Stickbow Target Archery Forums

I've never shot a field round let alone a tournament. As a matter of fact I've only been shooting about a year and a half, and in that time maybe 9 3-D shoots; small ones. These shoots are say twenty targets, one arrow at a target. Most of my shooting is in the back yard. I've worked up to 33 yards shooting a paper plate. I shoot about 25 arrows a day. And I'm 75 years old. I''ve been reading about this shoot in Florida and would like to try it just to see what it's like, but - (1) How much ground would I have to cover in a day? (2) How many arrows would I have to shoot? Im shooting a longbow; what kind of arrows -- wood or aluminum? Is it mostly compounds? And it would be a 650 mile drive one way. There is no target shooting around here so I have nothing to to compare it to. I just want some honest opinions. Would I be wasting my time? I would appreciate anything any of you have to say. Thanks.

The Everglade's range is about 16 acres in all
To shoot a full field round you will walk about 2 milesn On the first day of the shoot you will shoot 224n arrows in total with a possible maximum of 84 or a minimum of 28 arrows on the second day.

There is a longbow class, shooting wooden arrows
The closest targets are 5 yards the longest are 80 yards.

This tournament is mostly compounders, but there will be a hand full of longbow shooters including a world longbow champion and record holder.

The range is well protected form the sun with lots of overhanging shade trees.

If you want to have some fun, come on down, it will be a great tournament.

Robend,n
Welcome to field archery. It is a lot of fun.

If you decide to shoot, you will want to prepare by shooting the various distances in advance. The easiest and least painful way to learn the various distances is to start at 5 yards, shoot until the arrows are somewhat in the center, walk back 5 yards and repeat, and keep walking back 5 yards and learning each new distance, until you get to your longest yardage. I should tell you that one season I decided to skip the 70 and 80 yard shots -- you only lose 20 points (out of a max of 560), your arrows last longer, and nobody complains

As a purveyor of arrows, I find I must protest ArcCaster's suggestion of skipping the 70 and 80 yard shots. Those targets have help keep my small business going for years, LOL. I simply love to watch'em fly! No matter how small the possibility, I simply can't resist. On the other hand, those really long shots are few and far between, as Arc suggests. Getting your short range game down pat and working on the medium distance targets seems to get the most points for the time invested, at least for me. Then consider the long targets just for the fun of it, to say nothing of suppporting your local arrow maker. Gad, I wish I could go!

When I first started shooting big tournaments I was a lot like you. I hadn't competed much, I'd gone to a few local shoots. I didn't have much of an idea what I was getting into, but it seemed like it was worth a try.
Looking back, I was glad I took the plunge. Making the commitment to attend a major shoot seemed to elevate my shooting. I shot more and practiced in preparation for the tournament. I learned more about myself and my shooting technique. I even sought out other club members to get some information on proper form and protocol when competing. I was green. :p I started making more of my own gear, strings, arrows.

It seemed like I became more aware of archery as a sport as I entered the realm of a competitive archer. This was all unrelated to whether I was any good or not. I would rate my abilities back then as "decent". You know the MO, an energetic newbie.

When tournament day finally rolled around, I was a bit nervous. But, I remembered what my dear friend Bill had taught me when we were roving the range. He said it helped to be able to laugh , especially when there was dust in the air or that sharp crack an arrow makes when it hits a target hut
Just a note about shooting longbow at NAFAC. Wooden arrows and feathers are required. Split finger release is a must do "loose". Your bow cannot be a take down and the limbs cannot show any reflex in the limb when strung.

If you can make it to the shoot, do so!n
Cheers,n
Larry

What are some makes of bows that would qualify? I have a Blacktail, Leon Stewart, and a Chekmate. They all look to have some reflex in the limbs imo. Thanks, John

If you are serious about placing in the top three it's important to make sure you have a Legal Longbow, otherwise just go and enjoy.
When I shot the WEBHC in Italy this year I saw a man shooting an Old English Longbow, it was pretty obvious that he had no chance or intention of winning but he seemed to have the biggest smile on his face. Winning will only come to a few and most just enjoy the simple pleasure of shooting and being part of a big social event
The first couple of big shoots I attended I was more concerned about what people would think of my shooting, to be truthful nobody even noticed because they were thinking about their own form and having so much fun, once I realised this, I really started to enjoy competing and have never looked back.
All the IFAA events I've attended (especially in the Longbow class) sportsmanship was always top of the agenda, everyone seems willing to help a fellow archer in trouble, be it some advice or loaning a replacement for a broken Bow, it's things like this that make IFAA events so great.

I would have to say Larry's comments are spot on. His experiences mirror mine. Two years ago I went to the NAA Traditional Nationals which precede the Outdoor Target Nationals. It was held just a few miles from my home. Even tho In was scared stiff, I ended up having a ball. So much so that this year, when it was held in Reading, PA I made the committment to make the 8 hour drive and attend. And since I was going all that way for the two day longbow tournament, I thought, what the heck; why not stay for the entire week and shoot in the Target Nationals as well. So I bought myself a cheapo used Olympic Recurve off ebay and spent three months trying to learn to shoot it. As it turned out, I came in dead last in my class in the recurve division, but again I had a ball. I also learned more about shooting it in that week than I had in the three months practicing beforehand. I met some of the nicest people, all of whom were really helpful and glad to provide coaching tips to a newbie. I also got a chance to shoot against some really good archers instead of just local "club champs" which was an eye opener. My advice is to take a deep breath and make the plunge. It will make you a better archer, you'll learn a ton, meet some fabulous people, and have a blast (regardless of how you perform).
Cedar, one bow you might consider that meets virtually all organizations' longbow requirements is a 21st Century Lonestar. And if you're looking to merely put your toe in the water without too much investment, look at an Internature Viper. They both meet IBO, NFAA, IFAA, and NAA requirements.

Sorry to be so wordy, but Larry's comments just struck a responsive chord.

Ditto to Steve's comments as well.

Thanks, guys, for all the comments. Now I should be able to sort everything out. A couple more questions if you don't mind: A. If I shoot aluminum do I understand that I can shoot but it won't count as a score, or, I'll be shooting against myself in other words? B. When shooting the longbow will I be paired with other longbow shooters or with compound shooters? If you miss the target entirely are you allowed to look for your arrow, or must you leave it to keep up with the group -- I shot a small tournament where they would not allow you to look for a missed arrow. In all honesty I've never shot a wooden arrow -- Russ, have you got a website. I might need the purveyor of arrows pretty soon -- also, in my praticing I've shot a little at 90 yards and only hit the target facing one time. Boy, talk about telling it all. Ha. Thanks again for all the above. The answers to the questions above and anything else will be appreciated. It's a long drive for someone of my age, and then to turn around and shoot 225 arrows the first day. It just might be too much. Well I've got till Tuesday to decide. Thanks again.

You may want to click on the NAFAC website and see when the registration deadline is. I know you can pre-register, not sure if you can register the day of the shoot.

If you show up with a longbow and aluminum arrows you will be requested to register in the recurve bowhunter style. You see, IFAA will certainly welcome you to compete, but you must register in the appropriate style. In recurve bowhunter style, any type arrow composition is allowed and you can use a recurve or a longbow. In longbow you must shoot wood arrows. I wouldn't think they would let you shoot in the longbow style with the disclaimer that your score won't count. If you can get a hold of some wood arrows before you head to Florida, do so. Then there won't be any problem, unless you have some more. Problems that is.

In larger shoots with lots of shooters you would probably compete with other folks in your same style. If there are not a lot of recurve and longbow shooters there is a chance that they would group you with other longbow shooters. Hope this all makes sense.
It'll be fun.

Robend, an excellent source for wood arrows is Paul Jalon at Elite Arrows: (www.fairchase.com/elitearrows). His arrows have been used to take 1st and 2nd Place in the IBO Indoor Worlds the last two years and 1st Place in the IBO Outdoor Worlds this year. And they are no more expensive than aluminum. You might give him a call at (248) 669-1884 and he can help you decide on a proper spine. He also sells test kits of wooden arrows for spine testing.

It may be a slight difference, but it is my understanding that during the first day of NAFAC we will shoot 28 field targets and 28 animal targets. 112 arrows for field, and a maximum of 84 arrows for the animal (you shoot till your arrow scores, a max of 3 arrows per target), that is a total of 196 arrows. On the second day we shoot a 28 hunter round which is 112 arrows. Dana correct me if I am mistaken.
I also read that you can register at the tournament, which is the way to go from here on out. Looking forward to shooting in Florida, will I need my sunglasses and bug spray?
Larry

To everybody who offered advice, a great big thank you. The shoot was just something I wanted to do maybe one time, especially since I'm not in a target shooting area and I would always have to travel a lot. The drive alone to Florida is what really decided it; and then the wood arrows, getting them through the mail on short notice. And let's not kid ourselves I didn't know whether I would have the stamina to shoot that many arrows with any consistency; the most I shoot on the local 3-d range is twenty. I shot 32 yesterday and my bow arm wasn't holding up. So everything considered I've decided to get some wood arrows and work toward the Sectional Shoot at Myrtle Beach in April. The driving distance there is only half of what it would be to Florida. Thanks again, guys.
Larry - I would have liked to have got down there to meet you, but maybe another time and place. I wish you all the good luck on your shoot that anyone could wish. Enjoy yourself
Before I let you go, what size feather; and, are your arrows parallel or tapered?

Robend, Sounds like you're talking yourself out of it. It sure would be fun to go and shoot, even if only for a while, just to share a few targets and look at everyone else's stuff. Wish my drive was shorter. As for arrows, I just cater to the local folks, don't have a website, and you can probably find good woodies a little closer to home. Woodies aren't much different from aluminum and carbons for shooting, IMHO. As with all shafting, you may have to tune things a bit to see what works well for you. I like Rogue River tapered Port Orfords but Rose City parallels work great too. The real trick of woodies is to sort and straighten them well. One of the things you can do with RR is ask them to collect arrows of a particular diameter, weight, and spine and have a standing order of sorts. That way you get repeatable wood shafting. RR will also send you a selection of shafting for tuning purposes. Good luck and have fun.