Author Archives: Rob Jones

Sharon shooting a 3D dragon target at Paget de Vasey
Mar 31 2018

Shoot Report- Paget de Vesey – February 2018

Paget de Vasey NFAS shoot February 2018

Paget de Vasey NFAS shoot February 2018

I know I’ve said this before but I have always thought of the Paget de Vesey shoot as marking the start of the NFAS outdoor season. True there are shoots throughout the year now but I still think of it as the start of the shooting year. For those interested you can have a read of a past shoot report here. Surprisingly there wasn’t any rain or even snow this year, which in the past has marked Paget shoots. Actually it didn’t really turn that cold until the afternoon.

Sharon shooting a 3D target at Paget de Vasey

Sharon shooting a 3D target at Paget de Vasey

Paget club have a small wood where they had set up a twice round 18 and unlike other shoots who simple have you go round the course twice, Paget had added another dimension.
The first time you shot round, you were shooting at a 3D target they’d set up. When you shot the last target in the first circuit  you removed the 3D target and uncovered the target boss behind, which had a paper face. This meant you would shoot 18 3D targets and 18 Paper faces. Nice simple idea of providing different options.
This year there were 5 in our shooting group, Wayne and young Tabbatha, with Mike and Hazel (though Hazel wasn’t shooting).
Our shooting group at Paget

Our shooting group at Paget

Pagets’ ground is flat and criss-crossed with small drainage gullies ditches, which the course layers tried to incorporate into their shots. They had also built a series of raised platform to offer a different prospective but due to the confined space their weren’t many long shots.
Sharon shooting off one of the platforms at Paget de Vasey

Sharon shooting off one of the platforms at Paget de Vasey

There were a couple of shots that felt a bit close to one another but it seemed to work okay.
With over 80 archers it was a bit of a slow day at times. Having said this, it was  really good to meet up and chat with a few followers of the site about different shooting topics, from coping mechanism on shoots when things don’t go well to past articles and possible future topics.
3d Armadillo at Paget de Vasey

3d Armadillo at Paget de Vasey

The course set up with the 50/50 split, seemed to work well and was I think well received by most attending. It is quite a good way to offer a bit of difference to the normal twice round 18. The only negative comment I heard was from a gap shooter who said once you’d shot the first time round you had a good idea of the distances.
Wayne shooting complete with unique hat

Wayne shooting complete with unique hat

One observation with the course set up is concerning the junior pegs. Whilst they worked well for the 3Ds they will have to be careful for them not to be a bit far when the paper faces. I do think it is a layout that works well for small woodlands, so well done guys.
Sharon shooting a 3D dragon target at Paget de Vasey

Sharon shooting a 3D dragon target at Paget de Vasey

The shoot was a shoot through which worked well with the twice round 18. With the paper faces being the second half I think people struggled more, as paper faces are less friendly, this resulted in more second and third arrows, which in turned slowed the day down a little.
Overall, I thought it was a good day, though a bit slow. Sharon shot really well being the highest scoring wooden arrow shooter on the day.
Thanks for reading.
Autumnal sunlight through the trees
Mar 26 2018

New bow style – example of people power

I’m typing this up half watching the snow fall in giant flakes outside, and on a skiing holiday and half looking at the screen. It seems holidays are only time I have at present to catch up with my writing.

Anyway onto topic for today. Some of you may remember that a few months back I wrote an article on a proposal that was going forward to the NFAS on an new bow style “Traditional Bow hunter”. I’ve added a link to the article here.

Well the results are in from the members vote, drum roll please … it has been accepted and will become active from the 1st of April from what I understand.
I know the proposers have come under some flack from some other archers for the idea, with comments ranging from “just wanting a new class so they can win medals“, or “why can’t they just shoot under bare bow“. Some of you may have read Grizzly Jims posts on Facebook and Tumblr on the subject.
Whether you area fan of the new style or dislike the idea of another style is not the key point I want to highlight.
I feel that the most important factor is that the society has actively demonstrated democracy in action. It is very easy to have a pop at organisers of a shoot or the society committee, but where the NFAS are concerned they are all, the organisers at local shoots and committee are volunteers, unpaid volunteers.
In this incidence we have seen a group of members, get together with an idea. They followed all the processes of documenting and put it forward as a proposal. The idea was published in the society magazine and at the society’s Annual General meeting people had the opportunity to voice ideas and thoughts, along with on the Facebook group and web-boards. It this was then opened to the society members to vote on it. The members voted and the results in this case a new bow class.
This is democracy in action. The members put it forward, the members voted.
So congratulations to those that took the time to actively participate and thanks to the society organising committee for their efforts.
Oh and if you are curious, I’m not looking at changing to this over American flat bow.
Thanks for reading.
stream running through valley
Mar 22 2018

Field archers are a lucky bunch of people

stream running through valley

Stream running through valley

I just want to share a quick thought with you. I have come to the conclusion that we field archers are in many ways a lucky bunch of people. Why?

Well we get to walk round some wonderful woodland across the country, whether this is at a local clubs ground or at a championships. Not only that we also get to shoot bows in woodland. How cool is that!
Okay so the latter makes us sound a bit like big kids, which granted some of us are. In fact one reader of this blog commented that to me at the Paget shoot a few weeks back. He said how if he was having a bad day he’d just remind himself he’s in a wood shooting a bow, like a big kid.
But to be serious for a moment, that connection to nature should not be forgotten as it is too easy to overlook in an era where the majority of use work 9-5 in offices, and have lives packed full of different stresses or when we are having a bad few shots.
A course - 3d deer panorama

A course – 3d deer panorama

To highlight this just think about this fact and you’ll realise how lucky we are.
Much of the woodland that is used for the NFAS championships over the years have been privately owned woodland, or parts of country estates which are out of bounds to the general public normally. Yet we’ve been lucky enough to see it and wonder round enjoying it. This is not half due to the hard work and considerable effort of the organising committee of the society who work long hours at finding suitable venues.
View of the field surrounding Y course

View of the field surrounding Y course

So when you have a bad day at a shoot, stop and have a look round. Try to enjoy the scenery, you might not get the chance to see it again. Taking that moment can really  help. I know at least one very capable archer, who when they are on the shooting peg, tries to tune into the sounds around them (no not the chatting of the group) but the sound of the birds or wind in the leaves. Its’ a way they use to calm themselves before making the shot.
It can be a bad shot, but not a bad life being a field archer.
Thanks for reading.