3D Archers

Does anyone here shoot 3D archery?

This looks like a fun outdoors activity. I recently bought my first bow.

What advice do you have for a newbie?

Get a horse!

When I first read this I thought.. "3D" as opposed to what.. 2D?! And I just looked it up. Looks like fun! That's something I could do.. (one website described it as a form of 'golf', where you walk a course and 'shoot' the holes)

Good luck with it, have fun! Looks like a hoot and a half!

3D shooting is fun. First thing that you need to do, if you already haven't done this, is get you bow tuned! Go to a archery shop and have them tune the bow and watch you shoot. After you have the basic down, like bow draw, sighting and release down pat or comfortable, then find an archery range and practice shooting at different yardage. If the range doesn't have 3D targets find an archery club that has 3D targets. Most clubs do not let use use any distance/ yard range finders so practice shooting by judgement or guesstimating those distances. The yardages will be different for each target. You will loose arrows and make terrible shots, but that is part of the game. If you are lucky like I am and have a big yard or field then you can practice at home. After years of shooting rifles, I found that archery is way more fun and not everyone will shoot like Robin Hood and it is more challenging than a rifle because even the smallest error can cause you to miss your target. Have fun.

tightwad said:

3D shooting is fun. First thing that you need to do, if you already haven't done this, is get you bow tuned!

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Excellent advice. I bought a used bow (Bowtech Carbon Icon) but have not tuned it, or had it tuned.

tightwad said:

After years of shooting rifles,

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The upfront cost is much less and the cost to shoot is much less. However, I'm still a fan of rifles. Archery is far more practical where I live.

I've been learning about arrow spine. Surprisingly, buying arrow blanks and building them is about the same price as ready-to-go arrows.

I'm looking for a release that I like. I made this video about the few releases that I have now.
[YOUTUBE]kyWJpex3-Qk[/YOUTUBE]

I buy my carbon arrows in bulk and cut them to length. An archery shop can help figure out the right length for your bow. I also spine my arrows and prefer feathers to plastic vanes. I have found that feathers are forgiving when they hit a branch and fold down instead of tearing off.

I have been archery hunting since 1971 and I enjoy the closeness of the hunt. There is something about sneaking within 20 yards of an Elk and letting you arrow fly. Archery hunters are a different bred. More helpful and friendly. One trick I learned was to attach a thin piece of reflective tape, about an 1/8 of inch wide, near the forward edge of the feathers. This allows you to find your arrow in the dim light of the forest or darkness of the evening after you have shot, either at a target or a animal. All you have to do is shine a flashlight around the area where you arrow went and tape glows giving away the location of the arrow.

As for releases, it is always good to have two. One in your backpack and one in the hand. I have dropped my release from my tree stand while changing out shirts just as the big buck walked into range. I just sat and watched him sniff my release and walk off. Have fun.