41 YARDS AND.... NOTICEING THE DIFFERENCE IN THE SIZE OF THE TARGET AT THE VARIOUS YARDAGES..... I can see a blade of grass at 23 yards but not at 25 yards.... I can see the 12 and 14 rings at 25 yards but not at 27 yards.. I learned the limitations of my bad eyesight and put it to a positive use to aide in my yardage judgeing for 3D.

Dont be shy.... ask some of the more accomplished 3D shooters in your area if you can shoot the course with them and then watch them shoot and try to pick their brain's.

A real MUST for pulling arrows from 3D targets in my opinion is Woody's Arrow Lube........ it's worth every pennie:D

Have a Great Time and enjoy all the new folks you are gonna meet at the 3D shoots......Hope some of this help you Greg ...See ya at the Illinois Deer and Turkey Classic.
Deb

RE: 3D tips?
 

Also you asked about stools. This is the one I bought last year, it's the Aurora Backpack/Stool from lancaster archery. I don't use it a lot but it is really nice for the bigger events. It was only like $30 or so.

RE: 3D tips?
 

Rick James..... do you have an umbrella to protect you from the wind too.[8D][8D][8D] One of the reasons I don't do 3D.... guys taking so dang long to shoot an arrow. They all have to stand there and breath, and use their binoculars, and do breathing exercises, and glass again, and wait for the wind to slow or stop... and GOD help you if someone on the next highway over honks a horn, they start all over. It shouldn't take hours to shoot 30 arrows for Pete's sake. If they outlawed binos, little cards with animal drawings etc etc it would take about 1/4 the time. We used to shoot an NFAA round in less time than it takes to shoot some 3D courses.

RE: 3D tips?
 

Same here......No offense, but the "open" class shooters are the one's that almost put 3-D under in my state. It is slowly starting to rebound... People just don't have time to spend ALL DAY on a 3-D course that should take no more than 2 hours...

That's the very reason I like the all traditional shoots.. I can shoot the course 2-3 times in one day. If I shoot a mixed shoot, I make sure that I am there very early and get in front of all the open shooters.

RE: 3D tips?
 

LOL. I agree too. My wife and I just go and shoot. No binocs, shoot, and get it over. We are out to have fun and compete against each other a little bit. Wow, I couldn't imagine walking around with a rope dragging behind me for estimating yardage. I guess like every sport or activity out there; some people REALLY go all out. I bring an arrow puller and a tube hip quiver with a little clip to hold my pencil and score sheet. Sometimes, we don't even keep score.

RE: 3D tips?
 

Our 3D range is indoors....with shots up to 43 yds. Three of us go through there 3X a couple times a week in 1-1/2 hrs.

When they start signing checks to the winners after we finish.....I'll start taking it more seriously.

RE: 3D tips?
 

3D is what it is........a practice for hunting for some, simple fun with buddies for others right on up to serious competition.
It's a game with a score and as such it will have people that take it to different levels.
Local 3D shoots are the only consistent and real life practice that serious State, and National shooters can get on a weekly basis. I'm out for absolute precision and with unmarked yardage and scoring rings that are hard to pinpoint its simply not possible to be an upper shelf 3D shooter by taking shortcuts.
The issue many people have with the "Serious" types (and I'm one of them) is not having consideration for your fellow shooters. Just like golf, if your slowing play let the faster shooters shoot through andeverybody gets what they want from the same course.
We ALWAYS let faster shooters by, sometimes 2 and 3 groups at a time to keep things moving. Nowwe're not taking 2 and 3 minutes per shooter but with 4 guys it still does take a little time to go through your yardage estimation and make a good shot but there is absolutely no reason to not be considerate of your fellow shooters.

RE: 3D tips?
 

What distances would one need to prepare for to shoot in these tournments. Its always interested me. Sounds like fun!

Chief

RE: 3D tips?
 

Around here most places have Rineharts with low or high 12 rings...one suggestion....shoot for center 10 and not for the 12 ring because if you shoot just a tad low or high (depending on location of 12 ring) than you get an 8 where as if you shoot for center 10 and shoot a tad high or low you still get a 10 and might luck into a 12.....some people may call mestupid but I aint good enough to shoot for a circle the size of half dollar at 40 yds and expect to nail it....heck my 0.29 pins are bigger than that circle is at 40 yds...

RE: 3D tips?
 

I dont know but the only tip i know that a lot of people has told me is, to take most of the weight of the bow and poundage,then you will be able to hold it longer and stabilize it more.

RE: 3D tips?
 

One tip I have not seen is get used to shooting for the scoring rings and not a kill shot. If the target is angled at all you cannot shoot for the last rib. You still need to put the arrow in the circle. Just shooting a few 3D's a year I find myself shooting as if it were a live animal and not for scoring.

RE: 3D tips?
 

I would get a lube tube and a arrow puller.It makes arrow removal much easier. Binoculars have to have them, but you can use your hunting ones.
Every thing else you can get later once you know what you realy want. Oh yeh, bug spray. Forgot that one.
It's a blast! Have Fun!

RE: 3D tips?
 

I am opening a indoor 3D range in Redford Michigan and my best advice is to have fun, make friends. The advice you seek will come and you will settle into your own method of doing things. Always strive to do better week after week and you will find great pleasure and confidence in your treestand next season.....

RE: 3D tips?
 

lol...I was about to add an arrow puller and lube. Also,ifyou don't buy the logs with nock bushings, I would suggest pin nocks. If someone hits your arrow, it's less likely to split because of the bushing.Also, if you can see the arrows, go all black. It's harder for someone to shoot for your arrow when it's all black. My 3-D arrows aremostly black. The only color on them is the logo which faces out so I can knockthem without thinking about howthey should be turned.

I noticed an umbrella was mentioned for wind...it is also useful forwhenyou're facing thesun!

RE: 3D tips?
 

Yup, get an arrow puller. Second, being the primary predator you are, just do it as a way of staying on top of your game. Don't get all caught up in the faster is better, changing arrows etc etc. Take your hunting set up to the range and become the arrow. Just do it for the fun of it all. Being a newbie at it you can't expect to become the Zen Master overnight. They have all these crazy targets we'd never shoot at with these crazy kill zones at odd ranges. Just go and throw some arrows. My only problem is most ranges don't have enough elevated shooting positions. 43 yards from the ground is not 43 from 20 feet up.

Oh God... give me strength. Good grief. Sun protection even.[&:]

RE: 3D tips?
 

The best advice I have is to use Satellite Slik Tips and arrow lube. The satellite tipshave a self lubricating collar and they make a hole bigger than the shaft of the arrow which makes it easier to pull from the target. Nothing will ruin your 3d shoot faster than not being able to pull your arrows!