Tag Archives: course laying

Oct 14 2015

Shoot report – Severn Valley – October 2015

Severn Valley and the archers at the start

Severn Valley and the archers at the start

Well it was a very tiring weekend but I think people enjoyed the Severn Valley autumn shoot, archers and hosts a like.
We had around 160 archers descend on our small wood to shoot a mostly 3d course (I think we had a couple of paper faces).
Admin getting ready

Admin getting ready

As it was our club hosting the event I wasn’t shooting but was marshalling on the day and helping out the day before putting the final touches to the courses. Sorry there aren’t many photos was too busy to take many.
Except for one mix up at the end which delayed a few groups it seemed to flow well. Unlike last time we only had a couple of planks break on the walkways guess all the preparation and repairs on Saturday worked. You can read a review of the previous shoot here.

View of one target

View of one target a 3D bear

Hosting a shoot is one thing that I enjoy in the nfas as it gives the opportunity to put something back in to the society. It is also great to see so many regulars who make the effort.
3D tiger

3D tiger on target peg 14

We even had some people who had driven three hours to get down here, hopefully they enjoyed it, and we will see them again.
Archer shooting one of the 3d

Archer shooting one of the 3d

I think we were very fortunate in having good weather for the shoot that added to the relaxed atmosphere.

3D ram

3D ram

Congrats to all who came away with good memories or placing with special congratulations to Jim from Artemis, another past black arrow club member in placing second in afb and Julie in winning ladies barebow.
Thanks for reading

Jul 7 2015

Shoot Report – Hawk Archers – July 2015

Hawks parking

Hawks parking

Hi all, it seems like ages since I wrote a shoot report so here goes.
Last Sunday saw us heading to South Wales for Hawk Archers shoot (here are links to the 2 shoot reports 2014, 2013 if you fancy a read)
I am amazed that not more people make the journey to this shoot, as it is one of the best set, challenging courses on the NFAS circuit. It offers the archers the opportunity to shoot in beautiful woodland and shots seldom seen elsewhere on the circuit, like 20-40 yard up or downhill targets. This little hidden gem of a course in the Welsh country side is well worth tracking down.
Hawk - uphill 3D deer

Hawk – uphill 3D deer

At Hawk’s grounds they have ample parking spaces in a field a short stroll from administration and unlike some grounds the field was bone dry so you weren’t slipping and sliding trying to park up.
first target of the day - hessian

first target of the day – hessian

On Sunday we would be joined by Scott and Lisa-Marie from Druids to shoot round Hawks course.

Shoot group

Shoot group

So our group would be three flatbow and Sharon on hunting tackle. We had a great laugh and despite  a brief shower just before lunch an otherwise dry and warm day.
3D Deer in the sun

3D Deer in the sun

Considering there were I think 5 people who set this 36 target course it was an amazing achievement. Sadly the club recently lost one of its members to cancer and for this reason they ran a collection in aid of the Sue Ryder fund. The course was comprised of 36 targets, mostly 3d targets with a few paper and hessian targets.

3D Bedded antelope

3D Bedded antelope

One great shot was the double predator prey, where you had to hit both predators before you could take a shot at the prey. I managed only two of the predators so never got to try my hand at the deer.

Sharon studying a shot between the trees

Sharon studying a shot between the trees

Speaking to a couple of archers at other shoots and I mention I’m going to Hawk Archers their response has been “tough shoot or stretched targets.” I feel this is a little unfair, Hawk is a great course to test you and your archery skills. They have well set targets that will have you reaching for your second arrow because you misjudged the distance or misread the ground and not because the target is stretched. The other thing is the atmosphere at the shoot is always relaxed and friendly.
I think Sundays course was one of the best courses I’ve shot there and great fun. Despite Sharon feeling she shot badly she came away with a first place in ladies Hunting Tackle with a very respectable 492, by some miracle I managed 546 which got me a first place in American flat bow.

Thanks for reading.
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