Tag Archives: off the arrow shelf

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.

Oct 22 2015

Shoot report – Thornbury – October 2015

Archers at Thornbury

Archers at Thornbury

Our Sunday mornings seems to come round very quickly these days and this last Sunday was a good example, with a bit of a damp grey start. It saw us loading the car for our drive down the motorway to Thornbury archers grounds.
For us the Thornbury shoot  is one of the easiest grounds to get to, being a little over an hours drive down the M5, subject to traffic and road works of course.
Being slightly further south than other shoots we attend, we the opportunity to meet a different group of archers from the south west clubs who travel up to Thornbury.
We hadn’t shot Thornbury for a while and then, it had only a 34 target course but this time it was a full 36 target with a mix of paper faces, 3d targets and some home made painted ones. Here is a link to the previous shoot report if you are interested.
Sharon at Thornbury

Sharon at Thornbury

The shoot was well attended, with around 100 archers in different bow styles, with the day flowing smoothly. I don’t think there were any hold ups and there were a few archers finishing by 3 pm.  Our group would include Sharon and myself,  with Sheron shooting crossbow and Alan shooting hunting tackle.

Sheron shooting 3D

Sheron shooting 3D

Though a small wood Thornbury have built a few small towers enabling them to have some elevated shots which seems to work well.

Sharon shooting from one of th towers

Sharon shooting from one of th towers

One target that must be mentioned is the elephant shot. A near life size elephant had been painted up and very cleverly set down an avenue of trees. A small hurdle of branches in front of the target provided a screen for an area of dead ground, making distance judgement that little harder. There were several discussions afterwards over tea breaks and at the end of the shoot, as to how far it had been set and concensus had it was between 68-70 yards.

View back to the shooting group on red peg

View back to the shooting group on red peg

Catering was good at sensible prices, with all marshals being friendly and there overall there was a very relaxed atmosphere to the day .

The elephant target up close

The elephant target up close

The club  set a good course with some deceptive shots, maybe a couple were at the edge of the normal distance, not stretched as such,  though others might disagree. I don’t think it was an easy course but nor was it overly difficult.
The 3d fox returned complete with the dustbin (see the previous shoot report for details).

3D owl - nicely framed

3D owl – nicely framed

Overall it was a good day, my only slight criticism is I think they repeated one target face on the course 3 times. A deer on a dark green background tagged as Broken Arrow designs painted on foam matting. Whilst the picture was nice I don’t think we needed to see it three times.

Painted deer target

Painted deer target

Thornbury obviously have same artistic members as another home made target was a cracking painting of a wildebeest,  almost too good to shoot.

Nicely painted target

Nicely painted target

We were very lucky with weather staying dry and  in the charity raffle winning a bottle of wine and a four pack of mixed ciders. Sharon came away with first in ladies hunting tackle and I was surprised to win gents afb. Congratulations to fellow Severn Valley members including Mary who won ladies afb.
Thanks for reading.

May 20 2015

Check your kit

First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit

Some of you may follow my Tumblr (http://offthearrowshelf.tumblr.com/)  or instagram (https://instagram.com/offthearrowshelf/) sites. Those that do, will have seen my recent post about checking the contents of  your first aid kit. For those that haven’t I’m going to expand on it a bit here.
Whether camping, skiing  hiking or enjoying field archery I always carry a simple first aid kit, either in my backpac, day sack or on my quiver belt. It doesn’t take up much space and weighs nearly nothing. One tip I have found is to put everything contained within into waterproof zip bags. It keeps the kit together and more importantly dry.
It’s nothing fancy, just a simple kit you can pick up from most outdoor stores with a few extra items, I’ve added over the years like antiseptic wipes, spare micropore tape, antihistamine cream, dehydration sachets etc.
I’m no medic but I have patched a few people up over the years and found it amazing how few people carry such a kit. It’s one of those things you hope to never have to use but am glad to carry. As it has been said “you hope for the best but plan for the worst“.
First aid kit and spare arrow tube

First aid kit and spare arrow tube

Since it’s the start of the summer and the 3d championships are just round the corner I use it as a reminder to check, replace and refill the kit. It’s worth checking to make sure everything is within date as sterile dressings, antiseptic wipes etc have a limited shelf life. When in Cotswold Outdoors this last Saturday I noticed they sell a refill pack for first aid kits, which is a good simple means by which to restock.

One addition to the kit this year is a tick card, which is a small credit size card with a magnifying glass and simple prongs to help you remove a tick (http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/lifesystems-tick-card-b3210065).
There has been a number of articles in the news about the spread of ticks and the increase in the number of reported cases of Lymes Disease.

Lymes Disease is a potentially serious condition and here is a link to a recent BBC news article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32429228 and another on the dangers of tick bites http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-27255853

As if to prove the point within 3 hours of posting the original photo on Sunday, the kit was being used. They had been doing some maintenance at the wood and badly cut his hand when trying to saw some wood.

Thanks for reading