Trad Gang

i try to attend as many 3d's as i can and always have a blast with good friends. i do however thrive on competition and wonder how others feel at the shoots? like i said i ALWAYS have a great time but i also ALWAYS really want to win!!!! came close a few times but just so happens the fellers i shoot with are top notch!! i benefit greatly by shooting with them and hope to one day BEAT them, you reading this Thorny??? one of my biggest draw backs is my lack of knowledge with arrows set up and tuning which i hope to learn as much about as possible now. i also need to shoot at least every weekend which i rarely do due to the pile of things that need to be done when the work week is over! so those who shoot and have a good time is there a burning desire to WIN the shoot?

I very much enjoy the competitive aspect of 3d shoots but I also thoroughly just enjoy shooting 3d targets. I am fortunate enough to belong to a traditional archery club that keeps 3d targets up year-round and I shoot "against myself" regularly.

More for practice.

The score rings on some targets are off on vitals a bit. Heart shots are usually 8s with some 10s. I go for shots placed as if hunting, not really for score.


Case in point, I shot a deer target yesterday that was leaning backwards about 15 degrees. The shot was uphill so the angle was magnified by that too. I made a great shot in the heart area. It scored a 5. It was about an inch out of the 8 ring. If I were to have hit the top of the 10 or, even worse, the 8 ring, it would have been a single top lung shot at best. A top of the 8 ring would have just been a wounded deer with no chance of recovery.

I shoot for hunting season practice. I get more out of it that way.

I shoot for fun! Occasionally I'll keep score. I usually shoot with my 13 year old son and don't want to put to much pressure on him. If I get to competitive he looses interest...so I try to keep it fun! Although sometimes he tries to lay the hammer on me!   :D  

Jason

Oops!

I go because it is fun to get out and play with my friends but it is fun to win as well so I guess I'm a little of both

i believe shooting with kids or family would play a different role of encouragement and compleatly change the mind set for me, got to get the youth involved!

Hey Ken,
I shoot just for fun.  I am too lousy of a shot to shoot for scores! I really haven't been to very many 3d shoots.

Just getting back into 3D this year after a 3 yr layoff. But I feel the same as you adk. I always shot with top notch shooters when I shot 3D. When I first started out I got hooked up with a Great bunch of guys who started a club in N.H. We always had a great time, laughing all day while having a great time slingin' arrows. I learned to become a complete  archer from shooting with the those freinds. But deep inside the competitiveness reigns supreme... At first it was me trying to do well and place to prove to myself I was getting better as an archer and was almost on par with my freinds. As I did get better and more proficient, the game changed for me. Now I like to compete more against myself. But, to answer your question, YES, Always a burning desire to win. I hope I never lose that desire. After all, 3D does make most archers better shots at bowhunting distances over time with sound shooting pratices, which it did for me. Which in turn, makes us better shots when we take to the woods... It also like you mentioned helps us get to know our equipment to the utmsot as well. Good Luck this year, hope you win a first place or two!!! J   :thumbsup:

Hardly ever keep score. I mostly shoot for kill shots and disregard the out of place scoring rings. Sometimes we goof around and go for the eye or nose. And, of course, your buddy's nock if he gets a little too cocky!

Most of the time we don't take a scorecard, but we are still competitive within our own group.  Each shot makes the next shooter wanting to do better.  We encourage each other and always comment on good shots.  We laugh during the entire round and having fun is a must.

I like competing with my fellow archers. But for the most part it is for fun.

I do both. We have some good shooters in the club so it can be interesting but we are always having fun. I really don't care about winning a trophy except for our clubs Traditional Shoot and the Muzzy Shoot where I always try my best.

I shoot every Sunday and never keep score as do the guys I shoot with. We basically have fun. This is an ongoing arguement among shooters on forums though (Do you keep score?). Most who do say they keep track of their improvement and without keeping score you can't do that. I call bullshrimp. For me who has been shooting a bow since 1955 progress in archery would be measured in minute increments. Some Sundays I'm hot while others I'm not. Why fret over scores, have fun.

If you just have to win though, go for it.

I've shot in a total of four 3D's in three years of shooting trad.  I have never kept score in any of em'.  I shoot 3D to have fun and improve my skills, not worry about a score.

I just enjoy the company of other like-minded folks and have a blast shooting.  I never give a thought to scoring. Turning it into a competition, I believe, would take all the fun out of it.

I used to shoot in winter leagues, but gave it up......after a few years, I realized that it took a lot of the "fun" out of shooting.

I never keep score. When I was younger I was competitive now I just try to hone my bowhunting shots by aiming for the kill zone I would pick if I were hunting. At the end of the day I know if I was shooting up to my standards or not. For me that's the bottom line.

I always have fun but do take my shooting seriously. I always want to try and hold my own, and keep creaping up the ladder as far as scores.  That being said when my girls are in tow the scorecard a lot of times doesn't even get filled out.  Joe

Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition.
There is always someone a little better, and that helps to keep you sharp.
Sometimes I keep score, and sometimes I don't.
I maintain that in the average group of guys, anyone can be the best shot on any given day.
Also, if you shoot this summer like you did this weekend, you will be kicking some butt.

I shoot for fun and the challenge of improving against myself.

I have no desire to "compete" against others, except in fun.

I like to score using a kill, wound, miss.  For me it is ALL about practicing for hunting season.

When I compete, I am only competitive against myself. Shooting a personal best is the ultimate, but very hard to do. If I can shoot within about 8% of my practice or comfort zone scores, I feel I have done well.

I belong to a club that has a permanent 3D range of 37-39 targets and shoot with a group every Tuesday year round--sometimes more often.  We rarely keep score and I will shoot from different positions at times.  I shoot for the kill area.  We do keep score at regular club shoots but I will never be in the winner's circle.  When it no longer fun I will quit.  Have fun.

its ALWAYS fun weather i shoot good or bad that day but i WANT TO shoot my best. i have NEVER had a bad day at a 3d shoot, i have had MANY bad days shooting but not a bad DAY at the shoot.

I am competitive but only against myself. I have fun and enjoy beating others but my score is only for me. I score myself in an effort to keep track of my progress.
The score is indicative, no coulda  shoulda  would have, etc. It is what is is.

Shooting against others also help with putting pressure on yourself and that can only help in a hunting situation.
No shame in finishing first, gift or last if you shot your best.  
So for me.. I do it for fun,training, practice and to see where I can improve,

I keep score sometimes like once a year or so on a good day to see how much I have improved. I don't really keep score to win.

Hey Ken,

I know what you mean.

I have a great time at 3D's. Whether I shoot well or not. But I have to admit, I keep score of how I'm progressing as the year goes. And to see if I stack up with the other traditional shooters. To be honest, it kinda drives me to get better! Competition is good, as long as, it's in fun and no one gets stupid about it.

For example, last week I shot a 30 target 3D. My biggest challenge was not to shoot any 5's....well, I shot three 5's and ended up shooting a 268, which I'm happy with the score but even with a few 5's I had a GREAT time with everybody(I think we laughed the whole round)....i.e. I'm still looking for that elusive NON-5 3D round!

Joe

Hey Ken I would rather stump shoot its more like hunting.

I shoot 3-d for fun and practice all year round. But I normally finish in top 3 so I love to win too.
Used to shoot professionally with Compounds and I'll be honest most of those guys have weird attitudes toward others and equipment. You know.
Started just shooting trad and the folks at the shoots are so much cooler and laid back and the environment around Trad shoots is so much more peaceful. Plus when i go out with some compound groups I love to here them say stuff like did you see that he just shot a 10 from Our stake or other personal comments that really make my day. I guess its the simplicity as a whole is why I love traditional.

Fun, try to shoot as good as I can, but don't take it seriously, and don't keep score. The bunch I normally shoot with are too busy picking at each other for a lot of concentration to be taking place. Just give me a good trashy course, and a few friends, and I'm good to go.

I shoot for kill shots as if hunting and don't look for the scoring rings.  If that results in a good score it's just a bonus.

The winter league I shoot in has some of the most fun & crazy guys I know.  Hard to believe we get any shooting done with all the laughing going on, they are also some of the best archers I've seen.  We keep score but always have fun, I think if you can shoot good in a setting like that you can shoot good anywhere.  Theres a good kind of pressure put on you whether from yourself or the guy you're shooting with.....  DB

Our group hasn't kept score in years. We may bet a post-shoot hot dog or soda on a particular shot, but we are primarily socializing and having fun. Many times there is a newbie shooting with us, so we like to be able to move our shot closer or farther than the designated stake. Also, I doubt that we get more than 10 trad guys, counting recurves and longbows, at our local shoots.

i am a very serious 3d/ target traditional shooter.  i have a lot of fun doing it though.  i get a thrill out of tuning my bows and improving my skills making my bows and me the very best they can be.  it only makes me a better shot in the woods.  by taking your shots seriously only improves your concentration and ability to "pick a spot" on a live animal.  i also never forget to have a blast doing it.

I just got back into 3d this winter after a few years away from it. I keep score for the league and to try to beat my score from the week before. I shoot with mostly compound guys so competition with them isn't an issue. My effective shooting range has already improved in just a couple of months and improvement is my main goal. Plus it is just plain fun!

I basically  pay them to put holes in their 3d's. Just for fun

I've always had a tendency to shoot as good, or as bad as the group I'm shooting with. When I'm out there shooting with a group that are excellent archers i tend tend to focus on my own shooting more, and shoot much better. But i have a hard time getting real serious about score cards and entering contests anymore.

I'd much rather be with a group that laughs at a bungled shot, than listening to someone piss and moan or get upset when the blow it.


We all have those days where you can't hit a bull in the butt with a banjo. at least i do. better to laugh, than cry about it.


Then again.... Sometimes it's worth getting serious to try and blow the doors off some cocky self proclaimed master of the bare bow.

Fun will always be "fun"!  Flinging arrows at foam animals......well, it's only a step below actual hunting.  When hunting is no longer fun.....I'll probably just sell my bows.

I gauge my progress through the people I shoot with.they have taught me everything an my goal was to be as good as them.now on occation when I feel really good an they feel really bad I can pull off a small win from time to time.they enjoy my progress as well.I have a great bunch of people to shoot with an we have a blast.

i shoot to win every shoot i enter,be it the local shoot every sunday or the ibo triple crown..it only makes me a better shot in the woods..now when i go stumpin,its all fun..i love to compete

I'm always competitive with myself internally. I try not to let it show while shooting 3d. I laugh, have fun and try not to let a bad shot bother me.

The flip side to that is if I get too relaxed about anything I get sloppy and sometimes bored. I almost need a constant competition with myself to stay sharp and motivated.

Rob

Fun.I compete with Mother Nature only.

In the area where I live their are very few Trad shooters so most of the time I'm the only one there. I prefer to go stump shooting more than 3D as I feel its more my style. Shot stumps long time before 3d came about.

Winning or losing is a function of how your score compares against your peers. Since I can't influence how my competition shoots (at least not ethically, as far as I'm concerned) I can only control my own score. That's why I never compete to win, so to speak. When I shoot competitively, my goal is to shoot the best round I possibly can. If I win, I win. If not, I don't. I'd rather shoot the best round of my life and lose than shoot poorly and win.

Ken,

why didn't you tell me we were competing? I would have tried harder.   :readit:  

I play for fun but keep score for giggles as well.

I compete with myself. Long ago I set an 80 percent goal for my self. I have done this long enough that I feel I should shoot at least 80 percent of the whatever the possible total score is. As far as winning is concerned, I don't worry about it as long as I feel good about how I am shooting.
I enjoy shooting my bow whether it is a competitive shoot or not. BUT I shoot better when my buddies are shooting with me and pushing me. One of my best friends is an amazing shot with any bow. Several years ago he won the IBO Triple Crown in the longbow class and when I shoot with him I have to step it up a notch or the ribbing gets brutal!! LOL! Mike

I just like to have a good time with friends and family , some times I'm shootin good and others well not so good.

It's all about practice for hunting for me and having fun.

i like to have fun when i go, but i also like healthy competition too. i dont think there is anything wrong with competition especially when its accompanied by good sportsmanship and comradeship.rv

I ALWAYS have a great time on the 3D course. Sometimes I win when I shoot at the local shoots, but trad shooters are few and far between here so there's not very many trad entries at those shoots which makes it easier to get a win.

Now, when I go to the bigger trad events I still pay for the competition round but I really don't expect to win. I pay the extra fees because it adds a little pressure on me to shoot well. And, hey, you never know when you might just have that once-in-a-lifetime day and shoot a phenomenal score and you sure don't want it to be on the one day that you failed to pay to get into the competition round!

I ran an indoor 3D league and the members shot for fun and did not keep score. We set up the targets at varying distances and then each shooter had the opportunity to call the distance on the shot and the difficulty( kneeling, sitting, turn around, etc.) it made it more fun. We shot for our own perception of where the vitals on the targets were as opposed to using the scoring rings. We shot 15 targets twice and shot 3 arrows per target. It was more for fun and camadierre then keeping score and competiveness.

Went to a 3D just yesterday with Wood Only,LH Keith and my son.Most everyone I ever shoot with at those shoots,including those guys,shoots for fun not score.Some keep score just to look back on later as a reference to see how they did but don't turn their card in looking for a trophy.I try to kill the foam animal and often the 10 ring isn't the best kill shot if the target is quartered away or toward you for example.Always good spending a Sunday morning on a 3D course with some buds.

I am pretty much just like you. I have a very competitive nature and don't like playing most games unless I think I can compete and maybe even win once in a while. That being said, most of the all trad shoots I go to are more for the social event. I get to see alot of friends just a few times a year at the big all trad shoots.

Bisch

I like the variety of targets, situations and distances.  scores can help see progress- or not. It is a great way to fraternize and in our case due to distances, camping

I go to enjoy time with my daughter, meet new people, spend time with old friends and hone my skills for hunting.

Regardless of the scoring system used, if I keep track at all I use a 5/3/0 scoring system. 5 being a lethal hit (NOT based on the rings which are not always accurate, especially if shot is at an angle) 3 for a marginal hit and 0 for a miss or non-lethal hit. When I do keep score I look for a percentage of kills vs non-kills and try to improve my ratio.

its all about the quality time with my wife and friends for me!! helps keep the muscles in tune also

mostly I shoot to simulate hunting.  there fore I usually mark my card CLEAN KILL / WOUNDED / MMMMISSED.  Disregarding the marked kill zone on the targets, that are wrong...... Whats that all about?  And shooting from the peg, which I would not shoot from at a living animal, at those angles and distances.....

Couple of years ago I kept scored and had a great day of good shots.  When I turned in my card  the guy said "Oh, that is a great score, to bad Mike is here."  (Mike, as in Mike Hays/Black Canyon long bows, a very nice man and a great bow and amazing shot) Dang.

It must be for fun and practice cause I don't ever win anything LOL.

I try and shoot as many 3D shoots as possible. I shoot local 3 times a month. I am competitive and always turn in a score card. Its always a blast.. I was the first trad shooter at our club in several years. And now there are 9. I dont finish 1st quite as much anymore but I dont mind , its usually the guys i got started with a sticbow beating me...

QuoteOriginally posted by J.Williams:
Went to a 3D just yesterday with Wood Only,LH Keith and my son.Most everyone I ever shoot with at those shoots,including those guys,shoots for fun not score.Some keep score just to look back on later as a reference to see how they did but don't turn their card in looking for a trophy.I try to kill the foam animal and often the 10 ring isn't the best kill shot if the target is quartered away or toward you for example.Always good spending a Sunday morning on a 3D course with some buds.

:(   you left me out of the mix haha

I dont even carry a card. Sometimes I wont even shoot from the stakes if I dont like the shot. Just practice for hunting for me.

3d's, are you competitive or just for fun???

YES...

I am very competitive, but I always have fun. Like mentioned earlier, if there's a target leaning and the kill zone is tilted up or down most the time I end up with a good kill shot that may not score to well.

I love to win a shoot, but I would still go if there was no score cards!!!

Shoot to have some realistic practice, and mostly to have fun!

L.R.

It's too easy to forget or lie to myself if I don't keep score.  How can anyone know if they are actually improving without a score card?  Somehow a few tens are easier to remember than the complete misses.  By the end a guy could shoot a 180/400 and think it was a pretty good day.  I know that shots aren't always the best or indicative of the shot I would take, but the rings and dots are just part of that game, so I play along.

On top of keeping myself honest and informed, I am extremely competative.  Since it is a competition, there is additional pressure and tension.  I've always believed the added pressure of the score and on-lookers is valuable in learning to control my nerves and focus.  Those two things (or the failure in them) are frequently the cause of poor shots on animals.

Keep score and compete!  Post your score up with those other brave people and challenge yourself to do better.  At least this way you will have some tangible way of tracking progress.  Just remember it is a game and sometimes binoculars are needed to figure out where you are "supposed" to shoot ;-)

i should say i would rather stump shoot as i just love being in the woods and roaming. much more fun to me then 3d. i do very much enjoy 3d though. 3d and poker are a lot the same to me as i enjoy them both but i am there to WIN as well as have a good time.

Uh, yes.
It is a bit of a let-down of and when you beat your mentor.
In the end, the one to beat is yourself.

Killdeer

I still remember when I made the little league all star team back MANY years ago. Our coach had a meeting with the parents at the first practice. He said we are out here to have fun BUT, I aint never had any fun getting my butt (a....ss) kicked.

I do keep score when I shoot. Most time I'm shooting with some really good shooters and it's fun . Most folks will shoot to the level of their group. I also love the shoot down stuff where you get to shoot in front of a gallery. To me that is great practice for dealing with what happens when a buck of a lifetime happens by.

What bothers me is when I see a guy just flinging arrows at will and laughing and joking around as he's looking for his arrow behind  every other target and talking to his buds about how he can't wait till hunting season. " but he don't keep score"

You don't have to keep score to see how you did. You know if you shot well or not. Did you consistantly hit your spot or didn't you?

When you keep score someone in the goup will feel great and someone else will feel like crap. It's not worth it among friends.

Nothing wrong with competition, we just chose to go for kill shots and have fun doing it.

QuoteOriginally posted by Red Beastmaster:
When you keep score someone in the goup will feel great and someone else will feel like crap. It's not worth it among friends.

Never thought about it ever hurting anyone's feeling.  I guess I would still be inclined to keep my score privately if in a group setting like that.

I don't keep score. I buy a score card to support the shoot but I shoot to kill and on some shots I've come to the "bulls eye" was not a kill shot. I do compete, but with myself when shooting. I just have fun with my friends that I shoot with.

beleive it or not, in over 30 yrs of bowhunting, ive only shot a 3D course only once!  i just never wanted to do them.

My buddy Dave routinely whips my butt on the 3d course but the company is why I go. My 16 year old is beginning to enjoy it as well.

Sean you should go with all of us this year!

I keep score, but I can really only compete against myself.  If I was a better shooter I might care about other people's scores.  The shoots are pure fun, but like some others said, scoring myself is a way to track improvement between shoots.

I think people feel worse about terrible shots than they do about the resulting score.

The kill zones are sometimes unrealistic, but if you pick the 10 ring on the target you should be able to hit it regardless of where on the target it is...Still good practice in my book.

The shoots I attend always have a good mix of targets and some really challenging shots, so it's good practice and a lot of fun.  The company is always one of the highlights.

It just depends, but mostly fun

Reading all the comments, I note one thing that we all agree on "The kill zones are not always in the right spot on the target" This is true, so why don't the target makers correct that problem?

I don't care about anyone elses score except my own. If I shoot well for me and get beat by 50 other guys, that is fine with me! No matter how "good" I get I am striving every day to get better. I feel if I ever get "satisfied" with how I shoot that I will not continue to get better but will probably regress in my ability. I shoot my bow becaue I love to hunt with my bow. 3D is a game that gives me more opportunity to shoot my bow. As I stated earlier, I am very competitive and like to win as much as the next guy. I always aim at the spot to make the best score on the 3D targets. It would not matter to me if that 12ring was anatomically correct for a heart shot or in the butt. It is just a spot I am trying to hit; just like the tuft of hair right in the crease on a live deer.

See ya on the 3D range!

Bisch

I am my biggest competition. And my most favorite person to have fun with as well. Have fun and compete against yourself.

I shoot to win but I don't fall apart if I lose. I have fun either way but I enjoy shooting good and winning.

James

Bisch.....you're an inspiration, and a hoot to shoot with.  Are you competitive?....Eh...just a little.    :biglaugh:

I truly enjoy 3d shoots to spend time around other traditional shooters, and generally shoot with a few friends, definitively great practice and friendly competition between us. Good exercise for us older types too. LOL!!

Hey Ken, I'm going to be at Mikes this saturday.  Are you going to make it?

Sean no can do bro, wife is working on college papers and i have to be the dog wrangler.  would realy love to join you guys!

I actually attend several 3D's per month. Of course I like to score well, however my primary goal is to attempt to make 30 flawless shot executions.  Sometimes I luck out and score 10's when in fact my form was weak. Those scores are not celebrated. Even when I finish in the 9's, there are numerous shot executions that fell far short of nice shot execution. The challenge for me to execute an excellent shot execution on each and every shot transition smoothly to the field since the challenge is between me and my quarry.

The camaraderie and enjoyment is unparalleled, yet when I step on the line my focus is completely on perfecting shot execution. Never have come close to making the 25 to 40 perfect shot executions so the challenge is wide open at each shoot. The challenge is always encountered on the target I am facing. Even when I shoot a 2nd or even a 3rd round, the intensity at the line is there. When I am off the line, I am back to misbehaving, ribbing, taking shots from by buds while always promoting them to shoot well.

I try to shoot for as high a score as I can but know very well that a lot of the guys will surely outscore me by a wide margin. That does not diminish the fun and laughs at all. I value the social aspect of it more than the competitive side.

I try and attend as many 3-d's as possible, the only recent time I have kept score was at the muzzy shoot this past season, I did pretty good but it wasn't as much fun as a 3-D, but I'll be back there for more torture this year, it's a heck of a shoot!

I dont need a scorecard to tell me,if im shootin good or not.I used to get serious about 3d and i have won a few through the years.I can only remember,a couple,that i didnt at least place in.A couple years ago,i experienced some extreme cheating and pettyness at a buckle shoot and it just turned me off.I really enjoy,the Rondy type shoots like NALS and Western states,where score doesnt matter much.Stump shootin and campin with Friends,is the Best yet.

Your supposed to keep score???   :dunno:

I started out shooting for the score.I wasn't that competitive. I had a hard time shooting around other people.3Ds helped me get over that and it was good practice for hunting.
As of last year I can't hunt as much as I use to. Health reasons.I thought I would shoot more 3Ds.Be more competitive. I still donate my scores but I have alot of fun doing it now.

i like to shoot well. i also like competition,although i am never in contention for a trophy at 99% of the tournaments i have entered.i have placed in the top ten on several occasions. keeping score at tournaments is a good way to gauge how well you practice. you can always refer back to previous scores to see how much you have improved.also keeping in mind while at 3d tournaments, the ten and twelve ring are not always were the actual kill zone is in reality for a hunting situation in short i like good healthy competition ,good sportsmanship, which equals to having a good time. and a small note, no matter how good of a shot you are, there is always someone out there who happens to be better than you. rv

I just started to shoot 3D. I have two shoots under my belt now. My first time out I took first in adult male longbow and my second shoot I took second place adult male longbow. My wife and kids also placed in thier class. For me it is all about time spend with my family and I found something we all enjoy and we all can't wait for the next 3D shoot!

broketooth(Ruddy) thats the best post Ive seen on this thread. friendly competion is healthy and if you care,,,, makes you strive to get better. I know that you are alot better shot now than the first time I shot with you. DB