3-D Shoots for Kids
BY: Jenna Heil
Whale-Tales archery prostaff
Now that the weather is starting to get warmer, and the snow is melted, 3-D season is coming up soon. Many early shoots are already taking place.
There are many 3-D shoots around everywhere in your area. You just have to look for them. I always look for shoots on http://www.3dshoots.com/search_3d_archery.html and try to plan on which ones I want to go to. Most 3-D shoots are two day that you have to decide, you can go Saturday or Sunday. You show up any time during the shooting hours and shoot the 3-D course.
After you register and get a score card, you will walk out to the first station and begin shooting. Depending on your age there will be a stake to determine on how close you shoot from the target. In the cub division will shoot at the first stake. The older you get the farther the distance will be and the farther stake you will go to.
The hardest thing about 3-D shoots is judging the distance. Once you are comfortable about the distance of the target, you should get ready to shoot. Most 3-D courses are 20-30 targets. You would then shoot two arrows. After you shoot your arrows you walk over to the target and score your arrows.
The scoring system works like this. There is a 10 ring, and an 8 ring, and if you hit anywhere else in the animal it’s a 5, and sometimes there’s a 12 ring that is used in some tournaments. If you happen to miss the animal you would get a 0.
After you have walked through the woods and shot the whole course, you will then add up your scores. Remember archery shoots are all about having fun, shooting and enjoying the outdoors.
One of my favorite shoot last year was the one at Ojibwa Bowhunters in New Berlin. I shot my best score of the year. It was a 560. The course setup was awesome. There were backstops set up behind all of the targets, and the targets were in great shape. This is one shoot I’ll be sure to go to this year!!
3-d shots can be a lot of fun but challenging at the same time. If you want to shoot high scores remember it takes lots of practice. Don’t be afraid to get out to some local shoots this summer and give 3-D shoots a try. You may find that you love them as much as I do.