Why the lack of target shooting?


SonnyThomas

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I've been bouncing in and out of here for quite some time and find it odd that more don't shoot 3D and maybe paper target.Hunting I do, taking some 35 or more deer over the last 13 years. And then throw in a squirrel or two and same for rabbits.3D I do quite a bit, 20 or events per year and as high as 30, I think. Figure every weekend from the first of March through September. And then 3D indoors when there is one and there was one this year, Presley's First Annual Indoor 3D. And it was more than one day. There were 3 qualifiers and then a Shoot Off, so 4 days over a period of time.Shooting 3D mostly at the club level I run into some Semi Pros and Pros and I usually hold my own even though 64 years old. Yes, I compete in the Adult class of Free Style and only in Senior for ASA events.The only indoor paper event I really enjoy is the ASA DAIR Indoor. The target is shaped like a deer lung and has 4 different points zones. A 5th is used, but only used when switching lines, upper and lower lines.This DAIR is different than spot shooting. You can team up to spot for each other or have a spotter, someone with good binoculars or spotting scope. I'll see if can post a picture.Bows... I shoot whatever I have. Back when there was Golden Eagle. Then Hoyt for many years. I shot Martin for 3 years and just last year went back to Pearson. Didn't make any difference the bow as I did well with all of them.... Perhaps 15 or more bows since returning to archery back in late December 1998.I am no tuning fantic, but my bows perform. By most accounts I "throw a bow together." I don't, but if by all the tuning procedures floating around and all the "you gotta dos" my bows aren't worth spit, but then with 35 some deer, 37, I think, and over 120 times placing/winning in 3D and paper target events my bows get the job done.I don't care for short ata bows. My bows have been 37 1/2" ata and longer, even my hunting bow reaches to near 38" ata. And it's not that short bows aren't accurate. I do have a couple. My most recent, 33 1/2" ata, is near pin point accurate in spite of me. 5 arrows from 35 yards in the X ring of a 20 yard single spot NFAA indoor target is pretty accurate, me thinks.So why not more shooting target events?

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Simply put..I don't have time..and I never found a good recipe for targets yet...lol

Got my Glendell, so I can shoot at home and don't have to travel anywhere..

my pro shop always wants me to come out and shoot winter league, well, I'm not driving 20 miles one way to shoot at the computer screen animals and have it tell me I missed the "HIGH" score ring when I just took out the heart...I'm shooting to kill, not for points...sorry for the rant....I feel better now..lol

Edited by Mathews XT Man
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Yep...like others have said, its a time management issue. Many are using their free time to bowhunt now, including all the time that goes into setting stands, scouting, etc. to bowhunt. When they're not hunting it's difficult to justify taking additional time away from family to shoot 3D since they're using their free time to bowhunt.

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I still do 3D shoots, just not as many as I used too. When I lived in NC, the season started up in January and ran until September. I'd shoot one tourney every weekend and sometimes two until the season was over, plus on Tuesday nights a indoor 5 spot tourney.

3D is some of the best practice you can get and has made me into the bow hunter I ma today with all the confidence in the world in my shooting ability and yardage judging. Just moving to Georgia last year, I am figuring out where some shoots are locally and will be attending more of them next year, but right now its all about deer and putting them on the ground.

There are some very close ASA shoots in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida so I may hitting some of those as well. I miss the competition of 3D and all of its benefits, I try make up for it in on my range in the yard shooting 3 to 4 times a week. Its not about the trophies anymore and I just got rid of over 200 plaques and trophies because I don't have the space to put them. I did keep my State Championship, Western Carolina Championship, and a few others but all the others went away.

I do get into tuning my bows and they have to shoot like a bullet with arrow flight being perfect, so I'm a fanatic on my tuning. which rolls over into my hunting bows, so there is no question when trying to thread an arrow through a 2" hole killing a deer. Bad arrow flight means a wounded or miss deer and the same applies for tight situations on the 3D range. with deer season in, tournaments are very slow to nothing right now, but will pick back up in the first of the year.

good luck to you and Shoot Straight.

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  • 11 months later...

Simply put, we had a kid. So the last 5 years I have been spending time with him fishing, shed hunting playing cars looking for dads deer or just walking in the woods. However this year is the first year that we went to a 3D, he got to bring along his bow and shot every target at the course. He was a trooper. As for indoors, I dont have the time to practice to be as competitive as I once was. That may change with time but for now I have found that guns and reloading ammo have become my "thing". I think that with my son becoming more and more interested in shooting his bow my attention will be drawn back to it. For the heavens sake his name is Easton.....he has to shoot archery. LOL

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  • 2 months later...

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