The bluebells the shoot is named after
Jun 13 2017

Shoot report – South Wilts – Bluebell shoot – April 2017

South Wilts start

South Wilts start

Okay so this shoot report is well over due for which I am very sorry.  I am still trying to catch up with all my writing, having  been so focused on the course setting for the 3D championships and the subsequent run up to it I’ve let this site updates slip, so I’m sorry.  My writing isn’t the only thing that I’ve let slip, as my garden is resembling a jungle at present. Anyway on to the shoot report for South Wilts bluebell shoot.

The bluebells the shoot is named after

The bluebells the shoot is named after

This was our first trip to South Wilts shoot ground and due to the distance, a two and half hour drive involved we made it a weekend trip and stayed over. Granted we might have had a shorter trip if we hadn’t diverted past Stonehenge but since we were in the area it seemed like a good idea. Being the first time there it would mean a completely new course and largely new group of archers to meet and shoot with. Having said that there were a few familiar faces present, including Pat a friend from my coaching course all those years back.

Being a spring shoot we were forecast a few rain showers but it was not as wet as expected with only a couple of light showers­­ early in the day. Having said this it did not deter the archers with over 160 attending the event.

Wolverine 3d from the junior pegs

Wolverine 3d from the junior pegs

The course itself would be 40 targets, with 36 being 3Ds and the remaining paper. South Wilts have a lovely woodland with carpets of bluesbells, hence the shoot being called the Bluebell Shoot”. The grounds are mostly flat but they have constructed a couple of towers to offer a different shot. I think it might be worth them modifying one of the towers so there isn’t a metal bar across where you draw up. I came very close to hitting my lower limb on the bar. On the other towers they had ropes that worked better.

Sharon on one of platforms

Sharon on one of platforms

On the subject of towers I do think they work as they offer the course layers the opportunity to set some fine shots including one at a ram, shown in the photo.

The view from the platform

The view from the platform

I actually think they used the ground well too for the majority of the shots. The day flowed pretty well with the only real hold up we had was at a long target, large grizzly 3D but in many ways I would expect it at that style of target.

One of the long bears

One of the long bears

Our shooting  group for the day would be Tony, shooting hunting tackle, with his wife Pat who wasn’t shooting accompanied by their granddaughter Lacy shooting barebow. I know some people don’t like shooting in a group with a junior or cub, but I have to say Lacy was great company and a good shot. Tony we knew from his time as general secretary for the NFAS a few years back.

Our first target a 3D puma

Our first target a 3D puma

We did get lost at one stage going round the course, but I think this was as much to do with the archery interfering with the conversation as the course not being clearly marked. I found out later we weren’t the only ones to miss the turning and the marshals added some more direction arrows as the shoot progressed in case any other archers were enjoying the conversation and not paying attention.

South Wilts club has been at the grounds for a number of years and this is obvious from the construction of the towers to the quality of the facilities available for its members. Catering was very good and prices reasonable, with all the marshals I spoke to being friendly and very helpful, especially when trying to source a torch to check Lacys’ hand for splinters after she tripped.

Yes some more bluebells

Yes some more bluebells

The lack of practise due to the work on the 3ds showed in my shooting, but I managed to scrape third with Sharon winning ladies AFB.This was our first double medal win under the new club banner of Briar Rose Field Archers (more on this later). Maybe if we get there next year we can improve on this, as I think it is a good shoot to add to the list to revisit.

One other thing I would really like to mention here, were the number of archers who thanked us for stepping forward to set a course at the 3ds. Here’s hoping that those who thanked us enjoyed A course.

Thanks for reading

Micropore Tape - how useful
May 15 2017

9 uses of Micropore tape for archers

Micropore Tape - how useful

Micropore Tape – how useful can it be?

Okay so some of you may be wondering what I am talking about? Microporous tape, isn’t that the stuff you use to tape up bandages? Well yes it is and that is what it is normally used for but it can be incredibly useful for archers and worth some space in a pocket or your quiver.

Granted it’s not quite at the level of duct tape but here are 9 examples of how I have used in the past.

Temporary fixes – equipment can fail from time to time, no matter how well you look after it. A friend when shooting at the national championships had the serving unravel on her longbow. She tried tying it but this didn’t work so at a coffee stop we added a small piece tape to secure the serving and all was well for the rest of the day.

Temporary nocking point – I have used tape time and time again when setting up beginners bows, or trying to fine tune a suitable nocking point on a new string.

Complying with the rules – I was at one shoot last year, with an archer shooting in a compound class. They had been setting up their bow the day before and fitted a spirit level bubble for checking they were shooting it level. These aren’t allowed in the competition rules so we stuck a piece of tape over the bubble to hide it for the day, rather than trying to dismantle the mounting unit.

Preventing carbon splinters – I think this is potentially the most useful of the non-normal uses for the tape and is good for all archers to know whether they shoot carbon arrows or not. When carbon arrows break it can result in very sharp splinters (splinters that aren’t picked up in x-rays and can be very hard to extract).I find it is amazing how few people realise the potential issues of getting these in your skin.

Broken Carbon arrow wrapped in tape close up

Broken Carbon arrow wrapped in tape close up

If I find a broken carbon arrow I will wrap tape round the end and down the shaft if required, so protecting myself from any splinters, before putting in my quiver for disposal later.

Broken Carbon arrow wrapped in tape

Broken Carbon arrow wrapped in tape

Protect your bow from scratches – I use a piece of tape to cover my wedding ring so it doesn’t scratch the handle of the bow. This has kind of become a bit of a ritual of mine when getting ready to go out shooting.

Saving your marriage – What? Okay so I need to explain this one in more detail. In cold weather my wedding ring can be a little lose on my finger  and I’ve nearly lost it in the past when out in the snow, so I wrap a piece of tape over it to keep it secured.

wedding ring

wedding ring

Protecting your fellow archers’ modesty – last year when attending a shoot Sharon had what could be described as a wardrobe malfunction. Whilst stepping over a fallen tree across the path, her trousers ripped. To save her modesty a few pieces or tape were used to secure the trousers in place. Oh course she finished the shoot and you can read about it here.

Impromptu arm sleeve – on a cold and rainy day an archer wore a coat over his normal shooting gear. Problem was his bow string kept catching on his coat. Couple of strips of tape helped hold it out of the way.

First aid – well it was what it was designed for after all and it does well at holding plasters on or securing a bandage.

So I’d say carrying a roll of Micropore tape might just prove very useful. Though I doubt the Mythbusters TV series will dedicate a program to investigating its powers. Thanks for reading

May 8 2017

Apologies 

Just wanted to say sorry to all readers for being a bit slow on posts.

Works been pretty full on and I’m part of a team of volunteers setting one of the nfas national 3D championships in May. Whilst it’s great to put something back into the hobby it’s a lot of work if you want to do it as best as you can or want to.  So weekends are a bit busy, which doesn’t leave much time for writing or sleeping. 

I hope to get back to writing more soon  as I have a shoot report from south wilts blue bells shoot to finish.

Thanks for reading.