Author Archives: Rob Jones

Aug 2 2013

A suitable archery quote

“Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn now and then.”

If memory serves I think this was said by the character of Walter Hagen (played by Bruce McGill) in the film The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000). IMDb directed by Robert Redford.

Legend of Bagger Vance

If you are unfamiliar with the film it revolves round a golfer (played by Matt Damon) who on his return from the first world war is at a low ebb suffering from flashbacks and memories of the horrors he witnessed in the trenches. The second main character is that of his caddy Bagger Vance played by Will Smith.
Smiths character helps Damons to overcome his lack of confidence in his golfing prowess and personal troubles whilst competing at a golf tournament. You get the feeling there is more to Bagger than meets the eye as he not only helps Damons character but provides an insight and  casual charm set in the early 1920s southern state of the USA.
As for the quote. It is a phrase that I’ve used more than a few times to describe those shots which just seem to have been too good to be true. It has also been adopted by friends who also are now using a shortened version simply “a blind squirrel shot”.
Lets face it we spend a lot of time in the woods and there are times and days when I wonder if my eyes are working in conjunction with my limited brain cells and my muscles. Your judgement is off and yet you make the shot.
You miss what should be easy shots only to get those near impossible ones. So next time this happens to you just remember “even a blind squirrel can find an acorn once in a while”
Thanks for reading and enjoy your archery.
Jul 22 2013

Shoot Report – Thornbury July 2013

Before we start

Before we start

This was our first visit to Thornbury which is just over an hours drive from home. Their ground is a mix of deciduous woodland and rhododendron with the course being made up of 34 mixed targets (3D, 2D and paper faces), yes 34 not 36 or 40, as the wood is quite small. Having said that they make very good use of the grounds, and have constructed a number of tree stands or shooting platforms.
Britain has been enjoying somewhat of a heatwave over recent weeks and we wondered if we’d suffer in the heat so had packed lots of water but we found the woodland very cool and not as humid as our home ground of svyf.
Sharon in summer shoot mode

Sharon in summer shoot mode. Look warm weather, with Sharon not in waterproofs

This was no doubt helped by the organisers deciding to drain their pond due to the number of  insects and mosquitoes. Good call in many ways as the pond is right next to administration and catering and think we would have been eaten alive.
This was the first time we had shot in nearly 3 weeks (Hanson being the last time) and it showed, we were both very rusty. In fact I had hardly touched my bow other than to run a couple of coaching sessions the week before. Add to this, that part way round we discovered that Sharons’ arrow rest had broken, we weren’t doing well.
Thornbury was a small shoot by NFAS standard with just over 60 people, which made for a very relaxed and enjoyable day. With only 3-4 on a peg and no forced lunch break time as it was a shoot through, it meant the day flowed well with no hold ups. Our shooting group was made up of Sharon, myself and Pug from Druids club.
We had a great day, with warm but not hot weather and really good company on a challenging and enjoyable course.

Unlike other shoots Thornbury use a public car park at a local leisure centre with a short walk to the wood. This is worth mentioning as the walk is down a main road so please be careful if you attend one of their shoots as drivers by might get a little worried seeing people carrying bows or large knives down the road.

Shot settings were well thought out and there were some truly amazing settings. They really had put in a lot of work.
3D deer

3D deer shot, with you in a hollow shooting along ground

The grizzly bear 3D target looked tiny from on top of shooting stand, but was a reasonable distance just set to challenge.

3D Grizzly bear in the distance

3D Grizzly bear in the distance

In the UK we have foxes in both rural and urban settings, one target was of a fox 3D set to look as though it was rummaging in an overturned dustbin.
3D fox

3D fox at the dustbin

Another was a 3d boar where they had mocked up a pig pen round it with straw on floor.  Top marks guys.
I can not think of any target that was stretched for the distance with some very good use of dead ground.

Though one target was a real challenge which was a toy rubber bat suspended on an elastic line dangling in front of a painted moon. You would shoot it from about 8-9 yards. The only problem was if the breeze caught it, it would spin.

Spinning bat

Spinning bat

Catering was good, basic by some clubs standards but not over priced and filling. Organisation was good too with a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.  I think something that helped was they cap shooting numbers at 80ish so they can leave a few empty pegs between groups. This cuts down queuing and hold ups making for a free flowing days shooting.
The grounds are a short walk down a public road from a public car park, so consider this when leaving the car park.

So how did we do? Okay, but not great.  Sharons rest breaking cost her first place and at least  40 points but she still managed 2nd. As for me, well no blanks but too many 2nd and 3rd arrows so only came away with a second place.
As always thanks for reading.

Jul 11 2013

The Evolution of the Riser

Another great article by Jordan. One thing I would like to add is a comment on wooden risers.
There are a few bow makers which will make custom risers to your specifications, making it as light or heavy, as you like, in a variety of woods. Sharon has one from Black Brooke Bows in Loughborough. Though not cheap they do prove effective and competitive when matched against other bows. Sharon had hers constructed to allow her to shoot barebow (metal or carbon arrows) or wooden arrows.
Wooden risers are very popular in the field archery community who shoot wooden arrows. I think it might have to do with being more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Maybe I will get one when I can afford it. Thanks

jordansequillion's avatarJordan Sequillion

2012-MidasIn this series I am going to discuss the evolution of the riser or the structural strength of the bow which houses the handle, to which the limbs are attached and other various accessories.  Originally the riser and the limbs were actually one piece, as you would see in a bare bow or instinctive bow, however in most modern bows the riser is completely independent component.

Historically, the original construction material was wood and sometimes combinations of different types of wood. Other historical materials included horn and sinew (A piece of tough fibrous tissue uniting muscle to bone or bone to bone; a tendon or ligament) to create composite bows.  Beautiful laminated wooden bows and risers are still manufactured for lightweight, beauty, tradition, and style.

1212210010_L1Although some bows are still manufactured from various laminated hardwoods and are quite durable, the development of other modern components with materials such as carbon…

View original post 346 more words