# A question for field archers



## clemsongrad (Jan 18, 2009)

At the ASA shoots... I think there are about 150-200 shooters in known 45, known 50, and womens known 40... there was 123 shooters in k45, 36 in womens known, and 22 in k50 in fla first of this month...

Guessing half the shooters in k45 if not more are field guys or indoor dot shooters.. Guessing most in K50-pro have field backgrounds. These known classes keep growing too


----------



## bowhunter_va_28 (Apr 28, 2003)

25-40 shots is a warmup not a day of shooting. I shoot field because I enjoy shooting my bow. Judging yardage is not the deciding factor.


----------



## montigre (Oct 13, 2008)

Agreed!! To spend 5 hours of a day shooting only 1/3 the amount of arrows I’d normally shoot during a field round does not equate to an enjoyable time for me. I really dislike just standing around (you should see me in a supermarket….) and want to spend as much time as possible outdoors shooting my bow. I can learn to judge distance, so that’s really not an issue.


----------



## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

Set 4 times the number of targets, have everyone shoot 3 arrows at each and make two archers shoot at the same time. Then you might attract some more people.

-Grant


----------



## Spoon13 (Feb 20, 2007)

The biggest issue is just the fundamental difference between the games. It's really not the Marked/Unmarked that is the problem. The NFAA has 3D, both Marked and Unmarked. Most Field shooters just prefer to shoot the standard Field and Hunter Rounds since it takes about as much time on the range and consists of a LOT more arrows.

I myself don't mind a bit of 3D although I don't shoot it much at all. I do prefer the ASA format more than the IBO. ASA requires some course management as you shoot. Target distance and presentation may effect how aggressive a shooter is on a particular target since the 12 and 14 rings are in risk/reward locations instead of the middle of the 10 ring. Outside of that aspect of 3D, I much prefer Field and Hunter Rounds over shooting foam. 

I will say this though. Our local circuit added a Known class a couple of years ago. It shoots from the farthest stakes and has ebbed and flowed in it's popularity. Some days it's quite large and others you may only get a shooter or two. Most local clubs feed off the Hunter set. The 30 and 40 yd pin classes always seem to be the biggest class at our regular shoots followed by the 40 yd Open class.


----------



## pacnate (Sep 23, 2009)

This may not be what you're asking, but:

I have bowhunted a long time, and just in the past few years gotten into 3D and love it. But this past summer, one of my good friends took me, my dad, and my brother in law to a field shoot. It was just a fun shoot, where we were actually the only ones on the range. We had a blast. I was WORE OUT afterwards, but I fell in love with it. What everyone's been saying so far about shooting more was a great thing for me too. It isn't about who judges the best, it's about you as a shooter. Can you shoot? is the question. I liked it a whole lot, and I will definitely be shooting as much of it as possible this summer. I think our club may even try to get a range together. I don't know if all the same guys who shoot our 3D will want to do Field, but I think we could get it going around here.


----------



## hdracer (Aug 8, 2007)

I started shooting in early 2007. First 3D shoot was the last one in '07. Hit the ground running in '08 and '09 shooting as many 3D shoots as I could. I also joined the local JOAD club and started shooting FITA tournaments. As I started shooting more FITA shoots I shot less 3D. Why? More time shooting and less standing around waiting to shoot. Don't get me wrong. I love being out in the woods more than standing on a line in a field. But I like shooting more arrows. Then I found out about Field. The club I shot most of my 3D at opened a Field course. So I shoot as much Field as I can. We are the only club in our area that has a course but I've traveled to Cleveland for another. I really enjoy shooting Field much more than 3D. I only wish we had more Field courses near here. I also help with the club's 3D shoots and in my opinion there are already too many classes in IBO (haven't shot ASA).

Other than shooting more arrows on a given day, there is really no pencil pushing. Most of the time it is double scoring with one person calling and one to make a second call if needed. No "pushing the line" as I've heard far too many times on a 3D course. It is either touching or it's not. Also, the X ring is very visible, not hidden as on many foam targets. I generally can't see the 10 ring on an animal after putting down my binoculars. Not so with field targets. I'm not guessing as I frequently do on foam targets.

Just my 2 cents. Having a known yardage class won't make me want to shoot 3D anymore than I do now.


----------



## mag41vance (Mar 13, 2008)

I guess I have had success in both venues. 5 Virginia State Championships. (3 in 3D) (2 in field)
The 3D were, 1 at marked distances(VBA), and 2 at unknown (IBO & VBA) 
I enjoy both types of shooting but not the experiences that can go along. I have had dreadful waiting experiences with both. 
I do like the known 3d venues just because I can shoot my field set-up. When I shoot guessing game venues, I prefer a different sight set up as well as a faster bow. Those guessing game tournaments you shoot more to minimize the misses more than maximize the hits like in known distances.
So the answer is, depends on my mood. As I grow older, my former strengths become weakness, and my weakness's have to become stronger. It's nice to have a choice. On days when I have shoulder pain, a slow 3D event doesn't seem to bother me as much. More recovery time between shots.
Again I say, having choices makes life livable. :becky:


----------



## sweet old bill (Apr 21, 2003)

I started in field in the 70's and shot it thru the late 80's. I can no longer find a club within a hour and a half that is a nfaa club. Biggest issue is time to shoot a full 28 targets. Many suggest have only 14 tgt's as a round. Also shoot if a 3d ROUND as each tgt has the distance marked or set the tgt up at the closest stake.


----------



## NYS REP (Dec 21, 2003)

I have to say gentlemen, what a different response on this forum compared to the 3D forum. All of your answers have been what I determine to be honest and from the heart. Pleasent to read this and no fighting or bickering. Keep them coming. Most of all best of luck with your shooting and continue to enjoy the sport of archery.


----------



## pat13b (Nov 7, 2010)

Although I have never tried a 3d shoot. I like the field shoots for really 2 reasons. 
1. I like to shoot as much as I can on my day off, so shooting 1 or 2 arrows at each target then moving to the next does not interest me much.
2. The yardages are not marked and I cannot judge distance very well and would be afraid I would lose my expensive arrows.

I know alot of people say these 3ds are a blast so maybe I'll give it a shot this season but would fell a whole lot better if the yardages were marked.

-pat13b


----------



## hdracer (Aug 8, 2007)

The club I belong has both courses and the 3D side gets inexcess of 100+ most weekends (200+ one weekend). Field is lucky to see 20 or so. So to be honest I have not shot a full-field Field competition yet. So the waiting may be similar when there are equal number of shooters. There are many more shoots (3D, FITA, Field) than I have weekends. Throw in a rotating weekend work schedule and I need to pick and choose which shoots I attend. I would like to be able to travel and attend more but right now that is not possible.


----------



## Kade (Jan 11, 2011)

For me it has nothing to do with the yardage. When I first started shooting outdoor target all I shot was 3D. I actually judge yardage very well so if I were to start shooting 3D again if I shot a marked class it would simply be because I am not really practicing or wanting to shoot 3D seriously. I have shot MBO in IBO and frankly don't really like the IBO scene on the National level. I shot Open A and Open B on the ASA level, when it was all unmarked. I simply don't like 3D as much as I do field archery. For me there is no comparison in my level of enjoyment and what I get out of them. 

I don't like shooting one arrow every 15 mins or so and I prefer to be able to shoot more then 45-50 yds. It's like I told a buddy that came and shot his first field round with me once. We pulled arrows on target #5 and I said just think you just finished 5 targets and have shot the same amount of arrows you shoot on an entire 20 target 3D course. We still have 23 more targets to go. 

I prefer shooting arrows. It takes roughly the same amount of time to shoot both but I will take 100+ arrows to 20 every time. 

I enjoy shooting 3D but I am never going to choose 3D over field no matter how things are done. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## rock monkey (Dec 28, 2002)

There's a lot of differences in the mentalities of the different venues, a great deal of that is subjective.

a 3D shooter will say that walking the woods and flinging an arrow is fun. well, dont field shooters do the same?, just a little more shooting than walking.

we all get told how 3D is a 'faster' game. yes and no. when by yourself or with a small group just going through the club course, sure....i can see that. change it to an event with many more shooters, no. you have the looky-lou's, the time hogs, the scoring lawyers and the occasional missed the target completely types, sometimes in the same group. multiply that by 20, how does that make the game 'faster'? yes, you can completely miss the target in field but the scoring is cut and dry. in a group of 3, shooting 30 targets, i have taken upwards of 4hrs to shoot a token round of 3d. to shoot 20targets of an international round, which is 60arrows total, 3.5hrs with a lunch break. at a casual pace.

you'll hear how difficult it is to shoot 2 arrows at 80yds at a target the size of 3 hay bales. too scary. put a football turkey out there around a hundred yards, charge admission and guys will be flingin sticks all day until they run out and laugh about it.

you shoot with friends and have a good time. well...fun and 'good time' is subjective. with the small amount of field shooters in any given area, they become friends anyways and enjoy an activity that they all like.

some clubs that are trying to accommodate both venues have issues with one group playing well with the other. many clubs are area restricted and lay a 3D course within the field course. field courses are more 'resident' than the 3D courses. as these shooters make their way through the field course, they pull the yardage markers. not sure why, but they do. why cant one venue (in generalities) accept and play nicely with another?

you get the pimp show groups. the guys of a certain brand that congeal around each other and make it well known that everyone else cannot hold a candle to them because they didnt spend the money for the name they choose, dont shoot all the 'cool kids gear', brag about how little they spent on 'top shelf gear' and so on. and we see the shotgun target, again. there's also a great deal of the pimps that just wanna get all they can from whatever manufacturer is going to give them. that's great.......if they can shoot. me personally, i like being a free agent.

the difficult part for clubs is the vandals and pimps. it is almost impossible for a club to police it's grounds during a shoot, let alone catch them. the pimps, people are just people. nothing you can do about it till the bullies start chasing off the rest of the paying shooters. then it becomes a sticky situation because the bullies tell 2 friends..........and so on. how does a club win from that?

in many of the online discussions about the differences in venues, the greed factor comes up. in field archery, most i shoot with shoot for fun and improvement and a couple that are more serious than i. 3D shooters will tell me i cant make any money on that 'game'. some of us arent in it for the money. if the money is what motivates you, then fine. 3D pays.....yeah, it does. but how much does 53rd place get in a class of 175 competitors?, about the same as 4th place in a spot shoot. "but i have a chance at winning money"........yeah, and you also have a chance at winning money playing the lottery, your point is?

how many times do we see the 'ASA vs IBO' discussion just on AT? what does it always devolve into? MONEY. how many times do we see the 'Rhinehart vs Mckenzie/Delta' discussion? field shooters dont complain about a target....unless it's just crazy nasty shot up. there are some bale types that are more shooter/arrow friendly than others, but it's still something to shoot at.



there are fundamental differences in the shooter personalities. some you cant change, others you can. exposure to a new game when shown the ropes correctly the first time helps clear a LOT of misconceptions and misinterpretations which makes the fun factor that much better.


----------



## bowhunter_va_28 (Apr 28, 2003)

rock monkey said:


> There's a lot of differences in the mentalities of the different venues, a great deal of that is subjective.
> ........
> there are fundamental differences in the shooter personalities. some you cant change, others you can. exposure to a new game when shown the ropes correctly the first time helps clear a LOT of misconceptions and misinterpretations which makes the fun factor that much better.


That would have been perfect. Sometimes less is more.


----------



## montigre (Oct 13, 2008)

bowhunter_va_28 said:


> That would have been perfect. Sometimes less is more.


Yeah, but you gotta remember, you're having this discourse with a head of broccoli.....(haha)....


----------



## hdracer (Aug 8, 2007)

Hmmm....rock monkey and broccoli...


----------



## rock monkey (Dec 28, 2002)

better that than a cabbage head.


----------



## hdracer (Aug 8, 2007)

Ha ha ha...sorry, couldn't resist...I'm bored after spending all day with my mom at the hospital. Was surprised when that picture popped up in a search.


----------



## rock monkey (Dec 28, 2002)

thats ok, i gotsa thick skin.


----------



## shoot3d (Feb 12, 2012)

I'm lucky enough to belong to 2 clubs that have both field and 3d and i love both. I have been shooting field archery since the 70's when 3d started hitting the area I was'nt to happy with it but after shooting them a few times it grew on me now I can't get enough. I do think that it is to bad how feild archery has fallen off over the years and people say that even the 3d numbers are down also.


----------

