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2021 Total Archery Challenge

4K views 35 replies 21 participants last post by  Boarbon 
#1 ·
With the TAC events starting soon, lets talk about arrow setups that you have used before that work, setups you want to try, and setups that you have used and failed you !
 
#2 · (Edited)
For me last year the arrow setup that worked the best was one that was easily replaceable because I lost a metric chit ton of arrows :LOL:

All kidding aside I will be running gold tip hunter xt's that have be cut on both ends to achieve the straightest arrow possible, 300 spine cut to 29”, the standard 12.1 grain aluminum insert, 100 grain tip, AAE max stealth in probably 3 fletch (I am currently playing with 4 fletch as well). This will be coming out of a 65 lb bow at a 29.5 draw length.

This is what I shoot everyday at my home range out to 60 yards and hunt with. I like to think of the TAC as a simulation to sharpen my skills rather than a game so I'm not thinking about optimizing. My setup is not exotic or expensive but its realistic for me. I am becoming more change resistant when it comes to my equipment because I feel that using the same setup for a long period of time (years) is helping me learn to shoot better.

Any way this is my thinking for this season and is subject to change
 
#3 ·
Almost all of the folks I know that shoot things like this use their hunting setups. They don't make any changes at all.
 
#4 ·
I shot 2 courses last year and shot my axis hunting arrows. I only lost 1 arrow all weekend so no big deal but I’m going to be shooting gold tip velocities so I can get a little more distance out of my slider with the faster arrow. I maxed out at 120 last year and there were a few targets at 130+
 
#6 ·
I’m gonna throw some victory RIP XV’s with blazer X-vanes 1.75 inches at the foam monsters this year. Also using a sight with a smaller housing and more travel, I centered my peep at 40 yards.

I’m really trying to not run out of elevation on my sight this year.
 
#7 ·
That being said, I totally get the guys who use their hunting setup.

My justification is I’ll never shoot at a critter at 80+ yards, so why use the same 600+ gr. setup that I shoot at 20-30 yards?

I like extremes, play with super light/ fast in a35” ATA bow and hunt with heavy/slow setup in a 28” bow.
 
#5 ·
i will be shooting my first one this year. i bought 18 arrows, beman ics hunters. got them on a heck of a sale, only spent 60 bucks on them. i'm not planning on bringing them all back and i don't care to bust or lose any of them. TAC is exactly why i bought them lol
 
#9 ·
Never shot the TAC, and I ordered a 60 pound Nexus 4 for hunting whitetails and 3D. I will shoot the Victory 3DHV's in 400 spine, 100 grain glue in tip, and the tiny little Q2i fusion vanes in 4 fletch. I even got me a cool new hip quiver, and a 30" stabilizer, which may be a little much. I hope the bow comes in soon so I get the chance to get it shot in good before the challenge. I also got a Black Gold Pro single pin sight to try out. Should be fun. Oh and I got a Leupold RX Fulldraw 4 rangefinder to help with those crazy shots.
 
#11 ·
I shoot TAC Montana and Utah every year. I don't have special setup for TAC. I just shoot my normal setup I use for hunting. Last year and this year it's a 438 grain arrow going 315 fps. Love TAC. Total blast. Looking forward to this year's events.

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#12 ·
I’ve shot two of them, used my hunting arrow which is an axis 260 with a 50 grain insert. I hunt with a 100 grain point, but I went to a 60 grain point to lighten up for TAC and get some extra distance. Longest target we encountered on the TAC course last year was 123 yards (and I hit it...). I think I had clearance with sight marks to 126 if I remember right.

Shot my hunting bow which is a 70 lb traverse at 30.5”. I used a 15” front bar which is longer than I hunt with and I created a Frankenstein sight for the occasion. I put a hogg double pin scope on my shibuya target sight. I then found the scale difference for the second pin and the top of the bubble level so I’d have accurate marks for those. The bubble level was used for the super long range stuff, only needed that once or twice on the course.

D
 
#13 ·
Never been to tac. Just missed it last year.
It is all fun correct? You can use rangefinders or Move up and shoot closer if you want?
 
#14 ·
Never been to tac. Just missed it last year.
It is all fun correct? You can use rangefinders or Move up and shoot closer if you want?
Yes, Yes, and Yes.
 
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#18 ·
Hate that we don't have TAC here Finland. What Im checked from Youtube, seems like a lot of fun.

One "kind of" TAC is "snowman"-competition what's in early spring.. so there might be pretty much snow and freezing temperatures.
There's not overly long distances, maybe 60m max, but some nice different targets.. like moving target (has been fox last 2yrs), shooting from blind, shooting indoor barn with no lights there. etc. Otherwise it's pretty normal hunting 1 arrow competiton with hunting gear.

And yes.. that "incitement madman"- target, a Moose figure, where U can shoot anywhere from 20m up to 150m, I thin that field usually ends there. More points for longer distances. And target is film plywood with soft vitals so if U miss to body that arrow is usually goner. Last year I did shot it from 70m. U have 3 arrows what U can try, only one will get points, and U can't move forward after You choose your distance. That's quite fun target 😂
 
#19 ·
Well you could bump up the dW to 75lbs and gain about 25-30'ish fps if I remember correctly that it's roughly 2fps for every lb of dw increase. Provided your strong enough to handle the increased dw.

Also look at shortening your arrows up a bit to knock off a few grains, you gain roughly 1fps for every 2-3 grains you shave off.

You could also look at going to a lighter shaft. Just be aware they won't be as durable with a higher poundage. And if you go to light it's like basically dry firing a bow with higher Poundage.

Oh and most importantly, don't forget the old stretching rack to gain the extra 1/2-1" increase in draw length. Couple of draft horses strapped to each wrist should work nicely. [emoji16]





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#20 ·
Can we also throw into this discussion exercises to prepare the knees for all the downhill walking in places like Montana and Utah.

Every year my knees are shot by the end of the day from walking down these hills coming from South Florida.

I know it’s the ligaments on the side of the knees but how do we stretch these or get them in good shape before TAC?

I had to basically walk backwards the last hour just to get back down to the main area


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#35 ·
Can we also throw into this discussion exercises to prepare the knees for all the downhill walking in places like Montana and Utah.

Every year my knees are shot by the end of the day from walking down these hills coming from South Florida.

I know it’s the ligaments on the side of the knees but how do we stretch these or get them in good shape before TAC?

I had to basically walk backwards the last hour just to get back down to the main area


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New guy here, I actually created an account to reply to you. As other have said, strength training, hiking with weight, is a good approach to get the legs stronger. From the limited description, it sounds a bit like ITBS and there's a lot of info out there about how to go about stretching and working that area. Read up on it a bit and figure out what works best for you. I spend the summers hiking the Cascade range and suffer from chronic knee pain, and I choose to use the foam rolling method and it really helps with managing the pain in my knees, but everyone is different. FYI I'm not a Sports Dr. but my wife is. Cheers! This year will be my first TAC! Big Sky or Bust!
 
#24 ·
I live in the mountains of SW VA and although we do not have the amazing elevation changes you may find in CO or other western states, we still have plenty if you want to go test your legs. And even though I live in a fairly hilly area and walk them a lot, I still struggle for the first few days out west, and like you, I find the downhill harder than the uphill. I have found that a treadmaster treadmill that makes me step up and press down helps me as much as any gym equipment out there. Not sure what it is working in my legs exactly, but it does help me quite a bit when it comes to the downhill.
 
#25 ·
I do the stair master mostly and squats.

It’s just the catching of my weight. I’m 6’2” 210lbs so not real powerful legs. Ran into a few guys there with knee braces for the same reason.


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#26 ·
This will be my second year doing it. It is truly a poor man's guided hunt lol...

Im staying with .245 arrows at 383 grains. I tried micros but they didn't group as well at 80. Last year I shot yeti and prime course.

I lost one arrow. But this year I'm going without a 4x lens.....I think. I'm going to do a couple 3d shoots without it and see what I think.

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#27 ·
I just take off my "winter sight" which is 20pin and 30-70 moveable pin and put on my "summer sight" where fixed pins are 40, 50, 60 yards, the moveable pin goes from 70 to 100 and the top of my level bubble is good for 110.
I think I only busted 1 arrow last year at big sky and we did the prime and sitka courses.
If mountain archery fest comes your way go to it....it is not as big an event as tac but it is just as good....there was a course as tough as the prime and sitka but it had a lot of exotic targets:
 
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