Tag Archives: arrow

Apr 29 2016

Shoot report – Severn Valley – April 2016

SVYF shoot 2016

SVYF shoot April 2016 – archers gathering

Normally I would give you a detailed description of how our NFAS shoot went at the weekend. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to be there for the entire day due to being called by the police to tell us we’d been broken into.
Those who follow the tumblr blog associated with off the arrow shelf will have seen some photos of the damage. Fortunately it was our garden shed which had been smashed into and ransacked and not our house.

Sadly this is the second time in 6 months and we think it’s probably the same thieves returning. We weren’t the only victims as it appears they worked along the backs of people’s gardens. So in total we’ve lost approximately  £600 worth of tools and a couple of hundred pounds in damages over the two incidents. Since excess on our insurance is £200 each time we are at a considerable loss.
There’s also the feeling of anger, frustration and fear of leaving the property and wondering what we might find on our return.

Bluebells in the wood

Bluebells in the wood

As for the shoot it seemed to go well with a mix of 3d and paper faces making up the  36 targets.
I don’t think there were any hold ups on the day but as I said I wasn’t there for much of it. I think there were around 170 archers with a dozen no shows, which was a real shame as I know we had a waiting list.

Cobra 3D target

Cobra 3D target

We were lucky with the weather, as it stayed dry and sunny for most of the day.

3D standing bear

3D standing bear

It was good to have the positive feedback as a large portion of the 36 target course had been set by archers new to setting up courses and it was good for them to gain both the experience and feedback.

3D bear target

3D bear target

Well done Marcus, Jamie and Andy for your first foray into course laying.

3D fox - this was set by Marcus and Jamie

3D fox – this was set by Marcus and Jamie

It was nice to chat with a few archers and to catch up with Patrick a coach who qualified at the same time as me. We had a chat about our experiences of coaching since qualifying along with developments we’d seen etc. Good to see you mate and glad you made the trip.
Anyway thanks for reading this very short write up.

Feb 23 2016

Shoot report – Paget de Vasey – February 2016

As I’ve said before I always see Paget de Vasey shoot as the start of the NFAS season. It was the NFAS first shoot I ever attended so I make an effort to get there when I can. Fortunately there was no snow or ice this year and the rain mostly stayed away too.
Unlike previous years though this February shoot was smaller, as they were only using the smaller wood which meant it would be a twice round 18. To keep the interest and to make the two halves different the first would be entirely 3d targets and the second would be entirely paper.
Sharon looking amused

Sharon looking amused

You can read my previous shoot report here. Anyway on to the shoot report.
There would be four in our group so joining us would be Andy shooting in gents hunting tackle  and Viv in ladies longbow.
Viv at the first target of the day at Paget

Viv at the first target of the day at Paget

Overall the shoot ran smoothly with the only delay being at lunch break which was expected as people took the time to warm up and have some hot food.
Andy shooting a 3D at Paget

Andy shooting a 3D at Paget

Unlike others I seemed to cope with the paper faces better with very little difference in scoring on the two halves, probably because I shot the 3d targets so poorly. The paper faces were a challenge especially the timber wolf. One nice thing they did was try to match the paper faces with the 3d targets where they could.
Viv shooting the timber wolf

Viv shooting the timber wolf

I think a couple of nets would have been good on a few of the targets not from a safety perspective but for screening. Since they were using the small wood it was inevitable you would see other archers wondering round when you were on the peg .
Andy shooting a 3D at Paget

Andy shooting a 3D at Paget

I still feel that Paget de Vasey is a good shoot for a newbie as it’s friendly, well organised and marshaled.
Sharon shot well especially it was only her second offical time out with her new Blackbrook American Flatbow winning the ladies class.
The day didn’t go well for all though as a friend of ours Nadeem had his Border recurve break at full draw. Fortunately no one was badly hurt and here’s hoping he manages to get it sorted.
So the archery year has started with a friendly and relaxed shoot. They have another in August where they hope to use both woods making a 36 or maybe 40 target course. We’ve already booked our place, who knows maybe we will have warm dry weather.
Thanks for reading.
Feb 8 2016

Don’t lose your grip

So January is over and Christmas seems a long time past, I hope you had a good festive time.
As January and February often sees us all short of a penny or two, with a corresponding tightening of the purse strings, I thought I would post what might be a money saving idea for my fellow archers. I want to talk about arrow pullers.  You know the things that give you a better grip on the arrow when pulling them from target bosses or 3D targets.
Yes I know what you are thinking, it’s not the most glamorous of archery accessories, but still a useful tool.
Arrow pullers come in all shapes, colours and sizes, varying in cost from under a pound to several pounds. Like everything some are better than others, but all share one thing in common, they can be easily lost either on the range or wondering round the woods.
Anyway onto the money saving aspect. When wandering around our local Lakeland store looking for jars for Sharon’s mass production of home made jams and preserves, I came across this non slip cloth sold on long rolls. It can be easily cut down to smaller lengths and cost just under six  pounds for a roll 30cm x 3 metres  (that’s about 12 inches x 10 feet). Normally it is used to cover work tops, or  in caravan drawers to stop contents moving.
Cut price arrow puller

Cut price arrow puller

I thought this could be used as a cut price arrow puller for newbies. So I cut a few lengths down to about 15 cm x 15 cm (6 inches x 6 inches”) and gave it to some people to try it on one of my coaching days at the wood and I was quite impressed. It worked well for all types of arrows (wooden, metal or carbon) providing an improved grip on the arrow to help drawing, it also worked in the wet weather we had. .
I can see the benefits of this for coaching sessions and for newbies as it keeps cost down and doesn’t matter if the pieces are lost or misplaced. It can be stuffed into a pocket or easily attached to a quiver making for an inexpensive aid to drawing arrows.

Sharon also finds using an arrow puller easier as she suffers from dry skin on her hands that can make drawing arrows difficult in cold weather, especially metal arrows, as it proves very hard to get any traction.

Quick note on drawing arrows

I tend to advise archers to use an arrow puller when drawing carbon arrows in particular, simply because if your hand slips down a damaged shaft when trying to draw the arrow it is very easy to get carbon splinters into the hand and carbon splinters are not easy to remove.
Please note I’m not trying to vilify carbon arrows just provide some advice on being careful. Forewarned is forearmed as they saw.
I’ve learnt that cheaper versions are available from discount pound shops that work as well. When talking to one fellow club member I discovered he uses it as flooring for his pens holding young chicks to stop them sliding and falling over.
One last thing as I  almost forgot,  Happy New year to all readers and followers. Might seem a bit late but I realised that in my first post of the year I’d forgotten to wish it to you. Sorry, must be my age catching up with me. For that reason I’ll wish you a happy Easter now.
As always thanks for reading.