Traditional archery range

[stringstretcher]

If you were building a Traditional only archery range, what targets would you like to shoot at.  And what would you consider to be a good but yet challenging distance for most targets.  Does anyone shot field archery with Trad equipment? Or is more of the interest in 3d only?

[robk]

if it were me i would shoot only 3d and do it that way if your a hunter. that is where i would be man. i know there are those who shoot targets and field archery but i am not in that league of shooters. also for me shooting out to 20 yards is my limit but wouldn't mind shooting out to 30 yards for practice and maybe even 40 yards
rob k

[Shakes.602]

Maybe a Section Off to the Side for the 20 Yard Paper Shooters too. Just an "Equal Time" Thing, ya know?

[wtpops]

I would like to shoot at 3D targets Deer, hogs, turkey. 25 and under for the most part with a 40 to 25 here and there. the the 30 to 40 could be larger animals like elk or caraboo. And the shots would be hunting type shots.

[KodiakBob]

If it was a traditional archery RANGE then it would be an NFAA field walkaround range with targets out to 105 yards, It would have bricks or stakes as yardage markers, That is what a traditional range was 46/47 years ago. I don't where the trad police came up with this 20 yard BS.

[stringstretcher]

KODIAKBOB.  I am very familiar with what a NFAA range is, although I have never shot on one that had over an 80yard walkup shot unless you are talking about a FITA course.  What I am trying to get answeres too is what kind of a range and what kind of targets would you, as a traditional shooter, meaning not shooting anything that is described as a compound, pay to go and shoot at or compete in a tournament

[eagle24]

My preference practicing (and for a trad 3d range) is slightly longer than what I want in a shot while hunting.  I would prefer most targets be in the 20 - 28 yard range (deer,hogs,& bear).  I would have one or two shots around 32 yards and a couple of small targets (fox,coon,etc) between 12 & 18 yards.  I do most of my shooting at my 3d deer targets (in my yard) between 22 & 30 yards.  When I'm hunting if I could pick my shot it would be 14 - 18 yards.  Not too close to make the angle steep, but close enough I have a high level of confidence in putting it in the boiler room.  Practicing longer shots make these seem like a slam dunk.  Notice I said SEEM, LOL.

[paleFace]

IMO paper targets are good for working on form and tunning but i like 3D targets to simulate hunting conditions. i wouldn't worry as much about distances as i would placing the animals to mirror real hunting situations. there is no harm in shooting at targets out past what you would actually shoot. it will build your confidence at the shorter distances and over time help you to extend your maximum range. if you hunt from tree stands then i would include some elevated shots. as for types of animals, i would concentrate on those animals that you will actually be hunting for first and then maybe add some others as you expand your course.

[Beau]

Make the shots more difficult than long I think. I try to practice shooting from the least natural position I can contort to. And shoot through brush, up and down steeps, between limbs or forks in trees. Maybe make one where you have to stand perfectly still with all your weight on one foot in a half crouch for 15 minutes with your eyes squinted then draw and shoot

[Jeff Strubberg]

I have to agree with KodiakBob.  Traditional Archery is about having fun with archery tackle. Hunting is definitely on the list, but there is so much fun in letting one fly at a 100 yard target.

Mix it up and enjoy your shooting.

[TSP]

My ideal course is one that has varied terrain, yardages inside 25 yards, and (most important) conditions that simulate actual hunting situations.  Signage with 'required instuctions' for each target, with sitting stools, kneeling pads, ground blinds and treestands, brush and limbs to consider while shooting, and a focus on kill shots (proper shot angles) would do the trick.  All shots should be makable without having to shoot THROUGH brush (i.e., should be a clear 'hole' to shoot through branches, even if a small one) but setups that mimic the real hunting thing in this way would be interesting and give a chance to practice opportunities you might just run into when hunting.  

Unfortunately, trad shoots today are oriented to target style (long shots, open lanes, target bows, lightweight arrows) rather than hunting style (close but challenging shots, odd angles and simple yet effective hunting bows and arrows).  Shooting classes too often put hunters up against targeters within the same class, making the average trad bowhunter (most of us) feel like they can't fairly compete.  Maybe this is one reason why shoot attendance at trad  competitions is dwindling in many places.  

Although target style can easily be accomodated by simply having a separate long shot/open lane stake, it sure would be nice to see more shoots promoting those hunting-oriented setups and the traditional-style hunting gear.

[LoneWolf73]

I set up a coarse with mostly 3D animals that we have in the area. I do have a few odd ones that you would not see around here(TN). I set the coarse up with no markers(give out a map)and you have to Hunt them. I leave it up to the shooter to select the shot. Some shooters play "horse" with the first shooter selecting the shot. I mix up targets large one, then a small game one, double targets, up hill, down hill,flat. Wanting to set up some Novelty stuff eventually. Don't charge but accept donatons. Word of mouth. Not alot of interest as of yet. It is hunting season so......Looking to the Spring for more Trads.

[Dave Worden]

String, I just had a shoot here with 30 3-D targets and 21 Field and Hunter (7 Field, 7 Hunter, and 7 Animal) targets.  4 of us shot the F&H course, and 2 or 3 shot 3 or 4 targets and quit.  It seems that there is almost NO interest in Field Archery among the Trads.  I can guarantee that I won't be putting out any F&H targets next year, just 3-D.  It seems a shame to me that they wouldn't even try it.  While I certainly don't hunt out to 80 yds, if I can hit consistently at 80 yds I certainly have all the confidence in the world at 20.  All that being said, I think you'd get a much better return on your investment with just 3-D targets.  And personally, I'd put one lloonngg target in just to let these guys check their form whether they want to or not!

[T.J.]

LoneWolf73- Sounds like a great course.

Stringstretcher- For me a great course would have most targets inside 20-25 yards but would offer difficult shots around brush trees etc. Also like a few others have said they should be realistic. Good luck on the course!!

[John D]

Once upon a time, way before 3-D targets and the compound bow. There were Field Courses and all the bows shot were longbows and recurves. The word traditional was not invented yet.

There were 14 field rounds, 14 hunter rounds, and 14 animal rounds 4 arrows per target. The targets were set up hill, down hill, across valleys, the targets ranged from 7 to 80 yards in the woods. People shot these targets with their normal equipment hunting bow wooden arrows. Alot of the archers were hunters not just target shooters. But man could they shoot, people like Ron La Clair, Jay Peake, (Jay broke 3 records shooting a 57 Kodiak Special off the shelf.) There was Lon Stanton, Ann Corby, Carl Heinrich, and Les Speaks, just to name a few, all shot Instinctive, and I can't forget our own George D. Stout. So to me the NFAA Field Rounds are as Traditional as you can get.

As mention above if you can consistently hit your target at longer distance, well the new 20 yards is the longest shot! will be easy.

I mean this post, in no disrespect, to anyone. But I love Archery and it saddens me to see or hear people limit themselves to a certain distance, or type of target because they think it is traditional. (For the record I'm not saying people should take shots at deer or animals in general at 40 to 80 yards.) archery is a skill be it paper targets, 3-D, pop can, stump, FITA, or Field or Hunting its not new! It has all been done with Longbows and Recurves before the word Traditional

Thank You and Good Hunting and Shooting

John

[T-Mac]

Having cut my teeth on NFAA ranges I feel that the 3-d ranges of today far excede the old ranges. I've shot the 80 yard walk and the 50 yard  walk and the "bird shot" and every thing in between many times and enjoyed it. These were what got me started and I will forever be gratefull for the chances I had to shoot such ranges, but as for what I Prefere give me shots from 12 yards to 25 or so yards and give me the smaller targets on the short distances and the deers, rams, and largers targets on the longer distances. Make them uphill or downhill or level just what ever floats your boat. I like a little realism in the shooting positions for fun. I shoot a little from 35 to 40 yards for practice as much for form as anything. I'd never shoot at an animal from that distance, but form problems show up real quick from longer distances.

[paleFace]

the club i belong to has a traditional shoot on saturday and the open shoot on sunday. a lot of the traditional guys shoot both days. the guys i shoot with don't pay much attention to the stakes and we take turns picking the shots at each of the 30 3D targets. we might shoot under a fallen tree, through a fork in a tree, shooting behind you while sitting on a log. anything goes and it's not unusual to finish with less arrows than you started, but it sure is fun. at the shoot this past weekend we had a raccoon facing you with a steel trash can to his left and a nice big oak to the right. if you missed left or right you could kiss an arrow good bye! then we had an alligator lying on top of a fallen tree that was on a rise. shoot low and you get wood, shoot high and your arrow was headed for parts unknown. make it realistic and it will be fun.

[JImmyDee]

3D targets offering realistic shooting problems are great but nothing slows a round done more than having to hunt for arrows.  (Other peoples, of course!)

The guys at one club I shoot with provide lots of varying elevation at ranges out to 35 or 40 yards.  That's great.  However, they always seem to locate four or five targets on a crest where a miss is going to travel at least 10 yards beyond the target.  Those are always chokepoints.  Bummer.

I know that there won't always be a nice mound of soft dirt behind foam animals -- but it sure would be nice if there were!

[Voodoofire1]

2 years ago I put in a course here with over 30 targets ,Aeriels, even a bowfishing target submerged in the pond,have a "volley" target too where you shoot back and forth, and the targets vary from 10 to 65 yds(have room for longer too), uphill ,downhill, across the creek and pond, around trees,bushes,rocks,and logs, even have a 700 yd. long field next to me for distance shooting, it's geared towards the traditional hunter,although anyone is welcome, but the problem is that 99.9% of the time I shoot it by myself, and I don't charge anything...

[stringstretcher]

Voodoofire, that brings up another question about this.  If in your area, and to everyone here, there was a range that was accessable to you to shoot just about anytime you would want to, be it field, 3d, fita,or a scales down realistic traditional only, who would pay to play?  Meaning Traditional bows only?