3D - A New Dimension

Far too often I’m guilty of forgetting other formats in archery other than target. After pondering at the idea of trying out 3D and being encouraged by number of shooters, I leaped onto the shooting line to try it out. What could possibly go wrong?

Something refreshing about 3D finally shooting distances other than 18m or 70m and not at a paper with colour circles on it. We shot known distances between 20 and 50 yards at 12 animal shaped targets. Targets had scoring rings that are worth 11, 10, 8, and 5 with highest score being the vital spot.

 

 Constantly moving my sight around wasn’t something I was used to and there were silly moments where I had almost shot an arrow without adjusting it. While the idea of not shooting at a FITA target was refreshing, most of my sight picture was a blob of colour of whatever animal target I was shooting at. Of all the new challenges, the toughest one was getting the feel every arrow as a shoot off arrow. You really only get one shot at the target before moving onto the next one. It was a great exercise even though mentally exhausting.

 

By the end of the second round, I had a miss but a few my arrows did somehow find the 11 ring. By the third round, I was finding my groove and finished the night with a strong end. Overall, 3D proved to be more fun than it was intimidating. Most of that was due to the community and getting the help from other shooters to show me the ropes of the format. I can’t say for certain if I’m brave enough to shoot any outdoor 3D this Summer, but I might give it another go at indoor 3D before the season is done.

 

If you’re curious of 3D, whether you shoot recurve or compound, do give it a go. There’s plenty to be learned and if you’re fortunate such as it was with my case, you might even have fun.

 

Yours truly, D. K.