Contributors to this thread:
3D or not
OK, for something different, how about an archery topic. How many here shoot 3-D archery? How many do not? If you do, how often do you shoot? Do you shoot serious competition or for fun?
If you do not shoot 3-D is it because you don't like the sport itself? Don't like competition? Don't have easy access to it?
Would you shoot more if you had easier access?
I practically lived on 3D ranges in the off-season in the '90s. I was sponsored, and I loved the competition. I met some great people along the way. Then we bought acreage and moved to the boonies in 2000, and my priorities changed. There was always some chore to do that took precedence over spending a day on the 3D range. And the drive distance to the shoots became prohibitive, as well, so my interest in 3D kinda faded away. I do miss it, though.
I shoot arrows only to prepare for hunting. If I didn’t hunt 100 days a year I wouldn’t even shoot a bow. I shoot a few arrows every day in my basement and one TAC event with Bowsite friends. Never had any interest in 3d, only live targets.
Shot it for 20 years 2 times per month. Kids and life got in the way. The local range is now closed.
I did, to many injuries to get out there to do it anymore used to shoot anywhere from 3 to 4 a week. Shot IBO, ASA NNFA . Met alot of good people and made some good friends along the way of course some real azzhats too lol I'm currently president of an archery club. We're hosting the Midwest Archery Championship next month .
I shoot 3D tournaments...most times I keep score/turn in scorecard.. .. I have a couple 3D targets on my yard/at home I shoot old recurves bows... People I know both compound shooters and traditional archers state they got to be better shots in the woods because they were shooting at 3D targets
I shoot local 3D’s about 6-7 x’s a year. Plus TAC. I shoot for kill shots, don’t care much about score.
Local 3D’s are limited in range with most shot under 50 yards. TAC is great to learn your equipment on long range shots. I like the mix of both.
I have so many 3D’s in New England, you can’t go one weekend without several happening.
I do with friends & family bowhunters 2-3 times a year. We have a friendly inner group competition. I cant remember turning in my score card ever. We actually decide if its a kill or not if a real critter regardless of score. I DO shoot Field (112 arrows) & Target (90 arrows) for competition & "try" to make the larger events. Love it & see many "old" friends at these.. Never can get in a competition mode for 3D BUT being a long time bowhunter, feel it does help most bowhunters. This pic is part of our bowhunting group shooting 3Ds at my sons property (he has 12 set up on his property). Always a fun time.
Back in the 80’s and 90’s, two shoots every weekend. Now, one a month. There’s just not as many courses or clubs around. Met some great guys and some jackwads over the years. The two young guys that are going to Colorado this year with me, I me a couple years ago at the local 3D shoot. The great part of 3D is the camaraderie, the good part is practice and the ugly is the jackwad pencil shooters.
I shoot as many as I can thru the summer. Great practice for shooting, also good practice for range estimation.
Pet peeve #1 - 1/3 sized targets: have to be the worst for range estimation. It’s bad enough that there isn’t a deer target made that is the size of a Saskatchewan buck, but at least the US runts are 3/4 the size of what we hunt. Peeve#2 - scoring rings too far back … on some of these targets the 11 is in the liver - why??
Often times we will disregard the scoring rings. Estimate the range - then use the rangefinder … and shoot.
Last weekend shot a couple 3D rounds with the setup I’m going to use for buff. Set my 2 pin slider for 25/35 and shot without adjusting it on everything inside of 40m. Even with a 600+g arrow, results were good.
I always like shooting 3D courses. I never shot competitively except among our personal group. I mainly shot to keep in shooting shape through the summer. It also helped me with estimating yardage. Unfortunately, most of the clubs and conservation leagues in my area have stopped having the shoots. Now the closest ones are over a hours drive from where I live.
Shot 3D a lot back in the late 90's and early 2000's. Then years without going, and then I've gone twice so far this summer.
Jim I'd bet we just both know the same jackwads lol
Growing up in the 90s my dad took me to a 3d shoot just about every weekend. Nowadays I make it to one or two a year. There's only one left that's anywhere close to my house and it's almost an hour away. But I can shoot 60 plus yards out back so if I wanna fling arrows I can just step outside.
I enjoy 3D shoots a lot and would do more if there were any around. I travel to get to the larger traditional shoots with a couple buddies and have a good time. Shooting traditional, I don't do many mixed shoots with compound guys. Too much wasted time to shoot each target.
Too much standing around waiting to shoot. I do like shooting 3D targets just not at a shoot. I've accumulated a number of targets over the years and keep them in the woods around my house. Some tree stand shots. Shooting with my friends or son-inlaw is better use of my time.
Shot 3D every Sunday during the summer every year in the 90’S . Maybe 1 a year now, too many range finders and those funny cards the clowns look at that hang from their hips that describe the target! No thanks!!
I have a FB page (Iowa archery/bowhunter tournaments) JUST for Iowa & bordering states archery with 1700 members & growing. 3Ds are the most looked for and several every weekend.
Yeah I can remember waiting seemed like forever for traditional archers searching for thier arrows . How in the hell do you miss at the 25 yard stake?
Glad you guys enjoy it. I really have zero interest in competition target archery. My competition is in the field, with what ever I’m pursuing. In the winter months I shoot several times per week, indoors at paper. In the warmer months, I shoot outdoors at various targets. My target/practice shooting is solely to stay in shape for hunting.
"How in the hell do you miss at the 25 yard stake?"
- I can do it, Dave. I can even make it look easy. :)
"It was not as hard as I made it look!"
;-)
Yea, I shoot 3d. Took about a 14 year break for youth sports, which I loved more than anything, but now I’m back at it.
I like 3d shoots that are put on by hunting clubs. Just to help in practicing for hunting. My score card is if my arrow lands in the vitals of the target I’m happy. My local club doesn’t do much anymore. There are some big shoots put on every year in my area that I might start shooting again for fun and bring my kiddos along.
I’m exceptionally fortunate. I belong to a club with 2 full 3D courses; many of the stations have more than one 3D target, all have knockablocks, and one of the courses is set up for NFAA. Both offer shots out to 80 yards and on a few of the targets, shots to 90 or more can be had, safely.
So you could say I shoot a lot of 3D…. But I have never traveled to a competitive event. Just hasn’t been a priority while raising a couple of hockey players….
I suppose it should come as no surprise that we have a waiting list for our membership, given that some of our members actually live in the heart of NYC, and others drive in from New Jersey. So the local population is large enough to have quite a few archers.
The interesting and really gratifying thing is that now that crossbows are legal for everyone during deer season, a lot of compound shooters have dropped out, and their spots have been filled by people who are interested in recurves and longbows.
I like 3D shoots but most now days are not practicing for hunting, the crossbow has taken over.
So at three d shoots compounds and trad bows are no longer allowed. All crossbows?
^^ No. Crossbows tend to blow through the targets. None of the ranges around here allow crossbows.
I"ll shoot at one or two 3D shoots per year. I wish I had time for more.
There is a crossbow class in ASA. Most local shoots don't allow them around here. (And I suspect that sawtooth's observation was regarding the local archery scene where he is.)
So sawtooth was speaking locally not nationally Makes sense
Anytime you're feeling froggy Randy lol no money just a sixpack of good craft. Hey it's all I can do to string a longbow bow up I'm old now not crabby but I can still smell a hustle my brother ;)
I much prefer 3D over spot targets. In fact, my wife and I just returned from shooting the Rinehart R100 in Sparta, Wisconsin. And tomorrow I will be going up to the club I am a member of to shoot our last 3D open shoot of the year.
Bob Blackhawk field archers has our b61 coming up in September. 61 targets come get you some :) Facebook for details
Most of my shooting aside from practice at home or my local shop is 3D. I bought my first bow 3 days before the R100 in Fresno. Was completely hooked. Started hunting 5 months after that and now I even import and distribute 3D targets from South Africa. (Their targets are far superior to the US made ones, in my opinion).
I stand corrected we have a different manufacturer. My apologies to Wildcrete
Yes, Wildcrete. Most of the targets have replacement cores though. Only the small ones or a few of the ones with quartering shots don't have cores.
I’m at a 3 day shoot in Wisconsin right now. Good times with friends.
re Kyle (Blood) " I have so many 3D’s in New England, you can’t go one weekend without several happening."
Yeah, there are a bunch in these parts. I make and distribute a list every week of all the local shoots I'm aware of between Maine and western New York. Even on 'holiday' weekends, there's usually a few shoots within an hour or so of my location. (If I shoot this morning, it's 19 miles or 30 minutes drive time.)
To be entirely truthful I enjoy setting up the course almost as much as I enjoy shooting.
I enjoy a few local 3D shoots with my good friend Frank through the year. We both shoot recurves and it’s a good time. We don’t keep score but we know what’s a killing shot.
All of our shooting is geared towards hunting.
Unmarked 3d gives you a realistic assessment of your capabilities….
And its fun.
Midwest, I was at that shoot with a few buddies. We shot the front and Savannah courses. I did end up donating a few arrows to the junk pile at the end.
I shot 3-D weekly leagues for many years when I was shooting traditional. Really enjoyed the practice and camaraderie. The big Saturday shoots bored me, waiting around all day behind several groups to shoot 40 arrows.
Now that I've had to switch to a compound but hunt the same way I did with trad, 3-D no longer works, because the focus is in long range shooting, which I don't do.
I never shot organized events, but I shot a lot of 3D targets. I used to have several set up in the woods at my house and a group of guys would meet here and shoot. We shot seven targets coming and going, including deer, bear, one hog, one javelina, and a mule deer. We shote the mulie buck at 60 yards from one direction and 70 yards from the other. He was down in a low place from both positions so we had an arrow catcher. It was lots of fun and we didn’t keep score, just had fun practicing. I had to pull the antlers off the whitetail bucks or the real bucks would try to destroy the targets ! ;-))
I probably shot a couple dozen 3D shoots over the years (just for fun, but, did manage to win a few ribbons in my limited class).
I have quite a few 3D targets scattered around my property. It's been several years since I have shot competition
Bowfest in WI just South of Duluth MN can be fun.
6 Courses walking the hills near and in a ski resort.
Afterwards, check out a few vendors and maybe an evening music concert on site.
I shoot a few in the summer usually. Just fun, never competitive. My home state is pretty weak for 3D, but i enjoy traveling to see friends and spend a week hiking the hills and shooting foam and telling lies.
—Jim
Since I was about 12 years old I shot local 3d’s. Started shooting TAC four years ago and absolutely love it. Shooting triple digits is awesome. I finally started competing this summer in some actual competition 3d’s… NW Mountain Challenge circuit and Top Pin in Idaho. Being a former college athlete, I’ve needed to scratch that competitive itch that is always going to be there. Competition archery may be a good way to do it. I learned a lot and progressed quite a bit this summer in a short amount of time. Looking forward to expanding how many comps I shoot next year and may even dabble in the indoor archery space.
Yes I shoot 3d competitive and for fun I don't shoot the unmarked stuff anymore even the idea was marked that way I know that I'm aiming good with good yardage after everybody carries the rangefinder nowadays also shoot the national circuit for the nfaa ASA IBO shooting spots also makes you a better shot at hunting
Dana leslie and i go to almost every 3d shoot here in new mexico. we shoot year round here. sometimes we have to pull the camper the shoots are that far away. we have a 30 target 3d range set up at the house with everything from full size moose and buffalo. we shoot almost every nite unless we get monsooned out. i think i've started back in the early 80's at baypath when it was 2d with bobby and the boys
Corax -"I’m exceptionally fortunate. I belong to a club with 2 full 3D courses; many of the stations have more than one 3D target, all have knockablocks, and one of the courses is set up for NFAA. Both offer shots out to 80 yards and on a few of the targets, shots to 90 or more can be had, safely. So you could say I shoot a lot of 3D…. But I have never traveled to a competitive event. Just hasn’t been a priority while raising a couple of hockey players….
I suppose it should come as no surprise that we have a waiting list for our membership, given that some of our members actually live in the heart of NYC, and others drive in from New Jersey. So the local population is large enough to have quite a few archers.
The interesting and really gratifying thing is that now that crossbows are legal for everyone during deer season, a lot of compound shooters have dropped out, and their spots have been filled by people who are interested in recurves and longbows."
Sounds like we belong to the same club on Long Island. Great club and since I shoot traditional I'm there each Sunday and on usually one night a week. I shoot the 3D's given, help set up the Traditional Shoot and run a Hunter Style 3D shoot where if you "wound" the animal you lose points.
