My conversion ............... by Ben Edwards aged 37 years and 360 days
“I’m concentrating on getting my target archery classification.” “ I don’t have the right sort of bow.” “I don’t have the right sort of arrows.” “I don’t have any sight-marks.” “Its too wet.”
How many times have I used those excuses in response to the question “when are you coming field shooting then?” Poor excuses you may think, especially when you think FGA are lucky that they have access to two brilliant field courses and less than 20% of us ever go. In fact it had started to become a running joke, that I would be asked the question and then trot out my stock answer. I certainly had no intention of shooting field last weekend!
However, feeling a little guilty that the same people end up setting up Fletching for the club’s open field shoot, I decided to go and lend a hand on Saturday morning. Arriving at Fletching is pretty impressive with the car park in a clearing in the middle of a wood. Little did I know that Saturday morning would be an epiphany in my archery.
Walking through the woods with armfuls of paper faces shaped like foxes, rabbits, boar and squirrels I was looking forward to sun-warmed walk in the woods. However, after setting up the first target and trying to understand the one-shot, three-shot terminology I caught myself lining up an imaginary shot and working out how I would shoot the target. This continued over the next few targets until we got to one of the most impressive targets on the course. A four-shot (you have four shots at the target) wild boar across a pond … having set it up I had a big grin on my face having stood at all the pegs … at this point I knew I wanted to shoot the next day … it was at this point that Jeff knew I was hooked too.
So I returned the next day, the day of the club’s autumn open shoot, to shot my first 14 target round. By ten am they were over 40 archers waiting to start in groups of 4 or 6 waiting for the sound of the hooter. I was lucky I was with Keith and Derrick, two seasoned field shooters, who were more than happy to show me the ropes and how to score etc… and the couple of hours of the round flew by….
I was gutted that I had to go home at lunchtime and couldn’t shoot the afternoon round … and I am itching to have another go… It has bitten me like a bug, and I would recommend that if you have any inkling of an interest that you come and try it, don’t waste 18 months with excuses like I did. The field approach is a lot more relaxed and people are happy to chat and exchange banter walking between targets – to be honest it is an excellent way to get to know your fellow club members. In fact just come along and have a look and a walk, but bring your bow because by target 3 you will be wanting to give it a go.
Oh and the excuses above … field archery is a welcome change from the pressure of target archery - any type of bow can be shot and definitely your normal bow, I used my compound, I saw recurves, longbows, AFBs etc… - you can use any arrows but I would suggest you use those aluminium arrows you used as a beginner they are ideal – sightmarks well you are going to be shooting from 10 yards up to about 60 yds so you can work that out.
So come along and have a go, you will enjoy it.
