Tag Archives: instinctive archer

Sep 24 2015

Shoot Report – Centaura Bowmen – September 2015

Archers gathering

Archers gathering for the shoot at Centaura Bowmen

Sorry guys I’ve been really slow in getting this written up. A fewSunday mornings ago we had  a chilly start, the temperature gauge in the car claiming 7 degrees Celsius. Autumn looks to be on its way. At least it was sunny and dry as we packed the car and headed to the Centaura shoot grounds outside Derby.
The nice thing with heading to Centaura is we have the opportunity to run into friends we haven’t seen since moving from the area. It was great to see Jon C, Jim, Chris and others.
The shoot was well attended, resulting in a very full car park by the time we arrived shortly after nine, with most pegs having 4 archers on them. In interested you can check out a past shoot report here.
We would start on peg one a few yards from the main building, so a very short walk out, the only downside being at lunch break we would be at the furthest part of the wood.
Target 1 - paper face ermin

Target 1 – paper face ermin

The course like many others was a mix of 3d and paper faces, 36 targets in total.
We were joined by Trevor, Catherine and Jacob from Hanson, though only Trevor and Jacob were shooting. (Longbow and hunting tackle respectively )
The now infamous polo shot which Centaura are becoming known for returned on target 36 , this time with a 3D owl target. There was the long shot into the quarry this time with a 3D boar, though it’s hard to make out in the photo.

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Our first shot would be the ermin in a ditch, not a confidence building shot to start with.
Target 8 - a downhill bedded 3D deer

Target 8 – a downhill bedded 3D deer

Another traditional shot they put out is a very short one, 3 feet away. You can see Jacob shooting it.

Very close shot

Very close shot

This was the only one I didn’t like, simply due to the shortness in distance. I think I  would have put it back further and this would be safer, say to about 6 feet as very low poundage junior bows could see the arrow bounce back. I don’t believe there was any problems on the day,with the shoot flowing okay, all the time  with Trevor regaling us with archery stories and believe me he has a few.
Trevor shooting a 3D

Trevor shooting a 3D

Sharon shooting 3D owl between trees

Sharon shooting 3D owl between trees

Lunch break was between 12:30 and 1:30 giving archers ample time to get off the course grab some food and then head back out. Though I think Centaura need to invest in some louder air horns to signal start and lunch breaks.
Didn’t shoot as well in the afternoon and wonder if this was due to it being a  bit slower.

Paper face Racoon in a dip

Paper face Racoon in a dip which is a lot harder than it looks

Overall I think it was was a good shoot with some nicely placed shots like the 3d ram from the top of the hillside.
Long ram off the top of the hillside

Long ram 3D off the top of the hillside

Sharon came away with first in ladies hunting tackle. I managed a placing  in gents afb. Though I didn’t feel I shot very well and still have a long way to go with the flatbow.
Thanks for reading.

Jul 31 2014

Merlin archery adventures – instinctive archery

One of the blogs I follow is Archery Adventures which recently became Merlin Archery Adventures. (http://archeryadventures.tumblr.com/)
Written by Grizzly Jim, it covers articles on equipment and other things of interest to the archery community. One such post that caught my eye recently concerned instinctive archery.I believe I shoot Instinctively, I don’t gap shoot and don’t have sights on my bows. My head tells me where to aim and I draw up. I sometimes get asked how far do you think a shot is and my normal reply is don’t know and I lift my bow arm and say about there.
The fact I don’t gap shoot or consciously know what my point on is surprises many of my archery friends.

I remember talking to one of my fellow club members Stephen a few months back. He was  saying how his point on was I think 43 yards with his new bow. Stephen then asked what mine was. My reply I think surprised him when I said I didn’t know. We went to the range and he had me shoot a few arrows and I explained that when I draw up I’m not looking at the arrow point and barely conscious of the arrow shaft. Instead I’m focused on the target and the spot I want to hit.
This may sound strange especially coming from a coach but it is the way I feel comfortable to shoot.
I just know when I get to a shooting peg and view the target I need to either “aim” below if it’s close,  at it if medium distance or above if further away.
Or as someone once said to me.
“Aim for below the belly, the belly or the rider on top.”
By the way,  some of you may not be familiar with what point on is so here is my definition of point on.
It is the distance at which if you have your arrow tip on the centre of the target when at full draw and released your arrow, the arrow would land in the centre of the target.  Exactly where the arrow tip had been at the point of aiming.

Point-On — The measurement of distance a given bow and arrow will shoot when an archer sights the tip of his arrow upon the point of aim and hits that target. (http://www.tradbow.com/public/Glossary-of-Archery-Terms.cfm)
Gap shooting is another process that some use. The archer judges the distance and knows through practice that at say 24 yards thet have to aim 4 inches below where they need to hit. That’s the gap above or below the target the archers aiming for
In reality I think most people are somewhere between instinctive and gap shooters. Next time you are out shooting give it some thought and ask your fellow archers.

As always thanks for reading and if you get the chance check out his blog.