I’m going down to the Tennessee Classic this year to try my hand on a 3D course. Shooting in my backyard is all I’ve done so managing a course is something new to me. I’ve read through the rules and classes so that’s covered and was wondering if there is anything else,tips,advice you can give. Thanks!
If I was going byself I would get there early and try and hookup with some others. Usually Trad folks are friendly and will welcome you into their group. Let them lead til you get the feel. You might want to practice out to 30 yards.
You might think about setting a scoring goal for yourself. An example might be to reach a score that is 70% of the possible (if a perfect score could be 300, try to score 210). Or maybe set a goal of no missed targets, or only 10 fives, something like that. But whatever goal you set, have fun.
Take a couple of extra arrows! (Maybe a few "lesser good" arrows. If there's a "non competitive" course, try that first. Look at other folks' bow and ask about them, 'cause people like talking about their bows. Which leads to talking, in general, which leads to building friendships, confidence, and the want to try 3D again.
Wonderful place to start your 3D experience. Wonderful, friendly, helpful people. They have a great set up with a competitive course, and a practice course. If you register for fthe competitive course you can shoot the practice course as much as you like. Just tie in with somebody and have fun. Just get there early because it will bring lots of people. The year I went the practice range was as much fun as the competitive side. Also the place to pick up any gear you might need with lots of great vendors to here.
It needs to be fun, so don't make it not fun. Just relax and watch the guys who are shooting well. Most will help you if you have struggles and nearly everyone is supportive. Also try to find the smallest mark you can see on a target to aim at...even someone else's arrow in the target.
If you find yourself struggling at the set distances, consider marking your card void and move in closer--- check first to see if this is allowed. Your goal is to have fun--- missing and losing arrows can get in the way of that.
You'll get a chance to shoot w some nice people and learn much at this shoot.
Bring with you fun, water and mosquito repellent. Relax and enjoy the experience by ignoring the score you think you should make. One single real advise: knowing where the rings are on the targets is must - good eyes or binoculars will do.
You can make it competitive like some do or like most just have fun. It's a good time to be with old friends and new acquaintances. Some will say it's the most fun you can have with your clothes on :-). Just go and enjoy yourself and remember everyone started just like you.
Losing arrows happens, but a well set-up course minimizes that.
As for that deer with no back-drop, I'd take a zero on the card and read the set-up crew the riot act when I got in. That is unsafe bullsh*. "Always be sure of your background" is shooting safety 101.
Get a 3D target to practice on at home. Shooting a 3D target is different than shooting a paper target. If you can't get a 3D target , get a gunny sack and spray paint a pig on it and shoot that on a hay bale, dont put a target (bullseye) on it.
When I first started shooting 3D I had a hard time focusing on the the spot, that is the vitals. After shooting many 3Ds now I have much better results and rarely miss the animal and sometimes in the 10 ring. But its taken a lot of practice focusing on the invisible spot.
As mentioned , you want bright feathers, I think bright yellow feathers are the best.
I ve been to Pappy's place and its a great site for archery. The set up is mostly in wooded areas and there aren't a lot of backdrops, if you miss you have a very good change of loosing an arrow, but that is just part of the game. Get or make a arrow rake.
Some 3Ds are physically tough...most around here are. That's one of the reasons I enjoy them. Another big joy is tough shots...brush, steeply uphill/downhill, difficult footing. I don't understand why anybody shoots 3Ds with known distances.
"I don't understand why anybody shoots 3Ds with known distances."
This is an interesting debate that can go 1000s posts until someone is on the trail and his target is a turkey hen at 25 yards. Very few hit the 10 or X.
""I don't understand why anybody shoots 3Ds with known distances." "This is an interesting debate that can go 1000s posts until someone is on the trail and his target is a turkey hen at 25 yards. Very few hit the 10 or X."
Very few hit the 10 or x at any distance. That's the nature of 3d (and of course hunting). Most people aren't fabulous shots, which is great for the few.
Shoots that allow rangefinders (or binoculars that serve that purpose) are bad ideas for trad 3d.
Unmarked distances adds one more factor to the challenge. Known distances removes that portion. But knowing the distance you still have to execute the shot. Top shooters can do that.
In setting up a challenging course, you try throw off a shooter's ability to determine yardage.
(Even the best compound shooters work hard at ranging. A three yard mis-judgement can be the difference between the 11 and the 10, or even the 8.)
Should you miss a target, don't take too long looking for your arrow. Look for it at the end of the shoot so as not to hold back the following group/groups.
"Very few hit the 10 or x at any distance. That's the nature of 3d (and of course hunting). Most people aren't fabulous shots, which is great for the few.
Shoots that allow rangefinders (or binoculars that serve that purpose) are bad ideas for trad 3d."
On marked courses you don't need rangefinders - the distance is marked at the stake.
To miss is not the true nature of 3D. When you don't know how the bear is perceived between 5 and 30 yards, the 3D archery is a "flip a coin" kind of thing. The more "unknown" targets the less chances to hit them are. Programming your brain to understand distance based on target size is way quicker than programming yourself to shoot using your "muscle memory".
" When you don't know how the bear is perceived between 5 and 30 yards, the 3D archery is a "flip a coin" kind of thing."
Internalizing that is a big part of 3d (not muscle memory)...learning what a relatively well known ethabeast looks like at various unknown distances in order to shoot accurately without quantifying distances.
Everybody's got his own way of doing things, but I've never heard a top 3d shooter calling out accurate distance. When they do, they're wrong.
"Everybody's got his own way of doing things, but I've never heard a top 3d shooter calling out accurate distance. When they do, they're wrong."
You don't have to call out distances, you need to know your setup to compensate for our own inabilities. I doubt the good ones are missing the distance call with more than 3 yards.
JK, I remember a rule of thumb the natives had: if you raise your arm in front of the eye and your “thumb’s up” doesn’t cover the grizlly, you are too close. It applyes to any type of terrain. We don’t think on xoy references, we “feel” them. You can’t “feel” something if you know what that “feel” means if you want to be a better shot. In Field Archery they teach you how to improve your chances. The knowledge is transferable to 3D
JK, I remember a rule of thumb the natives had: if you raise your arm in front of the eye and your “thumb’s up” doesn’t cover the grizlly, you are too close. It applyes to any type of terrain. We don’t think on xoy references, we “feel” them. You can’t “feel” something if you don’t know what that “feel” means. In Field Archery they teach you how to improve your chances. The knowledge is transferable to 3D Read this
I always shot for kill shots depending on the angle. Never paid much attention to the "scoring" rings. Which in some cases aren't even a good kill shot!
My nieces are going to Chamberlain with me this year . Its going to be their first big 3 D shoot. I plan to redo their arrows in bright fluorescent colors and maybe even add a GPS tracker to each arrow.Oh and mine too.
When I set up the course at the Howard Hill Classic, no know target distances. I try and set up challenging yet fun shots and really try and make them as close to a hunting shot as possible. You might look from the shooting stake and it may look as though the kill ares are somewhat obstructed, then you might have to lean or even stop a little, but the kill zone is never covered up.
I, for one, don't like trash shots, some do, my range does not. I also try to look at a right and left handed shooters prospective and also try and look around the shooting stake so one doesn't hit their bow.
Check out 3D Archery On You Tube. Greg Richards site. He does some great reviews on 3D Courses up and down the north east. You will get a great feel for what its all about. Here a video he did of our Trad Only Shoot course at Cos Cob Archers in CT.
It’s a traditional shoot not a competition. You’ll see young and old, good shots and bad shots, fancy bows and plain bows, all kinds of hats, quivers, outfits and shooting styles..???? It’s all about a common bond to an unusual sport that we love. The sport of Kings.
Back to George T's point....don't search for an arrow unless someone is guarding the target...leaning a bow against it and trusting that is very dangerous.
Case in point ..I shot at one target , a 3-d deer in some shadows, and hit it right where I was looking...but heard a clank! WTF? So the other guys held up and we walked to the target. There was a camoed compound leaned up against the target and a guy behind it crawling around on his hands and knees looking for an arrow. No one in the group had seen him before I shot. My arrow was right up against the edge of his top limb! Don't DO THAT if you are shooting alone! If somebody is looking for an arrow ,there better be someone else standing in front of the target
If you miss a target, blow it off and move on. The only target that matters is the one you're getting ready to shoot. It's fun and the fate of the worlddoesn't rest on your final score.
SB, you just made the case for carrying and using binoculars!
And yes, compound shooters miss too. Really! I've never seen it but I hear things...
I like scores and competition myself, as a way to judge my own progress. Am I shooting as well as I used to? Better? How well do I shoot compared to the best in the field? (Miles to go...)
It helps to have goals - plural. Short term, intermediate and long term. My short term goal is always to hit all 30 targets. My intermediate goal is it increase my average. Long term, to compete and do well at larger events. And always to find something to laugh about, even if it's my own worse shot ;-)
last year I got squadded with three compounders, and one of them needed an allen wrench. Guess who was carrying one? Yeah, there might have been a few chuckles.
I love to see and hear people going to their first 3D shoot! Remember if you have arrows at the end of the day it's a bonus! Do Not set expectations on what your score should be. I'd at least wait until your second shoot for that. If you're the competitive type try just to compete with your previous score or your average or number of zeros or number of lost/broken arrows. remember, you can't get any better if you don't miss and or lose some arrows. ENJOY!!
