Tag Archives: arrows

Apr 13 2015

Shoot Report – SVYF – April 2015

SVYF - archers waiting to go out on course

SVYF – archers waiting to go out on course

The weather stayed dry but the wind was ever so present.
SVYF is our club and this means this shoot report will be from the view of the organisers rather than competitors. You can read some earlier reports here Autumn 2014, Spring 2014.
Helping to run a shoot is a lot more tiring than shooting and it gives you a great insight into the work involved in setting courses.
The course this time comprised of 40 targets mostly 3Ds with a few paper faces. I’ve loaded some pictures on my Tumblr site (http://offthearrowshelf.tumblr.com/) already but here are a few more. Sorry there aren’t any action shots was a bit busy.
Predator prey shot

Predator prey shot

3D boar

3D boar

We delayed the start from 10 due to an accident on the motorway that delayed many archers’ arrival. As it was we only had 3 no shows, resulting in over 180 archers attending. It was great to catch up with so many fellow archers, friends and a few readers of this blog. It is always great to meet up with readers of this site so please if you do see us a t a shoot pop over and say hi. (Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for the shoulder)
Ever present tiger 3D

Ever present tiger 3D

The wood surrounds a couple of over grown ponds and is quite sheltered except on one side where the edge of the wood is exposed to open fields. Archers on this side would be battered by exceedingly strong winds, making the archery challenging to say the least. I think the compound archers suffered the most as their arrows were flicked off their rests.
Frog 3D between the trees

Frog 3D between the trees

Besides the high winds the only other problem which was partly under our control was the running repairs on bridges.
Can you spot the 3D Cobra

Can you spot the 3D Cobra

In SVYF we have over 13 bridges ranging from only a few feet in length to over 100 feet. We run regular checks on the bridges, replacing planks etc, but with over 180 archers trekking across them, plus organisers we had a few planks break. The only problem was they seemed to all go on one bridge, we had seven go on one bridge in the space of 20 minutes. Added to this was that target was 40 shot was across the bridge so we had our work cut out for us, cutting new planks, removing old ones and replacing them.
Bedded deer 3D

Bedded deer 3D

Overall the day seemed to run well, with archers enjoying themselves. Sadly not everyones day went as well due to delays on the course, we finally traced these delays to one group that were being very slow in shooting and scoring.
SVYF next shoot is in early October, hopefully it won’t be so windy.
Thanks for reading
Mar 30 2015

Shoot report – Lyme Valley – March 2015

Lyme Valley

Lyme Valley 2015

Lyme Valley is one of our favourite shoots, but getting there was a pain this year with motorway traffic and some very inconsiderate driving which nearly saw us in an accident. Fortunately we escaped, though the car didn’t as we now have a sizable chip in the windscreen, but could have been much worse.

As its name suggests Lyme Valley club’s ground are situated in a steep sided, narrow valley not far from Stoke on Trent. You can read a previous shoot report here.

First Target of the day

First Target of the day – very small at this distance

The course was a mix of 3d and paper faces with 36 targets in all. Our group besides Sharon and myself would be made up of Mark, David and Wendy all shooting longbows.

Mark drawing arrows from our first target

Mark drawing arrows from our first target

Thankfully the weather was dry and mild as Lyme Valley paths can  be very slippery when wet. (Treacherous is a phrase that has been used in the past )
As it was it felt a very long day, possibly because it was a challenging course which meant more second and third arrows by those present. We were waiting on nearly all the pegs for the group in front to finish because they had been delayed. I think the delays were all along the course which  meant that the day didn’t feel like it flowed.

Another 3D target

Another 3D target – Grizzly Bear

Due to the geography of the grounds Lyme Valley have a lunch break at 12:30 and as luck would have it were at the opposite end of the wood when it started which made for a long walk out for lunch and an equally long walk back for the restart.
I think a few strategically placed bosses would have saved a few broken arrows and might have speeded the day up.

Sharon shooting a small 3D deer

Sharon shooting a small 3D deer

There were some nicely set targets, with a couple in the field which made for a bit of variety.
There were quite a few shots framed between the trees which many archers struggled with not just me. Most notably the large cobra which was a talking point for many.

As luck would have it we both came back with all our arrows but I know several people didn’t. Though Sharon didn’t feel she shot well she won ladies hunting tackle. I’m still struggling with the flat bow though and need to get my head and heart sorted.

3D fish was our last target of the day.

3D fish was our last target of the day.

Due to traffic and road works on the motorway it proved a long, slow drive home but fortunately with less idiotic driving by fellow road users.
Thanks for reading.

Feb 16 2015

Taking the wood and life for granted, don’t do it.

Archers walking in the woods

Archers walking in the woods

This last weekend Sharon and I had the pleasure of taking some visitors around the Severn Valley wood. None of them had shot there before so it would be a new experience for them (cue manic laughter, maybe I should have warned them about the mud).
I think it is fair to say a good time was had by all. There were no score cards and instead you had five instinctive archers wondering round the wood. Chatting about  bows, life and stuff, while  enjoying the day and hitting a few targets along the way.
In many ways I think Sharon and I had become complacent and used to shooting in the woods and forgotten how fortunate we are to have such facilities and be in reasonable health to get round.
It was so relaxing to shoot round with JT, Jim and Paddy and see the wood from their fresh eyes. Thanks to Paddy for the photos, think you did really well in capturing the atmosphere of the day. It was great to see all the regulars chatting to guests about the merits of this bow over another. Then again when you have the archery media icon that is Jim Grizzly Kent there’s bound to be a few conversations about archery books and bows.
Bows, bows and more bows

Bows, bows and more bows

On a slightly more serious note though, its good to remember that we can get caught up in life and can easily transfer this to our hobby. The result is we start stressing about what we should be able to hit or whether the bows performing correctly and all this can develop into you not enjoying the hobby or in worse cases to target panic. I know I’m guilty of this as I’ve been concentrating on re-learning the AFB and been stressing about it.

Rob shooting on the bridge

Rob shooting on the bridge

This weekend showed that throwing away the scores and shooting instinctively is so relaxing. makes you wish you could do it every day.
Thanks for the company guys, but I have one question though, who bought lunch afterwards?
As always thanks for reading.