Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Any love for 3D competition?

A buddy is going with my and our friend to Kansas for bow whitetail season (if we are granted Non-resident permits by the state). Buddy used to shoot 3D all the time, but for family and everday life fetting in the way hasn't for a few years. He called and asked if we were interested in a local shoot to get us working on our skills. I found it fun and liked the format.

Anyone else like these?

Buddy with his 2 year old along for the morning...

"Competition" is a bit strong of a term for our gang of shooters, but yes, it's a great distraction in the off-season and keeps the shoulders limbered up for the summer.

It's like anything else, you can get deep into it if you have the time and money. Our group shoots mostly their hunting bows, we call it open class if the sight can be adjusted for range (HHA single pin) on the course. The local pro-shop sponsors a few over the summer, small prizes, more bragging rights and just a chance to BS about bows and hunting. We have a good time.

I use to shoot 3D in one of the local leagues when I lived in Idaho, I enjoyed it a lot but some people took it way too seriously which pretty much ruined it for me.

I know of a few courses where you pay some cash and you get to shoot on their course. I enjoy it because it allows me to judge distances without any pressure and it gets me outside.

I also have one of those 18-1 targets that I shoot in my yard all spring/summer/fall and I can shoot at my leisure.

I shoot about a dozen a year. Just the local fish & game club shoots. They are fun and good practice for hunting. I don't get serious about it because its score your own. When guys I know that can't shoot the scores they claim that pretty much turns it into a fun shoot. Save the competition for paper targets that are structured.

tlfw

Was that the Rhinehart 100? That is a really fun shoot.

Back in the early and mid 1990's before I had a wife and kids I shot 3D shoots almost every weekend in the summer. I competed sometimes with my recurve and sometimes with my compound and I was fairly competetive at the time. Now I make it to two or three shoots each year and shoot with a buddy of mine. Sometimes I place, sometimes I don't but I always have a good time.

No. It just had some fun targets.

I didn't hand in my score card, as I started out as novice (seeing as I never shot one before), then moved back to male bowhunter about halfway around. I liked it because I was shooting with friends and we had a good time. I will stick to my hunting gear.

I try to get to as many as possible in my area every year. Tends to be about 5 or 6 through the summer. Don't go to compete, just to shoot, hang out with friends, work on my judging distances, and have fun. The big one we go to annually is the Reinhart 100 when it comes through close to us, it's a blast to shoot all the "special/odd" targets they bring out.

I usually go to all the local traditional shoots.I don't like to shoot the mixed shoots with the compound guys.They take way too long to set up and shoot the shot.It's just fun hunting practice for the trad guys.There is no way a deer will let you take that long, and raise and lower your bow that many times before shooting, unless it's already dead.

I'm a bit torn on 3D's - they used to be fun and good practice for hunting but the last few that I have done have been set very long with lots of targets brushed up. Many of the shot are not ethical archery shots and I would not take them at live critters. For some reason the local clubs think that 50+ yards are what makes it fun. There is a shoot this weekend that I'm considering, but if there is anything else to do besides yardwork I'll probably pass. I know you can move up and shoot where ever, but I'm pretty competative and like to shoot from the stakes and post my scores - just don't agree with the trend toward long shots and marginal shots.

To those clubs that set stupid long targets, There is a sport called Field Archery which was designed for those long shots. I agree centershot, 3D target setters are really setting some stupid presentations. I am not just talking to far of shots but shots like you said brushed up, behind trees with barely a piece of the kill zone showing. 3D was intended to mimic hunting. The problem is most target setters don't know how to use the terrian they have to foul the shooter. So instead they throw you distance and qeustionable presentations.

I would certainly agree with the goal for me is hunting oriented. I found the scoring zones weren't were I would want my arrow to hit in a hunting situation. I did take the mindset that I'm using this for practice on hitting my point of aim and working on range estimation. I'm competitive and want to shoot well too. I don't recall any shots in this particular shoot that would have been uneithical. My buddy did say that he has shot in some tournaments that if an unethical shot was presented, you could opt to not shoot for those reasons and get a posted value that was pre-determined by the judges (if they determined it was infact unethical, or knew that it was). However, if you took the shot, you were scored on your arrow. So, I'm guessing, it would be prudent to have local knowedge of the set-up and rules/regulations regarding possible unethical shots.

I'm just glad I did't loose an arrow, either from my own fault or from someone elses arrow...

We shot at mostly game animals, but the T-Rex, and small dinosaur, big cobra were the funny ones that the little squirt wanted to see up close. We did have a mountain lion at 3 yards. If that was real, I'd have pooped in my pants. I guessed at using the 40 yard pin for that one. I was pretty close...

In this club's shoot, the max distance was 45 for open class, 40 yards for male bowhunter (compound). Traditional bow guys get closer.

I think I will stick to paying my fee, shooting and having a good time with friends. Unless the rules say I have to post, I don't have plans on doing so. To be fair, it would be nice that they had a quick tutorial on how exactly to score. I was told by some, the arrow had to be entirely in, some said more than half, and some said touching the line. I can easily see inconsistancies in peoples scores.

This also made me what to find some cheap arrow to shoot rather than my carbon maximas. It seemed like my arrow and my buddies were almost always within a half inch. It is only a matter of time before I loose a few arrows. My buddy said he is going to start shooting second...If that is the case, I may always shoot for some of those high ring value not in the main zone...

If the shaft of the arrow touches the line it is in the higher score zone. I have never seen it scored any other way.

These days I get in one or two a summer. I like to shoot my hunting set up and always have. My friends and I don't worry about score too much. I do miss the 90's when I shot competitively almost every weekend as I was a hell of lot better shot than now. These days I just make sure I practice to 40 yards so 30 is easy enough when I am hunting.

I try to go to all of them that I a can. They are good practice. I find if there is a shot I don't like I can just move a little. We don't turn in cards and just there to have fun and learn.

Wait til you bust/lose 3 brand new ACCs in one shoot. That'll sting. I used to shoot a bunch of them as there are quite a few club/ranges in our area. Now it's only about once a year. I agree I like it for point of aim and yardage estimation.

Oh, and theres a reason some of those 3D guys still shoot aluminum arrows: we call them "line cutter".

I used to shoot them all over the country every weekend. It was a lot of fun but it did become to be work after a while. Now I shoot 2 or 3 a year right before hunting season for fun and to get worked up for hunting season. I did not shoot it for pracitce for hunting, I shot it as competiton and to try to win money.

In just about all the shoots besides the one on state or national level had seperate stakes for different classes of shooters. If you don't like the long range then enter the lower classes (no insult intended but I couldn't come up with a better name for them) instead of the open stakes. If they have a bowhunter's stake then shoot as they are usually pretty close. If they don't have a bowhunter stake or it's still to long mark your scorecard "non competative" and shoot from wherever you want to. Just because the shoot is set up or serious competitors doesn't mean you have to shoot it the same as they do. And if the target is set at an angle that you don't like because you are practicing for hunting then don't worry about the kill zone on the target and shoot it where you would for hunting.

Long shots are what make these shoots fun IMHO, what challenge or fun is shooting a 3D deer target at 20 or 25yds? That's not even a challenge. Having part of the kill zone covered up by something like a tree adds some risk to the shot which I like, do you go for the easy 8 or risk it for the harder 10 or 12? But having the kill zone covered by brush is unacceptable.

Heeler, I hear your pain about smashing arrows, I used to go through a couple dozen A/C/C's and A/C/E's per season!

when i was living in AL at my last command me and a few buddies would shoot 3d's every weekend from feb to sept and loved it...a good way to keep yourself sharp with ranging estimations and another good way to talk crap with some friends while having a good time shootin...i never was "competitive" per say, since i just went out to shoot some targets i couldnt afford to buy myself and really wasnt concerned with score, just wanted to stay prepared for when hunting season rolled around...lots of fun tho