Tag Archives: woods

Sharon shooting 3D deer
Apr 6 2018

Shoot Report – Harlequin Bowhunters – February 2018

Harlequin Bowhunters

Harlequin Bow hunters NFAS shoot

It had been almost a year since we’d shot Harlequins course, not for any reason other than something always came up, so we were curious to see how it had changed. So on what was a bright but cold Sunday morning we headed north up the motorway to Harlequins grounds. Those interested can read a previous shot report here.

Julie about to start the show

Julie about to start the show

Sadly the start of the shoot was slightly delayed as they suffered from quite a few no shows (over a dozen) which caused the mighty admin team of Julie and Sam some hassle on the day as they tried to re-arrange the remaining 120 or so archers.
There would only be four of us in the shooting group, with big voice and little voice as they were nicknamed or better knows as Colin and Corinne both from Centaura Bowmen joining Sharon and myself.
2D bobcat target in the cover of the tree

2D bobcat target in the cover of the tree

Harlequins ground is pretty flat with dense area of evergreens of Laurel or Rhododendrons, and deciduous woodland, which houses there 36 target course. This being a mix of paper,3D and 2D targets. I have to say I’m not a huge fan of the 2D targets as it can be a real struggle to draw arrows from.
Sharon shooting 3D deer

Sharon shooting 3D deer

The low winter sun and lack of leaf cover on the trees, resulted in us struggling with some shot as they proved very hard to see.
Sharon shooting into the sun between trees

Sharon shooting into the sun between trees

I’m not sure if it was the low level of the sun (I hadn’t picked up my reactolites glasses) or something else, but by lunchtime I had developed a headache, which gradually got worse as the day progressed. The shoot was a shoot through with a couple of opportunities to pass catering and grab some hot food or drink, definitely something that was needed on the day. It was good to see Harlequin seemed to have recovered from the vandalism they suffered last year.
2D Tiger target between the trees

2D Tiger target between the trees

I thought the course was ok, with a mix of short, medium and long shots. There were a few familiar shots along with several new shots that worked well. My only observation was it felt quite tight in a few spots where you were close to next or previous shot, especially if you were the second group waiting to shoot. Having said this I know that they are looking to reset the course in readiness for their next shoot.
As the sun went down so did the temperature, along with making a few shots more challenging to see with the sun in your arrows.
3D target set between the trees

3D target set between the trees in dappled sunlight

Of all the shots I think the one I liked the most was the 2D Kangaroo target in the hollow, it was framed really well and just looked good. Always think if a shoot looks good, archers will enjoy shooting it.
2D Kangaroo target set between the trees in a hollow

2D Kangaroo target set between the trees in a hollow

Though the day was a bit slow especially in the second half, seeing us waiting on most of the targets, we had a good laugh which helped to keep my mind off my headache. By the end of the shoot my head was pounding and painkillers weren’t doing much. For that reason we decided to leave early. This was the first time i’d left a shoot before the prize giving but knowing we had over an hour drive home, due to road works I wanted to get home.
In some ways I was glad we left when we did as by the time we had got home my headache had got worse despite the painkillers. I was worried it might be developing into a full blown migraine, which sadly it did by Monday. I ended up spending most of Monday in bed, with the curtains drawn. Thankfully I don’t get migraines often.
Thanks for reading.
stream running through valley
Mar 22 2018

Field archers are a lucky bunch of people

stream running through valley

Stream running through valley

I just want to share a quick thought with you. I have come to the conclusion that we field archers are in many ways a lucky bunch of people. Why?

Well we get to walk round some wonderful woodland across the country, whether this is at a local clubs ground or at a championships. Not only that we also get to shoot bows in woodland. How cool is that!
Okay so the latter makes us sound a bit like big kids, which granted some of us are. In fact one reader of this blog commented that to me at the Paget shoot a few weeks back. He said how if he was having a bad day he’d just remind himself he’s in a wood shooting a bow, like a big kid.
But to be serious for a moment, that connection to nature should not be forgotten as it is too easy to overlook in an era where the majority of use work 9-5 in offices, and have lives packed full of different stresses or when we are having a bad few shots.
A course - 3d deer panorama

A course – 3d deer panorama

To highlight this just think about this fact and you’ll realise how lucky we are.
Much of the woodland that is used for the NFAS championships over the years have been privately owned woodland, or parts of country estates which are out of bounds to the general public normally. Yet we’ve been lucky enough to see it and wonder round enjoying it. This is not half due to the hard work and considerable effort of the organising committee of the society who work long hours at finding suitable venues.
View of the field surrounding Y course

View of the field surrounding Y course

So when you have a bad day at a shoot, stop and have a look round. Try to enjoy the scenery, you might not get the chance to see it again. Taking that moment can really  help. I know at least one very capable archer, who when they are on the shooting peg, tries to tune into the sounds around them (no not the chatting of the group) but the sound of the birds or wind in the leaves. Its’ a way they use to calm themselves before making the shot.
It can be a bad shot, but not a bad life being a field archer.
Thanks for reading.
Can you hit a barn door
Dec 18 2017

Shoot Report – Spirit of Sherwood – December 2017

Spirit of Sherwood Wooden arrow shoot

Spirit of Sherwood Wooden arrow shoot

I tend to see the Spirit of Sherwood Christmas shoot as the end of the year as far as NFAS shoot calendar is concerned, which is silly really as NFAS shoots carry on all through the year. However for this reason and because they put on cracking shoots, we always make an effort to get to their shoots and this years was no exception.

As it’s a good two hour drive for us to get up to Spirits grounds we decided to head up the night before and stayed over at a local travel lodge in Worksop. As it was, the drive up on the Saturday was quite unpleasant being very grey and drizzly all the way, though not as cold as it had been during the previous week. I’m glad we did the drive on the Saturday as I wouldn’t want to do it early in the morning. Have to say the weather didn’t help the splitting headache I had had all day and would have for the next few days.

Spirit of Sherwood shoots are always well attended, with shooting places being booked up several weeks in advance and this one was no exception. This would be wooden arrow only and a Christmas themed shoot. There were to be 36 targets on this course course consisting of a mixture of 3D targets, with a number of novelty shots.

If you like, you can read a previous shoot report here from one of their shoots earlier in the year. It was great to catch up with some friends, like Jim Pierce. Just trying to remember Jim, did you start on target peg 8 or 9?

Thankfully the damp grey weather of the Saturday was replaced with a mostly dry sunny Sunday and warmer weather than we’d experienced during the week.

3D deer between the trees

3D deer between the trees

The shooting group joining Sharon and myself for the day would include Kevin and Carolyan from Pines Park shooting Hunting tackle and american flatbow respectively.

Spirits ground is a flat woodland of a mix of confer and deciduous trees, making it a pretty easy to get round. It’s quite a pretty wood with the winter sun shining through the branches, though at this time of year the days of sunlight are short, so they tried to start early to give archers the best chance to finish in good light.

Can you hit a barn door

Can you hit a barn door

Spirit course layers always set a moving target to challenge archers, last time it was a 3D crocodile. This time they had made up a moving barn door, literally suspended on a cable. If you missed you were awarded a sticker. After all we all have days where we can’t hit a barn door. I thought this was a great fun idea for a novelty shot.

If you missed the barn door you got the sticker

If you missed the barn door you got the sticker

Of all the 36 targets I think there was only one that I really didn’t get on with and to be fair it wasn’t the target as such but its positioning. It was one of the novelty shots where you shot one arrow and had to choose to shoot a large bear for 20 points, a penguin for 30 or a small fish for 40. The reason I didn’t like it was because in the distance you could see archers moving and this caught my eye when I was shooting. Don’t get me wrong, the shot was perfectly safe as they always are at Spirit. It was just the moving archers caught my eye when I was shooting, which is something that I don’t like and find very, very distracting. It is something that I really struggle with this on some other shoots.

3D wolf target between the trees

3D wolf target between the trees

Other novelty shots included a mini tower from which you could shoot a predator prey shot of knight and dragon. 6 of the 36 targets novelty targets, including moving shots, predator prey and pick and stick ones. I’m normally not a fan of lots of novelty shots but this was a Christmas fun shoot and think it worked.

Predator Prey shot from the castle

Predator Prey shot from the castle

The course itself was arranged in a rough clover leaf formation of three loops, round one central point, giving the competitors the opportunity to pass catering two or three times. This makes it possible to have a pretty effective shoot through with few if any hold ups, for us at least.

Sharon shooting a 3D deer at Spirit of Sherwood

Sharon shooting a 3D deer at Spirit of Sherwood

The course layers at Spirit had gone to a lot of trouble in setting the targets and they had set a really nice deer herd shot of different size and angled 3Ds set between the trees where  you had to select the target to go for, decisions, decisions.

3D deer herd shot, pick your target

3D deer herd shot, pick your target

Another target worth mentioning was a large Raven 3D they had set on a tree stump, again framed very nicely.

3D raven on the tree stump between the trees

3D raven on the tree stump between the trees

The Spirit club had also set out a couple of boxes of chocolates at different points round the course for archers to help themselves, a very kind and generous gesture.

Boxes of sweats could be found round the course

Boxes of sweats could be found round the course

I don’t feel any of the targets were particularly long shots, and one thing they did do well I thought was how quite a few of the targets were nicely framed between the trees. This gave the archer a corridor view, making them look closer or further than they were. They had obviously considered the canopy for low poundage bows on all the shots, something that not all shoot organisers or course layers do. The result were several targets set at sensible distances whilst remaining a challenge and more importantly enjoyable. It’s good to see course where targets aren’t stretched or 3Ds are angled to make them near impossible.

Pick your target the 3D zebra or 3D cheetah

Pick your target the 3D zebra or 3D cheetah

We went round pretty quickly with no hold ups other than looking for the occasional wayward arrow that preferred the undergrowth than the target.

3D porcupine target in the leaves

3D porcupine target in the leaves

Night draws in quickly this time of year, so by the time we got to the raffle and prize giving it was already dark. Fortunately as it was a wooden arrow only shoot there were only a few different classes. Following on from the Christmas theme of the shoot, Spirit were doing Christmas themed prizes for first place, Christmas puddings no less. I don’t think anyone will be surprised to hear that Sharon came away with one as she won ladies American flatbow. Have to say that I was surprised in receiving a Christmas pudding as I didn’t expect to win gents flatbow.

The journey back took a couple of hours, but as always its well the drive.

Thanks for reading.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and Good Luck for the New Year.