How many of you compete with your hunting rig?

[CharlieTN]

It's the off season so it's time to sling some arrows at some foam animals. How many of you compete in 3d, and even indoor for that matter with your hunting rig. I'm not talking about a bow specifically setup for bowhunter class, but the actual setup you hunt with.

I shot in an indoor tournament called The Shootout Series that originated here in TN after Covid shutdown everything else. It's an indoor spots tournament that combines a bit of the Vegas line shooting feel with the on-stage shootup format of the Lancaster Classic. If I can fit it into my schedule I may shoot some 3-d at some point as well. I managed to finish first in the state of TN and in the Gauntlet (the shoot up tournament) I finished 3rd.

One of my goals of shooting the indoor was to shoot the exact same rig I hunt with, even down to the arrows. Broadheads and lighted nocks are not allowed so I had to improvise by weighting my target nocks to match the weight of the lighted nocks. Other than that it was exactly the same.

If you do compete share what and where you shoot, your rig and such.

My rig is the Bowtech Core SR, CBE Trek Pro 3-pin sight, Vapertrail Gen7X rest, Scott Pursuit release, and Easton 6.5mm arrows with 50grain inserts and 100grain points.

This was shooting some 3D at a recent men's retreat our denomination put on over in Dickson, TN.

 

[Lost Lake]

After several years of laying off, I've been shooting in as many traditional 3D tournaments as possible using the exact same setups as I do while hunting, minus broadheads of course.

 

[deerhunter10]

I use to don't shoot any competitions any more, but always shot my hunting rig same arrows same everything. Would play with different setups but all intended to hunt with. Made me a better shot imo. There are some hammers at some of those shoots for sure.

 

[Smo]

Yep I do…

 

[redblood]

It's the off season so it's time to sling some arrows at some foam animals. How many of you compete in 3d, and even indoor for that matter with your hunting rig. I'm not talking about a bow specifically setup for bowhunter class, but the actual setup you hunt with.

I shot in an indoor tournament called The Shootout Series that originated here in TN after Covid shutdown everything else. It's an indoor spots tournament that combines a bit of the Vegas line shooting feel with the on-stage shootup format of the Lancaster Classic. If I can fit it into my schedule I may shoot some 3-d at some point as well. I managed to finish first in the state of TN and in the Gauntlet (the shoot up tournament) I finished 3rd.

One of my goals of shooting the indoor was to shoot the exact same rig I hunt with, even down to the arrows. Broadheads and lighted nocks are not allowed so I had to improvise by weighting my target nocks to match the weight of the lighted nocks. Other than that it was exactly the same.

If you do compete share what and where you shoot, your rig and such.

My rig is the Bowtech Core SR, CBE Trek Pro 3-pin sight, Vapertrail Gen7X rest, Scott Pursuit release, and Easton 6.5mm arrows with 50grain inserts and 100grain points.

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This was shooting some 3D at a recent men's retreat our denomination put on over in Dickson, TN.

solution ss?

 

[dsa5455]

Use to go to the range in Old Hickory all the time and shoot for fun. It was only five minutes from my house before I moved. The gates were always open for that purpose. I never shot in a tournament though. If I would have I would have used my hunting setup with field points. The few times I have been by there lately the gates are always closed. Not even sure they hold tournaments there anymore.

 

[TX300mag]

I shot in the 1997 Texas firefighter Olympics.

 

[CharlieTN]

solution ss?

CoreSR

 

[Crow Terminator]

3D archery is what I used to live and breath. My vacations were scheduled for the ASA circuit and events. A hunting setup is where it started for me but that ain't where it ended up! I got out of it because of the 3D archery explosion about 10 yrs ago. ASA shoots were having record breaking attendance and there just wasn't enough planning to make it flow. The last one I shot was the ASA Classic. My wife and I had the same shoot times on different ranges. 7 am start times. My class was finished at about 9:30-9:45 ish. I figured hers would be finished or close to it. I put my stuff in the truck and went to her range to watch what I thought would be her last few targets. Nope. I found her and she was NOT having a good time. Because in 3 hours...her class had shot exactly 4 targets out of 20. She was in Women's Known 40 and some of those women would take 5+ minutes to shoot. Then...at EVERY target scoring, they would have to call range officials to come score for them because they would argue over what the arrow actually was. It was like that all up and down the range in her class. They finished shooting at nearly 1:30 p.m.. Took them nearly 7 hours to shoot and score 20 targets. Range officials didn't do their job and after that, we said no more.

 

[CharlieTN]

3D archery is what I used to live and breath. My vacations were scheduled for the ASA circuit and events. A hunting setup is where it started for me but that ain't where it ended up! I got out of it because of the 3D archery explosion about 10 yrs ago. ASA shoots were having record breaking attendance and there just wasn't enough planning to make it flow. The last one I shot was the ASA Classic. My wife and I had the same shoot times on different ranges. 7 am start times. My class was finished at about 9:30-9:45 ish. I figured hers would be finished or close to it. I put my stuff in the truck and went to her range to watch what I thought would be her last few targets. Nope. I found her and she was NOT having a good time. Because in 3 hours...her class had shot exactly 4 targets out of 20. She was in Women's Known 40 and some of those women would take 5+ minutes to shoot. Then...at EVERY target scoring, they would have to call range officials to come score for them because they would argue over what the arrow actually was. It was like that all up and down the range in her class. They finished shooting at nearly 1:30 p.m.. Took them nearly 7 hours to shoot and score 20 targets. Range officials didn't do their job and after that, we said no more.

Unfortunately there's a lot of money to be won at these big tournaments and that causes some extremes in how people handle it.

It's not just in the 3D circuit, pretty much any competition with big prizes causes those types of problems and attitudes to come out of people. It' likely I will never go and shoot one of the big shoots but I may try to shoot a couple of the state shoots.

 

[Crow Terminator]

That's just the thing...in the ASA amateur classes, there isn't any money in most classes. Her Women's Known 40 class had maybe 60 shooters in it. 1st place won $300ish plus maybe a little extra for contingency money here and there. Not even enough to cover the hotel costs really...just bragging rights really. Definitely not enough $ to act like they were. The Pros shoot for a lot of $ and they are quite fast at shooting and scoring. That particular Classic was in 2015 I think. Attendance looks like it has dropped off quite a bit at them. I have thought about dabbling back in shooting but I think all the local venues have quit having shoots due to Attendance.

 

[CharlieTN]

That's just the thing...in the ASA amateur classes, there isn't any money in most classes. Her Women's Known 40 class had maybe 60 shooters in it. 1st place won $300ish plus maybe a little extra for contingency money here and there. Not even enough to cover the hotel costs really...just bragging rights really. Definitely not enough $ to act like they were. The Pros shoot for a lot of $ and they are quite fast at shooting and scoring. That particular Classic was in 2015 I think. Attendance looks like it has dropped off quite a bit at them. I have thought about dabbling back in shooting but I think all the local venues have quit having shoots due to Attendance.

I guess that's what I'm referring to. even though the money isn't there in the non-pro classes when many of the shooters see that much it causes them to take it WAY too seriously. I've seen it in some pistol shooting competitions that I've been involved throughout the years. The pros are really pretty easy to get along with but the amateurs can be a whole different story.

As to attendance, I know they were stating that the first Pro AM had record attendance this year. Not sure about the latest one as the weather was nasty.

 

[Crow Terminator]

The Foley shoot is one of the best ones they put on. I was shooting when they first went there...moved it from Newberry, Florida to Foley, AL. Everybody loves to shoot quick and then go to the beach or have all the good food to eat.

 

[AlexDad]

I had a friend I finally convinced to bow hunt and he gave up the bow in one season but he went to a 3D shoot and talked me into going and I got hooked. That was 10-11 years ago and now I've been the Treasurer at OHLBC for the last 4-5 years. I started to be a better hunter and have more confidence in my shooting but got hooked on 3D period.

I started out with my hunting rig and it didn't take long to set up a 3D specific bow and I used the same bow to shoot indoor at Mike Hudson's Thursday night indoor shoot. I've got my own home "bow shop" with press and every archery tool you could imagine and really enjoy fooling with my stuff.

The last couple of years it's been hard to get a good turn out to the ASA 3D shoots we've held and we started incorporating TAC style courses and a 100 yd shoot to win a bow and the turn out just exploded. When we set up the TAC style courses I do shoot my hunting rig because my target rig caps out at about 80 yds.

 

[CharlieTN]

I had a friend I finally convinced to bow hunt and he gave up the bow in one season but he went to a 3D shoot and talked me into going and I got hooked. That was 10-11 years ago and now I've been the Treasurer at OHLBC for the last 4-5 years. I started to be a better hunter and have more confidence in my shooting but got hooked on 3D period.

I started out with my hunting rig and it didn't take long to set up a 3D specific bow and I used the same bow to shoot indoor at Mike Hudson's Thursday night indoor shoot. I've got my own home "bow shop" with press and every archery tool you could imagine and really enjoy fooling with my stuff.

The last couple of years it's been hard to get a good turn out to the ASA 3D shoots we've held and we started incorporating TAC style courses and a 100 yd shoot to win a bow and the turn out just exploded. When we set up the TAC style courses I do shoot my hunting rig because my target rig caps out at about 80 yds.

There is an interesting natural cycle to any particular competition. I've watched it with some of the various pistol competitions as well as archery shoots. The new thing comes along, that is a bit different than the existing. At the same time the existing is starting to drop off a bit for a whole lot of reasons. Sometimes it's because the competition is just too much of the same thing all the time. Another reason is that the same people win all the time, creating the feeling that you really don't have a chance so why compete. There's also the natural progression to more of a gaming and equipment race that pushes quite a few out. Money always becomes a major player as well, and oftentimes shoots will price themselves out of a market.

The TAC style shoots are really gaining steam because they're different. They're geared around fun but challenging shoots with almost no emphasis on completion other than the local banter between friends. I have a feeling we're going to see way more of them in the future.

 

[AlexDad]

There is an interesting natural cycle to any particular competition. I've watched it with some of the various pistol competitions as well as archery shoots. The new thing comes along, that is a bit different than the existing. At the same time the existing is starting to drop off a bit for a whole lot of reasons. Sometimes it's because the competition is just too much of the same thing all the time. Another reason is that the same people win all the time, creating the feeling that you really don't have a chance so why compete. There's also the natural progression to more of a gaming and equipment race that pushes quite a few out. Money always becomes a major player as well, and oftentimes shoots will price themselves out of a market.

The TAC style shoots are really gaining steam because they're different. They're geared around fun but challenging shoots with almost no emphasis on completion other than the local banter between friends. I have a feeling we're going to see way more of them in the future.

At OHLBC it was getting to basically 3 of us doing EVERYTHING. It's very disheartening when you work hard to set up a course, the weather is perfect, and 5 or 6 people show up. We've had ZERO show up. If there was a hint of bad weather, forget it.

We have 2 ASA qualifiers per year and that would draw in maybe 15-20 people. This was becoming the trend before TAC started but was magnified after TAC came to be. So I think your analysis is 100% spot on.

I've gotten real heavy into kayak bass tournaments and just like the boat tourneys, FFS is pushing a lot of the hobbyists out because they don't want to put $20-30k into electronics to even come close to competing.

One thing that has REALLY perplexed me when it comes to local archery and bass tournaments and golf for instance, all three are self penalizing - at least a small amount of money on the line, etc. Any local level golf scramble, bass tourney or 3D the cheating has become just unbearable.

3D is a lot more subjective when scoring compared to the other two. It takes X shots to get it in the hole, a bass weighs X lbs or X inches long. I got stuck in a group of 4 of us at the State ASA in 2021. The other 3 guys were buddies and then me. There's a little bit of subjectivity of whether an arrow pulls the line, etc. But these guys took the cake. If there was a close obstacle between the stake and target, they would move off the stake to take that obstacle out of the equation. Anything close was a gimme to them but they held my feet to the fire.

You're not supposed to shoot in a group with "friends" and you're supposed to shoot in a group with people you directly compete against so you all have skin in the game. That year they separated us without taking friendship into consideration and grouped so that one maybe one shot unknown 50, one known 40, etc. So in essence you had 3 friends in my group that weren't directly competing against each other so if they "gave" the guy a 12, it didn't hurt them.

Very disheartening and I complained but it was 3 against 1. In 2019 or 2020, when State was at Cedars of Lebanon we had a guy in our group shooting WAY over the speed limit. I think the limit now is 290 fps, I think then it was 280 with X% for chrono error. At certain times at certain targets they have a speed check and this guy had been complained about. He had one arrow marked and he'd always shoot the chrono with that one. One finally made him shoot another arrow back to back without allowing him to pull his "special" arrow and he got caught.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

Use to go to the range in Old Hickory all the time and shoot for fun. It was only five minutes from my house before I moved. The gates were always open for that purpose. I never shot in a tournament though. If I would have I would have used my hunting setup with field points. The few times I have been by there lately the gates are always closed. Not even sure they hold tournaments there anymore.

We have 3D shoots every month and they are still the biggest in the State! The next shoot is April 20th and 21st in fact!

We had to close and go private because the public was destroying the facility and the targets. We had four $900 targets destroyed in 5 weeks because people wouldn't follow the rules and kept shooting broadheads into targets not designed for it. Someone even shot a broadhead into a painted wood sign that said NO Broadheads!

 

[CharlieTN]

We have 3D shoots every month and they are still the biggest in the State! The next shoot is April 20th and 21st in fact!

We had to close and go private because the public was destroying the facility and the targets. We four $900 targets in 5 weeks because people wouldn't follow the rules and kept shooting broadheads into targets not designed for it. Someone even shot a broadhead into a painted wood sign that said NO Broadheads!

It's just sad how the public in general acts. It's a shame though.

It's no different than finding empty bottles or cans on public land. It weighed more when you carried it so just pack it back out.

 

[TNDeerGuy]

There is an interesting natural cycle to any particular competition. I've watched it with some of the various pistol competitions as well as archery shoots. The new thing comes along, that is a bit different than the existing. At the same time the existing is starting to drop off a bit for a whole lot of reasons. Sometimes it's because the competition is just too much of the same thing all the time. Another reason is that the same people win all the time, creating the feeling that you really don't have a chance so why compete. There's also the natural progression to more of a gaming and equipment race that pushes quite a few out. Money always becomes a major player as well, and oftentimes shoots will price themselves out of a market.

The TAC style shoots are really gaining steam because they're different. They're geared around fun but challenging shoots with almost no emphasis on completion other than the local banter between friends. I have a feeling we're going to see way more of them in the future.

I don't want to say that there is a shift happening, but it's obvious when you look at State level numbers. The ASA, at least in Tennessee, is 65%-70% comprised of senior classes and youth classes. Other than Men's K40 and Open 40, and a few in K45 there just isn't many 20-40 year olds shooting. When the majority of your activity comes from senior classes that will be leaving relatively soon, and youth classes that have a questionable turnover/sell-through rate...the question has to be asked about the longterm viability of the sport.

However, look at TAC. They will sell out an 3,000 person event in an hour or two. That is where your 20-40 year olds are. They have money and spend ALOT. ASA shooters lose their mind if they lose a couple of arrows. TAC shooters are having the time of their life if they only have two arrows left and are looking for another two-dozen. The problem with the TAC shooters is they don't really visit the local clubs like Old Hickory. Is that they don't know about them? I'm still trying to figure that one out.

We have been creating our courses at Old Hickory to suit both the Competition shooter and the TAC/bowhunter at the same time. We will set a normal 3D ASA-styled course and then place an orange side cone close to that particular lane that will provide more of a hunting challenge. We're trying to get the bowhunters and recreational archers off the couch and on a course, but it's tough. However, at a regular shoot at Old Hickory we are seeing more and more bowhunters/TAC shooters.

As soon as the April and May shoots are over it's going to be play time at Old Hickory. In July we're having a two-man team shoot on Saturday July 6ththat will have at least $1,000 payback and on Sunday an Open Shoot that will also be at least $1,000 payback. Both days will be hunting type of courses similar to what you would expect from a moderate TAC shot. Max distance will be 60yds we're thinking.