I live in gainesville, Fl. as some of you may know this is the home of Bear archery. you would think that archery would be big around here, but really it's not. we do have a big range down the road for 3d competition, but it mostly attracts out of towners.you can ask most around here and they will tell you that the only reason they bowhunt is to extend their season a little bit.

Funny you should ask, I was thinking about my own hunting experience/transition from gun to bow, when I use to gun hunt deer, I felt like everyone gun hunted and few bow hunted, now the majority of my hunting is with a bow and I feel like, who still gun hunts? I'd say it's exploded here in IL, even in the last 5-10years, I'm sure largely due to the increased opportunity and extended season/ ability to hunt the rut. It's the reason why I started!

its in the middle here

It's not too popular where I live. I have never seen a day wherethere was more than 3 people using the range or in the shop.Usually I have the wholeplace to myself.

Archery is really popular out by me, me and my buds have small shoots just at each others houses and every sunday i go to the proshop and shoot for an hour and usaully the place is packed with people shooting. If you drive around out here there is usaully a house or 2 on every street with archery targets out back

Considering we don't actually havea "true" bow season.....bow hunters are a very rare breed here in South Carolina. Only a few good shops through out the entire state.

when you get down to areas that have bow only public land...then the numbers pick up.

I can't say for sure. I know a LOT of archery hunters, but proshops in the IMMEDIATE area are not very plentiful. One that's slowly dying right in town, another "small" out of house operation very close to me out in the country, and then Gander Mountain. That's about it. However, since I've been talking with Rob (he lives fairly close to me) there are plenty of shoots in the area. I just never looked. I'm not sure about turnouts at these shoots (I'm sure Rob can comment better), but he has told me there is usually a shoot every weekend within 40minutes of us.

The shop I mentioned above that is dying had an indoor range as well as an indoor video range. Gander Mountain went in a few years later, and boom...there went business.

I have quiet a few shops within an hour and a half. Every one of my good friends shoot bows.

In my neck of the woods of Northern Illinois and the NW suburbs of Chi-town it is very popular. There is almost no piece of ground available that someone already does not hunt. And much of the counties around Ch-town are bow only!

The interesting thing is that there are very very few dealers or shops. It's definately a low ratio as compared to how many hunters that there are.

So if anyone is looking for a place to start a business and make a living.. try this area.. the competition amongst pro-shops is very little. However there is a Cabela's.. BP.. and a Gander all within an 1 1/2 hr. drive of one another.

Archery is big here where im at. I have 8 different places that hold 3-d shoots within a 20minute drive as well as 2 places that have the dart target system. I can think of 3 places that have indoor 3-d also within a 30min drive. The shops are still plentiful but they are slowly starting to shut down due to gander mt moving in.