# how many guys go to shoots solo?



## foland20 (Apr 8, 2012)

Went to a shoot yesterday alone cause nobody else wanted to go. I felt kinda weird all alone on the course as people let me shoot through. Finally on target 22 a group of 2 guys let me join which was nice. Just wondering how many people go alone and what do you do join someone or just shoot alone???


----------



## archeryshooter3 (Apr 12, 2011)

I do shoot alone if I can't get anyone to go with me. That being said, if I shoot alone I will not turn in a score. Although at local shoots I never turn a score anyway because I use them for practice (I'll take multiple shots with and without rangefinder, etc). Some shoots I join in with other groups, it's a great way to meet new people from your area.


----------



## BMWbubba (Apr 22, 2012)

I am new to 3D shooting and archery in general so I don't know very many people doing it. On my first tournament earlier this year I showed up and asked to join a couple guys going out. We began talking and I found out one of them was a pro and the other was an experienced open class shooter. I had my Hoyt CRX35 set up for hunter class and they didn't care that I wasn't an open guy or not and gave me some pointers and I took third in my class. If you ask most people will welcome you into their group and help you out to.


----------



## McStamper (Feb 25, 2009)

I also go out on my own if none of my friends can go. I am a bit nervous if I've never shot the course or it's not well marked. Generally I end up shooting by myself, this gives me extra time to study the target and the yardage. Once in awhile I'll accept a invitation to shoot along with a group. If I do go out on my own I get the cell phone number of someone running the shoot just in case I have any trouble.


----------



## Hoosier bowman (Jan 10, 2010)

I end up going alone all the time lots of the guys I shoot with can't make it every shoot, so I go alone. I usually try and shoot with a group if they only have 2 or 3 ppl. Sometimes I'll just shoot alone. It's always better to shoot with others, though in order to keep scoring fair and keep things more fun. 

Just me $0.02


----------



## 918hoytman918 (Jan 20, 2012)

Anytime u get to shoot at targets the better. I go alone alot.


----------



## sawtoothscream (Apr 19, 2008)

ill be going alone alot this year  most shoots are sunday and my dad works early, none of my friends shoot bows, my brother also works early.


----------



## XForce Girl (Feb 14, 2008)

I dont let people shoot alone on our course.
Tell me you are alone at registration and ill find you a group of awesome folks to shoot with.
Nobody has complained yet and usually they come off the course with new friends.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## mocheese (Dec 19, 2003)

XForce Girl said:


> I dont let people shoot alone on our course.
> Tell me you are alone at registration and ill find you a group of awesome folks to shoot with.
> Nobody has complained yet and usually they come off the course with new friends.
> 
> Thats the way it should be, I always enjoy shooting with new people. Got to meet a few this past weekend at Bedford. Now that my boy is getting a lil older he is going with me but usually isn't on the same course as me. His stories were funny from this past weekend, he shot with several traditional shooters and had a great time even though he didn't shoot that well.


----------



## Ms.Speedmaster (Dec 10, 2010)

I was a lone shooter, but always managed to get into a group. I don't like shooting in groups bigger than 3 or 4 though, because it takes too long to get around the course. I taught my son to shoot, bought him a bow, and now he's my team mate.


----------



## PWGUNNY (Sep 12, 2009)

I arrive alone but shoot with strangers. That's how I meet people. It's no big deal. The last group I shot with were 3 singles and 2 buddies. We all had a good time.


----------



## Supermag1 (Jun 11, 2009)

Yep, I've gone to shoots alone a fair number of times. Luckily, I've been shooting enough around the state that I know several people and usually run into somebody to shoot with when I get there. If all else fails, I'll go it alone until invited to jump in with a group (one of the reasons I know several people now).


----------



## Garceau (Sep 3, 2010)

I hate shooting alone - but will say up here some times its hard to find a group.

If I show up to a local shoot with my open type set up, I will just get shunned or talked about behind my back. Its very hunter related and I get that, but I am there to practice for bigger events.

Sometimes I can find a group and I enjoy it. Other times I just get told, no thanks we are just hunters....... I learned not to even turn in my card when I shoot alone.


----------



## Pine Hawker (Mar 17, 2005)

if i waited for my buddies to go,i dont think i would make it to any shoots.i love the guys who dont make no shoots then miss a deer the opening day.i break there stones.


----------



## WhitBri (Jan 30, 2007)

I'll shoot alone, shoot with a group doesn't matter, I hate making the long drives alone though. I usually try and join a group of peers if I'm alone. I shoot open and tend to take it kind of serious so I look for others the same. I know some are just bowhunters and want to get through a course in a timely manner so I don't want to slow them up with my binos and such. Have met some great people shooting with strangers


----------



## greimer (Feb 13, 2007)

I go alone not to many guys shoot as much as I do...but I usally get group with some others and meet new people


----------



## foland20 (Apr 8, 2012)

Sounds like im gonna meet a bunch of new people out there not a bad thing


----------



## scottranderson (Aug 9, 2009)

When I go to the club on Sunday I shoot with who ever I am grouped with. But I shoot 4 times a week so its not like I can find anyone to go out that often with me so ya I shot mostly by myself its not like I have a choice but its ok I am only going to shot arrows so myself is all I need.


----------



## schmel_me (Dec 17, 2003)

Garceau said:


> I hate shooting alone - but will say up here some times its hard to find a group.
> 
> If I show up to a local shoot with my open type set up, I will just get shunned or talked about behind my back. Its very hunter related and I get that, but I am there to practice for bigger events.
> 
> Sometimes I can find a group and I enjoy it. Other times I just get told, no thanks we are just hunters....... I learned not to even turn in my card when I shoot alone.




Geez kevin i thought i was the only one that happened to around here.


----------



## Gumbo860 (Apr 11, 2012)

I went to my first shoot this past weekend alone. I caught up to a pretty serious group of 3 around target 7 and when they saw me waiting they let me shoot through.

I was kind of glad to shoot alone since it was my first time and I just wanted to get a feel for ranging and shooting outdoors for the first time. 

I caught another group around 25 and they invited me in the for last few targets. They were pretty lax and were just having fun so it was nice to join them and not worry about being taken too seriously or treated like a newb. 

All in all, I liked shooting alone, but could definitely benefit from shooting with seasoned shooters. 

It's a lot like golf, when I go single I get paired with people and I tend to play a tad bit better as I'm trying to rise to a better players level.


----------



## Bo Bob (Feb 12, 2004)

Hate shooting alone, although I have done it. Shooting with other people makes me focus on my game more and keeps me motivated.


----------



## trumankayak (Dec 28, 2011)

Since moving to Kentucky I know not a soul archery wise. So I have to show up solo. But I will not shoot alone.
I shoot open class and usually hit the practice butts until some open shooters show up. Then politely ask if I can shoot.
Usually offer to pull arrows or keep score. If I see no open shooter's I will try and find a small group that seems to be having fun.
If nobody's at the practice range, I will ask whoever took my money to pair me up with someone.
I like to be around people with a sense of humor. Disgusts me to watch someone throw a temper or blame their equipment.
In the end we are all out there to have fun.
And I like meeting new people at a shoot.


----------



## Padgett (Feb 5, 2010)

I shoot with new people all the time and sometimes it will suck when you get in a group that you can't stand but most of the time you have a good experience, this weekend dshort and I were shooting and a guy came up on us and we asked him to join our group or he could shoot through and go on and he decided to shoot with us. He was a wealth of knowledge and had been shooting 3-d for over 30 years and hopefully one day we can shoot together again.


----------



## J-Daddy (Aug 7, 2003)

The last time I showed up to a shoot alone I got paired up with a guy shooting a long bow...I wish I would have shot alone that day, lol...He was a super nice guy BUT we probably spent an extra 2 hours just looking for arrows because he probably missed 28 of the 30 targets on the course. By the end of the day I was tired of wading through the briars "in shorts" looking for his arrows..lol


----------



## hooiserarcher (Feb 20, 2011)

Hoosier bowman said:


> I end up going alone all the time lots of the guys I shoot with can't make it every shoot, so I go alone. I usually try and shoot with a group if they only have 2 or 3 ppl. Sometimes I'll just shoot alone. It's always better to shoot with others, though in order to keep scoring fair and keep things more fun.
> 
> Just me $0.02


I dont think i am far from you. I shoot most all the shoots in a 50 mile radius of 47879. I always welcome other serious archers.


----------



## outbackarcher (Oct 31, 2005)

I will go to a shoot by myself at times. I will always find someone to shoot with there though. I think it is good to break up your routine from time to time. I think you can get to comfortable at times shooting with the same guys and gals all the time. better preparation for national shoots in my opinion.


----------



## shooter64 (Nov 8, 2004)

I am in a group of 3 that goes almost every weekend. Last year we let a lone shooter join us and it took 2 hours longer then normal. After that we split up and go 2 per group I will go with the new guy, great way to meet and I like everybody.
If we found someone on our range shooting alone and shooting more than 1 arrow per target we would ask them to leave with no refund. The cost of the shoot is based on shots per target If you shoot more than 1 you should pay x2.


----------



## nochance (Nov 27, 2008)

I've gone alone quite a few times but always get paired up with almost always great people.


----------



## tkeatuofl (Feb 11, 2012)

I just moved and know absolutely no one shooting around here in the Huntington-Ashland area. I tend to always shoot alone. I'm also new to archery so hopefully soon people will notice me hanging around and I can get in a group and learn a few things, but for now just going it alone. It's sort of relaxing being by yourself though. I don't worry so much about my performance when just by myself.


----------



## TOMMYY01 (Oct 21, 2003)

I've been going to shoots alone for the past 4yrs. Somtimes, I will get to shoot with someone that are a hoot to shoot with. Other times I'll shoot with people who are waiting for some one that hasn't shown up yet. Most of the time though, I kinda feel like I'm crowding people. In our club, most of the people shoot alot of ASA eventsand they shoot with their buds. I love archery, but I feel by myself alot. But I will shoot, even if it's by myself.


----------



## peshikthe (Aug 1, 2011)

i have been to alot of shoots this year and shoot open class myself, but have never had a problem finding someone to shoot with, i have had only one shoot where i had a neighbor boy wanted to go and he shot great(first shoot), i have found a lot of genuinely great people. usually they shoot hunter class, but it has never been an issue with my open class setup. i too shoot every possible shoot and practice everyday for at least an hour or more. i have a recurve bow and a hunter class bow that i can also take and often do depending on if i want to just chill or me and the neighbor boy go(he shoots my 69 tigercat) and i will shoot my 67 nomad 1 browning, my hunter compound is a pse rouge x. its all got to be fun and dont forget to pass it on to the next generation.


----------



## dboatcoach (Apr 25, 2011)

I go to most of the local shoots where I am alone as my cousin who got me into shooting is about 2.5 hours away and doesn't make it to all the shoots that are local to me. I try to shoot with new people if I don't find any one I have shot with before. I usually find a few people who show up at the same time and ask if I can join in and it always seems to work out.

I have shot alone on a few occasions just because the attendance was low and I did not want to wait an hour or so for a group. I have enjoyed this as well because I have used it as a chance to re-shoot a few of the shots that were way off to see if I messed my yardage judging or perhaps a mistake in my shooting process. But I always take the first arrow score regardless if it was a miss or whatever points it scored, I just want to see where my mistake may have been.

One of the things I enjoy is when shooting with others is the chance to learn from and share with others and those funny or unexpected moments, for example this past weekend I shot with a pair of older guys and after the shoot while waiting for the awards to start we were discussing how far the first target was from where we were and the two guys i shot with in hunter class took a couple of shots at the buffalo at what ended up being 115 yards away quartering away, the first guy made a hit on his first shot and he ended up nailing a solid 10 score, we all had a good laugh at that as he could not buy a 10 on that target at 25 & 35 yards during our 2 rounds.


----------



## Travis Shaw (Feb 28, 2011)

I like others shoot alone, but do enjoy meeting new people that like archery as much as I do. It is always nice because you can learn something if you ask the right questions and have an open ear.


----------



## Hallsway (Jan 16, 2009)

Don't mind going to a local (practice) alone. But I will never go to a local shoot that is a contest anymore. I went to one last year by myself after trying to get people to go. I ended up shooting my best score of the year, and no one to witness it. It felt like hitting a hole in one and no one was there to see it. I did not end up winning or placing but I remember thinking if I did it could have been contested and it would have been a big waste of time. I only shot well because they where scoring 12's. If anyone who has shot with me will agree I am usually outside the center 11 ring a lot. So I shot for 11's an I was scoring 12's that day. After that experience I only go to local money contest with people or wont go.


----------



## boweng (Aug 7, 2006)

trumankayak said:


> Since moving to Kentucky I know not a soul archery wise. So I have to show up solo. But I will not shoot alone.
> I shoot open class and usually hit the practice butts until some open shooters show up. Then politely ask if I can shoot.
> Usually offer to pull arrows or keep score. If I see no open shooter's I will try and find a small group that seems to be having fun.
> If nobody's at the practice range, I will ask whoever took my money to pair me up with someone.
> ...


I'm over in Franklin. I'll be going to london this weekend but there is a shoot in Russellville the weekend after that (I think?). It'll be a state qualifier. Let me know if you want to meet up.

I travel to shoots by myself alone frequently. I often offer to "bust" up groups if the organizers need it. I'm getting where I recognize several people and usually have no problem joining up with groups even if they are complete strangers.


----------



## Kstigall (Feb 24, 2004)

When I go to local shoots I always invite those that are alone. I know what it is like to go to shoots where you don't know anyone and no one invites you to join their group. It's no fun shooting alone. I would ask to shoot with a group of 2 or 3 guys and they would tell me they were waiting for someone. Then they would proceed onto the course. Now that I'm a 3D veteran I make it a point to welcome loners or newbies. I've met a lot of decent folks in the last 6 years that I would have never met if I hadn't approached or invited them to shoot. This past weekend I asked a couple of semi-strangers if I could shoot with them. Personally, I like to shoot with "strangers" :wink: as long as they aren't toooooo strange............ I do it all the time and now I don't give it a second thought. It is a real advantage being comfortable shooting with strangers when you go to an ASA shoot or any kind of shoot where you get assigned to a stake or group. Another advantage with shooting with folks that you don't know well is that if you score honestly and fairly you get a good reputation. It helped me once when a real pecker basically said there was no way I shot the score I posted. The guys, club members, I shot with I had not met previously and they called the arrows AND recorded the scores so Mr. Loudmouth had to eat crow.

I'll shoot with anyone, any time, any where and if you spot me enough points I'll shoot 'ya for a dollar or 2. Tight asses beware...........


----------



## asa_low12 (Mar 15, 2008)

I pretty much go to every shoot alone. I drove to and stayed in Paris alone in April. I don't go to local shoots very often, but I know enough people that I can always find somebody to shoot with, or will jump in with strangers when need be. The reason I go to local shoots alone is because there is only 1 other person in the county I live in that shoots 3d, and he hasn't went to one in a couple of years. I don't care to take a passenger for a big shoot but I prefer to stay in separate rooms. You would too if the only ASA travel buddies you had were also the world record holder snorers. I have never been able to sleep with people snoring, since I was a kid. I just lay there and wait on it to quit, and it usually does, and starts right back the moment I start to drift off.


----------



## dfirst (Jul 26, 2011)

Today I went to a shoot alone because both my buddies bows are sickly. It ended up a guy i shot winter league with and son were signing up just after me so shot with them....wasnt my best shoot but good practice. I do better shooting with people of equal or better skills just couldnt get my rythem today. they were happy with 8s and 5s. So i havent had to shoot alone at least yet. Next weekend im going to my first IBO qualifier so hope they have squading . My shooting buddies wont want to shoot it with the added cost.


----------

