[Diver160651]

Personal Archery Challenge for all:
1. Find a local field course (I am lucky to have 8 within a relatively close driving range).
2. Jog or fast walk from station to station, whatever you can do to elevate your heart rate, as a solo archer I am sure people will let you play through.
3. Try not to stop to rest.
4. Take only 1 shot per target from the maximum range the station allows.
5. Take a picture of each target.
6. Post the pictures up here.
7. Maybe post a brief description about how you felt etc..

This is for self-reflection and self-accountability. It doesn't matter if you miss the target bails (well then you should move closer), it only matters that you are getting exorcise within YOUR ability and shooting while your heart rate is elevated. Nobody wins but you.

This isn't to replace the adrenaline moment the animal brings, as much as it is creating a condition similar to hiking and stalking etc.

The reason why you might want to do this:
• To gear up for the hunting season.
• Do this for inspiration to get a bit of exercise while on a field course.
• To challenge yourself while only competing against yourself, by yourself, in an informal environment.
• A reason to make you focus on each shot with more importance.
• To get a truer picture of how you are really shooting the first arrow.
• To hold yourself accountable.

Why I am posting this:
I just decided to challenge myself as I gear up for hunting season here in the West. I am not a spring chicken or in the shape, I should be in. But I wanted something to challenge me and hold me accountable for how I am actually shooting a hunting bow. You know it’s easy to go to the range and remember all the great shots or send multiple arrows for the good shot. Part of sharing this is to keep me inspired and get in better shape as I shoot.

The field course I used:
• The maximum Range was 83 yards, 28 stations, s alongside a fair step area of the Redwoods.
• I am shooting a Mathew's hunting bow V3x at 71#
• I was more tired than I thought when I was done.

You can see a bunch of arrows in one target, the people let me play through. Everyone what super nice as I was hustling on the trails. For me, I actually shoot better than I thought, with only one 8.

Some of you guys may know about Cross Fit and heard of Dave Castro. Dave moving on from Cross Fit took some of his ideas for performance and blended them into a long-range rifle competition that I recently helped RO. This match was a timed hiking/jogging event where shooters’ time to complete the 1-mile loop was divided into their shooting score for a match score. Speed was heavily rewarded, but the blend of both accuracy and speed was the formula to win. Anyway, that’s where I go the idea from.

Hope you guys try this and post up.. I am going to keep doing this..

 

[rjack]

I have a local field range that has plenty of hills. I’ll give this a go.
I’m in pretty good shape so I’m curious to see if I can get my heart rate up remotely close to how it is when shooting an animal. Mine is insane at the moment of truth and I love it! I’ve been hunting for 4 decades and have yet to get my heart rate down. I may have to quit hunting if I ever do.

 

[chief razor]

I have nothing against doing this, I think its a great way to physically train for hunting season, physically. Its a different response to the moment of truth adrenaline response so it will not be the same or even close. If the underlying reason is to better control your adrenaline response then its not effective.

 

[quinnjalan]

Great idea. I could jog/walk fast around my club (as I'm no spring chicken either) and back to the archery range to take another shot at a different target each time. We don't have a field course but I understand that one is coming. I see the biathlon folks running laps all the time and back to the 65 yard line for another shot.

 

[Diver160651]

I have nothing against doing this, I think its a great way to physically train for hunting season, physically. Its a different response to the moment of truth adrenaline response so it will not be the same or even close. If the underlying reason is to better control your adrenaline response then its not effective.

Agreed, I shoot PRS where we do 10 shots between 90 seconds and 120 seconds long-range while changing positions. It has certainly helped my shooting and the confidence it gives is crucial, but it doesn't replace fieldcraft. But the net result is that I am far better because of shooting thousands of rounds a year, whereas I could never put that much downrange on a rifle hunt.

This is more about duplicating some of the elevated heart rates from the hikes and stalks; maybe getting a bit better in shape as we practice. I think like above we can shoot more arrows in a practice situation than in hunting, so every amount helps, even if just in a small way.

 

[JStol5]

Personal Archery Challenge for all:
1. Find a local field course (I am lucky to have 8 within a relatively close driving range).
2. Jog or fast walk from station to station, whatever you can do to elevate your heart rate, as a solo archer I am sure people will let you play through.
3. Try not to stop to rest.
4. Take only 1 shot per target from the maximum range the station allows.
5. Take a picture of each target.
6. Post the pictures up here.
7. Maybe post a brief description about how you felt etc..

This is for self-reflection and self-accountability. It doesn't matter if you miss the target bails (well then you should move closer), it only matters that you are getting exorcise within YOUR ability and shooting while your heart rate is elevated. Nobody wins but you.

This isn't to replace the adrenaline moment the animal brings, as much as it is creating a condition similar to hiking and stalking etc.

The reason why you might want to do this:
• To gear up for the hunting season.
• Do this for inspiration to get a bit of exercise while on a field course.
• To challenge yourself while only competing against yourself, by yourself, in an informal environment.
• A reason to make you focus on each shot with more importance.
• To get a truer picture of how you are really shooting the first arrow.
• To hold yourself accountable.

Why I am posting this:
I just decided to challenge myself as I gear up for hunting season here in the West. I am not a spring chicken or in the shape, I should be in. But I wanted something to challenge me and hold me accountable for how I am actually shooting a hunting bow. You know it’s easy to go to the range and remember all the great shots or send multiple arrows for the good shot. Part of sharing this is to keep me inspired and get in better shape as I shoot.

The field course I used:
• The maximum Range was 83 yards, 28 stations, s alongside a fair step area of the Redwoods.
• I am shooting a Mathew's hunting bow V3x at 71#
• I was more tired than I thought when I was done.

View attachment 7626448
View attachment 7626431

View attachment 7626453

You can see a bunch of arrows in one target, the people let me play through. Everyone what super nice as I was hustling on the trails. For me, I actually shoot better than I thought, with only one 8.

Some of you guys may know about Cross Fit and heard of Dave Castro. Dave moving on from Cross Fit took some of his ideas for performance and blended them into a long-range rifle competition that I recently helped RO. This match was a timed hiking/jogging event where shooters’ time to complete the 1-mile loop was divided into their shooting score for a match score. Speed was heavily rewarded, but the blend of both accuracy and speed was the formula to win. Anyway, that’s where I go the idea from.

Hope you guys try this and post up.. I am going to keep doing this..

King’s mountain?

 

[Diver160651]

King’s mountain?

Yes. Good call. I also have a house in Wyoming and need to get into shape for Elk season

 

[JStol5]

Yes. Good call. I also have a house in Wyoming and need to get into shape for Elk season

Must be nice…

 

[turkeyhunter60]

I don't think so,i'll stick with walking slow and observe what's around me like while i'm hunting..maybe if i was a young buck, but i was taught to slow down, i'm 72 yrs. old..

 

[deadquiet]

I'm with Turkeyhunter60 it's more of a way to combine fitness with archery. If that's fun and makes you want to get in better shape that's never a bad thing but it's not really like hunting or at least the way I have hunted.

It's slow and steady. I'm mean sure if you have to get up some steep hills or whatever to get to a bull then it never hurts to be in shape but in 40+ years of hunting I have never ran stopped and took a shot. Now I never will........because running kills me..............lol

But I can go at a steady pace for hours right along with most younger folks.

 

[Diver160651]

Yeah, we each have our own style.

I don’t know anybody out West who hasn’t had to, at some time, really hustle to get into position. Or bust their ass at high altitudes. I also don’t know anyone who has ALWAYS been presented the perfect opportunity to set up exactly like they might in their backyard, on a spot and stalk.

That said, I also know not everyone hunts or wants to hunt, out West, that some people are blind or still hunters.

I also get taking the 100 to 60-yard practice shoots one might see on their field course, while valuable practice for some of the people out West, who might end up in a wide-open featureless patch, might be way overkill for a tree stand hunter.

Either way, then walk slow and steady and take just 1 shot at each station from your maximum distance, it is only meant to be a personal challenge. Just take away something from your routine like setup time, that makes it more challenging.

I find I get bored doing the same thing all the time. Heck, I have a nice tricky 3–D set up on a hillside, through trees at my house, and hardly shoot the animals. Again, just hoping it gives you the motivation to get out and challenge yourself.

PS on the distance thing. Like most people, I like to practice much longer than the maximum shot I'll take. If you can't make the longest shots at your field range, just pick a distance that really challenges you, and just let everyone know that’s how you rolled.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Mr. Ken]

Real simple: If I wanted to shot 1 arrow at a target, I would go shoot a 3D match.

I am a target shooter and not a hunter. I have nothing against hunting, I do have a hunting bow set up for hogs if I want to shoot one.

Until you can shoot a perfect max score on a 112 shot field match, then just keep practicing.

Instead of on a field course, go through a 3D course as fast as you can and go for all kill shots and not the 10 or 12 ring. Until you can shoot a perfect kill shot on every animal every time, then you don't need to speed up.

 

[PhilSch]

Where do you live that has 8 field ranges close by?

 

[Diver160651]

Real simple: If I wanted to shot 1 arrow at a target, I would go shoot a 3D match.

Until you can shoot a perfect max score on a 112 shot field match, then just keep practicing.

Instead of on a field course, go through a 3D course as fast as you can and go for all kill shots and not the 10 or 12 ring. Until you can shoot a perfect kill shot on every animal every time, then you don't need to speed up.

A 3D course would probably be even a better idea but we don't have much of them in the West. And absolutely you could set the parameters however you would like. Again the idea would be to set a goal post it up here and show the pictures.

My goal was similar to how you outlined doing the 3Dcourse, to have every shot within the kill zone of an Elk, and the paper shows I was able to do that while hustling (you can see the pictures). I shot a bunch of 10s, a few 9s, and one 8; not a perfect score for a target archer by any means.

 

[Diver160651]

Where do you live that has 8 field ranges close by?

Where do I live? Ya, still trying to figure that one out. For work, I split time between two houses in Northern California, but also have a home in Wyoming with a windy range about 6 minutes away.

I probably should have clarified that what is close to me might be far from others.

From my main house:
Kings is about 20 minutes away (but my closest real supermarket is 40 minutes away)
Steven Creek is about 43 minutes
2 field courses are 50 minutes in Pacifica. One is spots and one is paper animal
Santa Cruz is 58 minutes
2 courses in Redwood is just about 1 hour
Diablo about 90 minutes
My private rifle club has a range but it is very Western, to say the least, as in kinda fell apart. lol
Eldorado is 2 hours, but 40min from my other house

So there are about 9 courses, not counting the one at the private rifle/bow range. That said there are not many 3 D courses (a couple of member-only)

 

[JStol5]

Went to school in the bay at the same time I was getting into archery. Incredibly fortunate to have been in that area, archery scene is crazy there. I shot at Stevens creek and Black mountain a lot

 

[Diver160651]

Went to school in the bay at the same time I was getting into archery. Incredibly fortunate to have been in that area, archery scene is crazy there. I shot at Stevens creek and Black mountain a lot

I’m on the mountain course of Pacifica right now doing in the animals paper targets. I don’t know if you remember them or not. But I always thought these were way easier than shooting spots.

Judging by today shooting, I might’ve been fooling myself all along - Harder to see a reference point on the shot out paper animals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[huteson2us2]

40 years ago, we would get up before light and run up the steep hills in the Cascades and get into position to ambush the elk coming up from the side of the hills at sunrise. Very similar to what you are describing. Today at 75, I find a tree stand more to my liking.

 

[Diver160651]

Once I actually took the time to document the shots, I actually found these harder to shoot than the spots as mentioned above. . In my brain, I always thought I shot the animals much better as I equated the shot to be in the kill zone, even if it wasn't in the BONUS DOT.

As mentioned I am not a target archer, but using this format to test myself as has been effective in exposing weaknesses in the long-range precision rifle.​

​

The things I noticed once I decided to take a photo of every shot:​

• That damn Bonus dot is smaller than most spot 10 rings
• That Bonus dot is NOT where you'd expect it on all real animals
• The lines are often impossible for me to see compared to Spots
• Once shot out it is even harder to aim.

​

I tried but found myself only fast walking most of this course.
I think there were about 2 or 3, 80 yards stations, I kind of let at least one groundhog target walk away and the targets don't even move lol, and it was only like 20 yards..

ENOUGH of the Excuses...

 

[sdmc530]

I am in...next time out I will post up.