HOW TO SHOOT 3-D ANIMAL TARGETS written by Lori Keeler
As many of you are shooting 3-D courses for the first time this year, I thought you may appreciate a few tips from a 3-D addict! The targets are meant for archers of all ages. Start as simply as possible. Stand at a close distance, say 10 yards and shoot at the animal as if it were a paper target. Aim exactly for the centre of the "10" ring and let er rip! Continue to shoot from the 10 yard position until you become consistently accurate. Now, step back five yards and do it all over again. You will find this the easiest way to become accurate and consistent with your shots up to sixty yards. This can take weeks to accomplish so you will need lots of practice and patience! Make yourself become very good up to 35 yards as this is the maximum range where the majority of successful hunting shots are taken. Make a point of checking the yearly 3-D archery rules to find the current maximum distance you will be required to shoot at a 3-D tournament. Make sure you have the proper pins sighted in to enable you to be accurate at the appropriate yardages. Once you are sighted in, you can begin to learn the "hard" part. This is the ability to determine the distance to your target without the use of distance stakes or a rangefinder. I find it easiest to start learning my 10 yard distance first. I pace off 10 yards and turn around and study it carefully. I keep doing this until I can accurately estimate a 10 yard distance. I then proceed to learn the 20 yard distance the same way. You do not need to always shoot your bow to practice learning distance. You can even figure out distances while walking the dog in a park or whatever. As I shoot indoors at "paper" all winter at 20 yards or less, I try to memorize the distance to the target wall of the indoor lanes. I envision fellow archers out there retrieving their arrows at 20 yards. I try to imagine how tall they appear at the target wall; how long it takes them to walk back to me and how tall they appear halfway back to me. Then, when I am shooting outside, I try to envision a 20 yard inside target wall as if it was outside with me. Once you master the twenty yard distance, add ten paces (yards) and then turn around and study your target at 30 yards. I try to see the 20 yard distance first and decide how much extra I have left over. Is it half of my first 20 yards, or maybe a 1/4 or 3/4's? If it is a 1/4, add 5 yards to your twenty that you see. If it is 1/2, add 10 yards to the twenty that you see. If 3/4, add 15 yards to your twenty. I use this method all the way up to sixty yards. You must be very patient with this learning process for teaching “the eye distance" as it can take quite some time. If you find during your learning period that you have "lost your eye for twenty yards" and can't see it anymore for some reason, go back to your 10 distance again and rebuild your twenty back into your mind. You must know your 10 and 20 yard distances well if you ever hope to be successful at 3-D archery. They are the basis for figuring out all your distances. IT TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF PATIENCE!! Sometimes the use of a rangefinder is helpful in confirming the distance before you shoot at a practice target. However, I find I remember the distances better if I have to keep pacing the distances back and forth. Another trick I find helpful is to always count your distances from the target to you and then count them again from you to the target. Compare the two totals you come up with and average them out. Shoot the target for the distance your average is. For instance, if you see 32 yards one direction, and 36 yards the other direction, shoot the target for 34 yards. In competition, you have two minutes to shoot your one arrow at one animal target. As the average quality shot takes approximately 8 seconds, you have 1 minute and 52 seconds to step up to the stake, figure out the distance to the target, load your arrow and shoot! YOU HAVE LOTS OF TIME!!!!!!!! Don't be in a hurry to fire your arrow before you are ready! Always watch your arrow hit the target through your sight ring before you lower your bow. This will make for much more accurate shooting.
CARE AND FEEDING OF 3-D ANIMALS written by Lori Keeler
As these animals are VERY EXPENSIVE, we need to do our very best to make them last a long time! For example, if we need a new whitetail deer target, it can cost us a minimum of $300.00 while a new moose will cost over $1,200.00. The following is a list with a few tips to help you use the targets properly: 1. Always support the target with your hand or hip when trying to remove your arrow. Make sure you are supporting the section that your arrow is imbedded in. If you push on the side of the target your arrow is NOT in and pull on your arrow in the opposite side, you could break the "key tab" that holds the two halves of the target together. As these "tabs" are virtually impossible to fix, the target is essentially ruined. 2. Never ever, ever, place your foot up on the animal to pull your arrow out. This will cause the frame or "key tab" of the body to twist and break ruining the target. 3. Always place your hand, or preferably a rubber arrow puller, near the bottom of the arrow shaft, the end closest to the target, when you are trying to remove your arrow. Make sure you pull the arrow out in a straight direction without bending it or you may damage your arrow. 4. If numerous arrows are in the target, which often happens during a 3-D competition, always start pulling the outside arrows first and work your way inward to the ten ring area. MAKE SURE ARROWS ARE SCORED BEFORE YOU REMOVE ANY OF THEM OR THEY WILL SCORE AS A ZERO!!!!!! 5. When pulling arrows at any time, make sure no one is standing behind you looking at the arrows at eye-level!! An arrow nock doesn't belong in one's eye! 6. It is very important, especially in cold weather, to lubricate the arrows before you shoot them into a 3-D target. This makes it much easier to remove them from the target and prevents the target foam from sticking to your arrow. This happens due to the speed of the arrow melting the foam to the shaft. Trying to pull such an arrow out can cause the foam of the target to come out in chunks which can ruin the target. There are several good arrow lubricants on the market but a good old standby is a simple bar of Ivory soap. If your rub the arrow on the bar around the first three inches of your arrow, you will find the arrow much easier to remove from the target. A word of caution, however, is to use only Ivory soap as the other brands often contain chemicals which can be harmful to your arrows. 7. LAST AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, NEVER SHOOT A BROADHEAD POINT INTO A 3D ANIMAL TARGET OR INTO A PRACTICE BUTT ON THE TARGET RANGE. You will NOT be able to pull your arrow out without digging a complete hole in the animal or target butt. This results in damage that usually cannot be repaired and you will probably break off the tip of your arrow and lose the broadhead entirely. I hope that this article will help you in your start to join the rest of us "3-D archery nuts". If you ever find yourself needing any further assistance, please do not hesitate to ask any of us for help. We've all been in your shoes at one point trying to learn this sport and are more than willing to help you out. Good Luck and good shooting!!