As most of you probably already know, we’re down to 6 weeks before the start of PA’s archery season (or 4 weeks if you’re planning to participate in the early 2B and 5C/5D hunts). And if you haven’t done so already, that doesn’t leave much time to get your bow tuned and make sure your arrows are hitting where you aim. My backyard shooting sessions usually continue from spring gobbler season, straight through the summer. But August and September are when I get serious about making sure my hunting setup is ready to perform in the treestand.
My homemade target stand is constructed of PVC pipe and a few things you can find at any hardware store.
I’d been thinking about it for quite a while, but this year I finally built myself a bona fide archery range, complete with yardage markers and a sturdy stand for my targets. If I’d have known how easy it was, I’d have done it a long time ago. I started by constructing the target stand out of 3” schedule 40 PVC pipe. I made the dimension of the frame 48”x54” with 36” legs. I wanted to be able to easily move the stand if I needed to mow around it or store it for the winter, so I cemented two 4” drain pipes into the ground (approx. 24” deep) that the legs of the stand slide into. I glued the two cross pieces to the pipe fittings, but left the vertical side pieces unglued in case I need to replace any of the sections in the future. Like most of you guys out there, I’m pretty sure I could never shoot so badly to hit the target frame, but I’m not completely ruling it out either. The bag target was attached to the frame with two screw-eyes and a couple of threaded chain links I had lying around the garage. After seeing how conspicuous the target stand was from the road in front of my house, I decided to spray paint it brown just in case a potential thief might decide the stand would look better in his yard.
A view of my range from the 20-yard marker and a look at my custom marker lids
After the target stand was in place, I was ready to install the yardage markers. I’ve tried all kinds of markers in the past, but I’ve found that the simplest (and easiest to avoid with the lawnmower) are plastic jar lids nailed into the ground. For most of my practicing, I set the markers at 20, 30, 40, and 50 yards. The longer distances are more than I’d ever attempt while hunting, but I’ve learned that I shoot much better at 20 and 30 yards when I’ve been practicing at 40 and 50 yards. Plus, most of the 3D shoots that I attend throughout the summer almost always have a few targets set at 40+ yards.
This time of year, I try to attend as many 3D shoots as I can because there’s just no substitute for shooting at life-sized animal targets at unknown yardages. Even though I’m pretty proficient in my backyard standing over yardage markers, it usually takes me several 3D shoots before I can accurately tell the difference between targets set at odd distances like 27 and 33 yards. Another reason I really like the 3D shoots is because the targets are often set on uneven terrain, with both uphill and downhill shots. Some 3D courses even have elevated platforms to simulate treestand shots.
This past weekend, I went with a friend to the annual Field Day at the Possum Hollow Sportsman’s Club in Wampum, PA. This was an excellent event that featured a variety of sponsors, tons of door prizes and raffles, and shooters from across PA, OH, and WV. The guys at Possum Hollow ran a great shoot and the trails and targets were very well maintained.
That’s me taking careful aim at a deer target 30 yards across a ravine; A contestant in the long-range novelty shoot sets his sights on an elk target over 80 yards away.
Some of the biggest attractions at the Possum Hollow event were the novelty shoots. Like most clubs, they had a long-range contest with a jackpot for hitting the bullseye on a target at an obscene distance. Their target was a 3” exploding dot on an 80+ yard elk target. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the skills to claim the prize, but I heard the tell-tale “boom” several times that morning after a lucky archer had drilled the bullseye.
Another popular novelty shoot was the ‘Dunk Tank’. I’ll admit up front that I was duped into this one by my shooting partner and the event staff. Anytime that I’ve been around dunk tanks, it’s been the person in the tank who gets wet. However, this time around, I experienced the drenching as a contestant as well. I thought the rules of the game were simple: I had three shots at 20 yards to pin a ping pong ball to a stack of hay bales. If I could do that, the lovely young volunteer (sarcasm emphasized) went for a swim. The part everyone failed to mention was that while I was trying to steady my pins on the swinging ball, the elevated lass would be busy splashing me with as much icy water as she could eject from the tank. And splash she did! Having not practiced under such stressful situations, I thought my chances were pretty slim for removing her from her perch. But with some serious concentration and a little luck, I managed to stick the ball to the hay and send the heckler into the frigid tank.
That’s me trying to endure a wall of water without losing sight of the swinging ping pong ball; A very cold and wet volunteer after I somehow managed to dunk her
Finally, the most unique novelty shoot was called ‘Soak Your Partner’. This contest involved an ingenious contraption that held water balloons over each contestant’s head. Suspended over the balloons were spiked boards that were attached with ropes and pulleys to two more water balloons in front of the target. The goal of the game was to shoot your balloon before your partner could shoot his. When you broke the balloon, the weight holding the spiked board was gone and it came crashing down on the balloon over your partner’s head, hence the name of the game. As you can guess, it wasn’t always the person who got his shot off first who won the contest.
A couple of archers prepare for the signal to draw at the ‘Soak Your Partner’ game; The victor (right) enjoys a good laugh after his soaked partner shot first and missed his balloon.
The Field Day was a great opportunity to get some good practice while having some fun and meeting new people. Most of the local clubs in my area hold their largest shoot of the year sometime in late August or September. Some groups also have a broadhead shoot where you can practice with your blades before heading out for opening day. If you’ve never been to a 3D shoot, I strongly recommend giving it a try before the season starts. I’m certain you won’t regret it!
No comments:
Post a Comment